Homily from Palm Sunday. You are meant to be a part of the story. As Christians, we know the Story and we believe the Story. We know how God has saved the world by entering into suffering and death. But we are called to more; we are called to participate in the Story. Our apostolate is marked by Acceptance, Access, and Action. Mass Readings from March 24, 2024: Isaiah 50:4-7 Psalms 22:8-9, 17-20, 23-24 Philippians 2:6-11 Mark 14:1—15:47...
Mar 23, 2024•26 min
Homily from the Fifth Sunday of Lent. You don't have to find God's will in this moment and these circumstances...this moment and these circumstances are God's will for you. The greatest lesson that anyone of us can learn is simple, but it is not always easy: you can trust God in every moment and all circumstances. Mass Readings from March 17, 2024: Jeremiah 31:31-34 Psalms 51:3-4, 12-15 Hebrews 5:7-9 John 12:20-33...
Mar 16, 2024•31 min
Homily from the Fourth Sunday of Lent. We often feel owned by the past or powerless in the present. Once something is broken, is it really lost forever? Mass Readings from March 10, 2024: 2 Chronicles 36:14-16, 19-23 Psalms 137:1-6 Ephesians 2:4-10 John 3:14-21
Mar 09, 2024•25 min
Homily from the Third Sunday of Lent. The greatest grace is to know the depth of our brokenness and to know the depth of His love. Father Walter wanted to be like his heroes. We all want to think that we will be strong in the moment of truth. But the actual moment of truth comes after our weakness has been revealed. Mass Readings from March 3, 2024: Exodus 20:1-17 Psalms 19:8-11 1 Corinthians 1:22-25 John 2:13-25...
Mar 02, 2024•29 min
Homily from the Second Sunday of Lent. If I know Who, then I can say yes without knowing why. Do I have any conditions on my response to God? Will I pray or serve or say yes to Him as long as I understand why He is asking? Mass Readings from February 25, 2024: Genesis 22:1-2, 9-13, 15-18 Psalms 116:10, 15-19 Romans 8:31-34 Mark 9:2-10...
Feb 24, 2024•25 min
Homily from the First Sunday of Lent. When expectation meets reality, we have a choice. All of our lives are marked by a certain degree of expectation. But what do we do when we encounter the reality of life? We can choose to either avoid reality or accept reality. Mass Readings from February 18, 2024: Genesis 9:8-15 Psalms 25:4-9 1 Peter 3:18-22 Mark 1:12-15...
Feb 17, 2024•25 min
Homily from Ash Wednesday. We hope He sees. We have faith it matters to Him. We do it because He said so. During Lent, we have the chance to make our lives an act of hope, faith, and love. More than growing in discipline or self-improvement, Lent is a chance to live what we believe by prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. Mass Readings from February 14, 2024: Joel 2:12-18 Psalms 51:3--6, 12-14 and 17 2 Corinthians 5:20—6:2 Matthew 6:1-6, 16-18...
Feb 15, 2024•15 min
Homily from the Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time. The moments are holy when the moments are His...and the moments are His when the motive is Him. When something is dedicated, it is transformed. It is elevated and becomes something more. When a moment is dedicated to God, it becomes a holy moment. Mass Readings from February 11, 2024: Leviticus 13:1-2, 44-46 Psalms 32:1-2, 5, 11 1 Corinthians 10:31—11:1 Mark 1:40-45...
Feb 10, 2024•18 min
Homily from the Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time. You can only share what you have. Holy moments are shared moments. We share like Jesus (and make moments holy) when we are generous and honest. Mass Readings from February 4, 2024:: Job 7:1-4, 6-7 Psalms 147:1-6 1 Corinthians 9:16-19, 22-23 Mark 1:29-39...
Feb 03, 2024•23 min
Homily from the Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time. The Holy Moment is the present moment. When we live lives of distraction we cannot live lives of wonder or joy or holiness. Distraction steals life away because it takes us away from the present moment. And the present moment is the only moment that has the potential to be a holy moment. Mass Readings from January 28, 2024: Deuteronomy 18:15-20 Psalms 95:1-2, 6-9 1 Corinthians 7:32-35 Mark 1:21-28...
