Fr. David Neuschwander - Podcast Details

Shows

Anchored In The LordPart 3: Rescued3rd Sunday of Advent In this Advent Homily Series we are journeying through the greatest story ever told, the story that has changed and will continue to change the world (if we let it): our story – the creation, the capture, the rescue, and our response! Listen this week as Fr. David focuses in on what it means to be rescued by Jesus.2022-12-1316 min

Anchored In The LordPart 1: Created1st Sunday of Advent This Advent Homily Series we are journeying through the greatest story ever told, the story that has changed and will continue to change the world (if we let it): our story - the creation, the capture, the rescue, and our response! Listen this week as Fr. David zooms in on what it means to be created.2022-12-0109 min

Loquate PodcastsPaschal Lamb | Fr. David Neuschwander Fr. David Neuschwander, St. Joseph’s Pastor in Hayward, WI, will share a timeless, cross-centuries portrayal of a God who so loved us, that He sent His only Son, like a Paschal Lamb to die on a cross for us. Fr. David’s unique style makes a listener reflect upon, and answer, great questions. Can you? For more Podcasts from Fr. David click https://anchoredinthelord.com/. The post Paschal Lamb | Fr. David Neuschwander appeared first on Loquate.tv. 2021-04-0708 min

Anchored In The LordOur Authority21st Sunday in Ordinary Time Authority is a theme in our readings today - in both our first reading and Gospel "keys" are spoken of, symbolic of a position of authority. This time of Coronavirus has led to a lot of discussion about who has authority: who's in charge of what, to what extent can a governor proclaim a state of emergency, what rulings and content are under the authority of state Supreme Courts , what authority does the CDC have, how much authority does a governor have to mandate action, who has the authority to enforce those...2020-08-2411 min

Anchored In The LordPrayerful Generosity20th Sunday in Ordinary Time It's proven that certain practices make for a happier and healthier person - prayer and generosity being two of those practices. Why is that? God made us to live in relationship with Him, Jesus lived a life of intense moments of prayer and generosity, and the more we live that prayer and generosity the more we become like Jesus Christ and enter into the only relationship that can truly make us happier and healthier in all senses of those words! This weekend is the kickoff for our annual diocesan Catholic Ser...2020-08-1610 min

Anchored In The LordFrom Big Moments to Small Moments19th Sunday in Ordinary Time Jesus comes to the disciples today walking on the water - that's a Big Moment, a miraculous moment, one that's hard to miss, and it strengthens their faith. Elijah is told in our 1st reading that the Lord will be passing by: there is a great wind, a tremendous earthquake, a blazing fire, and yet, Scripture says, God was in none of those seemingly big moments. Rather, God was in a tiny, whispering voice - a Small Moment, so small it could be easily missed, but just as real as a Big Mo...2020-08-1009 min

Anchored In The LordPriorities17th Sunday in Ordinary Time There are two movements in the Christian life - one is a turning away from sin, the other is a stepping towards God. The readings this weekend are more focused on the latter - stepping towards God. The individuals in our parables find something of great value to them! To get it, however, they have to sell everything else. It's a question of priorities and re-prioritizing things in their lives. There are so many good things we can focus on in life, so many good actions and decisions we can pursue...but only...2020-07-3012 min

Anchored In The LordThe Lost Art of Argument15th Sunday in Ordinary Time With all of the polarization in the media and the emotionally driven statements part of me wonders what happened to true, honest, good ol' arguments. In this sermon, building off of my last sermon on judgment, I explore why I think our country has lost the art of argument (which we used to possess) and what steps we as individuals can take to bring that art back. It won't be easy, but bringing God back into the public sphere (which then brings respect for every life back into the public sphere) is pa...2020-07-1311 min

Anchored In The LordShould We Judge? ...YES!13th Sunday in Ordinary Time Life requires decisions, decisions require judgments. Tt follows, then, that we make judgments all day long. Every decision we make involves judging and judgment of various factors (even indecision is making the choice not to decide, which is guided by our judgments). So why does "judging" get such a bad wrap? Why does God speak so directly against judging others in Scripture? Can we judge or can't we? The answer is, "Yes, we can and should judge"...but there is a distinction to be made between two very different kinds of judgment - one...2020-06-2912 min

Anchored In The LordThe Day It Hit MeCorpus Christi As a freshman in high school I remember the day it hit me: that Jesus is physically present in the Eucharist! How many times had I heard that in religion class or at Church? And yet it seemed to always go in one ear and out the other. But this particular day it finally hit me - what looks like bread and what looks like wine is actually changed entirely into Jesus! If the Eucharist is a nice symbol of Jesus...so what? There are lots of nice symbols of Jesus in our world. But if the...2020-06-1507 min

Anchored In The LordThe Ascension is Still Happening!Ascension Sunday This weekend we celebrate Jesus' Ascension into heaven - that after rising from the dead and appearing to His disciples for a number of days, Jesus ascends to heaven to sit at the right hand of the Father. The ascension is not just a one-and-done event of history, though: creation is called to follow where its Master has gone before. The ascension is still happening - heaven is waiting for it to be complete in three distinct ways! Can you name them? 2020-05-2408 min

Anchored In The LordPriesthood of All the Baptized5th Sunday of Easter Every Christian, by their baptism, is anointed priest, prophet and king. Peter challenges us this weekend to that first anointing: "be a holy priesthood to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God." There is the ordained priesthood by which priests in the Church offer to God the sacrifice of Christ and offer to God's people the sacraments, but there is also the priesthood of the baptized by which every Christian, in Jesus, is called to offer spiritual sacrifices to God. Every day we can offer these spiritual sacrifices, and at Mass we have the opp...2020-05-1011 min

