Fr. Andrew’s Holy Day Mass Homily
Mass Readings – Feast of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Mary’s “yes” to God offers us an example, for as she participated in God’s plan of salvation so we, too, have a daily opportunity to let the Lord’s work be done through our words and actions.
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Madonna and Child with Sts. Mary Magdalene, John the Baptist, Francis of Assisi, Catherine of Alexandria, Cosmas and Damien; Botticelli; 1470; Uffizi; Florence, Italy.
Study: Consider a moment when you were greatly helped by someone. How did it feel to have their support?
Pray: Set before the Lord your challenges and remember in your daily prayers the needs of others.
Serve: How has the Lord blessed you to help others? What gifts and talents do you possess that make a difference today?
Mass Readings – 3rd Sunday of Advent
Isaiah’s prophecy proclaims the power and might of God. Among the words of the 1st reading we find:
Strengthen the hands that are feeble,
make firm the knees that are weak,
say to those whose hearts are frightened:
Be strong, fear not!
Here is your God,
he comes with vindication;
with divine recompense
he comes to save you.
Then will the eyes of the blind be opened,
the ears of the deaf be cleared;
then will the lame leap like a stag,
then the tongue of the mute will sing. (Is. 35:3-6)
These are words of hope! In the midst of the challenges of life the Lord comes to strengthen our hearts and renew our lives. Yes, there are difficulties; yet we face them boldly – supported by the grace and power of God.
This hope in God’s power appears in the Gospel of Matthew where Jesus cites this passage from Isaiah to the disciples of John the Baptist. Christ is the one who fulfills the words of the prophet; he is the one who comes to save us.
What’s more, those that receive this saving grace – the citizens of the Kingdom of Heaven – are greater than all the prophets, including John. In other words, when we accept the power and might of God we are transformed into a new creation as the old bondage of sin and death is destroyed.
May we claim this saving grace today! As we call upon the Lord in our daily prayers, we ask that the power and might of Jesus Christ heals our hearts and strengthens our souls. We have work to do! May God’s grace help us to make it happen.
Fr. Andrew’s Daily Mass Homily Podcast
Mass Readings – Friday of the 34th Week of the Year
We acknowledge that at the end of time there will be a final judgment – where our lives will be examined and we will either be saved or damned in the light of our relationship with Jesus Christ.
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The Last Judgment, Michelangelo, 1536-1541, Sistine Chapel, Vatican.
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.
Mass Readings – 31st Sunday of the Year
Zacchaeus responds to the call of Christ, and shows us how we can respond to the Lord everyday – both in our personal lives and our support for one another.
Study: Consider a moment when you were publicly put on the spot. How did you react when others scrutinized your actions?
Pray: Is there a stirring in your heart to change something difficult? Ask the Lord for the grace to make it happen.
Serve: Are there people in your life who are trying to make a change for the better? How can you support them?
Mass Readings – 31st Sunday of the Year
What shall me make of Zacchaeus? The Gospel of Luke shows this encounter between him and Jesus. Consider these points about Zacchaeus:
Tax collectors were despised in the Jewish culture. They were Jews who collaborated with the Roman Empire and often used unscrupulous ways to get money from their neighbors. Thus the title “sinners” was commonly given to them as people who flagrantly rejected God’s law.
Now add to this attitude the element of the ridiculous. Here is a wealthy, powerful, short, sinner…standing in a sycamore tree to see Jesus! Something is going on in his heart, and as the crowd blocks his view (and he can’t get near) he does the only thing he can to glimpse the Lord.
And that means that he stands out. His repentance – and God’s merciful grace – now become a public act. People see Zacchaeus and Jesus, they grumble, and the Lord shows that no one is left out of God’s mercy. Here are a few final questions to ponder today:
God’s mercy is present to the world. Zacchaeus made the change, encountered the Lord, and received the transforming grace of Christ. His example shows us the way to experience the love of Jesus in our hearts today.
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, given at Cathedral on April 4, 2015)
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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Walking with the Lord in Holy Week (March 9-12, 2015 – Our Lady of the Valley – Green Valley, AZ) This parish mission takes the listener on a journey with Christ – from his entry into Jerusalem, through the Last Supper, his Passion, and his Resurrection.
Fr. Andrew’s Palm Sunday Podcast
We read the Passion of Christ ever year, not as some sad, distant, impersonal story that happen long ago, but as OUR STORY – a reminder that Christ endured his Cross for US, for our our sins and transgressions. As we enter into this sacred season, may we draw near to the one who saves and sets us free.
And if you would like to have a mini-retreat this week, I invite you to listen to any of these podcasts from my Mission last year in Arizona.
Walking with the Lord in Holy Week (March 9-12, 2015 – Our Lady of the Valley – Green Valley, AZ) This parish mission takes the listener on a journey with Christ – from his entry into Jerusalem, through the Last Supper, his Passion, and his Resurrection.
Have a blessed Holy Week.
Fr. Andrew’s Presentation (31 minutes)
This talk was given to Confirmation students from the Cathedral and St. Francis Xavier parishes on November 11, 2015.
Note these four points:
This message is not just for kids preparing to be confirmed! May all of us see the beauty of life, confront our struggles, and embrace the gift of Christ’s saving grace.
Study: Reflect on a time when you sensed a gentle “tug” in your heart to act or speak. Did you heed the call or ignore it?
Pray: Gaze upon the Cross of Jesus Christ, and consider His sacrifice for you. Thank Him for his merciful love to die for your sins.
Serve: Is there a way that you can gently help another face their struggles?
I think of John the Baptist as one of those people who are exciting to listen to but just a little too intense. Being around the charismatic, passionate, tell-it-like-it-is prophet strikes me as standing by a bonfire: you want to draw near, but too close and you get scorched.
Yet this no nonsense desert preacher sees Jesus and directly states:
“Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.”
What a contrast! John is fiery, bold, direct, and edgy…and he proclaims that the one greater than he comes to be slaughtered – to take away our sins. Our salvation is not achieved through a fierce battle or assault on hell; it comes because God sent his Son to die in our place.
It’s this notion of slaughter that foreshadows the death and resurrection of Jesus. Lambs were sacrificed ritually in the ancient Jewish world. From the time of Passover when the Jews endured slavery in Egypt – where the blood of a lamb was sprinkled on the door posts as a sign of the angel of death – the image of a lamb powerfully expresses a path of salvation.
Furthermore, lambs are gentle, meek, and defenseless. For thousands of years they have been employed by humanity for food and wool. Lambs require protection, and without help they fall prey to predators.
So here we have John boldly state that the Christ who will save us comes:
He comes for us. He will die on a cross in a horrible fashion – FOR US. Yet he will not force his message of love, forgiveness, and peace upon us – he will gently approach us and speak.
How is Jesus inviting us today? Do we sense in our hearts a “nudge” to live in a different way? Is there anything going on in our lives that gives us the opportunity to follow the Lamb of God?
He will tenderly call us. His invitation will be marked by forgiveness and love. Will we accept the one who comes to take away our sins? May John’s words inspire us to become His disciples.
Catholic Inspiration – Podcast Archives of Homilies & Talks
Three Great Things 