Homily: June 6, 2026 Saturday of the Nineth Week in Ordinary Time (Preserverance )

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“But you, be self-possessed in all circumstances; put up with hardship; perform the work of an evangelist; fulfill your ministry.”

This month in Word Among Us, Fr. Mike Schmitz reflects on the life of Fr. Walter Ciszek, a Jesuit priest who went secretly to Russia to preach the Gospel. Religion was forbidden there, and people were so afraid that many would not even speak to a priest. Later he was arrested and spent many years in Soviet prisons and Siberian labor camps.

What touched me most was not only his suffering, but his honesty. Fr. Walter admitted that there were moments he felt useless. He thought his life had no meaning because nobody wanted to hear about God. Imagine being a priest and feeling that your ministry is accomplishing nothing.

Reading his story really humbled me. Many times I complain to God about small difficulties, disappointments, stress, or moments when things do not go the way I want. But Fr. Walter endured loneliness, fear, torture, and uncertainty for years. Yet he discovered one thing that kept him alive: God was with him even there.

That is faith. Faith is not only believing when life is easy. Faith is trusting that God is near even when we cannot understand what He is doing.

In 2012, the Church opened his cause for canonization. Fr. Walter teaches us that holiness is often quiet perseverance — staying faithful one day at a time.

All of us carry some burden today. Maybe worries about family, health, loneliness, disappointments, or uncertainty about the future. Today let us ask God for the grace not to give up, not to lose hope, but to continue faithfully, because beyond every cross awaits the joy of heaven. Amen.


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Homily: July 26, 2026, Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary time (God Speaks)

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 The Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream at night. And God said to him, “Ask something of me, and I will give it to you.” How many of you had dreams last night? I often have vivid dreams. Sometimes they are good and pleasant dreams; sometimes they are bad dreams or nightmares. Usually, when I wake up, I remember them for a few hours, and then they disappear. In fact, I know I dreamed last night, but this morning I cannot remember what the dream was about! One recurring dream I have is that I am late for Mass or some important event. I am stuck in traffic, trying desperately to get there, while the entire church is waiting for me! I don't know what that recurring dream means, but I can assure you it is not prophetic—and I certainly hope it never comes true! Once I shared this with a priest friend. He told me that he has a recurring dream too. In his dream, he is celebrating Mass, but he cannot find the prayer in the Roman Missal. He keeps flipping through the pages while everyone is...
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Homily: August 2, 2026, Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time (God Satisfies)

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 "When Jesus heard of the death of John the Baptist, he withdrew in a boat to a deserted place by himself." Most of us know what it is like to lose someone we love. Death leaves a deep void in our hearts. Even if we are surrounded by family and friends, we can still feel lonely. Yet it is such times when we need time to be alone, to remember, to grieve, to make sense, and to move on. That is exactly what we see in today's Gospel. In his divinity, Jesus knew that John the Baptist's martyrdom was part of the Father's plan. But in his humanity, Jesus, like any of us, experienced loss and sorrow. Although biblically there is no mention that Jesus and John grew up together, there was already an intimate encounter when both were in the wombs of their mothers. During the visitation of the blessed virgin Mary to her cousin Elizabeth, baby John in-womb ‘leapt for joy’ when Elizabeth heard the sound of Mary’s coming, carrying baby Jesus in her womb. To me, this shows there ...
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Homily: July 28, 2026, Tuesday of the Seventeenth Week in Ordinary Time (Compassion)

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 “Let my eyes stream with tears day and night, without rest, over the great destruction which overwhelms the virgin daughter of my people.” We heard these words from the prophet Jeremiah in today’s first reading. Jeremiah is known as the weeping prophet because while sending messages of the Lord to warn his people, he also wept for them. He lived during a difficult time of drought, famine, and great uncertainty, and as a prophet, he foresaw the coming Babylonian exile. Jeremiah knew that because of the sins of the people, great suffering was coming down upon the whole nation. Even with that knowledge, he did not escape for his own safety and condemn them from a distance. He stayed on, suffered with them, lamented and prayed for them. In today’s Gospel, Jesus speaks about the good seed and the weeds growing together. The good seeds are the children of the Kingdom of God, the weeds are the children of the evil one. Good and evil exist side by side in the world, not in harmony, but in...
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Homily: August 1, 2026 Friday of the Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time (Unjustly accused)

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 The first reading begins with these shocking words: “This man deserves death.” Those words sound very familiar because they echo what would later happen to Jesus. He, too, was condemned by the religious leaders. Unable to carry out the execution themselves, they handed Him over to the Romans to be crucified. Jeremiah was fortunate that influential people spoke on his behalf and saved his life. Jesus' situation was different. Although people like Nicodemus tried to defend Him, they could not prevent His execution. He willingly accepted the cross to accomplish our salvation. In today's Gospel, we see another innocent man, John the Baptist, suffering a tragic and unjust death. He spoke the truth without fear, and for that truth he gave his life. Jeremiah, John the Baptist, and Jesus all remind us that proclaiming God's truth often comes at a great cost. Sadly, history continues to repeat itself. Even today, innocent people suffer injustice, persecution, and violence. Many are...
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Homily: January 23, 2026, Friday of the second week in Ordinary Time (Forgiveness)

