Sermons on Ordinary Men:

A Passing World

Contributed by Dr John Singarayar Svd on Jan 18, 2021

Third Sunday in Ordinary Time.

A Passing World Scripture: Mark 1:14-20, Jonah 3:1-5, Jonah 3:10, 1 Corinthians 7:29-31. Reflection My dear sisters and brothers, We have a text from the Gospel according to Saint Mark (Mark 1:14-20) for our reflection today: “After John had been arrested, Jesus came to Galilee proclaiming ...read more

Scripture: Mark 1:14-20, Jonah 3:1-5, Jonah 3:10, 1 Corinthians 7:29-31

Denomination: Other

2nd String Series

Contributed by Dean Rhine on Aug 5, 2019

God uses ordinary individuals

Acts 1 - January 8, 2017 Turn with me this morning to Acts 1.  It is good to be back with you today as we come out in a new year and celebrate all that our God is doing.  We’ve had just one week go by - and if you made new year’s resolutions, I hope you have been keeping them.  If ...read more

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Seventh Sunday In Ordinary Time -- 7th Sunday, Year A

Contributed by Paul Andrew on Jan 27, 2020

Love your enemies

There is a sign in the Princeton University Store basement which cleverly suggests: "Love your enemies—it will drive them crazy." Jesus’ ethical teaching is higher than this example because love of enemies is not a consequentialist ethic, hoping that the other person will change. Love ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 5:38-48

Denomination: Catholic

Moving In The Opposite Spirit— 6th Sunday In Ordinary Time

Contributed by Paul Andrew on Jan 27, 2019

A “Manual” for Escaping Our Vicious Cycles through non-violence is what the Sermon on the Mount has been called; to transform the adversary - and, in the process, to be transformed ourselves.

1). Mary Lou Kownacki relates the following tale: It seems that in a certain village a snake had bitten so many people that few dared to go into the fields. Finally, it was taken to a wise person who tamed the snake and persuaded it to practice the discipline of nonviolence. When the villagers ...read more

Scripture: Luke 6:27-38, 1 Samuel 26:1-23

Denomination: Catholic

Seventeenth Sunday In Ordinary Time, Year B--Spiritual Multiplication

Contributed by Paul Andrew on Jun 24, 2024

“Gift” is only gift if we give all the pieces.

Percent means “parts per hundred,” from the Latin, per centum. Edward Denison, in 1060, thought of a neat phrase, “Three percent is greater than two percent by fifty percent. I have math anxiety but there are listed several ways to prove this, including that the reason that 3 is 50% bigger than 2 ...read more

Scripture: John 6:1-15

Denomination: Catholic

Nineteenth Sunday In Ordinary Time, Year B: Food For The Journey

Contributed by Paul Andrew on Jul 5, 2024

[Bless those] who…know the depths of [the] sacrament.

Elijah went a day's journey into the desert, until he came to a broom tree and sat beneath it. He was the last remaining Prophet of the true religion left. He had just stood his ground against four-hundred pagan prophets of the fertility god Baal. Today’s pagan fertility god is In-Vitro ...read more

Scripture: 1 Kings 19:4-8, John 6:41-51

Denomination: Catholic

Eleventh Sunday In Ordinary Time- B Mustard Seed Cooperation

Contributed by Paul Andrew on Jun 13, 2021

The Atlantic began to come in; its mighty shoulders underneath the boats lifted—lifted until the derelict had to come. The youth had harnessed infinite energy to his task.

Working in harmony with the processes of life in co-operation with God is how the Kingdom of God works, Jesus says. Its methods may be illustrated by the case of an old derelict ship that was to be lifted-up from the bottom of the sea. In one of the tidal rivers near New York, the building of a ...read more

Scripture: Mark 4:26-34, Ezekiel 17:22-24

Denomination: Catholic

Thirteenth Sunday In Ordinary Time B--- Bleeding For 12 Years

Contributed by Paul Andrew on Jun 24, 2021

As we felt new power flow in, as we enjoyed peace of mind, as we discovered we could...

