Father Matthew Wiering Podcast
246 episodes - English - Latest episode: 5 days ago - ★★★★★ - 22 ratingsHomilies by Fr. Matthew Wiering, Diocese of New Ulm, MN
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Episodes
4/9/20: Holy Thursday: Unless We Let Jesus Wash Us...
April 10, 2020 02:26 - 22 minutes - 11 MBWhenever we read John's Gospel, we are reading multiple layers of meaning. There is the historical-literal level that gives an historical account of something that Jesus said or did. But underneath that level is a deeper level that has a profound, spiritual meaning. This can certainly be said of John 13: the account of the Last Supper. This perspective gives us the story of Jesus's washing the feet of the disciples. Peter doesn't want to let Jesus touch this soiled, smelly part of his body. ...
4/5/20: Palm Sunday: The Lent We Wanted but Didn't Have
April 05, 2020 18:00 - 22 minutes - 10.9 MBIn today's magnificent Gospel of the Passion of Jesus from Matthew's Gospel, there's an emphasis on the human suffering of Jesus. He is presented to us as the Suffering Servant from Isaiah's Gospel (Isaiah 53) who atones for the sins of the world and redeems it through his suffering. One example of the human suffering of Jesus is the profound psychological suffering we see in the Agony of the Garden. Jesus is gripped by anxiety; yet, he is able to call upon his Abba ("Daddy"), and trustingly...
Bible Study: The Raising of Lazarus
April 02, 2020 02:57 - 35 minutes - 17.6 MBWhile in the homily for Sunday we talked about the overall symbolism John is using in the dramatic miracle of the raising of Lazarus, today we look more closely at some details of the story which help to draw us into the mystery of why God allows pain and suffering in the first place and how the resuscitation of Lazarus is actually a symbol of Christ's resurrection... and our own!
3/29/20: 5th Sunday of Lent: Jesus, the Remedy for our Spiritual Death
March 30, 2020 01:19 - 22 minutes - 11 MBThe past three weeks we have heard three dramatic stories of encounters with Jesus from John's Gospel: the encounter with the Samaritan woman at the well, the healing of the man born blind, and the raising of Lazarus. In each, the person encountered has a desperate problem. In each, Jesus provides the remedy. Looking at these stories from a spiritual perspective, we see how our own problems -- our unquenchable thirst, our spiritual blindness, and the death that occurs in our souls because of...
Bible Study: Annunciation #2 (Luke 1)
March 28, 2020 22:03 - 33 minutes - 16.5 MBDuring this time of staying at home, why not dive a little deeper into the Scriptures? Today we focus on the Annunciation to Zachariah of the birth of John the Baptist (Luke 1) and compare/contrast with the Annunciation to Mary of the birth of Jesus.
3/25/20: The Annunciation to Mary and More Masses Suspended
March 26, 2020 01:59 - 25 minutes - 12.5 MBToday's Feast of the Annunciation brings us back to the beginning of the New Covenant that God makes with his people: The sending of his only begotten Son, Jesus, who will give his life so that the world would live. We focus today on Mary in the Annunciation account... how it is her faith on God's message to her that brings about her yes, through which God has saved us in Jesus. Today in our many trials let us imitate the faith of Mary!
3/22/20: 4th Sunday of Lent: The Man Born Blind is Us
March 22, 2020 18:22 - 28 minutes - 14.1 MBToday we reflect on this amazing Gospel for the 4th Sunday of Lent and the deeply symbolic healing of the man born blind. As we reflect on the symbols of clay and the pool at Siloam, we realize that Jesus recreates us at our baptism and heals the terrible defect in us that has been present since our birth: original sin. But the healed man shows us that this healing of our spiritual blindness that we received at our baptism results in the gradual unfolding of our faith, which is brought to pe...