Anchored In The LordRoad to Emmaus3rd Sunday of Easter On the road to Emmaus, Jesus walks up alongside two of his disciples, though He's not recognized for who He is but thought to be a stranger. This Stranger begins to unpack for them the Scriptures and how they foretell and prefigure the Christ. The hearts of these two disciples are set on fire as Jesus teaches them, though they don't fully realize it in the moment. It's only at the end of the day, in the breaking of the bread, that they recognize Who was with them, and then Jesus vanishes from the...2020-04-2612 min

Anchored In The LordDeacon Brian: Divine Mercy2nd Sunday of Easter/Divine Mercy Sunday On this Divine Mercy Sunday, Deacon Brian reflects on the immensity of God's mercy. He lays out two common traps (both springing from pride) that we as Christians can fall into and which limit our reception of God's mercy. Like children at Christmas or Easter who freely and joyfully receive gifts, he encourages us to remember the mercy of God as an undeserved gift, but a gift that God desires to give to us. Let us open our arms, hearts and minds to accept (with the joy and enthusiasm of a c...2020-04-1910 min

Anchored In The LordDid God Do This?Happy Easter! During this time of COVID-19 I've heard people say both how unfortunate and difficult of a time this is, and how many blessings are hidden in this time. While I agree with both (and I most certainly see God's hand at work in my life, in our Church, and in our world in the midst of the difficulties) there is an easy mistake to fall into while trying to make sense of it all. The mistake is to look at the blessings and the good coming out of it and say, "God did this so th...2020-04-1210 min

Anchored In The LordHoly, Wholly, DifferentPalm Sunday “Holy” literally means “different.” As we enter into this year’s Holy Week we are certainly experiencing a very “different” time in our country and world. I would propose, however, that this time of COVID-19 can actually assist us in entering more deeply into this Holy Week, more deeply into the life, suffering, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, than we ever have before! Note: I will be live streaming Easter morning Mass from St. Joseph at 9:00am on Sunday, April 12! Please visit the parish website www.stjoseph-hayward.org to view live or watch the recordi 2020-04-0408 min

Anchored In The LordDisfiguring Anger, Transforming Son5th Sunday of Lent This weekend one of my deacons, Deacon Brian McCaffrey, preaches the homily. During this unique time of COVID-19, I have decided to record and upload my deacons' homilies onto my website and podcast as well. While nobody is able to see us preach in person, I pray that being able to at least hear the homily will help us feel connected in these very unique times of "Safer at Home" which Wisconsin has instituted. This weekend Deacon Brian considers the sin of anger, how it often goes unnoticed as sinful, how it...2020-03-2815 min

Anchored In The LordCOVID-19: Mud and Healing4th Sunday of Lent We are certainly in a unique and unprecedented time in our country (and world) with this response to COVID-19. In the Gospel today Jesus opens the eyes of a man born blind. He smears a muddy mixture of saliva and dirt on the man's eyes - not a clean or comfortable experience - then asks the man to go wash in the Pool of Siloam. The man does...and is healed! This time of COVID-19 and our nation's response is an experience of a muddy mixture being smeared in our eyes and into our...2020-03-2204 min

Anchored In The LordIt Starts With a Thought2nd Sunday of Lent Temptations come from 3 main sources: the world, the flesh, and the devil. Movements of God within us start with a thought, and temptations also start with a thought. As these various thoughts and reasonings fill our mind, we eventually come to a fork in the road - we have to decide which thoughts to hold onto, and which thoughts to set aside...it's not as easy as it sounds. Those thoughts of temptation are so subtle, and so mischievous, they'll do whatever they can to draw us away from the one thing God is...2020-03-0914 min

Anchored In The LordThe Old Adam and The New1st Sunday of Lent Our readings today present us the with tale of 2 men: The 1st man - Adam - and the New Adam - Jesus Christ. Both are tempted by the serpent. The Old Adam falls and turns away from the Father; the New Adam stands strong in faithfulness to His Father. This Lent is a journey into the desert with Jesus. It will be a time of testing and temptation for us just as it was for Him. In the face of the temptations to come, will we be like the Old Adam, or the New Ad...2020-03-0111 min

Anchored In The LordThe Divine Physician5th Sunday in Ordinary Time God our Father is the Divine Physician, the greatest doctor of both body and spirit in this entire universe. In Jesus Christ the Divine Surgeon has expertly removed the cancer of our sin, through the Scriptures the Divine Physical Therapist gives us our necessary exercises, and in the Holy Spirit, prayer and the Eucharist the Divine Nutritionist gives us the sustenance necessary to be strengthened for the task. God's love and mercy is that He provides all of this to us for free (who by no means deserve it and have no me...2020-02-1006 min

Anchored In The LordPurified to MaturityThe Feast of the Presentation of the Lord Our first reading today foretells the coming of the Lord to the Temple, fulfilled in our Gospel when Mary and Joseph bring the baby Jesus to the Temple, according to Jewish custom, to present him to the Lord. But this Lord, says our first reading, comes to purify, like a refiner's insanely hot fire or a fuller's chemically harsh lye...and in both examples we are the thing that is being purified. God, like a good parent, wants to raise His children to be strong, mature, able, loving adults. The...2020-02-0311 min

Anchored In The LordZebulun & Naphtali3rd Sunday in Ordinary Time Do you remember as a kid walking around outside in the dark, seeing something move in the shadows and then freezing in horror - you tried hard to focus on it, sometimes you were convinced it was moving, sometimes you were convinced it couldn't be - your imagination running wild...then other shadows and objects seem to start moving...only to come back the next morning, in the full light of day, to find that it was something as harmless as a pine tree or as simple as a fencepost? In...2020-01-2712 min

Anchored In The LordFollowing StarsEpiphany Today three wise men/three kings/three magi arrive at the place where Jesus was born after following the sign of a star. The presence of these three non-Jewish kings shows that God is calling not only the Jewish people but ALL people of the world to believe in and follow His Son Jesus. God’s sign was a star; everyone can see the stars. So why is it only these three wise men who followed that star? Was everyone else just too busy? Were they so caught up in life that they didn’t even notice th...2020-01-0508 min

