Homily from the Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time.

Give the first fruits and gather the fragments.

We are given two commands in this weekend's readings: to give the first fruits and gather the fragments. Our temptation, however, is to do the opposite; to give the fragments and gather the first fruits. In order to have a heart like Christ, we must become givers.

John 6:1-15

Homily from the Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time.

A person cannot be excellent without rest.

Human beings are made in God's image. We are also made for love, for labor, and for leisure. Since the Fall, these gifts have become distorted in our hearts and we have to fight for the ability to love well, to labor well, and even to leisure well. But we must strive to rest well if we are going to be the people God has made and redeemed us to be.

Mark 6:30-34

Homily from the Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time.

Does God have permission to say "I want it back?"

We are all living on borrowed time. And borrowed gifts...and borrowed strengths... Everything we have has been loaned to us from God. At some point, God will interrupt our lives and will ask for His gifts back. He will interrupt our lives and ask for us to return all that has been entrusted to us. Will we be free enough to say "Here it is. I hope that the way I used it glorified You."?

Mark 6:7-13

Homily from the Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time.

God can be glorified through our wounds, not merely in spite of them.

We all experience brokenness. We all experience God's love through a broken lens. And yet we do encounter them in this way.

Mark 6:1-6

Homily from the Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time.

The Sacraments are God's presence and power...do we let them change us?

We continually come into contact with the living God in the Sacraments. But we often leave our encounter with the Sacraments the same as when we arrived. If we are open to what God wants, we are surrendering to His will.

Mark 5:21-43

Homily from the Twelfth Sunday in Ordinary Time.

Rebellion, Resentment, or Rejoicing.

We are called to surrender to God's will. But how do we surrender? Is it a matter of feeling or is it a matter of something else? Surrender is an active, dynamic thing. And it is the opposite of rebellion and resentment.

Mark 4:35-41

Homily from the Eleventh Sunday in Ordinary Time.

Courage is the willingness to do God's will on your own accord.

We find ourselves in a place where we face uncertainty and difficulty. And yet, we are called to nonetheless move forward with courage. We walk by faith and not by sight. We choose to trust in God's Word more than our fears.

Mark 4:26-34

Homily from the Tenth Sunday in Ordinary Time.

God can even use a broken world to accomplish His will.

What is the point of life? Is it to be happy? To get what you want? Or is the point of life to become like God? And this world is specifically designed to help you become that kind of person.

Mark 3:20-35