Sermons on Pope Victor:

The Astonishing Experience Of Gift Series

Contributed by W Pat Cunningham on Dec 5, 2009

Mary is the opposite of Eve, totally open to the plan of God as Eve was closed in, and thus she was able to accept the Greatest Gift, Jesus Christ.

Immaculate Conception December 7-8, 2009 Caritas in Veritate “Charity in truth places man before the astonishing experience of gift.” (CV 34) These words of Pope Benedict from the encyclical begin a new section that is incredibly appropriate for the solemnity we celebrate today, the patronal ...read more

Scripture: Genesis 3:9-20

Denomination: Catholic

Beatitudes: A Program Of Life Series

Contributed by W Pat Cunningham on Oct 30, 2010

Our worship must be an authentic and total gift of self in the spirit of the Beatitudes

All Saints Day Nov 1 2010 The Spirit of the Liturgy Today is part of what we might call a great cosmic convergence, at least for our nation. Yesterday was both Hallowe’en, and, for Protestants, what they call Reformation Sunday, the anniversary of the great religious revolution that split ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 5:1-12

Denomination: Catholic

Free To Serve, Or Not Series

Contributed by W Pat Cunningham on Nov 14, 2015

We will be judged on our service to the poor--but do our social systems make it easy or difficult to do so?

Thursday of 33rd week in course 2015 Joy of the Gospel Two things tie our Scriptures together today. The obvious one is that they are texts written in or about a time of injustice and disaster. In the first reading, the Syrian king Antiochus IV has decreed that all his subjects would act like ...read more

Scripture: Luke 19:41-44

Denomination: Catholic

The Joy Of The Gospel And The Option For The Poor Series

Contributed by W Pat Cunningham on Nov 24, 2015

When we act in favor of the poor–either by providing housing and food and medical care or by helping them to build systems that provide those things–we are acting as the Father and Son have done for us.

Thursday of 1st week in Advent 2015 Joy of the Gospel During the time of Advent, we look forward to the return of Our Lord Jesus Christ. The prophet Isaiah speaks of this “day of the Lord” as one based on the security provided the faithful by the Rock, the Lord God. The haughty and ...read more

Scripture: Isaiah 26:1-6

Denomination: Catholic

Unity Over Conflict Series

Contributed by W Pat Cunningham on Feb 6, 2016

Christ has made all things one in himself, and we must strive for unity if we are to have peace.

Thursday after Ash Wednesday 2016 Joy of the Gospel There really is only one choice in this life. We either choose to walk in the path set down by Our Lord or we don’t. Psalm 1, which we just prayed, says it very well: “Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, ...read more

Scripture: Luke 9:22-25

Denomination: Catholic

Bring Us Together By Thy Word Series

Contributed by W Pat Cunningham on Aug 25, 2012

The existence of the Word of God makes it necessary to have a living and authoritative interpretator "of last resort," in the Church.

Monday of 21st Week in Course St. Monica/St. Augustine Verbum Domini St. Monica could easily be called the patron saint of frustrated prayer. A Catholic herself, she found herself married to a pagan, with a son who, unbaptized as a child, turned into a kind of semi-pagan hellion during his youth. ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 23:13-22

Denomination: Catholic

Homilies And The Joy Of The Gospel Series

Contributed by W Pat Cunningham on Jul 11, 2015

"The homily takes up once more the dialogue which the Lord has already established with his people. "

Thursday of 15th week in course 2015 Joy of the Gospel Today we see Moses, who you remember fled from Egypt after killing an Egyptian oppressor, being called by God to go and preach to Pharaoh. The message: let all your slaves go into the desert. Let them abandon their jobs for a week or two, ...read more

Scripture: Exodus 3:13-20

Denomination: Catholic

Sharing The Father's Embrace In Preaching Series

Contributed by W Pat Cunningham on Jul 26, 2015

The two sources of the scribe versed in the kingdom of God are Moses and Jesus

Thursday of 17th week in course 2015 Joy of the Gospel “Every scribe who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven is like a householder who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old.” We need to see the revolutionary idea in this short and familiar quotation of Jesus. ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 13:47-53

Denomination: Catholic

Ear To God's People Series

Contributed by W Pat Cunningham on Aug 22, 2015

The preacher must know what the needs of the listener are.

Thursday of 21st week in course 2015 Joy of the Gospel St. Monica day We who minister to the Church are first of all your fellow servants. The parable Jesus is telling His disciples in this Gospel is first of all directed to those who lead the Church. We know this is true because only the chief ...read more

Scripture: 1 Thessalonians 3:7-12

Denomination: Catholic

The Lure Of "Spiritual Worldliness" Series

Contributed by W Pat Cunningham on Apr 11, 2015

Although the Christian life brings conflict, we cannot flee from a personal and committed relationship with God which still commits us to serving others.

Thursday of 2nd Week of Easter 2015 Joy of the Gospel If you have ever wondered why the Season of Easter is the longest one in the liturgical year, consider this: after the Resurrection of our Lord, we are living in an Easter season that will last until the Lord comes again! All our lives are a ...read more

Scripture: Acts 5:27-33

Denomination: Catholic

Ministry To The Young And Our Evangelical Mission Series

Contributed by W Pat Cunningham on May 16, 2015

In our quest to be One Church, we must show forth Goodness, Beauty, and Truth, especially to the young.

Thursday of the 7th Week of Easter 2015 Joy of the Gospel It would not be disrespectful of St. Paul to point out that, even among his great works, he made some monumental personal blunders in his ministry. Last week we heard him trying to preach to the Athenians on a philosophical level. It fell ...read more

Denomination: Catholic

Mary, The Church And The Joy Of The Gospel Series

Contributed by W Pat Cunningham on Aug 12, 2017

"He [God] will dwell forever in the knowledge and love of each faithful soul”

Thursday of 19th Week in Course 2017 Joy of the Gospel The story of Joshua and the people of Israel crossing the Jordan River in flood season, on dry land, is reminiscent of the crossing of the sea by Israel in the time of Moses. We needn’t concern ourselves with just how it happened. Into the ...read more

Scripture: Joshua 3:7-17

Denomination: Catholic

Pray For Us Preachers Series

Contributed by W Pat Cunningham on Jul 3, 2016

The homily is the touchstone for judging a pastor’s closeness and ability to communicate to his people.

Thursday of 13th Week in Course Today Jesus’s words are about preaching and service. They are directed to us, to the clergy leaders of the Church, primarily, but really to all Christians. Saint Francis lived out this vocation–he took with him on his journeys almost nothing. He ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 10:7-15

Denomination: Catholic

Justified By Faith And Living In Love Series

Contributed by W Pat Cunningham on Jan 6, 2018

“Luther’s expression sola fide is true if faith is not opposed to charity, to love.”

Thursday After Epiphany 2018 Reformation/Revolution The action of the Israelites and the response of the Philistines we have heard proclaimed from the first book of Samuel help us see the two primitive and wrong conceptions of the divine. For the Israelites, their God was the God of Moses who had ...read more

Scripture: 1 Samuel 4:1-11

Denomination: Catholic

"The Intersection Of Faith And Doubt"

Contributed by David Henderson on Dec 29, 2016

We know from previous passages of scripture that Jesus had given them the authority to heal and they had been successful many times. But this time they seem to be in over their heads. They pray and nothing happens.

"The Intersection of Faith and Doubt" Mark 9:14-24 We find in the scripture that nearly 40 times Jesus performed an act of healing. Water to wine. Fed 5000 without very little food. He healed the blind, the deaf; the lame. And the reason was simple: it was never just about the healing…it was ...read more

Scripture: Mark 9:14-24

Denomination: Baptist