Fr. John Ehrich Catholic Homilies

Fr. John Ehrich, STL For all of you history buffs, the question of what date to use when referencing the Declaration of Independence, etc. depends. The Declaration was approved on July 2nd, but not ratified until the 4th, the day it has always been celebrated. The Constitution was created in 1787, ratified in 1788, but didn't come into effect until 1789. The Bill of Rights created in 1789 but not ratified until 1791. I have focused on when each actually came into effect.

The Chaplet of Divine Mercy

July 04, 2020 00:07 - 7 minutes - 9.67 MB

Fr. John Ehrich, STL St. Thomas More Catholic Church Glendale, AZ.

What Does God Want From You? - 13th Sunday in Ordinary Time

June 28, 2020 23:26 - 10 minutes - 7.76 MB

Fr. John Ehrich, STL St. Thomas More Catholic Church, Glendale, AZ.

Break Free From a Victim Identity - 12th Sunday in Ordinary Time

June 21, 2020 18:21 - 9 minutes - 6.78 MB

Fr. John Ehrich, STL St. Thomas More Catholic Church

Yes, He Really Meant It! - Corpus Christi

June 14, 2020 19:34 - 12 minutes - 8.94 MB

Fr. John Ehrich, STL

What the Family Tells Us About God - Most Holy Trinity

June 07, 2020 16:00 - 12 minutes - 17.4 MB

Fr. John Ehrich, STL St. Thomas More Catholic Church For the entire video worship service go to www.stmglendale.org

Who and Why the Holy Spirit? - Pentecost Sunday

May 31, 2020 16:00 - 7 minutes - 6.46 MB

Fr. John Ehrich, STL For full Sunday Worship Service video and music please check out www.stmglendale.org

What Does the Ascension Mean for All of Us? - Ascension Sunday

May 24, 2020 16:00 - 8 minutes - 8.18 MB

Fr. John Ehrich, STL Please see entire Worship Service video at www.stmglendale.org

Living Faithfully in Freedom - 6th Sunday in Easter

May 16, 2020 16:00 - 8 minutes - 7.46 MB

Fr. John Ehrich, STL For full worship service video go to stmglendale.org

God Doesn't Do What He Is Supposed To - 5th Sunday of Easter

May 10, 2020 15:30 - 7 minutes - 13.4 MB

The disciples are in a state of excitement and confusion as they recover from a series of events and realizations. Jesus is crucified, His body is gone from the tomb and He appears absent, and then He reveals himself as resurrected, alive again. So He’s with them in presence and life in new form...but then again, He says, “I am leaving.” And the key note to remember is his last words, “Follow Me.” We hear the departing words of Jesus that His new purpose is to go back to the Father in order...

Why Listen To His Voice? - 4th Sunday of Easter

May 04, 2020 15:49 - 9 minutes - 8.85 MB

Jesus regularly speaks in metaphors about animals and crops, often relating to the agrarian citizens of his historical time. Take the ‘Shepherd and His Flock’ concept. One of His ideas or depictions could portray two or three shepherds meeting, and congregating together, and therefore, so do their flocks - their individual group of sheep mingle together into a larger flock. If we regard the role of shepherds to the role of priests and prominent holy people, we could see how contemporary rel...

Our Hearts Burn For The Eucharist - 3rd Sunday of Easter

April 26, 2020 19:54 - 9 minutes - 4.28 MB

A famous story: The Road to Emmaus After the harsh and difficult events of the Lord’s Crucifixion and then the rumor His resurrection, you, the reader, can surmise the quality of emotion and struggle that is taking place in the hearts of these disciples. And then a stranger appears. Initially, the disciples don’t recognize Him as Jesus Christ, the very catalyst of all these past events. But as they continually share in conversation and even vulnerability with this stranger, He allows th...

Mercy Is Received, But Can We Give It? - Divine Mercy Sunday

April 19, 2020 15:30 - 4 minutes - 8.89 MB

The Son of God bears the wounds of the cross for all of eternity. How severe and powerful this idea of evil can be seen, in the scars of our savior for all of time. Nevertheless, Jesus’ disposition to the disciples is not victimhood but instead revealed when He says the words “peace be with you.” In other words, “Yes, this severity truly happened, but this is mercy.” The same mercy is available to each of us. Divine Mercy is freedom that is perfectly given and in pursuit of peace. Can we ...

