Voice In The Wilderness

Earlier this summer, I reported about a false accusation that was made against me. Although I denied the allegation, I chose to voluntarily step away from ministry while this was being investigated by local authorities. Today, Fr. Brian Schieber, the pastor of St. Michael the Archangel and Vicar for Clergy for the Archdiocese, announced that […] The post Homily 387 – All In – 32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time appeared first on Voice in the Wilderness.

The following homily was given to Boy Scouts gathered for Mass in the Chapel of the Twelve Apostles on the H. Roe Bartle Scout Reservation in Osceola, Missouri. We don’t like to wait. We want to see results of our efforts right now. In today’s gospel, Jesus reminds us that the kingdom of God is […] The post Homily 386 – Sink Your Roots Deep – 11th Sunday in Ordinary Time appeared first on Voice in the Wilderness.

The following homily was given to Boy Scouts gathered for Mass in the Chapel of the Twelve Apostles on the H. Roe Bartle Scout Reservation in Osceola, Missouri. Do you know what story you are in? Did you even realize you are part of a big story? We can tend to get so focused on […] The post Homily 385 – Life Is a Battlefield – 10th Sunday in Ordinary Time appeared first on Voice in the Wilderness.

On this Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ, also known by its Latin title, Corpus Christi, we celebrate and honor the incredible gift of the Eucharist. It is the greatest gift that Jesus has left us on this earth because it the gift of his very self. Today’s homily proposes two key […] The post Homily 384 – Blood of the Covenant – Corpus Christi appeared first on Voice in the Wilderness.

We often place value in things according to what it cost us to obtain them. I know exactly how much my new car is worth because I just bought it. Because it’s price is fresh in my mind, I find that I’m being extra careful with my car. It’s valuable to me because it cost […] The post Homily 383 – Earn This – Trinity Sunday and Memorial Day appeared first on Voice in the Wilderness.

In the famous account of Pentecost in the Acts of the Apostles, we read of how Peter and the apostles, filled with the Holy Spirit, came out of their hiding place and began to preach the gospel. In a miraculous occurrence, everyone who heard them preaching heard them in his or her own native language. […] The post Homily 382 – Laurel and Yanny are Catholic – Pentecost appeared first on Voice in the Wilderness.

As Jesus ascends to heaven, angels appear to the apostles telling them to stop looking up at the sky. It would be logical to want to focus on Jesus as long as possible but, after the Ascension, Jesus is not “up in the sky.” He’s nowhere on earth or even in this universe. In fact, […] The post Homily 381 – More Than Meets the Eye – Ascension appeared first on Voice in the Wilderness.

We use the word love a lot these days. We say we love everything from pizza, to our dog, to our spouse, and even God. It’s a pretty important word for Christians since we all know that “God is love” and Jesus commands us to “love one another as I have loved you.” So we […] The post Homily 380 – You’ve Got a Friend – 6th Sunday of Easter appeared first on Voice in the Wilderness.

One of the things I enjoyed about being pastor in the country was driving through the beauty of God’s creation as I went from parish to parish. In the spring, I would love to see all the fields full of purple flowers. Somehow I had grown up believing that this was clover, planted intentionally by […] The post Homily 379 – More Than Purple Weeds – 5th Sunday of Easter appeared first on Voice in the Wilderness.

“A good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.” Really? I don’t know. Was it really normal at the time of Jesus that shepherds were dying all the time saving sheep? If so, would that really be a good thing? It doesn’t make sense. It seems way out of proportion for a human being […] The post Homily 378 – The Crazy Shepherd – 4th Sunday of Easter appeared first on Voice in the Wilderness.

The disciples expected Jesus to be powerful. They thought that he would come and overthrow the Romans, restoring freedom to Israel through political control. They weren’t prepared for the kind of power Jesus had in mind. On Good Friday, Jesus surrendered his power and laid down his life to save us. In his resurrection, Jesus […] The post Homily 377 – The Power of Mercy – Divine Mercy Sunday appeared first on Voice in the Wilderness.

“You know what has happened.” So Peter tells everyone in the first reading. Many of us could no doubt recount the facts of “what has happened” when it comes to the story of Easter. We could tell about the passion and death of Jesus and how he was seen alive three days later. We know […] The post Homily 376 – Why Are You Here? – Easter appeared first on Voice in the Wilderness.

Last night, we were told that Jesus loved his own in the world “to the end.” Today we see just what that means. Jesus loved us so much that he died for us. The story of the Passion is filled with betrayal, denial, and abandonment. Yet Jesus remains faithful. Our world is also filled with […] The post Homily 375 – It Is Consummated – Good Friday appeared first on Voice in the Wilderness.

There is a strange mix of emotions on Holy Thursday. On the one hand, we reflect on the institution of the Eucharist and the love of Jesus. Yet, we can’t help but realize the context of this gift; Jesus is about to suffer and die. The Passion really begins in the upper room, “the day […] The post Homily 374 – The End and the Beginning – Holy Thursday appeared first on Voice in the Wilderness.

Palm Sunday always seems to go too quickly. We start singing Hosanna and waving our palm branches, and before you know it we’re shouting “Crucify him!” One minute Jesus is entering Jerusalem in triumph, and just a few minutes later he’s dead in the tomb. It all happens so quickly. Fortunately, Palm Sunday is not […] The post Homily 373 – One Week, Three Days – Palm Sunday appeared first on Voice in the Wilderness.

Throughout salvation history, God has chosen to enter into covenants with his people. We may think of this word as being similar to a contract, but there is key distinction. Contracts involve the exchange of things or services; a covenant in biblical language always involves an exchange of persons, creating a new family relationship. Jesus […] The post Homily 372 – Saved Through Suffering – 5th Sunday of Lent appeared first on Voice in the Wilderness.

After Moses led the Israelites through the Red Sea, they quickly began to doubt God and turn away from him. Things became so bad that God actually sent venomous snakes that bit and killed many of them. Eventually God proposed a rather strange remedy. He had Moses make a bronze serpent and hold it up […] The post Homily 371 – The Real Face of Victory – 4th Sunday of Lent appeared first on Voice in the Wilderness.

“What would Jesus do?” It’s a catchy little phrase that is supposed to help us discern the right thing to do in a given situation. Today’s gospel always reminds me that, when we ask this question, we need to remember that making a whip out of cords and beating people in church is among the […] The post Homily 370 – The Ox in the Room – 3rd Sunday of Lent appeared first on Voice in the Wilderness.

Life is filled with ups and downs. Sometimes we feel like we’re on top of the world and other times like we’re in a deep hole. In today’s gospel, Jesus takes Peter, James, and John literally to the “top of the the mountain.” In a miraculous event, the apostles get a glimpse of the glory […] The post Homily 369 – What Are You Withholding? – 2nd Sunday of Lent appeared first on Voice in the Wilderness.

When we think of Lent, we normally think of giving things up and fasting. While these are an important part of Lent, they are only really means to an end. You see the entire origin of the season of Lent is all about baptism. In the early church, as adult converts presented themselves for baptism, […] The post Homily 368 – Lent Is About Baptism – 1st Sunday of Lent appeared first on Voice in the Wilderness.