Sermons on Sacrament:

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

Do Not Lose The Mission For A Tradition!

Contributed by Dr. Ronald Shultz on Jan 19, 2018

Churches need to get out of the marriage business. It is a tradition, not a biblical mandate. Stick to mission!

Gen 2 21 And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof; 22 And the rib, which the LORD God had taken from man, made He a woman, and brought her unto the man. 23 And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, ...read more

Scripture: Genesis 2:21-24

Denomination: Baptist

The Need For Contemplation Series

Contributed by W Pat Cunningham on Apr 30, 2016

Our mission to others must be underlaid with a foundation of personal devotion to Jesus Christ.

Thursday in 6th Week of Easter 2016 Joy of the Gospel St. Paul’s relationship with the church at Corinth was long, fruitful, and fraught with problems. But it is Corinth that gives us testimony of the historical reliability of the Acts of the Apostles. “Before AD 50, an area 62 feet ...read more

Scripture: Acts 18:1-8

Denomination: Catholic

Solemnity Of Mary, January 1, 2021: New Years

Contributed by Paul Andrew on Dec 29, 2020

All human nature vigorously resists grace because grace changes us and the change is painful.

1.Flannery O’Connor noted that “All human nature vigorously resists grace because grace changes us and the change is painful, “she wrote in 1958. (Adding, “Priests resist it as well as others.”) She means that grace intervenes in the sufferings of the ordinary -- ignorant, complacent people whose ...read more

Scripture: Numbers 6:22-27

Denomination: Catholic

Everyone Who Asks Receives? Really? Series

Contributed by W Pat Cunningham on Jan 2, 2021

“We should believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he has commanded us.” That’s not a suggestion. That’s a demand .

Monday of Epiphany Week 2020 It’s a good idea to read St. John’s words in this first letter perhaps every week of our lives, because in it we find the key to happiness and fulfillment. John says “we receive from [God] whatever we ask.” Hmm, that’s interesting. And we recall that Jesus Himself said ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 4:12-25, 1 John 3:23-24, 1 John 4:1-6

Denomination: Catholic

Blessed Are The Poor In Spirit As Applied To Prayer

Contributed by Paul Andrew on Oct 23, 2017

Poverty of soul is a way of entering in prayer, especially at the outset of when we begin to pray.

Poverty of soul is a way of entering in prayer, especially at the outset. Poverty of soul cannot be sought as an item of self-knowledge. It retains always an unknown, elusive quality. It cannot be simply a thought of our unworthiness before God. Much less can it be a mood of despondency about ...read more

Denomination: Catholic

Jonah And The Call To Convert The Nations Series

Contributed by W Pat Cunningham on Jan 20, 2021

Isn’t God’s mercy good news for all of us? He’s forgiven the sins of my youth, and, yes, even my old age.

3rd Sunday in Course 2021 Poor Jonah. We can hardly blame him. God tells him to go convert the people and rulers of Nineveh, heart of the Assyrian empire. You see, the Assyrians were for about six centuries the scourge of the ancient Middle East, kind of a cross between the Huns, the Vandals and ...read more

Scripture: Jonah 3:1-10, Psalm 25:4-9, 1 Corinthians 7:29-31, Mark 1:14-20

Denomination: Catholic

Our Face Set Toward Jerusalem Series

Contributed by W Pat Cunningham on Sep 28, 2019

Athanasius taught that God became human so that humans could be made divine. But even the baptized struggle with the profound negative impacts of original sins in our physical, emotional and spiritual lives.

Tuesday of the 26th Week in Course 2019 St. Therese of Liseaux The connection between our two Scripture readings today is stark. The prophet Zechariah, writing a couple of hundred years before Christ, is in a society dominated by Hellenist culture, polytheism and utter contempt for Biblical faith ...read more

Scripture: Luke 9:51-56, Zechariah 8:21-23

Denomination: Catholic

Abraham's Revival Series

Contributed by I. Grant Spong on Aug 19, 2021

Abraham’s faith is a model for Christians, because we are his successors by faith (Galatians 3:29). Revival of our faith is modeled after his life (Genesis 12-25).

