Fr. Andrew’s 30th Sunday of the Year Homily Podcast
The grace of Jesus Christ brings power to our lives. We have the opportunity to draw on Christ and share his grace with others, especially as we live our vocation and help others to find their own!
Author Archives: Fr. Andrew Ricci
About Fr. Andrew Ricci
Extraordinary Life! Catholic Inspiration
Theology on Tap Presentation Podcast (36 minutes)
Are you looking for some practical ways to transform your life? Do you long for something special, filled with power, purpose, and meaning? Fr. Andrew looks at 3 areas (Self, Others, God) and applies them to the ordinary and routine elements of daily life. This Theology on Tap presentation was given at Vintage Italian Pizza (VIP) in Superior, WI on October 22, 2015.
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Daily Mass: Signs of the Heart. Catholic Inspiration
Friday of the 29th Week of the Year Homily Podcast
We see the signs of nature and know how to respond…the Lord invites us to do the same for our heart!
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This daily Mass homily was given on October 23, 2015 at the Cathedral of Christ the King in Superior, WI.
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Daily Mass: The Wages of Sin & The Gift of God. Catholic Inspiration
Thursday of the 29th Week of Ordinary Time Homily Podcast
St. Paul reminds us:
“The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Jesus Christ our Lord.” (Romans 6:23)
May we acknowledge our sins and embrace the freely given gift of grace!
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This daily Mass homily was given at Cathedral of Christ the King on October 22, 2015.
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30th Sunday of the Year – Divine Power
Study: Where have you seen signs of God’s grace at work in your life? How did it change you?
Pray: Are there people or circumstances in your life that are wounded or hurting? Pray for healing power!
Serve: Do you see someone in need? How can you help them?
30th Sunday of the Year Readings
The readings this week reveal a common theme of divine power:
- 1st – The Lord delivers his people
- Psalm – “The Lord has done great things for us”
- 2nd – Christ the great high priest
- Gospel – Jesus heals blind Bartimaeus
Throughout these scriptures the Lord comes with dynamic energy: liberating, saving, healing and redeeming. This is Good News! In the midst of the challenges and struggles of human life we find Jesus coming to us – meeting us where we are – with the transformative power of his grace.
With this power in mind, I would suggest two points for consideration this week:
- What in my life needs to receive the Lord’s power?
- How can I share my life to give the Lord’s power?
Let’s start with receiving. Where in my life am I wounded, hurting, or helpless? Do I identify with Bartimaeus, calling upon the Lord for pity? If so, our prayer (in private and at Mass) can be directed to heaven…asking for the grace we need to keep going.
Giving means we allow the Lord’s power to work through us. Giving requires that we see the needs of those around us, determine a proper response, and act in a manner worthy of Christ. We become the Lord’s hands and feet in service to others; our words speak encouragement and hope.
God continues to work with power in our world today, giving us all the opportunity to open our hearts to the endless grace of Christ. May we draw near to the Lord with confidence and allow his strength to work through us as we touch the hearts of those we meet.
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29th Sunday of the Year – The Cup of Suffering – Catholic Inspiration
Fr. Andrew’s 29th Sunday of the Year Homily Podcast
Jesus Christ shows us that suffering is a pathway, not a destination. Through suffering we experience a purification – whereby we grow and discover new insights through the process of challenge, pain, and difficulty. God permits suffering that we might be changed…for the good. For remember: the suffering of Good Friday will be transformed into the joy of Easter Day.
We are thus consoled and challenged by these words. Consoled, in that we take hope that the triumph of Christ on the Cross will one day be our triumph. He understands our suffering (he’s already been through his own) and we can cling to his mercy and grace.
Challenged, in that we are invited to drink from the cup of suffering. Like Christ, we pray that the cup will pass by, but like Christ we will accept what God sets before us – opening our hearts to God and allow this process to transform us.
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29th Sunday of the Year – The Cup of Suffering
Study: Consider an experience of suffering in your life. What lessons did you learn? How did you change and grow?
Pray: Many people carry heavy crosses every day…pray for them that they find the strength and grace they need.
Serve: Many people carry heavy crosses every day…how can you help them?
29th Sunday of the Year Readings
The readings today weave together around some common themes:
- 1st Reading – The Servant who suffers to ransom others
- Psalm – We trust in the Lord’s mercy
- 2nd Reading – Jesus, tested in every way, sympathizes with our weaknesses
- Gospel – Christ came to serve and offer his life…inviting us to do the same
Let’s start with Jesus. The Lord’s mission included not only teaching and healing, but was most clearly articulated in his death and resurrection for the life of the world. Christ died for our sins – taking our place by his suffering on the Cross for the evil we have done. His resurrection blazes a trail for us that leads to Heaven.
