Sunday Homilies with Fr. Mike Schmitz

Homily from the Twenty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time.

It's the least you can do.

We are made to strive. We are made to pursue the ideal. But we also need to know what the minimum is. We also need to know: What is the least I can do? (And still give the Lord access to my heart!)

Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23

Homily from the Twenty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time.

Do not miss your turn.

There are times in our lives when we have the opportunity and the ability to make a decision that will change the direction of our lives. Joshua issued this invitation to the people of Israel as they entered the Promised Land and we are issued the same invitation. We must decide for ourselves whom we will serve.

John 6:60-69

Homily from the Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time.

Let praise go up first.

There is something that every Christian can do at every moment and in every situation...that most of us forget to do. Or we fail to do it. God has called us to offer praise at all times.

John 6:51-58

Homily from the Solemnity of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Body and soul in Heaven.

The fact of the Assumption is the greatest reminder that all those who have died in Christ are meant to rise with Christ. All of us will get our bodies back and we will rise on the Last Day; some to the Resurrection of Glory and others to the Resurrection of Shame.

Luke 1:39-56

Homily from the Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time.

What does a"win" look like?

There are times when we accomplish our goals...and then we still feel that there ought to be something more. There are times when "winning" is just as empty as "losing". In those moments, we have the opportunity to step back and ask what we are shooting for. These are the moments we can ask "what does a 'win' look like?"

John 6:41-51

Homily from the Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time.

There are four kinds of vision...one is the most helpful.

We all want to see the world accurately. But most often, we fall into the blindness of being shortsighted. Then we want foresight so that we can know what will happen. Or hindsight so that we know what we've lived through. But God calls us to a newer sight. One that helps us get out of the desert by going through the desert.

John 6:24-35

Homily from the Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time.

Give the first fruits and gather the fragments.

We are given two commands in this weekend's readings: to give the first fruits and gather the fragments. Our temptation, however, is to do the opposite; to give the fragments and gather the first fruits. In order to have a heart like Christ, we must become givers.

John 6:1-15

Homily from the Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time.

A person cannot be excellent without rest.

Human beings are made in God's image. We are also made for love, for labor, and for leisure. Since the Fall, these gifts have become distorted in our hearts and we have to fight for the ability to love well, to labor well, and even to leisure well. But we must strive to rest well if we are going to be the people God has made and redeemed us to be.

Mark 6:30-34

Homily from the Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time.

Does God have permission to say "I want it back?"

We are all living on borrowed time. And borrowed gifts...and borrowed strengths... Everything we have has been loaned to us from God. At some point, God will interrupt our lives and will ask for His gifts back. He will interrupt our lives and ask for us to return all that has been entrusted to us. Will we be free enough to say "Here it is. I hope that the way I used it glorified You."?

Mark 6:7-13

Homily from the Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time.

God can be glorified through our wounds, not merely in spite of them.

We all experience brokenness. We all experience God's love through a broken lens. And yet we do encounter them in this way.

Mark 6:1-6

Homily from the Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time.

The Sacraments are God's presence and power...do we let them change us?

We continually come into contact with the living God in the Sacraments. But we often leave our encounter with the Sacraments the same as when we arrived. If we are open to what God wants, we are surrendering to His will.

Mark 5:21-43

Homily from the Twelfth Sunday in Ordinary Time.

Rebellion, Resentment, or Rejoicing.

We are called to surrender to God's will. But how do we surrender? Is it a matter of feeling or is it a matter of something else? Surrender is an active, dynamic thing. And it is the opposite of rebellion and resentment.

Mark 4:35-41

Homily from the Eleventh Sunday in Ordinary Time.

Courage is the willingness to do God's will on your own accord.

We find ourselves in a place where we face uncertainty and difficulty. And yet, we are called to nonetheless move forward with courage. We walk by faith and not by sight. We choose to trust in God's Word more than our fears.

Mark 4:26-34

Homily from the Tenth Sunday in Ordinary Time.

God can even use a broken world to accomplish His will.

What is the point of life? Is it to be happy? To get what you want? Or is the point of life to become like God? And this world is specifically designed to help you become that kind of person.

Mark 3:20-35

Homily from the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ.

Do I not know? Or do I not care?

The Eucharist is truly the Body, and Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Jesus Christ. Beyond all of God's other gifts, this gift stands alone. Because it is the gift of His very Self. And yet, too often our hearts are cold and indifferent to this Greatest of Gifts.

Mark 14:12-16, 22-26

Homily from the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity.

God wants to spend time with you.

The Mystery of the Holy Trinity is the Mystery of God's identity. The tri-Personal God is more than an abstract concept, yet the Trinity can often remain in our minds as a vague "idea". And yet, in the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, God has claimed us, brought us into a new relationship with Him, and made us a new creation.

Matthew 28:16-20

Homily from Pentecost Sunday.

The best way to thank the Giver is to use the gift.

At Pentecost, the Lord poured out His Holy Spirit upon the disciples and blessed them with His gifts. Immediately, they used those gifts. These gifts were given to be used. And so are all of the gifts God continues to give.

John 20:19-23

Homily from the Solemnity of the Ascension.

Who am I building up?

God has given us His promise of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit sanctifies us and makes us holy, but the gifts of the Holy Spirit are given to us so that we can participate in the work of God in the world. At His Ascension, Jesus promised the Holy Spirit so that we could continue His work here on earth.

Mark 16:15-20

Homily from the Sixth Sunday of Easter.

The strength that got you here is not the strength needed to get you there.

