Sacrifice Is Integral To Christianity - Holy Thursday 2020
Fr. John Ehrich Watch the full livestream Mass at www.stmglendale.org
Apr 10, 2020•12 min•Ep. 163
Fr. John Ehrich Catholic Homilies
Fr. John Ehrich, STL, was ordained a priest for the Diocese of Phoenix in 2000.
He currently serves as pastor of St Thomas More Catholic Church in Glendale AZ.
www.stmglendale.org
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Episodes
Why God Allows Suffering and Death? - Palm Sunday 2020
Fr. John Ehrich For full video and worship service please go to www.stmglendale.org
Apr 05, 2020•6 min•Ep. 162
One Decade A Day - Pray One Decade of the Rosary Each Day Together
I'm asking everyone to pray one decade of the rosary a day for each other, for our intentions and for a swift end to the Coronavirus. Please email us and tell us you are going to commit to this: rosary@stmglendale.org
Apr 03, 2020•3 min•Ep. 161
Our Emptiness Is A Space For God's Grace - 5th Sunday In Lent
Fr. John Ehrich www.stmglendale.org
Mar 29, 2020•6 min•Ep. 160
Making Room For God - 4th Sunday of Lent
Fr. John Ehrich Stmglendale.org
Mar 23, 2020•4 min•Ep. 159
How To Reach People - 3rd Sunday of Lent
How do we forge relationship, communicate and stay close to people when it can be difficult at times? Especially when we try to affect the truth of God in others who might not be receptive to the message, this can be a continual struggle and even feel like a challenge. For parents of teenagers, opposing family members, friendships, coworkers, and strangers - communication breakdowns about faith or theology, theopraxy, or morality can stifle connection and relationship. In today’s Gospel, we see ...
Mar 16, 2020•4 min•Ep. 158
Remain Steadfast In Hope! - 2nd Sunday of Lent
There on the mountain, Moses communed with God for many years and brought back the promises to . This period of time was a well known to the followers of Jesus. So when they witness Christ being raised up, shown with Moses and Elijah, they know he is truly the Messiah. This means He is truly their deliverer and prophetic figure that the hearts of many were waiting for. What are our hearts waiting for? What future or unfulfilled promises do we carry with us; maybe even ask God to deliver us from?...
Mar 09, 2020•11 min•Ep. 157
Why Adam's Sin Was So Severe - 1st Sunday in Lent
Sin and death came into the world, not simply because these first two human beings are the forbidden fruit. We know this Genisis story along with many others that are allegorical in nature. Without getting caught up in the historical accuracy, we can be attentive to the purposes of these stories and the wisdom they impart to us today. We are given life by God as He breathes life into us from our birth. He made us male and female. He made us and saw “that it was good.” Satan is a the father of li...
Mar 02, 2020•12 min•Ep. 156
"Rend Your Hearts" - Ash Wednesday 2020
Fr. John Ehrich St. Thomas More, Glendale, AZ.
Feb 27, 2020•8 min•Ep. 155
"I Am Not Better Than You" - 7th Sunday In Ordinary Time
We all know friends or people in our own lives who truly struggle. No matter their upbringing, circumstances, issues such as addiction or abuse and their repercussions can be a damaging and lifelong battle for many people we might know intimately. Seeing the humanity of a person and the desperate reality they live in can be a very humbling sight. Have you ever wondered what it’s like to hear confession? It is a theme among a large number of people that we all are striving to be better despite ou...
Feb 24, 2020•13 min•Ep. 154
Love or Law or Something In Between? - 6th Sunday in Ordinary Time
It’s been said by many scholars of scripture that “Jesus is more about love than the law;” a statement that we can be attentive to. How easy it is for us, as members of nations, societies, religions, and clubs, to use language such this, which often can be dichotomous, dualistic or black/white thinking. While the lasting and promised mercy of Christ is certainly apart of our salvation, could it not be said that Jesus is “about” both love and the law? The two terms can be intertwined especially i...
Feb 17, 2020•13 min•Ep. 153
Can We Be Light? - 5th Sunday In Ordinary Time
Have you ever been stuck in a room of total darkness? It can be terrifying to be in that disorienting situation, trying to stumble through to find a light switch and not trip over anything. Once the lights are suddenly turned on, we are immediately comforted and can see the reality of our surroundings, feeling much better. The divine revelation of our faith says that the world was in darkness, searching as lost children. When Christ came, He illuminated that darkness and brought deep peace while...