3/20/20: A Message for SMSU Students from your Chaplain
March 20, 2020 17:06 - 5 minutes - 2.5 MBBlessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and God of all encouragement, who encourages us in our every affliction, so that we may be able to encourage those who are in any affliction with the encouragement with which we ourselves are encouraged by God. For as Christ’s sufferings overflow to us, so through Christ does our encouragement also overflow. 2 Corinthians 1:3-5
3/19/20: St. Joseph's Day and the Suspension of Masses
March 19, 2020 23:57 - 14 minutes - 7.05 MBA prayer that we can pray to unite our hearts to the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass: "Heavenly Father, I unite my heart to the altar wherever Mass is being celebrated at this moment. Please make of my own heart an altar so that I can offer myself to You there, in union with Jesus's self-offering on the Cross. As Jesus offers His Body and Blood to You, let me offer myself along to You with Him. Amen." Every day we can make a Act of Spiritual Communion so that we receive the grace that we would ...
3/15/20: 3rd Sunday of Lent: What We Are Really Thirsting For
March 16, 2020 01:52 - 12 minutes - 6.06 MBWhen we read from John's Gospel, it's helpful for us to know that there are layers of symbolism found in nearly every line. In today's Gospel, the story of the Samaritan Woman, the woman's going to the well in order to draw water is literally for the purpose of quenching her physical thirst. But symbolically her physical thirst represents a deeper thirst within her: Her thirst to be known and loved. It's no unnecessary detail but also deeply symbolic that, after her close encounter with Jesu...
3/8/20: 2nd Sunday of Lent: The Light that Shines in the Darkness
March 08, 2020 17:01 - 15 minutes - 7.46 MBIn the account of the Transfiguration of Jesus, the Gospel writers stress a couple things: (1) That the light comes from Jesus (rather than shining on Jesus as if from the outside); and, (2) That the light comes precisely through (and not despite) his humanity. And such He wants it to be for us. Our humanity is not obstacle for God's grace but rather a conduit. He wants to so fill our hearts with the divine light that we become more and more the light of the world.
3/1/20: 1st Sunday of Lent: Adam and Eve and Right and Wrong
March 02, 2020 03:22 - 12 minutes - 6.21 MBToday's First Reading brings us back to the beginning of creation to the story of the original blessing (God's generous creation of and providence over the man and woman) and the original sin. While it's easy to get caught up in the details of the story, the symbolism that's used makes it clear that the original sin is simply the man and woman's attempt to determine for themselves what is good and evil, right and wrong, and whenever humans do this in the Scriptures, disaster follows...
2/26/27: A Homily for the Beginning of Lent
February 27, 2020 23:28 - 7 minutes - 3.53 MBEvery year Lent gives us the chance to make a new start in our relationship with God. A "reboot." Today's Gospel for Ash Wednesday helps us to understand how -- practically -- we might do this: Prayer, Fasting, and Almsgiving. But why these? We talk about how these three spiritual practices help us to get to the heart of what Lent is about.
2/23/20: 7th Sunday in Ordinary Time: The Standard for Christians is Love
February 24, 2020 04:12 - 15 minutes - 7.31 MBWhen Jesus cites the Old Testament maxim, "An eye for an eye; a tooth for a tooth," he's pointing to a standard governing relationships--that of justice. Justice, of course, is not a bad thing. On the contrary, it assures one of his rights and responsibilities relative to others. If we steal a sheep, we owe a sheep. This standard of justice is often the one that governs our relationships: If you are kind to me, I will be kind to you. If you mess with me, I will mess with you back. But for Je...
2/16/19: 6th Sunday in Ordinary Time: The Instruction Manual for Life
February 17, 2020 04:17 - 15 minutes - 7.74 MBIn today's Gospel we hear a chunk of Jesus's teaching from the Sermon on the Mount. It's tempting for us to listen to his teaching with a lack of enthusiasm when it challenges us. Yet what we often misunderstand is that Jesus does not give us the law in order to restrict our freedom or limit our happiness. On the contrary! The law that Jesus gives is the way that leads to our happiness. And the reason that we can be sure of this is that God is the one who created us, and so it is God who kno...
