Sunday Homilies with Fr. Mike Schmitz

Homily from the Twenty-fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time.

God does not owe me anything.

Entitlement does not always look like entitlement. Sometimes, it simply feels like getting what we deserve. Whether it comes from pride or pain, we can believe that we are owed more. But grace is, by definition, an undeserved gift. The cure for entitlement is to stop asking what we are owed and to start asking what God has entrusted to us...and then receive it with gratitude.

Homily from the Twenty-fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time

There's angrily resisting reality...and there is saying "yes" to Life.

Anger as a Blind Spot doesn't necessarily mean "rage" or "seething". But sometimes the Blind Spot os anger is the subtle, chronic disposition towards Life. Rather than responding to Life, a person can choose to embrace the attitude of resenting Life.

Matthew 18:21-35

Homily from the Twenty-fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time

There's angrily resisting reality...and there is saying "yes" to Life.

Anger as a Blind Spot doesn't necessarily mean "rage" or "seething". But sometimes the Blind Spot os anger is the subtle, chronic disposition towards Life. Rather than responding to Life, a person can choose to embrace the attitude of resenting Life.

Matthew 18:21-35

Homily from the Twenty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time.

Gossip is speaking of someone else's faults and flaws with no intention to help them at all.

Gossip can be easy to recognize when someone else is doing it—and surprisingly difficult to see in ourselves. There are times when we need to speak about another person’s faults. But when there is no intention to help them, our words reveal a blind spot of our own.

Matthew 18:15-20

Homily from the Twenty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time.

You cannot become the person you were meant to be without the Cross.

No one likes to lose. But there is a difference between getting beaten and forfeiting. Because Jesus has won, the only way we can lose our souls is if we forfeit.

Matthew 16:21-27

Homily from the Twenty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time.

You cannot become the person you were meant to be without the Cross.

No one likes to lose. But there is a difference between getting beaten and forfeiting. Because Jesus has won, the only way we can lose our souls is if we forfeit.

Matthew 16:21-27

Homily from the Twenty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time

He gets to reveal Himself to me long before I get to have an opinion of Him.

Every one of us will have our own Caesarea Philippi, our place where we must answer the question, "Who do you say that Jesus is?" Who will we say? Will we point to a Jesus who is merely our own particular version of Christ? Or will we actually know the true Jesus?

Matthew 16:13-20

Homily from the Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time.

Can God can say no and we still stay?

When we come before God and ask for anything, we are making ourselves vulnerable. We are implicitly stating that God has our permission to give us His actual answer. We do not, and we cannot, force God into anything. He might say yes, He might say wait, and He might say no. The question is not, merely, what might God say. The question is, what will we do if the answer is no?

Homily from the Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time.

God still speaks in storms. God's children can still step in storms.

Life is filled with storms. From massive tragedies to normal, everyday battles, every person will regularly find ourselves in the midst of storms. We can often forget that God still speaks in the midst of storms. And God's children are not orphan in the midst of storms. We can still act in the midst of the storm....and discover that saints are made in storms.

Homily from the Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Can money buy happiness?

People will wisely claim that money cannot buy happiness. But what if the answer is actually "it depends"? It depends what you spend it on...and HOW you give.

Matthew 14:13-21

Homily from the Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time.

It is possible to use the gifts, use the opportunities...and lose your heart.

King Solomon asked God for an understanding heart, and he was blessed with incredible wisdom. So how did he end so poorly? He did remarkable things, but he failed to do the ordinary things.

Matthew 13:44-52

Homily from the Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time.

Faith grows through trial and prayer.

We all want a greater faith...and we all want a purified love. But how does our faith grow and how does our love get purified? Through trial and prayer. But we do not know how to pray as we ought. Prayer is more a posture than it is a procedure. And the posture is trust.

Matthew 13:24-43

Homily from the Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time.

It is possible to live the rest of your life with no more bad days.

Life can be so overwhelmingly difficult and challenging. But challenge and suffering can and do change us; they can break us down or they can change us. Not only that, but every challenge can be united to Christ and can change lives.

Matthew 13:1-23

Homily from the Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Citizens must live with conviction, responsibility, and courage.

On the 250th anniversary of our nation, it is a moment to stop and reflect on our identity. Are we "subjects" or are we "citizens"? Are we "American Catholics" or are we "Catholics who are citizens of America"? And what would it be to live as a citizen without the virtue of patriotism?

Matthew 11:25-30

Homily from the Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

The necessary risk we must take.

Jesus calls us to love Him first. To place Him ahead of every other goal or desire in our lives. In order to answer the question "What are you living for?", we have to take the risk of knowing what we are NOT living for.

Matthew 10:37-42

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