Father Matthew Wiering Podcast

12/8/19: 2nd Sunday of Advent: 4 Things to do 4 Advent

In the Gospels for the 2nd and 3rd Sundays of Advent each year the focus is on the great Advent saint, John the Baptist, whose life's mission was to prepare the people of Israel to welcome their Messiah. This too is the purpose of Advent: Our preparation -- or to use the Advent imagery of Isaiah -- our making a highway into our hearts -- so the Lord may come and enter. Today we look at how the Mass prepares us to receive Jesus in the Eucharist and how that might translate into our daily spiritual practices during Advent.

12/1/19: 1st Sunday of Advent: Stay Awake!

Both Jesus and Paul in our readings today exhort their listeners to "stay awake"! Both are encouraging vigilance because of the coming of the Son of Man -- we never know when our life will be demanded of us. Paul elaborates on what this "wakefulness" looks like in the concrete: not in orgies or drunkenness or rivalries or jealousies (in other words, not in serious sins that damage our relationships with God and others) but rather in "putting on" the Lord Jesus. Let us pray for the grace to do that this Advent!

11/24/19: Solemnity of Christ the King: King of the Universe, King of our Heart

St. Paul in our second reading today reminds us that Jesus is the "image of the invisible God." This helps us to understand how Jesus is King of the Universe: He is the Lord of the Universe and of History come in person. Amazing, this King of the Universe has no desire to remain in his palace, aloof from his subjects, but he desires also to be King of our Hearts. Let us allow him in!

St. Joseph of Cupertino: The Flying Patron of Students

We take a break from the Sunday homilies today to give a shout-out to a St. Joseph of Cupertino, perhaps best known as the "Flying Saint" because of his dramatic levitations witnessed by many while he was at prayer and Mass. Yet it is not miracles but the quality of one's character that makes a saint, and St. Joseph's humility and simple trust in God make him a worthy patron of students and the rest of us! 

11/10/19: 32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time: Are We Married in Heaven?

In today's Gospel, the Sadducees, in order to test Jesus, propose a hypothetical situation in which a woman ends up being married to each of seven brothers. When everyone has died, they ask, to whom will she be married? Jesus answer may shock us: There is human marriage here on earth. There is not human marriage in heaven. In this homily we explore what Jesus means by this and how it actually helps us so much to understand what marriage is.

11/3/19: 31st Sunday in Ordinary Time: Your Vocation is Holiness!

On this Sunday of Vocations Awareness Week, we have the magnificent story of Zacchaeus, a big sinner, unquestionably "unworthy" of an encounter with God, yet Jesus calls him out anyway and proceeds to go to dine at his home. What is the result of this unexpected encounter with the merciful heart of Jesus? Zacchaeus experiences a conversion of heart. God pursues him, meets him, and then calls him to holiness. Such is the story of our life too. And as we strive for holiness and grow in relationship with God, he calls us to a particular way of following: a state of life. Let's pray especially today for those God is calling to the priesthood or religious life and encourage and support our young people to discern these calls and to answer when God is calling!

All Saints Day 2019: Why the Fuss about the Saints?

In this All Saints' Day homily, we talk about what a saint is, what canonization is, and why the heck Catholics think saints are such a big deal...

10/27/19: 30th Sunday in Ordinary Time: Authentic Faith Leads to Love (a.k.a. Don't be The Church Lady)

Today's Gospel gives us an example of religion gone wrong: The Pharisee practices virtue and religion, and it leads to judgmentalism and uncharity. The tax collector, a "big sinner", humbles himself before God and is justified. The truth is that -- whatever one's perception of religious people might be -- an authentic encounter with God leaves one more loving, merciful, and forgiving. That is what authentic Catholicism looks like.

10/20/19: 29th Sunday in Ordinary Time: We Can't Do it Alone

Today's reading from Exodus reminds us of an important spiritual truth. As Moses needed the assistance of Aaron and Hur to keep his arms up, praying for victory for the Israelites, so do we need the assistance of others in our own spiritual journey. We can't do it alone, which is why Jesus gives us the Church, so that we might be in a family of faith--supported, encouraged, challenged and held accountable. This is what Jesus wants our parishes to look and feel like! What can we do on a personal level to make our parish a more welcoming place where faith is supported and encouraged?

10/13/19: 28th Sunday in Ordinary Time: Humility (and Gratitude!) for Suffering

Today's first reading features the end of the great story of Naaman the Syrian, a respected general who suffers from a skin condition. Desperate for healing, Naaman is an example for us who suffer (all of us), because he is willing to submit and humble himself, leading to healing, gratitude, and a life-changing encounter with God. Would that we all respond to our crosses in life with such humility (and gratitude!) and thus encounter the God who allows us suffering precisely so that it will lead us back to Him.