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

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

08/14/22 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

07/03/22 Be A Saint

Ascension — Mon, 04 Jul 2022 08:00:00 -0500

Homily from the Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

What else is there?

Many of us want to grow spiritually. But what does that really mean? What is it that we really want? What is the actual goal of life? Put in the words of Jesus, what should we truly rejoice in? Christ's answer is nothing less than having our names written in Heaven.

Mass Readings from July 3, 2022:
Isaiah 66:10-14
Psalms 66:1-7, 16, 20
Galatians 6:14-18

05/01/22 Wasted Potential

Ascension — Mon, 02 May 2022 17:00:00 -0500

Homily from the Third Sunday of Easter.

Use your potential.

Jesus called Peter to sacrifice his potential so that his life and his death might glorify God. You are I are called to pick our spot, to pour ourselves out in such a way that God would be known, loved, and glorified.

Mass Readings from May 1, 2022:
Acts 5:27-32, 40-41
Psalms 30:2, 4, 5-6, 11-13
Revelation 5:11-14

01/16/22 Jesus Changes Things

Ascension — Mon, 17 Jan 2022 17:00:00 -0600

Homily from the Second Sunday in Ordinary Time.

Jesus changes shame into joy.

There are certain things, certain failures, embarrassments, and shames, that could define our lives. There are certain events that could define our lives in a negative way unless something changes. Jesus can change those things.

Mass Readings from January 16, 2022:
Isaiah 62:1-5
Psalms 96:1-3, 7-10
1 Corinthians 12:4-11

01/02/22 It's Not About You

Ascension — Sun, 02 Jan 2022 08:00:00 -0600

Homily from the Epiphany of the Lord.

Worship can help us escape the trap that life is about us.

When life is about us, it is not food for the human heart. When we realize that life is about Someone other than us, we are allowed to have a heart that is larger…a heart that is large enough to give.

Mass Readings from January 2, 2022:
Isaiah 60:1-6
Psalms 72:1-2, 7-8, 10-13
Ephesians 3:2-3, 5-6

09/12/21 Not Mine

Ascension — Mon, 13 Sep 2021 16:00:00 -0500

Homily from the Twenty-fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time.

Faith must be lived, not merely believed.

It is wise to take responsibility for one’s own time, resources, and family. And yet, we must be ready to allow ourselves to be interrupted by God. This demands faith. Real faith is more than belief, but involves renunciation of any claim we might have on our lives in favor of the absolute claim Jesus has on every aspect of our lives.

Mass Readings from September 12, 2021:
Isaiah 50:5-9
Psalms 116:1-6, 8-9
James 2:14-18

07/18/21 The Poison of Indifference

Ascension — Mon, 19 Jul 2021 13:00:00 -0500

Homily from the Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time.

Indifference does not mean you don’t care; it just means you don’t care enough to move.

There are many opportunities to waste one’s life. One of those ways is to allow one’s circle of interest to outstrip one’s circle of influence.

Mass Readings from July 18, 2021:
Jeremiah 23:1-6
Psalms 23:1-6
Ephesians 2:13-18

06/27/21 Everyday Courage: Plan B

Ascension — Mon, 28 Jun 2021 14:00:00 -0500

Homily from the Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time.

Love requires risk. Risk requires courage.

Many of us make plans. And many of those plans don’t end up working out the way that we had expected. Fortunately, God calls us to be courageous even when things don’t work out as we had expected.

Mass Readings from June 27, 2021:
Wisdom 1:13-15; 2:23-24
Psalms 30:2, 4-6, 11, 12, 13
2 Corinthians 8:7, 9, 13-15

05/09/21 Spark Joy

Ascension — Mon, 10 May 2021 12:00:00 -0500

Homily from the Sixth Sunday of Easter.

Joy is rooted in confidence and comes as a consequence.

We can choose joy only insofar as we can choose the source of our joy. Joy comes as a consequence; it is a fruit. And the depth and permanence of our joy is only going to be as deep and long lasting as what we place our confidence in. Only when we surrender to the love of God can we have a joy that is deeper and more permanent than any amount of suffering that comes from life.

Mass Readings from May 9, 2021:
Acts 10:25-26, 34-35, 44-48
Psalms 98:1-4
1 John 4:7-10

03/28/21 The Truth and the Choice

Ascension — Mon, 29 Mar 2021 18:00:00 -0500

Homily from Palm Sunday of the Lord's Passion.

Christianity doesn’t offer comfort. It offers something else.

In our culture today, we are able to avoid thinking of death. But death is the inevitable reality of living. Still, the fact that we will all die is not the problem. The problem is that we pretend that we won’t.