Jan 27, 2024•23 min
Homily from the Third Sunday in Ordinary Time. Holy moments are ordinary moments reconsidered. An ordinary life is not an obstacle to a holy life. In fact, every extraordinary life is made up of ordinary moments that we choose to make into holy moments. Mass Readings from January 21, 2024: Jonah 3:1-5, 10 Psalms 25:4-9 1 Corinthians 7:29-31 Mark 1:14-20...
Jan 20, 2024•20 min
Homily from the Second Sunday in Ordinary Time. God has a claim on your life...and God has a call for your life. We can often be hesitant to make decisions in life. Not only because we do not want to make the wrong decision, but also because we want to make the best decision. But the point of life is not merely to optimize our happiness. We experience a new freedom and meaning when we realize that our lives are not our own...and we live to respond to God's call. Mass Readings from January 14, 20...
Jan 13, 2024•26 min
Homily from the Epiphany of the Lord. We give God our best, our heart, and what He has asked for. As we know, the heart of religion is worship. But we need to put our hearts into worship. We give God our best, our heart, and what God has asked for. Not because He needs anything, but because it is right and just. Mass Readings from January 7, 2024: Isaiah 60:1-6 Psalms 72:1-2, 7-8, 10-13 Ephesians 3:2-3, 5-6 Matthew 2:1-12...
Jan 06, 2024•20 min
Homily from the Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph The Holy Family was holy, but not without struggles. Jesus entered into this broken world by entering into the reality that all of us have experienced: family life. He did not insulate Himself from the harsh realities of life by embracing a life of wealth. Rather, all He had was borrowed. Mass Readings from December 31, 2023: Sirach 3:2-6, 12-14 Psalms 128:1-5 Colossians 3:12-21 Luke...
Dec 30, 2023•14 min
Homily from the Nativity of the Lord (Christmas). The reality is that God is not a professional. He is an amateur. There are many things in life where we merely like the "idea" of that thing. The reality is another story, because the reality makes demands on us. Christmas is a reminder that we not only cannot love the "idea" of God, but that He does not merely love the idea of us. Mass Readings from December 25, 2023: Isaiah 52:7-10 Psalms 98:1-6. Hebrews 1:1-6 John 1:1-18...
Dec 25, 2023•18 min
Homily from the Fourth Sunday of Advent. Whatever You ask of me, the answer is yes. One of the more challenging reminders of this series is that God is the point of all of this. He is not only the Main Character, but this is also His Story. Nonetheless, we have been given a role; we have been created and redeemed in order to play our part. Mass Readings from December 24, 2023: 2 Samuel 7:1-5, 8-12, 14, 16 Psalms 89:2-5, 27, 29 Romans 16:25-27 Luke 1:26-38...
Dec 23, 2023•15 min
Homily from the Third Sunday of Advent. We won't be able to rejoice, pray, or give thanks always unless we rejoice, pray, and give thanks now. Main Character syndrome can lead us to believe that we are in control. But there are many circumstances that are out of our control. We can often only control how we respond to our circumstances. As Christians, we choose to rejoice always, pray without ceasing, and give thanks in all circumstances. Mass Readings from December 17, 2023: Isaiah 61:1-2, 10-1...
Dec 16, 2023•21 min
Homily from the Second Sunday of Advent. Perfectionism can move us from caring to quitting. Spiritual perfectionism can lead people who care about the Faith and who love God to a place of harshness and hurry so much that they just want to give up. But the Gospel reminds us that God is gentle and patient. Mass Readings from December 10, 2023: Isaiah 40:1-5, 9-11 Psalms 85:9-14 2 Peter 3:8-14 Mark 1:1-8...
Dec 09, 2023•26 min
Homily from the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Mary was preserved from sin by the merits of her Son's life, death, and resurrection. The Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception is a testament to God's goodness. He gives what we need for the mission to which we have been called. And He calls all of us to enter into deeper relationship with the Family of God by cultivating a relationship with Mary, the Mother of God. Mass Readings from December 8, 2023: Genesis 3...
Dec 08, 2023•14 min
Homily from the First Sunday of Advent. You are God. I am not. When we encounter the true and living God, there is only one response...it involves six little words, but makes a world of difference. Mass Readings from December 3, 2023: Isaiah 63:16-17, 19; 64:2-7 Psalms 80:2-3, 15-16, 18-19 1 Corinthians 1:3-9 Mark 13:33-37...
