Your Faith with Fr. Andrew Vogel: Recent Episodes
Father Vogel
Selected homilies, presentations, and talks of Fr. Andrew Vogel, the Pastor of the St. Thomas More Newman Center.
"I’m a one-eared Korean with a German last name who longboards around campus."
Year B; May 12, 2024
Jesus took on our human nature so that we can take on His divine nature. Our human nature is now in heaven.
Year B; April 28, 2024
We cannot get to heaven on our own. In fact, it is impossible to get there on our own.
Year B; April 21, 2024
If we are truly living the Catholic Christian life, we should stand out.
Year B; April 14, 2024
We need to make sure we are moving towards something out of love rather than away from something out of fear
Year B; March 31, 2024
Jesus died and rose from the dead - thus we are free to become holy, to become saints
Year B; March 30, 2024
We are not okay and that's okay. It's okay because Jesus Christ has died and rose from the dead so that we may receive transforming grace.
Year B; March 29, 2024
Salvation history is like an action movie. Today, Good Friday, it looks like evil has won. The protagonist is down for the count. Satan is crushing Jesus' heel. (Genesis 3:15)
Year B; March 17, 2024
What sacrifices is the Lord asking you to make for the sake of Christ and others?
Year B; March 10, 2024
We must listen to the messengers God sends us or pay the consequences
Date: March 7, 2024
Location: St. James Coffee Shop in Rochester, MN
My story is a pro-life story. I was left on the doorstep of the police station and given up for adoption
Athletes sacrifice to win games, championships, which is the goal of sports. As Christians the goal is to be a saint, to get to heaven. To get there we are going to have to make sacrifices. Giving something up for Lent trains our will to make small sacrifices so that our will is more ready to make big sacrifices.
Year A; November 26, 2023
Is Jesus Christ king of your life? If so, it should be reflected in your love for God and for your neighbor
Year A; November 19, 2023
God created us all equal in dignity, but not the same. It is okay to treat people according to their ability...just like the master did with the servants in today's parable.
Year A; November 12, 2023
Intelligence is good. Far more important is having the wisdom of God. And it is wise to always be ready. We do not know when the end of time will happen or when our lives will end. Always be spiritually awake.
November 1, 2023
It is sin that is drab and kind of all the same. It is holiness, sainthood, that is colorful, rich, and unique. If we strive for holiness, if we strive to become saints like those already in heaven, we will become the unique colorful person God created us to be.
Year A; October 29, 2023
God commands us to love Him and our neighbor. Love involves sacrifice; sacrificing for something greater than ourselves. This is what our heart truly desires.
Year A; October 22, 2023
As fallen human beings, we do not have the ability to create the perfect society. Science and reason are not going to save the day. Jesus Christ is the answer to many questions.
Year A; October 8, 2023
Are we bearing fruit for the Kingdom of God? Are we like the chief priests and the elders or are we disciples of Christ?
Year A; September 24, 2023
We are all sinners. May we have the humility to ask for forgiveness and mercy.
Year A; September 17, 2023
God showed mercy and forgiveness to us. We ought to show mercy and forgiveness to others
Year A; September 16, 2023
God showed mercy and forgiveness to us. We ought to show mercy and forgiveness to others
(I actually think this version is better)
Year A; September 10, 2023
Jesus teaches how to lovingly correct someone. If you disagree with someone, the first thing you don't do is gossip about them. Talk to them one-on-one.
Year A; August 17, 2023
Jesus establish one Church on St. Peter. Jesus gave Peter the keys to the Kingdom of Heaven. This Church, this Kingdom is filled with fallen imperfect people. And yet the Church endures until Christ comes back at the end of time.
Year A; August 13, 2023
Jesus comes to us in the silence. We need to spend time in silent prayer every day. It is there we will hear the tiny whispering voice of God.
Year A; July 23, 2023
If God is good, why is there evil in world? God gives us light and love. If we are receiving something else, then something is getting in the way of God's light and love.
Year A; July 9, 2023
It is easy to get caught up and worry about our own plans. However, we need to trust that God loves us and has great things planned for us. We should live for God and eternity in heaven.
Year A; July 2, 2023
My first homily in my new parishes in Caledonia and Brownsville. Do we live like Jesus is number one in our lives?
We are all called to be fishers of men. We are all called to invite people into a relationship with Christ.
God is a community of Love. God is love. We are made in God's image and likeness. Thus we are created for love.
Year A; May 28, 2023
We are called to evangelize. We are called to allow the Holy Spirit to give us the courage to speak boldly about the love and mercy of Jesus Christ.