02/09/20: 5th Sunday in Ordinary Time: To Be Salt and Light -- The Story of the Japanese Martyrs
February 10, 2020 03:31 - 12 minutes - 6.26 MBToday Jesus tells his disciples that they must be "salt" and "light". Last week as I was reading about the story of St. Paul Miki and companions and the history of the Catholic Church in Japan, I was convicted I had to share their stories as examples of the impact of being salt and light. How is God calling you, in the concrete circumstances of your life, to be salt and light?
2/2/20: The Presentation of the Lord: Mary, Mother of Sorrows
February 02, 2020 20:37 - 17 minutes - 8.59 MBToday we focus on those mysterious words that Simeon prophesies to Mary, when she and Joseph present Jesus in the Temple: "And you yourself a sword shall pierce." Why would Simeon focus on Mary in this way? It seems that an answer can be found at the end of John's Gospel, where we see Mary standing at the foot of the Cross. Mary suffers along with Jesus. She doesn't try to run away, she doesn't close herself off in self-pity or lash out in blame for others. She is "Our Lady of Sorrow", the o...
1/26/20: 3rd Sunday in Ordinary Time: Show Us, Lord, Your Face!
January 27, 2020 03:39 - 13 minutes - 6.48 MBToday's Gospel gives us the beginning of Jesus's ministry in Galilee, including the call of the first disciples: Peter, Andrew, James, and John. The Lord called each one. Each one answered. And no one's life was the same after that. In our own life, have we felt Jesus speaking to us, reaching out to us? Have we experienced him turn his face towards us, as the disciples experienced in the Gospel? We can all make our prayer that of the Psalmist: "Show us your face, O Lord! Hide not your face f...
1/19/20: 2nd Sunday in Ordinary Time: Why Was Jesus Baptized?
January 20, 2020 04:27 - 13 minutes - 6.51 MBToday we continue with the surprising event of the baptism of Jesus, this time hearing from the perspective of John's Gospel. Surprising, because everybody else was going to John the Baptist to be baptized as a sign of their repentance from sin and their desire to live a new life. Obviously this wasn't why Jesus sought baptism. In today's Gospel, we talk about why WAS Jesus baptized...
St. Joseph Reflection #1: True Spouse
January 13, 2020 02:37 - 32 minutes - 15.7 MBA change of pace this week with a reflection on St. Joseph from our Christmas seminarian retreat. We reflect on the Matthew Chapter 1, which focuses on the perspective of St. Joseph, and show how the chaste marriage between Mary and Joseph is nonetheless a true marriage. Therefore Joseph is patron of husbands and and those who are called to be spouse of the Church: bishops and the priests united to them.
1/5/19: Solemnity of the Epiphany: The Wise Give Gifts
January 06, 2020 17:34 - 13 minutes - 6.5 MBThe Gospel account of the visit of the Magi to Bethlehem tells us that these wise men from the East brought gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. In addition to being symbolic of Jesus's identity, these gifts also help us to understand--if we wish to be wise--what gifts we ourselves should make to God.
12/1/19: 1st Sunday of Advent: Stay Awake!
December 02, 2019 04:19 - 15 minutes - 7.43 MBBoth Jesus and Paul in our readings today exhort their listeners to "stay awake"! Both are encouraging vigilance because of the coming of the Son of Man -- we never know when our life will be demanded of us. Paul elaborates on what this "wakefulness" looks like in the concrete: not in orgies or drunkenness or rivalries or jealousies (in other words, not in serious sins that damage our relationships with God and others) but rather in "putting on" the Lord Jesus. Let us pray for the grace to d...
11/24/19: Solemnity of Christ the King: King of the Universe, King of our Heart
November 25, 2019 03:52 - 12 minutes - 5.81 MBSt. Paul in our second reading today reminds us that Jesus is the "image of the invisible God." This helps us to understand how Jesus is King of the Universe: He is the Lord of the Universe and of History come in person. Amazing, this King of the Universe has no desire to remain in his palace, aloof from his subjects, but he desires also to be King of our Hearts. Let us allow him in!
