Superior Priest: Recent Episodes
Father Samuel Schneider
Superior Priest Podcast is Father Samuel Schneider homilies, talks, and conversations. Fr. Samuel is a Catholic Priest from the Diocese of Superior. For inspiration, catechesis, and spirituality.
20Jul26 (26aO16) Why does God allow evil to remain? Reflecting on the parable of the wheat and the weeds, this homily explores the reality of original sin, human freedom, and God's providence. Rather than removing every trial, God patiently brings a greater good even from suffering, strengthening His people through grace. Christians are called to resist despair, trust that Christ has already conquered evil, and persevere in hope, knowing that God is always at work in His Church and in every faithful heart.
21Jun26 (26aO12) On Father's Day, this homily reflects on Jesus' command: "Do not be afraid." While earthly fathers are imperfect, they point us toward the perfect love of our Heavenly Father, who knows us completely—even the number of hairs on our heads—and never abandons His children. Fear often drives sin and poor decisions, but Christian discernment must be rooted in truth and love rather than anxiety. God is not a "helicopter parent"; He allows trials to mature us spiritually and teach us to trust Him more deeply. As children of the Father, we are called to surrender our fears, embrace His providence, and grow into the mature faith demonstrated by Christ and the saints.
21May26 (26Ascension) On the Feast of the Ascension, the homily reflects on the mixed emotions of Christ ascending to the Father: Jesus leaves physically, yet remains profoundly present through Scripture, the Eucharist, and the Church. Christ ascends to open heaven to humanity, to send the Holy Spirit, and to commission His disciples to evangelize the world. Catholics are reminded that discipleship begins with personal conversion and continues through baptism, teaching, sacramental life, and love of God and neighbor. The Ascension is not an ending, but a sending forth.
09May26 (26aE5) Jesus does not merely show us a path—He is the path. In a world chasing success, security, and “more,” Christ redirects us to what truly matters: being with Him. The Christian life is not just about avoiding sin or achieving worldly goals, but about relationship—walking with Christ, trusting Him, and ordering our lives toward eternal life rather than temporary fulfillment.
28Apr26 (26aE4) Jesus reveals Himself as the Good Shepherd who leads His sheep not to restriction, but to true freedom and abundant life. The Christian life can sometimes feel like sacrifice or limitation, but in reality, it is the path to deeper joy, love, and fulfillment. By trusting His voice—especially in discerning our vocation—we discover that what the world promises cannot satisfy, but what Christ offers leads to lasting life.
20Apr26 (26aE3) Reflecting on the Road to Emmaus, we see how the risen Christ walks with His disciples, opens the Scriptures to them, and is finally recognized in the breaking of the bread. This pattern mirrors the Mass itself: Scripture is proclaimed, explained, and then fulfilled in the Eucharist. From the earliest days of the Church, Christians understood the Eucharist as more than a symbol—Christ truly present to nourish His people on their journey of faith.
20Apr26 (26Easter) On Easter we proclaim the central truth of Christianity: Christ is risen and the tomb is empty. Because Jesus truly rose from the dead, despair and darkness do not have the final word. The Resurrection gives us real hope—but it also calls for trust. If we truly believe in the risen Lord, that faith must shape how we live, guiding our choices and leading us to follow Him with confidence.
4Apr26 (26EasterVigil) At the Easter Vigil we proclaim the Resurrection: Christ is risen and the tomb is empty. In a world often filled with despair, Christianity gives us hope because light cannot be conquered by darkness. The Paschal candle reminds us that even a single flame can illuminate the night. Because Jesus truly rose from the dead, we know that suffering and evil do not have the final word. Christ shares His light with us in baptism so that we may carry hope into a world that desperately needs it.
3Apr26 (26GoodFriday) On Good Friday we contemplate the mystery of the suffering servant fulfilled in Christ. Jesus freely embraces obedience and suffering out of love, revealing that the Cross—once the worst moment in human history—has become the source of salvation. From the Cross He gives us His mother, forgives those who crucify Him, and shows that even the darkest moments can be transformed by God into grace. With hope and reverence, we venerate the Cross and trust that God can bring life even from suffering and death.
2Apr26 (26HolyThursday) On Holy Thursday we remember the Last Supper, when Christ instituted both the Eucharist and the priesthood. In washing the disciples’ feet, Jesus shows that true authority in the Church is rooted in humble service. The priesthood exists so that Christ’s gifts—especially the Eucharist and forgiveness of sins—remain present in every generation. On this night we give thanks for priests, pray for their perseverance and holiness, and ask the Lord to raise up many more to serve His people.
29Mar26 (26Palm) On Palm Sunday we hear the Passion and see the depth of Christ’s love—He freely lays down His life for us. The crowd cries “Hosanna,” yet soon calls for His crucifixion, reminding us how easily we too turn from Him. Both Judas and Peter betray Jesus, but their endings differ: Judas despairs, while Peter repents and trusts in Christ’s mercy. The choice before us is the same—whether to despair in our sin or to return to Jesus who forgives and restores.
22Mar26 (26aL5) In the raising of Lazarus, Jesus reveals both His deep compassion and His divine power over death. Though He knows He will raise Lazarus, He still weeps—showing that God is not distant from our suffering but enters into it. This miracle points beyond physical resurrection to the deeper reality of spiritual resurrection: sin binds and kills the soul, but Christ calls us out of the tomb and desires to set us free. Through confession and the life of grace, He continues to restore what is broken and lead us from death into true life.
15Mar26 (26aL4) In the healing of the man born blind, Jesus works through something physical and unexpected—spit, clay, and washing—to bring about a deeper spiritual healing. This points us to the way God continues to act through outward signs, especially the sacraments, to give inward grace. We are reminded that Christ still touches us through ordinary means that are anything but ordinary: Baptism, Confession, the Eucharist, and the whole sacramental life of the Church are His chosen ways to heal, restore, and glorify God in us.
8Mar26 (26aL3) At the well, Jesus shows the Samaritan woman that He knows her completely—her sin, her wounds, her isolation—and still draws near in mercy. We are reminded that Christ did not die for us once we were lovable, but while we were still sinners. The call of the Christian life is not to hide from God in shame, but to return to Him quickly with trust, especially after sin, and to let His mercy heal us so that we can share that same mercy with others.
1Mar26 (26aL2) On the Second Sunday of Lent, we hear the Transfiguration: Jesus reveals His glory to Peter, James, and John to strengthen them for the coming Cross. God doesn’t give everyone the same experiences, but gives each the grace they need—never overwhelming our freedom, always inviting faith. We’re reminded to notice how God has already been at work in our lives, and to let that grace bless others. The homily also connects the Transfiguration to the Eucharist: Christ is truly present, but hidden, so we learn to love the Giver—not just the gifts—and to persevere in faith and charity.
15Feb26 (26aO6) Jesus raises the bar beyond mere rule-keeping: it is not enough to avoid murder or adultery—disciples are called to transformed hearts. The Christian life is not about minimal sin avoidance, but about choosing life through love of God and neighbor. As Lent approaches, we are invited into the desert not for self-improvement alone, but to reorder our lives through prayer, fasting, and almsgiving so that we run toward Christ and grow in authentic love.
15Feb26 (26aO6) Jesus raises the bar beyond mere rule-keeping: it is not enough to avoid murder or adultery—disciples are called to transformed hearts. The Christian life is not about minimal sin avoidance, but about choosing life through love of God and neighbor. As Lent approaches, we are invited into the desert not for self-improvement alone, but to reorder our lives through prayer, fasting, and almsgiving so that we run toward Christ and grow in authentic love.
1Feb26 (26aO4) The Beatitudes overturn the world’s idea of being “blessed.” Jesus does not promise comfort or success, but true happiness—human flourishing rooted in God. Drawing on the Beatitudes and the Christian understanding of happiness, we are challenged to examine where we seek fulfillment. Real blessedness is found not in wealth, ease, or power, but in poverty of spirit, generosity, perseverance, and living for the Kingdom of Heaven.
25Jan26 (26aO3) Reflecting on Jesus’ call of the first disciples and the prophecy of light dawning in Galilee, we are reminded that Christ still speaks clearly today through Sacred Scripture. On this Sunday of the Word of God, we are urged to deepen our familiarity with the Bible, recognizing that ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ. As disciples, we are called not only to hear the Word, but to let it illumine our lives, strengthen our hope, and draw us more fully into following Jesus.
9Feb25 (25cO5) The stars and mountains remind us of God. An encounter with his grandeur and our smallness. It should draw us to him and humble us to be afraid of him. He wants us to be purified and put out into the deep. God can make all things happen if we trust him.
2Feb25 (25Presentation). There is a lot of suffering to be had at Marine training in Bridgeport, CA Mountain Warfare Training. This suffering is not an absence of God but an opportunity to grow closer to him. Help us to be like candles that give off light (charity) and lose our life for Jesus’ sake. Darkness can not overcome the light.
