Sunday Homilies with Fr. Mike Schmitz

Homily from Pentecost Sunday. Am I willing to use the gifts that God has already given? At Pentecost, the disciples received the Holy Spirit and the subsequent gifts of the Holy Spirit. These gifts glorify the Father and have changed the world. If we were given these gifts, we could also glorify the Father and change the world…but would we? Mass Readings from May 23, 2021: Acts 2:1-11 Psalms 104:1, 24, 29-30, 31, 341 Corinthians 12:3-7, 12-13 John 20:19-23

Homily from the Mass of the Ascension of the Lord. Nice is different than good. Jesus doesn't call us to simply be "nice people." Jesus promises to send the Holy Spirit so that we can be more than we are now...so that we can do more than we can do now. Jesus sends His Holy Spirit so that we can have the strength to be the kind of people who can bear witness to Him and His love in this world. He gives His Spirit so that people can be saved and God can be glorified. Mass Readings from May 16, 2021: Acts 1:1-11 Psalms 47:2-3, 6-9Ephesians 1:17-23 Mark 16:15-20

Homily from the Sixth Sunday of Easter. Joy is rooted in confidence and comes as a consequence. We can choose joy only insofar as we can choose the source of our joy. Joy comes as a consequence; it is a fruit. And the depth and permanence of our joy is only going to be as deep and long lasting as what we place our confidence in. Only when we surrender to the love of God can we have a joy that is deeper and more permanent than any amount of suffering that comes from life. Mass Readings from May 9, 2021: Acts 10:25-26, 34-35, 44-48 Psalms 98:1-41 John 4:7-10 John 15:9-17

Homily from the Fifth Sunday of Easter. Practice making the promise. We find ourselves always moving and never done. We have so many options that we experience decision paralysis and subsequent decision dissatisfaction. But we are made for a full life. A full life is only possible when we intentionally limit ourselves by making the decision to love this person or to root ourselves in this place. Ultimately, unless we truly decide to remain in Christ, we will never experience the life we have been made for. Mass Readings from May 2, 2021: Acts 4:8-12 Psalms 118:1, 8-9, 21-23, 26, 28, 291 John 3:1-2 John 10:11-18

Homily from the Fourth Sunday of Easter. Inclusive means neither passive nor permissive. To be included is an incredible gift. To be inclusive is powerful. It means more than being “welcome”, it means being radically open and desperately fighting to bring people in. The Church is as inclusive as God’s love. And yet, Jesus is also exclusive in His claim. Jesus has made an exclusive claim about Himself. And if this is true, Jesus has an exclusive claim on us. Mass Readings from April 25, 2021: Acts 4:8-12 Psalms 118:1, 8-9, 21-23, 26, 28, 291 John 3:1-2 John 10:11-18

Homily from the Third Sunday of Easter. It is possible to see the miracle and to not be a witness. It is possible to encounter God and go back to the same life. It is possible to live as if the miracle had never happened. It is possible to say "I believe" and not be a witness. But it is also possible to not see a miracle and still bear witness to Christ by how we live, what we choose, and what we love. Mass Readings from April 18, 2021: Acts 3:13-15, 17-19 Psalms 4:2, 4, 7-91 John 2:1-5 Luke 24:35-48

Homily from the Sunday of Divine Mercy. Every scar has a story. Virtually everyone has scars. And every scar has a story. Scars are reminders of our past...they are reminders that won’t go away. And Jesus has kept His wounds in order to help us to never forget His story. Mass Readings from April 11, 2021: Acts 4:32-35 1 John 5:1-6Colossians 3:1-4 John 20:19-31

Homily from the Mass of the Resurrection of Our Lord. It means that something more is coming. Death is final. The death of Christ was thought to be final. But it wasn't the end...it was just the beginning. Mass Readings from April 4, 2021: Acts 10:34, 37-43 Psalms 118:1-2, 16-17, 22-23Colossians 3:1-4 John 20:1-9

Homily from Good Friday of the Lord's Passion. Peter expected to fight in the Garden, not in the courtyard. Peter told Jesus that he would die for Him. And he meant it. He just wasn’t ready at the right time. Mass Readings from April 2, 2021: Isaiah 52:13—53:12 Psalms 116:12-13, 15-18Hebrews 4:14-16; 5:7-9 John 18:1—19:42

Homily from the Evening Mass of the Lord's Supper. On the night He was betrayed…He gave. Everything in the Bible leads to the moment of the Last Supper…and leads to every time we are at the Mass. Mass Readings from April 1, 2021: Exodus 12:1-8, 11-14 Psalms 116:12-13, 15-181 Corinthians 11:23-26 John 13:1-15