The Emmaus Pastorate’s Podcast

Homily from 3-2-25

The gift of sight is wonderful and makes life very enjoyable for those who possess it.  But many things we encounter everyday have the ability to cloud our vision.  It could be bad weather, poor eyesight, dirty glasses, or someone poking us.  And our spiritual lives have eyes that long to see, too, eyes that long to see with the eyes of faith.  And that sight can be clouded by many things too, mostly sin.  And sin is everywhere in 2025!  As we prepare to enter the season of Lent, may we consider the places where sin dwells in our lives so we can allow Christ to clean them.  Then we might just be able to see with his eyes!

Homily from 2-23-25

Let's put church teaching aside for just a minute.  When Jesus spoke, did he actually mean what he said?  And if so, what did he really mean?  Whether it makes us comfortable or not, many of the things Jesus said were (and still are) counter-cultural, radically different than the norm.  And those same things should shake us even today.  If they don't, we need to ask ourselves if Jesus really meant what he said and what those words mean today.  If he did mean what he said, then chances are that we need to do some soul searching here in 2025!

Homily on 2-17-25

Is loving easy?  Of COURSE NOT!  Loving each other is usually very hard!  It's so easy, especially in our culture, to let point fingers and demand what we want (want demand it now).  But Jesus didn't ask us to like each other, point fingers, or be divisive.  He commanded us to love our neighbors, no matter the cost!  As we celebrate Valentine's Day, let's consider what REAL love is all about!

Homily on 2-9-25

In his time on earth, Jesus had a penchant for calling some peculiar people to follow him.  These people - like Simeon and Andrew, two average fishermen - didn't have a stellar resume or unique skills.  They were just ordinary people.  But still they were called by name to join Jesus and his ministry.  They didn't have a schedule or agenda, no plans or schematics for what lay ahead.  They simply had to trust Jesus, especially when he led them into deeper waters.  Can we also cast our nets into the nerve-wracking deep waters?  Can we trust Jesus enough to let him see us through all the challenges that come with discipleship?  Greatness awaits us if we can!

Homily on Presentation of the Lord 2025

"You suck at this!  Go run that drill until you get it!" yells the coach at practice.  It's not always nice, but that's how coaches coach you to be better.  They tell you the long, hard truth that you're not great at this or that skill, and they help you fix it.  A silversmith does the same thing by removing the dross from melted silver.  Only when all the impurities are gone can the silver be used to make various objects.  But running those drills or removing the dross is rarely a comfortable experience.  It's usually painful to some degree and can be grueling at times.  But the beauty is in the finished product.

God works in the same way.  We come to worship to give glory to God, yes, but also be run through the ringer, to be told what we're not good at, to have our own dross removed.  It's not comfortable, but it is the path of a disciple!  And the beauty is what lies before us in eternal life!

Homily on 1-26-25

Being a Christian, and a Catholic specifically, is no easy task.  But Jesus never said it was going to be.  Sometimes, maybe most of the time, being a Christian in a culture that can be very self-centered, paradoxical, and counter to the Gospel message might cause us more anguish than we currently endure.  Still, our baptism calls us to work for justice and peace, to call out wrongs when they occur, to pray for all people (even people we don't like), and to speak up for people who have no voice.  That's what Jesus did, even though it went against most of his own culture's teachings and beliefs.  We are called to do these things because whether we believe it or not the Spirit of the Lord is upon us and has been since the moment of our baptism.  Let's not forget it!

Homily on 1-19-25

The wedding feast at Cana can be a quaint little story.  "Mom, not now!  It's not time yet!  Don't you get it?  Once I start, there's no going back!" says Jesus.  But still, Mary comes to Jesus on behalf of the happily married couple in need of more wine for their feast.  And Jesus delivers in a big way!  This story reminds us of two things: 1) Mary is always ready - like any mom - to fill our needs and get us help, and 2) Jesus reminds us that the heavenly banquet will be so much better than our present.

Homily from 1-12-25

What good does your baptism do you?  Do you every think about that?  What good does your baptism do you?  Does it empower you?  Does it challenge you?  Hopefully it does both at different times in your life.  If it does neither, ask yourself whether your faith is really worth anything.  Answering those questions might just change your life!

(Disclaimer: this episode is Fr. John's homily from Saturday night, January 11, 2025 at St. Joseph Parish in Elkader, IA.  Although Sunday Mass was celebrated, references to "tonight" are made because Sunday Mass was celebrated on Saturday night.)

Christmas Music Selections - Episode 2

Merry Christmas!  In addition to our usual and extra homily posts, the Emmaus Pastorate musicians would like to share with you some of the Christmas music they've prepared for you this season.  We hope it adds to your Christmas joy as we celebrate Christ's birth thru the feast of his baptism on January 12, 2025!  In this episode, you'll hear from St. Joseph Choir at St. Joseph Parish in Elkader, IA, the musicians of St. Mary Parish in Strawberry Point, IA, and a few of the musicians from St. Mark Parish in Edgewood, IA.  Please note these are live recordings from either before or during worship, so expect to hear a little background noise and/or a priest singing occasionally.  The pieces in order of appearance are:

Child of the Poor (Scott Soper)
Go, Tell It on the Mountain (Spiritual)

Do You Hear What I Hear (unknown)

Noel (Chris Tomlin)

O What a King (Katy Nichole)

There Is Nothing Told (Christopher Willcock)

Holy Is His Name (John Michael Talbot)

Love Has Come (Matt Maher)

What Child Is This (GREENSLEEVES)

Be Born in Us  (Ruth Elaine Schram)

We Three Kings (KINGS OF ORIENT)

Epiphany Homily 2025

Look up!  Not down...look up!  As we begin a new year and celebrate the Solemnity of the Epiphany, how are looking for God?  How are we inviting him into our lives?  The word epiphany really means "manifestation" or "enlightening."  Yes, smart people came to visit him, but the Magi aren't the only people to whom Jesus came.  He came for everyone found in the nativity story.  He came for you.  He came for your neighbors.  He came for all Christians but also all non-Christians.  He came for everyone at every period of time.  So as we begin 2025 and continue to celebrate Christmas, how exactly are we seeing God and inviting him into our lives and those of others?