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

09/11/22 Eulogy Virtues: Joy

Ascension — Sat, 10 Sep 2022 11:45:00 -0500

Homily from the Twenty-fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time.

Who you are now is who you are.

Joy is the abiding sense of well-being. It is a feeling, but it is also a choice. But we do not choose joy itself. We must choose the source of joy. Love is the source of joy.

Mass Readings from September 11, 2022
Exodus 32:7-11
Psalms 51:3-4, 12-13, 17, 19
1 Timothy 1:12-17

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

08/07/22 Loosen the Roots

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

Homily from the Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time.

We sacrifice because we love and we love because we sacrifice.

The roots in our lives can be so beneficial. Family and friends, home and homeland. But roots can also become traps. Good things can become Ultimate Things. When we say "I need this" and are willing to sacrifice anything to get or to hold on to it, we become trapped. In this, God loosens the roots and calls us to walk by faith.

Mass Readings from August 7, 2022:
Wisdom 18:6-9
Psalms 33:1, 12, 18-19, 20-22
Hebrews 11:1-2, 8-19

06/12/22 We Need Each Other

Ascension — Mon, 13 Jun 2022 08:00:00 -0500

Homily from The Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity.

It is not good for the person to be alone.

The Feast of the Most Holy Trinity reminds us of the innermost secret of God: He is Love. It also reveals the innermost secret of humans made in God's image and likeness: we are made for love.

Mass Readings from June 12, 2022:
Proverbs 8:22-31
Psalms 8:4-9
Romans 5:1-5

06/05/22 Given For Some Benefit

Ascension — Mon, 06 Jun 2022 08:00:00 -0500

Homily from Pentecost Sunday.

The greatest gift is to make yourself available.

The Holy Spirit, poured out on the apostles (and the entire Church) at Pentecost would have gone to waste without the most important reality: the disciples made themselves available to be used by God for the service of the people around them.

Mass Readings from June 5, 2022:
Acts 2:1-11
Psalms 104:1, 24, 29-31, 34
1 Corinthians 12:3-7, 12-13

04/24/22 Be Mercy

Ascension — Mon, 25 Apr 2022 12:00:00 -0500

Homily from the Sunday of Divine Mercy.

Mercy is the love that we deserve the least when we need it the most.

The fact of the Resurrection of Jesus has introduced something new into this world of misery. The Cross and Resurrection introduced the possibility of mercy. Not only have we encountered the mercy of God, but we have been commissioned to be mercy in the midst of a world filled with misery.

Mass Readings from April 4, 2022:
Acts 5:12-16
Psalms 118:2-4, 13-15, 22-24
Revelation 1:9-13, 17-19

03/13/22 Last Words: The Missing Last Word

Ascension — Mon, 14 Mar 2022 10:00:00 -0500

Homily from the Second Sunday of Lent.

Both men were loved. They weren't both saved.

The second Last Word of Jesus from the Cross is missing something. Jesus has begged for mercy for all...including the two criminals who were crucified with Him. But they did not both receive mercy. One received mercy and one rejected mercy.

Mass Readings from March 13, 2022:
Genesis 15:5-12, 17-18
Psalms 27:1, 7-9, 13-14
Philippians 3:17—4:1

02/20/22 Nothing to Fear: Vulnerability

Ascension — Mon, 21 Feb 2022 16:00:00 -0600

Homily from the Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time.

Vulnerability is having enough courage and self-possession to let life in.

All of our fears stem from the fact that we are woundable. We care about rejection, inadequacy, and the future because we know that all of those things have the potential to hurt us, But the fear of being vulnerable does not have to define our lives.

Mass Readings from February 20, 2022:
1 Samuel 26:2, 7-9, 12-13, 22-23
Psalms 103:1-4, 8, 10, 12-13
1 Corinthians 15:45-49

12/19/21 Abounding Love: Love Commits

Ascension — Mon, 20 Dec 2021 18:00:00 -0600

Homily from the Fourth Sunday of Advent.

Love without a commitment remains an illusion.

In order to truly grow in love, there needs to be the willingness to make a commitment. And there needs to be the ability to keep a commitment.

Mass Readings from December 19, 2021:
Micah 5:1-4
Psalms 80:2-3, 15-16, 18-19
Hebrews 10:5-10

12/05/21 Abounding Love: What is Worth Your Heart?

