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

-

“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.


Comments

Post a Comment

Read

Homily: September 15, 2025, Memorial of Our Lady of Sorrows (Entrustment)

-
 “Woman, behold, your son.” Then he said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother.” This arrangement, spoken from the Cross, may look like a simple and practical arrangement for the care of His surviving mother, but truly, it carries a deeper and profound truth. It is one of the ‘seven last words of Jesus’. Quite naturally and obviously, He entrusted the care of His beloved Mother to someone reliable and obedient. He gave her to John. And at the same time, He also entrusted the continued nurturing of John, His beloved disciple, to His Mother. Jesus had no earthly possessions which will wither and end to leave behind. What He left, as a lasting forever legacy to His disciples and as a gift of eternity to all believers to come, was the institution of the Holy Eucharist at the Last Supper. Now from the Cross, He is giving to the whole of humanity something personal: His own Mother,  whom He took His human flesh and blood from when she carried Him in her womb. Why John the beloved ap...
Read more

Homily: August 15, 2026, Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Sin-death)

-
 “For since death came through man, the resurrection of the dead came also through man.” Sin and death are connected, but Christ has come to break that connection and give us life. In his Letter to the Romans, St. Paul says, “The wages of sin is death.” Sin separates us from God, and God is the source of life.  God created Adam and Eve for life and friendship with him. But through their disobedience, sin entered the world, and with sin came death.  But when God prepared the world for the coming of his Son, he gave Mary a unique grace. From the first moment of her conception, she was preserved from original sin.  We can see Mary as the new Eve. Eve was created without sin, but she disobeyed God. Mary, by God's grace, responded differently. When the angel came to her, she said, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word.” Eve's disobedience was connected with humanity's fall. Mary's obedience opened the door for Christ, the Savi...
Read more

Homily: September 12, 2026, Saturday of the Twenty Third week in Ordinary Time.

-
 “That one is like a man building a house, who dug deeply and laid the foundation on rock. When the flood came, the river burst against that house but could not shake it, because it had been well built.” When we speak about the Church, these words give us great hope. Throughout her history, the Church has faced persecutions, divisions, scandals, wars, and many other difficulties. Yet she remains. For two thousand years, the Church has endured because her true foundation is not any human person; her foundation is Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. The world around us changes. Cultures change, opinions change, and people change, but Christ remains the same. And the Church continues to place her faith in him. In today’s Gospel, Jesus is asking each one of us to build our lives in the same way: to dig deeply and build our lives on the solid rock of faith in him. I have known many people who had that kind of strong and simple faith.  All of us nee...
Read more

Homily: September 10, 2026, Thursday of the Twenty-Third week in Ordinary Time (Ordination Anniversary)

-
“Truly you have formed my inmost being; you knit me in my mother’s womb.” We prayed these beautiful words in today’s Responsorial Psalm. Psalm 139 has always been one of my favorite psalms, especially these words: “You formed my inmost being; you knit me in my mother’s womb.” They remind us that our life is not an accident. Every human life is a precious gift from God. Each one of us is known, loved, and wonderfully formed by God even before we are born. These words have a very personal meaning for me today as I prepare to celebrate the tenth anniversary of my priestly ordination tomorrow. My parents waited seven years after their marriage before they were blessed with a child. During those years, they experienced the pain of four miscarriages. Eventually, God blessed them with seven children, and I am number five. I remember my parents at every Holy Mass I celebrate because, through them, God gave me the gift of life. They allowed God to “knit me” in my mother’s womb, and then, throug...
Read more

Homily: September 5, 2026, Saturday of the Twenty Second week in Ordinary Time (Be a saint)

-
“When ridiculed, we bless; when persecuted, we endure; when slandered, we respond gently.” In today’s first reading, St. Paul tells us about the hardships and patient endurance that marked his ministry. Before his conversion, Paul had what the world might consider a better and more comfortable life. He was well educated, a zealous Pharisee, respected among his own people, and a man with authority. But after encountering Jesus, everything changed. He gave up his former way of life to follow Christ. And what did he receive in return? Persecution, rejection, suffering, imprisonment, and many hardships.  Today the Church celebrates the memorial of St. Teresa of Calcutta. In some ways, her story reminds us of St. Paul. She came to India as a young religious sister with the Loreto Sisters. She became a teacher and eventually the headmistress of a school. She loved her religious life and her work. But then something changed. While traveling by train from Calcutta to Darjeeling, she experi...
Read more