Feb 09, 2020•5 min•Ep. 152
God's Laws Are For Our Good - Presentation of the Lord
Why, as people of authority, (parents, teachers, priests, leaders) do we try to enforce or expect others, such as our children, to learn the value of rule-following? Is it perhaps for the purpose of discipline, in hopes of the best interest of the other? Is it in hopes that children learn to take ownership of their lives as well set good boundaries for themselves? The very laws that are the hardest to follow, remain faithful to, or even accept into our lives at all, are always the laws that poin...
Feb 02, 2020•16 min•Ep. 151
The Power Of Invitation - 3rd Sunday In Ordinary Time
The way that scripture presents the four disciples in these readings is that, at one encounter, they drop everything in their lives and follow Jesus. At first glance, this act of leaving everything behind seems almost un-virtuous as if they abandoned their families and responsibilities. It seems like to radical of a move without further reflection. On a human level, we can probably glean what really happened - what’s more likely, is that they knew Jesus already, enough to trust him and make a co...
Jan 27, 2020•13 min•Ep. 150
Be Vulnerable - 2nd Sunday in Ordinary Time
“Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.” We can recall the history behind these scriptural words - the sacrificial lamb at Passover, the suffering servant in Isaiah, and the sacrifice that becomes the Eucharist as Christ’s body and blood. Today, we need to have a deep understanding of who Jesus is - not just academically or theologically, but personally. The modern culture around the church has declined in numbers and fervor mostly because of the rise of an apathetic and un...
Jan 19, 2020•12 min•Ep. 149
How To and Why Forgive - Baptism Of The Lord
We hear about another manifestation of who Jesus is in today’s readings. We see Jesus being baptized with the entire Trinity being revealed in the voice of God and the appearance of the dove as the presence of the Holy Spirit. John the Baptist explains this baptism as an act of repentance. And yet, even though Jesus does not need to repent, He still exemplifies for us the gift and sacrament of baptism; and as salvation history unfolds, He takes responsibility for all acts of repentance. This is ...
Jan 12, 2020•15 min•Ep. 148
The Only Savior; Everyone's Savior - Epiphany 2020
Fr. John Ehrich, STL St. Thomas More Glendale, AZ
Jan 05, 2020•15 min•Ep. 147
God Is Calling Men To Be Leaders - Holy Family
In the readings, we hear words like ‘obedience, honor, and subordination.’ One thing we can remember when we hear these terms, especially in the context of family and relationship with God, is that the desire to be obedient comes from a place of respect and love and awe for the other person. Even in the structure of the Holy Trinity, the three persons of God are completely equal, mutually respected and loved among the three. This Trinitarian relationship is meant to be made manifest in our marri...
Dec 29, 2019•11 min•Ep. 146
The Divine Author - Christmas
Let’s say you were the author of a story. The characters that you created are vast and intimately known by you, their creator. You decide to give your characters free will because that way, they get to choose themselves rather than be controlled. What are you to do as the author brings their attention to you? Would you enter into their story? Maybe you could enter into that story so that you could communicate directly and say, “ I love you, I have created you from the beginning and I have always...
Dec 26, 2019•11 min•Ep. 145
Just Say "Yes" - 4th Sunday of Advent 2.0
God does amazing things through the people who say “yes.” Abraham is the one who makes a covenant with God initiates this pattern in scriptures. When finally the angel Gabriel asks of Mary to bear the son of God, she said yes to God's plan even without knowing the full story. Joseph also was asked to accept a difficult truth and to say yes to the idea of raising a foster child. Without knowing the entirety of the situation, these figures in the Bible represent an abiding trust in simply saying y...
Dec 23, 2019•11 min•Ep. 144
God Is Always With Us - 4th Sunday of Advent 1.0
Abraham and Sara wait and are blessed with the fulfilled plan of allowing them to conceive. Even we’ll pass their old age, they desire to conceive and are finally graced with a child. There are many similar storylines in the Bible that share this theme. Conception as a gift from God. Its almost as if God was preparing humanity for the big one. The immaculate conception and the very salvation that would miraculously enter into the world. Emmanuel, God with us. We see in this narration a God who t...
Dec 23, 2019•12 min•Ep. 143
Bring Your Sacrifice To The Altar - 3rd Sunday of Advent
Rejoicing. On this caudate Sunday, we hear all about all the blossoming of good things God will do, specifically in the “desert.” The location of the desert is significant because, during the time of John the Baptist and earlier prophets, the desert was seen as a place of barrenness, where the vast dryness of nature resides. Isaiah focuses on the messiah coming to these places of death, vast infertility, blindness, deafness, etc. We hear that He will renew the earth, renew and restore all people...