5Jan25 (25cEpiphany). Science and faith are often thought to be opposed in this modern world. That is just not the case. One who seeks truth, seeks Jesus Christ. May we always seek Jesus Christ and know him in the great revelation and security of the Holy Catholic Church.
29Dec24 (24cFamily). Families bring some of the greatest joys and difficulties in life. The Holy Family may be perfect and without sin, but still experiences the conflict of family. Jesus’ response is obedience. Obedience to Mary and Joseph, which is ultimately learning obedience to the Heavenly Father. We learn obedience to God through obedience to our earthly parents and our mother, the Church. Also, spouses please remember that the most important person in your life, after God, is your spouse.
25Dec24 (24Christmas). Family traditions are important to form what is important about the season. My Grandmother also gave our family this beautiful poem about Jesus to meditate. Lastly was born in a manger (feeding trough), born in Bethlehem (House of Bread), He declares He is the Bread of Life, and says that we much eat His Flesh. He came to be present to us and he continues to do so in the Most Holy Eucharist.
JESUS
Manifest Infirmity, wondrous Humility,
in which all the greatness of God lay hidden:
He is both great in the nature of God
and small in the form of a servant.
But His greatness is not diminished by His smallness,
nor His smallness overwhelmed by His greatness.
He Himself with the Father and the Holy Spirit precedes all spans of time,
but on this day, issuing from His mother,
He stepped into the tide of the years.
He who made man, was made Man;
He was given existence by a mother whom
He brought into existence.
He finds no room in the inn, but
He builds a temple for Himself
in the hearts of those who believe.
Unspeakably wise, He is wisely speechless;
filling the world, He lies in a manger.
He is wrapped in swaddling clothes,
but He gives us a garment of immortality.
John the Baptist baptized Christ, the Giver of Baptism,
in waters made holy by the One Who was baptized.
In Him we see our God made visible,
and so are caught up in the love of the God we cannot see.
He came to pay a debt He didn’t owe
because we owed a debt we couldn’t pay.
Such is the love of our God!
Then let us be kindled with love,
that we may come to His eternity!
By Marie E. Barfknecht (1926-2019)
22Dec24 (24cA4). God wants Obedience out of love and not fear. Mary’s obedience of love brought about salvation to the world. Use the great gift of the Rosary this Christmas time to meditate on Jesus’ life with Mary and learn to love obedience to God with Mary.
15Dec24 (24cA3). We prepare for Christmas and coming of Jesus. The most important preparation is the transformation of our life. We are living in the in between time of already but not yet. Jesus came, He is coming, and He will be coming.
24Nov24 (24bKing). Jesus Christ is Lord of the Universe. Whoever listens to truth listens to Jesus. Let us listen to truth and follow Jesus. The world does not have the truth because God is truth. Jesus Christ endures beyond all these passing things of this world. Viva Christo Rey!!!
17Nov24 (24bO33). We need to prepare for the end of our life. This is not the worst time in history. History is always a bad time. He has a bigger plan that is not overcome by evil in this world, but brings about good in spite of it. He is coming and we need to be ready. Are you ready to die and meet your maker?
27Oct24 (24bO30). We want physical goodness; God wants spiritual goodness. Our physical health can sometimes be a crutch that prevents us from having faith and trust in God. Let us remember the most important things of knowing Jesus Christ and seeing him through the eyes of faith. He just wants me to be with Him.
13Oct24 (24bO28). The rich young man is doing well, but he knows there is more. Hopefully we are doing well, but we want more and God wants more. We want to thrive not just survive. Living all for Jesus allows us to thrive in love which is what we are made for. The rich young man’s wealth is holding him back. What is holding us back?
6Oct24 (24bO27). In the beginning it was not so. God created us to thrive in a specific way but the broken messiness makes us jaded like teenagers. We should be like children who trust our Heavenly Father and seek to live the way God made us. Marriage of one male and one female that is for life. Husbands love your spouses as Jesus loved the Church and gave Himself up for her. If you are married, your spouse is the most important relationship in your life outside of God.
29Sep24 (24bO26). Disunity is often the fruit of self-righteousness and insecurity. Unity is the fruit of security in Our Father in Heaven. May we be instruments of unity in security of our Heavenly Father.
18Aug24. Sunday Homily at the Men’s Silent Retreat at Sacred Heart Retreat House in Alhambra. I haven’t been this nervous for a homily in many hears. With all the good and holy Religious Sisters in attendance of the Mass it made me want to do a good job. Jesus is the way, there is no other.
18Aug24. Men’s Silent Retreat at Sacred Heart Retreat House in Alhambra. Perseverance is so important for the spiritual life. Life is difficult and the spiritual life is not easy street. Keep to the truth of Jesus Christ and hold on in perseverance of hope and faith.
17Aug24. Men’s Silent Retreat at Sacred Heart Retreat House in Alhambra. How much are we risking and venturing in our faith and trust in God? God is never outdone in generosity. When we invest more we get more.
17Aug24. Men’s Silent Retreat at Sacred Heart Retreat House in Alhambra. Third we finally move to Mission. Our mission must flow from our Relationship and Identity or it will be disordered.
17Aug24. Saturday Homily at Men’s Silent Retreat at Sacred Heart Retreat House in Alhambra. Meditation in Mass on Psalm 51, King David’s beautiful Psalm of contrition.
17Aug24. Men’s Silent Retreat at Sacred Heart Retreat House in Alhambra. Next, we move to Identity. Where does our Identity come from? What we do? Or what God does? God’s action is a much more solid foundation to live in.
16Aug24. Men’s Silent Retreat at Sacred Heart Retreat House in Alhambra. We will go over Relationship Identity Mission (RIM). When we live our spiritual life in that correct order it works. When we get it backwards, it is disordered and goes poorly. First get right with God in relationship through truths you know about Him and what He says in scripture.
21Jul24 (24bO16). The feeding of the five thousand begins the Bread of Life discourse in the Gospel of John. Jesus is the Good Shepherd who wants to care for our physical and spiritual needs. He continues to shepherd and care for us spiritually through all the sacraments of the Church.
14Jul24 (24bO15). We are all called to Mission. Some are called to a Religious Vocation, but all are called to spread the Gospel.
7Jul24 (24bO14). Family is difficult. We don’t always do what we want. We are human and fallen. Even St. Paul struggled with the difficulty of human weakness. God’s grace is sufficient for us for our humility makes us strong in God. St. Maria Goretti gives us a great example of resisting the flesh and being fully free to love.
30Jun24 (24bO13). Why does God heal some and not others? Jesus tells us faith and trust in the power of God. However it is also an important reality to trust in God that even if he doesn’t heal it is for our good and we pray for perseverance. Blood removes the woman from community and makes things unclean, but Jesus makes all clean and holy through his touch.
23Jun24 (24bO12). We often experience the world and our life in a storm. Our natural reaction is fear, but our faithful reaction should be trust. Let our fear and anxiety be handed over to God. God cares about us more than we care about ourselves.
16Jun24 (24bO11). Homily at my home parish of Nativity of Our Lord in Rhinelander while on leave. Our time is not worse than other times. The times are always bad and good. Our hope is not in the perfect world, but in God’s Providence. Let us be faithful and root ourselves in God and His Bride, the Catholic Church.
2Jun24 (24Corpus). Half of Mass is the same every time. Why do we do this. Maybe we don’t fully understand it. There is so much more here than we can fully comprehend.
11May24 (24Ascension). Jesus wants to lead us in Heaven. The Eucharist is the greatest gift that we can receive. We need the Eucharist for our spirit as much as we need water for our body.
7Apr24 (24DivineMercy). Today Jesus gives the power to forgive sins to the Apostles. That authority is passed on the successors of the Apostles, Bishops. This gift of forgiveness in the sacrament of Confession is still with us today. God wants to forgive us. Cooperate with God’s Mercy and never despair.
30Mar24 (24EasterVigil). We think God’s ways aren’t fair, but they are perfect. He is multiple steps ahead of us. His end game is our salvation. Let us lean into faith of Jesus Christ and the sacraments and unite our will to His.
28Mar24 (24Thursday). Institution of the Eucharist and Institution of the Priesthood. Priests are not perfect. They need your prayers. Don’t criticize but pray.
3Feb24 (24bO5). Preaching again to sailors and Marines in 29 Palms at SLTE. Job teaches us that bad things happen to good and bad, and good happens to the good and bad. We are not God. God acts as he pleases. God cares about more than our physical wellbeing; he desires our salvation. We are called to trust him always.
28Jan24 (24bO4). Preaching to Sailors and Marines in 29 Palms at SLTE. Most superheroes are celibate and so are priests. The reason, the job is too important. Priests need to live with an undivided heart for the Lord. Religious brothers and sisters or Monks and Friars and Nuns are also called to celibacy and live with an undivided heart for the Lord. Military soldiers also live with a time of celibacy to fully give their life. God is still calling people to celibacy, if only we would listen.
