Father Matthew Wiering Podcast

33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time: Old Testament vs. New Testament Priesthood

Today's 2nd reading from the Letter to the Hebrews says this: "Every priest stands daily at his ministry, offering frequently those same sacrifices that can never take away sins." The author is not referring to priests of the New Covenant here but rather the Temple priests who would assist day after day in animal sacrifice being offered in atonement for sin. The point is that the offering of these thousands of animals over the course of many years did not accomplish its stated purpose. Rather, it was only when Jesus Christ, the true high priest, offered himself on the altar of the cross that the forgiveness of sins and reconciliation with God was finally achieved, once and for all. Now, priests of the New Covenant stand by their altar day after day offering the Mass, which is the re-presentation of Christ's sacrifice on the cross. The Mass transports us back through space and time to the Cross and makes Christ's sacrifice present to us here and now. Why would we ever stay home from Mass?

32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time: How We Give to God

Often we think of the Mass in terms of our reception of what God has to give us in the Eucharist. What we faith to realize is that the Mass is also the place that we give of ourselves.

Happy All Saints Day!

A little reflection on friendship and what happens when we are friends with Christ.

30th Sunday in Ordinary Time: What Blind Bartimaeus can Teach Us

The blind man Bartimaeus, sitting and begging outside of the town of Jericho, symbolizes for us someone who suffers spiritual blindness and destitution because of sin. But he also shows us the only remedy: Crying out for the healing touch of Jesus. May we follow his example when we are in need of spiritual healing! And may we encourage others to come to him as well.

29th Sunday in Ordinary Time: Who Knows What‘s Best for our Life?

At the beginning of today's Gospel the Apostles James and John make a startling demand of Jesus. They say, "Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you." This presumes, of course, that whatever they think is best for them is actually what is best for them. But how does God want us to pray? Like Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane: "Father, take this cup away from me; but what I will, but what you will." Jesus is happy when we bring our desires to him, but always with a heart that accepts what he gives -- believing that God's will is best for us -- whether it is what we wanted or not.

28th Sunday in Ordinary Time: Jesus is the Most Jealous Lover

In today's Gospel, a young man goes to Jesus and asks him how he can achieve eternal life. Jesus inquires if he is keeping the Commandments, and the young man assures him that he is. The young man is desiring more from his relationship with God. So Jesus looks at him, loves him, and shows him what is lacking in his heart and thus an obstacle to divine life: He is attached to his possessions. If we want an intimate relationship with Jesus, we must not only keep the Commandments and follow the precepts of the Church -- which constitute the foundation of our life with God -- but there must also be nothing in our heart competing with God for first place. When Jesus identifies an attachment in our heart that inhibits our relationship with him, he will attach that attachment with the relentlessness of a jealous lover.

27th Sunday in Ordinary Time: God did not Create us to be Independent

In today's first reading we hear the second creation story (found in Genesis chapter 2), where God creates the man and places him in a beautiful garden surrounded by everything he could possibly need. Yet something was not right. The man was alone. Out of God's merciful love, God responded to the man's need and created for him a helpmate: woman. The story helps us to see the Truth that God did not create us for independence but rather to for dependence: on God and on another. This is why he gives us the great gift of marriage.

26th Sunday in Ordinary Time: Freedom from Envy and Judgementalism

In today's readings we have a couple examples of jealousy and factions within the believing community. What is really helpful for us is how Jesus responds to this -- by pointing back to himself. If we keep our eyes on Christ and his love for us we will be able to avoid these pitfalls.

The Need for Spiritual Motherhood in the Church

In last Friday's Gospel, Luke gives us an important detail about the number of women disciples of Jesus and how they provide for the Lord and the twelve apostles. This glimpse into the life of the early Church gathered around Jesus reminds us that women have an essential role to play that is different from the men. And it is the same today! We need spiritual fathers in the Church to lead and pastor us, but we also need spiritual mothers -- i.e. consecrated religious women -- to support God's family with their attentive love. Just like every family needs a father and a mother to flourish, so too the Church! Let us pray that God call and bring back many consecrated women religious to our parishes so that we can have the spiritual mothers we all need! Homily from our school Mass.

National Shrine of St. Joseph: God Calls Men to be Spiritual Leaders of their Families

If we meditate on the life of St. Joseph, we realize that he had an awfully exalted task: To be husband of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Immaculate One, and to be father of Jesus Christ, the Eternal Son of God. And God called Joseph to be this despite that he was a "sinner", unlike his bride and adopted son! St. Paul reminds us that husbands and fathers are to be "head" of their family as Christ is head of the Church. He says this not because the men are the best in the family -- usually they are not -- but rather because he wants men to step into this leadership so that they take responsibility for their growth in faith, which may not come natural to them. They learn to rely on God to give them the grace to do what seems like a very difficult if not impossible task. This was the call of St. Joseph! And this is the call for all husbands and fathers.