Sunday Homilies with Fr. Mike Schmitz

Homily from Ash Wednesday. Your Father sees you. Your Father hears you. We all desire to be heard and seen...to know we matter. Jesus reveals that even your actions in secret are known by the Father and they matter to Him. Mass Readings from February 26, 2020: Joel 2:12-18 Psalm 51:3-4, 5-6, 12-14, 172 Corinthians 5:20-6:2 Matthew 6:1-6, 16-18

Homily from the Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time. If we are going to love like Jesus, we must love differently…we must love defiantly. The Universe is indifferent to us. People can be vicious to us. The Christian’s response is not indifference nor viciousness. The Christian response is to love in the face of indifference and evil. Mass Readings from February 23, 2020: Leviticus 19:1-2, 17-18 Psalms 103:1-4, 8, 10, 12-131 Corinthians 3:16-23 Matthew 5:38-48 See the Picture of Saint Maria Goretti

Homily from the Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time. God wants you to have a heart like His. The Sermon on the Mount reveals the truth about our hearts: we need the Law. But God wants us to be free from the Law. Not by abolishing the Law, but by making our hearts like His. We can let Him do this by taking responsibility, taking action, and taking hold of the strength He offers. Mass Readings from February 16, 2020: Sirach 15:15-20 Psalms 119:1-2, 4-5, 17-18, 33-341 Corinthians 2:6-10 Matthew 5:17-37

Homily from the Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time. Refuse to live as salt and light, and the Father remains unknown, unloved, and unglorified. God trusts us with being His representatives in this world. He has made us His and He has made us good. But to what end? God has made us good for a purpose. Do we live in such a way that we have been made good for nothing? Mass Readings from February 9, 2020: Isaiah 58:7-10 Psalms 112:4-5, 6-7, 8-91 Corinthians 2:1-5 Matthew 5:13-16 Download the Homily Study

Homily from the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord. Unimpressive does not mean unimportant. Most of life is made up of unimpressive moments and unimpressive seasons. If we are constantly waiting for the next “peak moment“ we will miss out on most of life…and also most peak moments. Mass Readings from February 2, 2020: Malachi 3:1-4 Psalms 24:7-10Hebrews 2:14-18 Luke 2:22-40 Download the Homily Study

Homily from the Third Sunday in Ordinary Time. Do not underestimate what God is doing when it seems like God is doing nothing. There are seasons of silence, and hiddenness, and brokenness in all of our lives. These times are not just useful, they are necessary for us to become the kind of people God needs us to be. Mass Readings from January 26, 2020: Isaiah 8:23-9:3 Psalms 27:1, 4, 13-141 Corinthians 1:10-13, 17 Matthew 4:12-23 Download the Homily Study

Homily from the Second Sunday in Ordinary Time. The single unifying principle unites all of the various threads of our life into one whole image. It is “too little” to remain who you are instead of becoming who God needs you to be. Mass Readings from January 19, 2020: Isaiah 49:3, 5-6 Psalms 40:2, 4, 7-101 Corinthians 1:1-3 John 1:29-34 Download the Homily Study

Homily from the Nativity of the Lord. God will always fulfill His promises. Is that enough? We know that God is faithful because He has fulfilled what He has promised. But He does not need to do what He has not promised to do. Mass Readings from December 25, 2019: Isaiah 52:7-10 Psalms 98:1-6Hebrews 1:1-6 John 1:1-18

Homily from the Fourth Sunday of Advent. Emmanuel. God is working with us to save the world. God does not need us. But He has demonstrated that He does not want to heal, transform, or save the world without our help. He only needs us to be the kind of people who are willing and able. Mass Readings from December 22, 2019: Isaiah 7:10-14 Psalms 24:1-6Romans 1:1-7 Matthew 1:18-24

Homily from the Second Sunday of Advent. To be gripped by God is not supposed to be comfortable. The Prophet says that the great gift of the Spirit is the fear of the Lord. But what is it? Mass Readings from December 8, 2019: Isaiah 11:1-10 Psalms 72:1-2, 7-8, 12-13, 17Romans 15:4-9 Matthew 3:1-12