Homily for the Twenty-ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B. When I made the decision to enter seminary, the fall of my junior year at UW-Madison, God gave me several signs that I had made the right choice. The most significant sign was that I was asked to play the part of Jesus in a …
Mass of Hope and Healing, 10-15-2021
Homily for the Mass of Hope and Healing - For all those who have lost a child, born or pre-born. One of the most eye-opening things for me in the first two and a half years of my priesthood has been the number of couples who struggle with infertility. But equally eye-opening has been the …
Why I’m Glad Hell Exists
Homily for the Twenty-sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B. There are many things I love about Fall. I love the changing colors; I love the crisp, cool air; I love apple pie, apple tart, and applesauce. What I do not love is the days getting shorter. At this time of year, as the light …
He Wants to Be With You
Homily for the Twenty-Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B. What question are you most afraid to ask Jesus? For me, the question has always been, “What do you want me to do, Lord?” It’s a terrifying question because, well...what if the Lord answers? What if the Lord asks me to do something that I …
Canceling the Voice of God
Homily for the Twenty-third Sunday of Ordinary Time, Year B. When I was growing up, whenever any sort of new technology was invented, I always wanted to know how it worked. And although our family’s first computer wasn’t connected to the internet—which, admittedly, makes me sound like a caveman—when we finally got dial-up and then …
The Place of Decision
Homily for the Twenty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B. If you’ve ever seen a TV show or movie in which the Catholic faith is taken (at least somewhat) seriously, there will often be a scene in which one of the main characters will come to a priest for advice. And almost invariably, at some …
True Character
Homily for the Twenty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B. When I was in eighth grade, I participated in a national engineering competition called “Future City.” Our team ended up winning regionals and we represented the state of Wisconsin at the national level in Washington D.C. Part of the prize for winning regionals was a …
Marveling at Mary
Homily for the Solemnity of the Assumption. One of the dangers which faithful Catholics are constantly exposed to is moralism. Moralism is the reduction of every aspect of our faith to its moral dimension. Faced with a culture which is often morally indifferent, which says that we should do what feels right rather than what …
This is enough! Take my life.
Homily for the Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B. “This is enough, O Lord! Take my life.” On the last Saturday of April, 2011, I found myself sitting under a tree on the shore of lake Monona near the campus of UW-Madison. It was a grey day. The sky was grey, the water was …
A Fairytale Beginning
Homily for the Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B. Once upon a time, in the magical land of Humdrum, there lived a childless couple by the names of Herbert and Helga. They were advanced in years and had long given up hope of producing an heir. This was painful enough, but to add to …
