Weekly Homilies at St. Joseph Parish

What is mercy? It is God's unmerited favor. There is next to nothing you have to do to receive it, but you do have to ask for it. In today's Gospel reading, we hear how the Lord establishes what we know as the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Come to the Lord with all going on in your life: the ups and downs, the struggles and triumphs. Ask for forgiveness of your sins, and savor the grace of...

Jesus Christ is Risen! He is Risen indeed! The joy we have today is not an emotion. It is an abiding presence that Christ is our Savior. We have the opportunity for eternal life because Jesus died on the Cross and, three days later, He rose from the grave. Alleluia. Gospel: John 20:1-9 #Easter #Resurrection #Jesus #Catholic #joy #hope #eternallife

As baptized Catholics, we follow Christ in His joys, sufferings, passion, and death. We are also united with His resurrection. As such, we are called to unite our joys and our sorrows to Christ on the Cross. This is how we see our redemption. Gospels: Matthew 21:1-11; Matthew 26:14—27:66 #PalmSunday #HolyWeek #Lent #Jesus #Catholic

"Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death?" Romans 6:3 This image of Lazarus in the tomb is an image of each and every one of us who have entered these waters of baptism, have entered into the tomb along with Christ, only to come out in the resurrection, the new life as a disciple of Jesus Christ. Gospel: John 11:1-45 #homily #homily...

A question we might often have is "Why is this bad thing happening to me? Is it from my sin or someone else's?" Go to the Lord, have your sins cleansed from your heart so you can see His answer. And whatever the answer may be, it is also so that the works of God can be made visible through you, just like the blind man in today's Gospel. Gospel: John 9:1-4 #homily #homilyhighlights #sin #forgivenes...

"Get down on your knees and pray. Ask God for the gift, open your heart to receive it. If you feel as though you have grown distant from God, I wonder which one of you has moved." ~ Famous football coach Lou Holtz We often stop short of coming to Christ because of shame, fear, guilt, pride, or whatever is holding us back. Let us today fall to our knees, asking God for the gifts we so des...

Peter shows us in this Gospel reading that he wishes to bask in the riches of the Glorified Christ and forget about His Passion. In that moment, Jesus was allowed to be transfigured to the apostles to give them some encouragement to follow the difficulty of the Passion and Death of Christ, to see that this is not the end; that the Resurrection -- eternal life -- is the end. We may want to bypass t...

"Behold, the Virgin shall be with child and bear a son, and they shall name Him Immanuel." (Isaiah 7:14) It happened. "Out of Egypt I will call my son." (Hosea 11:1) It happened. "He shall be called a Nazarene." (Isaiah 11:1) It happened. What God says will happen happens. "Take eat this is my body. Drink of it, all of you, for this is my blood of the covenant, w...

God the Father entrusted His only Son to St. Joseph, who ultimately saved Jesus' life so the Lord could save us. St. Joseph listened and trusted God the Father's messages, despite it leading to exile, poverty, fatigue, ridicule, and so many other hardships. Without the sufferings of St. Joseph, we would not have the Savior to set us free from sin and death. Welcome to a special presentatio...

Welcome to a special presentation of our annual 40 Hours Devotion, with a homily reflection from Fr. Clark Stiteler, Parochial Vicar at St. John Neumann in Lancaster. St Joseph is the perfect person to guide us during our 40 Hours Devotion. In this homily, Fr. Stiteler shares how St. Joseph is a quiet and strong figure, as he was the guide and protector of our Mother Mary and our Blessed Lord duri...

Temptation is an invitation to sin. We can often be tempted to sin (as Jesus was as we heard in the Gospel), but it is not sin itself. We often think there is something wrong with us when we are tempted, but it is a result of our human nature. It is a trial to be endured. With patience, true humility, and following Christ every day, we can resist the temptations that come our way. Gospel: Matthew...

"Nothing ever happens in the world that does not happen first inside human hearts." ~ Venerable Fulton J. Sheen Jesus reminds us this week that if we follow the least of the commandments, we will be "called greatest in the kingdom of heaven." God isn't looking for perfection but obedience, and through that obedience, we see how much He truly loves us, because each of the co...

