Sunday Homilies with Fr. Mike Schmitz

Homily from the Twelfth Sunday in Ordinary Time.

We will need Humility and Hope.

The moment will come when we will all stand before the Good and Holy God in judgment. This truth can fill us with fear, but there are two virtues we need more powerful than fear: humility and hope.

Matthew 10:26-33

Homily from the Eleventh Sunday in Ordinary Time.

Precisely as strong as it needs to be.

When Jesus sends out His Apostles in His Name, He also gives them all of the strength and ability that they are going to need. He continues to give us the same: precisely the strength that we need at every moment.

Matthew 9:36—10:8

Homily from the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ (Corpus Christi).

To have the Real Presence in the Eucharist, one needs the Apostolic priesthood.

Corpus Christi is an important feast for an important Reality. We know that Jesus was clear when He taught about His Body and Blood in the Eucharist...yet this true Presence requires the true ministerial priesthood that Jesus established with His Apostles. Christ's followers are divided, but He continues to desire our unity.

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Homily from the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity.

God is not a problem to solve, but One to be trusted.

The Holy Trinity is the term that we use to try and convey the Mystery of Who God ultimately is. But no definition will suffice. And no explanation could possibly capture God's fullness. God is simply beyond anything that we can conceive of or imagine...but He has revealed Himself and called us into relationship with Him. Even if we do not fully grasp Him.

Homily from Pentecost Sunday.

God always answers our prayers, but our prayers do not control or convince Him.

We can say that "prayer works", but we must be very careful to know what we mean if we were to utter such words.

John 20:19-23

Homily from the Ascension of the Lord.

"It is better for you that I go...". Is that true?

Jesus told His apostles that it was better for them that He ascended to the Father; that it was better for them if He left them. But why?

Matthew 28:16-20

Homily from the Sixth Sunday of Easter.

Hope that is not tested is hope that cannot be trusted.

How do we grow in hope? Saint Paul tells us: through affliction that leads to a new level of trust in the God who loves us.

John 14:15-21

Homily from the Fifth Sunday of Easter.

What is this in light of eternity?

Our perspective either helps us see things clearly or muddies the waters. The only way forward is perspective, and not just any perspective, eternal perspective. Without eternal perspective, our hearts will never find rest and we will always be searching for our true purpose.

John 14:1-12

Homily from the Fourth Sunday of Easter.

There is no perfect road. There is only the next right road.

There are many things that we might end up regretting in the course of our lives. But the most important thing is to keep our eyes on Jesus and our ears attuned to the sound of His voice; to listen to Him, stay close to Him, and follow Him.

John 10:1-10

Homily from the Third Sunday of Easter.

The Enemy wants to steal your heart. The Lord wants to give you His.

It is possible to know the truth; the truth about the Resurrection, the truth about Christianity, the truth about Jesus...and still struggle. It is possible to know and wrestle to have the courage it requires to continue on. Courage is necessary. Heart is necessary...especially in the battle of discouragement.

Luke 24:13-35

Homily from Divine Mercy Sunday.

It’s not about your first or last confession. It’s about your next one.

The Christian life doesn’t end with a first confession, baptism, or Easter moment, it continues through the next step. What keeps love alive is not looking back, but continually returning to Christ through confession, mercy, and grace. Each “next” encounter with Jesus strengthens faith and guards against a cold heart.

John 20:19-31

Homily from Easter Sunday.

Everything given and taken is restored.

Jesus did not rise from the dead to merely prove a point. He rose so that all could be restored. Everything we give to Him...everything we allow Him to take...all of it can be restored.

John 20:1-9

Homily from Good Friday.

A king without His armor.

At the end of our lives, there are no defenses. At the end of Christ's life, He clings to no defenses. He has poured it all out, and all is taken from Him. All that is left is the Man Himself. At the end of our lives, we will only be left with our heart...everything else is taken.

John 18:1—19:42

Homily from Holy Thursday.

Jesus knew. And He still gave everything.

At the end of Lent, we realize that we have been called to give. To give our time and attention to God in prayer. To give up things in fasting. To give help to those in need. Jesus gives at the Last Supper. He gives everything...fully knowing the truth of the people for whom He gives everything.

John 13:1-15

Homily from Palm Sunday.

It is not my fault, but it is my responsibility.

When there is something that we like, we are quick to claim it. When there is something we don't like, we are quick to claim it is not our fault. But our story must end with our becoming like the Father...and the Father bears the marker of adulthood: The Cross.

Matthew 26:14—27:66

Homily from the Fifth Sunday of Lent.

Life AFTER his life WITH.

Some great stories tell us an important piece of information: where are they now? In our autobiography, after we have experienced "the return"; after we have experienced grace, how do we live? What does our "bonus chapter" look like? What is in our Epilogue?

John 11:1-45

Homily from the Fourth Sunday of Lent

At the end of the story, who will you be?

What you seek shapes what you see. Look for hope. Look for joy. Look for goodness. The things you train your eyes to notice will shape the person you become. At the end of the story, who will you be?

John 9:1-41

Homily from the Third Sunday of Lent

From the middle, you can't see the end.

From the middle, you can't see the end. But just know you're making progress, even if you don't feel it. 

John 4:5-42

Homily from the Second Sunday of Lent

Every story has a title. Does one moment define the whole thing?

There is often a speech that lives inside each of us. That speech can become the title of our story. Is that title marked by resentment? Or is there a larger event that can define our lives?

Matthew 17:1-9

Homily from the First Sunday of Lent.

Every story has a beginning.

As we begin Lent, we are faced with the question: If I live the next 25 years of my life the way I've lived the past seven days, where will I end up? Who will I become? We are writing our life story with every choice that we make. Are we writing in rebellion? Or with God as the Co-Author?

Matthew 4:1-11

Homily from the Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time.