Anchored In The LordSubordination & LoveFeast of the Holy Family Jesus not only came as a baby at Christmas, He also entered into a human family - with all the joys and frustrations that go with it. We are challenged in all relationships, but especially in the family, to put the wants and needs of others before our own, to stretch our hearts, to learn how to love more, to sacrifice for each other. Our readings today all challenge us to put others first, "Children, obey your parents in everything...Wives, be subordinate to your husbands...Husbands, love your wives." Jesus loved us...2019-12-2910 min

Anchored In The LordWhat Child Is This?Merry Christmas! What child is this, who, laid to rest, On Mary's lap is sleeping? Whom angels greet with anthems sweet, While shepherds watch are keeping?2019-12-2511 min

Anchored In The LordRaw Prayer3rd Sunday of Advent This weekend we encounter a powerful New Testament figure, John the Baptist, in a difficult and dark time - literally and figuratively. John has been imprisoned, he probably knows he is not getting out anytime soon, and he (who proclaimed Jesus as the Lamb of God and prepared for Jesus' coming by his preaching and teaching) is now questioning whether or not Jesus is the promised one of God. We can all take two important lessons away from John's experience, lessons useful for our everyday life of prayer, but especially in our own ti...2019-12-1608 min

Anchored In The LordHigh School Discipleship Retreat2nd Sunday of Advent I had the privilege of spending this weekend with 50 inspiring high-school-aged young men and women from throughout our diocese! This fulfilled no Confirmation requirements for them, neither were any of them forced to come to this retreat - they generously set aside this time to step away from their busy lives and focus on growing closer to Jesus Christ through prayer, learning, sacraments, and community. They are making God a priority in their lives, and they inspire me to want to make God more of a priority in mine as well. Please continue to...2019-12-0915 min

Anchored In The LordInvesting in the Mass1st Sunday of Advent We invest in the things that are important to us - we invest time, energy, emotions, intellect, mental space, money, resources. The more we invest in something, the more important it is to us, and the more returns it will yield; the less we invest in something, the less important it is to us and the less returns it will yield. As we begin this Advent season, we are preparing ourselves for the coming of Christ at Christmas, and the more we invest in that preparation the more of a return this experience wi...2019-12-0107 min

Anchored In The LordThy Kingdom ComeSolemnity of Christ the King As Americans we are naturally weary of anything having to do with a "king", we also don't like the word "authority" all that much - it was the abuse of power by some oppressive authority, even some kings, that brought many of our ancestors to America in the first place. Scripture, however, has no problem with the idea of a king or authority; in fact, Scripture makes it very clear that all authority has been given to Jesus Christ, that Jesus came to this earth to bring a kingdom, and that He i...2019-11-2508 min

Anchored In The LordHellfire and Brimstone33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time Hellfire, brimstone, damnation - words we don't hear very often anymore, but words that our first reading calls to mind (and themes that arise out of our Scriptures). And lest we think that Jesus ushered in an age full of only mercy, pardon and mushy-gushy "love", Jesus Himself, multiple times in the Gospels, speaks strongly about judgment, hellfire, the separation of the righteous and the wicked, warning us of the wide and easy road that leads to destruction and encouraging us to follow the narrow and difficult road that leads to life. Th...2019-11-1812 min

Anchored In The LordGod's Transforming Power31st Sunday in Ordinary Time Why is it that we as Catholics are the only Christians that pray for our beloved dead? Why is it that we are the only Christians who believe in Purgatory? In this homily I will explore how other Christians believe Jesus saves us versus how we as Catholics believe Jesus saves us, and what that difference means in praying for the dead, purgatory, and how we live our lives here and now!2019-11-0411 min

Anchored In The LordNon-incredible Ways28th Sunday in Ordinary Time Sometimes God works incredible miracles that are visually and experientially miraculous. In our first reading and Gospel today we have 11 lepers who are all miraculously cured by God...but they're healed in very non-incredible ways: taking a bath and out for a walk. More often than not, God's ways are subtle, quiet and seemingly indirect. God's hand is moving and blessing and answering prayers, but often in unexpected ways, which means that it's easy to miss God's blessings in our lives and the lives of others. Of the 11 lepers cleansed, only 2 come back...2019-10-1408 min

Anchored In The LordAs Clever as a Crook25th Sunday in Ordinary Time Today Jesus tells us one of His most confusing parables: "Look at this shady, crooked, underhanded businessman... You should learn a lesson from him!" Many people are clever in the ways of this world - they are smart and resourceful in using the people and situations around them to further their own gain (even if it is selfish and underhanded, as the steward/manager/businessman is today). Jesus challenges the "children of light" to be as smart and resourceful in obtaining benefits for heavenly life, as clever in living out our faith in...2019-09-2209 min

Anchored In The LordI Love You, I'm Proud of You24th Sunday in Ordinary Time The most encouraging, effective and result producing words kids can hear from their parents are: "I love you; I'm proud of you." In our Gospel today Jesus shares three parables, all portraying the illogical, unreasonable, over-the-top love that the Father has for each one of us. No matter what we've done, no matter how far we've wandered away, the Father never stops seeking us out. And when we finally let ourselves be found, He says to us, "I love you; I'm proud of you!" Jesus heard His Father say those words to Him...2019-09-1611 min

Anchored In The LordThankfulness & Generosity - CSA Appeal20th Sunday in Ordinary Time It's proven that generosity makes for a happier person; generosity springs from gratitude - to the degree that we're thankful for the gifts we've been given in life, we have a desire to share these gifts with others. Thankfulness and generosity, though, are two virtues that you will not be challenged to grow in by popular culture, but they are two virtues at the heart of what it means to be Christian - the more thankful and generous we are, the more we become like our Maker! This weekend is th...2019-08-1911 min

