Fr. Andrew’s Daily Mass Homily Podcast
Mass Readings – Friday of the 11th Week of the Year
Where is your treasure? Jesus reminds us in the Gospel today that where our treasure is, there will our heart be.
Fr. Andrew’s Daily Mass Homily Podcast
Daily Mass Readings – Wednesday of the 8th Week of Ordinary Time
1st Peter tells us that we have been ransomed…with the precious blood of Christ. The Lord’s sacrifice reveals God’s value of our souls and shows us how we can share our lives – loving one another as Jesus loves us. Go make a difference today!
Study: Recall a time when you experienced a profound sense of peace. What made this possible?
Pray: Ask for God’s peace to touch your life and the those you love.
Serve: Consider ways you can share the peace of Christ with others. Be an instrument of peace today.
I find the words of the Lord in the Gospel tremendously comforting:
“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you.
Not as the world gives do I give it to you.
Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid.” (John 14:27)
How often do we need to hear these words! How often do we find ourselves disturbed and upset by the frustrations and fears of life?! And yet, Jesus – who knows us better than we know ourselves – consoles and comforts us with a peace that flows on the wings of the Holy Spirit from the heart of Heaven.
We crave peace: in our hearts, our homes, our work, our community. There is a tranquility that comes when we are united with one another, free from discord, doubt and misunderstanding. God’s peace empowers us to walk through the challenges of life with a quiet conviction that we will face whatever comes before us with the guidance of Christ.
Two key thoughts thus emerge:
Are there parts of my life that hunger for peace? Bring them to prayer. Are there ways that I can be an instrument of peace, in my own life and in the lives of others? Act now. God’s peace is for the asking and the Holy Spirit is present to renew us with this blessed gift.
May we leave behind our fears and anxieties, turning to Christ for the strength and guidance we need to embrace our lives with joy.
Peace be with you!
Study: Reflect on a time when you experienced something profoundly good. How did it shape you?
Pray: Are there needs in your life or in someone you know? Ask the Lord to touch and bless them with goodness.
Serve: How can you bring abundant goodness to another today? How can your service make a real difference in someone’s life?
2nd Sunday of the Year Readings
This week’s readings proclaim God’s goodness in a variety of ways:
We often talk about the Lord’s commandments as things we should NOT do. While this is often true and helpful, we can sometimes miss the point about all the ways our lives can DO things that are inspired (and indeed, commanded) by God. We are called:
Simply put, God’s goodness to us inspires us to share this abundant goodness with each other. We are invited to take hold of our lives and make the most of each day – loving and serving, forgiving and helping, blessing, healing, rejoicing, and renewing. We have been given the gifts of life and faith….let’s live them with power!
The gut check in all this flows from our fundamental attitude: do we live our faith with love, joy, and peace? Do people see goodness in the words we say and the actions we perform? Is our Christian witness evident in the manner and conduct of our interactions with others? May God’s goodness empower our lives to burn like a blazing torch – leading others closer to God and one another.
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The Wedding at Cana, Paolo Veronese; 1562, Louvre Museum, Paris, France.
Study: Reflect on moments of sickness and healing. Where did you see God’s hand at work in your life?
Pray: Is there something in your heart that is keeping you from being healed? Ask the Lord for the grace to remove the obstacles that prevent the saving touch of Jesus.
Serve: Who in your life is struggling with suffering right now? How can you help support them in their need?
5th Sunday of the Year Readings
Maybe you’re different, but I find it ridiculously easy to take my health for granted. I can find myself in patterns of thought where I just assume that my body will work exactly the way it is suppose to, without hindrance, mishap, or breakdown – and you know what happens when you assume…
Let’s face it: suffering stinks.
It took parish priesthood to teach me how precious is the gift of life, and that includes the gift of health. I make routine visits to the hospitals, say Mass at the nursing homes, and anoint people frequently at church for the surgeries, procedures, tests, and treatments that are part of our battle for healing. All of us know – either personally or through loved ones – the challenges of suffering.
Some might ask, “Why does God allow this to happen? Wouldn’t a loving God keep everyone healthy and happy?” Admittedly when we see people who, through no fault of their own, endure horrible pain and illness we rightfully want to know why; at least, it is one of my Top Ten questions to ask the Almighty. And while we do not get our answers in this life, we can acknowledge that suffering is part of human experience; it is something that – in greater and lesser ways – we will all encounter in our journey through life.
