Saturday, November 29, 2008

Thanksgiving Day 27 November 2008

Click here to download this homily (11 minutes) given by Fr. Thomas Weise.  Only one of the ten persons with leprosy returns to give thanks to Jesus for the healing he had received.  How often does our own familiarity with our abundant blessings cause us to at least appear ungrateful?  How wonderful the rain is to those suffering a drought, yet I hear the rain in the morning and I just want to go back to sleep.  As we gather for the Eucharist (Greek for thanksgiving) let us call to mind our many blessings.  

Click here to listen to this homily.

Homework:  Make a list to ten things you are grateful for each night before bed in your journal.

Readings: Sirach 50:22-24; Psalm 113; 1 Corinthians 1:3-9; Luke 17:11-19.


Our Lord Jesus Christ the King 23 Nov 2008

Click here to download this homily (17 minutes) given by Fr. Thomas Weise at the 11 am Mass.  In the final section of Matthew 25 that we hear today we see the sheep separated from the goats at the last judgment.  Our goal in life is to be sheep under the one shepherd who is Christ the King.  Sheep go to heaven because they took care of Jesus in the distressing disguise of the poor and those in need.  To gain the Kingdom of Heaven at the end of our lives we need to put our faith into action and care for those in need by performing the corporal works of mercy: feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, cloth the naked, welcome the stranger, care for the sick, visit the imprisoned, and bury the dead.  "If you think going to church makes you  Christian, you probably think sitting in a garage will make you a car." ~ Garrison Keillor


Readings: Ezekiel 34:11-12, 15-17; Psalm 23; 1 Corinthians 15:20-26, 28; Matthew 25:31-46.

Sunday, November 16, 2008

33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time 16 November 2008

Click here to down load This Homily (20 minutes) given by Fr. Thomas Weise at the 11 am Mass.  In the parable of the talents we are each challenged to look closely at how well we are using the talents that God has entrusted to us to help others.  How much time do we waist wishing we had different talents? When we share the Spirit of God which is love with another the love grows exponentially.  When we  fail to share this love with others we loose what little we may have had.  The only way to hold on to God's love and remain filled with the Spirit is to learn to give ourselves away at the service of others.


Readings: Proverbs 31; Psalm 128; 1 Thessalonians 5:1-6; Matthew 2514-30.

Friday, November 14, 2008

Dedication of Lateran Basilica in Rome 9 Nov 2008

Click here to download This Homily (14 minutes) by Fr. Thomas Weise that was given at the 5:30 evening Mass. How well do I live out Paul's claim that "You are God's building. ... Do you not know that you are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?"  Do people meet the love of God when they meet me?  When they meet you?  Our call is to be the life giving waters that flow out from the temple making all this fresh (Ezekiel 47).  How do we do this?  When we come to communion and receive the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior we are filled once again with the Glory of God.  Then we hear, "The Mass is ended go in Peace."  We are sent out as living Tabernacles of the Lord, and we are to carry that presence home with us and then on to work or school.  Go get some one wet with the love of God that fills you to overflowing!


Readings: Ezekiel 47:1-2, 8-9, 12; Psalm 46; 1 Corinthians 3:9c-11, 16-17; John 2:13-22.