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.
Tag Archives: Love
Daily Mass: Come to the Lord…and rest. Catholic Inspiration
Fr. Andrew’s Daily Mass Homily
Mass Readings – Wednesday of the 2nd Week of Advent (Feast of St. Ambrose)
As a child rests in a parent’s embrace, so we are invited to draw near to Christ and rest in his love. Are you weary? Tired? Stressed? Come to Jesus and be renewed by his peace.
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2nd Sunday of Advent – Baptized in Spirit and Fire
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:
- Knowing good from bad
- Taking ownership for when our actions have been bad
- Seeking to turn away from the bad and strive to embrace the good
- Claiming the mercy and grace of God to renew our lives
- Asking for forgiveness and putting it into practice
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.
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Daily Mass: Thankful Hearts, Grateful Lives. Catholic Inspiration
Fr. Andrew’s Daily Mass Homily Podcast
Mass Readings – Thanksgiving Day
Today as a country we practice what our faith in Christ commands: to be thankful for all that God has given us. Let’s count our blessings and be grateful for what we have. May we all thank the Lord for the gift of life and the chance to let the love of Jesus flow through our hearts. Happy Thanksgiving!
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Note: This picture of Msgr. Ed Meulemans and I was taken in July 2015. He is a great friend and mentor…and I am thankful for his presence in my life!
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Daily Mass: The compassion of Christ. Catholic Inspiration
Fr. Andrew’s Daily Mass Homily Podcast
Mass Readings – St. Elizabeth of Hungary
In the Gospel we find the Lord as he weeps over the city of Jerusalem. May the compassion of Christ touch our hearts, especially when we have sinned, and draw us back into his merciful love.
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Photo Credit: Jesus of Nazareth, 1977.
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32nd Sunday of the Year: Our eyes fixed on Heaven. Catholic Inspiration
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.
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Daily Mass: some good words to live by. Catholic Inspiration
Fr. Andrew’s Daily Mass Homily Podcast
Mass Readings – Friday of the 29th Week of the Year
When I come across some gems of Sacred Scripture (like the 1st reading today) I want to cut them out and put them in a place where they will remind me of what we are about as disciples of Jesus. Truly, they are some good words to live by!
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27th Sunday of the Year: The fire of our faith. Catholic Inspiration
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Study: Reflect on a moment when your faith was on fire. What people or events helped make this happen?
Pray: Is your faith struggling right now? Ask the Lord to renew the fire within your heart.
Serve: Is there someone in your life who is struggling with their faith? How can you help support them?
Mass Readings – 27th Sunday of the Year
The Second Letter to Timothy and the Gospel of Luke offer us a couple of crucial insights regarding our faith in Jesus Christ.
The words to Timothy are inspiring: “I remind you to stir into flame the gift of God…for God did not give us a spirit of cowardice but of power and love and self control…Guard this rich trust with the help of the Holy Spirit that dwells within us.”
We have received the grace of Jesus Christ through our sacraments, prayer, and the power of the Holy Spirit. There is power in these words! Our lives are transformed when we open out hearts to the fire of faith, and we receive strength to face the difficulties and challenges of life with God’s help.
Sometimes we can lose sight of the great gift of our faith. We can take it for granted, leave it uncultivated, or perhaps stop feeding it with the proper fuel. Yet when we nourish our faith in Jesus Christ, the power of the Lord’s love renews us and directs us to share our lives with others in dynamic ways. We become so much more when our faith is burning bright; indeed, we shine as sons and daughters of God.
But how does this faith start? In Luke’s Gospel the disciples asked Jesus to increase their faith, and the Lord reminds them that faith – like a seed – always begins as a tiny thing. Just as a single spark can become a roaring fire, so too, our faith can blaze forth when we willing call upon God’s help.
How do you see your faith today? Is it burning hot or only a tiny ember? We hold firm to the conviction that the Lord can take even the smallest spark and infuse it with holy fire. May we ask the Lord to touch our faith so we can glow with the love of Jesus Christ.
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24th Sunday of the Year: a man had two sons… Catholic Inspiration
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.
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22nd Sunday of the Year – Humility
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Study: Reflect on a person who loves selflessly. What qualities do you see in their behavior toward others?
Pray: Ask the Lord for the awareness to see more clearly the needs of others, and the grace to respond with love.
Serve: How might you make a sacrifice to help someone? How might you let go of what you want in order to assist another in need?
Mass Readings – 22nd Sunday of the Year
The theme of humility surfaces throughout the readings this week. Check this out:
- 1st Reading – “My child, conduct your affairs with humility.”
- Psalm – “God, in your goodness, you have made a home for the poor.”
- 2nd Reading – We draw near to Jerusalem, where Jesus and the angels dwell.
- Gospel – “For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but whoever humbles himself will be exalted.”
What does humility mean? What does it mean to say that a person is humble? The word is often misunderstood and misused, and yet it is an important concept in the Scriptures and Church teaching.
At it’s heart, humility is about our perspective of ourselves against a larger background. We are not the center of the universe! Rather, we understand that we exist in relationship to the Lord and one another.
God is the center and origin of our lives, from which we derive all grace and blessings. We are sustained in the mind of God, and invited to love the Lord with all our heart and mind, body and soul. For remember: the Lord loved us first, and out of love gave his Son to save us from our sins.
Yet the relationship is not just between ourselves and the Lord. We also exist in relationship to one another. We are part of a great communion of souls – both living and dead – and we are invited to grow in love of those around us.
Humility arises when we see ourselves clearly in the light of these relationships. We understand that our needs and wants are always set in the context of other (often far greater) concerns. When this happens we grow in awareness of how our lives interact and weave together, fostering communication, cooperation, and respect.
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Catholic Inspiration – Podcast Archives of Homilies & Talks- Daily Mass: God gives us strength and peace
- Study, Pray, Serve: 4th Sunday of Easter
- 3rd Sunday of Easter: Christ meets us where we are and leads us
- Daily Mass: Our service of others reveals our love for Jesus
- Daily Mass: We are on the right path when we stay close to the Lord
- Daily Mass: We must obey God
- Daily Mass: God so loved the world!
- Daily Mass: Our faith in Christ unites us in heart and mind
- Daily Mass: It is the Holy Spirit, and not our ego, that directs our faith
- Study, Pray, Serve: 3rd Sunday of Easter
Three Great Things 