Anchored In The LordIn the Palm of His Hand19th Sunday in Ordinary Time In order to live in this world, we have to trust all kinds of things we see, hear and experience. On a daily basis we extend trust thousands of times - to people, situations, information...everything. A generic definition of "faith" is: "confidence or trust in a person, thing or concept." By this definition, every single person lives their lives by faith each and every day. Faith in God, then, means having confidence and trust in God - that He will do what He says, that what He promises to us humans He w...2019-08-1109 min

Anchored In The LordPersistent Prayer17th Sunday in Ordinary Time In our Gospel this weekend the disciples ask Jesus to teach them how to pray. After giving a short version of the Our Father, Jesus tells a semi-humorous story (in my opinion) highlighting the importance of persistence - in the context of this passage of persistent prayer. In our first reading we see a model of this kind of persistence in the conversation Abraham has with God (also a rather humorous exchange, in my opinion). But both readings make the point that God seriously encourages persistent prayer. The question remains, though, "What or...2019-07-3010 min

Anchored In The LordThe Voice of Conscience15th Sunday in Ordinary Time After Moses gave the 10 Commandments to God's chosen people, he said something very interesting: that these commands were already written in their hearts. If, as Paul says in our second reading, all things are created in Christ, then it makes sense that the Maker would leave His mark deep within each of us, guiding us to what is best. God has given each of us a conscience, His voice deep within our gut, leading us on the right way. But then why do we need commandments or rules at all? Why can't we j...2019-07-1509 min

Anchored In The LordFollowing the Small Calls13th Sunday in Ordinary Time In our readings today, we hear a number of call stories: God calling others to follow Him in a particular way. Whenever one of these calls happens in Scripture...that person is almost always busy! They have other plans; something else is on the agenda for the day; other big things are already going on in life. Sound familiar?! When God calls it's never convenient - it wasn't before and it isn't now. But as disciples of Jesus Christ we are meant to listen for and answer God's calls to us, no matte...2019-06-3009 min

Anchored In The LordActually JesusCorpus Christi We believe that the Eucharist is the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ. But what do we mean by that? Is it really possible that bread and wine literally become Jesus' flesh and blood? Do we chew on Jesus' flesh and touch our lips to His blood at every Mass? Let me share a couple stories with you...2019-06-2508 min

Anchored In The LordExperiencing the TrinitySolemnity of the Most Holy Trinity In the new parishes I am serving - St. Joseph in Hayward and St. Ann in Cable - we have three gifted deacons. It is the custom in this cluster that the deacons preach every 1st and 3rd weekend of the month. As a result, I will be preaching less often. Lucky for you, I have homilies from previous years that I will continue to share ; ). This is last year's homily from Trinity Sunday: (Enjoy!) 2019-06-1606 min

Anchored In The LordRemember to BreathePentecost Sunday The coming of the Holy Spirit CHANGED the first followers of Jesus. We received the Holy Spirit in baptism, we were sealed by the Holy Spirit in Confirmation, we receive the Body and Blood of Jesus at every Mass...but how much are we CHANGED by these experiences? Do you ever long for more in your faith but just don't know why you aren't getting it? If that's ever been you, listen to this homily, and most importantly - remember to breathe (spiritually)!2019-06-1007 min

Anchored In The LordAscendingAscension Sunday In the new parishes I am serving - St. Joseph in Hayward and St. Ann in Cable - we have three gifted deacons. It is the custom in this cluster that the deacons preach every 1st and 3rd weekend of the month. As a result, I will be preaching less often. Lucky for you, I have homilies from previous years that I will continue to share ; ). This is last year's homily from Ascension Sunday: (Enjoy!)2019-06-0406 min

Anchored In The LordThe Spirit Speaks6th Sunday of Easter Have you ever heard one Christian teach one thing about Jesus, and then heard shortly thereafter another Christian teaching the opposite? Who's right? How do we find out the truth? In our first reading we see where the first followers of Jesus turned to find the truth in the midst of disagreements and controversies over what they should believe...and where they turned then is still where we as Catholics turn now!2019-05-2908 min

Anchored In The LordI Make All Things New5th Sunday of Easter The resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead turned everything we thought we knew completely upside down! God showed that He has the power to bring good out of anything...even evil, and even the difficult and painful moments of our lives. This weekend I celebrated my final weekend of Masses in the Superior area. I have been asked to assist in covering the Masses in the Hayward and Cable Catholic Churches effective immediately. Thank you for welcoming me so warmly into your hearts and lives. Though this time of change and transition will...2019-05-2007 min

Anchored In The LordWhat Does God's Voice Sound Like?4th Sunday of Easter Jesus says today in our Gospel, "My sheep hear my voice. I know them, and they follow me." What does God's voice sound like in your life? What happens when you follow it? What do we and others miss out on when we don't? Often God's voice/invitation doesn't give us the whole story or plan He has, just the next step in the process...so we can easily dismiss those thoughts, that voice, because it might not seem, from our perspective, to make sense in that moment. But I challenge you this week...2019-05-1208 min

Anchored In The LordPeter, the Pope and Unity3rd Sunday of Easter Our Gospel story today is one of the passages we as Catholics point to in the Scriptures where Jesus sets Peter apart from the other Apostles, in which we read the beginnings of the papacy and the pope! God gave us a great gift in our pope, a leader and figurehead meant to keep Jesus' Church united as ONE body. Jesus' great prayer was that all of his followers might be one, as He is in the Father and the Father is in Him, that we would all be ONE...at present there ar...2019-05-0511 min