Homily: May 23, 2026, Saturday of the Seventh Week of Easter (Scripture is enough)

-
 “There are also many other things that Jesus did, but if these were to be described individually, I do not think the whole world would contain the books that would be written.” Once I walked into our youth Bible study, and they were discussing the Book of Enoch, an ancient Jewish apocalyptic text traditionally connected to Enoch, the great-grandfather of Noah. They asked me questions about it. I had read it myself when I was their age, mostly out of curiosity, but honestly, I do not remember much of its content. There are also several other apocryphal writings, like the Gospel of James, the Gospel of Thomas, and the Gospel of Mary Magdalene. But the Church never considered them inspired Scripture, because many of them were written decades after the death of the last Apostle, St. John. Public Revelation ended with the death of the last Apostle. Sometimes I also wish the Bible had more details about Jesus’ infancy and His hidden life. But St. John reminds us today that the world its...
Read more

Homily: September 11, 2026, Friday of the Twenty-Third Sunday in Ordinary Time (Slave to all)

-
 “No disciple is superior to the teacher; but when fully trained, every disciple will be like his teacher.” These words of Jesus give us a beautiful description of Christian discipleship. The word Christian means someone who belongs to Christ, someone who follows Christ. And the goal of discipleship is not simply to know more about Jesus, but gradually to become like Jesus. The Twelve walked with Jesus, listened to him, watched him, and learned from him. And eventually, their lives began to resemble the life of their Master. Jesus himself told them, “Learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart.” Perhaps humility was one of the hardest lessons for the disciples to learn—and it remains one of the hardest lessons for us. In today’s first reading, St. Paul says something remarkable: “Although I am free in regard to all, I have made myself a slave to all so as to win over as many as possible.” Paul was free, but he willingly surrendered his freedom. He put aside his pride, his pref...
Read more

Homily: July 18, 2026, Tuesday of the Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time (Remember death)

-
 “It is I who deal death and give life.” These words from our Responsorial Psalm today are actually not taken from the Book of Psalms. They come from the Book of Deuteronomy, chapter 32. They remind us of a fundamental truth of our faith: God is the author of life. Our life comes from God, belongs to God, and ultimately returns to God. This phrase beautifully connects our first reading and the Gospel today. In the first reading, the prophet Ezekiel speaks against the prince of Tyre, a man who had become proud because of his success, wealth, wisdom, and accomplishments. And so the prophet reminds him of one simple reality: you are only a man, and you will die. There are certain realities in life that quickly reveal our limitations. An illness can make a powerful and independent person suddenly dependent on others. None of us can say, “I am too important to die,” or “I have accomplished enough that death cannot touch me.” Sirach 7:36 says  “In whatever you do, remember your last...
Read more

Homily: September 4, 2026, Friday of the Twenty second Week in Ordinary Time (Do not Judge)

-
 “Therefore, do not make any judgment before the appointed time, until the Lord comes.” It is very difficult to live without judging others. Knowingly or unknowingly, we often judge people based on what we see, especially those who are different from us. But we are all different. Our life situations are different, our ideas are different, and the ways we were raised are different. There is a beautiful saying often attributed to Philo of Alexandria: “Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a great battle.” How true that is. We often do not know what another person is carrying in his or her heart. Jesus also tells us, “Do not judge, and you will not be judged.” So how do we overcome a judgmental attitude? One way is by becoming more empathetic. Instead of immediately judging someone, we can try to know the person, listen to their story, and understand why they may think or act differently from us. St. Paul reminds us today that the final judgment belongs to God. God knows what is ...
Read more

Homily, May 31, 2022, Feast of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary

-
 “For at that moment the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the infant in my womb leaped for joy”. When I was studying in the minor seminary, news that my eldest sister was pregnant with her first child was announced. My siblings and I were very excited. According to local Indian tradition, at the seventh month of the pregnancy, the husband’s family would have to send his wife back to her parents’ home to prepare for birth of the child.  So, my eldest sister came home and stayed with us for three months before the delivery and another three months after the birth of her first-born son. my sister was the only pregnant woman I have ever had close encounter with. The most exciting experience I had was when I actually saw the movements of my nephew, still in her womb. And whenever me and my siblings came close to talk to my sister, her baby would make movements in her womb. So even a little baby in the womb can sense the presence of other people near the mother. Amazing, isn’...
Read more