Fr. Andrew’s Daily Mass Homily Podcast
Mass Readings – Friday of the 29th Week of the Year
When I come across some gems of Sacred Scripture (like the 1st reading today) I want to cut them out and put them in a place where they will remind me of what we are about as disciples of Jesus. Truly, they are some good words to live by!
Fr. Andrew’s Daily Mass Homily Podcast
Mass Readings – Wednesday of the 29th Week of the Year (Sts. John Brébeuf and Isaac Jogues)
The Gospel of Luke challenges us to live up to the faith we have received: “Much will be required to the person entrusted with much.”
Study: Reflect on a truly difficult time in your life. Where did you find the strength to continue?
Pray: Is there a challenging situation in your life right now? Ask the Lord for grace and wisdom.
Serve: How can you help someone in a tight spot today? How can you help them carry their cross?
Mass Readings – 23rd Sunday of the Year
There is a sobering element in the readings this week that focuses on the cost of discipleship. We commonly speak of “carrying the Cross” as a way of understanding how our sacrifices and burdens become transformed when we participate in the Cross of Christ.
The first reading from the book of Wisdom reminds us that our mortal natures cannot fathom the breadth and depth of God’s plan. We rely on the Lord, and we trust that through the power of the Holy Spirit God reveals the path of our lives – and provides us with the strength for the journey.
The psalm response “In every age, O Lord, you have been our refuge” helps us understand that when times get tough we turn to Jesus. He is the source of our strength, and with his grace we find a safe place from which we can prepare our hearts for the demands of the day.
Paul’s letter to Philemon touches upon our human weakness. Paul, imprisoned for his faith, is sending back a runaway slave (Onesimus) to his master – urging Philemon to accept his former servant with kindness as a brother in the Lord. Paul, Onesimus, and Philemon must all trust in the Lord for the strength to do what is right, even when it is difficult.
Finally, the Gospel speaks bluntly about the cost of discipleship. The price might be our family, our relationships, our possessions…yet through it all the Lord affirms that his grace empowers us to carry our Cross. For indeed, we all have crosses, and we can face them with hope – knowing that the Lord, who carried his Cross, will help us with our own.
Fr. Andrew’s Daily Mass Homily Podcast
Mass Readings – Feast of St. Bartholomew
The apostles – with all their failures and shortcomings – were known by God…and still called to follow Christ. We, too, can draw near to Jesus, not because we are perfect, but because the Lord knows us and invites us to receive his grace.
Fr. Andrew’s Daily Mass Homily Podcast
Mass Readings – The Feast of Mary Magdalene
She is the first person Jesus appears to after his resurrection. Mary Magdalene, a “sinner” who found in Christ forgiveness and compassion, becomes our model today. May we, in our own weakness and sin, see Christ and respond with love to his call.
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Appearance of Jesus Christ to Maria Magdalena, Alexander Andreyevich Ivanov, 1835, Location currently unknown.
Fr. Andrew’s Daily Mass Homily Podcast
Mass Readings – Wednesday of the 16th Week of the Year
The Sower scatters the seed, but the growth depends on the soil and circumstances. In the same way, the Good News is given to all…what will be the response in the garden of our hearts?
Fr. Andrew’s Daily Mass Homily – Tuesday of the 2nd Week of Lent
Daily Mass Readings – Tuesday of the 2nd Week of Lent
“Practice what you preach” means simply that the words we say are mirrored in the actions we do. Sounds great, right? Yet that short phrase challenges us all to live as disciples of Christ – aware that our lives are constantly proclaiming a message. May people see and hear God’s grace shining through us!
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If you are looking for more material to help you this Lent, you might consider this list of presentations I have offered over the last couple of years. Feel free to check it out and share if you find it helpful:
Podcast Resources for a Powerful Lent
Study: Take a close look at your personal calendar and checkbook and/or credit card statement. Where do we spend our time and money?
Pray: Is there a conflict of values in your life? Ask the Lord for guidance and direction.
Serve: How can I help someone today focus on the values and priorities that will bring true and lasting peace?
I am not a shopper. I am one of those people who takes pride in getting in and out of stores in the shortest period of time. In fact, when I make my lists for the grocery or department store I often keep them on me, so that if I have a moment between meetings I can run and get what I need.
In my haste I find that I do not always pay attention to the price. Later, I find in conversation that I could have gotten the item at a substantially reduced rate – if only I had paid attention to the cost.
We measure the value of most things by what they cost. “What’s the price tag?” is a question that reveals our priorities and goals. The cost of something AND our willingness (or unwillingness) to pay for it tells us much about what we think is important.
It is this notion of cost that surfaces in Luke’s Gospel today. Jesus makes it very clear to the crowds that the cost for being a disciple is EVERYTHING.
*Friends
*Family
*Possessions
*Health
*Our very Lives
All that we have and all that we offer belong to God, and it is the Lord who will demand everything back when we stand in the Lord’s presence on the day of judgment.
To follow Jesus, then, is to recognize that all that we have is God’s gift given to us. We are merely the stewards of the Lord’s possessions – entrusted to take care of what God has given us during our lives here on earth.
When we recognize the real cost of following Jesus – everything we have and are – then we begin to see that all of life is a blessing that we have to use, but will never own. This is just another way of saying that “we can’t take it with us” when we die. The cost for following Jesus is the understanding that everything belongs to God, and everything will one day return back to the Lord.
As we continue to see all of life as belonging to God, we begin to discover a new freedom in how we live and use what we have. Guided by this freedom, possessions no longer rule our lives; rather, they become instruments by which we help others and enjoy the blessing of our lives as gifts from God.
Study: What keeps you from trusting others? What keeps you from trusting God?
Pray: Is there something in your life that is holding you back from God? Take it to prayer.
Serve: Is there someone in your life right now who can use your help following the Lord? What can you do?
The scenario looks like this: a group of people are assembled together on a project and one of the leaders comes up and says, “I need someone to help me. Any volunteers?”
Several possible responses may occur:
1. No one says a word but looks at the floor and tries to disappear.
2. Many people speak up, but they want to know what the task is before they will commit.
3. One or two raise their hands, but they say that they have other things to do first.
4. Many people raise their hands, and say, “Yes. What do you need?”
While we might hope that we are always generous with our time, we know that there are moments when we are guarded and skeptical when someone makes a blind request. We want to know some basic facts. What is the task? How much time will it take? How much effort or skill? Who will be working with me?
These questions are reasonable; in our day to day efforts they are the foundation of common sense relationships. We ask these questions to insure that we are not going to commit ourselves to something that is distasteful, beyond our ability, or overly time consuming.
Yet there are times when we say “Yes!” without a moment’s hesitation. We agree to a task sight unseen, not knowing the cost. We are willing to offer ourselves, trusting that we will be able to carry out what we are asked to do.
The key to a willing volunteer is trust. Trust implies that the one who follows believes in the one who leads. When we trust another we do not necessarily need to know all the details; we know that the one we follow will not subject us to something that is beyond our scope or destructive to our lives.
In the Gospel today Jesus invites people to follow him, yet he receives many different responses. Some gave excuses, some misunderstood him, and some turned away – yet the Lord continued to invite them to follow.
This invitation is ours as well. Christ calls us to follow him, yet he does not tell us the cost. May our faith help us to trust, that we might have the strength to volunteer all that we have in our journey through life.
Catholic Inspiration – Podcast Archives of Homilies & Talks
Three Great Things 