Father Matthew Wiering Podcast

What to do in times of Temptation

It might surprise us where the Holy Spirit sends Jesus immediately after anointing him at his baptism: He drives him into the desert to be tempted. He did this so that Christ could enter fully into our fallen humanity, including into those aspects which are most painful and humiliating for us. Here it is important to distinguish between being tempted and falling prey to temptation, which is to sin. As the author of the Letter to the Hebrews tells us, Christ was tempted in every way that we are, but he remained without sin. What consolation it is that Jesus knows the difficulty and struggle of our most intense temptations! May we learn to run to him (and not away from him) with confidence every time we find ourselves tempted.

You Cannot Soil God

One of the easy-to-forget details in the account of Jesus's healing of the man with leprosy is the fact that both the man and Jesus act in ways that were completely taboo, that would have been unthinkable in the time and culture of Jesus. The man comes right up to Jesus (which he was not supposed to do, lest he come in physical contact with another person and render them unclean (and perhaps communicate the deadly disease of leprosy in the process)). And Jesus, rather than running as fast as he could in the opposite direction, reaches out and touches the man. According to Mosaic Law, this would have rendered Jesus unclean and would have excluded him from public worship and from close contact with others for a period of time. But what happens instead? We see that Jesus is so clean that he can never be soiled but can only render clean those who approach him with confidence. So we should never hesitate to bring our uncleanness directly to him -- so that he will make us clean.

What to do When we are Angry with God

The story of Job is the story of one who speaks very directly to God in the face of the sufferings he is experiencing. Pope Francis calls the Book of Job a "prayer of protest"! It is brutally honest prayer. Throughout the Scriptures we encounter those who openly share their suffering with God, which includes, anger with God, confusion over his ways, and even a sense of being abandoned by God. May we imitate these voices as they teach us to pray more and more honestly from the heart, which will only open the way for a deeper and more real relationship with the One who knows and understands us from the inside.

Can Someone be Called to be Single?

Today we focus on our 2nd Reading from Chapter 7 of St. Paul's First Letter to the Corinthians. There he says some very counter-cultural things. He talks about marriage as not merely a natural good but a real charism (grace) and call from God. And, perhaps more counter-culturally, he talks about the celibate single life as a real charism (grace) and call from God. Most surprisingly of all, he says that he prefers the single life to the married life and says earlier in this chapter that he wishes "all would be as I am" (i.e. single). In this homily we talk about the unique gift of the single, celibate state and how we must adjust our mindset in order to be conformed to the Gospel.

Jesus Calls Fishers of Men (a.k.a. Being Good Bait)

In today's Gospel Jesus call his first four Apostles, all fishermen. These will be the first bishops and priests of his Church. Why does Jesus choose a seemingly disproportionate number of men with this particular vocation? Precisely because these men understand the basics of evangelization. They know how to put good bait on their hook to draw in the fish. To be fishers of men, they will have to be like Jesus, attracting men to their self. To be good "bait" will be for them to be more and more conformed to Jesus. This is the call of every baptized person and, especially, of every priest.

Epiphany: What the Magi Teach Us about our Journey of Faith

The identity of these Magi "from the East" is very mysterious, but what we know for sure is that they were seekers, looking for God. Once they recognize Him in the sign of the Star, they take action, making the long and difficult journey to Israel. Losing sight of the Star, instead of succumbing to discouragement they seek out the direction that they need. Soon the Star reappears, and they "rejoice with great joy". Upon finding the Christ, they worship him and offer gifts in sacrifice. Finally, they start back for their home country, but they do so as changed men. Now themselves are lights who will lead others to the Light of the World, Jesus Christ. How much do these Magi have to teach us about our own journey of faith!

Holy Family 2023: Not Understanding but Believing

Today's first and second readings for the Feast of the Holy Family have to do with the person of Abraham, called the "Father of our Faith". God called Abraham to leave his ancestral home and go to the place God had prepared for him. Abraham obediently left but without knowing where he was to go! But he believed that the One asking him to go was trustworthy, and so he went. When God told Abraham that his wife Sarah would conceive and bear a son in her old age, Abraham did not understand how this was possible, yet he believed God. He trusted, even when God told him to offer his son Isaac as a sacrifice. Abraham is the Father of Faith because he believed God, even though he didn't understand. Do we not see the same faith in Mary and Joseph? Is not God calling us to believe and  trust Him, even when we do not understand?

Christmas 2023: Babies and Happiness

Whether our heart is tender and sensitive or cold and hardened, we all of love babies. Even the frostiest heart can't help but melt when a sleeping baby is placed in their arms. It is one of the most simple and basic human experiences, but to hold a baby is to experience happiness. At Christmas, this prompts us to ask: Since God chose to make Himself visible (for the first time) as a helpless baby, what does this tell us about God? Does it not tell us that God is revealing Himself to be Happiness itself? And that loving God and being struck with wonder by Him is simply to love humbly my humble Jesus?

Rejoice! The Lord is With You

On this last Sunday of Advent we meditate on the first words that the Archangel Gabriel says to Mary at the Annunciation: "Hail!" "Full of Grace!" "The Lord is with you!"

Recognizing Jesus

In the dialogue between John the Baptist and Pharisees in today's Gospel, John makes a devastating comment regarding the ultra-religious Pharisees. He says, "I baptize with water; but there is one among you whom you do not recognize, the one who is coming after me, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to untie." It's an astonishing accusation that these most (externally) religious in Judaism would not be able to recognize the One whom they have been awaiting. While the Pharisees are so focused on the following of the Laws, truly they have gotten something seriously since they do not recognize the Giver of the Law when he comes to dwell among them. Would we too not recognize Jesus if he were to walk among us? Do we recognize Jesus when he comes to us in the Eucharist?