23Jul23 (23aO16). Liturgy is messy and so is life. Life has good and bad. We wish that there was not bad and want God to rip it all up, but God wants to give us every chance to grow in love of free will.
18Jun23 (23aO11). This is the first homily on Camp Pendleton Chapel. The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few. Pray so that there may be more laborers in the Kingdom. God is calling men and women to live in celibacy, with an undivided heart for the Lord.
16JUN23 (EFCfinal). This is the final talk given at a middle school summer camp of Extreme Faith Camp (EFC). What are seeking for happiness? Hopefully one has encountered God at EFC and can go home bringing the witness of faith. If we are faithful it will bring light to other people.
28May23 (23Pentecost). The Holy Spirit brings unity in diversity. Tower of Babel has unity in pride that leads to being divided. Pentecost has disunity present that brings unity in the midst of diversity. All people hear St. Peter’s preaching in their local language. God respects and loves the diversity of peoples and talents. We need to also be grateful and love the differences in people.
23APR23 (23aE3). The story of the Road to Emmaus has the first Mass where they have the Liturgy of the Word and Liturgy of the Eucharist. God wants to draw us to faith and love. He has drawn me with the Eucharist to grow and love more. This is not done through the secret, right action, but always being with Jesus as he is always with God the Father and with us. Be at peace with Being with Jesus.
02APR23 (23Easter). There are more details about the Resurrection then we may initially realize. The resurrection gives us founded hope for our faith. Jesus has risen from the dead and we can know that all that he told us and taught us is true. Let us come to the Eucharistic sacrifice with gratitude and reverence for the great gift here.
09APR23 (23Friday). Jesus died for us. His love and passion has no bounds. Let us always look upon the cross and know that God has no limits for what he is willing to do to bring us back into relationship with him.
02APR23 (23aPalm). The Passion of Jesus Christ not only refers to his suffering, but also his passionate love for us. He is so in love with us that he is willing to suffer and die for us. Wow! We should also be passionate for him. Two great ways that He shows us to be perfect in love is humility and obedience. Let us grow in our passionate love through this humility and obedience.
19MAR23 (23aL4). God uses physical things to effect things. With David he used Samuel’s anointing that made the Spirit rush upon him. In the Gospel Jesus uses spit and clay with the man’s action of washing to bring about healing. He continues to want to affect us with physical things in the Sacraments and most especially the Eucharist.
12MAR23 (23aL3). Jesus died for us while we were yet sinners. Think about that. Not while we were perfect or had our life together, but while we were sinners with no proof of correction. This is the unconditional love of God which we can not fathom. This is the knowledge we are called to live in.
05MAR23 (23aL2). God wants to strengthen us for difficulties. However, our tendency is to forget. Let us build up the memory of what God has done so we never forget. Don’t allow Spiritual Amnesia to ruin your life, fight against it and talk to God.
26FEB23 (23aL1). Adam and Eve didn’t trust God and grasped. Lent helps us to let go and receive from the Lord. Let us grow be learning the obedience of Mary and Jesus in love.
22FEB23 (23Ash). Convert and believe in the Gospel. This Lent let us orientate our life towards Christ.
19FEB23 (23aO7). Be Perfect… simple and clear? We do not need to be perfect by human standards, but by God’s. God wants us to be perfect in love. A radical and foolish love which always “Wills the good of the other, for the other’s sake”. What is keeping you from love?
05FEB23 (23aO5). It is time to start thinking about lent. The more you put in the more you will get out. God speaks through silence. So give him some silence.
28JAN23 (23aO4). We are all weak and struggle. Pride and insecurity often cause us the biggest problems in life. If we admit our weakness and seek help from God (in prayer) and from help around us (mental health). “Praying it away” is not always the answer, sometimes we need good faith and reason and the support of the amazing mental health advances. One of the gravest mental health problems is suicide. It is frightening and often avoided, but it is important for us to talk about and learn to help ourselves and others. Let us be weak in the Lord and seek the strength that he wants to give us.
21JAN23 (23aO3). It is easy to get taken by political debate and rhetoric. We need to be Christian in our world view and not political. We follow Jesus. We need to serve the poor or else we will go to hell. We can do everything right, but if we don’t do that we are not falling on the right side. The most poor and vulnerable are those in the womb and we need to create a pro-life culture of life that values all, especially the most vulnerable. We believe that abortion is wrong but what have we done about it?
15JAN23 (23aO2). It is too little to just get by. We need to offer more than just the bare minimum of sacrifice. The sacrifice is to guide all our life. John the Baptist guides us to full Communion with Jesus. As Catholics we have the great gift of the Eucharist which we have to sacrifice and love. As a parish we are beginning Adoration on Friday. That commitment is important to pray and be transformed by adoration.
08JAN23 (23Epiphany). The Wisemen seek the truth and find Jesus. Faith and reason are not opposed, but two wings to help us to fly. Let us always pursue the truth and help it lead us to Jesus.
“Faith and reason are like two wings on which the human spirit rises to the contemplation of truth; and God has placed in the human heart a desire to know the truth—in a word, to know himself—so that, by knowing and loving God, men and women may also come to the fullness of truth about themselves” (JP2, Fides et Ratio)
“Stand firm in the faith! Do not let yourselves be confused! It often seems that science — the natural sciences on the one hand and historical research (especially exegesis of Sacred Scripture) on the other — are able to offer irrefutable results at odds with the Catholic faith. I have experienced the transformations of the natural sciences since long ago and have been able to see how, on the contrary, apparent certainties against the faith have vanished, proving to be not science, but philosophical interpretations only apparently pertaining to science; just as, on the other hand, it is in dialogue with the natural sciences that faith, too, has learned to understand better the limit of the scope of its claims, and thus its specificity. […] I saw and see how out of the tangle of assumptions the reasonableness of faith emerged and emerges again. Jesus Christ is truly the way, the truth and the life — and the Church, with all its insufficiencies, is truly His body.” (Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI Spiritual Testimony)
01JAN23 (23Mother). The feast today of Mary the Mother of God is an opportunity to ponder on the theological mystery of Jesus’ humanity and divinity and unity. It is also a good time to ponder on our new year. How does the Holy Spirit want to guide you in growth this year?
25DEC22 (22Christmas). We may be thinking a lot about Santa Claus during Christmas. There are some similarities to God such as his knowledge, but huge differences after that. Jesus is God and came to dwell and be with us. We are never alone. He came to be with us. “Being Christian is not the result of an ethical choice or a lofty idea, but the encounter with an event, a person, which gives life a new horizon and a decisive direction” (Deus Caritas Est, 1).
18DEC22 (22aA4). Christmas is naturally good, but it is also supernatural. In the midst of all the natural goodness let us remember the supernatural good. He comes to reveal Himself, but we can never fully comprehend his mystery, but we can always ponder and meditate.
JESUS
Manifest Infirmity, wondrous Humility,
in which all the greatness of God lay hidden:
He is both great in the nature of God
and small in the form of a servant.
But His greatness is not diminished by His smallness,
nor His smallness overwhelmed by His greatness.
He Himself with the Father and the Holy Spirit precedes all spans of time,
but on this day, issuing from His mother,
He stepped into the tide of the years.
He who made man, was made Man;
He was given existence by a mother whom
He brought into existence.
He finds no room in the inn, but
He builds a temple for Himself
in the hearts of those who believe.
Unspeakably wise, He is wisely speechless;
filling the world, He lies in a manger.
He is wrapped in swaddling clothes,
but He gives us a garment of immortality.
John the Baptist baptized Christ, the Giver of Baptism,
in waters made holy by the One Who was baptized.
In Him we see our God made visible,
and so are caught up in the love of the God we cannot see.
He came to pay a debt He didn’t owe
because we owed a debt we couldn’t pay.
Such is the love of our God!
Then let us be kindled with love,
that we may come to His eternity!
By Marie E. Barfknecht
04DEC22 (22aA2). How is the 1% challenge (https://www.evangelicalcatholic.org/onepercent/) going this Advent? John the Baptist is a crazy person who is calling us to reality. Repent!! In order for repentance to be real and authentic it needs to be proceeded with changes and fruit. This can be difficult to know exactly how to repent and change. So the only effective way is to pray to precede the way forward.
27NOV22 (22aA1). Today begins Advent the season of anticipation, hope, and preparation. Advent is not a season to be in Christmas but is a mini lent. Two of the greatest things to focus on are prayer and almsgiving. I am taking the 1% challenge and I am challenging you as well to spend at least 1% of every day in advent on prayer: https://www.evangelicalcatholic.org/onepercent/
20NOV22 (22cKing). Jesus Christ is King of the Universe. He is king of this world, but is he King of your heart. We often try and create the world and God in our image with disastrous effect. Jesus came to teach us about truth and help form us into true humans formed in God’s image. Jesus only gave us a few direct imperative commandments. One of them was “Do this in remembrance of me” and so we celebrate Mass in fidelity to Jesus’ command and are formed by Him. During Advent we will celebrate Mass Ad Oreientem. Here is a short youtube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gXzgVlK-reg and a letter from a bishop encouraging the practice https://dioceseofgallup.org/celebrating-the-mass-ad-orientem/ and here is a priest from Minnesota’s explanation: https://icchurch.cc/ad-orientem/
13NOV22 (22cO33). It is the end… Remember Death. It is coming. As Christians we should not be flippant or scared, but prepare and be ready.
