Sunday Homilies with Fr. Mike Schmitz

Homily from Good Friday. A king without His armor. At the end of our lives, there are no defenses. At the end of Christ's life, He clings to no defenses. He has poured it all out, and all is taken from Him. All that is left is the Man Himself. At the end of our lives, we will only be left with our heart...everything else is taken. Mass Readings from April 3, 2026: Isaiah 52:13—53:12 Psalm 31:2, 6, 12-13, 15-16, 17, 25Hebrews 4:14-16; 5:7-9 John 18:1—19:42

Homily from Holy Thursday. Jesus knew. And He still gave everything. At the end of Lent, we realize that we have been called to give. To give our time and attention to God in prayer. To give up things in fasting. To give help to those in need. Jesus gives at the Last Supper. He gives everything...fully knowing the truth of the people for whom He gives everything. Mass Readings from April 2, 2026: Exodus 12:1-8, 11-14 Psalm 116:12-13, 15-181 Corinthians 11:23-26 John 13:1-15

Homily from Palm Sunday. It is not my fault, but it is my responsibility. When there is something that we like, we are quick to claim it. When there is something we don't like, we are quick to claim it is not our fault. But our story must end with our becoming like the Father...and the Father bears the marker of adulthood: The Cross. Mass Readings from March 29, 2026: Isaiah 50:4-7 Psalm 22:8-9, 17-20, 23-24Philippians 2:6-11 Matthew 26:14—27:66

Homily from the Fifth Sunday of Lent. Life AFTER his life WITH. Some great stories tell us an important piece of information: where are they now? In our autobiography, after we have experienced "the return"; after we have experienced grace, how do we live? What does our "bonus chapter" look like? What is in our Epilogue? Mass Readings from March 22, 2026: Ezekiel 37:12-14 Psalm 130:1-8Romans 8:8-11 John 11:1-45

Homily from the Fourth Sunday of Lent At the end of the story, who will you be? What you seek shapes what you see. Look for hope. Look for joy. Look for goodness. The things you train your eyes to notice will shape the person you become. At the end of the story, who will you be? Mass Readings from March 15, 2026: 1 Samuel 16:1b, 6-7, 10-13a Psalm 23: 1-3a, 3b-4, 5, 6Ephesians 5:8-14 John 9:1-41

Homily from the Third Sunday of Lent From the middle, you can't see the end. From the middle, you can't see the end. But just know you're making progress, even if you don't feel it. Mass Readings from March 8, 2026: Exodus 17:3-7 Psalm 95:1-2, 6-7, 8-9Romans 5:1-2, 5-8 John 4:5-42

Homily from the Second Sunday of Lent Every story has a title. Does one moment define the whole thing? There is often a speech that lives inside each of us. That speech can become the title of our story. Is that title marked by resentment? Or is there a larger event that can define our lives? Mass Readings from March 1, 2026: Genesis 12:1-4a Psalm 33:4-5, 18-19, 20, 222 Timothy 1:8b-10 Matthew 17:1-9

Homily from the First Sunday of Lent. Every story has a beginning. As we begin Lent, we are faced with the question: If I live the next 25 years of my life the way I've lived the past seven days, where will I end up? Who will I become? We are writing our life story with every choice that we make. Are we writing in rebellion? Or with God as the Co-Author? Mass Readings from February 22, 2026: Genesis 2:7-9; 3:1-7 Psalm 51:3-4, 5-6, 12-13, 17Romans 5:12-19 Matthew 4:1-11

Homily from the Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time. Jesus didn't give us a new weight to carry, but a new way to carry the weight. We all have things that we NEED to do. When we show up knowing that we are doing what God has asked, there is the necessity to also do what God has asked us to do the WAY God has asked us to do it…with love. Mass Readings from February 15, 2026: Sirach 15:15-20 Psalm 119:1-2, 4-5, 17-18, 33-341 Corinthians 2:6-10 Matthew 5:17-37

Homily from the Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time Jesus, do not let what You did for me end with me. To have been given all that one needs...and then to not use it would be a tragedy. We are surrounded by the tragedy of wasted potential. But this doesn't have to be the end of our story. Mass Readings from February 8, 2026: Isaiah 58:7-10 Psalm 112:4-5, 6-7, 8-91 Corinthians 2:1-5 Matthew 5:13-16