Dec 16, 2019•13 min•Ep. 142
Can We Be People Of Encouragement? - 2nd Sunday of Advent
Confrontations and discouraging instances are no surprise for Jesus. He faced many such encounters. In the time of the gospels, the Pharisees would revel in the chance to point out the ways that others were wrong, unworthy, or not ‘measuring up.’ But notice that Jesus never joins in with that approach, rather He dismisses the Pharisees for it and instead, loves the ones who have been beaten down by life. Rather than condemn and criticize, how can we encourage and build one another up? We should ...
Dec 09, 2019•11 min•Ep. 141
Preparing The Way - 1st Sunday of Advent
It’s Christmas time! Let the shopping and holiday events begin. As Catholics, this time of year is especially important as a time for preparation on a spiritual level, but we can only do this preparation by actually allowing ourselves to slow down, hearing Gods call to peace. St Paul asks us to not settle for the worldly expectations that constantly surround us, to not be complacent but to be always awaiting the coming of Christ. Can we take the time to place ourselves in the face of Jesus? What...
Dec 02, 2019•12 min•Ep. 140
Jesus, Remember Me - Christ the King
Priest. Prophet. King. Offering sacrifice, delivering God’s message and even ruling over nations are anointed actions shown in prefigurements in the Old Testament. People such as Moses and David. The New Testament accounts Jesus as a different kind of leader, as someone who does not desire the worldly platitudes we expect from other priests, prophets and kings of the past. A salvific leader, Christ’s kingdom encompasses a differing vision from temporal reality. The greatest act of power is not m...
Nov 24, 2019•10 min•Ep. 139
Some Of That Old Time Religion - 33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time
Fr. John reflects on the gospel and refers to the reactionary responses that often follow any hearing of "the end times," whether in scripture or in everyday life encounters. In the gospel, Jesus foretells the signs, both false and true, that will occur. As Christians, we believe in the Truth of the person of Jesus Christ, who desires us to choose Him over any other fears, idols, or ideologies that circumvent our understanding of Him. Fr. John names radical subjectivism as one of those dangerous...
Nov 17, 2019•10 min•Ep. 138
There's No Golf In Heaven - 32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time
Fr. John Ehrich describes some misconceptions that many might hold in regards to our ideas about heaven, which are described by Jesus in the gospel. The idea that our loved ones who have passed have “become angels” may serve comfort to grieving families, but ultimately, we must clarify that we are only “like” angels, not actually new angels, when we enter into heaven. Another clarification is that marriage in heaven is not a part of the equation. Though Christ has compared eternal life to a wedd...
Nov 10, 2019•10 min•Ep. 137
The Man In The Tree - 31st Sunday of Ordinary Time
A pervading message in our minds is the phrase, "not good enough." A phrase that pops up in our thoughts about other people and especially ourselves. "I am not good enough." It is a damaging thought that can pervade our mentalities due to upbringing, culture, or just our own standard of evaluation. But God has not created anything that is not good. We cannot fully rely on our own judgement about ourselves because the reality is that Christ loves us in all that we are. If we exist, we are loved. ...
Nov 03, 2019•10 min•Ep. 136
Jesus, Have Mercy On Me A Sinner - 30th Sunday In Ordinary Time
Fr. John continues to expand on the themes of the Gospel of Luke to be persistent in prayer, what prayer ought to be like, and what our disposition in prayer should be. We see how the comparison between the Pharisee’s prayer and the tax collector’s prayer speak to their different postures when approaching the Lord. In today’s time, the Pharisee could be seen as a “Good Catholic”, one who thinks that they are doing everything moral and upright because that’s what it takes to get to heaven. The ta...
Oct 27, 2019•10 min•Ep. 135
Does God Answer Our Prayers? - 29th Sunday in Ordinary Time
This week’s homily addresses the power of prayer. Is God telling us the truth in promising to give us what we ask for? Or did he mean something else or more for us? There are many cases in which are prayers are not answered…we see in war and worldly issues. Yet there are instances too in which sick people are healed after being told they have a certain amount of time to live from diseases. Fr. John Ehrich takes a survey of the congregation and many raised their hand and shared that they have had...
Oct 20, 2019•12 min•Ep. 134
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