Father Matthew Wiering Podcast

1/1/18: Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God: Emptying Out Our Hearts

The Liturgy today talks often of Mary's being "virgin", which she was in both body and heart. Her virginity bore fruit precisely because she was "empty"--empty of herself so that she could be totally available to God, who filled her with Himself. How full are we of so many things other than God! Today we reflect on what we need to be emptied of so that our hearts can be available for God.

12/31/17: Feast of the Holy Family: Offering Jesus Back to God (a.k.a. Why We Go to Mass)

Today we hear the Gospel of the Presentation of the Lord in the Temple. By presenting the Lord in the Temple, Mary and Joseph fulfill two of the requirements of Jewish Law: they make the necessary purification offering in the form of two turtledoves (the offering of the poor) and the presentation of their first-born son, who belongs to God. Focusing on this offering of Jesus at the Temple helps us to recognize when we do on Sunday when we go to our own "temple" -- in the Eucharist we offer ourselves to God and He offers Jesus back to us.

12/25/17: Christmas 2017: A God Who Comes in Poverty and Weakness

Whenever we hear the moving story of Christmas, we are faced with the question, "Why was it this way?" Why didn't God choose that his Son would be born into the world in much better (and cleaner) circumstances? We would never have chosen for our child to be born in this way ... yet that seems precisely the point. The things that we work so hard to attain in this life -- wealth, power, popularity, pleasure -- mean nothing to God. And the fact that he comes into the messiness of the world mean that he is willing to come into the messiness of my life...

12/24/17: 4th Sunday of Advent: A Faithful God who Keeps His Promises

Today's first reading brings us back to one of the most important texts in the whole Old Testament... the promise that God makes to David that he will set his heir upon his throne, and that his dynasty will last forever. This promise looked to be in serious question during the Babylonian Exile, when, for all appearances, the Davidic line ended. But God proves himself to be a faithful God who keeps his promises when the Angel announces to Mary that her Son, through Joseph, would sit on David's throne -- the fulfillment of the thousand year-old promise!

12/17/17: 3rd Sunday of Advent: Is it possible to rejoice always?

Today's reading from the 1st Letter of Paul to the Thessalonians has Paul making a very bold and seemingly unreasonable command: "Rejoice always. Pray without ceasing. In all circumstances give thanks." What does Paul mean when he says, "Rejoice always"? Is that to pretend that at times in life we do not experience great sadness and heartache? The Christmas mystery -- the Incarnation of the Son of God -- helps us to understand how it is indeed possible to "rejoice always".

12/10/17: 2nd Sunday of Advent: Why do we go to Confession?

Today we are introduced to the strange and wonderful figure of John the Baptist, whose task it was to "prepare the way of the Lord". How did he do this? He told the people Israel to "Repent!" and then he had the people confess their sins and be washed with water. Some people say that confession of sins is not Scriptural or that the Catholic Church or the Pope made it up... but nothing could be further from the truth. If we think about how essential it is to say "I'm sorry" and receive forgiveness in our human relationships, then we can begin to understand why the same dynamic needs to take place in our relationship with God. In Jesus, this doesn't happen merely symbolically (like with John's confession) but sacramentally, in other words, we are actually forgiven in the Sacrament, and God actually takes away our sins. All the more reason to return to this powerful Sacrament of God's mercy!

12/3/17: 1st Sunday of Advent: He Came, and He is Coming!

Today we consider what Advent really is: We reflect on Christ's 1st Coming, so that we remember his 2nd coming. Let us not be found unprepared and inattentive when he comes!

11/26/17: Solemnity of Our Lord, Jesus Christ, King of the Universe: A King who Writes Straight with Crooked Lines

Today we celebrate the Solmenity of Christ the King, which might be a little bit awkward for us Americans, because our government exists as a result of our rejection of kingship. So the question for us today is, "Do we allow Jesus to rule over us as king?" Or do we opt for self-rule? 

11/19/17: 33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time: What have we done with the Gift?

Today's Gospel presents us with a man who goes on a journey and entrusts huge sums of money to three of his servants before he leaves. The expectation is that they will use creativity and resourcefulness to make a return on the funds they have given him. Two invest the sums and double their value. One chooses to bury the money, out of fear. The question for us is: What do we do when the Lord gives us the priceless gift of Himself? Do we take the risk of sharing our faith so that the Gift might increase? Or do we bury it?

11/12/17: 32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time: Judgment Day

Today's apocalyptic readings remind us of the last things--death, judgment, heaven and hell--and what is most important. How do we avoid being like the foolish virgins who aren't ready for when the Bridegroom comes? And how do we be like the wise virgins who are ready?