Ascension — Mon, 06 Dec 2021 21:00:00 -0600

Homily from the Second Sunday of Advent.

Abounding love is focused love.

Too often, we do not love well because we do not discern what is worth loving; we don't pay attention to the value of things. Because of this, our love becomes diluted. But when we truly appreciate the value of the moment or the value of the person, we develop an attitude of abundance coupled with an awareness of scarcity. And while we love with our hearts, we discern what is worth loving with our heads.

Mass Readings from December 5, 2021:
Baruch 5:1-9
Psalm 126:1-3, 4-6
Philippians 1:4-6, 8-11

11/28/21 Abounding Love: No Room

Ascension — Mon, 29 Nov 2021 21:00:00 -0600

Homily from the First Sunday of Advent.

Two things are clear about the inn at Bethlehem: Love Incarnate showed up and there was no room for Him.

Too often, we want to love the way we have been created to love. But we find ourselves incapable of loving this way. Not because we aren't willing or because we don't want to...but because our lives are simply too full. We have no room to love.

Mass Readings from November 28th, 2021:
Jeremiah 33:14-16
Psalms 25:4-5, 8-10, 14
1 Thessalonians 3:12—4:2

10/31/21 Learning to Lose: All is Lost

Ascension — Mon, 01 Nov 2021 17:00:00 -0500

Homily from the Thirty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time.

When all is lost, love God with all that's left.

We are called to love God with everything. It is easier to love when we are winning, but are we able to love when we've lost? What if we have lost everything? When we've lost, we are most tempted to become bitter, resentful, and take back our love. But we are made to love God and we can trust God even in the midst of losing it all.

Mass Readings from October 31st, 2021:
Deuteronomy 6:2-6
Psalms 18:2-4, 47, 51
Hebrews 7:23-28

07/04/21 "Ruined"

Ascension — Mon, 05 Jul 2021 18:00:00 -0500

Homily from the Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time.

The beauty is in the broken.

Too often, when we encounter our own brokenness and woundedness, we either pretend it isn’t there or we just want it to be taken away. But surrendered to God, our weakness is more than replaced and more than erased, they are redeemed.

Mass Readings from July 4, 2021:
Ezekiel 2:2-5
Psalms 123:1-4
2 Corinthians 12:7-10

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

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

04/25/21 Inclusive Love/Exclusive Claim

Ascension — Mon, 26 Apr 2021 16:00:00 -0500

Homily from the Fourth Sunday of Easter.

Inclusive means neither passive nor permissive.

To be included is an incredible gift. To be inclusive is powerful. It means more than being “welcome”, it means being radically open and desperately fighting to bring people in. The Church is as inclusive as God’s love. And yet, Jesus is also exclusive in His claim. Jesus has made an exclusive claim about Himself. And if this is true, Jesus has an exclusive claim on us.

Mass Readings from April 25, 2021:
Acts 4:8-12
Psalms 118:1, 8-9, 21-23, 26, 28, 29
1 John 3:1-2

04/02/21 Gallicantu

Ascension — Fri, 02 Apr 2021 20:00:00 -0500

Homily from Good Friday of the Lord's Passion.

Peter expected to fight in the Garden, not in the courtyard.

Peter told Jesus that he would die for Him. And he meant it. He just wasn’t ready at the right time.

Mass Readings from April 2, 2021:
Isaiah 52:13—53:12
Psalms 116:12-13, 15-18
Hebrews 4:14-16; 5:7-9

04/01/21 Context Matters

Ascension — Fri, 02 Apr 2021 02:00:00 -0500

Homily from the Evening Mass of the Lord's Supper.

On the night He was betrayed…He gave.

Everything in the Bible leads to the moment of the Last Supper…and leads to every time we are at the Mass.

Mass Readings from April 1, 2021:
Exodus 12:1-8, 11-14
Psalms 116:12-13, 15-18
1 Corinthians 11:23-26

03/21/21 To The Heart: Vulnerable and Able

Ascension — Mon, 22 Mar 2021 15:00:00 -0500

Homily from the Fifth Sunday of Lent.

A heart that is too soft has to be protected. A heart that is too tough can’t be touched.

What good is it to have a heart that can be hurt by this world? Many choose to numb themselves rather than feel the pain of life. But becoming numb leaves us with a heart that is unable. Unable to feel pain but also unable to feel joy. As Christians, we are called to have a heart like the heart of Jesus: vulnerable and able.

