The Emmaus Pastorate’s Podcast

Ukrainian Prayer Service Reflection

Fr. John reflects on the Magnificat in light of the war in Ukraine during the ecumenical prayer service for peace held at St. Mary Parish on March 27.

Homily on 3-27-22

Can you hear the music?  The music of God's forgiveness is sweet to our ears!  The sad truth is that we don't always hear it.  The brothers in today's Gospel couldn't and for their own reasons.  But can YOU hear it?

Homily from 3-20-22

No one likes fertilizer.  It's stinky, messy, and it's work.  We especially don't like fertilizer on us!  But that's just what Lent offers us: a 40 day retreat, a 40 day covering in fertilizer so that we can grow as disciples of Christ.  Through the scriptures, through prayer, by fasting and charitable works, we grow as children of God.  Hopefully we're cultivating ourselves.  Hopefully we're striving to live, and live in Christ alone!

Homily from 3-13-22

"Listen to him!"  Those are the Father's words in Sunday's Gospel.  "Listen to him!"  But how exactly do we do that?  In all the hustle and bustle, given our human tendency to be lazy and forgetful, and with all the other noise in our lives, how do we listen to God?  Fr. John has some tips for us.

Homily on 3-6-22

Ventricular Septal Defect - a heart defect that involves a hole in the heart.  In children and infants, this makes living especially difficult.  In adults, the effects are numerous.  This physical defect can also happen spiritually though.  It happens in stressful times and when we've gotten lazy on our spiritual and religious practices. Our hearts get "holey" when we spend too much time trying to fix ourselves and take on the worlds problems, or when they're thrust on us and we don't ask for help.  The real problem comes when we try to treat this illness ourselves.  We tend to allow other things besides Christ to fill that hole in our heart when instead we should live in Christ alone.

Homily on 2-27-22

What's your perspective?  How's your vision?  As we approach the season of Lent on Wednesday, how are you seeing the world?  Jesus talks about removing the sticks from your own eye before correcting the beams in others' eyes.  How are we looking at our neighbors, spouses, friends, and family these days?  Hopefully we see with Christ's eyes and bear good fruit, because living in Christ alone is the way to heaven!

Prayer for Ukraine

This evening, the St. Joseph Choir sang a special selection for the people of Ukraine.  We are very happy to share this bonus episode of The Emmaus Pastorate's Podcast with you this weekend, and we encourage you and your family to heed Pope Francis' request that we all fast and pray ever more this Ash Wednesday.  Mary, Queen of Peace, pray for us!

Selected music: Save Me, O God by Marty Haugen.  Reprint and broadcast permission granted under ONE LICENSE #A-626030.

Closing Prayer: Opening Collect for the Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Roman Missal, Third Edition, ICEL.

Homily from 2-20-22

Loving thy neighbor isn't always easy.  In fact, it's downright hard sometimes!  But depending on what's in your wallet, that mission might actually be the easiest thing you do all day.  What's in your wallet?

Homily from 2-13-22

The Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick is an often misunderstood Sacrament of the Catholic Church.  Its propose is to provide hope, healing, and comfort to the living; it is not reserved solely for people near death.  People suffering chronic or serious illness and the aging are particularly invited to receive the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick early and often.  And, of course, those in danger of dying are encouraged to be anointed too.  This weekend, all parishes in the Emmaus Pastorate offered the Sacrament during weekend Masses.  In this episode, Fr. John Haugen tells us more about this repeatable Sacrament, and the St. Joseph Choir leads the assembly in sung prayer while he anoints.

 

Copyright acknowledgement: All Is Well with My Soul: Text: 11 8 11 9 with refrain. Verse 1 text, trad.; fr. It Is Well with My Soul; Horatio Gates Spafford, 1827-1888. Verses 2-4 text based on Psalm 62:2-3, 6-9; 63:5; Carey Landry. Music: Philip P. Bliss, 1838-1876. Music arr. and verses 2-4 text © 2008, 2010, Carey Landry. Published by OCP. All rights reserved. Broadcast under ONE LICENSE #A-626030.

Homily from 2-6-22

Today's culture is not what we'd call a "culture of vocation."  Usually, vocation stirs in us images of high virtue or someone super holy.  But actually, EACH of us has a vocation!  Even St. Paul, someone who persecuted early Christians had a vocation, and he became one of the most prolific writers in the Bible!  We all have a vocation, whether we think we're good enough or not.  Remember, God equips the called; he does not call the equipped!  How are you creating a "culture of vocation" in your home and community?