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

08/14/22 Finish the Race

Ascension — Mon, 15 Aug 2022 08:00:00 -0500

Homily from the Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time.

Sometimes God gives the victory and sometimes God gives what we need to finish the race.

Every one of us is in the middle of the race of our lives. God has called us and brought us here, even when there is no victory in sight and even when victory is not possible. But God will always give whatever we need to finish the race.

Mass Readings from August 14, 2022:
Jeremiah 38:4-6, 8-10
Psalms 40:2-4, 18
Hebrews 12:1-4

07/10/22 Simple Things First

Ascension — Mon, 11 Jul 2022 08:00:00 -0500

Homily from the Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time.

I can know all I need to know and still not do all I need to do.

There are so many things that we know that we ought to do. There are even things that we know that we want to do. And yet...we just can't seem to act on what we know. How do we start? How do we become people who do what we know we ought to do?

Mass Readings from July 10, 2022:
Deuteronomy 30:10-14
Psalms 69:14, 17, 30-31, 33-34, 36-37
Colossians 1:15-20

05/15/22 Do Not Be Shocked

Ascension — Sun, 15 May 2022 10:00:00 -0500

Homily from the Fifth Sunday of Easter.

The best you on the worst day of your life.

There are a few things that we ought to never be surprised by. One of them is suffering. God does not abandon us in our suffering, he leads us through them.

Mass Readings from May 15, 2022:
Acts 14:21-27
Psalms 145:8-13
Revelation 21:1-5
John 13:31-35

03/20/22 Last Words: Behold, Your Mother

Ascension — Mon, 21 Mar 2022 08:00:00 -0500

Homily from the Third Sunday of Lent.

The best gifts can be given in the worst of circumstances.

When He had virtually nothing left to give, Jesus still gave. He gave His own mother to be our mother. The one person who knew Him most and loved Him best, Jesus entrusted to all of His beloved disciples.

Mass Readings from March 20, 2022:
Exodus 3:1-8, 13-15
Psalm 103: 1-4, 6-8, 11
1 Corinthians 10:1-6, 10-12

12/25/21 Look Up

Ascension — Sat, 25 Dec 2021 14:00:00 -0600

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

God is with you on the bathroom floor.

We are so distracted by so many things that we need to look up. But sometimes we need to look lower in order to see where God is in our lives.

Mass Readings from December 25, 2021:
Isaiah 62:11-12
Psalm 97:1, 6, 11-12
Titus 3:4-7

05/16/21 You Will Be Martyrs

Ascension — Mon, 17 May 2021 14:00:00 -0500

Homily from the Mass of the Ascension of the Lord.

Nice is different than good.

Jesus doesn't call us to simply be "nice people." Jesus promises to send the Holy Spirit so that we can be more than we are now...so that we can do more than we can do now. Jesus sends His Holy Spirit so that we can have the strength to be the kind of people who can bear witness to Him and His love in this world. He gives His Spirit so that people can be saved and God can be glorified.

Mass Readings from May 16, 2021:
Acts 1:1-11
Psalms 47:2-3, 6-9
Ephesians 1:17-23

02/28/21 To The Heart: The Adventure of Obedience

Ascension — Mon, 01 Mar 2021 18:00:00 -0600

Homily from the Second Sunday of Lent.

Obedience precedes understanding.

We are made for adventure. But adventure means mystery and uncertainty. Often, what holds us back from action is a lack of knowing why. But what if there is a better question than “why?”? What if the adventure of obedience means asking “how?”?

Mass Readings from February 28, 2021:
Genesis 22:1-2, 9-13, 15-18
Psalms 116:10, 15-17, 18-19
Romans 8:31-34

02/21/21 To The Heart: Untamed and Untamable

Ascension — Mon, 22 Feb 2021 15:00:00 -0600

Homily from the First Sunday of Lent.

God is not safe, but He is good.

Trust is a challenge for all of us. Trust in God is a battle that every person faces at some point in their lives. Often, we might find is easier to trust God if He were a “tame god”, but He is not. This Lent, our invitation is to not only trust in God’s mercy, but also in His justice.

Mass Readings from February 21, 2021:
Genesis 9:8-15
Psalms 25:4-9
1 Peter 3:18-22

01/24/21 Hindsight 20/20: The Whole Story

Ascension — Mon, 25 Jan 2021 17:15:00 -0600

Homily from the Third Sunday in Ordinary Time.

Editing is the enemy of how we remember the story.

We look back so that we can see clearly and learn from our past. But we also have a temptation to edit the story we tell ourselves. We might edit how we tell the story, but we must not edit how we remember the story.

Mass Readings from January 24, 2021:
Jonah 3:1-5, 10
Psalms 25:4-9
1 Corinthians 7:29-31

03/29/20 Un-Done: Broken, Not Lost

Ascension — Sun, 29 Mar 2020 17:00:00 -0500

Homily from the Fifth Sunday of Lent.

Jesus is the God of the Broken Heart.

Suffering, sickness, and death are devastating. But nothing is worse than losing one’s heart. A broken heart is still home in Jesus’ Heart.

Mass Readings from March 29, 2020:
Ezekiel 37:12-14
Psalms 130:1-8
Romans 8:8-11

02/23/20 Defiant Love

Ascension — Mon, 24 Feb 2020 09:00:00 -0600

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, 12-13
1 Corinthians 3:16-23

07/07/19 Declaration

Ascension — Mon, 08 Jul 2019 08:00:00 -0500

Homily from the Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time.

The Father has uttered His declaration; we are offered the chance to answer.

All of Christianity comes down to one question: does God have permission to love you?

Mass Readings from July 07, 2019:
Isaiah 66:10-14
Psalms 66:1-3, 4-5, 6-7, 16, 20
Galatians 6:14-18