St. Elizabeth of Hungary Church — Portland, OR; Homilies

Did you know that what happens in church, doesn't stay in church? As part of our culture of prayer at St. Elizabeth's, we want our prayers to spill out. Then we will be a house of prayer for all peoples, as in today's first reading from Isaiah. In today's homily, we learn the power of asking, "Is there anything I can pray about for you?"  (The recording does not include the time we spent praying w...

How well do you trust Jesus?  Let us ask the Holy Spirit to help us discern what God is up to. We may need to listen for a tiny whispering sound as in today's Gospel. In today's homily we learn that God is always up to something good. With this knowledge of the Lord's kindness, our daily lives become less troubling and turbulent. Catholic Mass Readings for the 19th Sunday in Ordinary Time, August...

Listen to a true story of something that Father Chuck experienced within our church, and how it exemplifies the transfiguration we pray for, that God will light us up so others may see the glory of God. Let's line ourselves up so that at the right place and time God's blazing light of love will shine through us. Catholic Mass Readings for the Transfiguration of the Lord, August 6, 2023 First Readi...

How do you pray?  Maybe you've been praying for years and haven't thought about how you do it. Listen to today's homily to learn the value of beginning with a "pre-prayer" to help you get ready to pray.   The "pre-prayer" of "Endow, Derive, Bestow, and Bring About" helps us lift our hearts and minds to receive God's inspiration in our prayers.  It can also help us relax in understanding that the p...

Enjoy a bit of wedding humor but also gain a fresh perspective on sacramental marriage by listening now to a recent wedding homily by Fr. Chuck. The joyful, spiritually-rich event was the wedding of Emily Shelton and Alexander Roth at the University of Portland's Chapel of Christ the Teacher. Fr. Chuck based his thoughts on a little-known artifact of Biblical archaeology. In fact, until now Fr. Ch...

In this episode, you can hear the moving backstory of how Fr. Chuck learned that the letters of "faith" can spell " F or A ll, I T rust H im." He recently visited a faithful person with a degenerative autoimmune condition. This person clings to faith and has lived by the phrase "For All, I Trust Him," even with a prognosis that deteriorates with time. Even in the hardest moment, we can always turn...

"God crowns the year with his goodness." Sometimes He crowns with goodness a specific day, year(s), and sometimes he waits for one or two generations to bless someone with his goodness. Listen now for inspiration to grow in trusting God's timing, his loving wisdom, and his wise love.  Catholic Mass readings for the Fifthteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, July 16, 2023: Is 55: 10-11; Ps 65: 10, 11, 12...

We are little ones who depend on God's gracious will to reveal the words for us to say, how to say them, and the timing. Let us strive to praise the Lord every day and be a source of Holy Joy for others.   See and hear a video of the song Fr. Chuck mentions, "Breathe" [Fact Check: Fr. Chuck slightly misremembered the lyrics], by going to:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wU8MJVwZJ9U . Catholic Mas...

4th of July Homily: Listen now to learn how to make a verb out of Romans 8:28, asking God to  work all things together for the good in our nation, for those and through those who love God and are called according his purpose. In that vein, our prayer can be, "Lord, 'eight-twenty-eight' the United States." Plus, hear Fr. Chuck's suggestion for sanctifying the symbolic colors of our nation with spir...

How do we offer hospitality to Jesus and what can we give as our cup of cold water?  Our reward will be to walk in the newness of life and receive everlasting nourishment, even in the midst of a drought. Catholic Mass readings for the Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, July 2, 2023: 2 Ki 4:8-11, 14-16a; Ps 89: 2-3, 16-17, 18-19; Rom 6: 3-4, 8-11; Matt 10: 37-42.

Today's gospel again uses mixed metaphors to describe the workings of God's love.  God is with every little sparrow that may fall to the ground, perhaps blown down by a storm; plus God knows how many hairs there are on our head.  So we know that God is with us always and everywhere, through winds of change or heartbreak; and God is lovingly close to us, as a parent is close to a child. Catholic Ma...

In listening to today's gospel, we may wonder how Jesus sees abundance in an "abandoned flock" of troubled people without a shepherd.  With eyes of faith, we also can reframe a troubling situation to see what opportunities there may be for God's holiness and glory. Catholic Mass readings for the Eleventh Sunday in Ordinary Time, June 18, 2023: Ex 19: 2-6a; Ps 100: 1-2, 3, 5; Rom 5: 6-11; Ma 9: 36...

Today's Feast day is a special celebration of reverence for the loving gift of the body and blood of Christ. These three stories from across the ages tell how the Eucharist brings true meaning to our lives, relieves our doubts, and is our "highway to Heaven".   Catholic Mass readings for the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ, June 11, 2023: Dt 8: 2-3, 14b-16a; Ps 147: 12-13, 14-1...

