6th Sunday in Ordinary Time
I recently went on an 8-day silent retreat. Many have been asking, “Father, how was the retreat?!” So I’d like to share with you a bit about silent retreats in general as well as some of what happened and what God was up to on my retreat!
2nd Sunday in Ordinary Time
Listen to a real, down-to-earth story of barstool evangelization! When we are sharing with others, what we’re meant to share is not primarily information, but our own experience of God, faith, prayer, and why it’s important to us. People don’t primarily want to hear theological reasons or arguments (even though they might say they do, or start the conversation that way), what people really need is to be inspired by the real example and experiences that others have of God – and that’s something that any person of faith can share, no matter how much or little they think they know about the faith!
Merry Christmas!
God rest ye merry gentlemen let nothing you dismay
Remember Christ our Savior was born on Christmas Day
To save us all from Satan’s pow’r when we were gone astray
O tidings of comfort and joy, comfort and joy
O tidings of comfort and joy
4th Sunday of Advent
In this Advent Homily Series we are journeying through the greatest story ever told, the story that has changed and will continue to change the world (if we let it): our story – the creation, the capture, the rescue, and our response! Listen this week as Deacon Brian focuses in on what our response can be to the God Who has done such incredible things for us!
3rd Sunday of Advent
In this Advent Homily Series we are journeying through the greatest story ever told, the story that has changed and will continue to change the world (if we let it): our story – the creation, the capture, the rescue, and our response! Listen this week as Fr. David focuses in on what it means to be rescued by Jesus.
2nd Sunday of Advent
In this Advent Homily Series we are journeying through the greatest story ever told, the story that has changed and will continue to change the world (if we let it): our story – the creation, the capture, the rescue, and our response! Listen this week as Deacon Dave focuses in on what it means to be captured.
1st Sunday of Advent
In this Advent Homily Series we are journeying through the greatest story ever told, the story that has changed and will continue to change the world (if we let it): our story – the creation, the capture, the rescue, and our response! Listen this week as Fr. David zooms in on what it means to be created.
Solemnity of Christ the King
On this great Solemnity, Deacon Brian prepares us for our Advent journey by outlining the great story we will be sharing over the homilies of Advent, the story that has changed and will continue to change the world (if we let it): our story – the creation, the capture, the rescue, and our response!
32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time
In the midst of very important, but ultimately short-sighted, concerns of this world and concerns of politics, I believe that we are losing our way. And when we don’t keep our eyes on the world to come, our outlook on this world, on our country and on others begins to degrade – it loses the light of Christ, and it festers into hatred and unnecessary division. To put priorities in order, I think it’s worth stating:The worst thing that can happen in this world, is that a person ends up living a life apart from God for all eternity; the best thing that can happen in this world, is that a person ends up living life with God for all eternity! Everything else, no matter how important, is secondary to that long distance vision.
Want to know what would actually change the world more than the solving of any moral issue, political issue or cultural practice? If every Catholic for the last 2,000 years had reached out and brought 3-5 people to Christ during their lifetime, if that’s what each Catholic expected of their role in God’s plan of salvation (for WE are the Body of Christ on this earth here and now)…our whole world would be transformed by now! So let’s get going!
31st Sunday in Ordinary Time
In our familiar Gospel story of Zacchaeus, Jesus does something that might entirely change how you see Jesus’ life, and what that means about how you are called here and now to live as disciples of Jesus! In our Gospel today, we hear that Jesus came to Jericho and “intended to pass through the town”…Jesus intended to pass through the town, but when he sees Zacchaeus he changes his mind and decides to stay. For Jesus, following his Father’s will didn’t look like having a checklist in his head of every single pre-planned-from-all-eternity thing that had to happen on that particular day to achieve our salvation…Jesus changed his mind and his plans during his days with the nudges of the Holy Spirit (and in this case the Holy Spirit moved him to change his plans and have dinner with Zacchaeus – and this interaction changed Zacchaeus’ life).
God’s plan to change the world is not primarily through heady knowledge of theology, nor is it primarily through large-scale events that normal folk like us are unable to bring about. God’s plan to change the world is to change it primarily through normal, personal interactions, when we as individuals (as the hands and feet of Christ here and now), inspired by the Spirit, reach out and touch the lives of particular people that God has us come in contact with. Personal interaction, personal invitation – that’s how Jesus lived and that’s how we are called to live, too!