Advertise on podcast: Sunday Homilies with Fr. Mike Schmitz

Homily from the Second Sunday of Lent. If I know Who, then I can say yes without knowing why. Do I have any conditions on my response to God? Will I pray or serve or say yes to Him as long as I understand why He is asking? Mass Readings from February 25, 2024: Genesis 22:1-2, 9-13, 15-18 Psalms 116:10, 15-19Romans 8:31-34 Mark 9:2-10

Homily from the First Sunday of Lent. When expectation meets reality, we have a choice. All of our lives are marked by a certain degree of expectation. But what do we do when we encounter the reality of life? We can choose to either avoid reality or accept reality. Mass Readings from February 18, 2024: Genesis 9:8-15 Psalms 25:4-91 Peter 3:18-22 Mark 1:12-15

Homily from Ash Wednesday. We hope He sees. We have faith it matters to Him. We do it because He said so. During Lent, we have the chance to make our lives an act of hope, faith, and love. More than growing in discipline or self-improvement, Lent is a chance to live what we believe by prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. Mass Readings from February 14, 2024: Joel 2:12-18 Psalms 51:3--6, 12-14 and 172 Corinthians 5:20—6:2 Matthew 6:1-6, 16-18

Homily from the Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time. The moments are holy when the moments are His...and the moments are His when the motive is Him. When something is dedicated, it is transformed. It is elevated and becomes something more. When a moment is dedicated to God, it becomes a holy moment. Mass Readings from February 11, 2024: Leviticus 13:1-2, 44-46 Psalms 32:1-2, 5, 111 Corinthians 10:31—11:1 Mark 1:40-45

Homily from the Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time. You can only share what you have. Holy moments are shared moments. We share like Jesus (and make moments holy) when we are generous and honest. Mass Readings from February 4, 2024:: Job 7:1-4, 6-7 Psalms 147:1-61 Corinthians 9:16-19, 22-23 Mark 1:29-39

Homily from the Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time. The Holy Moment is the present moment. When we live lives of distraction we cannot live lives of wonder or joy or holiness. Distraction steals life away because it takes us away from the present moment. And the present moment is the only moment that has the potential to be a holy moment. Mass Readings from January 28, 2024: Deuteronomy 18:15-20 Psalms 95:1-2, 6-91 Corinthians 7:32-35 Mark 1:21-28

Homily from the Third Sunday in Ordinary Time. Holy moments are ordinary moments reconsidered. An ordinary life is not an obstacle to a holy life. In fact, every extraordinary life is made up of ordinary moments that we choose to make into holy moments. Mass Readings from January 21, 2024: Jonah 3:1-5, 10 Psalms 25:4-91 Corinthians 7:29-31 Mark 1:14-20

Homily from the Second Sunday in Ordinary Time. God has a claim on your life...and God has a call for your life. We can often be hesitant to make decisions in life. Not only because we do not want to make the wrong decision, but also because we want to make the best decision. But the point of life is not merely to optimize our happiness. We experience a new freedom and meaning when we realize that our lives are not our own...and we live to respond to God's call. Mass Readings from January 14, 2024: 1 Samuel 3:3-10, 19 Psalms 40:2, 4, 7-101 Corinthians 6:13-15, 17-20John 1:35-42

Homily from the Epiphany of the Lord. We give God our best, our heart, and what He has asked for. As we know, the heart of religion is worship. But we need to put our hearts into worship. We give God our best, our heart, and what God has asked for. Not because He needs anything, but because it is right and just. Mass Readings from January 7, 2024: Isaiah 60:1-6 Psalms 72:1-2, 7-8, 10-13Ephesians 3:2-3, 5-6 Matthew 2:1-12

Homily from the Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph The Holy Family was holy, but not without struggles. Jesus entered into this broken world by entering into the reality that all of us have experienced: family life. He did not insulate Himself from the harsh realities of life by embracing a life of wealth. Rather, all He had was borrowed. Mass Readings from December 31, 2023: Sirach 3:2-6, 12-14 Psalms 128:1-5Colossians 3:12-21 Luke

Homily from the Nativity of the Lord (Christmas). The reality is that God is not a professional. He is an amateur. There are many things in life where we merely like the "idea" of that thing. The reality is another story, because the reality makes demands on us. Christmas is a reminder that we not only cannot love the "idea" of God, but that He does not merely love the idea of us. Mass Readings from December 25, 2023: Isaiah 52:7-10 Psalms 98:1-6.Hebrews 1:1-6 John 1:1-18

Homily from the Fourth Sunday of Advent. Whatever You ask of me, the answer is yes. One of the more challenging reminders of this series is that God is the point of all of this. He is not only the Main Character, but this is also His Story. Nonetheless, we have been given a role; we have been created and redeemed in order to play our part. Mass Readings from December 24, 2023: 2 Samuel 7:1-5, 8-12, 14, 16 Psalms 89:2-5, 27, 29Romans 16:25-27 Luke 1:26-38