Leper Faith

The 28th Sunday in Ordinary Time. "After Jesus heals the leper he tells him that his faith has saved him. What does that mean?"

What Dives Tells Us About Lazarus

The 26th Sunday in Ordinary Time. "Why does the rich man have no name? What is our response to poverty and why does it matter?"

The Lesson of the Dishonest Steward

The 25th Sunday in Ordinary Time. "What is Jesus getting at with this strange seeming parable? How can we apply its principles, especially with evangelization and stewardship?"

The Prodigal Lesson

The 24th Sunday in Ordinary Time. "What the parable of the Prodigal Son teaches us about life and life in God."

No Halfway Disciples

The 23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time. "Jesus seems to express extreme views about what we need to do to follow him. Why is he so demanding that we put nothing else before him?"

The Importance of Humility

The 22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time. "Why struggle to be important, popular, or better than others? God gives us another way to live that is concerned with what our God wants. We practice this through a life of humility."

To Know and to Love

The 21st Sunday in Ordinary Time. "Jesus says he doesn't know us even if we ate with him and he taught in our streets. How is that possible and what can we do to allow him to know us in the way that brings salvation to us and his people?"

The Purpose of Jesus' Gift of Himself

The 20th Sunday in Ordinary Time. "Jesus wants us to be on fire for him. But what are the consequences if we don't live for him, his gospel, and his kingdom? We can see the effects all around us but the good news is that we can live as we were created to do so and have his promises to boot."

Special Teaching - Immigration

Immigration is a hot issue today. In this special teaching, Fr. Mike explores the Bible, Church Teaching, Pope Francis, and some practical responses.

Faith and Faithfulness

The 19th Sunday in Ordinary Time. "What is faith? What is the fullest meaning of the word and what does a life of faith bring?"

Sin and the Lessons of Abraham and Sodom and Gomorrah

The 17th Sunday in Ordinary Time. "Sodom and Gomorrah are symbolic of idolatry and a people giving themselves over to every kind of sin. How do we understand sin and how do we respond to it as Christians?"

Sacred Hospitality

The 16th Sunday in Ordinary Time. "What is hospitality based in? What are some ancient rules that will help us to be good hosts and good guests? Finally, what does it say about our relationship with God and our life in Christ?"

Missionary Catholics

The 14th Sunday in Ordinary Time. "Jesus calls all of us to missionary disciples and missionary Catholics. Today's sending of the 72 gives some great instructions on how to do that well."

To Live and Learn with the Eucharist

The Feast of the Body and Blood of Christ - Corpus Christi. "Some things are worth believing including the Eucharist. Why should be believe and what should we do about it? We can live and learn."

Struggle and Abide in Trinity

The Feast of the Holy Trinity. "How does the Trinity help us to know God and experience him through faith in our struggles and our abiding in him?"

Descending and Ascending

The Feast of the Ascension. "The Ascension isn't about Jesus disappearing into Heaven, but about Jesus being glorified after his humble service. It is also a time we prepare for Pentecost through imitating our Lord's humility, praying, and getting to work."

Good Shepherding

4th Sunday of Easter. "Jesus is the Good Shepherd. He comes from a long line of shepherds in the Old Testament but he is God so he can fully accomplish what a Good Shepherd must. We also are commissioned to shepherd others.."

The Disciples Are So Excited!

3rd Sunday of Easter. "Jesus appears to them a third time and they are overwhelmed with excitement. Jesus invites them to have breakfast and spend time with him. He does the same with us every week."

Doubting Thomas?

2nd Sunday of Easter. "Thomas got a bum rap. But the example of what he did right speaks to us all, especially at this time."

Palm Sunday and the Entrance

Palm Sunday. "What does Jesus' entrance into Jerusalem mean, and how does the way it happened fulfill what the prophets said hundreds of years before and show why Jesus is the Messiah?"

The Prodigal Sons and Father

Fourth Sunday of Lent. "The parable of the Prodigal Son is a classic. The three characters have much to teach us about our faith and how to live it."

Repentance and Tragedy

Third Sunday of Lent. "Jesus uses some tragedies to speak about the the nature of bad things happening to lead to the ultimately more important question."

Blessed in this Mess?

Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time. "Jesus gives a seemingly contradictory explanation of happiness or blessedness. How is it possible to be blessed while enduring hardship?"

Jeremiah and the Lesson of Humanity

Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time. "Jeremiah and the lesson of the human person. How do we follow the consequence of God's law?"

Jesus' Short Homily at Nazareth

Third Sunday in Ordinary Time. "Why did Jesus read that text from Isaiah? What did it mean? What does that call us all into?"

Jesus Gets Baptized for Us

Feast of the Baptism of the Lord. "What Baptism is for us, why Jesus was baptized, and what we can learn from his example. What does Jesus and baptism lead us to?"

The Epiphany and the Magi

Feast of the Epiphany. "The Magi show us what responding to God's draw to discover truth, justice, and restoration looks like."

