Anchored In The Lord

13th Sunday in Ordinary Time There's a world of difference between having a cross and taking up your cross. Drawing on Jacques Philippe's Interior Freedom , Fr. David shares the three ways we respond to suffering — rebellion, resignation, and consent — and why only one of them leads to peace. If you've ever spent more energy fearing a cross than actually carrying one, this homily is for you.

Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity On this Trinity Sunday, we celebrate not only the mystery of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, but the living God who is actively at work among us today. In this homily, Fr. David reflects on the visible signs of the Holy Spirit moving in our parish communities—more baptisms, growing numbers of families, new households joining the Church, deeper conversions, and...

5th Sunday of Easter In this homily for the month of May, we reflect on Mary as the one who leads us closer to her Son, Jesus Christ—the Way, the Truth, and the Life. As spring brings new life and beauty to the world around us, we are invited to let this season become a spiritual springtime for our own faith by asking a deeper question: "How well do I really know Jesus?" Through prayer, Scripture,...

3rd Sunday of Easter On the road to Emmaus, two disciples walk beside Jesus without even realizing it—until they urge the "stranger" to stay, and in the breaking of the bread their eyes are opened. How often does the same thing happen in our own lives? Moments when our hearts stir, when something deeper is happening within us, when grace is quietly at work—and yet we keep walking, distracted or un...

Easter Sunday This Easter, step into the tomb with Peter and John and notice the surprising detail the Gospel of John refuses to rush past: the burial cloths. Why are they mentioned twice? Because they point to something real—no theft, no resuscitation, but a body transformed. From that first Easter morning to the mysterious Shroud of Turin—an image with no paint, no pigment, only a faint "scorch"...

Entering into the Mass, Part 3 – 4th Sunday of Lent (03/15/26) In Part 3 of this Lenten homily series, we reflect on how to enter more intentionally into the Mass. This week focuses on the Liturgy of the Word and the beginning of the Liturgy of the Eucharist, especially the Preparation of the Gifts. We are reminded that God speaks personally to us at every Mass through Scripture, prayer, and the m...

2nd Sunday of Lent (03/01/26) – Entering into the Mass, Part 1 Have you ever thought, "Mass is boring?" Many of us have felt that way at times. But the reality is that the Holy Mass is anything but boring. Often the challenge is that we haven't learned how to fully enter into what is happening . In this first homily of a Lenten series on the Mass, we begin exploring how to participate more intenti...

Turn Away From Sin, Follow Jesus, Go Fishing In this episode of Anchored in the Lord , we reflect on the Gospel for the 3rd Sunday in Ordinary Time (January 25, 2026) and Jesus' first public words of ministry: "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." These words reveal that the Christian life is not static or one-dimensional, but a movement—a journey with direction, purpose, and mission . T...

This Epiphany homily reflects on the journey of the Three Wise Men, who were led by a simple but powerful sign—a star—to the newborn Christ. Though the sign was visible to all, only a few chose to follow it. Ancient prophecies foretold their arrival, and after months of searching, the Magi finally reached Bethlehem, offering gifts and homage to Jesus. The homily highlights a striking contrast: whi...

Feast of the Holy Family – Holy and Ordinary (December 28, 2025) On the Feast of the Holy Family, we reflect on a powerful truth: holiness is found not in extraordinary places, but in ordinary family life. Jesus chose to grow within a real human family—one marked by love, sacrifice, misunderstanding, and daily tension—showing us that God's primary path to holiness is lived through relationships. T...

This reflection weaves the beloved hymn "O Little Town of Bethlehem" into a quiet, hope-filled meditation on how God chooses small, hidden places to do His greatest work. From the stillness of Bethlehem to the silence of our own hearts, it invites listeners to notice how Christ meets the hopes and fears of every age—not from a distance, but by stepping directly into our lives. The episode explores...

Feast of the Dedication of St. John Lateran — The Last Rites (Summary) This weekend in our series Arise: On Death and Dying , we reflect on one of the most consoling and misunderstood gifts of the Church at the end of life: the Last Rites. And right away—what I say at the end I'll say at the beginning: Call early, and when the priest comes, ask for everything. Priests love offering the Last Rites....