Homily from the Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time Do not give away what has real value for counterfeit happiness. There are many idols in our lives that promise the happiness that only God can give. The counterfeits of Wealth, Power, Pleasure, and Fame have taken all that people have and left them with nothing. Jesus gives us a new way to live...that actually leads to authentic happiness. Mass Readings from February 1, 2026: Zephaniah 2:3; 3:12-13 Psalm 146:6-7, 8-9, 9-101 Corinthians 1:26-31 Matthew 5:1-12a

Homily from the Third Sunday in Ordinary Time The question is not IF God will show up, but HOW will God show up. There are times in our lives when it seems like there is no way forward. There are times when it seems like there is no way God can come through on His promises. There are times when it seems like God will not show up. But God always does in a way only He knows. Mass Readings from January 25, 2026: Isaiah 8:23—9:3 Psalm 27:1, 4, 13-141 Corinthians 1:10-13, 17 Matthew 4:12-23 or 4:12-17

Homily from the (week in Church year.) Subtitle Description Mass Readings from {Month} {Date}, {Year}: First Reading PsalmSecond Reading Gospel

Homily from the The Baptism of the Lord The traps of believing we are God's advisors...or His performers. Baptism changes us. It begins an entirely new life in each one of us. And yet, when we approach the Lord, we can be tempted to act, not as God's adopted children, but as His counselors or his performers. Mass Readings from January 11, 2026:Isaiah 42:1-4, 6-7 Psalm 29:1-2, 3-4, 3, 9-10Acts 10:34-38 Matthew 3:13-17

Homily from the The Epiphany of the Lord Indifference can turn into hostility. Christ has come close. And yet, we all still have a choice: will we remain indifferent to His presence or will we seek Him out? If we choose indifference, we will not remain indifferent. When it comes to God, we either give Him our hearts or we remove Him from our lives. Mass Readings from January 4, 2026:Isaiah 60:1-6Psalm 72:1-2, 7-8, 10-11, 12-13Ephesians 3:2-3a, 5-6 Matthew 2:1-12

Homily from the Solemnity of Mary, the Holy Mother of God Resolve: I will not take these things for granted. We are surrounded by the amazing and miraculous every day. But we often miss it because our lives are too busy and too full. If we take a page out of Mary, the Mother of God's book, we would reflect on all these things...and no longer take them for granted. Mass Readings from January 1, 2026: Numbers 6:22-27Psalm 67:2-3, 5, 6, 8Galatians 4:4-7 Luke 2:16-21

Homily from the Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph The "trad family" goes back farther than the 1950's... Men and women need to be authentically masculine and feminine for their marriages and families to thrive. But what IS authentic masculinity? What IS authentic femininity? Mass Readings from December 28, 2025: Sirach 3:2-6, 12-14 Psalm 128:1-2, 3, 4-5Colossians 3:12-21 or 3:12-17 Matthew 2:13-15, 19-23

Homily from The Nativity of the Lord (Christmas) What if all I received was HIM this Christmas? We have waited for Jesus—and now that He is here, true gratitude is shown by living fully in the gift of His presence and love. Mass Readings from December 25, 2025:Isaiah 52:7-10 Psalm 98:1, 2-3, 3-4, 5-6Hebrews 1:1-6 John 1:1-18

Homily from the Fourth Sunday of Advent What happens when I don't get what I've been waiting for? All through the Bible, God makes certain promises. He always fulfills them. But we cannot expect God to fulfill a promise that He has never made. No matter what, whether we get what we've waited for or not, we can hope in HIM. Mass Readings from December 21, 2025:Isaiah 7:10-14 Psalm 24:1-2, 3-4, 5-6Romans 1:1-7 Matthew 1:18-24

Homily from the Third Sunday of Advent In seasons of waiting, do we complain or praise? While we are waiting, it can feel like nothing is happening. And yet, faith tells us that God is at work even when we can't yet see the fruit. Rather than complaining while we wait, there is another option. Mass Readings from December 14, 2025: Isaiah 35:1-6a, 10 Psalm 146:6-7, 8-9, 9-10 James 5:7-10 Matthew 11:2-11

