Fr. Andrew’s Holy Day Mass Homily
Mass Readings – Feast of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Mary’s “yes” to God offers us an example, for as she participated in God’s plan of salvation so we, too, have a daily opportunity to let the Lord’s work be done through our words and actions.
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Madonna and Child with Sts. Mary Magdalene, John the Baptist, Francis of Assisi, Catherine of Alexandria, Cosmas and Damien; Botticelli; 1470; Uffizi; Florence, Italy.
Fr. Andrew’s Daily Mass Homily
Mass Readings – Wednesday of the 2nd Week of Advent (Feast of St. Ambrose)
As a child rests in a parent’s embrace, so we are invited to draw near to Christ and rest in his love. Are you weary? Tired? Stressed? Come to Jesus and be renewed by his peace.
Study: Consider a moment when you were greatly helped by someone. How did it feel to have their support?
Pray: Set before the Lord your challenges and remember in your daily prayers the needs of others.
Serve: How has the Lord blessed you to help others? What gifts and talents do you possess that make a difference today?
Mass Readings – 3rd Sunday of Advent
Isaiah’s prophecy proclaims the power and might of God. Among the words of the 1st reading we find:
Strengthen the hands that are feeble,
make firm the knees that are weak,
say to those whose hearts are frightened:
Be strong, fear not!
Here is your God,
he comes with vindication;
with divine recompense
he comes to save you.
Then will the eyes of the blind be opened,
the ears of the deaf be cleared;
then will the lame leap like a stag,
then the tongue of the mute will sing. (Is. 35:3-6)
These are words of hope! In the midst of the challenges of life the Lord comes to strengthen our hearts and renew our lives. Yes, there are difficulties; yet we face them boldly – supported by the grace and power of God.
This hope in God’s power appears in the Gospel of Matthew where Jesus cites this passage from Isaiah to the disciples of John the Baptist. Christ is the one who fulfills the words of the prophet; he is the one who comes to save us.
What’s more, those that receive this saving grace – the citizens of the Kingdom of Heaven – are greater than all the prophets, including John. In other words, when we accept the power and might of God we are transformed into a new creation as the old bondage of sin and death is destroyed.
May we claim this saving grace today! As we call upon the Lord in our daily prayers, we ask that the power and might of Jesus Christ heals our hearts and strengthens our souls. We have work to do! May God’s grace help us to make it happen.
Mass Readings – 2nd Sunday of Advent
Repentance provides us with the opportunity to remove what is not worthy of heaven and replace it with graces that are fruitful and life-giving. May this Advent empower us to turn away from sin and embrace a life in Christ.
Fr. Andrew’s Daily Mass Homily Podcast
Mass Readings – Saturday of the 1st Week of Advent (St. Francis Xavier)
As Jesus looked with pity on the people in their need, he not only served them but he empowered and directed his disciples to do the same. As we look to the Lord for guidance and strength we also remember the command to love and serve those entrusted to our care.
Fr. Andrew’s Daily Mass Homily Podcast
Mass Readings – Friday of the 1st Week of Advent
Two blind men hear about Jesus, and they believe that he can heal them. Seeing clearly with their hearts they were given sight to their eyes. May we have the same depth and strength of faith as well!
Note: this picture of the Porziuncula was taken on my recent visit to Assisi.
Fr. Andrew’s Daily Mass Homily Podcast
Mass Readings – Thursday of the 1st Week of Advent
In the Gospel of Matthew the Lord reminds us that our faith requires both speech and action – where our words and deeds consistently reveal to others our trust in Jesus Christ.
Note: this picture was taken on my recent visit in Rome. It is Jesus in the central apse of St. Paul Outside the Walls Basilica.
Fr. Andrew’s Daily Mass Homily Podcast
Mass Readings – The Feast of St. Andrew, Apostle
The call of St. Andrew reminds us that the Lord continues to invite us to follow him and proclaim the Good News so that others can experience the saving love of Christ.
Note: these pictures were taken in Amalfi on my recent visit in Italy. Andrew is the patron saint of the town and the Cathedral.
Fr. Andrew’s Daily Mass Homily Podcast
Mass Readings – Tuesday of the 1st Week of Advent
Isaiah proclaims hope – that from a dead stump there will appear new life and the order of the world will change. Jesus invites us to look closely at what God is doing, as our hope in the Lord gives strength and meaning to how we live today.
Study: Is there anything keeping you from God or another person right now? What steps do you need to take to make it right?
Pray: Call upon the Lord for the strength to repent and seek forgiveness. Remember – the harder it is the more powerful the healing!
Serve: Is there some way you can be an agent of forgiveness? How can you bring people closer to God and one another?
Mass Readings – 2nd Sunday of Advent
John the Baptist comes on the scene blazing like a torch as he exhorts the people to repent of their sins. He minces no words with the Pharisees and Sadduccees; rather, he makes it clear that the path to God leads through the good fruit of our actions.
John is blunt and direct. There is no spin in his message, no soft touch. He comes to us as a verbal bulldozer, seeking to carve out a direct route that leads to the Lord. I can only imagine what it was like to be in his presence, eager to hear his words yet feeling the sting of his speech. After all, repentance is a great thing to talk about…but often painful to put into practice.
And yet nothing brings about healing faster than forgiveness. When relationships are wounded and we find ourselves in a broken and fragile place, repentance clears the ground and allows us to rebuild our lives in an honest and direct fashion.
Repentance has some key components:
As we prepare in this Advent season for the birth of the Messiah, we have the opportunity to examine our hearts and consider what is not worthy of the Lord. Using a good examination of conscience or just the common sense in our souls we have the chance today to repent of our sins, seek forgiveness from God and one another, and live each day in the light and power of Christ.
John tells us that while he baptizes for repentance, the Lord will baptize us in Spirit and fire – allowing us to draw into the very heart of God’s love. Only through repentance will we be able to encounter the burning intensity of divine charity; for when we stand before the Lord whatever is not fitting will burn away. May we cast out whatever is not worthy, and prepare to welcome His holy fire with open hearts.
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St. John the Baptist Preaching, Luca Giordano, 1695.
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