Mass Readings from March 21, 2021:
Jeremiah 31:31-34
Psalms 51:3-4, 12-15
Hebrews 5:7-9

03/07/21 To The Heart: My Treacherous Heart

Ascension — Mon, 08 Mar 2021 17:00:00 -0600

Homily from the Third Sunday of Lent.

Is the question, “Can I trust God?” Or is the better question, “Can God trust me?"

There is something that all of us discover about ourselves the moment we have a minute of self-reflection: we have the capacity to do the things we hate. In spite of our best efforts and sincere desires to be consistently good, we have this thing in our chests that ought not to be trusted. We have treacherous hearts. And yet, Jesus entrusts His Heart to ours at every Mass.

Mass Readings from March 07, 2021:
Exodus 20:1-17
Psalms 19:8-11
1 Corinthians 1:22-25

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

12/06/20 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

10/25/20 Roadmap: Reclaimed and Repurposed

Ascension — Mon, 26 Oct 2020 16:00:00 -0500

Homily from the Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time.

Holiness isn’t always changing your what as much as changing your why.

Our lives have been reclaimed by Christ and we have become a new creation. Because of this, every moment of our lives can be lived with and for a new purpose. Every moment can be repurposed to be a sacrament, and sacrifice, and an act of surrender.

Mass Readings from October 25, 2020:
Exodus 22:20-26
Psalms 18:2-3, 3-4, 47, 51/dt>
1 Thessalonians 1:5-10

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

05/31/20 Exiles: The First Gift

Ascension — Mon, 01 Jun 2020 23:00:00 -0500

Homily from Pentecost Sunday.

For the love of God has been poured into our hearts.

Jesus sent the Holy Spirit so that we could receive the first gift of the Holy Spirit: to know what it is to be loved by the Father.

Mass Readings from May 31, 2020:
Acts 2:1-11
Psalms 104:1, 24, 29-31, 34
1 Corinthians 12:3-7, 12-13

05/17/20 Exiles: Why Go Back?

Ascension — Mon, 18 May 2020 06:00:00 -0500

Homily from the Sixth Sunday of Easter.

Not a habit or a have-to, but the heart is the reason.

At some point, the exile will end. You will be able to go back. But why? What is the reason why you will go back?

Mass Readings from May 17, 2020:
Acts 8:5-8, 14-17
Psalms 66:1-3, 4-7, 16, 20
1 Peter 3:15-18

04/10/20 Prepared But Not Ready

Ascension — Fri, 10 Apr 2020 19:00:00 -0500

Homily from Good Friday of the Lord's Passion.

Why are we surprised when we discover that “weakness” is actually weak?

Jesus prepared His disciples for His Passion. But they were not ready, because they had not factored in their own weakness. But Jesus had factored it in. It was, in fact, why He entered His Passion.

Mass Readings from April 10, 2020:
Isaiah 52:13—53:12
Psalms 31:2, 6, 12-13, 15-17, 25
Hebrews 4:14-16; 5:7-9

11/24/19 A King Who Remembers

Ascension — Sun, 24 Nov 2019 08:00:00 -0600

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

Jesus loves you and He hasn’t forgotten you.

It is easy to feel forgotten and forsaken…even by God. But God notices, loves, and remembers you.

Mass Readings from November 24, 2019:
2 Samuel 5:1-3
Psalms 122:1-5
Colossians 1:12-20

02/24/19 Love Yourself

Ascension — Mon, 25 Feb 2019 07:00:00 -0600

Homily from the Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time.

You are loved most when you deserve it the least.

Jesus calls us to love our enemies. But how can we do that when we don’t even love the people we like? When we often don’t effectively love ourselves?

Mass Readings from February 24, 2019:
1 Samuel 26:2, 7-9, 12-13, 22-23
Psalms 103:1-2, 3-4, 8, 10, 12-13
1 Corinthians 15:45-49

02/03/19 Disqualified: Remarkably Average

Ascension — Mon, 04 Feb 2019 07:00:00 -0600

Homily from the Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time.

Being unqualified does not disqualify when God calls.

There are many people who would look remarkably average on paper. Our stats would reveal that we are unqualified for being a part of God’s great work. But the Lord calls us to the greatest of these: love.

Mass Readings from February 3, 2019:
Jeremiah 1:4-5, 17-19
Psalms 71:1-6, 15-17
1 Corinthians 12:31-13:13