All Saints Homilies

On the Sunday of the Last Judgment, Fr. Pat reflects upon the most important question ever posed to the mind of man.

Timothy’s mother and grandmother not only raised him in the faith, but they instructed him in the study of sacred grammar. Fr. Pat suggests three blessings that came to young Timothy through this study, which pertain to all of us, not just those raising children.

In 2 Timothy 2:1-10, Paul holds out three models for Timothy’s life which are three metaphors for the life in Christ. Timothy is not free to choose which one he wants; he must follow all three.

Can God be hurt? Can he be offended? Is God sensitive? Can he be disappointed? Fr. Pat offers reflections on the Parable of Talents and the nature of God.

Fr. Pat offers reflections on the life of Hosea and what his example teaches us about the character of God.

Fr. Pat looks at three stages and three sources of Josiah's moral instruction.

In Ephesians 4:11-13, Paul talks about Christian service. But what does it mean that we serve God? Fr. Pat examines the life of the Prophet Samuel and considers three lessons for us today.

On the Feast of the Theophany, Fr. Pat looks at three figures of baptism.

On the Sunday before the Nativity, Fr. Pat looks for the Biblical David in two works of Western art: Michelangelo’s David and Rembrandt’s sketch of David in prayer. The works can be seen here: Michelangelo's "David" and here: Rembrandt's "David in Prayer"

Using 1 Thessalonians 1:1-3 as his text, Fr. Pat looks at three qualities of the Thessalonian Church, and finds these qualities exemplified in the lives of three Old Testament saints.

The Christian life is one of effort. Faith in Christ is not something that simply can be attached to a secular lifestyle. In this homily preached in 2008, Fr. Pat reflects upon Ephesians 4:1-6.

Were the new Gentile converts obliged to observe all the mandates of the Torah? As the Apostle Paul contemplated this, he came to the understanding that history not only matures, but had a pivotal point. Fr. Pat preaches from Galatians 3:23-4:5.

Preaching on the first seven verses of Ephesians 4, Fr. Pat considers one God, the one hope of our calling, and the Christian lifestyle.

Fr. Pat reflects upon the treasure of which Paul speaks in 2 Corinthians 4:6-7; what that treasure is, what is needed to take possession of it, and that in which it is contained.

Preaching from Ephesians 2:4-10 and Luke 16:19-31 (The Rich Man and Lazarus), Fr. Pat Reardon looks at God’s grace in the world and in the life of the believer.

The sacraments are not just the sign that something is happening, they are the means by which it is happening; they are not just signs of an inner grace, but the effective means by which the grace of justification is imparted. Fr. Pat meditates with us on the thesis that holiness is something physical.

The story of the Gadarene Demoniac in Luke 8 provokes three questions which are important for us to ask today.

Our contemporary culture is accustomed to thinking of the heart as a symbol of spontaneous feelings. That’s about the last thing it means in the Bible. Fr. Pat Reardon reflects on the Parable of the Sower from Luke 8.

In the raising of the son of the widow of Nain, a liturgical parallel to the raising of Lazarus, Luke declares Jesus as Lord and Victor not only over death, but over everything.

The Christian love of one’s enemies is not ultimately rooted in the quest for inner peace. It is rooted in the life we have in Christ. Fr. Pat preaches from Luke 6:31-36.

In the Hebrew Scriptures, the angelic announcement of a conception is a special sign of some new resolve of God; a resolve of God to alter the course of history. Fr. Pat's reflections given on the Feast of the Conception of the Forerunner and Baptist John.

Deception is a major phenomenon of our own times. There have always been deceivers. But deception has become a far more integral part of modern life. Fr. Pat discusses the psychology and theology of deception, as well as the solution to the problem.

In 1 Corinthians 1, Paul teaches us that Jesus Christ crucified is the power of God and the wisdom of God. But one cannot say this without having experienced and known the cross. Fr. Pat reflects upon three ways in which we experience the cross in our lives.

