A Day in My Ideal World

On By Fr. David NeuschwanderIn Easter Season

Easter Sunday

Happy Easter!  Imagine…imagine that you go to bed one night, and when you wake up in the morning the world has been transformed overnight.  Everything that you envision for a better world, all of the change you’d like to see — in societies, situations, individuals, countries — it all happened, magically, overnight.

Now…when you wake up that morning and as you start going about your day…what do you notice first?  What do you actually experience as changed?  

This is what I did…except for our parishes: so what did I see when I woke up and everything I envisioned for an ideal life of Catholic followers of Jesus here in the greater Hayward area changed overnight?  What did I experience?  Listen to find out!

It’s Personal

On By Fr. David NeuschwanderIn Lent

Palm Sunday

Everything Jesus did, He did for individual people; everything He did was personal.  His life, his preaching, his healings, his interactions, his suffering, his death, his resurrection – Jesus did all of this for individual people; it was personal.  He didn’t do it to “do right” or to “be good”; he didn’t do it for a moral code; Jesus wasn’t an impersonal “do-gooder”.  Jesus did everything we celebrate this Holy Week for us: it was personal.   And everything Jesus still does in our world and in our lives is personal.

Four Marks: Intentional in Relationship

On By Fr. David NeuschwanderIn Lent

4th Sunday of Lent

This weekend I am speaking on the Third Mark of a Disciple – what it means to be Intentional in Relationship!

Last weekend Deacon Brian gave a great homily on the First Mark: Quick to Pray.   That can be found on our Hayward Catholic website in text format (https://haywardcatholic.org/recent-homilies) or, as he sings a couple verses from country songs, you may want to listen to him preach: click into the live stream section, select the 3/11 recording, and fast forward to his homily! (https://haywardcatholic.org/ecatholic-live)

Four Marks: Joyfully Sacramental

On By Fr. David NeuschwanderIn Lent

1st Sunday of Lent

In this first Sunday of Lent I unpack the second mark of a disciple of Jesus Christ: being Joyfully Sacramental!

Fasting & Four Marks of a Disciple

On By Fr. David NeuschwanderIn Lent

Ash Wednesday

Here is my homily from Ash Wednesday, introducing our Lenten themes of Fasting and the Four Marks of a Disciple!

Silent Retreat

On By Fr. David NeuschwanderIn Ordinary Time

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!

Sharing Experience

On By Fr. David NeuschwanderIn Ordinary Time

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!

God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen

On By Fr. David NeuschwanderIn Christmas Season

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

Part 4: Response

On By Fr. David NeuschwanderIn Advent

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!

Part 3: Rescued

On By Fr. David NeuschwanderIn Advent

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.