Mass Readings from March 28, 2021:
Isaiah 50:4-7
Psalms 22:8-9, 17-20, 23-24
Phillipians 2:6-11

11/22/20 Roadmap: Expect Delays

Ascension — Mon, 23 Nov 2020 14:00:00 -0600

Homily from the Solemnity of Christ the King.

What you do with the delay makes all the difference.

We have a destination: to be who we are and to be that well. We have a Roadmap and a Rule of Life. What remains is one last question: Is there any room in your Rule for the Ruler?

Mass Readings from November 22, 2020:
Ezekiel 34:11-12, 15-17
Psalms 23:1-3, 5-6
1 Corinthians 15:20-26, 28

11/01/20 Roadmap: Guardrails

Ascension — Mon, 02 Nov 2020 14:00:00 -0600

Homily from the Solemnity of All Saints.

No one ever accidentally lived on purpose.

No two saints are the same. There is no “cookie-cutter” path to holiness. While there are certain givens that must be present, each person has to assess where they are in their relationship with the Lord in order to know best where to place wise guardrails in their own life.

Mass Readings from November 1, 2020:
Revelation 7:2-4, 9-14
Psalms 24:1-6
1 John 3:1-3

09/20/20 How Do I Look? Highlighter

Ascension — Mon, 21 Sep 2020 12:00:00 -0500

Homily from the Twenty-fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time.

It doesn’t matter how long you live. What matters is how you live.

Our lives will magnify (or highlight) something. Will they be so full of nice things that they will miss the most excellent things? Or will we be wise so that, no matter the outcome, Christ will be highlighted?

Mass Readings from September 20, 2020:
Isaiah 55:6-9
Psalms 145:2-3, 8-9, 17-18
Philippians 1:20-24, 27

06/07/20 In His Image and Likeness

Ascension — Sun, 07 Jun 2020 23:00:00 -0500

Homily from the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity.

You do not have to know the details of a person’s life to know they are worth loving.

Human worth is rooted in our deepest identity. And our deepest identity comes from being made in God’s image and likeness. And God’s deepest identity is love.

Mass Readings from June 7, 2020:
Exodus 34:4-6, 8-9
Daniel 3:52-56
2 Corinthians 13:11-13

02/02/20 Underestimated: Unimpressive

Ascension — Sun, 02 Feb 2020 09:00:00 -0600

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 24:7-10
Hebrews 2:14-18

01/26/20 Underestimated: Silence is Not Absence

Ascension — Sun, 26 Jan 2020 09:00:00 -0600

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, 13-14
1 Corinthians 1:10-13, 17

10/13/19 The Hardest Step: The First Step

Ascension — Mon, 14 Oct 2019 08:00:00 -0500

Homily from the Twenty-eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time.

You just have to start.

The first step is the most difficult…but it is also the most important.

Mass Readings from October 13, 2019:
2 Kings 5:14-17
Psalms 98:1-4
2 Timothy 2:8-13

09/29/19 Are You Saved? From What: Lifelessness

Ascension — Sun, 29 Sep 2019 08:00:00 -0500

Homily from the Twenty-sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time.

Jesus took from us what was ours so He could give to us what is His.

God’s grace is the cause of our salvation. God’s free gift is what gives us the power to even choose Him or choose to do good works. We do not merely “collect” or “receive” His grace, but we become active participants with Him.

Mass Readings from September 29, 2019:
Amos 6:1, 4-7
Psalms 146:7-10
1 Timothy 6:11-16

09/08/19 First Thing First

Ascension — Mon, 09 Sep 2019 08:00:00 -0500

Homily from the Twenty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time.

Out of everything in life, Jesus has to be first.

In our lives, we continually divide ourselves and divide our hearts by giving away our small “yesses”. Jesus calls us to experience freedom, joy, and clarity by giving Him our big “Yes” because He is the priority.

Mass Readings from September 8, 2019:
Wisdom 9:13-18
Psalms 90:3-4, 5-6, 12-14, 17
Philemon 9-10, 12-17

08/11/19 Living By Faith

Ascension — Mon, 12 Aug 2019 08:00:00 -0500

Homily from the Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time.

A disciple is a decision-maker.

Faith is more than belief. It “acts”. It can be seen. In fact, what we choose reveals our faith. And our decisions shape our lives, here on earth and in eternity.

Mass Readings from August 11, 2019:
Wisdom 18:6-9
Psalms 33:1, 12, 18-19, 20-22
Hebrews 11:1-2, 8-19

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

12/25/18 But Why?

Ascension — Tue, 25 Dec 2018 07:30:00 -0600

Homily from the Nativity of the Lord (Christmas).

The Why is a Who.

Jesus is not merely the “reason for the season”… He is the reason for everything.

Mass Readings from December 25, 2018:
Isaiah 62:11-12
Psalms 97:1, 6, 11-12
Titus 3:4-7