The Christian must guard against anything antithetical to the Holy Spirit, whom, in 2 Corinthians 1, Paul calls the downpayment and guarantee of salvation. Fr. Pat considers three such things which should be of special concern given the world in which we live.

A certain mindset of vigilance is an essential part of the transmission of the Gospel. We do not simply hand on the Gospel, but we hand on that sense of vigilance and care that is essential to its reception. Fr. Pat Reardon compares Biblical vigilance with that of other traditions.

Fr. Patrick Reardon contemplates the setting, action, and drama of faith.

Does the world have coherent structure? Does reality make sense? If it does, what is that structure? Father Pat looks at three answers to these questions.

None of us has been given everything, but each of us has been given something, and been given an allotted amount of time in which to do it. In this homily based on the three parables in Matthew 24:36-25:30, Fr. Pat encourages us to be sensible rather than foolish.

Preaching from the first chapter of 1 Corinthians, Fr. Pat discusses what is attractive in the Church, what distracts us from Christ, and the importance of resistance if one is to make progress.

Preaching from 1 Corinthians 3:18 through 4:8, Fr. Pat discusses wisdom and knowledge, intellectual self-deception and the wisdom of God.

Fr. Pat expounds upon Paul’s exhortations in Romans 12:6-14.

In Romans 12, Paul reminds us that we are all members of one body. Fr. Pat offers reflections on how we are to live with respect to one another.

Preaching from Romans 13, Fr. Pat looks at what Paul has to say about the political, social, and economic life of the Christian in the world.

In the opening verses of Romans 5, Paul says we "rejoice in hope of the glory of God.” Fr. Pat examines the characteristics of Christian hope.

Paul's explanation of what it means to be a human being as expounded in the Book of Romans should be the key to everything we do.

Using stories found only in Luke, Fr. Pat looks at features quite prominent to this Gospel. (From October 18, 2015, the Feast of St. Luke)

Fr. Pat examines the ten days between Christ's ascension and Pentecost, when the disciples were gathered in the Upper Room.

It is imperative always to follow the light—never the darkness. The light is given to us in Christ our Lord and conveyed through the teaching of the Church.

The Gospel is the Word of Truth directed to the conscience of man in the presence of God. Fr. Pat explores this topic in the context of the conversation Jesus has with the Woman at the Well.

In this homily given on the Sunday of the Paralytic, Fr. Pat explores three aspects of our obedience to God in response to God’s self-revelation to us.

The tensile integrity of a three-stranded cord is far greater than the sum of each of the strands within it. In rhetoric and in literature, there’s something about three-ness that suggests strength, stability, and finality. Fr. Pat looks at a very famous tripodic construction from the Bible.

In this homily from St. Thomas Sunday, Fr. Pat considers a person with a Stoic personality facing the great puzzle presented in the books of Job and Ecclesiastes.

People come in to the Church through various ports of entry. But when they come in, they come in through the Cross. In this meditation given over the course of the four Royal Hours on Great and Holy Friday, Fr. Pat considers with us four people, one from each Gospel, who cross over the border into the sphere of faith through the event of the Cross.

In this homily from Palm Sunday Fr. Pat asks what the Cross means for each believer—what it does mean and what it should mean.

In the prologue to his Gospel, the Apostle John says “And the Word became flesh.” Fr. Pat considers three things, regarding the Word, that John did NOT say.

Fr. Pat talks to us about an important theme from the Epistle to the Hebrews, namely “today”, beginning with the question: “what does it mean for a human being to “be present”?

In today’s very short story from Mark 2, we perceive a firm and complex portrait of Christ, who is clearly the central figure in the text—it’s all about what He sees, what He says, what He does.

Fr. Pat considers with us the Icon of the invisible God from three perspectives that Christ Himself gave to us when He declared "I am the Way, the Truth and the Life.”

Many religions believe there is only one God. But do they worship the same God as us? Fr. Pat looks at Biblical monotheism, what it is, and what it means to our worship.

In our society, worth usually has some connection with what is called “market value.” However, worth or value is not ultimately an absolute thing. Worth is always “worth to whom?” Fr. Pat Reardon makes three points concerning this question.