Sermons on Thursday:

Only When Connected To Our Lord Series

Contributed by W Pat Cunningham on Nov 4, 2018

In a real sense, St. Paul was the sheep that was lost, and Jesus left the heavens to seek him out and find him and turn him toward the truth.

Thursday of 31st Week in Course At some point in the life of every Catholic theologian, like Saint Paul there comes a time of high clarity. St. Paul’s moment was a time when he realized that all his elevated Jewish theology was just a waste of time. In fact, in the light of Christ’s suffering and ...read more

Scripture: Philippians 3:3-8, Luke 15:1-10

Denomination: Catholic

"An Intelligent Notion Of Charity"

Contributed by W Pat Cunningham on Jun 9, 2018

I think Thomas of Villanova is a saint for our times. He possessed what some have called "an intelligent notion of charity," getting at the problem of poverty at its root.

Thursday of 10th Week in Course 2018 Reformation/Revolution The stories preserved in the first book of Kings about the prophet Elijah are some of the most gripping tales in all literature. The Church has been reading these narratives most of this month, and they are most appropriate, because they ...read more

Scripture: 1 Kings 17:7-16, Matthew 5:13-16

Denomination: Catholic

The Integrity Of The Gospel Message Must Not Be Deformed Series

Contributed by W Pat Cunningham on Nov 15, 2014

Peace in the world is only possible If we effectively communicate the need to embrace the Gospel of love.

Thursday of 33rd Week in Course 2014 Evangelii Gaudium This last season of the liturgical year has a bittersweet nature. The old year is waning; the new year is still seen in the distance. Days grow short; in northern Europe, the daylight lasts barely five hours. Even here in Texas we are ...read more

Scripture: Revelation 5:1-10

Denomination: Catholic

Living The Lord's Prayer: Forgive Us Series

Contributed by W Pat Cunningham on Jan 3, 2016

The practical love we show to the poor is critical for our discipleship.

Thursday after Epiphany 2016 Joy of the Gospel As we celebrate this day after Epiphany, we continue the readings from St. John that ornament our Christmas-Epiphany season. We also continue our review of the Pope’s long letter, the Joy of the Gospel, and we do so in this Holy Year of mercy. ...read more

Denomination: Catholic

A Revolution Of Tenderness Series

Contributed by W Pat Cunningham on Mar 21, 2015

An opportunity exists in the world to turn away from solipsism and bring all humanity into communion.

Thursday of 5th Week in Lent 2015 Joy of the Gospel Abraham is, as the Roman Canon says, our “father in faith.” He believed that, old as he and Sarah were, they would have a child, and by the power of the Lord, Sarah conceived and brought forth Isaac. But Isaac was not the real child ...read more

Scripture: John 8:51-59

Denomination: Catholic

Pray To The Lord Of The Harvest Of Faith Series

Contributed by W Pat Cunningham on Sep 28, 2013

In faith we must weep, like the people of Israel, when we hear the Law of God; there are three reasons to do so.

Thursday of the 26th week in Course 2013 Pray the Lord of the Harvest of Faith And he said to them, "The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; pray therefore the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest. 3 Go your way; behold, I send you out as lambs in the midst of ...read more

Scripture: Nehemiah 8:1-12

Denomination: Catholic

Neither Positivism Nor Scientism Series

Contributed by W Pat Cunningham on Mar 5, 2016

There must be a dialogue between science and faith, but it must also be an unequal dialogue; faith trumps the claims of any science that denies God.

Thursday of Fourth Week in Lent 2016 Joy of the Gospel In this fourth week of Lent, the week of Laetare Sunday–Joy Sunday– it is quite appropriate to continue our series on Pope Francis’s encyclical, the Joy of the Gospel. Let’s be clear that joy and enjoyment are not ...read more

Scripture: John 5:31-47

Denomination: Catholic

Dialogue With Faithful Judaism Series

Contributed by W Pat Cunningham on Mar 19, 2016

We must always remember that the Church's first mission was to the Jews, the brothers and sisters of Jesus.