Father David's Homily this week focuses on daily consistent prayer without getting weird!  Our readings for October 19, 2025 (the 29th Sunday in Ordinary Time)  focus on perseverance in prayer and faith . Key themes  include:  God will grant justice to his chosen ones who call out to him day and night, so believers should not grow weary in prayer, as exemplified by the persistent widow in the Gosp...

Put On Your Nikes – 28th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Oct. 12, 2025) This week's homily invites us to look at two powerful moments of healing — Naaman the leper in the Old Testament and the ten lepers who call out to Jesus in the Gospel. Both stories reveal the same truth: God's power often moves through simple obedience, not spectacle. Naaman expected a dramatic miracle — a show of divine power — but...

25th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Sept. 21, 2025) — What Do I Spend My Time Thinking About? This weekend, we're asked to pause and pay attention to our own thoughts: What do I actually spend the most time focusing on each day? Is it worries about the world, struggles at home or work, or concerns for our children and families? Or is it God's kingdom, my role as His disciple, and how I live that out? St...

Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross  — How Should Christians Respond? 24th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Sept. 14, 2025)   This weekend, we celebrate the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross. The Cross, once a sign of suffering and death, has become for us the ultimate sign of hope: the place where God's love conquered sin and death. In light of recent tragedies, including the heartbreaking...

18th Sunday in Ordinary Time - 08/03/25 Retirement: For Me or For God? In today's Gospel, Jesus tells of a wealthy man who stored up riches for himself, only to be called a fool by God—not for working hard, but for forgetting eternity. He lived as though his future belonged to him, not to God. This challenges us in a culture that views retirement as finally doing what we want. The Christian questi...

15th Sunday in Ordinary Time (07/13/25) Wanting to Want "All" In this episode, we reflect on Jesus' call to love God with all our heart, soul, strength, and mind—a total, undivided love. We ask the honest question: Do I really love God with all , or just a lot, a majority, or maybe only some? This homily challenges us to move from partial devotion to wholehearted surrender, inviting us to desire a...

This week, we reflect on the meaning of freedom—not just as Americans celebrating Independence Day, but as Christians sent into the world. True freedom isn't about doing whatever we want; it's the gift of choosing love, sacrifice, and God's will. In the Gospel, Jesus sends out seventy-two disciples two by two—not alone, but united in mission and reliant on God's grace. Their joy comes not from the...

Solemnity of Saints Peters and Paul We are not on this journey of faith alone.  We turn to each other so naturally when we need help, especially to our friends and family.  The saints are our friends in heaven, our family in heaven; they are alive in Christ!  So ask for their help, their prayers, their support as fellow members of the Body of Christ. St. Peter...pray for us. St. Paul...pray for us...

Pentecost Sunday God is doing great things here in our family of parishes!  More people are coming to Church; more young couples are attending Mass; more kids are being baptized; more families are joining the Church; more people are becoming Catholic — great things are happening here because of you and your witness! God's Spirit is being poured out in other places as well.   God is doing great thi...

Ascension Sunday We are called to follow where Christ our Savior went first.  We, like Jesus, are called to be light enough to ascend to the Father: some things weigh us down, and some things raise us up.   Do you ever feel heavy?   Do you ever feel weighed down?   Jesus wants to lighten your load.   Ask Jesus for the grace today, ask the Holy Spirit for the power today: "Lord, give me the grace a...

6th Sunday of Easter On this Memorial Day Weekend, we give thanks to God for the lives we are able to live in our country as we remember those who have died while serving in our Armed Forces, protecting us and upholding the rights and liberties which we enjoy here and now; we remember them and we pray for eternal rest and peace for their souls.  If I'm being totally honest, though, in my day-to-da...

4th Sunday of Easter Just a few days ago, on Thursday, May 8th, something happened that I never thought I would see in my lifetime: Habemus Papam! We have a Pope! …And he's American! Robert Francis Prevost is a native of Chicago; an Augustinian priest (a religious order priest) who spent much of his priestly life as a missionary in South America, and eventually serving as a Bishop in Peru.   More...

Easter Sunday "Roll away the stone.  See the glory of God.  Roll away the stone." What stones are still blocking the tomb of your heart?  This Easter, God wants to roll those stones away.   Christ doesn't roll it away to shame us—He rolls it away so that He can enter in .   Just as He stepped out of the tomb into the garden of new life, bringing into our world something entirely new — so Jesus wan...