We are salt of the Earth. We might think salt is just a common spice nowadays, but it was an essential and necessary item for survival in ancient times. This means that Jesus is telling us we are essential, and we are intimately connected to Christ in His life, death and resurrection. Jesus speaks to us today, not just the apostles 2,000 years ago. Let us be filled with the sacraments He gave us,...

"Blessed are they who mourn, for they will be comforted." Jesus is speaking of those who are mourning a loss of someone acutely, but also those who lament the present state of our lives, for our sins and what is happening in our world. Comfort will come, fully and fulfilled, in the life to come in heaven. In this present time, we can come to the Lord with our mourning and our pain. Gospel: Matthew...

Return to the Scripture. This is what we learn today, about how important the Word of God is in our lives. It our guidebook to this life, something to return to for reference as often as we can. It is where God speaks to us, and it will never leave us or abandon us. Gospel: Matthew 4:12-23 #WordofGod #Scripture #Gospel #Bible #Catholic

"Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world." Jesus is the perfect sacrifice, the unblemished Lamb that gave up His life for our sins and to open the gates of heaven for us. How are we reverent to the Holy Eucharist, who is Jesus re-presented for us? Gospel: John 1:29-34 #LambofGod #JesusChrist #Catholic #Sacrifice #HolyEucharist

Start with prayer. When we feel on fire for God, ready to do and give and volunteer, it can be easy for us to not take time to pause and pray. Before He began His public ministry, Jesus started with His Baptism. He didn't need to be baptized; He is the Son of God! However, He gave us this example, this purification, this starting point. Gospel: Matthew 3:13-17 #baptism #prayer #Jesus #Catholic #ch...

Who were the Magi, these "Three Wise Men" we hear in the Gospel today? Where did they visit Jesus, and why did they bring Him gifts? Through the Magi's example, we know that God came not just for the Israelites but for the whole world, all the nations. Gospel: Matthew 2:1-12 #epiphany #magi #wisemen #catholic #jesus #christmas

Today we see the faithfulness of marriage on full display through the Holy Family. Jesus in Himself is also an example of this faithfulness, fruitfulness, and "til death do you part". He gives us this example of marital love through His love for the Church. Gospel: Matthew 2:13-15, 19-23 #holyfamily #catholic #jesus #mary #joseph #love #marriage #faithfulness #fruitfulness #sacredheart

[We apologize for the missing beginning of the podcast due to technical issues.] It shouldn't be that Christmas is another day, but that every day should be another Christmas. That is the reality that we live in as Christians: Jesus did not just come one day more than 2,000 years ago. He comes every single day to us here in the Most Blessed Sacrament. This should transform every part in our li...

[We apologize for the missing beginning of the podcast due to technical issues.] Why do we have joy in the Christmas season? Because of Jesus. It is Him for whom we have music, presents, cookies, and family gatherings. He came to us in very unassuming circumstances, in a barn and lying in a manager. He also comes to us in another unassuming way at every Mass, under the appearance of bread and wine...

[We apologize for the missing beginning of the podcast due to technical issues.] The readings today challenge us to open our minds and hearts to the will of God. We must stop making compromises with our sins, and allow God's grace and mercy to work within our hearts. Gospel: Matthew 1:18-24 #advent #isaiah #oldtestament #catholic #mercy #grace

Why are we rejoicing while still within the season of Advent? Because we are awaiting the coming of the Christ Child, who will be arriving soon. Let us find joy, no matter what is happening within our lives, through Jesus Christ. Gospel: Matthew 11:2-11 #gaudetesunday #catholic #advent #christmas #rejoice #joy

In today's Gospel, St. John the Baptist tells the followers that they must repent. This message wasn't just for the ancient people but for us in the here and now. We can't white-knuckle it through Advent to then say "Thank goodness it's Christmas" and let all the sacrifice go. Let us not grow weary of our penance, but heed St. John the Baptist when he says the Kingdom is...

There are two purposes for the season of Advent. Do you know them? We need to stay awake, for we do not know the day nor the hour. Gospel: Matthew 24:37-44 #Advent #JesusChrist #Catholic #StayAwake #HesComing