Anchored In The LordCan I Question God?2nd Sunday of Easter Is it wrong to question God? Is wanting to know how or why something happened considered a weakness or lack of faith, or even a sin? In the Gospel today Jesus appears to His apostles, but Thomas isn't there. When Thomas comes back and all of the others are claiming that Jesus is risen, he refuses to believe unless he sees it himself. Is that wrong of him? I think not! 2019-04-2808 min

Anchored In The LordAnd I Will Raise You UpEaster Sunday Happy Easter to all of you and your families! One question this Easter: What does God want to do for you?2019-04-2108 min

Anchored In The LordA Holy WeekPalm Sunday This week we are invited to walk with Jesus through the last days of His life on this earth - through his celebration of the Last Supper, his suffering and death, and finally his Resurrection! "Holy" means "different" and "set apart". How will you make this week "different" and "set apart" from every other week of your life? How will you make this, for you, a truly "Holy" Week?2019-04-1404 min

Anchored In The LordI Am Set Free5th Sunday of Lent This weekend I helped with a High School Discipleship Retreat - we have some incredible young men and women in northern Wisconsin who love Jesus Christ and want to know our Lord more and more! It's truly inspiring to be a part of these retreats! Both our first reading and Gospel speak of situations where some people are trapping and others are being trapped: in both readings God sets His people free. God has the power to free us from whatever situations are weighing us down, even if they seem impossible to get out...2019-04-1015 min

Anchored In The LordThe Gift of Pain4th Sunday of Lent "Pain's there for a reason. It lets your body know something's wrong and it needs to be fixed." These words are true of our body, but they are also true of our emotions, heart, soul, and spirituality. Pain is there for a reason - it lets us know that something is wrong and needs to be fixed - as both of the brothers in our Gospel this weekend experience, and as we have and continue to experience in our own lives. Pain is often coupled with an invitation from God to come home, to c...2019-03-3110 min

Anchored In The LordRepentance and Freedom3rd Sunday in Ordinary Time "But I tell you, if you do not repent, you will all perish as they did!" Strong words from Jesus in our Gospel today - very strong words. Repentance is turning toward God and admitting our sins...and it's not easy for us as humans. We're sinners. That's not meant to be depressing, but freeing. We are sinners, we've messed up, and Jesus came to free us from our sins, to take that weight off of our shoulders so that we can get on living. Jesus tells us today that this path to fre...2019-03-2408 min

Anchored In The LordThrowback: Mountaintop MomentsThis weekend I will be taking 10 high school men from our diocese on a seminary visit to Immaculate Heart of Mary Seminary in Winona, Minnesota. Please keep us in your prayers, both for safe travels and that these young men might be open to discovering God's will for their lives. Because of this seminary visit, I will not be preaching this weekend. Lucky for you, however, I have a Throwback Homily on our readings this weekend for the 2nd Sunday of Lent! 2nd Sunday of Lent In the midst of our Lent...2019-03-1511 min

Anchored In The LordLooking Up1st Sunday of Lent Lent is a great opportunity for us - an excuse to slow down a bit, a time to shake us out of our daily routine (through fasting and no-meat Fridays, with our personal resolutions: giving something up or adding healthy spiritual practices). Lent provides us more chances to LOOK UP to our God and ask for His help in our lives. The Israelites were led by Moses out of Egypt, they were tempted in the desert and failed three times by not turning to God and trying to fix the issue themselves. In ou...2019-03-1111 min

Anchored In The LordAsh WednesdayAsh Wednesday The day you're a little more self-conscious (if you went to Church in the morning). The day people look at you funny, wondering why your forehead is dirty but probably not willing to say anything to you about it. The day you find out which of your co-workers are Catholic. The ashes placed on the foreheads of millions of Christians throughout the world this day proclaim three things: we belong to God, we are totally dependent on God, and we have decided today to take concrete steps during these next 40 days to turn back to the...2019-03-0707 min

Anchored In The LordLooking in the Mirror8th Sunday in Ordinary Time In our Gospel today Jesus challenges us, before pointing the finger at someone else, to point it first right into the mirror. "How do I look (spiritually)? How could I look better (spiritually)?" This week, this Lent, take a long, hard look in the mirror...give some serious thought to what you'd like to do to make this your best Lent ever! Once again I encourage everyone (all listeners, wherever you're from - if you're listening consider yourself part of our parish community) to register for FORMED by going to sup...2019-03-0404 min

Anchored In The LordCan I Judge?7th Sunday in Ordinary Time This weekend Jesus tells us, "Stop judging and you will not be judged." Seems straightforward...but it also seems to put us as followers of Jesus in a crossfire. On the one hand, God shows us the path to a fulfilled life in this world and the next, asks us to follow it, and invites us to challenge others to do the same. On the other hand, when we challenge others to follow this path, when we stand up and say that certain actions are right and wrong, that certain decisions are goo...2019-02-2408 min

Anchored In The LordFORMED6th Sunday in Ordinary Time Lent is just around the corner (2 1/2 weeks away) and I am excited to announce an incredible opportunity for all of my parishioners, as well as anyone from afar who stays connected with us through my website, podcast or recorded homilies. FORMED is a top-quality online resource that gives you access to all the best Catholic content, all in one place, and it has been provided FREE for our parishes (and listeners) thanks to a generous donation this year! As you look forward to Lent, as you consider the ways you want to gro...2019-02-1708 min

Anchored In The LordGod's Calls5th Sunday in Ordinary Time God's calls to us often come as thoughts, just simple thoughts. It's easy to miss them if we're not paying attention, or (if you're like me) you reason yourself out of them. But God calls us every day, in little moments, to reach out to others, to pray for others, to share our experiences of the Lord. Like Isaiah and Peter in our readings today, we might not feel like we're the best fit for the job, we won't know what following a call will actually entail. But like Isaiah and Peter, when...2019-02-1107 min

