As we embark on this season of Lent we hear the words as we receive our ashes: “Repent, and believe in the Gospel.” May we turn away from sin and look to Christ for the grace we need each day.
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Podcast Resources for a Powerful Lent
Archive of Fr. Andrew’s Podcasts
Fr. Andrew’s Daily Mass Homily Podcast
Mass Readings – Tuesday of 3rd Advent (Feast of St. Lucy)
Actions speak louder than…yeah, you know the rest. Now all we have to do: act in a manner worthy of Christ.
Fr. Andrew’s Daily Mass Homily Podcast
Mass Readings – Saturday of the 2nd Week of Advent
Like Elijah, John the Baptist came to help the people return to the Lord. May this Advent season help us to draw close to Christ and be filled with the Lord’s love.
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.
Mass Readings – 30th Sunday of the Year
Our encounter with God’s mercy happens when we do three things:
When these three take place we can say from our heart: “O God, be merciful to me a sinner.”
Fr. Andrew’s Daily Mass Homily Podcast
Mass Readings – Saturday of the 29th Week of the Year
The Lord makes it clear in Luke’s Gospel that we all need to repent of our sins and turn to the Lord.
Fr. Andrew’s Daily Mass Homily Podcast
Mass Readings – Tuesday of the 15th Week of the Year
Jesus admonishes the people in the cities where he performed some of his greatest miracles…because they did not repent of their sins and turn to God. May we take this passage to heart as we seek the Lord’s forgiveness.
3rd Sunday of Lent Readings – Year C
The Lord is blunt and direct in the Gospel today: we are called to repent…or perish. The life-and-death quality of this command reminds us that God’s grace is ready to wash us clean – if we open our hearts through repentance and turn to the Lord. As God directed Moses and led the people from slavery to freedom, may we discover new life in Christ when we repent and believe in the Good News.
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If you are looking for more material to help you this Lent, you might consider this list of presentations I have offered over the last couple of years. Feel free to check it out and share if you find it helpful:
Podcast Resources for a Powerful Lent
Fr. Andrew’s Daily Mass Homily – Thursday of the 2nd Week of Lent
The parable of Lazarus and the rich man bring the urgent need for repentance to light. The season of Lent repeatedly reminds us to turn away from our sins as we find our hope in the grace and mercy of God.
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If you are looking for more material to help you this Lent, you might consider this list of presentations I have offered over the last couple of years. Feel free to check it out and share if you find it helpful:
Podcast Resources for a Powerful Lent
Catholic Inspiration – Podcast Archives of Homilies & Talks
Three Great Things 