St. Joseph of Cupertino: The Flying Patron of Students
November 18, 2019 14:06 - 10 minutes - 4.85 MBWe take a break from the Sunday homilies today to give a shout-out to a St. Joseph of Cupertino, perhaps best known as the "Flying Saint" because of his dramatic levitations witnessed by many while he was at prayer and Mass. Yet it is not miracles but the quality of one's character that makes a saint, and St. Joseph's humility and simple trust in God make him a worthy patron of students and the rest of us!
11/10/19: 32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time: Are We Married in Heaven?
November 11, 2019 03:44 - 14 minutes - 7.15 MBIn today's Gospel, the Sadducees, in order to test Jesus, propose a hypothetical situation in which a woman ends up being married to each of seven brothers. When everyone has died, they ask, to whom will she be married? Jesus answer may shock us: There is human marriage here on earth. There is not human marriage in heaven. In this homily we explore what Jesus means by this and how it actually helps us so much to understand what marriage is.
11/3/19: 31st Sunday in Ordinary Time: Your Vocation is Holiness!
November 04, 2019 04:14 - 16 minutes - 7.74 MBOn this Sunday of Vocations Awareness Week, we have the magnificent story of Zacchaeus, a big sinner, unquestionably "unworthy" of an encounter with God, yet Jesus calls him out anyway and proceeds to go to dine at his home. What is the result of this unexpected encounter with the merciful heart of Jesus? Zacchaeus experiences a conversion of heart. God pursues him, meets him, and then calls him to holiness. Such is the story of our life too. And as we strive for holiness and grow in relatio...
All Saints Day 2019: Why the Fuss about the Saints?
November 02, 2019 00:29 - 9 minutes - 4.49 MBIn this All Saints' Day homily, we talk about what a saint is, what canonization is, and why the heck Catholics think saints are such a big deal...
10/27/19: 30th Sunday in Ordinary Time: Authentic Faith Leads to Love (a.k.a. Don't be The Church Lady)
October 28, 2019 02:49 - 13 minutes - 6.75 MBToday's Gospel gives us an example of religion gone wrong: The Pharisee practices virtue and religion, and it leads to judgmentalism and uncharity. The tax collector, a "big sinner", humbles himself before God and is justified. The truth is that -- whatever one's perception of religious people might be -- an authentic encounter with God leaves one more loving, merciful, and forgiving. That is what authentic Catholicism looks like.
10/20/19: 29th Sunday in Ordinary Time: We Can't Do it Alone
October 21, 2019 01:48 - 15 minutes - 7.67 MBToday's reading from Exodus reminds us of an important spiritual truth. As Moses needed the assistance of Aaron and Hur to keep his arms up, praying for victory for the Israelites, so do we need the assistance of others in our own spiritual journey. We can't do it alone, which is why Jesus gives us the Church, so that we might be in a family of faith--supported, encouraged, challenged and held accountable. This is what Jesus wants our parishes to look and feel like! What can we do on a perso...
10/13/19: 28th Sunday in Ordinary Time: Humility (and Gratitude!) for Suffering
October 14, 2019 01:37 - 13 minutes - 6.67 MBToday's first reading features the end of the great story of Naaman the Syrian, a respected general who suffers from a skin condition. Desperate for healing, Naaman is an example for us who suffer (all of us), because he is willing to submit and humble himself, leading to healing, gratitude, and a life-changing encounter with God. Would that we all respond to our crosses in life with such humility (and gratitude!) and thus encounter the God who allows us suffering precisely so that it will l...
10/6/19: 27th Sunday in Ordinary Time: To Have Faith is to Surrender
October 07, 2019 02:25 - 11 minutes - 5.5 MBIn today's Gospel, the disciples say to Jesus, "Increase our faith". And he answers back, "If you had faith the size of a mustard seed..." They are asking for something big, and he says that they must have something small. The disciples are constantly struggling in the Gospels to "increase" in various ways, yet Jesus wants that they would instead be small, like "little children." Authentic faith means not confidence in one's self but in God. It means believing in God's strength while we are ...