Anchored In The LordWalls and Windows3rd Sunday in Ordinary Time Walls are necessary for security, to protect the life that is fostered within those walls. Just before our first reading begins, the Jewish people have finally been allowed to go home to Jerusalem after being conquered and sent away years ago. The first thing they do is rebuild the walls to ensure their security. Then our reading picks up with the great stories of their history being retold to this people who had in many ways forgotten their heritage and identity as God's Chosen People - they are being formed again so th...2019-01-2807 min

Anchored In The LordHow Many to Make a Miracle?2nd Sunday in Ordinary Time In this week's Gospel Jesus performs his first known miracle: turning water into wine at a wedding reception. Jewish wedding receptions lasted 5-7 days; it was the third day of this wedding reception and they're already running out of wine - it would have been a complete humiliation for the newlyweds. For this miracle, however, Jesus didn't magically become aware of the wine shortage, snap his fingers and fix it all in an instant. Rather, this miracle involved a number of people: noticing a problem, bringing it to Jesus, persevering through seeming rej...2019-01-2110 min

Anchored In The LordWhy is Jesus Baptized?The Baptism of the Lord Today Jesus is baptized, not to be washed by the water but to wash the water; not to be cleansed by the waters but to cleanse the waters. Today Jesus isn't baptized by water - water is baptized by Jesus. So when we go down into the water in baptism, we no longer just get wet, we get Jesus Christ! At our baptism we were set free from the hold of sin, worry and anxiety in our life, brought into God's family, and given the power of the Holy Spirit to live thi...2019-01-1408 min

Anchored In The LordHow to Live as a FamilyFeast of the Holy Family Jesus was born into a human family, with everything that entails. He learned to live with an immediate and extended family (and based on the lineage we hear in other Bible passages, his relations were far from perfect). In an imperfect world, with imperfect people and imperfect families, today's readings give us some very practical advice on how we can live more fulfilling lives: put the wants and needs of others before your own...as Christ did. Paul gives us a very concrete example of how this looks in one of...2018-12-3008 min

Anchored In The LordThe Light of Christ: in my Words4th Sunday of Advent We’ve looked at the light of Christ in our thoughts and actions. Now, in this final week of Advent, we look at the light of Christ in our words. In my experience, people WANT to talk about God and faith in their lives…they’re just afraid of what others will think and uncertain where others stand on the issue — so they don’t say anything. Our words have the power to give people that opportunity to speak about God's presence in their life. Our words have the power to invite God into a convers...2018-12-2310 min

Anchored In The LordThe Light of Christ: in my Actions3rd Sunday of Advent Last week it was spending time at the manger, allowing the Light of Christ to settle in our thoughts and minds. This week it's allowing the Light of Christ into our actions. Little kids are so good at giving presents: at first glance their artwork might not be a Van Gogh or Monet, but their intention in making these various works as gifts turns them into masterpieces! Intention and generosity can transform something mediocre into something truly beautiful. As we prepare for Jesus's Birthday, let's make some presents for Him this week, let's make...2018-12-1707 min

Anchored In The LordThe Light of Christ: in my Mind2nd Sunday of Advent Have you ever put yourself in the manger scene? Have you ever experienced the birth of Jesus or the time after His birth, with Mary and Joseph, or the shepherds, or the wise men? Lectio Divina (Latin for "Divine Reading") is a form of Christian prayer where we read a passage of Scripture and then use our imagination to place ourselves in the scene: then we see, hear, touch, taste and feel everything as if we were there! We interact with others in the story. We take on different roles. And through this form...2018-12-1009 min

Anchored In The LordWho's The King of My Life?Feast of Christ the King We as Americans don't always like the idea of authority, a king, a ruler. We pride ourselves on democracy, equality, independence and standing on our own two feet. But as Christians we claim that God is God and we are not, as Christians we claim to submit ourselves to Jesus Christ, as Christians we claim to bring about the reign of God's kingdom on earth - beginning with our own lives: minds, hearts, words and actions. So what am I? Am I more of a modern American with a mind of independence? Or am...2018-11-2609 min

Anchored In The LordLooking In The Mirror33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time What do you see when you look in the mirror? The problem is that we can only see the external; a mirror can't show us what we look like internally: how our souls look, how our thoughts, words and actions are changing us, for better or for worse. Our first reading and Gospel are apocalyptic readings that refer, in part, to the end of time. "Apocalypse" doesn't mean "destruction," it means "pulling back the veil, uncovering." The day will come when the veil will be pulled back and we will see not just...2018-11-1906 min

Anchored In The LordDiscipleship Weekend32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time This weekend I joined almost 60 high schoolers from around our diocese for the winter High School Discipleship Weekend. These are young men and women serious about living out their Catholic faith: they want to continue growing in a deep and genuine relationship with Jesus Christ, they are learning to be active leaders in the faith, they are growing in intentional service to God and others, and they freely chose to give up their entire weekend in order to make these things a priority in their busy lives. Although I had basically lost my...2018-11-1218 min

Anchored In The LordGrowing Pains31st Sunday in Ordinary Time In our Gospel this weekend Jesus sums up the entirety of the Scriptures with the simple teaching to "love God and love neighbor." Christianity IS that simple...but it's not that easy! Growing in love of God and others is painful: like the pain and frustration you see go across a child's face when they have to learn how to share with someone else, we experience that same pain of transformation as we say goodbye to our selfish inclinations and learn to open ourselves up to love of God and others - wh...2018-11-0507 min

Anchored In The LordWhat Has Jesus Done For You?30th Sunday in Ordinary Time When I was young, I didn't like doing the dishes - it was an obligation, a duty, something I HAD to do. When my parents came up to visit me the other week, I cooked them a nice meal, and then miracle of miracles...I wanted to do the dishes! Out of thankfulness for all they've done for me, I WANTED to do that service for them. In our Gospel today Jesus heals a blind man who then follows Him along the way. This once blind man is not living his faith out...2018-10-2908 min

