Sermons on homily:

Blessings And Curses

Contributed by W Pat Cunningham on Oct 8, 2024

Jesus, true God and true man, took on the curse of the cross and the grace He won saves you from the curse of the Law. Don’t try to add on to your faith by the Law, because you’ll just bring the curse of the Law back on yourselves.

Friday of the 27th week in Course 2024 We should begin any homily on the Letter to the Galatians with a reminder that this church in Asia Minor was in a kind of turmoil because of some itinerant Jewish Christian preachers. These folks came to town after St. Paul taught them the basics of Christian ...read more

Scripture: Luke 11:15-26, Psalm 111:1-6, Galatians 3:7-14

Denomination: Catholic

Dying On A Cross Series

Contributed by W Pat Cunningham on Apr 16, 2025

Today we must give thanks for the gift of Jesus. His self-giving knew no limits and doesn’t stop giving even now.

Good Friday 2025 I’ve frequently thought that the best approach to a homily for Good Friday would be to stand and look at the biggest cross or crucifix and focus on the pain and torment Jesus underwent two thousand years ago. I’ll encourage you to do that sometime in the next couple of days before ...read more

Scripture: Isaiah 52:13-15, Isaiah 53:1-12, Hebrews 4:14-16, Hebrews 5:7-9, John 19:1-42, John 18:1-39  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Catholic

Three Items For The Baptism Checklist Series

Contributed by W Pat Cunningham on Jun 5, 2012

Your child is beginning a journey that will end in the arms of the Father: here's what you must do as mission controllers to help ensure a good ending.

Homily for Infant Baptism Today is a very special time in your families’ lives. Today is the day in which I, acting as a minister of Jesus Christ, and by the grace of the Holy Spirit, launch your child into a trajectory that, many years from now, should land him/her in the arms of the ...read more

Scripture: Mark 10:13-16

Denomination: Catholic

Fast And Give Alms And Pray

Contributed by W Pat Cunningham on Feb 6, 2010

The key to making Lent a time of growth.

Ash Wednesday Homily 2010 There’s not much chance today that someone will see the ashes on your forehead and say “Oh, what a wonderfully pious person that is.” It’s more likely that someone who doesn’t know you are Catholic will ask, “did you know there’s ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 6:1-18

Denomination: Catholic

The Life And Death Struggles Series

Contributed by W Pat Cunningham on Dec 11, 2021

Today we are in a struggle like that between Moses and Balak, or between Jesus and the religious authorities, a battle to the death between God’s people and a pagan secular culture.

Homily for Monday in 3rd Week of Advent Balaam was a prophet for hire. He was a wealthy and respected prophet of Yahweh, but he was not an Israelite. Balak, a king who was in the way of Israel as they moved toward the Promised Land, was nervous about all these people moving across his territory. ...read more

Scripture: Numbers 24:2-7, Numbers 24:15-17, Matthew 21:23-27, Matthew 2:1-12

Denomination: Catholic

Catch-22 Is A Two-Edged Sword Series

Contributed by W Pat Cunningham on Feb 4, 2022

Best of all, when all of us are dead and forgotten, the Church will continue to speak the truth, in season and out.

Homily for Monday of 5th Week in Course Mk 6:53-56 Some time ago the local newspaper ran a story about a Catholic layman who has a healing ministry. The word “miracle” is something like a fighting word in our age of skepticism. We have been trained in science class from our earliest years to ...read more

Scripture: Mark 6:53-56, Psalm 132:6-10, 1 Kings 8:1-7

Denomination: Catholic

The Vain Aspiration For Utopia

Contributed by W Pat Cunningham on Jul 4, 2022

You may be the only one on earth who can walk with them and for them on their journey toward the Father.

Homily Let’s take a moment to do a thought experiment. We do that a lot in the physical sciences to make our hypotheses and plan our real experiments. So let’s do that with society. (After all, politicians experiment with society all the time, don’t they, even if the thought behind it is totally ...read more

Scripture: Luke 10:1-20, Galatians 6:14-18, Isaiah 66:10-14

Denomination: Catholic

Christian Responsibility Series

Contributed by W Pat Cunningham on Aug 7, 2021

Jesus came not to destroy the Law but to fulfill it. But in so doing Jesus made us not merely servants of God, but sons and daughters of God.