02NOV22. Today I talk with Paul Duenas and Tamami Elizabeth Hatakeyama about choir and music in the liturgy. I get to hear a little more about their experience and joys, I get to share about my love (but inability in music), and about the Church’s intention of music in the Mass.
30OCT22 (22cO31). Children have a love of something and those things they want to do again and again and again. God also has a young soul that takes great joy in monotony. He creates and keeps in existence again and again. He wants to enter our home, our soul, through the Mass in especially the Eucharist.
“Because children have abounding vitality, because they are in spirit fierce and free, therefore they want things repeated and unchanged. They always say, "Do it again"; and the grown-up person does it again until he is nearly dead. For grown-up people are not strong enough to exult in monotony. But perhaps God is strong enough to exult in monotony. It is possible that God says every morning, "Do it again" to the sun; and every evening, "Do it again" to the moon. It may not be automatic necessity that makes all daisies alike; it may be that God makes every daisy separately, but has never got tired of making them. It may be that He has the eternal appetite of infancy; for we have sinned and grown old, and our Father is younger than we.” (G. K. Chesterton, Orthodoxy)
23OCT22 (22cO30). We often take part in unhealthy comparisons. Either placing us in worse life situations than other people or thinking of ourselves as better than other people. Ultimately God loves each of us individually not in comparison. The only comparison we should do is between us and Jesus and we will lose every time. That puts us in the right place to pray with the Tax Collector “O God, have mercy on me a sinner”.
19OCT22. Megan and I discuss about three major events that are coming up. The piece that was played at the beginning and the end was “La Danse Macabre” which you can watch/listen to here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=71fZhMXlGT4 .
15OCT22 (22cO29). Blessed Solanus Casey always encouraged to Thank God for answering our prayers even before we received them.
02OCT22 (22cO26). Do we have faith the size of a mustard seed? What is the bare minimum as a Catholic? We have the 5 precepts of the Church which give that bare minimum standard. Not an exciting homily, but still something.
- Attend Mass on Sundays and on Holy Days while resting from servile labor.
- To receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation at least once a year.
- Te receive the Eucharist at least once a year.
- To observe the days of fasting and abstinence.
- To help provide for the needs of the Church according to one's ability.
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- To obey the laws of the Church concerning marriage.
https://cmvic.net/documents/2015/3/5%20PRECEPTS%20OF%20THE%20CATHOLIC%20CHURCH.pdf
18SEP22. Megan and I discuss about the 4 evangelists in this podcast. The four evangelists are pretty cool. I love the symbols and the uniqueness of each of them.
18SEP22 (22cO25). Little things don’t really matter, but they matter so much. It is a hard thing to completely understand that little things are important. We can easily lie to ourselves that we can do the big things, but we just won’t worry about the small things. We don’t run into large things often, but everyday we learn, grow, and prove our trustworthiness in the small things. It isn’t about perfection, it is about trustworthiness and faithfulness.
11SEP22 (22cO24). Human’s understand Justice, we don’t understand Mercy as much. God is perfectly Just, but also infinitely Merciful. He gives us Mercy because it is the only way to reconciliation and relationship. May we know that great gift and give it. This world does not need more Justice, but more Mercy.
10SEP22. Andy Bogen was an English Teacher at the Yokosuka Middle School. He died unexpectedly on the anniversary of John the Baptist’s own death. I was blessed to be able to offer the Mass for the repose of his soul. He was a fan of CS Lewis (I am too), so I drew a lot from CS Lewis’s sermon “The Weight of Glory” https://www.wheelersburg.net/Downloads/Lewis%20Glory.pdf .
09SEP22. Conversation with Megan McMechan the Sacred Heart of Jesus Catholic Community at the Chapel of Hope in Yokosuka Japan. We talk about Education. Education in the early Church, monasteries, parishes, and in the US. Parents are the primary educators of their children as a whole human person which is more than just getting a job. Here is a great site to learn about Catholic engagement of reason, faith, and science: https://www.reasonfaithscience.com/ .
04SEP22 (22cO23). Jesus is not a good recruiter. He tells us not about all the good things of discipleship, but all the things we need to give up. The cost of discipleship is high. It is not a small call of what maybe we happen to give, but a call of all.
28AUG22 (22cO22). Humility is the virtue opposed to pride. Pride brought down Satan, Adam & Eve, and can easily bring us down. We pray for humility by recognizing the reality of our dirtness as well as our inestimable value. The Mass gives us plenty of moments of humility in prayer, let us engage in those prayers and grow in humility and combat pride so we may be the best of friends to God and neighbor.
21AUG22 (22cO21). Will only be a few be saved? We are the chosen few right? Everyone else won’t be saved, but we will. Actually, we need to strive! Enter through the narrow gate. It is not enough to just know Jesus or be an acquaintance. Jesus wants us to be disciples. The way we become disciples is through discipline. There are many ways that that we are disciplined. Mass, fasting, penance, service, confession, and learning. Let us not assume salvation, but strive for salvation and the Lord will provide.
14AUG22 (22cO20). St. Catherine of Sienna said “Without war there is no peace”. Combat and war is division and difficulty. We seek peace in this world, but not as the world gives. We may be in tension with ourselves and that is ok as long as you never give up. Pray for that blazing fire.
11AUG22. Conversation with Megan McMechan the Sacred Heart of Jesus Catholic Community at the Chapel of Hope in Yokosuka Japan. We talk about Holy Days of Obligation and about the Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
I will offer two links.
Ideas about how to celebrate the feast day from a Catholic mother: https://www.elizabethclareblog.com/celebrating-the-assumption-of-mary/
More about Eastern Catholic Church: https://www.cathedralsaintpaul.org/sites/default/files/files/2014-08-17_weekly%20column.pdf
07AUG22 (22cO19). “With great power comes great responsibility” was popularized by Spider-man. It is certainly a truth we understand in our moral, ethics, and law. The Gospel today indicates this understanding with greater punishment for those who are more blameworthy. Catholicism makes the distinction between Mortal and Venial sins. We are to avoid sin and pursue goodness. If we fail and turn away from God in a serious way it seriously hurts us and we must turn back to God.
31JUL22 (22cO18). What are we made for? What end (Telos) are we made for? To fulfill our purpose is happiness. We are made for God and love. When we seek the things of this world as our end we are disappointed. St. Ignatius of Loyola beautifully wrote “The First Principle and Foundation”. It is an amazing statement that is a challenge to everyone.
10JUL22 (22cO15). We are called to be disciples by love. Love of God and neighbor. It is not be avoidance of sin, but by action. The only way we know how to properly love is by prayer which will help us to be formed in God’s image of authentic love in difficult circumstances.
03JUL22 (22cO14). We are sent forth from this Mass into the world, to be in the world, but not meant to be part of the world. It is ok if we don’t fit in. We should not be normal, but we also shouldn’t be weird. The letter to Diognetus https://www.vatican.va/spirit/documents/spirit_20010522_diogneto_en.html is a great reminder of how we are supposed to live in the midst of the world. The US has been a strange place for us Catholics. We are grateful for 1st Amendment right for the free exercise of religion, but we have always been a little in the minority. Now we live in a wanning Christian culture. We are sent for to be lights in darkness.
26JUN22 (22cO13). We are called to follow Christ in discipleship. This means to walk closely with Jesus and to become like him. We are called to freedom to love our neighbor. I was challenged with this in college with abortion in a moral and ethics course. It challenged me to think about what I actually believe. Roe vs. Wade has been over turned and although we will not be deciding supreme court decisions or legislation, we are influencing the culture of life by our discipleship. We influence the culture of life by our actions. Here are a few actions 1. talk about support and not condemnation in family. 2. Support Pregnancy Help Centers for crisis pregnancy. 3. Prenatal and Postnatal healthcare for difficult pregnancies and births. 4. Have Pro-family attitudes at work. 5. Have Pro-family attitudes at home acknowledging that the most important job and role in the world is motherhood. 6. Support foster care. 7. Support adoption. 8. I did not mention in the homily but is supper important get the father involved. Most of the burden is on the mother, we need to do a better job of calling on the men to be fathers and take responsibility. The world is a dark and difficult place. It needs light and hope and love. Let’s be those disciples that do so.
19JUN22 (22cCorpus). Humans need to eat every day to not be starving. We also need to pray every day or we will be spiritually starving. God has given us the Eucharist to be fed. It does require small participation to have any effect, but with that small gift of self it multiplies and satisfies.