Renew Our Faith and Trust In Jesus - Easter 2020

April 13, 2020 02:18 - 9 minutes - 6.78 MB

This may be one of the strangest Easter celebrations in our recent memory. So many are unable to come to the church in person on one of the most celebrated days of the year. It’s important to remember that God did not cause this pandemic nor has he abandoned us. He may be in the midst of it and He still has as much strength and power as ever. We can see the Resurrection event from the perspective of disciples who were confronted with a very baffling encounter. They did not understand it, ...

Sacrifice Is Integral To Christianity - Holy Thursday 2020

April 10, 2020 15:56 - 12 minutes - 8.25 MB

Fr. John Ehrich Watch the full livestream Mass at www.stmglendale.org

Why God Allows Suffering and Death? - Palm Sunday 2020

April 05, 2020 14:11 - 6 minutes - 8.44 MB

Fr. John Ehrich For full video and worship service please go to www.stmglendale.org

One Decade A Day - Pray One Decade of the Rosary Each Day Together

April 03, 2020 19:29 - 2 minutes - 6.71 MB

I'm asking everyone to pray one decade of the rosary a day for each other, for our intentions and for a swift end to the Coronavirus. Please email us and tell us you are going to commit to this: [email protected]

Our Emptiness Is A Space For God's Grace - 5th Sunday In Lent

March 29, 2020 16:00 - 5 minutes - 13.1 MB

Fr. John Ehrich www.stmglendale.org

Making Room For God - 4th Sunday of Lent

March 23, 2020 15:57 - 3 minutes - 3.19 MB

Fr. John Ehrich Stmglendale.org

How To Reach People - 3rd Sunday of Lent

March 16, 2020 02:35 - 4 minutes - 5.54 MB

How do we forge relationship, communicate and stay close to people when it can be difficult at times? Especially when we try to affect the truth of God in others who might not be receptive to the message, this can be a continual struggle and even feel like a challenge. For parents of teenagers, opposing family members, friendships, coworkers, and strangers - communication breakdowns about faith or theology, theopraxy, or morality can stifle connection and relationship. In today’s Gospel, we...

Remain Steadfast In Hope! - 2nd Sunday of Lent

March 09, 2020 00:09 - 10 minutes - 15 MB

There on the mountain, Moses communed with God for many years and brought back the promises to . This period of time was a well known to the followers of Jesus. So when they witness Christ being raised up, shown with Moses and Elijah, they know he is truly the Messiah. This means He is truly their deliverer and prophetic figure that the hearts of many were waiting for. What are our hearts waiting for? What future or unfulfilled promises do we carry with us; maybe even ask God to deliver us ...

Why Adam's Sin Was So Severe - 1st Sunday in Lent

March 02, 2020 03:06 - 12 minutes - 17.1 MB

Sin and death came into the world, not simply because these first two human beings are the forbidden fruit. We know this Genisis story along with many others that are allegorical in nature. Without getting caught up in the historical accuracy, we can be attentive to the purposes of these stories and the wisdom they impart to us today. We are given life by God as He breathes life into us from our birth. He made us male and female. He made us and saw “that it was good.” Satan is a the father ...

"Rend Your Hearts" - Ash Wednesday 2020

February 27, 2020 23:44 - 8 minutes - 19.4 MB

Fr. John Ehrich St. Thomas More, Glendale, AZ.

"I Am Not Better Than You" - 7th Sunday In Ordinary Time

February 24, 2020 03:03 - 12 minutes - 17.7 MB

We all know friends or people in our own lives who truly struggle. No matter their upbringing, circumstances, issues such as addiction or abuse and their repercussions can be a damaging and lifelong battle for many people we might know intimately. Seeing the humanity of a person and the desperate reality they live in can be a very humbling sight. Have you ever wondered what it’s like to hear confession? It is a theme among a large number of people that we all are striving to be better despi...