Anchored In The LordSwoosh MomentsDiocesan Youth Rally When I was little I loved playing basketball. As I grew I moved from a little foam basketball to a little heavy basketball to a women's basketball to a men's basketball, from granny shots to real shots; then, one day, I finally realized what it felt like to make the perfect shot - you may as well turn around and start heading down the court because as soon as it leaves your hand you know it's going to be a swoosh! That swoosh experience, that feeling of everything working exactly how it's supposed to (no...2018-10-2922 min

Anchored In The LordWhy?29th Sunday in Ordinary Time It's a natural human tendency to make sense of things. We ask the question "Why?" and we come up with an answer to appease our minds. Our brains will even make up answers (even wrong ones, and totally believe them) just to satisfy this impulse to make sense of things. When it comes to suffering, pain, difficulty, and even death, however, coming up with an answer for "Why?" often makes God into some kind of monster. In the Scriptures God never gives an answer to "Why?" (I don't think there is one), but...2018-10-2211 min

Anchored In The LordWhat Are We Holding Onto?28th Sunday in Ordinary Time An enthusiastic young man comes to Jesus in our Gospel asking what he must do to inherit eternal life. Having followed all the commandments from his youth, Jesus invites the young man to take a step in faith...but this young man is very wealthy. At Jesus' challenge to sell what he owns and follow Jesus alone, this good young man walks away - he isn't willing to put something in his life down to take hold of Jesus. We only have two hands, and this weekend Jesus is stretching out his han...2018-10-1508 min

Anchored In The LordMarriage, Divorce, Homosexuality and Faithful LoveI think the title speaks for itself...you'll want to listen to this!2018-10-0809 min

Anchored In The LordPositive Motion26th Sunday in Ordinary Time How do we evaluate a day, a week, a month, a season in our life? Is it by how little we've done wrong or sinned? In the Gospel today Jesus comes down hard on sin: "If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off! If your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out!" While we may become complacent with our sins, Jesus never does. And yet, if our goal is never to sin, that neither makes us holy nor prepares us for heaven! The Christian life isn't about not sinning; heave...2018-10-0106 min

Anchored In The LordSpiritual Speech Impediments23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time In our Gospel today a deaf man with a speech impediment is brought to Jesus. Jesus takes him away from the crowd, touches his ears and tongue, prays, and cures both his deafness and speech impediment. In our society it seems that many of us Catholics, like the man in our Gospel, have experienced what it feels like to be tongue-tied: we don't always how to respond to people who are hostile to the Church (especially in light of the recent scandals) or how to answer difficult questions about what we believe cl...2018-09-1007 min

Anchored In The LordGetting Smaller to Grow Bigger21st Sunday in Ordinary Time Fr. Benedict Groeschel once told me, "The Church will get much smaller before it gets bigger." In our Gospel, Jesus' teaching that his followers must eat his flesh and drink his blood (the Eucharist) to find eternal life turned many people away. But the Church has to get smaller, and more genuine, before it can grow through authentic and powerful witness. People get up in arms about Paul's words in our second reading, "Wives, be subordinate to your husbands." They fail, however, to read the rest of that chapter, where Paul asks all...2018-08-2710 min

Anchored In The LordMass: I Just Wanna Eat You Up!20th Sunday in Ordinary Time In our Gospel this weekend, Jesus says that one must eat his flesh and drink his blood to have eternal life. The people of his day and age are scandalized by that - "How can we possibly eat his flesh and drink his blood! That's preposterous!" Does Jesus apologize? Or soften his words? Or say that he's just speaking figuratively? No. In fact, he ups the ante. We miss it in the English translation, but in the Greek, in response to their pushback, Jesus uses a different word for "eat", a more vivid, p...2018-08-2006 min

Anchored In The LordGoing Down to Go Up19th Sunday in Ordinary Time In the spiritual life, it's often the case that when you want to go up, you'll first "feel" like you're going down (emphasis on "feel"). God grows us through struggle and perseverance, and it's in those times when we "feel" like we're going down that God is giving us the opportunity to grow in exactly that place where we feel weak. So the next time you are struggling, don't blame the situation, don't blame yourself or think you're doing something wrong. Perhaps everything is at it's supposed to be. Perhaps you're doing noth...2018-08-1207 min

Anchored In The LordMass: Food for the Journey18th Sunday in Ordinary Time It seems to be a natural human tendency to begin something new with energy and enthusiasm...then the path begins to get long and difficult...our energy and excitement seem to dry up...we begin to doubt our initial commitment and wonder whether or not the change is really worth it...then we slowly fall back into the way things used to be - not because the old way was better, but simply because we were familiar with it, which makes it easier. That's the experience of the Israelites in the first r...2018-08-0608 min

Anchored In The LordMass: Sitting at the Feet of Jesus17th Sunday in Ordinary Time In the Gospel today Jesus goes up a mountain to preach. This sixth chapter of John's Gospel, surprisingly enough, is all about the Mass and the Eucharist. People come and gather around Jesus, sitting at His feet and listening to His words - exactly what we do as we gather at Mass. Jesus then miraculously feeds thousands - at Mass we are fed with bread and wine miraculously become the Body and Blood of Christ. The more of ourselves we can put into the Mass, the more we will get out of it. ...2018-08-0108 min

Anchored In The LordSubmitting to The Shepherd16th Sunday in Ordinary Time In our first reading from Jeremiah, in the midst of very challenging times - the nation's leaders were not following the Lord and Jerusalem was on the path to destruction - God promises that one day He will come and shepherd His people rightly. That promise is fulfilled 500 years later in Jesus, Who comes to us, His people, as the true Shepherd in the line of King David, to lead us to our true home. That sounds very nice and poetic...but if we actually believe it, then it means that certain de...2018-07-2607 min

