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!
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 3rd Sunday of the Year Homily Podcast
We call upon the Spirit of the Lord to strengthen us, so that we in turn can share God’s Spirit with one another. Working together, like St. Paul’s example of a body, the Lord empowers us in community to bring the Good News to the world.
Fr. Andrew’s Holy Trinity Homily Podcast
This homily was given on May 30, 2015 at St. William Church in Foxboro, WI.
The mystery of the Holy Trinity – there is one God, revealed in three Persons – communicates that God comes to us in communion. Indivisibly united, the Trinity teaches us that communion – being united together – is a key element to the practical experience of our lives.
Communion is crucial for all of us: family, friendship, co-workers, neighbors, classmates – even strangers – are all part of the fabric of our lives. Indeed, we can evaluate ourselves in a very real way by taking measure of our communion with one another.
Where our communion is vibrant, we grow; where it is wounded, we heal; and where it is broken, we come to the altar to receive Jesus Christ in Holy Communion to renew the communion of our hearts. May this communion within the Trinity transform and unite us with almighty God and one another.
Study: Reflect on the strongest relationships in our lives. What qualities and characteristics are present?
Pray: Ask the Lord for the guidance to see where we can build and renew our relationships.
Serve: Are there people around us that we need to forgive or assist? What steps can we take right now to start this process?
One God…Three Persons.
That’s the Trinity, and when you get right down to it, this central mystery of the Christian faith is just that – mystery. I have heard and used many images as illustrations to aid in understanding the Trinity:
These examples (and many like them) try to get at the notion of how something can be the same and different at the same time. How unity and diversity can be present at the same time; how the individual and the communal are manifested simultaneously.
It’s a mystery.
And at the heart of the mystery we have a communion of Persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit – a revelation that God comes to us in communion and invites us to be communion with others. We are not alone! God (in communion) invites us into this communion to create communion with one another.
Where do we find communion in our lives? Some obvious places:
You get the idea. Wherever two or more are present, the opportunity for communion is possible. The point: How strong is the communion we have have with God and one another? How united are we in faith, hope, and love?
May we reflect on the current state of our relationships today and renew them, allowing the grace of God – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – to bless the communion we have with those around us.
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Trinity, Andrei Rublev; 1411-1427 (est.), Tempera, 142 cm x 114 cm, Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow.
Fr. Andrew’s Pentecost Homily Podcast
This homily was given at St. William Church in Foxboro, WI on May 23, 2015.
Like a gentle rain that nourishes and renews the earth, the Holy Spirit comes upon the world to bring life. The power of the Holy Spirit showers graces into our hearts with love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self-control. This happens in two profound ways:
A simple diagnostic tool: where do I see unity in my life? Where unity is present, we can build and grow stronger with the Spirit’s power. Where it is absent, we have the opportunity to call upon the Spirit for healing and transformation. Either way, come Holy Spirit!
Study: Reflect on a time when you encountered a difficult experience. Where did you find your strength?
Pray: Ask for the Holy Spirit to help you, especially to unite with others in challenging situations.
Serve: How can you help foster unity in your life? What can you do to bring people together?
Pentecost Mass During the Day Readings
It can be somewhat confusing to know what readings to follow – depending on the day and the options available a person can hear a number of different Scripture readings this weekend. Stepping back for a moment, however, we can tease out some major themes that surface on this important feast of the Church:
In many respects this feast marks the birthday of the Church. The disciples, having watched the Lord ascend to Heaven, are now “on their own” to carry out the Good News of Christ. The point, of course, is that they are not alone! Filled with the Holy Spirit their hearts are transformed and their lives forever changed. They have become willing instruments empowered by the Spirit to speak and act for the glory of God. They don’t look anything like their former selves – timid, fearful, and self-serving; they now fearlessly engage the world with the conviction that Jesus is Lord.
And as they are strengthened by the Spirit one sign increasingly becomes apparent – the unity of believers as a self evident sign that God’s grace is at work. Several approaches underscore this sense of unity:
Language, cooperation, fruitfulness, and forgiveness are all hallmarks of the Spirit’s presence in our lives. All are crucial and take an enormous amount of effort – supported by the POWER of the Holy Spirit!
Is there a place in our lives today that would benefit from unity? Are there relationships and situations that require healing and strength to grow? Do we recognize circumstances (perhaps beyond our control) that cry out for the Lord’s intervention? If so, then we can confidently turn to the Spirit for the grace we need to face what lies before us.
Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in them the fire of your love. Send forth your Spirit and they shall be created, and you shall renew the face of the earth. O God, who by the light of the Holy Spirit did instruct the hearts of the faithful , grant that by the same Spirit we may be truly wise, and ever rejoice in his consolation. Through Christ our Lord. Amen!
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Pentecost, Eugenio Hansen, OFS; 25 April 2012, stained glass, 2590 x 4115 pixels, Pelotas Cathedral, Brazil.
Fr. Andrew’s Ascension of the Lord Homily Podcast
This homily was given on May 16, 2015 at St. William Church in Foxboro, WI.
Change and transition are part of human life as seen in graduations, new jobs, relationships, and situations. Like the Apostles on this feast, we can face our changes by keeping in mind three basic concepts:
As the Apostles embraced their transitions the Holy Spirit empowered them to change the world. May we continue to open our hearts to the Spirit and face the changes that come before us.
Fr. Andrew’s Confirmation Homily Podcast
This homily was given to the Confirmation candidates from St. Francis Xavier and Cathedral of Christ the King on May 1, 2015 at the joint Confirmation liturgy hosted at St. Francis Xavier.
May we stay connected to the Holy Spirit to empower our lives, as we uniquely and personally share the gifts and blessings we have received with one another!
This is the 4th of four presentations given at a Parish Mission on March 9-12, 2015 for Our Lady of the Valley Catholic Church in Green Valley, Arizona.
Fr. Andrew’s Presentation Podcast #4 – Easter (33 minutes)
The power of the Resurrection and subsequent outpouring of the Holy Spirit transforms the disciples – they have encountered the Risen Lord and no longer fear sin and death. Rather, they engage the world with Good News and share the gift of their lives with power and joy. This transformation must always be understood through the double lens of the Cross/Resurrection; only with a clear understanding of the sacrifice of Christ can we begin to truly appreciate the gift of Eternal Life. Two key concepts surface:
Our STRENGTH comes from the Lord. Through our daily encounter with Christ through prayer and sacrament we our empowered to choose our attitude and seek opportunities to live our faith in the unique and precious moments of each day.
Furthermore, the Good News of Christ leads to a SUNRISE of HOPE. We recognize that our personal witness is most authentic when our lives exude the hope and joy that come from Christ’s resurrection. Guided by the Fruits of the Spirit, we can honestly look within our hearts and cast out anything that keeps us from God and one another.
Catholic Inspiration – Podcast Archives of Homilies & Talks
Three Great Things 