Family and the Holy Family

Feast of the Holy Family. "The Holy Family teaches us how holiness can be found in the context of ordinary life. Wherever we are in our families, God can lift us up as well."

Straightening Our Paths

2nd Sunday of Advent. "John the Baptist quoting Isaiah invites us to allow God to fill in our valleys, bring down our mountains, and make our roads straight and smooth. What does that mean?"

Real Hope In Our Real God

1st Sunday of Advent. "Jeremiah's preaching to turn back to God, worship God alone, and follow God's law is also what he preaches to us. This is because we live by a hope that has been realized in Christ. Advent helps us to live according to the reality to which we have been called into."

Hear O Israel - and Catholics!

31st Sunday in Ordinary Time. "Hear O Israel... The Shema and Jesus' teachings are rooted in God speaking, our hearing, and our responding. Our response in loving action means that we know how to speak naturally about what is most important."

The Good Challenge

28th Sunday in Ordinary Time. "Jesus and the Rich Young Man helps us to know what is most important and how to follow him."

God's Intention - Marriage and the Impossible Ideal

27th Sunday in Ordinary Time. "What did Jesus teach about marriage and why? How does his teaching help us to strive toward his intention in our creation and how do we do that?"

To Depend and Trust

25th Sunday in Ordinary Time. "God calls us to make him highest in our lives. We can only do that with trust, humility, and service. Yet, this is how God asks us to live."

To desire and be drawn by God

24rd Sunday in Ordinary Time. "We desire God and he draws us in. So why don't we follow through better? God reveals himself in three ways. It's through revelation in the Church that we can know the fullness of God through Scripture, Church teaching, and prayer."

All Things Well

23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time. "Who is like Jesus? Why is he unique? How do we accept his uniqueness in a world where many choose not to? What can we do practically to live according to his perfection?"

Eat, Drink, Live

20th Sunday in Ordinary Time. "Why do we believe the Eucharist is Jesus? What is the Eucharist? What is the purpose of the Eucharist?"

Bread and Jesus

18th Sunday in Ordinary Time. "What does our heart truly seek? How does God provide us a way to that end? What is with the bread?"

Multiplication and Mana

17th Sunday in Ordinary Time. "Why was the multiplication of the loaves and fishes so important? What was it really saying? How can we enter into the Kingdom that Jesus, the Messiah, brings?"

T-Rex and Jesus' Rejection

14th Sunday in Ordinary Time. "Do we dismiss because we think we have something all figured out? Have we lost our sense of wonder? This is what happened in Nazareth when Jesus was rejected in his home town. How can we avoid the same mistakes?"

Jairus and Coming to Christ

13th Sunday in Ordinary Time. God demonstrates that we are not disposable. If we come to God, we need to put a little effort into it, come in humility, and live for God rather than the opinions of others."

Birth of John the Bapist

Birth of John the Baptist. "What is a prophet? What does John teach us and how can we be prophets in word and deed like John?"

How Do We Pray?

11th Sunday in Ordinary Time. How the Kingdom grows is how it works with prayer as well. Thomas Green has a nice little book describing prayer. I hit some highlights this weekend and help frame what prayer is and how to do it well."

The Fount and Summit of Christian Life

Feast of the Body and Blood of Christ. For what and for whom do we live? What ultimately can make us fulfilled and happy? Jesus, Vatican II, and The Catechism tell us it is the Eucharist as the fount and high point of Christian life. Why?"

The Consequence of the Trinity

Feast of the Holy Trinity. Why does the Trinity matter? What are the implications of the Trinity? How specifically can we live in harmony with what God teaches us in his very nature?"

Unity and Pentecost

Feast of Pentecost. What the Holy Spirit and the Church teach us about unity in the Body of Christ."

Jesus Shepherds In Us and Through Us

Good Shepherd Sunday is also First Communion Sunday at St. James. How does Jesus shepherd us and how can we learn from his example by allowing others to shepherd us and encouraging us to be shepherds for others."

Lenten Mission - Answering the Skeptic

This week and for the next three weeks we have a parish mission The mission is partly based on the book "The Case for Jesus" written by Brant Pitre as well as Fr. Mike's own research and commentary. It is focused on giving reasonable explanations to the skeptic who might also have a bias against Christianity. How can we know and explain who Jesus was and is? How do we know that our information is accurate? Can we reasonably have confidence in what Jesus said and did? Did Jesus really claim to be God? These and other questions will be discussed."

Leaving Our Mark

5th Sunday in Ordinary Time: "How do we live according to what is eternal? How does Jesus want to leave his mark in us? How can we leave our mark on the world?"

God's Calling and our Calling

2nd Sunday in Ordinary Time: "God calls all of us to him. We find our calling when we are open, sit at his feet, step out in faith, and persevere. We don't need to wait, he calls us now and where we are."