Sermons on St Benedict:

Can You Here Me Now?

Contributed by Bobby Sims, Jr. on Jul 8, 2004

Stop what you are doing and listen for God.

“Can you hear me now?” 1 Samuel 3: 1-12 Many of us know of Samuel because of the 2 books of the O.T. that bares his name. We know Samuel to be used of God to anoint the 1st King God recognized. Samuel was a broken vessel mended by god, used to establish the kingdom of the house of Israel. ...read more

Scripture: 1 Samuel 3:1-12

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Corpus Christi

Contributed by Paul Andrew on Jun 3, 2019

the Maxima Presence

Father Phillip Bloom notes that in the book, "The Mass: Four Encounters with Jesus That Will Change Your Life," the four “presences” of Jesus are described: in the community, the Word, the priest and the Eucharist. Although each presence of Jesus is vital, this Sunday we focus on the ...read more

Scripture: Luke 9:11-17

Denomination: Catholic

The Horror Of Violence Series

Contributed by W Pat Cunningham on Nov 7, 2009

Jesus was, in fact, nonviolent, even when he used force to expel the merchants who desecrated the Temple. Violence is incompatible with human development.

Feast of Dedication of St. John Lateran November 9, 2009 Let’s confront a misconception about today’s Gospel, and that has to do with Jesus and violence. What Jesus did to the moneychangers and pigeon salesmen who had coopted the Court of the Gentiles was to clean them out. He used force to ...read more

Scripture: John 2:13-22

Denomination: Catholic

Are We Necessary Or Not? And What Does That Mean For Human Dignity?

Contributed by W Pat Cunningham on Jun 2, 2023

God is not a big muscle-guy waiting to pounce on us if we do something morally wrong.

Trinity Sunday 2023 If you walked in a little late for our service today, you may have arrived after all the Scripture was proclaimed. Except for the psalm, we are given only eleven verses in the OT and NT to consider. But they are very dense in meaning. God is not a big muscle-guy waiting to ...read more

Scripture: Exodus 34:4-9, 2 Corinthians 13:11-13, John 3:16-18

Denomination: Catholic

Christmas Eve Service #1 Series

Contributed by Ed Wood on Dec 16, 2003

This is a Christmas Eve Lord’s Supper Candelite Service

Christmas Eve CANDELITE LORD’S SUPPER PRELUDE "Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee" SOLO "O Holy Night" RESPONSIVE READING Pastor- And Jesus said, I am the bread of life: he ...read more

Scripture: Luke 2:1-20

Denomination: Baptist

The Lord Will Perfect Me

Contributed by Christopher Holdsworth on Jan 12, 2019

This is a Psalm of thanksgiving, and of hope.

THE LORD WILL PERFECT ME. Psalm138:1-8. In Psalm 138:1, David praises the LORD. 1st, his praise is wholehearted (cf. Psalm 9:1; Psalm 86:12-13; Psalm 103:1-2; Psalm 111:1). 2nd, it is ‘in the face of’ (to use a contemporary term) all other would-be or otherwise imaginary ‘gods’ (cf. ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 138:1-8

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Where Does The King Rule?

Contributed by W Pat Cunningham on Oct 26, 2014

We must know where Christ the King rules, and with whom.

Christ the King Extraordinary Form 2014 Where does the King rule? About five hundred years ago, a young German priest, recent recipient of a doctoral degree, visited Rome on pilgrimage. The Church has always gone through cycles of decay and resurgence. There had been several such cycles in the ...read more

Scripture: John 18:35-37

Denomination: Catholic

The Word Of God--Constant Reminder Of Our Need To Repent Series

Contributed by W Pat Cunningham on Oct 22, 2011

This homily is largely identical to the previous week's, which I did not get to deliver. The relationship between the spiritual gifts and the deposit of faith in Scripture

Monday of 30th Week in Course St. Anthony Mary Claret Verbum Domini The early Church, built on the immediate remembrance of Pentecost, was “charismatic” in the best sense. That is, the spiritual gifts, interior and exterior, characterized the relationships between the Christian, the ...read more

Denomination: Catholic

How To Hear A Parable Series

Contributed by W Pat Cunningham on Jul 28, 2012

The parables of Jeremiah and Jesus are in a special form that we need to understand if we are to get all the benefits they can provide.

Monday of 17th Week in Course 2012 St. Peter Chrysologus Verbum Domini As we continue our reflections on the letter of Pope Benedict, Verbum Domini, we have a happy intersection of the celebration of St. Peter Chrysologus and these two parabolic readings. No, I’m not teaching a mathematics ...read more

Scripture: Jeremiah 13:1-11

Denomination: Catholic

The Struggle Never Ends Series

Contributed by W Pat Cunningham on Feb 16, 2019

We humans think that we can be happiest when there is no struggle, when we can just coast. . .But that is not the state of society when there are still many who have not accepted and begun to live the call of Christ.

Thursday of the 6th Week in Course 2019 St. Peter Damian Life after original sin came into the human family is a continual struggle. The story of a great flood is found in more than one culture. Here in our first reading we see God establishing a covenant after the flood between Himself, Noah and ...read more

Scripture: Genesis 9:1-13, Mark 8:27-33

Denomination: Catholic

Divorce And Remarriage

Contributed by Paul Andrew on Aug 10, 2018

A divorce is a legal matter. God is against it, but in some grave circumstances, it may be necessary. A Church annulment is saying that the marriage consent was substantially defective.

27B Jesus is comparing and contrasting divorce and remarriage from what Moses allowed to his teaching. The same can be done today. e.g. We are aware of King Henry VIII of England who could not divorce Catherine of Aragon, with whom he had been unable to conceive a son, and since he could not ...read more

Scripture: Mark 10:2-12

Denomination: Catholic

The Unity Of The Whole Of Scripture Series

Contributed by W Pat Cunningham on Mar 16, 2012

We can use the story of the finding of Jesus in the Temple to illustrate how the Scripture is best read as a whole, with the New Testament's meaning being fleshed out by its OT references.

Solemnity of St Joseph 2012 Verbum Domini The Solemnity of St. Joseph is a very appropriate day to line out some ideas about the Word of God, and interpretation of the Word. We can easily focus on the “unity of the whole of Scripture,” which is the first of the three marks of ...read more

Scripture: Luke 2:41-51

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

Completing Our Initiation Series

Contributed by W Pat Cunningham on Jan 26, 2009

Baptism is called the “portal to all the sacraments,” but it is our participation in the Eucharistic sacrifice which perfects within us the gifts given to us at Baptism.”

January 26, 2009 Timothy and Titus Sacramentum Caritatis On this feast of Saints Timothy and Titus, who are linked forever in the Church’s memory with St. Paul, whose conversion we celebrated yesterday, we continue with the Holy Father to reflect on the relationship between the Blessed Eucharist ...read more

Scripture: Titus 1:1-4

Denomination: Catholic

When The Church Prays, Something Happens

Contributed by Sean Smuts on Dec 8, 2010

A look at prayer in the church

When The Church Prays, Something Happens Intro: Prayers in the Bible 1.Jesus in Gethsemane 2.Jesus prays for the disciples (Jn 17) 3.Jesus on the Cross (Father, Forgive them...) 4.Stephen stoning (Forgive them...) 5.Moses prays on Mt. Sinai (10 Commandments) Explanation: Ch. 15 Jerusalem ...read more

Denomination: Mennonite