Fr. Chuck shares with us his homily for the wedding liturgy of two younger friends of his, Chris Kadera and Briana Hayes. This celebration was at Holy Redeemer Catholic Church in Portland, OR. Fr. Chuck suggests that God's message for Chris and Briana could be, "Look out!," as they begin their marriage in Christ. And this beginning could be called a new chapter in Chris' and Briana's individual "C...

Let's join Moses in his prayer that God be in our company on our journey of faith.   We learn today of the power of the Holy Spirit's fellowship in another of Jamie Winship's stories of God's love and salvation.  Catholic Mass readings for The Holy Trinity Solemnity, June 4, 2023:  Ex 34: 4b-6, 8-9; Dan 3: 52, 53, 54, 55, 56; 2Cor 13: 11-13; John 3: 16-18

At the original Pentecost, the disciples were the first ones to receive the Holy Spirit in the fire of God's love. Today, Stella receives the Holy Spirit in Baptism to begin her new life in Christ. Let us pray for God to pour out the Holy Spirit in us and renew our lives to become closer to Jesus. Catholic Mass readings for Pentecost Sunday, May 28, 2023:  Acts 2: 1-11; Ps 104: 1, 24, 29-30, 31, 3...

Angels do exist in today's world and sometimes can be seen, as in today's gospel and in the story in today's homily.  Angels are messengers of hope and their existence is one more reason to surrender to God's care.  Say thank you to your guardian angel and maybe one day you will see it! As with last weekend's message, the inspiration for this homily is an astounding story from international confli...

What does it mean to sanctify Christ as Lord in our hearts?  It can mean asking God two questions to reveal His truth to us. "God, What do You want me to know, and What do You want me to do?" It can mean skateboarding in Baghdad. God will not refuse our prayers.  You can access the source of this story in an interview with Jamie Winship on the "Made for This with Jennie Allen" Podcast by going to...

Just the same as it was 2,000 years ago when the "stone" was rejected, our predominant culture may not recognize that Jesus  is the Boss of us!  Don't let that trouble you.  We know who we are because we know whose we are.  We have been chosen to let Christ rise in us so he can pour out his blessings on the world. Catholic Mass readings for the Fifth Sunday of Easter, May 7, 2023: Acts 6: 1-7; Ps...

Hi and God bless you, everyone! This is Fr. Chuck, pastor of St. Elizabeth of Hungary Catholic Church, welcoming you personally to this bonus episode. It's (a condensed version of) my homily for a special Mass at St. Elizabeth's on Saturday morning, April 29, the feast day of St. Catherine of Siena and Saturday of the Third Week of Easter. This Mass was the first part of a prayer gathering which t...

Want Jesus Christ to lead you into more confidence on the rollercoaster path of following him faithfully? Hear Fr. Chuck's homily for Mass on an April 21-23 retreat he led in Colorado which was an event of the Denver Archdiocese's Office of Black Catholic Ministry. The retreat's theme was, "Transformed by Christ's Love: The Healing Power of Forgiveness."   Catholic Mass readings for the Third Sund...

Listen now to hear what it means to be a 'Super Soaker®' who changes the world! While Fr. Chuck was on retreat, we had a visiting priest at St. Elizabeth of Hungary. We didn't record his homily, so we're posting this archive recording of Fr. Chuck's homily for the Second Sunday of Easter, 2014. With the same set of readings as now, it was the Life Teen Youth Ministry Mass at Our Lady of the Lake (...

Easter's "empty promises" are full of power. Listen now to learn what those promises are . . . how they are full of power . . . and what these promises mean for  you !  To lift your spirits with the Christian humor cartoons that Fr. Chuck mentions, visit the following sites: Inherit the Mirth, Gallery 1 and Inherit the Mirth, Gallery 2 or CuylerBlack.com (Links open new windows.) Christ is risen!...

Get your Easter inspiration from this "family affair," as Fr. Chuck shares a commentary on the Easter Vigil from his big sister, Charlene Howard. It's from a 2023 Pax Christi USA Lenten reflection booklet, "Witnesses on the Way," which she wrote and compiled with her husband, Michael Howard. Charlene exclaims that the appropriate response to the Resurrection—this "amazing act of the power of God"—...

Learn how we can follow in Jesus's footsteps of love and concern for others this Passion Week.  Every morning, ask the Lord to open your ears, as in todays First Reading from Isaiah.  Also carve out more time for silence to focus on the Lord, and keep your eyes open.  You may find out that the Lord has a divine appointment for you to help someone this week. Catholic Mass Readings for Palm Sunday o...