Father Matthew Wiering Podcast

When We Have Nothing to Give ...

Today's Scriptures are about two women -- both poor widows -- widows being one of the most vulnerable groups in Israel -- who have nothing to give. Both women end up giving even the nothing they have, and both women are praised for their trust in God, who will give us everything when we're willing to give even the nothing that we have.

If We Don't Understand Priesthood, We Don't Understand Christ

Why do we have priests? As we continue our reading through the Letter to the Hebrews in our Sunday readings, it is clear that the theme of the Priesthood of Christ is so important to the author. Christ's Priesthood, which was perfect, fulfilled and brought to completion the Old Testament priesthood. The Last Supper, then, was the institution of the New Testament priesthood, which is a sharing in the priesthood of Christ.

Why Do We Venerate the Saints?

The veneration of the saints has been a constant tradition in the Christian Church. In this homily we explore the reasons given to us by the Catechism of the Catholic Church.

A Man Can't Call Himself to the Priesthood

Our second reading today from the Letter to the Hebrews has this important comment regarding the priesthood: "No one takes this honor upon himself but only when called by God." A man does not choose the priesthood. God chooses the man to be ordained a priest. May our reflection help us to treasure more and more the gift that he gives to the world in the priesthood!

True Happiness

In today's Gospel, the rich young man approaches Jesus and engages him in a dialogue regarding how he might inherit eternal life. At the end of the exchange, Jesus invites him to give up his possessions and to follow him. The young man, choosing his possessions over Jesus, went away sad. The world tempts us with power, money, possessions, or beauty, but when we choose these goods over Jesus we end up not happy but sad.

What is an Annulment? (a.k.a. The Gift of Sacramental Marriage)

In today's Gospel, we have the clearest teaching of Jesus regarding marriage in the whole New Testament. This gives us the opportunity to reflect on the gift of marriage as well as on how the Church strives to live Jesus's teaching through its own laws regarding marriage.

The Things that Divide Us (a.k.a. Your Neighbor is not your Enemy)

Today's first reading and gospel tell similar stories. God is blessing those who are seen as "outsiders", and the result is suspicion and jealousy on the part of the disciples of both Moses and Jesus. How often we compare and judge and end up sowing division in our parishes, communities, and country! Division is exactly what the Enemy wants. May we strive for humility, understanding, and forgiveness so that we may have the unity that Christ desires for us.

A Remedy for our Worldliness

In our Gospel today, the disciples are caught debating amongst themselves who in their group is the greatest. The irony of this worldly argument they were making is that they were doing this precisely as Jesus was again predicting that he would suffer and die at the hands of men. The Master would not achieve success in the eyes of the world but rather the opposite: He would be humiliated, but God would raise him up. If we are honest with ourselves, we have to admit that we too are all too easily caught up in this game of trying to achieve power, wealth, pleasure, and privilege. How can we be freed from our addiction to these worldly goals? Jesus gives us a remedy in today's Gospel.

My Own Conception of Jesus

In today's Gospel, Jesus addresses the disciples personally: "Who do you say that I am?" How would I answer this question? Do I make Jesus in my own image? Or do I allow Jesus to reveal himself to me as He is?

Neglecting the Most Important Things

In today's Gospel we have one of a number of confrontations Jesus has with the Pharisees in the Gospel. Who were they? The Pharisees were a group within Judaism that were devoutly religious, traditional, and that took the Law with great seriousness. What was Jesus's problem with them? Their issue was not that they were pious or tried to follow the Law perfectly; rather, the problem was that they were so hyper focused on the minute details of the Law that they forget the most important things, like justice, mercy, and love. This is why Jesus called them "white-washed tombs" -- looking good on the outside but corrupted and rotten on the inside. May we too, in our religious pursuits, never lose sight of what is the most important!