Father Matthew Wiering Podcast

God (and People) Love the Humble

Our readings today revolve around the theme of humility, and this gives us the opportunity to reflect on the place of pride in our lives. The question we will focus on today is, "Am I willing to ask for the help that I need?" Am I willing to be vulnerable before others? Our experience (and the Scriptures) tells us that, when we are willing to share our struggles openly and honestly, we are loved more, not less. By God and by the people who care about us.

Summer School: What to do in Spiritual Desolation

In this third and final "Summer School" presentation, we explore how St. Ignatius's "Rules for the Discernment of Spirits" help us to navigate those times when we are in spiritual desolation.
For the text of the Rules, please visit the following link.

God is Fire

Today Jesus's Gospel message challenges us! He tells us that he did not come to bring peace but rather "division", particularly between family members. To understand this difficult teaching, we explore what Jesus means at the beginning of the passage when he says, "I have come to set fire to the earth!" The Scriptures and the Tradition often speak of God as fire, and as we get close to Him, we will experience the effects of fire: illumination, warmth, and purification. The fire is God's love that does not want to leave us in our impurities and attachments but must burn those things away, so that we can belong completely to Him and become the person that He made us to be.

Summer School: Spiritual Consolation and Desolation

In this second talk of three in our series of prayer, we examine the first four rules of St. Ignatius's Rules for the Discernment of Spirits!

Assumption: To Be the Person I've Always Wanted to Be

The dogma of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary tells us not only about the life of Mary but also about herself, who will follow in her footsteps. We, too, will be in heaven body and soul, healed of every impurity and blemish, finally the person that we've always wanted to be and the beautiful creature God created us to be!

What does it mean for Jesus to "Gird his Loins?"

The expression "gird your loins" comes up a number of times, most notably in the account of the Passover. Israel must be ready to be on the move, to get to work, at the moment the Lord commands. It makes sense, then, when Jesus tells his disciples to gird their loins. They too must be vigilant and ready to get to work, waiting for his arrival and command. But for Jesus to gird his loins? This means that the master has become the servant.

Summer School: Introduction to Prayer

We know we should pray, but how should we go about doing it? Is there a deeper prayer than intercessory prayer or the repetition of vocal prayers? Are devotions like the Rosary real prayer or do I need something more? What should I do if I am distracted in prayer? This is the first of three talks on prayer in this Summer School 2025 series.

The Temptation to Put Money over Relationship

Today's readings give us a very strong message: What is important to God is different from what is important to us. We are often caught up in the things of the world and often so attached to worldly things that we risk forgetting God or our neighbor. A specific example the Gospel gives of this is regarding inheritance. How many families do we know where siblings no longer speak to each other because of a dispute over who gets what?! St. Paul reminds us that, since we have been raised with Christ, we must seek what is above, not what is of earth. May we be focused on the things that are lasting and not on the things that are passing away!

How to Pray (according to Jesus)

Today's Scripture readings are all about prayer. Jesus tells us a parable that encourages us to pray with persistence and then stresses the good fatherhood of God, who loves it when we ask for things. In the first reading, Abraham boldly and persistently addresses his concerns and questions to God. But the highlight of the readings is certainly Luke's version of the "Our Father", which reminds us that God does indeed gift us with "memorized prayers", mercifully giving us the words to pray when we don't know what to say.

The Virtue of Hospitality

One of the themes that is often forgotten when we discuss the Gospel scene of Martha and Mary at their home with Jesus is the virtue of hospitality. This is brought home by the fact that the Church pairs this Gospel with the first reading from Genesis, where Abraham and Sarah show hospitality to God Himself, appearing as three men. In another place in the Gospel, Jesus says, "Whoever receives you receives me, and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me!" May we all value and grow in this virtue of hospitality, by which we can welcome others (and, by implication, God) into our homes and, more importantly, hearts.