Abraham’s faith is a model for Christians, because we are his successors by faith (Galatians 3:29). Revival of our faith is modeled after his life (Genesis 12-25). Traditional history tells us that Abram’s father Terah, was a high priest for Nimrod and made idols. History tells that Noah and Shem ...read more

Scripture: Galatians 3:29

Denomination: Baptist

Canonized Or Not, All Are Called To Be Saints Series

Contributed by W Pat Cunningham on Sep 7, 2019

The slavery to sin that we all labor under for some part of our lives is destroyed by the infinite loving power of Christ.

Tuesday of 23rd week in course 2019 St. Agnes Tsao-Kou Ying We don’t become disciples of Jesus Christ on our own volition. We must be called to follow Christ. Some teachers have misunderstood this to mean that some are called and others are not called, and therefore are damned to perdition by ...read more

Scripture: Colossians 2:6-15, Luke 6:12-19

Denomination: Catholic

Witnessing To The Culture Of Death Series

Contributed by W Pat Cunningham on Mar 7, 2020

We must work and pray, as St. Benedict told us to do. Work for the spread of the kingdom in our families and communities, and vote as a Christian must, for godly men and women who will resist the culture of death and legislate for life, peace, and goodness.

Tuesday of the 2nd Week in Lent 2020 For our first reading today, I have chosen to begin earlier in the first chapter of Isaiah than the Lectionary suggests, and to add the verses the Lectionary omits. The Lenten readings take a great deal of the very long prophecies of Isaiah, but they omit ...read more

Scripture: Isaiah 1:10-20, Matthew 23:1-12

Denomination: Catholic

How Do You Make Decisions?

Contributed by W Pat Cunningham on Jun 6, 2024

Mozart was a great musician, but a terrible philosopher.

Tenth Sunday in Course 2024 The great composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart is quoted as saying “I pay no attention whatever to anybody's praise or blame. I simply follow my own feelings.” It seems appropriate to apply this statement to our first reading today, because the original man, whom we ...read more

Scripture: Mark 3:20-35, 2 Corinthians 4:13, Psalm 130:1-8, Genesis 3:9-15

Denomination: Catholic

No, It's Not Fair, But Bear With It In Christ

Contributed by W Pat Cunningham on Sep 28, 2023

Forget the old song that asks “how can it be wrong when it feels so right?” That’s unmitigated baloney. Your mind must rule your emotions, not vice-versa.

Twenty-Sixth Sunday in Course 2023 Have you or anyone you know ever said that some fine or traffic ticket or concert ticket price or something else “isn’t fair”? I suspect that a show of hands would involve almost everyone who is here today. That cry, “it’s not fair!” is one of the most common ...read more

Scripture: Philippians 2:1-11, Matthew 21:28-32, Psalm 25:4-9, Ezekiel 18:25-28

Denomination: Catholic

Do Not Fear; Only Believe

Contributed by W Pat Cunningham on Jun 27, 2024

God made man and woman in His image, with the plan that they would act and become more and more good, more and more like Himself. That was the divine order.

Thirteenth Sunday in Course 2024 In his great Summa Theologiae, St Thomas Aquinas wrote “the order of the Divine government is wholly directed to good. . .no one acts intending evil.” (ST I Q 104 Art 1) Those words are an appropriate commentary on the words from the post-exile writing Book of ...read more

Scripture: Mark 5:21-43, 2 Corinthians 8:7-15, Exodus 16:18, Psalm 30:2-12

Denomination: Catholic

Let's Not Miss The Opportunity For Victory

Contributed by W Pat Cunningham on Oct 19, 2023

The roles of obedient faith, steadfast hope and laboring love

Twenty-Ninth Sunday in Course 2023 It’s pretty clear to anyone who observes humans as they go about their days just what is important to most. What is most important to us becomes clearest when we look at what takes up most of our time. If success in one’s career drives his ambition, then more ...read more

Scripture: 1 Thessalonians 1:1-5, Matthew 22:15-21, Isaiah 45:1, Isaiah 45:4-6

Denomination: Catholic