St Francis Catholic

Matthew 11:25-30. Homily from the Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time. When Jesus says “Come to me,” He means it. He wants us to come to Him with all of our needs, joys, and worries. Only by uniting ourselves to Jesus, and enduring all difficulties patiently out of love for Him, will we find lasting peace. To learn more, visit www.stfranciscatholic.org/

Matthew 10:26-33. Homily from the Twelfth Sunday in Ordinary Time. Evangelization doesn’t mean forcing someone to listen to you read the Gospel according to St. Mark. It means hearing Jesus in prayer, internalizing the gospel, and expressing to others what you’ve heard. We shouldn’t be afraid of sharing that with anyone. To learn more, visit www.stfranciscatholic.org/

Matt. 9:36-10:8. Homily from the Eleventh Sunday in Ordinary Time. Christ takes pity on us in our weaknesses. Father Casey explores how this should shape the way we treat others in theirs. To learn more, visit www.stfranciscatholic.org/

John 6:51-58. Homily from the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ (Corpus Christi). Father Casey explains what Catholics believe about the Eucharist, and how that belief should shape how we behave in church. To learn more, visit www.stfranciscatholic.org/

John 3:16-18. Homily from the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity. Father Casey explains what we mean, don’t mean, and simply can’t understand when we talk about the Holy Trinity. To learn more, visit www.stfranciscatholic.org/

Acts 2:1-22; John 20:19-23. Homily from Pentecost Sunday. Pentecost comes 50 days after Easter just as the law was given to Moses 50 days after the Exodus. Father Casey explains why this parallel is important and what the gifts of the Spirit and tongues means for Christians today. To learn more, visit www.stfranciscatholic.org/

1 Peter 3:15-18; John 14:15-21. Homily from the Sixth Sunday of Easter. Saint Peter tells us to always be ready to give an explanation for the hope that is within us. But are we living our lives in a way that invites people to ask why we’re so hopeful? Or are they more likely to ask why we’re so grumpy? We need to know why we believe, be ready to share it, and live joyfully enough that people want...

John 14:1-12. Homily from the Fifth Sunday of Easter. The question for Christians is less how we live, but why we live that way. Do we behave any differently because Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life, than we would if we didn’t believe in Him? To learn more, visit www.stfranciscatholic.org/

John 10:1-10. Homily from the Fourth Sunday of Easter. Jesus is our good shepherd. Because of this, the most important thing we should look for in our pastors— priests, bishops, and the pope— is that they bring Christ to us. To learn more, visit www.stfranciscatholic.org/

Luke 24:13-35. Third Sunday of Easter. On the day of His resurrection, Jesus walked for miles with two people who were walking away from Jerusalem and away from the Church. He asked them questions and listened to their worries. Then He showed them Himself in scripture and revealed Himself in the Mass. Fr. Casey shows how this is a model for all Catholics to follow in evangelization. To learn more,...

John 20:19-31; Acts 2:42-47. Second Sunday of Easter. The first Christians devoted themselves to four things: the teachings of the apostles, the communal life, the mass, and prayer. We should model our lives after them in this way, not simply dabbling in these things but devoting ourselves to them. To learn more, visit www.stfranciscatholic.org/

Genesis 1:1-2:2; Gen. 22:1-18; Exodus 14:15-15:1; Isaiah 54:5-14; Isaiah 55:1-11; Baruch 3:9-15, 32-3:4; Ezekiel 36:16-17a, 18-28; Romans 6:3-11; Matthew 28:1-10. Homily from Holy Saturday at the Easter Vigil in the Holy Night of Easter. Jesus is alive! All Christians share in His resurrection through the sacrament of baptism, which the whole Easter Vigil is oriented towards. Father Casey shows ho...

Matthew 26:14-27:66. Homily from Palm Sunday of the Lord’s Passion. Because of the fall, there is no peace. We have no peace with God, with one another, or with ourselves. But through His passion, death, and resurrection, Jesus Christ bought us peace with God, which we celebrate at every Mass. The price of this peace wasn’t cheap. It cost every drop of His precious blood. To learn more, visit www....