Year A; May 14, 2023
May we live life with a Christian joy that is not fake, but comes from the love of God
Year A; April 30, 2023
Be a smart sheep and follow the voice of Jesus Christ, the Good Shepherd
Year I
Jesus is the meaning of life. We need to give and share the Good News of Jesus Christ so that others can having meaning and hope in their lives.
Year A; April 23, 2023
If you have had an amazing encounter with Christ, tell others about it. If not, pray for it.
Don't confuse comfort for peace. Commitment is often uncomfortable. But if it God's will that we do something, it will bring peace.
April 8, 2023
We are created in the image and likeness of God. We are created for love. Jesus died on the Cross so that we can have the grace to become saints, to become holy.
April 6, 2023
The grace of the Eucharist needs to come alive in how we treat one another.
Year A; April 2, 2023
Jesus rode into Jerusalem being hailed as King of the Jews. Jesus is actually King of the Universe. Is Jesus your King?
The reason why God created us and redeemed us is because He loves us. The question is: are we going to receive His love and allow it to transform our lives?
Year A; March 26, 2023
Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead. He rose from the dead. We will rise from the dead. If we choose Christ, we will rise to eternal life in heaven.
Do not be afraid to commit. If God is calling you to do something, forget FOMO and commit.
Year A; February 26, 2023
With Christ's grace, may we resist the temptations of the Evil One just as Jesus did in the desert.
What is your goal for your life? It better be eternal life in heaven. The other option is eternal life in hell. Lent is a great time to start receiving the graces we need to get to heaven.
February 22, 2023
When we abstain from meat and fast, we grow our ability to control our desires instead of our desires control us. The world says freedom is the ability to do whatever I want whenever I want. The world is wrong. True freedom is the ability to choose the good.
Year A; February 19, 2023
Jesus was serious when He said, "Be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect." Thankfully, if we don't reach perfection in this life, we have Purgatory to complete the process. The truth of Purgatory is one of the hidden gems of the Catholic faith.
Year A; February 12, 2023
To live a virtuous life, we need to do what we ought to do; not what we can get away with.
Year A; February 5, 2023
We are called to be a light to the world. Fill up on God's love and then go light up the world, a world that is in deep darkness.
Simeon and Anna were ready to meet Jesus when Mary and Joseph brought Jesus to the Temple because they were there day in and day out. We need to be ready to meet Jesus by being in the Temple of our hearts day in and day out. We need to be in prayer everyday.
- I was wrong. I said that the Ark of the Covenant was in the Temple at the time of Jesus, but that is incorrect. The Ark had been gone for centuries at that time, since the time of the Temple's destruction in 586 BC.
Year A; January 29, 2023
Are you teachable? Athletes become better when they are teachable. In your spiritual life, are you teachable? Do you allow God to teach you so that you can grow in virtue and holiness in order to become a saint?
Even the demons (fallen angels) know who Jesus is. They know He is the God, the Second Person of the Trinity. Believing in Jesus is not enough. The demons believe in Jesus, but will not submit to God's authority. So what about us? Yes, we believe in Jesus, but will we submit to His authority in our lives?
We are called to do three things as Christians: 1) Receive God's love 2) Love God back 3) Evangelize so that others may know the gift of God's love
What we do today matters. Don't put things off to tomorrow. The things we do today either strengthen or weaken our habits of virtue and holiness. Becoming a saints starts today, not tomorrow.
Year A; January 8, 2023
Jesus gives us the gift of Himself. All He wants is you to make a gift of yourself back to Him. He will take you right how you are and where you are.
Once we understand that Jesus is one divine Person, with two natures, human and divine, then it makes sense to call Mary the Mother of God. And if we are the Body of Christ, she is our mother. May we ask for her intercession in our daily lives.
December 24, 2022
God came as a baby boy to attract people to Himself. Are we attracted to Jesus? Are you going to make extra room for Him in our hearts this Christmas season?
Year A; December 18, 2022
Like Joseph, entrust your life to God. Surrender your life to God. If you do, amazing things will happen.
Year A; December 11, 2022
Hope and patience are such important virtues. We must always have hope that God can bring about a greater good. And we must have patience and trust in God to bring that good at the appropriate time.
Right after the Fall of Adam and Eve, God reveals His plan to save humanity from sin and eternal death. It involves the defeat of Satan and his offspring by the Woman (Mary) and her Offspring (Jesus). If the Ark of the Old Covenant was made out of the best of the best (silver, gold, etc.), how much more would the Ark of the New Covenant, Mary, have to be pure; the best of the best?