Homily from the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary. This feast day of the Immaculate Conception is not just a privilege for Mary: it's a prophecy for us. The Feast of the Immaculate Conception reveals God's plan to conquer sin not just by repairing what is broken, but by preparing a path where grace triumphs first. This Advent we are invited to enter into the "Sacrament of the Present Moment", where God offers real, life-changing grace in each moment we choose to be present to Him. Mary's unique "yes" reminds us to stop waiting and to respond to God's already-given grace with a wholehearted and immediate "yes". Mass Readings from December 8, 2025: Genesis 3:9-15, 20 Psalm 98:1-4Ephesians 1:3-6, 11-12 Luke 1:26-38

Homily from the Second Sunday of Advent. We worry while we wait. Advent teaches us not just to wait, but to trust while we wait. When we surrender worry and remember who God is, waiting becomes a place of grace instead of frustration. Mass Readings from December 7, 2025: Isaiah 11:1-10 Psalm 72:1-2, 7-8, 12-13, 17Romans 15:4-9 Matthew 3:1-12

Homily from the First Sunday of Advent. The process is the point. When we are waiting, we often want to be "done". We want to be "there". We want our waiting to be over so that we can start living. But life happens right here and right now. And God is doing something right now. We do not simply endure waiting, we engage during the waiting. The declaration of faithful waiting is: I am confident that this moment is crucial. Mass Readings from November 30, 2025: Isaiah 2:1-5 Psalm 122: 1-9Romans 13:11-14 Matthew 24:37-44

Homily from The Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe. The moment of victory is the moment of vulnerability. We often think that we win by being strong, or beautiful, or clever, or powerful. But Christ wins by another means. Christ the King, Lord of the Universe wins by choosing to empty Himself of all that we think we need to win. Mass Readings from November 23, 2025: 2 Samuel 5:1-3 Psalm 122:1-2, 3-4, 4-5Colossians 1:12-20 Luke 23:35-43

Homily from the Thirty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time. Would you rather be admired? Or loved? The Day of the Lord is coming. When everything that is true about our hearts will be revealed. What should not be there must be burned up or transformed so that we can be fully known...and fully loved. Mass Readings from November 16, 2025: Malachi 3:19-20 Psalm 98:5-6, 7-8, 92 Thessalonians 3:7-12 Luke 21:5-19

Homily from the Feast of the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica in Rome. If you were what you were meant to be, you would set the world on fire. There are some things that are dedicated...consecrated to be something special. They are meant to be something unique. Others merely used to be something unique. Which one am I? Mass Readings from November 9, 2025: Ezekiel 47:1-2, 8-9, 12 Psalm 46:2-3, 5-6, 8-91 Corinthians 3:9c-11, 16-17 John 2:13-22

Homily from the Commemoration of All the Faithfully Departed (All Souls). By the end of this Mass, some things will be changed forever. Purgatory is an essential teaching of Christianity. It highlights that salvation is both an event and a process. Purgatory is God's gift on continuing the process of making our hearts like His that He began in this life. Mass Readings from November 2, 2025: Wisdom 3:1-9 Psalm 23:1-3, 3-4, 5, 6Romans 5:5-11 John 6:37-40

Homily from the Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time. Nothing to Offer. Nothing to Prove. Nothing to Hide. When we stand before the gates of Heaven and we are asked why we should be let in...what is our answer? How would we approach Heaven? How do we approach God now? We might approach God with our resume, or as an audition, or with perfection...but we need to approach in a different way. Mass Readings from October 26, 2025: Sirach 35:12-14, 16-18 Psalm 34:2-3, 17-18, 19, 232 Timothy 4:6-8, 16-18 Luke 18:9-14

Homily from the Twenty-ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time. Persist through severity. There are big moments in our lives. We usually think of the beginning or the end of something as the moments of consequence. But the middle often holds the most impactful moments of consequence; times when we are called to persevere...to "remain faithful" to the decisions we have made. Mass Readings from October 19, 2025: Exodus 17:8-13 Psalm 121:1-82 Timothy 3:14-4:2 Luke 18:1-8

Homily from the Twenty-eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time. Break the cycle and build your life on a relationship with the God who saved your life. We often find ourselves in the same cycle as many people in the Bible: We find ourselves in desperate need, we cry out to God, He answers, we thank Him...and then we forget. There is a way to break this cycle and build our lives on a relationship with the God who saved our lives. Mass Readings from October 12, 2025: 2 Kings 5:14-17 Psalm 98:1, 2-3, 3-42 Timothy 2:8-13 Luke 17:11-19

