Mass Readings – 2nd Sunday of Advent
Repentance provides us with the opportunity to remove what is not worthy of heaven and replace it with graces that are fruitful and life-giving. May this Advent empower us to turn away from sin and embrace a life in Christ.
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.
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.
Study: Consider a crucial time when you asked and received help. How did it feel?
Pray: Is there anything that is keeping you from receiving God’s grace? Ask the Lord for the courage to ask!
Serve: Do you know someone who is struggling to receive mercy or forgiveness? How can you help them grow in faith?
Mass Readings – The Solemnity of Christ the King of the Universe
The Gospel image is both brutal and tender, revealing God’s saving grace and mercy in the midst of the Passion of the Cross. The good thief (who tradition names Dismas) calls upon the Lord saying, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.”
How these words speak to my heart! In a single phrase the King of Kings and Lord of Lords becomes approachable as Christ bridges Heaven and Earth, crushes Hell and invites us to enter into eternal life: “Today you will be with me in paradise!”
The good thief shows both humility and boldness. He knows his sins, and yet he speaks to the Lord with a gentle conviction, asking for a grace that he cannot achieve on his own. His trust inspires us as we acknowledge our own sins and draw near to the one whose death and resurrection saves and sets us free.
May these words strengthen our faith as we call upon the Lord. May they help us to seek Christ before all else as we repent and call upon God’s grace. May we truly say:
Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom!
Fr. Andrew’s Daily Mass Homily Podcast
Mass Readings – St. Josaphat, Bishop and Martyr
Jesus offers a parable and reminds us to pray always without becoming weary. As we persist in our prayer, we discover both strength and wisdom to face each day with God’s grace.
Fr. Andrew’s Daily Mass Homily Podcast
Mass Readings – Tuesday of the 32nd Week of the Year
All that we have comes from the Lord: our life and all our blessings that are so easy to take for granted. Yet our daily response to serve the Lord shows not only our acknowledgement of God’s gifts, but it also reveals our awareness of our relationship to the Lord and and one another.
Mass Readings – 32nd Sunday of the Year
Our conviction that there is a Heaven both consoles and challenges us as we face our struggles here on earth. May we drawn near to the Lord’s Divine Fire of Love as we journey through this life with our eyes fixed on Heaven.
Fr. Andrew’s Daily Mass Homily Podcast
Mass Readings – Thursday of the 31st Week of the Year
Paul writes to the Philippians about the supreme Good of knowing Jesus, who in Luke’s Gospel seeks us out when we are lost and restores us to grace.
Fr. Andrew’s Feast of All Saints Homily Podcast – with the kids from Cathedral School
Mass Readings – The Solemnity of All Saints
Young and old, rich and poor, male and female…they faced their challenges in life as they kept their eyes fixed on Jesus Christ and now they pray for us with the choirs of angels in heaven. May the examples of the saints inspire us to lives – in the midst of the messiness and imperfection of life – with hope they we will one day join them!
And here are some Cathedral School 3rd Grade saints in the making…!
Fr. Andrew’s Daily Mass Homily Podcast
Mass Readings – Thursday of the 30th Week of the Year
Sometimes life is a battle, where we face struggles and challenges that test our endurance, discipline and will. We turn to the Lord for the strength we need to face our fight, confident that Christ will guide us.
Catholic Inspiration – Podcast Archives of Homilies & Talks