We see an authentic expression of suffering in the words of Job and the crowd who came to Jesus. Job’s words echo the cry of many who lose hope in the face of ongoing physical, mental, and spiritual anguish; the press of the crowds around Jesus underscores our deep desire to find healing and relief.
And in the midst of the reality of human suffering, we encounter Jesus at the heart of our experience. The Lord does not avoid human misery; rather, he reaches out to touch and bless it. It is this encounter with Jesus – healing body and soul, preaching Good News to the poor in spirit, and casting out evil wherever it is present – that renews lives and fosters hope.
God seeks our healing:
So, what needs to be healed in our lives today? What in our lives – Body, Mind, Heart, and Soul – needs to be touched and blessed by Christ? God knows our need, may we come to the Lord and seek the one who longs for us to be made whole.
Study: Recall a time when you were particular grateful for the gift of your family. What made the difference?
Pray: Reflect on the needs of your family. Thank the Lord for your blessings and offer your petitions for their needs.
Serve: How can you help someone in your family right now?
The Feast of the Holy Family Readings
Big or small, far-flung or close to home…we all come from a family. Sometimes our families are in better/worse places, depending on emotions, finances, relationships, illness, death, and a multitude of challenges and blessings that life can throw our way.
And while no family is perfect, every family provides opportunities for us to grow. Whether it is getting along, practicing forgiveness, being patient, working together, or dealing with the idiosyncrasies that are part of every human group…there is no place like family for teaching us lessons that are part of our journey to become the best version of ourselves.
The Holy Family faced plenty of blessings and burdens. Here are a few of the blessings:
But, then, there are some real burdens:
Clearly, this family is unlike any other; yet together they faced situations that are similar to many even today. They knew what it was like to be grateful for what they had, and they knew what it was like to face suffering and pain.
But there’s two points I want us to hold close:
What’s true for the Holy Family is true for our families! We have opportunities to work together, cooperating and uniting to strengthen the bonds within our families – and when we face challenges we call upon the Lord to give us the grace and strength we need to put faith into family, hope into our homes, and love into our lives.
May this season give us plenty of opportunities to work together with God’s grace in our families – the place where we have been located by the Lord to practice our “homework for holiness” as we journey through this life.
Study: What is going on in my family right now? What dynamics, concerns, and strengths are we facing?
Pray: Call upon God’s grace for your family. Be specific and practical!
Serve: How can we help bless our families right now? What can we do to strengthen and unite together as a holy family?
During this holiday season I am amazed at how many people reorganize their schedules and events to accommodate the many family events that happen during this time of the year. Many people spend long hours on the road, sometimes celebrating Christmas two or three times with different branches of the family tree.
For some people this time of year can be a mixed blessing. The stress of traveling with uncertain weather, compounded with the hectic expectations of the commercial side of the season, can sometimes lead us to view Christmas as an exercise in frustration. This frustration is particularly true when we add the unique issues that are part of our own family.
All of us are part of a family. Some big, others small, some scattered across the globe, others spaced along a couple of city streets. In our extended families there are people we can’t wait to see, and there may even be some who are difficult to get along with for a conversation. Within our families there is usually a mixture of joy and sorrow, peace and discomfort, calm and chaos.
Yet like it or not, God has planted us within these groups of people to help us find our place within the larger world. Our families help define who we are, how we experience life, and what our dreams and hopes are for the future. With all their strengths and weaknesses, our families help us understand the meaning and purpose of our lives.
The fact that we celebrate the family of Jesus helps us realize that God is present within our families, too. The “Holy Family” was not perfect. Hardship and persecution followed them before and after the birth of the baby Jesus. They struggled and suffered like every other family, celebrating the joys and sorrows that accompany us all through life.
The struggles of the Holy Family help us see that the journey of our own families is not an easy one. Yet we can take hope that just as God was present to them, so too will the Lord strengthen us.
The feast of the Holy Family can remind us all that God truly walks with us in our own families. Within the blessings and limitations that exist in our families, we recognize God’s loving touch – shaping our lives and helping us see the “Holy Ones” that God has placed in our midst.
Catholic Inspiration – Podcast Archives of Homilies & Talks
Three Great Things 