Mass Readings – 13th Sunday of the Year
St. Paul reminds us in his letter to the Romans that our participation in the life and death of Jesus Christ brings us eternal life. This Good News is our legacy as disciples and our inspiration to offer our lives with the hope and strength of God’s grace.
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Archive of Fr. Andrew’s Podcasts
Mass Readings – Wednesday of the 9th Week of the Year
What will it be like in Heaven? When the Sadducees try to trap Jesus, the Lord responds with wisdom that gives insight into God’s gift of eternal life.
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Archive of Fr. Andrew’s Podcasts
Mass Readings – Tuesday of the 4th Week of Easter
Our relationship with Jesus Christ includes our journey on earth and our destination in Heaven. As pilgrims passing through this life, we draw near to the Lord in preparation when we will be united completely in his divine love.
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Archive of Fr. Andrew’s Podcasts
Mass Readings – 5th Sunday of Lent
We often talk about Heaven in daily language, yet it is easy to take for granted the significance eternal life. Simply put, how we live matters, and when we know that the Lord has more in store for us we discover new strength to face the challenges of life and death as we prepare for God’s everlasting Kingdom.
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Archive of Fr. Andrew’s Podcasts
Study: Recall a time when you experienced death. How has this experience shaped the way you live?
Pray: Is there a life and death situation near you right now? Call upon the Lord for grace.
Serve: Do you have someone in your life who is facing a life and death situation? How can you help them?
Mass Readings – 5th Sunday of Lent
Let’s take a step back and look at the these readings:
Life and death. Throughout the readings this week these powerful realities weave together, reminding us that how we live and face our death has eternal consequences.
Throughout the earthly ministry of Jesus he consistently taught that our lives provide precious opportunities to serve and care for one another. Forgiveness, mercy, compassion, service, healing and outreach to the poor are themes that surface repeatedly throughout the Gospels. WHAT we do and HOW we do it reveal the depth of our discipleship and our willingness to follow the Lord through this life.
Yet we also know that death is an experience that comes to us all. We have stood at the graves of our loved ones, grieved for those who have gone before us, and dealt with the ache in our hearts when someone we care about is no longer with us. Death reminds us that our opportunity to share our lives on earth has a limit, that we only have so much time on this rock before we are called into eternity.
And the fact that something awaits us after death is a conviction that shapes both how we live and die. God gives us immortal souls, created to be united in the great Heavenly chorus. Yet even this is a choice; out of love the Lord gives us the freedom to choose…will we follow the Lord or a different path?
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Archive of Fr. Andrew’s Podcasts
Mass Readings – Thursday of the 7th Week of the Year (St. Polycarp)
Our conversion of heart never stops; we are either drawing closer to Christ or farther away. As we follow the Lord we recognize our actions have consequences that affect our lives…both in this life and the life to come.
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Archive of Fr. Andrew’s Podcasts
Fr. Andrew’s Daily Mass Homily Podcast
Mass Readings – Friday of the 34th Week of the Year
We acknowledge that at the end of time there will be a final judgment – where our lives will be examined and we will either be saved or damned in the light of our relationship with Jesus Christ.
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The Last Judgment, Michelangelo, 1536-1541, Sistine Chapel, Vatican.
Fr. Andrew’s Daily Homily Podcast
Mass Readings – Saturday of the 33rd Week of the Year
Christ speaks to the question of the resurrection of the dead and reminds us that we are called to eternal life.
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If schedules and flights go as planned, my group of pilgrims should make it safely back home today. The beauty of Italy and the opportunity of the Extraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy have touched our hearts and helped us draw close to the Lord and one another.
Study: What comes to mind when you think of Heaven? Have you or someone you know ever had a near-death experience? How does thinking of Heaven shape how you live your life?
Pray: Is there something that is keeping you away from God? Take time to pray and consider receiving the Sacrament of Confession.
Serve: Are there any tasks that you have neglected that would cause hardship to others if you died suddenly? What steps can you take to make sure that you are ready when the Lord calls you home?
Mass Readings – 32nd Sunday of the Year
Both the 1st Reading and the Gospel point to the resurrection of the dead. In the Second Book of Maccabees we hear how those who are tortured for their faith find hope in the resurrection to eternal life, and in the Gospel of Luke Jesus teaches the Sadducees that the dead will rise.
To talk about heaven is not some sort of “pie in the sky” thinking. We look to this world – where we experience birth, life and death – as a pilgrim progress. We are travelers passing through, confident that there is more to the journey when death comes our way.
This understanding of the resurrection of the dead is thus both a consolation and a challenge. As a consolation we have hope! We seek to love and know the Lord in this life so that we are prepared to be with him forever in heaven. Life on earth leads to the eternal; we find that our longings in this world point toward a fulfillment that comes in the next chapter of our story.
Yet the challenge is also real. Will we be prepared at the hour of our death? Will we look upon the face of Jesus with love, or will shame, fear, sin and vice drive us away? For in the end all will be fully known: either we will run to the Lord to seek his mercy for our sins, or we will run away because we see our sins as insurmountable obstacles.
The Church Fathers used the image of Holy Fire as a fitting example. When we are called from this life we will stand before the burning fire of God’s love. The elect will draw near to this fire for warmth (and very possibly) a cleansing that burns away all impurities. The damned will simply burn up…unable to receive the mercy and grace. Why? Because they did not acknowledge their sins and accept God’s mercy and forgiveness during their journey on earth.
As we head toward the end of the Liturgical Year and the Extraordinary Year of Mercy, I invite all of us to ponder life, death and resurrection – seeking the Lord’s saving grace in this life so that we are prepared to meet Jesus Christ in the eternal life to come.
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The Last Judgment, Michelangelo, 1536-1541, Sistine Chapel, Rome. Photo credit: Dennis Jarvis.
Mass Readings – 31st Sunday of the Year
Zacchaeus responds to the call of Christ, and shows us how we can respond to the Lord everyday – both in our personal lives and our support for one another.
Catholic Inspiration – Podcast Archives of Homilies & Talks
Three Great Things 