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

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

08/07/22 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

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

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

03/27/22 Last Words: The Central Last Word

Ascension — Mon, 28 Mar 2022 12:00:00 -0500

Homily from the Fourth Sunday of Lent.

My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?

This central Last Word of Jesus from the Cross is possibly the most important. He not only expresses the depths to which He enters into the consequences of sin, but the depth of His trust in the Father and the power of His sacrifice.

Mass Readings from March 27, 2022:
Joshua 5:9, 10-12
Psalms 34:2-7
2 Corinthians 5:17-21

11/07/21 Learning to Lose: Practice Dying

Ascension — Mon, 08 Nov 2021 15:00:00 -0600

Homily from the Thirty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time.

Death is unavoidable.

We will all lose everything. We will all lose everything...even to the point of our very lives. Rather than avoid death, we can practice dying by actively giving away our claims to our materials, time, and our abilities.

Mass Readings from November 7th, 2021:
1 Kings 17:10-16
Psalms 146:7-10
Hebrews 9:24-28

10/24/21 Learning to Lose: Get Up

Ascension — Mon, 25 Oct 2021 15:00:00 -0500

Homily from the Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time.

Life is about losing. It is not about quitting.

It is one thing to lose. It is another thing when those losses begin to stack up and we get to the point where we haven't just lost...we've been beaten. We can wind up feeling defeated. Into this place of defeat, God Himself speaks into our loss and our shame, telling us what is needed.

Mass Readings from October 24th, 2021:
Jeremiah 31:7-9
Psalms 126:1-6
Hebrews 5:1-6

09/19/21 Desperate

Ascension — Mon, 20 Sep 2021 19:00:00 -0500

Homily from the Twenty-fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time.

Edit, Convince, and Worry. Or Honesty, Trust, and Thanking God ahead of time.

The mass of men live lives of quiet desperation." We do not merely desire, we have inordinate desire driven by fear. We do not merely have ambition, we have selfish ambition in which we can only envision one possible outcome. To escape this trap, we must lean into honesty, trust and thanking God ahead of time.

Mass Readings from September 19, 2021:
Wisdom 2:12, 17-20
Psalms 54:3-6 and 8
James 3:16—4:3

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

08/01/21 Consumer Catholic: Choose God.

Ascension — Mon, 02 Aug 2021 15:00:00 -0500

Homily from the Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time.

Choose God over the works of God.

The signs point to Jesus and Jesus is the point of the signs. When we are challenged to merely consume… When we are challenged to want the gifts more than the Giver of the gift, we must allow ourselves to be trained in a trust in God. To be trained in freedom.

Mass Readings from August 1, 2021:
Exodus 16:2-4, 12-15
Psalms 78:3-4, 23-25, 54
Ephesians 4:17, 20-24

06/20/21 Everyday Courage: Into the Storm

Ascension — Mon, 21 Jun 2021 17:00:00 -0500

Homily from the Twelfth Sunday in Ordinary Time.

God is in the storm.

There are times when we do everything God has asked us to do…and we still find ourselves in the midst of a storm. In those moments, we are called to resist resentment and embrace courage. In those moments, we are called to run into the storm, confident that God is in the storm.

Mass Readings from June 20, 2021:
Ezekiel 17:22-24
Psalms 92:2-3, 13-16
2 Corinthians 5:6-10

06/06/21 The Crisis of Love

Ascension — Mon, 07 Jun 2021 12:00:00 -0500

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

Do we lack faith? Or do we lack love?

Most people who call themselves Catholic do not believe one of the most central and most powerful teaching in the Church. Is it because they lack hearing? Do they lack the opportunity to know about this teaching? Do they lack faith? Or is something else missing?

Mass Readings from June 6, 2021:
Exodus 24:3-8
Psalm 116:12-13, 15-18
Hebrews 9:11-15

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

12/20/20 Silent Waiting

Ascension — Sun, 20 Dec 2020 15:00:00 -0600

Homily from the Fourth Sunday of Advent.

Silence magnifies and waiting purifies.

Waiting is not meant to be wasted. The chance to wait in silence is often given by God to serve a purpose...above all to change our faith into something new.

Mass Readings from December 20, 2020:
2 Samuel 7:1-5, 8-12, 14, 16
Psalms 89:2-5, 27, 29
Romans 16:25-27

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

11/15/20 Roadmap: Checkpoints

Ascension — Mon, 16 Nov 2020 13:00:00 -0600

Homily from the Thirty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time.

What have you done with what you've been given?

No one ever sets out to lose. But losing is entirely possible: in business, relationships, and in the spiritual life. It is possible to lose one’s soul. No one wants to lose, but many people do. Even with a great roadmap, we need regular checkpoints to make sure we are on course and haven’t gone off track.

Mass Readings from November 15, 2020:
Proverbs 31:10-13, 19-20, 30-31
Psalms 128:1-5
1 Thessalonians 5:1-6

11/08/20 Roadmap: Accident or Excellent

Ascension — Tue, 10 Nov 2020 15:00:00 -0600

Homily from the Thirty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time.

Excellence requires making the decision carefully, consistently, and quickly.

The one question that can either deflate or motivate a person is “When?” This question reveals whether our goal is an actual goal or merely a wish. But if we want to escape a life of accidents and craft a life of excellence, we need to make the decision of “when” are we going to choose excellence carefully, consistently, and quickly.