Homily for Monday of the 19th week in course Did the early followers of Jesus consider themselves to be Christians or Jews? The answer is that their discipleship to Jesus was, in their minds, the completion of Judaism. Jesus came not to destroy the Law but to fulfill it. But in so doing Jesus ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 17:22-27, Deuteronomy 10:12-22

Denomination: Catholic

Organizing A Community As Jesus Would Have It

Contributed by W Pat Cunningham on Jan 4, 2023

Paul is telling us what every community needs to order itself around in order to give effective witness, both to itself and to the world.

Homily Col 3 (Found in the Office of readings, Wednesday 2nd week of Christmas) Reading the clear command: “Whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him” gives us the opportunity to take a short cut. Make the sign of the ...read more

Scripture: Colossians 3:17-25, Mark 12:30-31

Denomination: Catholic

Grace Is The Difference

Contributed by J Jeffrey Smead on Jun 16, 2010

During a British conference on comparative religions, experts from around the world debated what, if any, belief was unique to the Christian faith. The debate went on for some time until C. S. Lewis wandered into the room. "What is the rumpus all about

During a British conference on comparative religions, experts from around the world debated what, if any, belief was unique to the Christian faith. They began eliminating various possibilities. Incarnation? Other religions had different versions of gods appearing in human form. ...read more

Scripture: Luke 15:11-32

Denomination: Anglican

The Bread Of Life

Contributed by Craig Condon on Feb 4, 2015

Most important; however, is the need to be thankful for the spiritual food and the blessings it brings. We must always allow these blessings to draw us closer to God in faith, hope and love.

When I was doing the research for my homily, I came across a story that I think fits in quite well with this morning's Gospel reading, so I'd like to share it with you. It might also serve as a warning to those of us who preach sermons! An elderly minister was searching in his closet for his ...read more

Scripture: John 6:25-35, John 6:35

Denomination: Anglican

Sowing The Seeds Of Love

Contributed by Pat Cook on Sep 8, 2003

A brief wedding message about being the right kind of soil, not letting problems choke out the joy, and keeping God’s Word in the marriage.

Homily I’d like to share a brief word to you from God’s Word, encouraging you in your new life. Jesus told a story once about 4 kinds of soil that a farmer scattered some seeds in: 1) on a footpath - birds came and ate the seeds 2) in shallow soil - it grew up quickly but soon wilted for lack of ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 13:1-23

Denomination: Baptist

Queen Mother And Servant Series

Contributed by W Pat Cunningham on Aug 20, 2011

We call Mary Queen of Heaven because she was first the servant of God in imitation of the God who became servant of all

Let us confidently draw close to the throne of grace, that we may find mercy and discover grace at the time we need help. These words of the letter to the Hebrews–which were also incorporated into Archbishop Gomez’s coat of arms–were the keynotes to today’s celebration of ...read more

Scripture: Luke 1:26-38

Denomination: Catholic

Nelson Mandela: Well Done, Good And Faithful Servant

Contributed by Craig Condon on Sep 14, 2015

Nelson Mandela chose to persevere in his life’s mission regardless of the cost and hardship, just like Christians everywhere are to persevere in their mission from God regardless of the cost and hardship.

Before I deliver my homily this morning, I’d like to say a few words about the passing of Nelson Mandela this past Thursday. How can I describe in a few words and a few moments what he meant to the people of South Africa and the world? How can I describe his legacy in a short amount of time? ...read more

Scripture: John 13:34

Denomination: Anglican

Prophecy And Discernment Series

Contributed by W Pat Cunningham on Jan 1, 2015

All Christians are anointed with prophetic gifts by our baptismal anointing, but before speaking for God, we must also practice discernment of spirits.

Feast of St. John Neumann (January 5) Thirteen Days of Christmas Today St. John speaks to us of “testing the spirits.” In theological language, derived from St. Paul, this is the spiritual gift of discernment. Let’s talk about its exercise in the first century: in the churches ...read more

Denomination: Catholic