Year A; November 27, 2022
Are you surviving or thriving? Is your life like a desert? God wants you to thrive. It might seem counter-intuitive, but if we surrender our lives to God, we will live our lives to the full. (John 10:10)
Year A; November 27, 2022
What is your Temple Mount? What is it that you worship? Is it Jesus or is it something else?
Human beings are fallen and so no form of government is perfect, especially a monarchy. However, God is perfect and so it makes sense that the Body of Christ, the Kingdom of God would be a monarchy with Christ as our King. As King, He only wants what is best for us.
We must persevere in our faith in Jesus Christ and the Church. We all need forgiveness, mercy, and healing. This especially true when it comes for those who have been involved in an abortion in any way. Healing is available through the mercy and love of Jesus Christ, especially in the Sacrament of Reconciliation.
We can't just call ourselves Christians; we have to live it in the way we love God, ourselves, and others.
Eternal life is more important than our life on earth. Not that we should ignore our life here. We are called to make the world the best place we can. However, we need to make sure that spend at least as much time on our eternal soul as we do on earthly things.
Jesus risks losing the other 99 just to pursue us. No shepherd would do this. But Jesus does. Every day.
Purgatory is a great gift. We are called to be perfect as our Heavenly Father is perfect. However, if we don't reach perfection in this life, we have time and space for God to continue to purify our souls so that we are ready to spend eternity with Him in heaven.
Today we celebrate the Saints, the Church Triumphant. They don't need our praise, but by praising them, we are inspired by their journeys of faith to our own call to be holy, to become saints.
Zacchaeus had a major conversion when invited by Jesus. We too are called to conversion. We are called to love of Christ and others first in our lives.
Love is not a feeling but willing the good of the other. If we truly love someone, we will challenge them to greater virtue, truth, and holiness.
Year C; October 23, 2022
In order to become great in Christ, we have to admit that we are not great; that we are sinners.
Year C; October 16, 2022
Do not become weary in prayer. Be consistent and persistent. And don't do it alone. We are called to live this Christian life in community.
October 9, 2022
Talk I gave to the Catholic Mavs Sisterhood. The chalice veil hides the beauty of the chalice until it is ready to receive the body, blood, soul, and divinity of Christ, the Bridegroom of the Church.
Year C; October 9, 2022
If we want healing in our lives from sin and vices, we need to be bold enough to ask. We also need to be doing the basics of being a Catholic Christian: Mass (every Sunday), Confession (at least once a year), and prayer (daily) on a regular basis.
Often it is not that we ask for too much, but we ask for too little. We need to be bold in what we ask of God and then trust.
Year C; October 2, 2022
As Christians, we should do certain things, not for praise, but because they are the right thing to do.
Feast of the Archangels
Jesus knows each of us intimately and loves us unconditionally.
Year C; September 25, 2022
Even if we don't have much material poverty in our lives, we are all spiritually poor. We all need a Savior. We all need Jesus Christ.
Year C; September 18, 2022
"In the eyes of the world, material things are great things and eternal things are small things - but the reality is the opposite - material things are the small things and eternal things are the great things."
Year C; September 11, 2022
God is pursing you. No sin of yours is beyond God's love and mercy. There is always hope. Turn back to the Lord.
Year C; September 4, 2022
We must put God first in our lives. He put us first in His life when He gave up everything on the Cross for our salvation because He loves us. Thus we should put God first in our lives.
Year C; August 28, 2022
Humility is a necessary virtue for a Christian. The first reading tells us to "conduct our affairs with humility."
Year C; August 21, 2022
Jesus says the gate to salvation, to heaven, is narrow. Being good is not good enough. We must have a relationship with Jesus.
Year C; August 14, 2022
Jesus did not come to bring peace. (Peace in our hearts that comes from following Him.) Rather, if you believe and follow the teachings of Christ, then that is going to put you at odds with the culture, with the world around you, maybe even your own family. Following Christ is going to cause divisions. Are you willing to sacrifice, to live in the division, to follow Christ with your whole heart?
Year C; August 7, 2022
Faith is trust. Do we have trust in God? Do we trust that what He gives us is even better than what we want?
Year C; July 31, 2022
Our most valuable resource is time. How are spending this precious resource? Are we spending it on eternal things like our relationships with God and others?
Year C; July 24, 2022
We need to be persistent in prayer. God always answers our prayers. Maybe not in the way or time we want, but we trust that His answer is better than our original request.
Year C; June 19, 2022
The Eucharist is the greatest gift we have on this side of heaven. You cannot be lukewarm about the Eucharist. If Catholics are wrong about the Eucharist, it is the greatest lie that has ever been told. This would mean that billions of Catholics for the past 2000 years have been idol worshiping. But if the Eucharist is what we know it to be, Jesus Christ, body, blood, soul, and divinity, then the Eucharist is the greatest gift and intimacy we can have with Jesus on this side of heaven.
