Sermons on Popes:

The Social Dimension Of Evangelism Series

Contributed by W Pat Cunningham on Oct 21, 2016

"the service of charity is also a constituent element of the Church’s mission and an indispensable expression of her very being."

Thursday of the 29th Week in Course 2016 Joy of the Gospel Why did Herod and the Pharisees hate Jesus so much that they endeavored to kill Him, and not only once? And why ultimately did Jesus lay this curse on Jerusalem, or, rather, turn their curse on themselves, so that in 67 AD the Jews ...read more

Scripture: Luke 13:31-35

Denomination: Catholic

Preparing For The Coming Of Christ Series

Contributed by W Pat Cunningham on Nov 5, 2016

An authentic faith – which is never comfortable or completely personal – always involves a deep desire to change the world

Thursday of the 31st Week in Course 2016 Joy of the Gospel We stand now very close to the conclusion of our liturgical year, our holy year of grace and mercy that concludes on the Feast of Christ the King. I’m doubly blessed because I get to celebrate Christ the King Sunday twice. In the ...read more

Scripture: Philemon 1:7-20

Denomination: Catholic

The End And The Reward Series

Contributed by W Pat Cunningham on Nov 12, 2016

Paul is not focusing on sinful behavior we should avoid, but on exemplary behavior we should practice.

24th or Last Sunday of the Year 2016 Extraordinary Form The five hundred year period since the end of the Renaissance has been marked by two events we Catholics can realistically call religious catastrophes. The first, of course, was the Protestant revolution most agree was begun by Martin Luther ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 24:15-35

Denomination: Catholic

Your Mission To Your Family Series

Contributed by W Pat Cunningham on Jun 7, 2014

We are sent to be a gift, a blessing, to every human being we encounter, especially in our family.

Thursday of the 10th Week in Course 2014 Lumen Fidei One of the beautiful things we lost with the new liturgical calendar is the Octave of Pentecost. Pentecost is the birthday of the Church, the day when evangelization of the nations began in earnest and in the Holy Spirit, so it deserves to be ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 5:20-26

Denomination: Catholic

God Does Want Humans To Be One In Mind And Heart Series

Contributed by W Pat Cunningham on Jun 13, 2014

Faith gives us a heightened respect for nature so that we "discern in it a grammar written by the hand of God." God's Fatherhood makes it possible for us to live together with one heart and one will.

Thursday of the 11th Week in Course 2014 Lumen Fidei Where did we get the idea that God is our Father? Surely the definitive statement of God’s fatherhood is in this prayer we learned from Jesus, the Son. Still, we didn’t fully know what a father is until Jesus came and established ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 6:7-15

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

Little Children, Love One Another Series

Contributed by W Pat Cunningham on Dec 23, 2014

John believed, and spent the rest of his life preaching agape love.

St John’s Day Mass 2014 (December 27) Thirteen Days of Christmas Tradition tells us that of the three first witnesses to the empty tomb, St. John lived the longest. That is not surprising, since Tradition also holds that he was the youngest, perhaps a teenager during Jesus’s ministry. ...read more

Scripture: John 20:1-8

Denomination: Catholic

Can We Refuse To See Our Brothers And Sisters? Series

Contributed by W Pat Cunningham on Jan 3, 2015

We cannot love God if we refuse to work for the betterment and evangelization of the poor.

Thursday after Epiphany 2015 Joy of the Gospel St. John’s letter is pretty stark today: “If any one says, "I love God," and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen.” Our love for our brothers ...read more

Denomination: Catholic

Secularism And The Fight For The Family Series

Contributed by W Pat Cunningham on Feb 7, 2015

The information-driven society is one that tries to secularize and pervert the human family into something it can never become.

Thursday of 5th week in Course 2015 Joy of the Gospel Jesus has such a sense of humor that some commentators have mistaken it for cruelty. Of course, Jesus never sinned, so thinking this comment about throwing the bread to the dogs is a real insult is wrongheaded thinking. In reality, Jesus was ...read more

Scripture: Mark 7:24-30

Denomination: Catholic

Saint Joseph And The Joy Of The Gospel Series

Contributed by W Pat Cunningham on Mar 14, 2015

We can learn much from Saint Joseph about the ways to fight acedia and to recover the joy of evangelization.

Feast of St. Joseph 2015 Joy of the Gospel It is humbling to lead this prayer service on a solemnity, especially that of St. Joseph. He is the patron of fathers, of workers, of carpenters, of social justice, and of the universal Church. He has titles such as St. Joseph the Worker and St. Joseph ...read more

Scripture: Romans 4:13-22

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

Our Duty To Educate The Poor Series

Contributed by W Pat Cunningham on May 4, 2019

Religious argument, we know, is not a bad thing. It can actually lead us forward and help us truly understand how to advance the Gospel.

Tuesday of 3rd Week in Easter 2019 Rosa Venerini Over the years I have been in ministry, first as a layman and now as a deacon, I have known many Christians, Catholics of course, but men and women and teens with various denominations. One thing I am convinced of is that most people loathe ...read more

Scripture: John 6:30-35

Denomination: Catholic

When To Be Seen; When Not To Be Seen Series

Contributed by W Pat Cunningham on Jun 19, 2019

Do we let our good deeds shine out or do we do them in secret? Is Jesus talking out of both sides of His mouth here?

Wednesday of 11th Week in Course 2019 A priest I know preached recently on this passage from St. Matthew’s Gospel and pointed out that this part of the Sermon on the Mount appears to contradict the earlier passage that tells us not to hide the good that we do under a basket. So do we let our good ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 5:11, Matthew 6:1-18

Denomination: Catholic

The Glory We Share With The Father And Son

Contributed by W Pat Cunningham on May 12, 2018

St. Gregory of Nyssa, and other Fathers of the Church, teach that the glory of the Father and the Son is the Holy Spirit, who is love. The glory we are given is the Holy Spirit who enables us to image Christ in our world.

Thursday of the 7th Week of Easter 2018 St. Paschal Baylon The prayer of Jesus we just heard from St. John is part of the High Priestly Prayer Our Lord offered at the Last Supper. If you look carefully at it, you might call it the first Eucharistic Prayer, and here you find Christ offering His ...read more

Scripture: John 17:20-26

Denomination: Catholic