9/29/19: 26th Sunday in Ordinary Time: God Prefers the Poor (a.k.a. What Will Keep Us Out of Hell)
September 29, 2019 16:30 - 14 minutes - 6.82 MBToday's challenging Gospel make clear a preoccupation found throughout the Scriptures: Nearly every prophet, including Jesus, has harsh words for the rich, who enjoy the comforts of life while those around them are deprived. Jesus's words in the Gospels often present care for the poor as the prerequisite for salvation, while neglect of the poor is depicted as a sure road to losing it. May this Gospel change the way that we live so that we too learn to prefer that which God prefers -- care fo...
9/22/19: 25th Sunday in Ordinary Time: The Opposite of Love is Use
September 23, 2019 01:57 - 13 minutes - 6.72 MBIn today's first reading from the prophet Amos, we hear two accusations against Israel: That they have put business above God and that they have put business above people. One of the principles of Catholic Social Teaching is that the the economy, while good, cannot be placed above the good of all people. For instance, the economy shouldn't benefit some while hurting many. This brings us to the teaching of St. John Paul II, who taught that the human person is such a great good that it is neve...
9/15/19: 24th Sunday in Ordinary Time: The Prodigal Son and the Foolish Mercy of God
September 16, 2019 02:53 - 11 minutes - 5.17 MBToday's magnificent parable of the Prodigal Son is introduced by two shorter parables. Between the three there is a shepherd who leaves ninety-nine sheep to find one, a woman who turns her house upside-down to find a nickel, and a father who receives his son back after he's squandered half his property. To us, the shepherd, the woman, and the father all seem to act foolishly. But this is precisely the point. God sees each of his lost children as precious and unique, and he will go to any len...
9/8/19: 23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time: "Hating" our Loved Ones (a.k.a. Loving God First)
September 09, 2019 03:27 - 13 minutes - 6.25 MBToday Jesus shocks us by declaring to the crowds, "Whoever comes to me without hating his father and mother, wife and children, even his own life, cannot be my disciples." Jesus is not talking about having hate-filled feelings here, but rather he is indicating the reality that often our loves compete with one another or seem to be in conflict: our love for God can conflict with our love for our family or children. Upon closer examination, however, we realize that our loves must be properly o...
9/1/19: 22nd Sunday of Ordinary Time: The Humble Realize they are Needy Too
September 02, 2019 03:16 - 12 minutes - 5.83 MBToday Jesus gives us two concrete situations in which our attitude towards others is tested. When we our honest with ourselves, how prideful we can be! Yet Jesus shows us that humility doesn't divide us it unites us -- because it helps us to realize that we are all fellow sinners who struggle!
8/25/19: 21st Sunday in Ordinary Time: Our Salvation Depends on It
August 26, 2019 03:28 - 14 minutes - 6.77 MBToday's difficult Gospel is illuminated by our first reading from the prophet Isaiah. There we find a message that would have confused and troubled God's people: The foreigners whom they have always regarded with suspicion will join them in offering sacrifice at the Temple in Jerusalem. In other words, God wants to save all of the nations through Israel. This prophecy is finally fulfilled in Christ's Church, which brings peoples of every race and language and culture to the altar to worship ...
8/15/19: What the Assumption of Mary Means for Us
August 15, 2019 16:41 - 8 minutes - 3.82 MBToday we celebrate the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, which marks the culmination of Mary's life on earth. The Church believes that Mary, having reached the end of her earthly life, was assumed into heaven by God, both in body and soul. One temptation that might strike us with this event is, "What does this have to do with me?" Or, "Who cares?" Today we talk about why the Assumption is actually deeply meaningful for us, providing for us a source of hope and consolati...