Year C; June 12, 2022
God is a community of Persons; a community of Love. So if we are made in the image and likeness of God, then we are made to be loved and to love, both with God and with others. Saint Pope John Paul II's Theology of the Body gives us a whole new depth to this understanding..
Year C; June 5, 2022
The Apostles were not bold at all. In fact, they were kind of timid. However, once the Holy Spirit came upon them at Pentecost, they became bold in sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit can radically change our lives as well.
Year C; May 22, 2022
Jesus is the fullness of Truth. He passed on the Truth to His Apostles. Thus, Truth can be found in Church of the Apostles, the Catholic Church, and in the Bible. Jesus promises to send the Holy Spirit to teach us the Truth. There is only one Christian Church that has existed since the time of Christ's Passion and that is the Catholic Church.
Year C; May 8, 2022
Jesus is the Good Shepherd. He wants to be your Shepherd. Listen to His voice. This requires silence and patience.
Especially as we leave for summer or forever, are we going to obey God or man? Plus, a dating tip.
Jesus didn't just die on the Cross for you. He rose from the dead for you. We must be a people of Easter joy.
Year C; April 15, 2022
We, the Church, the bride of Christ, flow from His side just as Eve was created from Adam’s side
Jesus takes upon Himself the sacred name of God: "I AM". Therefore, the only options are that Jesus is a liar, a lunatic, or He is who He says He is: Lord. The simplest option is that Jesus is Lord.
Year C; April 3, 2022
God often doesn't take away the darkness, but He invites us into His light in the midst of the darkness. God's love, mercy, and forgiveness is real. It changes lives.
Year C; March 27, 2022
There is nothing you can do to put yourself beyond the mercy and forgiveness of God the Father. The Prodigal Son is one of the greatest stories ever told.
Year II
Jesus says a house divided cannot stand. How are our souls divided? How are we not choosing Christ? We cannot go around sinning and rely on God's mercy. We must make an effort to live the commands of God. God desires us to do this for our own good.
Year C; March 20, 2022
There are basically three reasons why we suffer. One, because of other's people's actions. Two, because of things beyond anyone's control (e.g. tornadoes). Three, because of our own actions.
Year II
Spring break was a trial run for this coming summer. We have 7 more weeks to be surrounded by this community at Newman. May we grow so that when we leave this place this summer, we will be ready to stay close to Christ no matter where we are.
Year C; March 13, 2022
Christ's divinity was revealed to Peter, James, and John in the Transfiguration. Where in your life does Christ want to reveal Himself more fully to you?
Year C; March 6, 2022
God often doesn't spare us from evil, but, if we trust Him, He will give us the tools to overcome evil.
Year II
The Cross shows us that love on this side of heaven can only come through sacrifice. God loves us. We are His beloved son or daughter. Bad stress comes from bad time management and disordered priorities. If we put God first, our days will fall into place and we will greatly reduce the stress in our lives.
Year C; February 27, 2022
We need to slow down. To be healthy mentally and spiritually, we need to take time to process what is going on in our lives.
April 18, 2021
Talk I gave to the Catholic Mavs Sisterhood. The chalice veil hides the beauty of the chalice until it is ready to receive the body, blood, soul, and divinity of Christ, the Bridegroom of the Church. So too a woman's body is so beautiful, so good, that it is proper to veil it until she is ready to receive the body of her husband. The world tells women that there are two ways to think of their bodies. Either the body is bad and to be ashamed of it because it is too fat, too skinny, too this, too that. Or the body is so good that we should flaunt it for all the world to see. Both views objectify the body and divorce the body from the person. As Catholics, we don't believe that we are pure body or a soul trapped in a body. Rather, we believe that we are fully human as body AND soul. Thus we hide the beauty of our bodies from fallen people who might treat our bodies as an object for their own pleasure (lust) and wait to reveal the beauty of our bodies until someone has fallen in love with all that we are, body and soul, and are thus capable, to look upon our bodies and see a person to be loved. This is how Adam and Eve looked at each other, looked at each other's naked bodies before the Fall. It is what ideally happens in the marriage bedroom; that they see in the naked body of their spouse a person to love and not a body to use.
Year C; February 20, 2022
How are we going to respond to those who wrong us? Are we going to respond with the natural reaction of revenge or are we going to respond with the supernatural reaction of mercy and forgiveness?
