Fr. Andrew’s Daily Mass Homily Podcast (Tuesday of the 1st Week of Advent)
The first reading from the prophet Isaiah proclaims a vision of the world – filled with hope – that happens after “a shoot shall sprout from the stump of Jesse.” May this Good News help us to make course corrections in our life today, so that we will be ready for the Lord’s return.
Fr. Andrew’s Daily Mass Homily (Tuesday of the 34th Week of the Year)
How do we face the changes of life? How do we look to the future with hope? The Answer: with the help of Jesus Christ!
Fr. Andrew’s Daily Mass Homily Podcast (Thursday of the 33rd Week of the Year)
Jesus wept over the city of Jerusalem. He sees the tribulation that will come, and he opens his arms to embrace the sadness…that he might touch it and bless it. May we turn to the Lord in our moments of sorrow and allow his grace to guide us. Sorrow is not the end, and with God’s help we will face our tears with hope.
Fr. Andrew’s Daily Mass Homily – Tuesday of the 30th Week of the Year
The images of a mustard seed and yeast remind us that little things can bring about big changes. The spiritual virtue of Hope empowers us to face our lives with the grace of Christ, who will work through us in little ways to make a difference in the world.
Study: Where have you seen signs of God’s grace at work in your life? How did it change you?
Pray: Are there people or circumstances in your life that are wounded or hurting? Pray for healing power!
Serve: Do you see someone in need? How can you help them?
30th Sunday of the Year Readings
The readings this week reveal a common theme of divine power:
Throughout these scriptures the Lord comes with dynamic energy: liberating, saving, healing and redeeming. This is Good News! In the midst of the challenges and struggles of human life we find Jesus coming to us – meeting us where we are – with the transformative power of his grace.
With this power in mind, I would suggest two points for consideration this week:
Let’s start with receiving. Where in my life am I wounded, hurting, or helpless? Do I identify with Bartimaeus, calling upon the Lord for pity? If so, our prayer (in private and at Mass) can be directed to heaven…asking for the grace we need to keep going.
Giving means we allow the Lord’s power to work through us. Giving requires that we see the needs of those around us, determine a proper response, and act in a manner worthy of Christ. We become the Lord’s hands and feet in service to others; our words speak encouragement and hope.
God continues to work with power in our world today, giving us all the opportunity to open our hearts to the endless grace of Christ. May we draw near to the Lord with confidence and allow his strength to work through us as we touch the hearts of those we meet.
Fr. Andrew’s 29th Sunday of the Year Homily Podcast
Jesus Christ shows us that suffering is a pathway, not a destination. Through suffering we experience a purification – whereby we grow and discover new insights through the process of challenge, pain, and difficulty. God permits suffering that we might be changed…for the good. For remember: the suffering of Good Friday will be transformed into the joy of Easter Day.
We are thus consoled and challenged by these words. Consoled, in that we take hope that the triumph of Christ on the Cross will one day be our triumph. He understands our suffering (he’s already been through his own) and we can cling to his mercy and grace.
Challenged, in that we are invited to drink from the cup of suffering. Like Christ, we pray that the cup will pass by, but like Christ we will accept what God sets before us – opening our hearts to God and allow this process to transform us.
Fr. Andrew’s Easter Homily Podcast (7 minutes)
This homily was given on April 5, 2015 at the Cathedral of Christ the King in Superior, WI.
Their lives were changed; the sorrow cast from the shadow of the Cross is now transformed by resurrection glory…He’s alive! The grace of Jesus Christ inspired the disciples to go out to the world – carrying their crosses – with the power of the Lord’s triumph.
Christ brings this transformation to us today; his power continues to work in the world. May we open our hearts to the resurrection…and be transformed!
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)
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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The Resurrection, Sebastiano Ricci; 1715-1716, oil on canvas, 883 mm x 1,187 mm, Dulwich Picture Gallery, London, England.
Below are all the recorded homilies and presentations offered at the Parish Mission for Our Lady of the Valley Catholic Church in Green Valley, AZ from March 7-12, 2015. Special thanks to the wonderful people at OLV for their hospitality – what a joy to be among you!
Sunday Homily Podcast – 3rd Sunday of Lent (Year B) – Saturday, March 7, 2015.
Monday Homily Podcast – Monday of the 3rd Sunday of Lent (Year I) – March 9, 2015.
Holy Week Presentation Podcast #1 – Palm Sunday – March 9, 2015.
Tuesday Homily Podcast – Tuesday of the 3rd Sunday of Lent (Year I) – March 10, 2015.
Holy Week Presentation Podcast #2 – Holy Thursday – March 10, 2015.
Holy Week Presentation Podcast #3 – Good Friday – March 11, 2015.
Thursday Homily Podcast – Thursday of the 3rd Sunday of Lent (Year I) – March 12, 2015.
Holy Week Presentation Podcast #4 – Easter – March 12, 2015.
In addition, I wish to thank the parishioners at St. Pius X Catholic Church in Solon Springs, WI who welcomed me to preach a concentrated version of this Mission on Saturday, February 28, 2015 – thank you for your kindness…these presentations grew out of our day together!
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