Love or Law or Something In Between? - 6th Sunday in Ordinary Time

February 17, 2020 00:23 - 13 minutes - 9.24 MB

It’s been said by many scholars of scripture that “Jesus is more about love than the law;” a statement that we can be attentive to. How easy it is for us, as members of nations, societies, religions, and clubs, to use language such this, which often can be dichotomous, dualistic or black/white thinking. While the lasting and promised mercy of Christ is certainly apart of our salvation, could it not be said that Jesus is “about” both love and the law? The two terms can be intertwined especia...

Can We Be Light? - 5th Sunday In Ordinary Time

February 09, 2020 23:39 - 5 minutes - 7.06 MB

Have you ever been stuck in a room of total darkness? It can be terrifying to be in that disorienting situation, trying to stumble through to find a light switch and not trip over anything. Once the lights are suddenly turned on, we are immediately comforted and can see the reality of our surroundings, feeling much better. The divine revelation of our faith says that the world was in darkness, searching as lost children. When Christ came, He illuminated that darkness and brought deep peace w...

God's Laws Are For Our Good - Presentation of the Lord

February 02, 2020 21:07 - 16 minutes - 22.4 MB

Why, as people of authority, (parents, teachers, priests, leaders) do we try to enforce or expect others, such as our children, to learn the value of rule-following? Is it perhaps for the purpose of discipline, in hopes of the best interest of the other? Is it in hopes that children learn to take ownership of their lives as well set good boundaries for themselves? The very laws that are the hardest to follow, remain faithful to, or even accept into our lives at all, are always the laws that p...

The Power Of Invitation - 3rd Sunday In Ordinary Time

January 27, 2020 01:35 - 12 minutes - 9.02 MB

The way that scripture presents the four disciples in these readings is that, at one encounter, they drop everything in their lives and follow Jesus. At first glance, this act of leaving everything behind seems almost un-virtuous as if they abandoned their families and responsibilities. It seems like to radical of a move without further reflection. On a human level, we can probably glean what really happened - what’s more likely, is that they knew Jesus already, enough to trust him and make ...

Be Vulnerable - 2nd Sunday in Ordinary Time

January 19, 2020 20:18 - 12 minutes - 27.7 MB

“Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.” We can recall the history behind these scriptural words - the sacrificial lamb at Passover, the suffering servant in Isaiah, and the sacrifice that becomes the Eucharist as Christ’s body and blood. Today, we need to have a deep understanding of who Jesus is - not just academically or theologically, but personally. The modern culture around the church has declined in numbers and fervor mostly because of the rise of an apathetic a...

How To and Why Forgive - Baptism Of The Lord

January 12, 2020 14:40 - 15 minutes - 34.8 MB

We hear about another manifestation of who Jesus is in today’s readings. We see Jesus being baptized with the entire Trinity being revealed in the voice of God and the appearance of the dove as the presence of the Holy Spirit. John the Baptist explains this baptism as an act of repentance. And yet, even though Jesus does not need to repent, He still exemplifies for us the gift and sacrament of baptism; and as salvation history unfolds, He takes responsibility for all acts of repentance. This...

The Only Savior; Everyone's Savior - Epiphany 2020

January 05, 2020 20:13 - 14 minutes - 33.6 MB

Fr. John Ehrich, STL St. Thomas More Glendale, AZ

God Is Calling Men To Be Leaders - Holy Family

December 29, 2019 02:44 - 11 minutes - 26.3 MB

In the readings, we hear words like ‘obedience, honor, and subordination.’ One thing we can remember when we hear these terms, especially in the context of family and relationship with God, is that the desire to be obedient comes from a place of respect and love and awe for the other person. Even in the structure of the Holy Trinity, the three persons of God are completely equal, mutually respected and loved among the three. This Trinitarian relationship is meant to be made manifest in our m...

The Divine Author - Christmas

December 26, 2019 02:31 - 11 minutes - 25.4 MB

Let’s say you were the author of a story. The characters that you created are vast and intimately known by you, their creator. You decide to give your characters free will because that way, they get to choose themselves rather than be controlled. What are you to do as the author brings their attention to you? Would you enter into their story? Maybe you could enter into that story so that you could communicate directly and say, “ I love you, I have created you from the beginning and I have al...

Fr. John Ehrich Catholic Homilies

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