Year C; February 13, 2022
The Theological virtue of hope is so important. Without it life in a fallen world can become meaningless, even unbearable. As Christians we are called to have hope, hope in Jesus Christ. And then we are called to share the hope we have in Jesus Christ with a others, with a world that desperately needs hope.
Year C; January 30, 2022
God knew us and loved us even before we were formed in our mother's womb. God calls us through our Baptism to love greatly.
Year II
We have been given great gifts from God. We need to share those gifts with others.
Year C; January 23, 2022
We ultimately desire truth, goodness, and beauty. God is Truth, Goodness, and Beauty. Allow your life to be full of God.
Year II
There is always going to be someone better than you at something. This does not mean you should give up sharing your talents and gifts with the world, especially for the Kingdom of God. Stop comparing yourself with others. Ask what God wants you to do and then do it to the best of your ability.
Year C; January 16, 2022
We are the bride of Christ. Thus, we are called to do great things. We must not be afraid.
Year II
God is not a good-luck charm. Nor is He a vending machine. Rather, God invites us into a relationship with Him built on trust.
Disclaimer: Despite what is said in this homily, the Ark did not precede the Israelites out of Egypt as it had not yet been created.
Year C; January 9, 2022
God is Love. Since we are created in the image and likeness of God, we are created for relationship, especially a relationship with God. Because of our Baptism, we share in the Baptism of Jesus, we share in Jesus' Sonship. Thus, we are sons and daughters of God.
Year C; January 2, 2022
Things are clearer in the light. Come into and remain in the light of Christ.
Year C; December 26, 2021
From the last line of the homily:
Pope John Paul II said, “As the family goes, so goes the nation and so goes the whole world in which we live.” - if we want a great nation, a great society, pray for the grace to be a great family
Year C; December 25, 2021
God loves us. Right after Adam and Eve commit the Original Sin, God begins a plan to win humanity back to Himself while respecting our free will. Jesus' incarnation was the near pinnacle of this plan.
Year B
Homily for the last Sunday of Ordinary Time, The Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe.
November 10, 2021
We explore how artificial contraception harms the relationship between men and women; how people who experience same-sex attraction are to be loved, treated with dignity, and encouraged to live a life of celibacy; and how IVF is actually unethical based on the principles we have discussed in early classes.
Year B; November 7, 2021
Just like the widows in the first reading and the Gospel, we need to radically trust that God will provide for our needs. When we do, then we are free to radically give like the two widows do.
November 3, 2021
We explore WHY the Catholic Church teaches that abortion and euthanasia is murder of an innocent person.
Year B; October 31, 2021
The two greatest commandments are loving God and loving neighbor. It is important that we love God first. It is only in loving God that we can truly and properly love our neighbor.
Year B; October 24, 2021
Bartimaeus knew that Jesus passing by was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to be healed of his blindness. May we expect great things from God and do great things for God and others.
October 13, 2021
We discuss false common ideas about how to evaluate the morality of our actions such as the Fundamental Option Theory.
Year I
Father Vogel reminds the students of St. Thomas More Newman Center that they do not earn salvation by our works. Yes, we need to be saved. We are fallen human beings. And so we rely on the grace Jesus won on the Cross. We are saved by grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8-9). God loves us prior to what we do. In some ways all we have to do is become more receptive to God’s love. The more we are receptive to God’s grace, God’s love, the more holy we will become, the closer we will get to heaven. So in some ways, heaven is not the goal, but a side effect of becoming more receptive to God’s love and grace.
Year I; October 7, 2021
Father Vogel challenges the students at the St. Thomas More Newman Center (Minnesota State University) to be generous, especially with the love of Christ. It is easy to be selfish in our culture, but we are called to give of ourselves.
Year B; October 10, 2021
Fr. Vogel talks about being willing to give up anything (material) that stand in the way of our relationship with Jesus. Intelligence is good and is about knowing things. Wisdom is being willing to follow Jesus Christ.
October 6, 2021
There are basic moral principles that we can use to evaluate situations in which a moral decision must be made. This includes the basic do good; avoid evil to the Principle of Double Effect.
Year B; October 3, 2021
Fr. Vogel talks about marriage, divorce, and annulments. Free will is necessary for love. Because spouses have free will, love even more a choice than a feeling. Thus spouses must choose each other every day.
September 29, 2021
Fr. Vogel talks about the correct human anthropology. We are not just bodies. We are not just souls trapped in a body. We are a body-soul entity. This has huge implications for our understanding of human ethics and morals.
Year B; September 26, 2021
Fr. Vogel asks what are we willing to sacrifice to make God number one in our lives? How about the lives of our children? What are we willing to sacrifice to avoid sin and choose God?