Jesus didn't give us a new weight to carry, but a new way to carry the weight.

We all have things that we NEED to do. When we show up knowing that we are doing what God has asked, there is the necessity to also do what God has asked us to do the WAY God has asked us to do it…with love.

Matthew 5:17-37

Homily from the Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Jesus, do not let what You did for me end with me.

To have been given all that one needs...and then to not use it would be a tragedy. We are surrounded by the tragedy of wasted potential. But this doesn't have to be the end of our story.

Matthew 5:13-16

Homily from the Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Do not give away what has real value for counterfeit happiness.

There are many idols in our lives that promise the happiness that only God can give. The counterfeits of Wealth, Power, Pleasure, and Fame have taken all that people have and left them with nothing. Jesus gives us a new way to live...that actually leads to authentic happiness.

Matthew 5:1-12a

Homily from the Third Sunday in Ordinary Time

The question is not IF God will show up, but HOW will God show up.

There are times in our lives when it seems like there is no way forward. There are times when it seems like there is no way God can come through on His promises. There are times when it seems like God will not show up. But God always does in a way only He knows.

Matthew 4:12-23 or 4:12-17

Homily from the Second Sunday in Ordinary Time.

Who are we talking to?

It is critical to know WHO we are talking to when we pray. What is the image of God that guides and directs our prayer? Does He need our counsel? Does He care about us at all? Or does He care about us more than we could possibly imagine?

John 1:29-34

Homily from the The Baptism of the Lord

The traps of believing we are God's advisors...or His performers.

Baptism changes us. It begins an entirely new life in each one of us. And yet, when we approach the Lord, we can be tempted to act, not as God's adopted children, but as His counselors or his performers.

Matthew 3:13-17

Homily from the The Epiphany of the Lord

Indifference can turn into hostility.

Christ has come close. And yet, we all still have a choice: will we remain indifferent to His presence or will we seek Him out? If we choose indifference, we will not remain indifferent. When it comes to God, we either give Him our hearts or we remove Him from our lives.

Matthew 2:1-12

Homily from the Solemnity of Mary, the Holy Mother of God

Resolve: I will not take these things for granted.

We are surrounded by the amazing and miraculous every day. But we often miss it because our lives are too busy and too full. If we take a page out of Mary, the Mother of God's book, we would reflect on all these things...and no longer take them for granted.

Luke 2:16-21

Homily from the Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph

The "trad family" goes back farther than the 1950's...

Men and women need to be authentically masculine and feminine for their marriages and families to thrive. But what IS authentic masculinity? What IS authentic femininity?

Matthew 2:13-15, 19-23

Homily from The Nativity of the Lord (Christmas)

What if all I received was HIM this Christmas?

We have waited for Jesus—and now that He is here, true gratitude is shown by living fully in the gift of His presence and love.

John 1:1-18

Homily from the Fourth Sunday of Advent

What happens when I don't get what I've been waiting for?

All through the Bible, God makes certain promises. He always fulfills them. But we cannot expect God to fulfill a promise that He has never made. No matter what, whether we get what we've waited for or not, we can hope in HIM.

Matthew 1:18-24

Homily from the Third Sunday of Advent

In seasons of waiting, do we complain or praise?

While we are waiting, it can feel like nothing is happening. And yet, faith tells us that God is at work even when we can't yet see the fruit. Rather than complaining while we wait, there is another option.

Matthew 11:2-11

Homily from the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

This feast day of the Immaculate Conception is not just a privilege for Mary: it's a prophecy for us.

The Feast of the Immaculate Conception reveals God's plan to conquer sin not just by repairing what is broken, but by preparing a path where grace triumphs first. This Advent we are invited to enter into the "Sacrament of the Present Moment", where God offers real, life-changing grace in each moment we choose to be present to Him. Mary's unique "yes" reminds us...

Homily from the Second Sunday of Advent.

We worry while we wait.

Advent teaches us not just to wait, but to trust while we wait. When we surrender worry and remember who God is, waiting becomes a place of grace instead of frustration.

Matthew 3:1-12

Homily from the First Sunday of Advent.

The process is the point.

When we are waiting, we often want to be "done". We want to be "there". We want our waiting to be over so that we can start living. But life happens right here and right now. And God is doing something right now. We do not simply endure waiting, we engage during the waiting. The declaration of faithful waiting is: I am confident that this moment is crucial.

Matthew 24:37-44

Homily from The Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe.

The moment of victory is the moment of vulnerability.

We often think that we win by being strong, or beautiful, or clever, or powerful. But Christ wins by another means. Christ the King, Lord of the Universe wins by choosing to empty Himself of all that we think we need to win.

Luke 23:35-43

Homily from the Thirty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time.

Would you rather be admired? Or loved?

The Day of the Lord is coming. When everything that is true about our hearts will be revealed. What should not be there must be burned up or transformed so that we can be fully known...and fully loved.

Luke 21:5-19

Homily from the Feast of the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica in Rome.

If you were what you were meant to be, you would set the world on fire.

There are some things that are dedicated...consecrated to be something special. They are meant to be something unique. Others merely used to be something unique. Which one am I?

John 2:13-22

Homily from the Commemoration of All the Faithfully Departed (All Souls).

By the end of this Mass, some things will be changed forever.

Purgatory is an essential teaching of Christianity. It highlights that salvation is both an event and a process. Purgatory is God's gift on continuing the process of making our hearts like His that He began in this life.

John 6:37-40

Homily from the Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time.

Nothing to Offer. Nothing to Prove. Nothing to Hide.

When we stand before the gates of Heaven and we are asked why we should be let in...what is our answer? How would we approach Heaven? How do we approach God now? We might approach God with our resume, or as an audition, or with perfection...but we need to approach in a different way.

Luke 18:9-14