Fr. Andrew’s Homily Podcast – Tuesday of the 7th Week of the Year
James offers straightforward, practical advice: we know that there is evil in the world…avoid it! When we draw near to God we place our lives under the grace and strength of the one who died and rose that we might have eternal life.
Fr. Andrew’s Homily Podcast – Pentecost
Pentecost Mass of the Day Readings
Filled with the power of the Holy Spirit, the Apostles are filled with grace to go out into the world and proclaim the Good News of Christ. The Spirit continues to touch our hearts today – giving strength to our souls and uniting us with one another. Come Holy Spirit!
Fr. Andrew’s Daily Mass Homily Podcast – Thursday of the 7th Week of Easter
The prayer that Jesus offers in the Gospel today is not only for the disciples…it is for us! God’s love, manifest in the saving death and resurrection of his Son, transforms our lives with grace – for this life and the next. May we take hold of that grace today, drawing closer to the Lord and one another.
Fr. Andrew’s Daily Mass Homily Podcast – Wednesday of the 7th Week of Easter
Both Paul and Jesus offer words of caution: Be vigilant! There are forces in our world that will try to undermine and erode our faith; we call upon the Lord for the wisdom and strength we need to face trial and difficulty with God’s grace.
Study: Reflect on a time when you have experienced God’s grace first hand. How did the Lord help you?
Pray: Is there a situation or circumstance that seems bigger than you can handle? Call upon the Holy Spirit!
Serve: Check your heart…is the Spirit prompting you to help someone else right now? If so, how?
Pentecost Readings for Vigil Mass
Pentecost Readings for Mass during the Day
Question: Where do people get their strength to live their faith?
Answer: The Holy Spirit!
On this day we celebrate the infusion of grace that came upon the apostles following the Ascension of Christ into Heaven. The Lord said that he would ask the Father to send the Spirit – that the Church might always be guided and protected – with power and glory.
This is the Spirit that renews hearts that are weak and wounded. This is the Spirit that brings hope to those who are crushed with despair and fear. This is the Spirit that triumphs over the darkness of sin and restores our relationships with God and one another.
Let’s be clear: we can’t do it alone. We’re not suppose to! We are utterly and completely dependent on God: for our lives; our talents; and our opportunities to serve. The Spirit comes to us with the grace and strength that we need to fulfill the gift of life, giving glory to the Almighty for all that we have.
What’s more, we are called to communion – leaning on and supporting one another – and with the help of the Holy Spirit we deepen our relationships and reconcile when division and obstacles appear. Simply put, the Holy Spirit empowers us to live our lives at full power.
Call on the Spirit in your life. Ask the Holy Spirit for the wisdom, strength, and courage you need for whatever tasks are before you. This Spirit has been present to the Church since Pentecost, and this Spirit continues to empower and transform our lives today.
Fr. Andrew’s Daily Mass Homily – Wednesday of the 5th Week of Easter
This beautiful image of Christ as the vine and ourselves as the branches beautifully reminds us of our dependence on the grace of God. May we stay close to Jesus, and allow his love to overflow our hearts!
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 – Thursday of the 4th Week of Easter
This homily, which takes places during a Healing Mass that offers the Anointing of the Sick, shows how the healing we receive finds its source in the Lord’s grace. What’s more, we not only receive Christ’s healing, but we also serve as the Lord’s healing instruments to those around us.
Fr. Andrew’s 3rd Sunday of Easter Homily Podcast
Following the Lord does not mean that life is easy; rather, our faith gives us a strength to face the obstacles of life with the power of Christ’s love.
Study: Where in my life have I discovered God’s strength and grace? How have others helped me?
Pray: Where do I need God’s strength right now? Call upon the Lord with boldness to face the challenges of life.
Serve: How can I be an instrument of God’s strength to another? How can I help someone today?
Fr. Andrew’s Homily Podcast (7 minutes, given at Cathedral on April 4, 2015)
I can only imagine the surge of excitement that went through the disciples as the word was shared. Beyond the agony of the Cross and the sorrow of the Tomb on that first day of the week the message was proclaimed: He’s Alive!
And everything changes. This group of disciples – bound by fear and selfishness – are transformed with a new strength and conviction. Their encounter with the Risen Lord will empower them to face the obstacles of this world with joy and hope. They have seen the risen Christ…what is there to fear? They have embraced the one who has conquered sin and death – there is NOTHING that can shake their confidence in the light of Easter morning.
This same strength comes to us. Like the first disciples, we can turn to Jesus and allow his saving grace to renew us with a strength far beyond our own. We can claim a hope that sustains us in the midst of our challenges and struggles. The Easter sunrise brings light to the darkest corners of our hearts.
What in our lives needs to be touched by Jesus Christ? We are invited to boldly come forward, receive his resurrection strength, and face whatever this world presents with confidence: the victory of Christ enlivens us to travel through life with the conviction that the grace he gave his disciples continues in our hearts today.
May this Easter season be a time of transformation and renewal; a time where we embrace the gift of our lives with a new freedom and conviction. In the light of this Easter, may we follow the one who leads us from sin and death to the abundance of life…in this world, and the world to come.
Happy Easter!
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Walking with the Lord in Holy Week (March 9-12, 2015 – Our Lady of the Valley – Green Valley, AZ) This parish mission takes the listener on a journey with Christ – from his entry into Jerusalem, through the Last Supper, his Passion, and his Resurrection.
Catholic Inspiration – Podcast Archives of Homilies & Talks
Three Great Things 