Dec 02, 2023•25 min
Homily from the Solemnity of Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe. Your part of the story (Act IV) remains unwritten. Jesus has bridged the unbridgable gap between God and humanity. We can believe that and remain unchanged. But if we are willing to respond, we can write the final act of the story. We can place ourselves under the Lordship of Christ and live an entirely new life. Mass Readings from November 26, 2023: Ezekiel 34:11-12, 15-17 Psalms 23:1-3, 5-6 1 Corinthians 15:20-26, 28 Matthew...
Nov 25, 2023•30 min
Homily from the Thirty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time. It could have been otherwise. We have been created good by the good God. But we have been captured by sin, death, and slavery. In Jesus, God has rescued us and transferred us into His Kingdom…His family. Mass Readings from November 19, 2023: Proverbs 31:10-13, 19-20, 30-31 Psalms 128:1-5 1 Thessalonians 5:1-6 Matthew 25:14-30...
Nov 18, 2023•29 min
To join in the mission of bulldogCatholic through this year's Give to the Max campaign, please donate here: https://www.givemn.org/organization/Newman-Catholic-Campus-Ministries-At-Umd Homily from the Thirty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time. There's good news and there's bad news. We have heard the first part (Act One) of the Good News. But before we can move forward, we need to be aware of and understand why things are so broken. Before anything else, we need the bad news. Mass Readings from Nove...
Nov 11, 2023•30 min
To join in the mission of bulldogCatholic through this year's Give to the Max campaign, please donate here: https://www.givemn.org/organization/Newman-Catholic-Campus-Ministries-At-Umd Homily from the Thirty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time. Am I basing my life on the gospel of the world or the Gospel of God? We are surrounded by stories. Stories that try to make sense of the world. But not every story is true. In fact, there are many stories that are false. We are called to base our lives on the t...
Nov 04, 2023•34 min
Homily from the Solemnity of All Saints. One day, this day could be your feast day. The Feast of All Saints is offered to us as a day to praise God for all of the unnamed and unknown saints who have run the race well and have entered into the glorious and unadulterated Presence of the true and living God. Mass Readings from November 1, 2023}: Revelation 7:2-4, 9-14 Psalms 24:1-6 1 John 3:1-3 Matthew 5:1-12...
Nov 01, 2023•16 min
Homily from the Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time. You are called to be love. When a person is lost, they need to know where they are. We know: you are here. But we also need to know where we are going and how to get there. We know that as well: we are called to be saints and the way is love. Mass Readings from October 29, 2023: Exodus 22:20-26 Psalms 18:2-3, 3-4, 47, 51 1 Thessalonians 1:5-10 Matthew 22:34-40...
Oct 28, 2023•26 min
Homily from the Twenty-ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time. Between the Promise and the Promised Land. When a person is lost, it can feel like every step is taking them further and further away from where they need to be. But with Christ, we trust in the promise that we are not lost, but led...and that every step is taking us closer to where and who we need to be. Mass Readings from October 22, 2023: Isaiah 45:1, 4-6 Psalms 96:1, 3-5, 7-10 1 Thessalonians 1:1-5 Matthew 22:15-21...
Oct 21, 2023•23 min
Homily from the Twenty-eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time. This is life. We need to understand that life is not waiting for us to start. This is life. This is your life. You are here. But we do have to ask the questions: should I be here? And is what God wants for me enough for me? Mass Readings from October 15, 2023: Isaiah 25:6-10 Psalms 23:1-6 Philippians 4:12-14, 19-20 Matthew 22:1-14...
Oct 14, 2023•17 min
Homily from the Twenty-seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time. What if? Or What is? Not knowing where we are, where we are going, or how to get there can be incredibly daunting. It can bring us to a place of worry and anxiety. We can be tempted to avoid the uncertainty and discomfort of the journey. By focusing on God's presence and blessings, we can have the courage to move. Mass Readings from October 8, 2023: Isaiah 5:1-7 Psalms 80:9, 12-16, 19-20 Philippians 4:6-9 Matthew 21:33-43...
Oct 07, 2023•20 min
Homily from the Twenty-sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time. The freedom to love when you no longer feel like it. The precondition for love is freedom. Both the freedom to say no and the freedom to say yes, regardless of passing moods or circumstances. Tough love is willing to choose the good because God asked us to and because we said we would. Mass Readings from October 1, 2023: Ezekiel 18:25-28 Psalms 25:4-9 Phillipians 2:1-11 Matthew 21:28-32...
Sep 30, 2023•23 min