8/11/19: 19th Sunday in Ordinary Time: Your Father is Pleased
August 11, 2019 15:34 - 10 minutes - 4.98 MBThe first sentence from the Gospel the Church gives us today contains these consoling (and perhaps surprising) words: Your Father is pleased to give you the kingdom. How often do we presume that the Father is disappointed in us? Saddened by us? Angry with us? Actually, the Father's stance towards us is always merciful love, and he takes great pleasure in us. Why and how is this possible? Only because of what happens at our baptism, by which Christ marks our soul with His own personal presenc...
8/4/19: 18th Sunday in Ordinary Time: What Matters to God
August 05, 2019 13:18 - 10 minutes - 4.79 MBToday's Scripture readings give us some practical examples of how money, property, and possessions can hurt and even destroy human relationships. The last line of Jesus's parable is telling: "Thus will it be for all who store up treasure for themselves but are not rich in what matters to God." So the question we must ask is "What matters to God?" What is more important to God: The inheritance a man receives or the relationship with his brother that is destroyed because of the inheritance? In...
7/28/19: 17th Sunday in Ordinary Time: The Importance of Wasting Time (a.k.a. How We Fall in Love)
July 29, 2019 03:01 - 13 minutes - 6.46 MBIn today's Gospel, the disciples ask Jesus how they should pray because they see him praying, and he apparently prays in such a way that made them want whatever he had! Today we talk about the necessity of "wasting time" with God and give some practical suggestions on building one's life of prayer.
6/2/19: Ascension Sunday: Why the Disciples were Happy that Jesus Left
June 03, 2019 03:04 - 11 minutes - 5.27 MBNormally when someone leaves us it is a sad occasion, unless we are sick of that person. In Luke's Gospel account of the Ascension, however, we hear that the disciples returned to Jerusalem "with great joy" after Jesus was taken up into heaven. Diving into what it means for Jesus to be taken up into heaven -- Jesus's being taken up into God's existence -- helps us to understand that, at the "right hand of the Father", Jesus can be more present to me hear and now than he could while on earth....
5/26/19: 6th Sunday of Easter: How to Restore Peace in our Hearts (a.k.a. The Pirate's Prayer)
May 27, 2019 00:31 - 12 minutes - 5.8 MBToday we hear Jesus say to his disciples, "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid." The fruit of the Holy Spirit whom the Father sends in Jesus's name into our hearts is peace. Yet how often do we let our hearts "be troubled or afraid"? Worldy anxiety and lack of trust often make our hearts fearful and anxious. So what should we do when we have lost God's peace?
5/19/19: 5th Sunday of Easter: Love is Proven by Deeds (a.k.a. Why Catholics have Crucifixes)
May 20, 2019 02:55 - 13 minutes - 6.29 MBJesus gives us two words to focus on in today's Gospel: glory and love. Both of these words can mean different things to us, but the important thing is, what do they mean to Jesus? We dig deeper and find that both find their meaning for Jesus in the gift that he makes of himself on the Cross. Which makes us really happy that our Catholic churches and homes present to us crosses with the dead body of Jesus on it: The moment that he calls his "glory" and the place where he proves his "love".
5/12/19: 4th Sunday of Easter: Imitating the most Famous Belgian Ever
May 12, 2019 18:35 - 14 minutes - 6.89 MBOn this Good Shepherd Sunday, we meditate on the life of a good shepherd whose feast day the Church in the United States just celebrated on May 10: St. Damien of Molokai. His life shows us how to be happy and how to be a saint -- by making our life a gift.
5/5/19: 3rd Sunday of Easter: Charcoal Fires and Cheetos
May 05, 2019 16:00 - 14 minutes - 6.68 MBOne of the intriguing details from today's Gospel is John's inclusion of the detail that Jesus was standing by a charcoal fire when he appears to the Gospels. We talk about the hidden significance of this image and how it leads us to see what brings us to true life: Making a gift of ourselves, which Jesus does for us by giving us to eat his very Body and Blood.