Anchored In The LordAnointing of the Sick15th Sunday in Ordinary Time In the Gospel today, Jesus' apostles "anointed with oil many who were sick and cured them." This is one of the roots of our practice of the sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick. When should someone get anointed? When do you call in the priest? Is it supposed to be during one's final hours on this earth? Or could it be sooner? Listen to find out more.2018-07-1508 min

Anchored In The LordSome of My Story14th Sunday in Ordinary Time This week I moved from Medford to Superior, Wisconsin to begin my new assignment at the 5 parish cluster in and around Superior. This homily is "some" of my story of re-conversion to our amazing Catholic faith and how I began hearing God's call to the priesthood (I say "some" because there is so much more to the story, just not enough time in one homily to cover it all!).2018-07-0911 min

Anchored In The LordThe Envy of the Devil and Our Destiny13th Sunday in Ordinary Time Our God is a God of life: He creates life and He upholds life. "God did not make death," our first reading says...and yet death is all around us. The reading continues, "but by the envy of the devil, death entered the world." We believe in the supernatural - we believe in angels. Angels are amazing immaterial creations of God! They are smarter, stronger and more powerful than humans, and they aren't limited by bodies like we are. Yet, God chose to make us in His image and likeness, not them. Out of...2018-07-0209 min

Anchored In The LordPreparing To Hit The MarkNativity of John the Baptist This weekend we celebrate the birth of John the Baptist. John was a crucial figure, bridging the gap between the Old and New Testaments and preparing people for the coming of the Lord. He spent most of his life in quiet preparation in the desert, and even though his role was crucial when he stepped out of the desert and into the spotlight, his time "on stage" was very short. Maybe in your life you don't feel like you're on the front lines; maybe parts of your life seem un-amazing and un-eventful; may...2018-06-2406 min

Anchored In The LordFrom Small to Big11th Sunday in Ordinary Time God has a way of taking something small and making it big. We see it in the parable of the shoot from a great cedar in our first reading, in the parable of the mustard seed from our Gospel, in the Church that Jesus established which has grown across the world over 2,000 years, and even in our own growth: from a one-celled organism in your Mama's belly to the 49 trillion-celled person you are today. God has a way of taking something small and making it big. He wants to do this with you...2018-06-1707 min

Anchored In The LordTwo Creation Stories10th Sunday in Ordinary Time The first book in our Bible, the book of Genesis, begins with two different creation stories...two DIFFERENT creation stories! What does it mean? What do they mean? Could they have something to say about who we are, what our relationship to God is, and why there is evil, pain and suffering in the world as we know it? Listen to hear more!2018-06-1009 min

Anchored In The LordExplaining The Trinity?Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity Somethings we experience in life are beyond description - words can't reach as deep or as high as the reality. Love is a good example. We can use all different kinds of images and words and phrases to try and describe it, but in the end it's something indescribable with words - the experience and reality of love is deeper and truer than any words can express. In the Trinity, we bump up against another reality (or is it actually the same reality?) that words will always fail to describe. Words might...2018-05-2706 min

Anchored In The LordRemember To BreathePentecost The coming of the Holy Spirit CHANGED the first followers of Jesus. We received the Holy Spirit in baptism, we were sealed by the Holy Spirit in Confirmation, we receive the Body and Blood of Jesus at every Mass...but how much are we CHANGED by these experiences? Do you ever feel like you're in a spiritual rut? Do you ever long for more in your faith but just not know why you aren't getting it? If that's ever been you, listen to this homily, and most importantly - remember to breathe (spiritually)!2018-05-2009 min

Anchored In The LordAscendAscension Sunday Happy Mother's Day to all mothers! This weekend we celebrate Jesus' Ascension into heaven - that after rising from the dead and appearing to His disciples for a number of days, Jesus ascends to heaven to sit at the right hand of the Father. The ascension is not a one-and-done event, though. We are the Body of Christ still present on this earth, so His ascension is still happening in us. As we follow Jesus, as we run faster and jump higher, as we overcome the obstacles of life and refuse to give up in our...2018-05-1306 min

Anchored In The LordLove: Intention AND Action6th Sunday of Easter Love requires both intention AND action: a good action without good intention is not love; the best intention without action is not love. Our readings today challenge us to love if we are to remain in God. But how can we remain in love all day long in the midst of our many different obligations and mundane duties? The good news is that every daily, ordinary action we do can be transformed into an act of love when we attach it to a good intention by offering it up with a short prayer! In ou...2018-05-0607 min

Anchored In The LordRemain In Me5th Sunday of Easter All day, every day, we are making decisions. Ultimately, what we do and don't do, how we respond or don't respond to different people and situations, is our decision. I believe everyone WANTS to be a good person: a good mother or father, husband or wife, family member, friend, worker and coworker...but it's our daily decisions (regardless of what we say we want to be) that determine whether we actually ARE any of those things. In the Gospel today Jesus challenges us to remain in Him always. God never stops being with us...2018-04-2906 min

Anchored In The LordWho's Goes To Heaven?4th Sunday of Easter Peter says in our 1st reading today, speaking about Jesus Christ, "There is no salvation through anyone else, nor is there any other name under heaven given to the human race by which we are to be saved." If salvation is only in Jesus, then who can be saved? Can non-Catholics go to heaven? Can Hindus or Buddhists or Muslims go to heaven? And what part do we have to play in it? Listen and find out!2018-04-2210 min

Anchored In The LordPresents of Presence4th Sunday of Advent God made a promise to King David, that He would establish a house and kingdom for him that would last forever, and that an heir of his would rule in this kingdom. 1,000 years later, that promise came true in a little baby born on Christmas - Jesus. God gave us, in Jesus, the greatest present of all: a savior to be present with us always, so that we would never be separated from God. This Christmas our Father wants a special present from us (in fact, the only thing He ever wants from us...2017-12-2406 min