As we continue to grow and age and mature, we also continue to experience the reality of decline. Each of us will come to know what it is to have less youthful strength. Rather than lament this fact, we can learn to adapt and choose a different strength. We can choose a new definition of what it is to "win" at life.

John 15:9-17

Homily from the Fifth Sunday of Easter.

You got to wake up today.

We don't know if we will have enough time to finish, but we do know that we have time to start. We have a tendency to delay, but the only time that we have is now; and since we got to wake up today, we have the chance to say "Now, I begin".

John 15:1-8

Homily from the Fourth Sunday of Easter.

Stand in the truth and do the next right thing.

Life can easily overwhelm us, leaving us in a place where we feel beaten and in a season of discouragement. But choosing humility and hope...choosing to live the truth and to do the next right thing...is the key to living courageously.

John 10:11-18

Homily from the Third Sunday of Easter.

The first step is to stop.

Once we realize that we have to repent...that we are called to "change our minds"...the first step is to stop. To examine what it is that we are thinking and to which thoughts, sins, and false images of God we have made agreements with. And then to break those agreements in order to say "Now I begin".

Luke 24:35-48

Homily from Divine Mercy Sunday.

Mercy is the love we need the most and deserve the least.

We all want to get what we deserve. We want justice, and God is Just. But there are times when we need something more than justice...there are times when we might deserve justice, but need mercy.

John 20:19-31

Homily from Easter Sunday.

Are Jesus and the Mass merely optional...or essential?

We have such full lives and such small hearts that we are relieved when things get cancelled. But, for the things that are neccesary, we would be devasted if we missed them. Who Jesus is to us will determine our response when we are not able to get to Mass or receive the Eucharist.

John 20:1-9

Homily from Good Friday.

Jesus won the world in His weakness.

We would like for our Lord to be triumphant in His conquering of sin and death. But the people around Him as He saved the world were largely ignorant, indifferent, or antagonistic. Yet, Jesus won the world through His wounds.

John 18:1—19:42

Homily from Holy Thursday, the Evening Mass of the Lord's Supper.

We all have unique sadnesses. Jesus enters into all of them.

Holy Thursday is a day that marks the gift of the Priesthood, the Eucharist, Christ's humble service, and the beginning of the Triduum. Today, we reflect on Peter, Judas, and Jesus in their unique sadnesses.

John 13:1-15

Homily from Palm Sunday.

You are meant to be a part of the story.

As Christians, we know the Story and we believe the Story. We know how God has saved the world by entering into suffering and death. But we are called to more; we are called to participate in the Story. Our apostolate is marked by Acceptance, Access, and Action.

Mark 14:1—15:47

Homily from the Fifth Sunday of Lent.

You don't have to find God's will in this moment and these circumstances...this moment and these circumstances are God's will for you.

The greatest lesson that anyone of us can learn is simple, but it is not always easy: you can trust God in every moment and all circumstances.

John 12:20-33

Homily from the Fourth Sunday of Lent.

We often feel owned by the past or powerless in the present.

Once something is broken, is it really lost forever?

John 3:14-21

Homily from the Third Sunday of Lent.

The greatest grace is to know the depth of our brokenness and to know the depth of His love.

Father Walter wanted to be like his heroes. We all want to think that we will be strong in the moment of truth. But the actual moment of truth comes after our weakness has been revealed.

John 2:13-25

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?

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

John 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.

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.

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.

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.

Luke 1:26-38

Homily from the Third Sunday of Advent.

We won't be able to rejoice, pray, or give thanks always unless we rejoice, pray, and give thanks now.

Main Character syndrome can lead us to believe that we are in control. But there are many circumstances that are out of our control. We can often only control how we respond to our circumstances. As Christians, we choose to rejoice always, pray without ceasing, and give thanks in all circumstances.

John 1:6-8, 19-28

Homily from the Second Sunday of Advent.

Perfectionism can move us from caring to quitting.

Spiritual perfectionism can lead people who care about the Faith and who love God to a place of harshness and hurry so much that they just want to give up. But the Gospel reminds us that God is gentle and patient.

Mark 1:1-8

Homily from the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Mary was preserved from sin by the merits of her Son's life, death, and resurrection.

The Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception is a testament to God's goodness. He gives what we need for the mission to which we have been called. And He calls all of us to enter into deeper relationship with the Family of God by cultivating a relationship with Mary, the Mother of God.

Luke 1:26-38

Homily from the First Sunday of Advent.

You are God. I am not.

When we encounter the true and living God, there is only one response...it involves six little words, but makes a world of difference.

Mark 13:33-37

Homily from the Solemnity of Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe.

Your part of the story (Act IV) remains unwritten.

Jesus has bridged the unbridgable gap between God and humanity. We can believe that and remain unchanged. But if we are willing to respond, we can write the final act of the story. We can place ourselves under the Lordship of Christ and live an entirely new life.

Matthew 25:31-46

Homily from the Thirty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time.

It could have been otherwise.

We have been created good by the good God. But we have been captured by sin, death, and slavery. In Jesus, God has rescued us and transferred us into His Kingdom…His family.

Matthew 25:14-30

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Homily from the Thirty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time.

There's good news and there's bad news.

We have heard the first part (Act One) of the Good News. But before we can move forward, we need to be aware of and understand why things are so broken. Before anything else, we need the bad news.

Matthew 25:1-13

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Homily from the Thirty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time.

Am I basing my life on the gospel of the world or the Gospel of God?

We are surrounded by stories. Stories that try to make sense of the world. But not every story is true. In fact, there are many stories that are false. We are called to base our lives on the true story… The story of the Gospel of God.

Matthew 23:1-12