12JUN22 (22cTrinity). The Christian doctrine of the Trinity is one of the most foundational doctrines. It is a mystery and confusion, but there are some amazing things to take from it. God is ultimately a God of relationship and communion!! Wow!! Every time we make a sign of the cross we should be reminded that God is love, and wants us to be in relationship and communion with him.
5JUN22 (22cPentecost). Holy Spirit is active today. It has been present in the past and wants to be active in the present. One of the ways you can engage the Holy Spirit in your life is discernment.
29MAY22 (22cAscension). Jesus ascended to Heaven not to abandon us, but lead us differently. Jesus says, “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I go to the Father.” (John 14:12). We live in the Church’s age of the Holy Spirit. We live in the age of the impact driver. Amazing power if we just ask for it, “Come HOLY SPIRIT…”
22MAY22 (22cE6). We do not profess a blind faith that rejects reason. We believe that this world is reasonable and that God wants to reveal His truth. He does that in a perfect way with Jesus Christ and continues to guide it through the Holy Spirit. The Catholic Church is more than just a collection of people, but the Bride of Christ who is guided and animated (soul) of the Church.
15MAY22 (22cE5). We must love as Jesus loved us. We can not give what we have not first received. When we offer peace in Mass at the kiss/sign of peace we do not offer our solution or good will, but the peace that has been extended to us from Jesus Christ. Two great articles to speak more about the sign of peace. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pax_(liturgical_object)
https://adoremus.org/2020/06/q-ought-the-sign-of-peace-be-reinstated-after-the-covid-19-pandemic/?fbclid=IwAR1yvH0p2BsmIcVA3s9al6gi5IqIegxvAaKUlSwYYTFeI12e_k2ecNF8-ME
https://aleteia.org/2017/08/17/the-sign-of-peace-the-ancient-roots-of-the-greeting-we-make-at-mass/
https://www.usccb.org/about/divine-worship/newsletter/upload/newsletter-2014-07-and-08.pdf
8MAY22 (22cE4). Jesus tells us that that his sheep listen to his voice. What does his voice sound like? Not like mine. Little more like the voice that Elijah heard on Mt. Carmel. We need to give space for God’s voice to be heard and learn his voice.
3MAY22 (w/Fr. David Miloscia). May is the month of Mary. There are often May crownings of Mary and more of a focus on her throughout the month. Mary is AWESOME!...enough said? No, because Fr. Miloscia, who is attached to the USS Ronald Reagan CVN, and I can talk about her all day. I am grateful that Fr. Miloscia was able to join me to talk about May before he heads out on deployment. We talk about some of the scriptural basis for Marian devotion and how awesome Mary is. As a bonus you also get to learn about why I think Mary is a Green Bay Packers fan.
1MAY22 (22cE3). Angels are perfect intellect and do not learn and grow and so their actions are always the same. Humans, through our 5 senses continue to take in information, learn, grow, repent, and change. Our actions manifest our beliefs. If our actions to not line up with our beliefs then we need to acknowledge that our beliefs are different, repent and change our actions to properly align with our beliefs so we may not be like the fallen angels, demons, who know they are wrong, but can not change.
16APR22 (22EasterVigil). The world is dark, but that is not the end of the story. It is not a balanced war of good versus evil but a God who has conquered. Darkness cannot overcome light unless it goes out. However if it spreads and shares, it becomes even stronger and brighter. We are called to be disciples and radiate Christ. Become light in the darkness.
10APR22 (22Passion). The practice of the faith at times is difficult. We need to help unite all sacrifices to love of Jesus. It is always a temptation to run away like the disciples, but we are given grace to stand at the foot of the Cross. We face East looking at Jesus and Jerusalem. Red is for martyrdom/blood and Holy Spirit (correction, it is worn on 2 Sundays in the year Palm Sunday and Pentecost). INRI- Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews (IESVS·NAZARENVS·REX·IVDÆORVM).
27MAR22 (22cL4). There is a phrase that goes “familiarity breeds contempt”. When we become close to something we can take it for granted. With the Mass and the Eucharist, it may not be contempt, but I do see a lot of indifference at times. The Church has certain rules around the Eucharist to try and help us not take it for granted. Here is a good reminder of some of the things we are supposed to do. Be in the state of Grace (go to confession if we are aware of any Mortal Sins), fast an hour before receiving the Eucharist, bow at the waist when coming up to receive, make a throne with your hands (one hand on top of the other), and say “Amen” after the priest (or EMHC) says “The Body of Christ”.
20MAR22 (22cL3). We live in a culture of casualness. So when we talk about reverence or formalities in the Church it can seem outdated, but if we look at our country there are so many places of reverence. They are often places of death and great sacrifice. Jesus in reminding us of death calls us to repentance. In that we are called to be reverent. Moses shows us great reverence which is the combination of confidence and humility. In Mass both the penitential act and last part of the Communion rite are examples of proper reverence in humility and confidence.
13MAR22 (22cL2). It is hard to pay attention and participate in something you don’t understand. I think a lot of people don’t understand the Mass and have a hard time participating. What is happening here is of infinite value and cannot be over learned. This is a divine liturgy that is supposed to unite us to God and the worshiping angels in heaven. So, let’s get participating.
06Mar22 (22cL1). Why go out to the desert? It is a place to encounter God. A lot of our problem with not hearing God in the modern day is because we do not give him space and time to listen to him. Lent is a time to go out into the desert. One of the things Sacred Heart Community is doing to promote this silence and time in the desert, rightly orientating us to God is by celebrating Ad Orientem. I hope is a fruitful lent that makes our heart more united to Jesus’.
02Mar22 (Ash22). What is wrong with the world today?... Me!!! Lent is not a time for New Years Resolutions but repentance. We have lots of scapegoats that we blame for problems but the only one that makes sense is ourselves.
27Feb22 (22cO8). We are told not to judge and in many ways we should not, however, we are supposed to judge good and evil in our life and admonish the sinner. The first sinner we need to admonish is ourselves. Remove that beam from our eye so that we can help our brothers and sisters. Lent is a great time to humbly approach God and do penance. Only in that humility do we have any ability to help our neighbor.
20Feb22 (22cO7). I find it troubling not that ‘bad things happen to good people’ but that ‘good things happen to bad people.’ We do not live in a life of Karma or strict justice, but one of an abundant mercy that is hard to comprehend. Jesus died for us while we were yet sinners. Not because he thought we were great or worthy of his love, but he made us worthy and loved his enemies (us). We also should love and have mercy the way that God loves us, making it rain on the just and unjust.
13Feb22 (22cO6). Jesus tells us of true blessings and true woes. It is not the blessings and woes that the world gives. How do you count your blessings? Be careful with living in the woes that are so common for our modern world. We need to trust not in men, but God.
30Jan22 (22cO4). St. Paul gives us a beautiful explanation of love. It is often used at weddings as a sappy sentimental love. But as Christians we do not see the love of God or love of neighbor as a sentimental love but an Agape love, most perfectly shown by Jesus on the cross. Help us to meditate not on a worldly, simplistic, sentimental love, but a suffering and enduring love of Jesus Christ.
23Jan22 (22cO3). Some walls need to be torn down, but not all walls. Jesus tears down certain walls but upholds the walls for God’s law. Jesus tells us to remain in His love, follow the commandments. We should tear down some human laws, but always hold to God’s laws that keep us safe and able to realize not who we want to be, but who God made us to be.
16Jan22 (22cO2). Jesus works a miracle today, but there is a lot more to the story than just that. In this simple story we also learn the role of Mary, God’s use of our cooperation, and God’s goodness to us today. God wants to take the natural goods of the world and transform them into supernatural goods.
9Jan22 (22Baptism). Jesus is baptized today and so I would like to take a deeper look at what the Catholic Church teaches about baptism both in the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC) and Code of Canon Law (CCL). CCC references https://canonlaw.ninja/?nums=1213,1257,1259,1278&v=ccc .CCL references https://canonlaw.ninja/?nums=849,855,856,861,867,868,872-874,878
2Jan22 (22Epiphany). I love the idea that Epiphany is this pursuit of Truth in the world. Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. One aspect of truth that we encounter that forms our life is the liturgy and how we celebrate the Mass effects our beliefs and the way we live. I would like to unpack a little more about the Sign of Peace in the liturgy. The wrong intention, the seeming intention and law of the Church. Let’s dive in to what the Vatican and USCCB says…Starting on page 27 of the USCCB’s newsletter is the published direction from the Vatican on the Sign of Peace. https://www.usccb.org/about/divine-worship/newsletter/upload/newsletter-2014-07-and-08.pdf. Continued engagement is Adoremus.org. It is a great organization that dives into the liturgy and here you will find some commentary and explaining of the statements from the USCCB: https://adoremus.org/2014/09/ritual-expression-of-the-gift-of-peace-at-mass/ (these statements are also present in the newsletter after the Vatican’s statements, but I want to direct us towards Adoremus.org). Also, I mentioned about the liturgical rite used in Milan. It is called the Ambrosian rite and you can read more about it here: https://www.newliturgicalmovement.org/2007/03/detailed-explanation-of-ambrosian-rite.html#.YeehBfFBzUI or https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ambrosian_Rite
26Dec21 (21Family). Joseph hears God in his Sleep is really good prayer. Explain the Gloria and incense. For the feast day of the Holy Family, we go over one role of each member of the family. Children: live and honor your parents. Be obedient to them. Wives: support your husband. Husbands: lead in love.
