Sunday Homilies with Fr. Mike Schmitz

Homily from the Sixth Sunday of Easter Jesus is the Lord. Is He my Lord? Saint Peter tells us to be prepared to give a reason for our hope. We need to be ready to give an explanation for the truth that Jesus is the source of hope. We also need to be ready to give a reason for our personal hope in Jesus.Mass Readings from May 14, 2023:Acts 8:5-8, 14-17Psalm 66:1-3, 4-5, 6-7, 16, 201 Peter 3:15-18 John 14:15-21

Homily from the Fifth Sunday of Easter The Temple is the place of sacrifice. Peter notes that we are built into a spiritual house. We know what kind of building it is based on the purpose of the building. And the purpose of the Temple is to be the Presence of God and the place of worship and sacrifice. If we are temples of the Holy Spirit, then this is true for us as well. Mass Readings from May 7, 2023:Acts 6:1-7Psalm 33:1-2, 4-5, 18-191 Peter 2:4-9 John 14:1-12

Homily from the Fourth Sunday of Easter Sometimes love is just showing up. At the twilight of our lives, we will be judged on love alone. And to love is to give. Love almost always involves sacrifice. Because there is no present like the time. Mass Readings from April 30, 2023:Acts 2:14a, 36-41Psalm 23: 1-3a, 3b4, 5, 61 Peter 2:20b-25 John 10:1-10

Homily from the Third Sunday of Easter Christian hope does not trust that all will be well if I get what I want, but that all will be well even when I don't. Sometimes the hardest part of the race is the last lap...and sometimes the hardest part of the race is the second to last lap. When the finish line is so far off that you can't see the end. In those moments, when all seems lost, hope declares that God can bring life out of death.Mass Readings from April 23, 2023:Acts 2:14, 22-33Psalm 16:1-2, 5, 7-8, 9-10, 111 Peter 1:17-21 Luke 24:13-35

Homily from Divine Mercy Sunday It is of no use to say "I believe in Jesus" and then go back to life as usual. Faith is at the heart of our relationship with God. But our faith cannot simply be what we agree with or a mere belief. Our faith must move, act, and work. Like the early disciples, we must devote our lives to a "life of faith". Mass Readings from April 16, 2023:Acts 2:42-47Psalm 118:2-4, 13-15, 22-241 Peter 1:3-9 John 20:19-31

Homily from The Resurrection of the Lord I believe in the resurrection of the flesh. Just as Jesus Christ conquered death by dying and gave us life by rising from the dead, every person will get their body back. Those who are lost will have the bodies in Hell, and those who are saved will have their glorified bodies in Heaven. What will those bodies be like?Mass Readings from April 9, 2023:Acts 10:34a, 37-43Psalm 118:1-2, 16-17, 22-23Colossians 3:1-4 or 1 Corinthians 5:6b-8 John 20:1-9

Homily from Good Friday of the Lord’s Passion I am guilty. And I am loved. When we are falsely accused, we can often be tempted to defend ourselves or justify ourselves. This makes sense, since we want the truth to be known. But we must not fool ourselves into convincing ourselves that we are innocent. Christ came to save sinners. That means, if I am not a sinner—if I am not guilty—then Christ did not come to save me. But I am guilty...and He did come for me. And for you.Readings from April 7, 2023:Isaiah 52:13—53:12Psalm 31:2, 6, 12-13, 15-16, 17, 25Hebrews 4:14-16; 5:7-9 John 18:1—19:42

Homily from Holy Thursday The only gifts the first priests had to offer the world was what God had given them. Holy Thursday marks the beginning of the final stages of Christ's Passion. But it also marks the institution of the Eucharist and the Priesthood.Mass Readings from April 6, 2023:Exodus 12:1-8, 11-14Psalm 116:12-13, 15-16bc, 17-181 Corinthians 11:23-26 John 13:1-15

Homily from Palm Sunday of the Lord's Passion. Jesus' secret is voluntary and radical acceptance. In His final moments on earth, our Rabbi teaches us one of the greatest lessons of Bet Midrash: how do we face the worst possible realities of life? Do we resist reality? Do we avoid addressing what scares us? Or do we do what Jesus did? Do we choose voluntary and radical acceptance? Mass Readings from April 2, 2023:Isaiah 50:4-7Psalm 22:8-9, 17-18, 19-20, 23-24Philemon 2:6-11 Matthew 26:14—27:66

Homily from the Fifth Sunday of Lent. Why does Jesus weep? Jesus wept. Why does Jesus weep in the face of the death of Lazarus? He weeps to silence the Great Lie. He weeps because He loves. He weeps in order to teach us to weep. Mass Readings from March 26, 2023:Ezra 37:12-14Psalm 130:1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 7-8Romans 8:8-11 John 11:1-45