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: Mercy
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: 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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Christ the King of the Universe…remember me!
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!
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Daily Mass: The supreme good of knowing Christ Jesus. Catholic Inspiration
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.
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30th Sunday of the Year – Claim the Mercy! Catholic Inspiration
Mass Readings – 30th Sunday of the Year
Our encounter with God’s mercy happens when we do three things:
- Clearly know our sins
- Choose to make a change
- Embrace our relationship with the Lord
When these three take place we can say from our heart: “O God, be merciful to me a sinner.”
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30th Sunday of the Year – O God, be merciful to me a sinner!
Study: Consider a time when you experienced mercy. What did it feel like?
Pray: Are you struggling to be merciful to someone right now? Ask the Lord for help!
Serve: Is there an act of mercy you can do for someone in need today? How can you make it happen?
Mass Readings – 30th Sunday of the Year
The readings this Sunday could have been chosen for the Year of Mercy. Take a look:
- 1st Reading – “The Lord is a God of justice, who knows no favorites…”
- Psalm – “The Lord hears the cry of the poor.”
- 2nd Reading – “The Lord stood by me and gave me strength.”
- Gospel – Two men went to the Temple to pray…and the one who said, “O God, be merciful to me a sinner” was heard!
As Pope Francis constantly reminds us, the name of God is Mercy. Jesus shows us repeated examples of the mercy and love of the Father, inviting us to both receive God’s grace and then live with mercy toward one another.
It’s a simple message, direct and to the point. Yet we know from our own experience how hard it can be to practice mercy in our world today! We suffer injury, offense, misunderstanding and hassle in our daily interactions with one another. People get under our skin. We get angry. We lose our focus.
And thus this simple message continues to speak to our hearts, heal our souls, and guide us into the grace that comes when we foster forgiveness and pursue peace. Mercy is a practical application of the Great Commandment to love one another; mercy becomes our homework for holiness by which we put the example of Jesus into our own daily practice.
God’s mercy washes us clean and heals the wounds caused by sin. As we seek the Lord’s mercy in our lives, may we allow this gift of mercy to move through us and touch the lives of those we meet.
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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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Daily Mass: Clear sight. Catholic Inspiration
Fr. Andrew’s Daily Mass Homily Podcast
Mass Readings – Friday of the 23rd Week of the Year (St. Peter Claver)
Jesus reminds his disciples that before we can point out the faults of others we have to see our own, taking the time to remove the chunk of wood in our own eye before we point out the splinter in another.
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24th Sunday of the Year – The Prodigal Son
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Study: Recall a time when you experienced a moment of profound forgiveness. How did it change you?
Pray: Are you holding on to anger and resentment? Pray for God’s mercy to soften your heart.
Serve: Is there someone you know in need of mercy? Is there some way you can help others, especially when they are caught up in shame, embarrassment, or the awkwardness of their weaknesses and sins?
Mass Readings – 24th Sunday of the Year
We hear in the Gospel of Luke the familiar parable of the The Prodigal Son. It’s worth a moment to touch on a few key points from this passage:
- The younger son asks for his inheritance before his time (what kind of person does this?)
- The younger son completely wastes the entire inheritance; he has no excuse
- The younger son hits “rock bottom” and figures it’s better to be a servant with his dad than starving with the pigs
- The Father’s mercy is overwhelming: ring, robe, sandals, fatted calf, and a party
- The older son is furious – this is not justice!
- The Father is also merciful to his older son as he teaches him about mercy
What a powerful parable! In this Extraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy it seems appropriate to dwell on the divine mercy of God and recall our need to return to the Lord in our moments of weakness and sin.
Like both brothers in the parable, we all sin and fall short of God’s grace; yet like the brothers, we also have a Father who loves and welcomes us whenever we seek to turn back. Both brothers could speak to their Father – in either humility or anger – and the Father responds to both with tenderness.
Today I would like to suggest two key points for our reflection in the light of this passage:
- How are my sins keeping me from God and others in my life?
- What steps do I need to take to return to the Lord and receive his grace?
God longs to welcome us back, and when we can humbly embrace our mistakes and sins we discover a grace beyond anything imaginable. May we have the courage to examine our hearts and return to the Lord – the source of all mercy.
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Catholic Inspiration – Podcast Archives of Homilies & Talks- 6th Sunday of the Year: Christ calls us to look inward and out
- Daily Mass: The Lord nourishes body and soul
- Daily Mass: The gift of hearing and speech
- Daily Mass: The power of a simple and direct prayer to God
- Daily Mass: The spiritual battle is often fought in our hearts
- Daily Mass: The Lord invites us to put first things first
- Daily Mass: Our hearts yearn for healing in body, mind, heart, and soul
- Study, Pray, Serve: 6th Sunday of the Year
- 5th Sunday of the Year: We are Salt and Light in the world!
- Daily Mass: Christ responds with compassion to the needs of our hearts
Three Great Things 