12Dec21 (21cA3). John the Baptist preaches Good News. It is not just what God has done for us but also what we are called to do for God. One of the gifts is the good news of giving. If you have two cloaks you should give one away (not to one who already has a cloak, but one who doesn’t). It is good news to give alms and tithe to support the church.
5Dec21 (21cA2). Advent is a time of preparation. Showing the season, but not yet Christmas. Almost, but not yet. Our life has many things that we are in preparation that are almost, but not yet. How is your Advent going? Do I love God if I can’t make time for Him? What is the largest concern for the Advent season? The decorations, or the relationship with Jesus? The readings of John the Baptist preaching repentance, reminds us that preparation in repentance is so important. Jesus want’s relationship so bad that He becomes a child, we need to also do our work in preparation.
28Nov21 (21cA1). Advent is a time for preparing not just the tree, but ultimately our souls for judgement.
21Nov21 (21King). Truth is a difficult subject. What is true and how can we know what we know? We need to always approach it with humility, but not total skepticism. We do not believe in a relativistic truth because that is unreasonable, however we also don’t go along with the woke understanding of truth either. We seek the truth by listening to Jesus’ voice. Truth is truth.
14Nov21 (21bO33). St. Francis de Sales in his meditations wants us to meditate on our death. We should all remember our own death to put our whole life in perspective. Meditating on death helps us to prepare, not be afraid, and give us proper perspective. We hear about the end of the world. We know the world will end however the more important question is “Are you ready?” . The only two certainties of this life are death and taxes. We need to get ready to die at any moment. It is spiritually helpful to meditate on death so why don’t we do that right now.
31Oct21 (21bO31). There is nothing more important in our life than to follow God’s commandments to love Him with our whole mind, heart, and soul and neighbor as ourselves. If we place anything as more important than we are breaking God’s commandments. If we cannot fulfill our Sunday Obligation, we should take a second look if we really love God with everything. Love God by loving your neighbor (especially in prayer).
24Oct21 (21bO30). Sometimes we can be too tied up with being normal that we miss the necessity of Christian radical living. Christians are not called to be normal in this world. We shouldn’t be weird, but we also shouldn’t just be normal. In fact, in many ways not being normal of the world is the way that God wants us to bless the world.
17Oct21 (21bO29). Prayer is tricky. Do we always get whatever we want? God answers our prayers, but sometimes his answer is “No” or “I am going to do better”. God knows much more than us. We need to trust that he hears and answers our prayers, but not in our way, but in the full goodness of God’s plan. Even good things we ask for can less good than God’s desire. He can answer by not answering. It isn’t a matter of praying just right but with the right receptive spirit. “Thy will be done”.
10Oct21 (21bO28). It is amazing what we are willing to do for sports or other things that we love. It doesn’t seem like a chore to wake up early to train or practice. Many things in Catholicism can seem like a drag. Is it because they are difficult, or because we don’t think they are important? Getting to heaven is not easy. We are rich and it is impossible for us to get to heaven. We need try more than avoid sin, but pursue perfection in Charity.
03Oct21 (21bO27). Jesus seriously meant this teaching on divorce. Men and women are created equal but not identical. Their complimentary that is so special that when a man and women come together that God has ordered creation as to bring forth life.
26Sep21 (21bO26). Bullies are often bullies because they are insecure/jealous and have been bullied themselves. We want to prevent bullying attitudes by living in security ourselves. We do that by living in gratitude and knowing who God is, what the Church is, and ultimately who we are. Dominus Iesus, is one of my favorite documents of the church by Cardinal Ratzinger explaining our relationship to other religions and denominations. It helps to know who we are before we start making comparisons and similarities. https://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/cfaith/documents/rc_con_cfaith_doc_20000806_dominus-iesus_en.html
19Sep21 (21bO25). USCCB have named this Sunday Catechetical Sunday. I give some history of Catechesis. Our children are watching and see almost everything. We teach our children not by just sending them to CCD, but how parents live it out.
12Sep21(21bO24). #9/9 Bread of Life Series. Peter professes that Jesus is the Christ and then tries to rebuke Jesus for his talk. Jesus rebukes Peter and calls him “Satan”. How do we think as God and not as men? Make acts of Faith. The most powerful act of faith we make is going to Sunday Mass. Within Mass the “AMEN” is the most important act of faith we make in the Mass. Here are some practicals.
05Sep21(21bO23). #8/9-Bread of Life Series. Jesus acts in some strange ways. Today he puts his finger in someone’s ears. God always acts in the most fitting way. Which sometimes isn’t the way that we think. Jesus touches us today in the Eucharist which is the most fitting way.
29Aug21 (21bO22). #7/9-Bread of Life Series. We don’t like laws, but we put laws around things that are important. We don’t have any laws about touching an ordinary rock, but a lot of laws about special art. We also have a lot of laws around the Eucharist. Here are a few of those laws that are supposed to point us toward the reality of what the Eucharist is.
22Aug21 (21bO21). #6/9-Bread of Life Series. God gives us embodied ways to continue to encounter Him. The Eucharist is given for us to EAT. We are what we eat and God wants us to eat Jesus and be completely united to Him. It should make us a little uncomfortable in how real the Eucharist is. This is not symbolic but substantially and really present.
15Aug21 (21Assumption). #5/9-Bread of Life Series. Mary is assumed into heaven body and soul. We are not disembodied beings, but human persons are body and soul. Jesus and Mary are both in heaven as their full persons being body and soul. The rest of us when we die live in an imperfect state as disembodied persons until the end of time when we believe in the resurrection of the body. If the body is so important than it makes sense that God would give us a Sacrament like the Eucharist that encounters both our body and soul in our full humanity.
08Aug21 (21bO19). #4/9-Bread of Life Series. Life is tiring. Without sustenance we will die. This includes both physically and spiritually. Jesus gives us the spiritual food of the Eucharist as the Bread of Life. It is not sustaining and actually hurts us if we aren’t in a state to receive. Fr. Mike Schmitz does a great job of explaining a little more about how Communion and situations where we shouldn’t receive. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SSKOQF9Zw2M and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lzd7JYnWx0I
01Aug21 (21bO18). #3/9-Bread of Life Series. We are always seeking in life. Almost all of our actions can be traced back to our pursuit of happiness. As we seek happiness that endures, we believe that we are seeking Jesus and Jesus gives us the Eucharist. To seek him at every Mass.
25Jul21 (21bO17). #2/9-Bread of Life Series. God could do things by himself, but he instead asks us to cooperate with him. Jesus often does not act without our involvement even if it is just a token amount. We need to not try and do everything, but do what we can. He desires our Cooperation! Especially cooperating at Mass with our prayers and union of sacrifice.
the next 9 Sundays on the Bread of Life. Jesus wants his Apostles to rest which is not running away from obligation, but prayer, purpose, and meaning. Jesus feeds with bread, his words, and the Eucharist. I share a personal experience with myself during my freshman year of college in the way that Jesus gives rest at Mass.
11Jul21 (21bO15). In baptism we become adopted children of God. Before we are creatures of God, but baptism begins an intense relationship and connection that cannot be broken with God our Father. We are meant to be Priests, Prophets, and Kings. Prophets speak God’s word and Truth in to the world.
04Jul21 (21bO14). Celebrating the 4th of July makes us look at the Declaration of Independence. The modern interpretation of our country has a strict separation of Church and State, but I would question that interpretation. Country is founded on the laws of nature that God gives. To be the best citizens in fact is to promote the natural law of Truth given by God.
27Jun21 (21bO13). There is depth to the Gospels that need be mined. There is more than the surface understanding. Every detail can reveal more to the story so we can enter in and understand. The Gospel reading of Jairus daughter and the hemorrhaging woman have lots of details that speak more than what on the surface we sometimes hear.
20Jun21 (21bO12). Driving can be difficult, but it is even worse with a backseat driver. Don’t be a backseat driver. Do we trust God as the driver? God seems to not notice all that is wrong. Do we trust Him when there are problems and He is asleep? We are perishing and God does nothing? Does He not care? Or are we too afraid? Trust God like Job, not like the Apostles. Sit in the suffering of trust.
13Jun21 (21bO11). The US military has an amazing reach all over the world. The Catholic Church even more so reaches into every part of the world. Almost every part of the world is affected by the Church and the Catholic Church has almost every culture as part of its fold. The Catholic Church is the true melting pot of diversity. The Catholic Church takes what is good and rejects what is bad. All branches of the same tree.