Mass Readings from November 8, 2020:
Wisdom 6:12-16
Psalms 63:2-8
1 Thessalonians 4:13-18

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

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

10/18/20 Roadmap: Be A Saint

Ascension — Mon, 19 Oct 2020 22:00:00 -0500

Homily from the Twenty-ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time.

The roadmap begins with “Who.”

There is one true goal in life: to be a saint. Many of us believe this, but is there a path? Without a plan, we will certainly fail to hit the goal. Without a roadmap, we will spend our time on this planet wandering as if we neither know where we are or where we are going.

Mass Readings from October 18, 2020:
Isaiah 45:1, 4-6
Psalms 96:1, 3-5, 7-10
1 Thessalonians 1:1-5

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

09/27/20 How Do I Look? Change Your Mind

Ascension — Mon, 28 Sep 2020 12:00:00 -0500

Homily from the Twenty-sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time.

If you can choose your thoughts you can change your thoughts.

In the garden of the mind, our thoughts are constantly growing. Some we want, others we do not. As the gardeners of our own minds, we must think about what we think about, weed out the thoughts that poison our minds, and allow the Word of God to shape how we look.

Mass Readings from September 27, 2020:
Ezekiel 18:25-28
Psalms 25:4-9
Philippians 2:1-11

08/16/20 Great Faith

Ascension — Mon, 17 Aug 2020 17:00:00 -0500

Homily from the Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time.

Faith can only become great when it is tested.

What kind of faith do you want? Faith that makes a difference because it is lived out is the only kind of faith that matters.

Mass Readings from August 16, 2020:
Isaiah 56:1, 6-7
Psalms 67:2-3, 5-6, 8
Romans 11:13-15, 29-32

08/09/20 Why Did You Stop?

Ascension — Sun, 09 Aug 2020 17:00:00 -0500

Homily from the Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time.

It is one thing to start walking. It is another thing to keep walking.

Distraction is anything that takes our focus away from where it needs to be.

Mass Readings from August 9, 2020:
1 Kings 19:9, 11-13
Psalms 85:9-12, 13-14
Romans 9:1-5

03/15/20 Un-Done: Not Fine

Ascension — Mon, 16 Mar 2020 18:00:00 -0500

Homily from the Third Sunday of Lent.

You are not fine. You don't have to be.

We live in a world that has come undone with hearts and relationships that have come undone. Jesus comes to that wound to undo what has been undone.

Mass Readings from March 15, 2020:
Exodus 17:3-7
Psalms 95:1-2, 6-9
Romans 5:1-2, 5-8

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

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

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

05/05/19 #Fail: The Only Way to Fail

Ascension — Mon, 06 May 2019 08:00:00 -0500

Homily from the Third Sunday of Easter.

The only way for failure to be final is if you stop.

Even sin is not final if you don’t stop. God has a call for you that is not erased by failure.

Mass Readings from May 5, 2019:
Acts 5:27-32, 40-41
Psalms 30:2, 4, 5-6, 11-12, 13
Revelation 5:11-14

04/07/19 Behind Enemy Lines: The Father of Lies

Ascension — Sun, 07 Apr 2019 08:15:00 -0500

Homily from the Fifth Sunday of Lent.

There is no need to fear, but there is a need to fight.

Behind enemy lines, we find ourselves in a battle with the Enemy of God. Satan is real and Satan must be resisted. But the Catholic Christian has been given the tools to engage in the fight and thrive with the strength provided by God Himself.

Mass Readings from April 7, 2019:
Isaiah 43:16-21
Psalms 126:1-6
Philippians 3:8-14

03/17/19 Behind Enemy Lines: My Own Worst Enemy

Ascension — Mon, 18 Mar 2019 07:00:00 -0500

Homily from the Second Sunday of Lent.

You have to know yourself to say no to yourself.

We are in a battle, but our primary enemy is closer than we might like to imagine. In order to gain true freedom and victory, we have to know this enemy and know when to say no to them.

Mass Readings from March 17, 2019:
Genesis 15:5-12, 17-18
Psalms 27:1, 7-8, 8-9, 13-14
Philippians 3:17-4:1

02/10/19 Disqualified: Unfit

Ascension — Mon, 11 Feb 2019 07:00:00 -0600

Homily from the Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time.

God is able to make you holy even if He never makes you whole.

There are some things in our lives (our decisions, our wounds, our weaknesses) that we wish and pray were gone. God calls you and I in our weakness; He doesn’t necessarily call us out of our weakness.

Mass Readings from February 10, 2019:
Isaiah 6:1-2, 3-8
Psalms 138:1-5, 7-8
1 Corinthians 15:1-11

12/09/18 The End?

Ascension — Mon, 10 Dec 2018 07:00:00 -0600

Homily from the Second Sunday of Advent.

This might be the end of the dream, but it is not the end of the story.

God has begun a good work in you. In fact, he has begun many “good works.“ Many of them will come to an end, but the truly great work that God has begun is a work that he intends to continue to finish.

Mass Readings from December 09, 2018:
Baruch 5:1-9
Psalms 126:1-6
Philippians 1:4-6, 8-11

10/21/18 Rivals: The Rival of Control

Ascension — Mon, 22 Oct 2018 01:00:00 -0500

Homily from the Twenty-ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time.

What do I have to do to get what I want?

So much of our lives can be marked by the desire to control…or the fear of losing control. The rival of control can dominate. And the trust of praise and surrender can liberate.

Mass Readings from October 21, 2018:
Isaiah 53:10-11
Psalms 33:4-5, 18-20, 22
Hebrews 4:14-16