Fr. Andrew’s Daily Mass Homily Podcast
Mass Readings – Tuesday of the 34th Week of the Year (The feast of St. Cecilia)
The Lord reminds us not to be afraid of the uncertainty of life; rather, we embrace our faith and live with God’s grace and power…making the most of each and every day.
Fr. Andrew’s Daily Mass Homily Podcast
Mass Readings – Saturday of the 25th Week of the Year
The disciples did not understand what Jesus said about his suffering and death, and they were afraid to ask for more information. Yet as they eventually would move from fear to faith we are inspired to face whatever confronts us this day – knowing that the Lord will help us every step of the way.
Fr. Andrew’s Daily Mass Homily Podcast
Mass Readings – Tuesday of the 18th Week of the Year
Peter’s example can comfort and challenge us to face our fears with faith…even when it means that we have to walk on water.
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!
Fr. Andrew’s Daily Mass Homily Podcast – Friday of the 4th Week of Easter
Mrs. Hockenbrock’s 2nd graders from Cathedral School discuss common fears and how Jesus helps us face them.
Fr. Andrew’s Daily Mass Homily Podcast – Wednesday of the 2nd Week of Easter
The Apostles continue to preach the message of Christ in the context of persecution. They are freed from fear! How is this possible? Where do they get their strength? The Gospel answer: the Love of Christ poured out through his Death and Resurrection has transformed them. May the Lord’s love cast out our fears as well.
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Head of Christ, Richard Hook.
Study: Reflect on a moment when you were in a critical need. What pulled you through?
Pray: Ask the Lord for grace regarding a difficult situation.
Serve: How can you be a helping hand to another?
Let’s take a look at these readings that help us kick off Lent:
Have you ever been in trouble? Serious trouble? End of your rope? Lost? Confused? Abandoned? Scared? Feeling like you cannot breathe because the air has gone out of your chest? Feeling utterly alone?
You’re in good company. People of faith for over 3000 years have called upon the Lord in their darkest moments – seeking guidance and strength.
And God provides. We don’t have to look very hard to find examples of pain and suffering, hardship and loss, struggle, catastrophe and sin. We also know that there are no promises that life will be easy and free from pain. What we know is simple: God walks with us and sustains us in our moments of need.
Of course this is only a half truth – God walks with us always! God never leaves us, but for some very human reason we seem to call out loud and strong when we recognize our need for the Lord. Isn’t it odd that we “get it” when we are in need…that many of us who dedicate our lives to Christ see much more clearly when the truth is self-evident?
Perhaps not. Perhaps what this first week of Lent shows us is that our need for God (always present in our lives) is most easily observed when we cannot hide from our need. For when we are in trouble, we are confronted with the clear and obvious reality that it is only with the Lord’s grace that we can be guided and sustained. In the times of our testing we discover both our limitations and the Lord’s love.
What are you facing in your life right now? What requires your own personal admission and acceptance of Christ’s mercy? Be with me, Lord, when I am in trouble!
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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
Fr. Andrew’s Daily Mass Homily Podcast – January 6th in the Christmas Season
Fr. Andrew talks with his nieces and nephews about how Jesus walked on water to the disciples during a storm. May we recall that just as Christ calmed the storm and comforted his friends, we too can draw near to the Lord in the storms and fears of our lives.
Study: Think of someone you know who has faced a terrible fear. Where did they find their peace and strength?
Pray: Is there something that makes you afraid? Bring it to your prayer and ask God to give you the grace to face it.
Serve: How might you support someone in their fear right now? Is there something you can do to offer comfort, assistance, or aid? Perhaps it simply means being present to others to remind them that they are not alone.
6th Sunday of Easter Readings:
The phrase “do not be afraid” appears twenty-one times in the New Testament and over fifty times in the Old Testament. These words are spoken by angels, prophets, and the Lord. The repetition of this message in the Scriptures is for a simple reason – we often live in fear.
It is truly humbling to step back and reflect on the things in this life that keep us afraid: aging, sickness, loss of ability, finances, relationships, war, terrorism, violence, self esteem………it goes on and on. These fears are part of the world in which we live, and their power is often great in the human heart.
Fear has power because it preys on what we value, filling us with worry while we fret over what will happen if something we cherish is taken away. That is why fear is a universal temptation; all of us have values, and when we fear the loss of something dear to us our anxiety can waste our time and energy.
We see this pattern of fear when people get stuck in a rut of thinking that leads them to wallow in a mental swamp, endlessly churning worry after worry without any positive, constructive, or helpful action. It is a truly useless process.
Yet as people of faith we are told that fear is not the motivation of our lives. There is something greater, something more powerful, that overcomes fear and worry, anxiety and doubt – Jesus Christ. In the Lord we have a hope that is greater than all fear.
Through the death and resurrection of the Lord sin and death have been destroyed. Christ is victorious and we follow the path that he has laid down for us. This does not mean that the journey will be easy; rather it means that we can face the difficulties and struggles of life with the knowledge that we will be given what we need.
In our moments of fear (and trust me, there will be moments) we hear what the Lord provides for us – PEACE. Peace in our hearts gives us the calming strength to face a difficult situation. Peace in our lives allows us to look upon the world and gain a true perspective. Peace in our soul allows us to see our fear and still act in a manner that is worthy of hope.
The Lord gives us peace. When fear threatens to choke our hearts we turn to the one who gives us strength. Only in the peace of Christ can we find the hope that sustains us to understand and overcome our fear, transforming our lives and our hearts.
Study: How did Christ face his fears? How can we face our own?
Pray: Ask God for the help to face our fears and offer thanks for moments of grace.
Serve: Many face fears each day through temptation; how can we help them overcome their obstacles?
My experience and imagination tell me that the desert is a dry and barren place, absent of the typical signs of life. Compared to the vegetation and animal life many of us know, the desert can seem to be a place where there is nothing at all.
This sense of “nothing” can be very profound. The bleakness of the desert can lead to a sense of quiet. Without the distraction and abundance of other living things, a person can often contemplate on problems and concerns, doubts and fears that lie within the heart.
Jesus was led to the desert. After his baptism the Spirit directed him to a place of barren solitude where he would be tempted. Alone and without the basic conforts of life, the Lord confronted the issues that would surface throughout his ministry.
In the three temptations, the Devil uses fear to keep Jesus from his mission. The first temptation, turning stones to bread, forces Jesus to face the fear of bodily harm. Knowing he is God, Jesus could have allowed himself to never physically suffer. Yet the Lord says that there is more than just the body.
The second temptation, bowing to the Devil to receive the kingdoms of the earth, shows Jesus the fear of being powerless. The miracles he will later perform testify to his power and might. Jesus, however, places his hope in God alone.
The third temptation, falling from the Temple, addresses the fear of death. The devil tempts Jesus to take the easy way, avoiding the pain that his suffering on the Cross will cause. Yet the Lord again responds with confidence – for God is not to be tested to “prove” his power.
These three temptations are a foreshadowing of what will come. Through his death on the Cross the Lord will encounter all of these fears. His body beaten and tortured, alone and abandoned, left to die as a criminal – the Lord will endure these fears in the saving act that sets us free. The temptations Jesus rejected in the desert he confronts in life, but he faces them in spite of the fear they cause.
The Lords temptation in the desert becomes an opportunity for us to examine our hearts. There are times when God leads us to a barren place, where we are isolated and free of the distractions of life. At these moments we may face our fears, seeing clearly those issues which keep us from living our lives as the Lord intended.
Catholic Inspiration – Podcast Archives of Homilies & Talks
Three Great Things 