03Jun21 (21Corpus). God’s words are creative and what He says happen. “This is my body”…it is His body. Lex Orandi, Lex Credendi, the law of prayer, the law of belief. If we don’t pray as though the Eucharist is the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Jesus Christ then you will probably stop believing or never believed. The way we receive, pray, bow, and genuflect affect our belief.
30May21 (21Trinity). The liturgy, not only in its prayers but in its very action, should communicate to us about the celebration. This idea of changing the parts of Mass to fit is called progressive solemnity. Some announcements. Why are we here in church? life? “Q: Why did God make you? A: God made me to know Him, to love Him, and to serve Him in this world, and to be happy with Him forever in heaven.” Baltimore Catechism. God became man so we may know Him. The mystery of Trinity reveals that God is a God of relationship.
23May21 (21Pentecost). “Catholic” means universal. It is the universal religion that is for all peoples. Universal religion for all people. We are not supposed to be all the same but unique and complementary.
13May21 (21Ascension). Proclaim the Gospel to every creature. It doesn’t matter if others want to except it, we have a command from God to proclaim the Gospel. Responsibility to do so even if it doesn’t cause conversions.
09May21 (21bE6). God uses unexpected people. He uses a military soldier, Cornelius as a Godly man seeking God. Let’s be like Cornelius and seek God by seeking to follow his commandments.
02May21 (21bE5). Ask for anything that you want, but sometimes his answer is “no” or “hey that doesn’t work with your more important prayer”. The Our Father is the best formation in understanding how to pray.
25Apr21 (21bE4). Jesus shepherds us in the most fitting way. He does that in unexpected ways by becoming incarnate and laying down his life. He also works in our life in the most fitting way that is often unexpected by us. Fr. Walter Ciszek is an amazing example of the amazing way God works expectantly in the most fitting and effective ways.
18Apr21 (21bE3). Luke tells us about the Resurrection. Just like John’s account, Jesus wants to give us PEACE. Jesus wants to also eat…strange. This is a beautiful raw accounts of Jesus resurrection that tells us Jesus’ suffering love of the Sacred Heart and wounds.
11Apr21(21bE2DivineMercy). I don’t think we understand how important peace is. The world wants to give a temporary and transitory calm that is called peace. God wants a peace that can only come through right ordering and justice.
01Apr21(21HolyThursday). Institution of the Eucharist and the Priesthood. Jesus does not ordain perfect people, but ordains Peter and Judas? Our imperfects do not overcome God. God’s goodness overcomes us. We need more priests and more prayers.
28Mar21 (21Passion). God wants us to be passionate. Passionate in love. Pope Benedict XVI’s encyclical “Deus Caritas Est” reminds us that God is passionately in love with us. So passionate to suffer and die for us. Pray that we may have a passionate love that grows and perfects in Agape love.
21Mar21 (21bL5). Exterior laws are difficult. But when we trust God and seek to make his law written on our heart it makes it a little easier. Suffering is sometimes the means of obedience.
07Feb21 (21bO5). People can sometimes accuse Christianity as escapism and hoping in the best. Job does not escape his suffering by turning to God but acknowledges reality of struggle, we should too. The modern heresy of Prosperity Gospel sometimes promotes this idea that if we have faith we will prosper in the world. If we are experiencing difficulty, we must not have faith. In reality Christianity is a religion of God suffering with us. We need to not explain away suffering but sit with our friends like God does with us.
31Dec20 (20MaryMotherOfGod). Jesus is fully God and fully human. Mary is mother of one person. Jesus Christ who is able to save us because he is one of us and has the ability because he is God. A simple, but super complicated belief. Interesting history.
27Dec20 (20HolyFamily). Families are filled with sinners, us. What can we learn from the Holy Family? Even though they were without sin, they still experienced great difficulty and suffering. Jesus grows and learns in the midst of obedience in His family. We also learn and grow as well.
24Dec20 (20Eve). Christmas is so exciting!! Maybe more as a kid when you got gifts and didn’t have to worry about giving the right gifts. A lot of time Christmas is lost in all the celebrations of Christmas during Advent. Hopefully we can be reminded of the amazingness of Christmas not because of gifts, but because of the great gift of God’s presence as a child and the present gift of the Eucharist.
20Dec20 (20bA4). How can God love all people and there be Hell? Free-will is a greater good than the absence of Hell.
We are links in the chain. If we want our community and chain to be stronger, we need to help each link. We are all prophets in our baptism and have an obligation to help turn people from wickedness toward God. 9/6/20
“It profits a man nothing to give his soul for the whole world, but for Wales…” (St. Thomas More in a Man for All Seasons)(correction it was Richard not Roger). Are we losing our life or gaining it. In a lot of the ways that we think will gain our life loses it, but in ways we feel like we are losing it we actually find it. This is true naturally and even more spiritually. Don’t hold on to our gifts, God wants to give more. Let us open our hands and let our life go in order to find it. 8/30/20
I share my story to let you know that God works. We would love to have huge spiritual experiences every day, but that is not often how it works. Peter spends a lot of ordinary time with Jesus to be able to confess who Jesus with his lips and ultimately with his life. The most important growth in spiritual experiences doesn’t come from random experiences but persevering in relationship with Jesus. 8/23/20
We are not blessed for our sake alone. Just as Israel was chosen so salvation could be brought to the whole world so we are chosen, blessed, and saved so that we can bring those things to others. 8/16/20
The Church is often represented as a boat in the midst of a storm. The storm will never over take it because we have the assurance of God. In our lives as well, we have the assurance that God is with us and the storms of life will not over take us. When we see the storm let us acknowledge it but keep our eyes focused on Jesus because the storm is only a storm. 9/9/20
Nothing can separate us from God! Fr. Walter Ciszek has been a great example in my life to remember that God is always with us even when our plans do not work. Do we see God in our life? God is not in us only in the success or what we want, but in all things. We are Conquerors of all things in Christ. Are we convinced that nothing can separate us from the Love of God? The sun always shines and God is always with us. 9/2/20
King Midas gets his wish that brings about his destruction. King Solomon receives his humble request of wisdom that does not keep him from destruction. So, what will keep us from destruction? St. Paul in his wisdom learned through difficulty is that nothing destroys us if we love God. All things work for our good if we love God. The world wants justice, God wants redemption of all things. The world complains about all things. Christians find gratitude in all things. Let God redeem all things in your life. 7/26/20
In the parable today we see how God does not uproot all evil because it might destroy the good. Freewill is one of the greatest goods because it allows us to love. To destroy evil God would have to destroy free will which would destroy love. God is not overcome by the evil but beautifully in his power is patient. “Your mastery over all things makes you lenient to all” 7/19/20.
Sometimes we can fall into a belief of fatalism, but we are not bound by fate that restricts freedom but in a fate that is co-operating with our freedom. 7/11/20
Jesus calls all who labor and are burdened to come to him which means basically everyone. How does he give us rest? By telling us to work with him and learn. Be meek and humble with is not being like Eeyore, but like Jesus. Meekness is not weakness, but incredible strength. Strength that can only come from being reliant on Jesus. 7/5/20
Of course you are worthy of Jesus. He is nice and loves everyone so he says we are all worthy… or actually what does he say? We often white-wash the message of Jesus. Sometimes on purpose because we don’t like what we here, but sometimes because we have heard it so much that we just drowned it out and don’t notice what it actually says. Today Jesus has a radical call for his disciples to love Him more than anyone. And to lose your life for his sake. Do we here this radical call or do we just gloss over it? If we don’t listen or don’t respond Jesus says we are not worth of Him. I want to be worthy of Him so we I need to keep working. 6/28/20
What we experience effects our understanding of things. How we experience the good and bad things of our earthly father effects our understanding of our Heavenly Father. Let’s take the good things from our earthly father and realize that our Heavenly Father is even better. We have a good, good Father in Heaven. 6/21/20
Life is incredibly confusing. Christianity can be incredibly confusing. Many parts of Christianity are mysteries, but sometimes we make it harder on ourselves by not knowing what is available to us. There are many different beliefs on communion. They are not all random and unable to be understood though. If we read in context and take scripture and tradition, we can help have firmer faith. If you do nothing else please read John chapter 6. It should challenge us and open us to seeking more. 6/14/20
1.God is a God of Presence
2.God is a God of communion
3.God is a God that condescends to raise up
6/7/20
The Holy Spirit continues to work in so many ways. Works in Genesis, the Church, the Mass, our lives. Stay away from the enemies of the Gift: Narcissism, victimhood, and pessimism. 5/30/20
Jesus tells us that it is better for us that he ascends to the Father and send the Advocate. Sometimes it doesn’t feel like it. It feels as though He is just abandoning us. Even though it feels like it that doesn’t mean that it is reality. In reality Jesus is just starting His work in the world and our lives when He ascends. May we be open to his work. 5/24/20
When the sun goes down do we freak out that it won’t rise tomorrow. No because experience has shown that it has always risen again. In the same way in the World, Church, and our personal life there have been dark moments, but the sun rises again. We have hope in tomorrow, in Jesus, in eternal life because God is faithful. He has been faithful in the past and is faithful today. Let us give reason for our gratitude and hope that is rooted in reality. 5/17/20
Today is the Gospel story of the Road to Emmaus. The first Mass celebrated after the Last Supper. Jesus is the priest leads the disciples through scripture and then breaks bread. Great reminder that sometimes we are walking with Jesus and we don’t even notice it. Sometimes we feel really close and sometimes we just have a lot of questions. Keep on asking questions and invite Jesus to stay with you. 4/26/20
When we feel like we cannot approach God in our brokenness is when we need to run to him the fastest. His mercy is divine! He has come for the sick, for the sinner. He has come for you. 4/19/20
If someone tells you to do something and you aren’t sure if it is safe, one way to check is to see them do it first. Jesus tells us to not be afraid. Well why should we know that we should follow and it is safe to believe. Because He has went before us. We have founded hope because Jesus has conquered the world in sin and death. Let us stick with him and not be afraid of anything. Let us be a light and bring life to this darkness.