Homily from the Twenty-seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time. You have already been given everything you need to be a saint. Imagine finding out that you had an inheritance. So many problems could be solved and you could do so much...if only you had more. But what if you had everything you need already? Mass Readings from October 5, 2025: Habakkuk 1:2-3; 2:2-4 Psalm 95:1-2, 6-7, 8-92 Timothy 1:6-8, 13-14 Luke 17:5-10

Homily from the Twenty-sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time When comfort is our god, we end up underliving our lives. Modern life has done a powerful job of reducing stark deprivation. This is a good thing. But one of the results is that many of us have become captive to comfort. Mass Readings from September 28, 2025: Amos 6:1a, 4-7 Psalm 146:7, 8-9, 9-101 Timothy 6:11-16 Luke 16:19-31

Homily from the Twenty-fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time Don't let what Jesus did for you end with you. Jesus is the one Mediator between God and humanity. He has saved us. But God wills that all humans are saved. Because of this, He calls those who have been saved by Him to brings His salvation to everyone else. Mass Readings from September 21, 2025: Amos 8:4-7 Psalm 113:1-2, 4-6, 7-81 Timothy 2:1-8 Luke 16:1-13

Homily from the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy CrossThe sign of our shame has become the symbol of our hope. The Cross of Jesus is God's answer to our guilt. The Cross of Jesus is God's answer to our lack of trust. The Cross of Jesus is God's answer to evil. Mass Readings from September 14, 2025:Numbers 21:4b-9Psalm 78:1bc-2, 34-35, 36-37, 38Philippians 2:6-11 John 3:13-17

Homily from the Twenty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time Whenever there is something of value that we desire, we have to ask these two questions. Jesus gives the conditions for discipleship. He gives us the very "cost" of being His disciple. The condition is: He must be FIRST. He must be loved before all others. Mass Readings from Septemeber 7, 2025: Wisdom 9:13-18b Psalm 90:3-4, 5-6, 12-13, 14 and 17Philemon 9-10, 12-17 Luke 14:25-33

Homily from the Twenty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time Humility is nothing other than acknowledging and living the truth. Humility is not pretending to be someone other than we are. It is neither pretending to be better nor pretending to be worse than we are. But is the freedom and the joy of living the full truth about ourselves. Mass Readings from August 31, 2025: Sirach 3:17-18, 20, 28-29 Psalm 68:4-5, 6-7, 10-11Hebrews 12:18-19, 22-24a Luke 14:1, 7-14

Homily from the Twenty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time Discipline isn't the point, but it is the path. God calls us to develop the potential He has given us by leaning into the discipline He is calling us to. Who is it you want to be? What do you want to be true about you? Mass Readings from August, 24, 2025:Isaiah 66:18-21 Psalm 117:1, 2Hebrews 12:5-7, 11-13 Luke 13:22-30

Homily from the Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time Villains and Heroes are made out of the same stuff. We are not surrounded by villains and heroes, we are surrounded by ordinary people. And every one of us, by our daily choices, can become a villain or hero. Mass Readings from August 17, 2025: Jeremiah 38:4-6, 8-10Psalm 40:2, 3, 4, 18Hebrews 12:1-4 Luke 12:49-53

Homily from the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary God had no backup plan after Mary. The Assumption of Mary is the reality that Our Lady was taken up entirely into Heaven. This is, in some ways, the fulfillment of her entire life. Since she belonged totally to God, she was brought totally to God. Mass Readings from August 15, 2025:Revelation 11:19A; 12:1-6A, 10AB Psalm 45:10, 11, 12, 16 1 Corinthians 15:20-27 Luke 1:39-56

Homily from the Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time. Without obedience, there is no faith. Followers of Jesus want to grow in faith, but do they understand what it is to live by faith? Mass Readings from August 10, 2025: Wisdom 18:6-9 Psalm 33:1, 12, 18-19, 20-22Hebrews 11:1-2, 8-19 Luke 12:32-48

Homily from the Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time. Remember you will die. Remember you have died. We are called to live a new life. But we cannot live a new life until we have allowed our old life to die. We need to remember that we will die in the future. Christians also have the chance to remember that we already have died. Mass Readings from August 3, 2025: Ecclesiastes 1:2; 2:21-23 Psalm 90:3-4, 5-6, 12-14 and 17Colossians 3:1-5, 9-11 Luke 12:13-21