[Jail Ministry homily 13th Sunday B] Under Mosaic law, that woman was unclean all those years. Twelve years of medical treatments with no cure corroborates her once-significant financial status. Alcoholics Anonymous refers to, “the insanity of our disease.” i.e. an impaired ability to stop or ...read more

Scripture: Mark 5:21-43

Denomination: Catholic

Eighteenth Sunday In Ordinary Time, Cycle B-- New Manna

Contributed by Paul Andrew on Jul 31, 2021

Complaining became the rubric under which the journey was interpreted.

In our First Reading we heard Exodus 16:2, “The whole Israelite community grumbled against Moses and Aaron.” It reminds me of the story of a lady who was a veritable fount of complaints. Her pastor came by to see her one day and she began to enumerate some of her complaints: “The neighbor’s ...read more

Scripture: Exodus 16:2-15, John 6:24-35

Denomination: Catholic

Thirty-First Sunday In Ordinary Time, Year A- Hypocrites

Contributed by Paul Andrew on Oct 8, 2023

We ask for the daily grace to walk the talk.

Have you heard the one about the priest, the minister, and the rabbi?” A rabbi and a priest were talking about the perks of each job. The priest mentioned that he gets a rectory to live in that comes with a housekeeper and a cook, all paid for by the church. The rabbi responded by asking if ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 23:1-12

Denomination: Catholic

Thirty-Second Sunday In Ordinary Time, C--The Sadducees

Contributed by Paul Andrew on Oct 12, 2022

I believe the question I would have asked the Sadducees would be, “Was this woman taking out life insurance policies on all these husbands?”

One of my seminary professors said that it’s easy to remember who the Sadducees were because since they denied that there is a resurrection, they were “so sad you see.” The Sadducees were the ancient version of modern liberal theologians. They were anti-supernaturalistic. They only accepted the ...read more

Scripture: Luke 20:27-38

Denomination: Catholic

Fourth Sunday In Ordinary Time, B-- My Inner Demons

Contributed by Paul Andrew on Dec 26, 2023

The demon uses the object pronoun “us,” which is non-binary.

I saw a sweatshirt that said, “I Stopped Fighting My Inner Demons because I realized we’re On the Same Side.” Although most deviant behavior may be explained by natural causes, psychotics, for example, suffer from a loss of object reality while demons are separate spiritual beings. Psychology can ...read more

Scripture: Mark 1:21-28

Denomination: Catholic

Tenth Sunday In Ordinary Time, Year B: Combat Boots

Contributed by Paul Andrew on May 4, 2024

“feet shod with the kind of shoe created for the Gospel of peace.”

General Douglas MacArthur wrote that there are 4 things necessary to win any battle. One is strength-- We hear Mark 3:27 in our Gospel, “no one can enter a strong man's house to plunder his property unless he first ties up the strong man. Then he can plunder the house.” Jesus explains that ...read more

Scripture: Mark 3:27, Genesis 3:15, Ephesians 6:15, Ephesians 4:27

Denomination: Catholic

Fly High - Acts Part 5

Contributed by Michael Mccartney on Jul 11, 2006

The book of Acts was written to show what God can do with ordinary people who are filled with the Holy Spirit.

"Fly high" - Acts part 5 On The Lighter Side of Life: More funny photos Thesis: The book of Acts was written to show what God can do with ordinary people who are filled with the Holy Spirit. Scripture Text: Acts 2: 42-47: 42They devoted themselves to the apostles teaching and to the fellowship, ...read more

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

The Kind Of People God Invests In

Contributed by Phil Morgan on Apr 7, 2002

God uses ordinary people.

READ: 1 Corinthians 1:26-31 What kind of people does God invest in? Paul’s words here in this passage might well come as a bit of a shock. They’re shocking because they run COUNTER-CULTURALLY against most of the ideas that we’ve all been raised with. Our society values those who have the right ...read more

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 1:26-31, Exodus 4:2

Denomination: Pentecostal