4/12/20
Holy Thursday is an amazing day that ends lent and begins the most sacred time of all the year with the Easter Triduum. On Holy Thursday the Priesthood and the Eucharist are instituted. The priesthood is an amazing gift and to better understand it I came up with the 5 or 6 “P”s of Priesthood.
Peter-best example
Not Perfect-still human and need to go to confession
Powerful-More powerful (in a good way) then a walking around nuclear bomb
Purposeful-can think of no more meaningful work then bring Jesus present and wipe out sin
Pointing-we point toward heaven, eternity, and what really matters in life
Passion-we are so passionate in our love of God and neighbor that we lay down our lives
Finally, we renew our promises and ask you to pray for us.
Here is the link of Pope Saint John Paul II letter to priests that I reference:
http://www.vatican.va/content/john-paul-ii/en/letters/2004/documents/hf_jp-ii_let_20040406_priests-holy-thursday.html
4/9/20
What is the importance of your word? Or others words? Some people’s words mean more to us then others. Why? Sometimes people’s words don’t mean anything? Maybe this is because their word has been broken to many times. Does God ever break his word? NO!!! He always fulfills… Isaiah 55:10-11; Ez 37:14; Psalm 130; Romans 8. God’s word is so great and true that it is creative (Genesis 1, let there be light). Jesus word is also creative (Come Out!) with Lazarus, but also at the Last Supper at the start of his passion which is then present once again at every Mass with the consecration words of the priest. 3/29/20
Discipline can be for punishment or restorative. We often view any suffering that comes from God as punishment and retributive, but the Lord is more concerned about restorative discipline that teaches and helps us grow. But it needs our participation. Jesus puts clay in our eyes, and we need to go wash it out. Let us do our part. 3/22/20
Is the Lord in Our Midst or Not? (A20L3). There are many times that we can feel that abandoned by God. However, from looking at salvation history we can see that God is always in our midst if we are open. Here at the Mass God is present in the Liturgy of the Word and Liturgy of the Eucharist. The scripture puts God in our midst and helps remind us of that. In thanksgiving to God and desire to enter into Jesus sacrifice and prayer we unite ourselves to the Mass by our presence, prayers, and gifts. The collection in the middle of Mass is not an interruption of need, but a participation of unity and an integral part of Mass. In your gratitude to God and unity with Christ give to the Church. A good general amount is 10% to charity; 5% to the church, 5% to other charities. If you make 50k a year, 5% a week would be about $50. Jesus says, “where your treasure is, there your heart will be also”. God is in your midst. Is your heart in His midst? 3/15/20
Transfiguration and Transubstantiation! Faith is that whether we experience or not God is working. Faith that this is the way God wants us to worship and his is transforming us. Transubstantiation of Bread and Wine in the Mass is similar to the Transfiguration. “My Lord and My God”. “I believe help my unbelief”. We don’t stay on the mountain. After experiencing the glory of God we are sent back out into the messy world. 3/8/20
Satan, Sin, and Salvation Satan is real. Sin closed the doors of heaven. God the Father in his infinite love sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to bring us back to himself. We participate in that salvation primarily and most perfectly in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass where that saving work is made present once again. We as Catholics have this great gift that so many don’t understand. There are many Signs and Symbols to learn about in Mass. The liturgy of the Word culminates with the Gospel. Encounter Jesus in the Gospel at Mass. 3/1/20
Formed.org
Superiorpriest.com
Repent and believe in the Gospel! Remember that you are dust and unto dust you shall return! We make sacrifices to remember our need for God in our life. Remember that our stomach is not our God. 2/26/20
Be Holy and set apart like God. This lent do less not more. We only have so much time in a day. If we are going to be more holy and say Yes to God then we need to say No to other things in our life. We need to say No to the bad things first in order to do better things. Sometimes however we need to say no to Good things to be able to say Yes to the Best things. Do less so we can do more. 2/23/20
The Wisdom of the World is tempting and easy to understand. The Wisdom of God is often difficult to understand at times. We can choose life or death. God or the World. Why would we ever choose death? Because we sometimes choose death in our concupiscence. 2/16/20
Salt gives taste to food. Jesus gives purpose, meaning, and worth to life. Without Jesus our lives are dark. We need to keep the salt and light of Christ in our life and help other people regain their salt and light. 2/9/20
St. Jerome says, “Ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ”. This is certainly true and a huge defect in many Catholics. Today I would like to do a shore Lectio Divina and pray with scripture to come to know it better. 2/2/20
Lectio Divina 4 Stages
(Read) What does the Text say?
(Meditation) What does the Text saying to me today?
(Prayer) What do I want to tell God about the Text?
(Contemplation) What does God want to say to me?
St. Jerome says, “Ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ”. This is certainly true and a huge defect in many Catholics. Today I would like to do a shore Lectio Divina and pray with scripture to come to know it better. 1/26/20
Lectio Divina 4 Stages
(Read) What does the Text say?
(Meditation) What does the Text saying to me today?
(Prayer) What do I want to tell God about the Text?
(Contemplation) What does God want to say to me?
Why does God seem to bless some people and not bless others? Does He like some people and not like others? Does he predestine some people to Heaven or Hell? No, He predestines everyone to Heaven. Our salvation is not individualized though. God is preparing us for salvation and the salvation of the world.
1/19/20
Do we believe that God actually has our good in mind? Is worshiping him and giving of ourselves for our good in the midst of so much darkness? The light shines in darkness. We are receiving grace to be that light. One of the greatest ways we can share the grace of God is by having spiritual conversations. 1/5/20
This week's homily talks about the Holy Family and the role of the family in the church.
Examen Prayer. Please Read the Examen Prayer below:
PDF of the Examen Prayer
The Examen Prayer
This outline is based on Ignatius’s presentation of the examen in the Spiritual Exercises (n.43). And is altered from Fr. Gallagher’s book The Examen Prayer.
Transition: Humilitas & Caritas. I become aware of the love with which God the Father looks upon me as I begin this examen.
Step One: Gratitude. I note the gifts and blessing that the Father’s love has given me this day, and I give thanks to Him for his grace.
Step Two: Petition. I ask the Holy Spirit for an insight and strength that will make this examen a work of grace, fruitful beyond my human capacity.
Step Three: Review. With Jesus, I review the day in general. I look for and at the stirrings in my heart and the thoughts that have been from God and not from Him this day. I review my choices in response to both.
Step Four: Forgiveness. I ask for the healing touch of our merciful Father who, with love and respect for me, heals my heart’s burdens.
Step Five: Renewal. I look to the following day and, with the Holy Spirit, plan concretely how to live it in accord with God’s loving plan and desire for my life.
Transition: Aware of God’s presence with me, I prayerfully conclude the examen.
12/15/19
This week Fr. Samuel explains to us on how to meditate on death in this season before advent. Also talks about adoration, Please sign up for an hour!
Which church ministry would you like to become apart of? Fr. Samuel outlines what each Minister's responsibilities in his homily.
What is Participation? How do we participate and understand what happens during the mass?
10/13/2019
Why are we here? Why is Sunday Mass an obligation? Why is Mass so boring? A lot has to do with participation. Vatican 2 wanted us to know and participate more. Not as active busy bodies but by full, conscience, and active participation.
I reference Paragraph 19, 14, and 29-30 of Sacrosantum concilium in my homily. 10/6/19
The parable of Lazarus and the Rich Man has so much amazing insight into Christianity. May we not be the rich man and omit the good that God wants us to do and not omit. 9/29/19
Jesus instituted the sacrament of Holy Matrimony to get by, but to actually be a means of salvation, purification, and holiness. Marriage should not draw one away from God, but closer to God. 9/28/19
The dishonest steward is commented for his prudence. We should not be dishonest, but we should be prudent and willing to do all we can to evangelize with changing ourselves in what ways we can. 9/22/19
The Parable of the Prodigal Son teaches us how deep God’s mercy is. Many despair in God’s mercy, may we always hope in God’s mercy for us and others. 9/15/19