John 11:1-45. Homily from the Fifth Sunday of Lent. The story of Jesus’s raising of Lazarus shows His genuine love for His friends. It also parallels the sacrament of confession. Lazarus was dead, but made alive again, and when we invite Jesus to see the spiritual death in us in confession, He forgives us our sins, giving us new life. To learn more, visit www.stfranciscatholic.org/

John 5: 17-30. Homily from Sacred Heart Parish Retreat Day 3. Jesus is, was, and has always been the Son of the Father. When we are united to Him in baptism, we partake in that divinity and become children of God as well. How do we allow this knowledge to shape our relationship with God and our lives in general? To learn more, visit www.stfranciscatholic.org/

John 5:1-16. Homily from Sacred Heart Parish Retreat Day 2. When Jesus saw the crippled man at the pool in Bethesda, He truly saw him and truly knew him. It is the same with all of us; and as with the crippled man, Jesus asks us all: Do you want to be well? Do we really want to be well? Do we want to be free of sin badly enough to fight against it moment by moment, day by day? To learn more, visit...

John 4:43-54. Homily from Sacred Heart Parish Retreat Day 1. Saint John wrote his gospel account to show us how to be friends with Jesus. In today’s gospel, we see someone show tremendous faith in the words of Jesus, and then come to believe in Jesus Himself. Father Michael Casey offers ways we can grow in friendship and faith in Jesus as well. To learn more, visit www.stfranciscatholic.org/

John 9:1-41. Homily from the Fourth Sunday of Lent. When Jesus heals a man born blind, the man’s own parents and religious community turn on him. In the midst of his struggle to convince them all that he was healed by Jesus, the man comes to know Jesus in a far deeper way, going from calling him “the man” to calling him “Lord” and worshiping him. The same thing can happen to us: through our strugg...

John 4:5-42. Homily from the Third Sunday of Lent. Jesus goes to Samaria out of love for the woman at the well and for the Samaritan people as a whole, who she represents. The way He talks to her can help us learn how Jesus approaches all of us and how we can talk to Him in prayer. To learn more, visit www.stfranciscatholic.org/

Matthew 17:1-9. Homily from the Second Sunday of Lent. Jesus’s call to take up our cross daily and follow Him can be difficult. As a way to encourage His disciples, He showed them Himself in glory in the transfiguration. This is still an encouragement today as we try to live lives of radical holiness. It is possible to be holy, and Jesus wants us to be. To learn more, visit www.stfranciscatholic.o...

Genesis 2:7-9, 3:1-7; Matthew 4:1-11. Homily from the First Sunday of Lent. Sin is a disease that entered the world when Adam and Eve succumbed to the devil’s temptation. It has spread ever since. In His earthly ministry, Jesus went to the desert, the devil’s home turf, to battle Satan and sin, and He emerged victorious. In Lent, we take the offensive in the battle against sin in our own lives by...

Matthew 6:1-6, 16-18. Homily from Ash Wednesday. Lent is a time for returning to God through prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. Father Michael Casey discusses each of these practices, giving both the reasons for doing them and practical advice for doing them well. To learn more, visit www.stfranciscatholic.org/

Matthew 5:13-16. Homily from the Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time. Jesus calls all christians to be salt and light in the world. We need to bring flavor, keep corruption at bay, and bring up the temperature of holiness, like salt; and we need to give those around us the feeling of safety and truth, like light. Salt and light blend in seamlessly to their surroundings, and we should do the same, bringi...

Matthew 5:1-12a. Homily from the Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time. Jesus begins His most famous sermon with a list of eight qualities that should characterize His followers. Father Michael Casey discuses each one, explaining what they mean and showing how they are applicable to us in our present circumstances. To learn more, visit www.stfranciscatholic.org/

Matthew 4:12-23. Homily from the Third Sunday in Ordinary Time. Jesus called the first disciples to leave their fishing nets and become fishers of men. This is an apostolic mission for every Christian. Father Michael Casey draws out the analogy of fishing in the context of evangelism, showing how when people come to Christ, they leave the dark waters of sin to come to new life in the light we were...