Father Matthew Wiering Podcast

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!

Marriage and the Eucharist

Our readings providentially align this Sunday as we conclude John 6 and have Paul's teaching on marriage in Ephesians 5 as our 2nd reading. The last five weeks we have meditated on the Eucharist as Jesus speaks about it in the clearest way in the Gospels. The reading from St. Paul makes the point that the true marriage is that which obtains between Christ the Divine Bridegroom and the Church, his Bride. Where is this marriage consummated? In the same place where we consume Christ's Body and Blood. He gives his Body to his Bride, and as she receives this gift of her Husband, becomes One with Him. 

A Temple for our God

For this first Sunday back in our church following our restoration work, very providentially, our Gospel presents us with the most clear teaching in the whole New Testament on the Eucharist. In John 6, Jesus clearly teaches that the bread that comes down from heaven is his flesh and blood, true food and drink. The constant teaching of the Church is that, when the priest prays the words of consecration over the bread and wine, those elements receive a new substance, ceasing to be bread and wine (although their physical appearance does not change) and becoming the body and blood of Jesus Christ, our Lord and God.

Strength When I Cannot Carry On

In today's first reading we see the great, heroic, and courageous prophet Elijah collapsing from exhaustion and discouragement. He shares his desperation with God in a prayer. God answers by sending him food and drink, which gives him strength to walk another 40 days and nights. In today's Gospel Jesus says, 'I am the living bread come down from heaven.' When we have lost our strength and cannot go on, God provides Himself as the food and drink that we need to give us the strength that we ourselves do not have.