It is crucial to note that suffering is the path, not the goal. God the Father did not choose Jesus to suffer out of a desire for pain, but to bridge the gap between the human and divine. The Lord is the High Priest whose suffering draws near to a wounded and broken humanity. Like us in all things but sin, Jesus embraces us as he stretched out his hands on the Cross.
The victory of the Resurrection reveals suffering as the doorway, a path that when taken purges and cleanses, through which Christ has passed to break the bonds of sin and death. Suffering does not end in suffering; it leads to a freedom in Christ that is filled with grace, mercy, and peace.
This message has elements of consolation and challenge for us today. The consolation? We look to Christ for our redemption – turning to the Lord whose saving death and resurrection give us eternal life.
The challenge? We are called to face our suffering, recognizing in the crosses of our lives the path of redemption that God sets before us. In other words, we drink from the cup of Christ’s suffering – but we do it with conviction, faith, and hope.
The suffering we face today is part of our transformation as disciples. We engage the challenges of this life, not because we welcome pain, but because we see God’s hand at work in our struggles to purify our hearts and desires. Through this process we offer our lives, following the example of Jesus Christ to bring life to those in our midst.
Drink from the cup. Consider the sufferings of today as an offering to the Lord – given out of love that our lives might be transformed into the image and likeness of Christ!
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La crucifixion, Philippe de Champaigne; 1644-1646, 800 x 600 pixels.
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28th Sunday of the Year – Come Follow Me – Catholic Inspiration
Fr. Andrew’s 28th Sunday of the Year Homily Podcast
What is the most important thing in your life? What’s at the center of your life – that which gives meaning, purpose, and perspective to everything else that you do? The Lord invites us today to focus on him, so that everything we think, say, and do is touched by the grace of Jesus Christ. With God first, our lives become balanced and empowered – allowing us to use resources, relate with others, and engage our lives with conviction and joy!
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Personal Healing & Renewal – Catholic Inspiration
Fr. Andrew’s Podcast Presentation
This 45 minute retreat was given to the Northern Waters Parish Nurse Group on October 9, 2015. The presentation explores a four step process of personal healing and renewal:
- Acknowledgement
- Diagnosis
- Prescription
- Follow through
By examining four quadrants of human life (physical, intellectual, relational, spiritual) this presentation guides the listener toward personal growth in practical ways .
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28th Sunday of the Year – Come Follow Me
Study: Reflect on a moment when you put your entire heart into a project. What did you experience?
Pray: Ask God for grace to remove obstacles that are you keeping you from the Lord and others.
Serve: How can you help others follow Jesus Christ? How can your life strengthen them to focus on the Lord?
28th Sunday of the Year Readings
I confess that I have a real respect for people who show their dedication and conviction to a task. When I see others put their heart and soul into something:
- a job or task
- a sport or hobby
- music, art, cooking, language
- relationships, especially with family or friends
I see a passion and joy emerge. They work hard, often long and grueling hours, yet they love it and they glow with an inner light. Their dedication gives them meaning, purpose, and a zest for life.
This sense of dedication comes into focus in the Gospel reading today. The encounter with Jesus and the rich young man reveals both an enthusiasm and a hesitancy to follow God. The man wants to do what is right, he wants to be holy, but he is not yet ready to offer his entire life.
Where do we see ourselves in the Gospel today? What might be keeping us back from dedicating our lives to the Lord? Some obvious obstacles:
- fear, worry, doubt, anxiety
- the needs of our family – to put food on the table and keep a roof over our heads
- distractions and temptations from the world
- the speed of life is keeping us too busy, and thus we lose our focus and sense of balance
But what happens if we pause, reflect, and dedicate our lives to Jesus Christ? What happens the minute we reorganize our lives around the Lord, allowing his grace to flow through all our thoughts, words, and actions? Simply put, we become fully alive – we find in Christ both our strength and peace. Our lives take on a whole new level of meaning and purpose as we engage one another with renewed sense of faith, hope, and love.
The invitation today is simple: Put Jesus Christ first in your life. Let him be your Lord. Allow him to touch every aspect of your life, and watch as his light shines through your heart!
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Catholic Inspiration – Podcast Archives of Homilies & Talks- Daily Mass: The crucial call to reconcile
- Daily Mass: Christ fulfills the law and the prophets
- Daily Mass: Christ calls us to be salt and light
- Daily Mass: The Beatitudes
- Study, Pray, Serve: 11th Sunday of the Year
- Corpus Christi: The Body and Blood of Christ nourishes our lives
- Daily Mass: Sacrifices reveal the depth of our love in Christ
- Daily Mass: Jesus Christ is Lord!
- Daily Mass: We love God and one another
- Daily Mass: We stir into flame the gift of God
Three Great Things 