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 “Saul then said to David: ‘You are in the right rather than I; you have treated me generously, while I have done you harm.’” I may not remember everything from my theology classes, but one thing from the study of Christology that fascinated me and stayed with me, was the person of David. Not just as an impressive king in the Old Testament but as a prominent faithful servant who prefigured Jesus.  The similarities are striking. David and Jesus were both born in Bethlehem. They were both from the same tribe and lineage. David was a shepherd; Jesus is the Good Shepherd. David wept in the Garden of Olives after being betrayed by his own son, Absalom. Jesus wept in the Garden of Gethsemane after being betrayed by Judas. David was a king anointed by God; Jesus is the King of kings sent by God. But more than all these parallels, what touches me most is this: both David and Jesus loved and forgave their enemies. David was impressive but far from perfect. When sin overtook him, he com...
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Homily: March 6, 2026, Friday of the second monday in Lent (Cruelty- Salvation )

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 “They then sat down to their meal.” This scene from today’s first reading really hit me. Joseph’s brothers had just stripped him of his robe, thrown him into an empty cistern, and abandoned him, knowing well that would kill him. And what did they do after that cruel deed? Scripture says: they sat down to eat their meal. It is shocking. Their brother is suffering nearby, crying for help, yet they felt nothing, they calmly continued their day, with a meal, like nothing unusual happened. That behavior made an already cruel act more evil. When I read this passage, it reminded me of a scene from the movie ‘The Passion of the Christ’. In that film, Jesus spent the night in a dungeon in the house of the high priest. He was captured, trapped, waiting for death. The detail of this scene is not found in the Bible, but was vividly described by Blessed Anne Catherine Emmerich from her mystical visions. And truly, there is a dungeon behind what is believed to be Caiaphas’s house in Jerusalem, ...
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Homily: July 7, 2026, Tuesday of the Fourteenth Week in Ordinary Time (Shepherd)

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In today's first reading, the Lord says through the prophet Hosea: "They made kings in Israel, but not by my authority; they established princes, but without my approval." I wonder what would go through Pope Leo’s mind when he reads this passage today. Just last week, the Holy See excommunicated six bishops from the SSPX (Society of St. Pius X), four of whom were newly consecrated without the approval of the Vatican. Sadly, this is not the first time in the history of the Church. Throughout the centuries, there have been similar situations where certain individuals or groups have outright opposed the authority established by Christ and acted against the unity of His Church. Today’s Gospel is so apt. Jesus looks upon the crowds and sees sheep without a shepherd. He is not simply talking about people who have no leaders, but rather lacking leaders after the heart of God. There is no true shepherd. "I will give you shepherds after my own heart" (Jeremiah 3:15). Jes...
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Homily: August 3, 2026, Monday of the Eighteenth Week in Ordinary Time (Fear not)

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 At once Jesus spoke to them, “Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid.” We are all familiar with what St. Paul said: "We Walk by faith, not by sight." My question is: do we have enough faith to walk, not on ground, but on water? In today’s Gospel, we see Peter doing something no one else dared to do. He had faith, enough for Him to step out of the boat into the raging waters. He had faith, enough for him to walk on the rough waves towards Jesus. But the moment he looked at the wind and the waves slapping around him, fear replaced faith. He had faith, but not enough for him to focus on Jesus and ignore the storm for long. Thus, he began to sink. I remember in my childhood days, all the boys in my village would come to our family farm to swim in the pond. We didn’t have life jackets, no swimming instructors and no safety equipment. We didn’t even have swimming lessons, we just watched how the older boys did it and imitated them, our desire to swim like them was motivation for ...
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Homily: October 4, 2025 Saturday of the Twenty-sixth Week in Ordinary Time (devil's fear)

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“Behold, I have given you the power to tread upon serpents and scorpions and upon the full force of the enemy, and nothing will harm you.” Last week, during one of my classes at Holy Family, I asked the 4th graders, “How many of you are afraid of the devil?” Every single one of them raised their hands. And so, I ask you too, how many of you are afraid of the devil? I suppose it is normal to fear the devil, thinking he has powers which we do not have. But do you know what the devil is afraid of? The next slide I showed the class was a quote from St. John Bosco: “There are two things that the devil is deadly afraid of: fervent Communion and frequent visits to the Blessed Sacrament.” Isn’t that good news for all of us here? If we do these two things, the devil will be more afraid of us than we are of him. But note the emphasis St. John Bosco made, it is ‘fervent communion’ and ‘frequent visits’. The truth is, the devil is jealous of us because we are God’s beloved children. We are created...
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Homily: July 31, 2026, Friday of the Seventeenth Week in Ordinary Time (Rejection)

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 “Where did this man get all this?” And they took offense at him. The people who listened to Jesus were astonished at His wisdom, they knew that such words had to come from God but instead of praising God for it, they took offense at Jesus for preaching it. Their narrow mindedness refused to accept that a carpenter’s son could deliver God’s speech. They rejected His wisdom, and they rejected Him. In reality, they had rejected God. Their pridefulness and severe lack of faith prevented them from acknowledging what God was doing in their midst. God came amongst them, to be with them, but they did not want God to come to them that way. They had their own idea of how God should be presented to them and had their own expectations of how the Messiah should speak and act. The same happened to Jeremiah. He preached and warned the people about the consequences of the their sins, but instead of paying attention and recognizing their faults, they questioned and condemned him, “You must be put ...
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