Father Matthew Wiering Podcast

4/10/16: 3rd Sunday of Easter: A Great Catch of Fishy

The episode at the end of John's Gospel, where Jesus appears to the Apostles after they have spent a fruitless night on the lake fishing, brings us back to the beginning of the call of the Apostles. A similar episode can be found in the 5th chapter of Luke's Gospel. It is clear Jesus is the only one who can make our life fruitful! Will we let Jesus take command of our life? Will we lower our nets for a catch?

4/3/16: Divine Mercy Sunday: Three Who Believed in Mercy

Today we talk about 3 relevant figures in the life of today's Church and their own experience of God's mercy: Thomas the Apostle, Mother Angelica, and Pope Francis.

3/27/16: Easter Sunday: What if the Resurrection is True?

Today, on Easter Sunday, we consider the ramifications of the Resurrection. St. Paul tells us that if Christ is not raised, our faith is in vain. But if Christ is raised, then He has conquered that which we fear most--death--and He is the only One for whom it makes sense to live.

3/20/16: Palm Sunday: The Master Has Need of It

When the Lord gives instructions to his disciples about what to do when they enter into Jerusalem, he says that, if the donkey's owner questions why they are taking the donkey, they should simply reply, "The Master has need of it." The master has need of us, too, and the gifts that he has given us, which are not meant for our glory but to be placed at his service.

3/6/16: 4th Sunday of Lent: The Joyful Return of the Son

Today's touching Gospel of the Prodigal Son helps us to understand what God's response to us is when we return to Him after having strayed.

2/28/16: 3rd Sunday of Lent: Admitting our Need for Mercy

In today's Gospel, Jesus makes it clear that everyone is in need of God's mercy! How Pope Francis, by his own example, is helping us realize this.

2/21/16: 2nd Sunday in Lent: Encountering God on the Mountain

Today, as we hear the apostles have a powerful experience of God up on the mountain, I reflect on the mountain-climbing of Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati and my own "mountaintop" experience of God calling me to go to seminary.

2/14/16: 1st Sunday of Lent: The Logic of Lent

The first temptation to put bread in the place of God helps us to understand the logic of Lenten penance: During this season we have the opportunity to turn to God for our nourishment instead of bodily pleasures.

2/10/16: Ash Wednesday: Pope Francis's Call for Mercy

Pope Francis is calling for a different kind of Lent this year--a Lent of Mercy, in which we experience God's merciful love for us and share the love we have received with others through concrete acts of mercy.

2/7/16: 5th Sunday in Ordinary Time: Jesus Makes our Life Fruitful

In today's Gospel we hear the story of the call of Peter. His laboring all night without catching any fish is symbolic of our inability to produce good fruits without the help of grace. But what happens when Peter allows Jesus in his boat and, in trust, does what he tells him to do? His life becomes fruitful in a way it never would have been without Jesus.