Sunday Homilies with Fr. Mike Schmitz - Episodes Tagged with “Family”

09/04/22 Eulogy Virtues: Loyalty

Ascension — Sat, 03 Sep 2022 11:45:00 -0500

Homily from the Twenty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time.

Loyalty is a force that conquers time.

The essence of a eulogy virtue is character. Not merely who people think you are, but who you actually are. A person of character does what they said they would do…despite changing feelings or circumstances. This is loyalty.

Mass Readings from September 4, 2022:
Wisdom 9:13-18
Psalms 90:3-6, 12-14, 17
Philemon 9-10, 12-17

08/28/22 Eulogy Virtues: Pay Attention

Ascension — Mon, 29 Aug 2022 09:00:00 -0500

Homily from the Twenty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time.

Humility is not thinking less of yourself, it is thinking of yourself less.

The Book of Sirach makes the claim that the humble person is loved more than a giver of gifts. But what does it mean to be humble? Does it mean what most of us automatically think of? Or does it mean something deeper...something freer? True humility gives a person the ability to pay attention.

Mass Readings from August 28, 2022:
Sirach 3:17-18, 20, 28-29
Psalms 68:4-7, 10-11
Hebrews 12:18-19, 22-24

05/29/22 Ascension Gives Access

Ascension — Mon, 30 May 2022 15:00:00 -0500

Homily from the Solemnity of the Ascension of our Lord.

What am I going to do with the gifts I've been given?

In the Ascension, Jesus completes the work of redemption. He has taken His once for all sacrifice, bound to time and place, and brought it before the Father. Because of this, we have access to all of God's graces in every time and every place.

Mass Readings from May 29, 2022:
Acts 1:1-11
Psalms 47:2-3, 6-9
Ephesians 1:17-23

12/26/21 Be Careful

Ascension — Sun, 26 Dec 2021 15:15:00 -0600

Homily from the Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph.

Family is the School of Love.

Everyone is part of a family in some way. Be careful with each other.

Mass Readings from December 26, 2021:
Sirach 3:2-6, 12-14
Psalms 128:1-2, 3, 4-5
Colossians 3:12-21

09/05/21 Seen. Known. Loved.

Ascension — Mon, 06 Sep 2021 14:00:00 -0500

Homily from the Twenty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time.

Transition always involves destruction.

Jesus heals the man who was deaf and mute. In doing this, He was destroying something in the man’s life…his identity. Jesus has to take away the false identity in order to tell us who we truly are.

Mass Readings from September 5, 2021:
Isaiah 35:4-7
Psalms 146:6-7, 8-9, 9-10
James 2:1-5

05/02/21 Love Limits You

Ascension — Mon, 03 May 2021 12:00:00 -0500

Homily from the Fifth Sunday of Easter.

Practice making the promise.

We find ourselves always moving and never done. We have so many options that we experience decision paralysis and subsequent decision dissatisfaction. But we are made for a full life. A full life is only possible when we intentionally limit ourselves by making the decision to love this person or to root ourselves in this place. Ultimately, unless we truly decide to remain in Christ, we will never experience the life we have been made for.

Mass Readings from May 2, 2021:
Acts 4:8-12
Psalms 118:1, 8-9, 21-23, 26, 28, 29
1 John 3:1-2

01/10/21 You Are My Son

Ascension — Mon, 11 Jan 2021 09:00:00 -0600

Homily from the Baptism of the Lord.

At the Incarnation, God joined His divinity to humanity...at the Baptism of Jesus, God identifies with our brokenness.

What difference does the Baptism of Jesus make? It means that God doesn't stay away from our sins, but that He takes them upon Himself.

Mass Readings from January 10, 2021:
Isaiah 42:1-4, 6-7
Psalms 29:1-4, 9-10
Acts 10:34-38

12/27/20 Holy Families

Ascension — Sun, 27 Dec 2020 16:00:00 -0600

Homily from the Mass of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph.

Parents are not powerless.

It can be so easy for parents to feel powerless when it comes to passing on the faith to their families. But there are four powerful tools every parent can employ to help their families become holy families.

Mass Readings from December 27, 2020:
Sirach 3:2-6, 12-14
Psalms 128:1-5
1 Corinthians 15:12, 16-20

12/25/20 Taken

Ascension — Fri, 25 Dec 2020 09:00:00 -0600

Homily from the Mass of the Nativity of the Lord (Christmas).

Why is He there?

We have become more comfortable with the "completed" past than the unknown future. Rather than desiring to launch into the challenge of the future, many of us have become paralyzed by fear of the future. When we are rooted in the Word of God each day, we become more rooted in God Himself each day. When we are rooted in the Lord, there is no room for fear of the future.

Mass Readings from December 25, 2020:
Isaiah 52:7-10
Psalm 98:1-6
Hebrews 1:1-6

12/06/20 Legacy

Ascension — Mon, 07 Dec 2020 17:00:00 -0600

Homily from the Second Sunday of Advent.

We can’t go back to the beginning of the story, but we can start where we are and change the ending.

Saint Peter reveals that the Day is coming when The Story will have been written. On that day, everything will be revealed and we will know God’s hidden role in every moment of The Story…and we will know the truth and consequences of our roles in The Story. We will know our legacy.

Mass Readings from December 6, 2020:
Isaiah 40:1-5, 9-11
Psalms 85:9-12, 13-14
2 Peter 3:8-14

10/04/20 It's Not Your Vineyard

Ascension — Mon, 05 Oct 2020 09:00:00 -0500

Homily from the Twenty-seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time.

God has made you for freedom from anxiety over the unforeseeable future, the unchangeable past, and your present responsibilities.

Many people are overwhelmed by anxiety. Anxiety over all the things that need to get done and over all that they have been through. But God calls us to have no anxiety at all. And to surrender our past, present, and future to His dominion..

Mass Readings from October 4, 2020:
Isaiah 5:1-7
Psalms 80:9,12,13-16,19-20
Philippians 4:6-9

06/21/20 Fear No One

Ascension — Sun, 21 Jun 2020 15:00:00 -0500

Homily from the Twelfth Sunday in Ordinary Time.

You matter to God and you have a job to do.

Jesus tells us to "fear no one." Not because there is no danger, but because He is calling us to not be safe.

Mass Readings from June 21, 2020:
Jeremiah 20:10-13
Psalms 69:8-10, 14, 17, 33-35
Romans 5:12-15

02/17/19 The Fighting Virtue

Ascension — Mon, 18 Feb 2019 07:00:00 -0600

Homily from the Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time.

Willing to engage and embrace the realities of life.

Hope is not a “soft” virtue. It is a fighting virtue. Hope is what enables us to live in the present with strength and conviction. It takes hope to take action.

Mass Readings from February 17, 2019:
Jeremiah 17:5-8
Psalms 1:1-4, 6
1 Corinthians 15:12, 16-20