Father Matthew Wiering Podcast

A Highway to our Heart (a.k.a. Confession is in the Bible)

The vocation of John the Baptist was to prepare the people for the coming of Christ. How did he prepare the people to receive the Lord? Two ways: He baptized them and had them confess their sins. If we want there to be a highway to our heart, opening the way for God, then we also have to acknowledge our need for God’s mercy through the confession of our sins.

Not Out of Fear but Love

Today Pope Francis said something intriguing about today's Gospel, which features a man who leaves his servants in charge when he is away abroad. He expects that when he arrives back the servants will be doing their assigned tasks and not lazily asleep. Pope Francis said that servants can be obedient to their Master out of fear. Or they can be obedient out of love. This is true for us! We can serve God out of fear or merely out of a sense of obligation. Or we can serve God because we love him. What does God hope for? That when we do out duty -- living our vocation, practicing our faith, serving one another, attending Mass, etc. -- that we do so out of love for God and not out of fear of punishment. Let us pray for this grace as we celebrate this First Sunday of Advent!

Why I’m Thankful for Purgatory

Traditionally, November is the month when the Church emphasizes the importances of praying for the souls of the dead, sometimes referred to as the "Poor Souls" in Purgatory. In recent decades, one hears much less about the Catholic doctrine of Purgatory: Perhaps this is because our modern religious tendency is to immediately canonize anyone who has died and presume an easy judgment for them and a swift and sure entrance into the eternal reward. Or perhaps Catholics are reticent to speak of purgatory because it is one of the most misunderstood teachings of the Church and one that is not supported by most Protestants. Today, on one of the last days of this month of November, I'd like to give my full-hearted support for this teaching of the Church and talk about why we must pray for the souls in purgatory and be so grateful that God has created it in the first place!

The Distressing Disguise of Christ the King

As we come to the end of another liturgical year and conclude our weekly meditation on the Gospel according to St. Matthew, the Church gives us Jesus's parable on the Last Judgment. Jesus brings to the fore the mandate that we have as his followers to perform the Corporal Works of Mercy: Feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, clothe the naked, care for the sick, etc. But the radically of today's Gospel message lies in the fact that Jesus himself so identifies himself with his beloved poor that he unites himself with them, such that he can say, "Whatever you did (or did not do) for these least ones, you did (or did not do) for me." Imbibing this truth, Mother Teresa would tell her sisters that when they went out to serve the poorest of the poor, they were encountering their Lord "in his distressing disguise." Our conviction that Jesus makes himself truly present at the Mass leads us to seek him there. But when Mass is finished, we must continue to seek him out where we know him to be -- in his poor -- by performing the corporal works of mercy. According to Jesus, our salvation depends on it!

Not Successful but Faithful

In this Sunday's Gospel, Jesus gives us the parable of the Talents. In it, the Master praises and rewards the servants who make a return on their Master's gift. But they are praised not because they have been "successful", but rather because they responded with faithfulness to their Master. In fact, their success is their fidelity. May we, too, respond with fidelity to all of the grace and spiritual gifts that God is giving us!

How God Gets Us Ready

In the Gospel for this 32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time, we have the parable of the wise and foolish virgins. While the foolish ones were trying to buy more oil for their lamps, the Bridegroom arrives and "those who were ready", i.e. the wise ones, were able to go into the feast with him. What does it mean for us to be ready to meet the Lord when he comes? How does God get us ready?

St. Francis and his True Father

In today's Gospel we hear Jesus say, "Call no one on earth your father; you have but one father in heaven." In this homily, we explore what the literal meaning of Jesus is, and then we examine the spiritual meaning using a famous scene from the life of St. Francis of Assisi.

Meditation: Why the Eucharist is the Sacrament of Sacraments

Reflection from our first Eucharistic Revival “Encounter” night.

Men’s Night Talk: What is a Man?

Talk given at COR Men’s Night: 5-17-23

The Intimacy God Desires with Us

In today's Gospel Jesus tells the parable of the wedding feast. Throughout the Scriptures this image of marriage is used to describe the relationship between God and Israel, which will finally be fulfilled in heaven. But even now, we have the Mass, which is our foretaste and present participation in heaven. As Jesus gives his Body to his Bride, the Church, He desires an intimate union with us for which the best analogy is the union between bridegroom and bride. This is truly Good News!