Thursday in the Octave of Easter Joy of the Gospel As we bask in the warm light of the Resurrection, we hear again the stories of the reaction given by various Jewish groups to the Passion, death, Resurrection and Ascension of Jesus. We do this for another forty days, and actually fifty up until ...read more

Scripture: Luke 24:35-48

Denomination: Catholic

Our Responsibility To Non-Believers Series

Contributed by W Pat Cunningham on Apr 16, 2016

We Christians need to find more and more effective ways to communicate the Gospel message.

Thursday in Fourth Week of Easter 2016 Joy of the Gospel St. Paul is best known for his three missionary journeys and his journey to Rome. He was the evangelizer paradigm. Nobody did it better than he. His protocol developed early. He believed that his mission was first to his Jewish brothers ...read more

Scripture: Acts 13:13-25

Denomination: Catholic

The Real Resurrection Series

Contributed by W Pat Cunningham on Jun 4, 2016

We must stay in the game, even when we are tired or frustrated by results unseen.

Thursday of 10th Week in Course I can’t ignore the remarkable juxtaposition of the first reading and psalm with the weather events of the past weeks. The northern kingdom of Israel was the richer of the twin Hebrew nations, rich in agriculture, mining and trade. The kingdom of Judah was a ...read more

Scripture: 1 Kings 18:41-46

Denomination: Catholic

Faith And Love

Contributed by W Pat Cunningham on Dec 14, 2013

Like Zechariah and Elizabeth, we must learn the interaction between faith and love in the head and heart

Thursday of 3rd Week in Advent 2013 Lumen Fidei The story we have in the first chapter of St. Luke’s Gospel is a kind of midrash on the story we read today in the Book of Judges. In both cases a childless couple experiences a miraculous intervention of God to give them a child. But the ...read more

Scripture: Luke 1:5-25

Denomination: Catholic

Christ And The Little Christs In Us

Contributed by W Pat Cunningham on Dec 28, 2013

We owe a great debt to the saints, like Basil and Gregory, who defended the divinity and Messiahship of Jesus.

January 2, 2014 Thursday before Epiphany–Ss Basil and Gregory Lumen Fidei Today we have what might be called “the proclamation of John,” and we hear both Johns speaking to us of Christ. John the Baptist tells us that he is NOT the Christ. John the apostle tells us that Jesus is ...read more

Scripture: 1 John 2:22-28

Denomination: Catholic

Healing Our Sick Hearts

Contributed by W Pat Cunningham on Feb 24, 2018

There is, in fact, something in our nature that yearns for the divine, that longs for goodness and beauty and truth. Original sin has wounded us, but only our own deliberate actions can spiritually kill us.

Thursday of 2nd Week in Lent 2018 Reformation/Revolution “More tortuous than all else is the human heart, beyond remedy; who can understand it?” If any Scripture verse summarizes the view of the Protestant reformers about the nature of humans, this one from Jeremiah must be it. The RSV renders it ...read more

Scripture: Luke 16:19-31, Jeremiah 17:5-10, Psalm 1:1-6

Denomination: Catholic

Wrath And Persecution

Contributed by W Pat Cunningham on Apr 7, 2018

Belief in Jesus Christ must be accompanied by obedience to His word.

Thursday of Second Week in Easter 2018 Reformation/Revolution When will humans learn that murdering one’s enemies is not only morally sinful, it’s a really, really bad idea just on a secular level. For the first three hundred years of the Church’s existence, the enemies of the Church, from the ...read more

Scripture: John 3:31-36, Acts 5:27-33

Denomination: Catholic

Global And Local: Sharing The Gospel Series

Contributed by W Pat Cunningham on Mar 11, 2017

We should constantly ask God to reveal to us those ways in which we may be overlooking the opportunities to be like Christ and Mary in our daily lives.

Thursday of second week in Lent 2017 Joy of the Gospel Many people think that Jesus made up the parables, that He was a kind of novelist. I belong to a school of thought that sees Jesus as one acutely aware of what is going on around him, and who understands as nobody else does what is behind ...read more

Scripture: Luke 16:19-31

Denomination: Catholic