Father Matthew Wiering Podcast

The Importance of our Body

In this homily from the 2nd Sunday of Easter we talk about what it means when Jesus says in Revelation, “Once I was dead, but now I am alive forever”. Jesus is not talking about simply his human soul but also his human body, a point emphasizes by all of the Resurrection accounts. Today we talk about how the resurrection of Jesus’s body tells us about the importance of our own body.

3rd Sunday of Easter: Swimming to Jesus

John’s Gospel gives us a very interesting detail in the last encounter we hear about in that Gospel between Jesus and his apostles. Peter is with the other disciples on the boat, and as soon as he recognizes that Jesus is in the water, he puts on clothes and jumps in the lake! In today’s homily for we explore the deeper meaning behind this enigmatic detail.

Divine Mercy Sunday: What does Confession have to do with the Resurrection of Jesus?

When the Apostles are gathered in the Upper Room and Jesus appears to them, the first word he says to the is “Peace”. If there were any question about whether he would accept them back as friends and companions after they abandoned him in his time of need, he clears it up here and restores their relationship with himself. He reconciles them to himself and to God the Father. Then he says, “As the Father has sent me so I send you.” In other words, as Jesus came to the world to reconcile people back to God, so now Jesus sends out his apostles—the first bishops and priests—to do exactly the same thing: Reconciling sinners back to God.

Easter Sunday 2022: The Women Discover the Empty Tomb

Happy Easter!

Good Friday 2022: Standing with Mary at the Foot of the Cross

In John’s account of the passion we are given a few special details. Standing at the foot of the cross are a few women who gaze with sorrow and love at Jesus Crucified. His mother and beloved disciple John are there too, and Jesus invited John to make Mary his mother, and the Scripture tells us he “took her into his own”, into the deepest part of himself, into his heart we could say. Let’s imitate these holy ones as we gaze upon Jesus our Crucified Lord— standing with Mary, taking her into our hearts, letting them be broken with sorrow so that they will become a fountain of healing…

Holy Thursday 2022: The Eucharist, the Priesthood, and Jesus’s Hour

In the unique liturgy of Holy Thursday, the Mass of the Lord’s Supper, our readings focus on the two Sacraments instituted at the Last Supper: the Eucharist and the Priesthood. The ritual washing of the feet reminds us that Jesus wants his priests—and all of his followers—to use whatever position they have to serve their brother and sister. And the procession with the Blessed Sacrament to the beautifully decorated altar of repose transports of to the Garden of Gethsemane, where Jesus suffers psychological agony… and submits himself to men who will torture and kill him. Jesus’s hour has come, let us wait and keep watch with him.

5th Sunday in Lent: The Mystery of the Meeting of Christ and the Adulterous Woman

Mysteries abound when it comes to today’s Gospel of Christ and the woman caught in adultery. The first is the mystery of origin: Where does this passage come from? Jesus’s writing on the ground is a mystery and hat has beguiled pastors and saints up until the present day. And the mystery of why the Church has us hear this Gospel right before we celebrate Palm Sunday at the end of Lent. There is more here in the story than meets the eye!

4th Sunday of Lent: God’s Tender Mercy for the Sinner

The story of the Prodigal Son is one of the most moving ever told. How does God see the sinner, even one who has committed the most serious betrayal? With such love and desire that God waits for the first sign of the sinner’s return, running to meet us and restoring us to his friendship. This is the lesson of the Prodigal Son. May we always believe no matter what that God will always take us back.

3rd Sunday in Lent: God is not a Being

In today’s first reading, we hear God reveal to Moses the mystery of his identity: I AM WHO AM. Catholic tradition helps us to interpret what this means. God is not one being among many beings (like us). He is, as Aquinas taught, ipsum esse—to be itself. While beings have a competitive stance between, God, who is the sheer act of being, is not in competition with creatures but actually brings them to perfection. The burning bush is a sign of this: The fire of God’s love does not destroy us but elevates us.

To Never Leave the Temple: A Reflection on Widowhood

From our Morning of Recollection for Widows. Reflecting on the widow Anna who recognized Jesus as the Christ when Mary and Joseph presented Jesus in the Temple.