Mass Readings – Saturday of the 4th Week of the Year
Christ, the Great Shepherd, looks upon our weakness with compassion and reaches out to guide and strengthen us for the journey through this life and into the next.
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Archive of Fr. Andrew’s podcasts
Fr. Andrew’s Daily Mass Homily Podcast
Mass Readings – Saturday of the 1st Week of the Year
We discover from the Letter to the Hebrews and the Gospel of Mark three powerful insights about the Lord which can inspire us to draw near to the one who knows us and meets us where we are in life…that we might grow in grace.
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Photo Credit: Stained Glass Window, St. Patrick Catholic Church, Bisbee, Arizona
Fr. Andrew’s Daily Mass Homily Podcast
Mass Readings – Friday of the 1st Week of the Year
Another podcast from Indiana…this time with Fr. Andrew’s nephews Drew & Dominic. They discuss the miracle of the paralytic, where Jesus both forgives sins and heals the body at the same time.
Fr. Andrew’s Daily Mass Homily Podcast
Mass Readings – Thursday of the 3rd Week of Advent
Jesus offers us a glimpse of the power and beauty of the Kingdom of God, inspiring us to live the Lord’s love today as we set our eyes on the world to come.
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.
Study: Consider a time when you experienced mercy. What did it feel like?
Pray: Are you struggling to be merciful to someone right now? Ask the Lord for help!
Serve: Is there an act of mercy you can do for someone in need today? How can you make it happen?
Mass Readings – 30th Sunday of the Year
The readings this Sunday could have been chosen for the Year of Mercy. Take a look:
As Pope Francis constantly reminds us, the name of God is Mercy. Jesus shows us repeated examples of the mercy and love of the Father, inviting us to both receive God’s grace and then live with mercy toward one another.
It’s a simple message, direct and to the point. Yet we know from our own experience how hard it can be to practice mercy in our world today! We suffer injury, offense, misunderstanding and hassle in our daily interactions with one another. People get under our skin. We get angry. We lose our focus.
And thus this simple message continues to speak to our hearts, heal our souls, and guide us into the grace that comes when we foster forgiveness and pursue peace. Mercy is a practical application of the Great Commandment to love one another; mercy becomes our homework for holiness by which we put the example of Jesus into our own daily practice.
God’s mercy washes us clean and heals the wounds caused by sin. As we seek the Lord’s mercy in our lives, may we allow this gift of mercy to move through us and touch the lives of those we meet.
Mass Readings – 24th Sunday of the Year
A man had two sons…and they both messed up. Yet not only does the Father stay connected to his kids, he helps them understand the nature of forgiveness, mercy, and love. Our Heavenly Father does the same for us, helping us to experience grace when we need it the most.
Fr. Andrew’s Daily Mass Homily Podcast
Mass Readings – Friday of the 23rd Week of the Year (St. Peter Claver)
Jesus reminds his disciples that before we can point out the faults of others we have to see our own, taking the time to remove the chunk of wood in our own eye before we point out the splinter in another.
Study: Recall a time when you experienced a moment of profound forgiveness. How did it change you?
Pray: Are you holding on to anger and resentment? Pray for God’s mercy to soften your heart.
Serve: Is there someone you know in need of mercy? Is there some way you can help others, especially when they are caught up in shame, embarrassment, or the awkwardness of their weaknesses and sins?
Mass Readings – 24th Sunday of the Year
We hear in the Gospel of Luke the familiar parable of the The Prodigal Son. It’s worth a moment to touch on a few key points from this passage:
What a powerful parable! In this Extraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy it seems appropriate to dwell on the divine mercy of God and recall our need to return to the Lord in our moments of weakness and sin.
Like both brothers in the parable, we all sin and fall short of God’s grace; yet like the brothers, we also have a Father who loves and welcomes us whenever we seek to turn back. Both brothers could speak to their Father – in either humility or anger – and the Father responds to both with tenderness.
Today I would like to suggest two key points for our reflection in the light of this passage:
God longs to welcome us back, and when we can humbly embrace our mistakes and sins we discover a grace beyond anything imaginable. May we have the courage to examine our hearts and return to the Lord – the source of all mercy.
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If you find these posts helpful for your spiritual life:
Fr. Andrew’s Daily Mass Homily Podcast
Mass Readings – Thursday of the 19th Week of the Year
“How often must I forgive?” Peter’s question to Jesus leads to the discussion and parable that reveal how forgiveness is a way of life for every Christian.
Catholic Inspiration – Podcast Archives of Homilies & Talks
Three Great Things 