Heart to Heart, A Catholic Media Ministry
“Go into all the world and proclaim the
Good News to all creation.” Mark 16:15
Luke 21:5-19 While some people were speaking about how the temple was adorned with costly stones and votive offerings, Jesus said, “All that you see here– the days will come when there will not be left a stone upon another stone that will not be thrown down.” Then they asked him, “Teacher, when will this…
We could have titled this week’s homily many ways. There are several important spiritual themes, so pay attention! Curious about the answer to Fr. Michael’s favorite name for Jesus? Watch and listen 🙂 PS Ornaments of Grace 2019 booklets will ship after the middle of November for arrival by the start of Advent. PPS If…
Luke 20:27-38 Some Sadducees, those who deny that there is a resurrection, came forward and put this question to Jesus, saying, “Teacher, Moses wrote for us, If someone’s brother dies leaving a wife but no child, his brother must take the wife and raise up descendants for his brother. Now there were seven brothers; the…
Entering Heaven through the narrow gate will require us to lean out our spiritual selves. Fr. Michael reminds us that the fire of God’s love can burn off that spiritual fat allowing us to draw ever closer to God’s loving embrace. Luke 13:22-30 Jesus passed through towns and villages, teaching as he went and making…
Luke 19:1-10 At that time, Jesus came to Jericho and intended to pass through the town. Now a man there named Zacchaeus, who was a chief tax collector and also a wealthy man, was seeking to see who Jesus was; but he could not see him because of the crowd, for he was short in…
We cannot stand before God with anything impure in our hearts so to get to heaven we must eventually be purged of all impurities. What are those things we hold on to that are holding us back from God? Listen as Fr. Michael offers some real world examples and tools to let go. Luke 12:39-48…
Luke 18:9-14 Jesus addressed this parable to those who were convinced of their own righteousness and despised everyone else. “Two people went up to the temple area to pray; one was a Pharisee and the other was a tax collector. The Pharisee took up his position and spoke this prayer to himself, ‘O God, I…
Do you ever get mad at someone and all of your pent up frustration comes pouring out? We can’t really know if it was like that for Jesus but in this passage he calls out the Pharisees for focusing too much on minor, seemingly trivial things while neglecting areas of faith that truly matter. Fr.…
Luke 18:1-8 Jesus told his disciples a parable about the necessity for them to pray always without becoming weary. He said, “There was a judge in a certain town who neither feared God nor respected any human being. And a widow in that town used to come to him and say, ‘Render a just decision…
If you follow Fr. Jim’s weekly Gospel Studies (see below for this week’s Gospel Study), you’ll recall this reading from a few weeks ago. Preaching on the same passage, Fr. Michael brings an updated perspective to an age old problem. We can’t help everyone who comes to us in need, so how do we make…
Luke 17:11-19 As Jesus continued his journey to Jerusalem, he traveled through Samaria and Galilee. As he was entering a village, ten lepers met him. They stood at a distance from him and raised their voices, saying, “Jesus, Master! Have pity on us!” And when he saw them, he said, “Go show yourselves to the…
Are Guardian Angels really watching out for us? The stories Fr. Michael shares are difficult to believe without considering divine intervention… Matthew 18:1-5, 10 The disciples approached Jesus and said, “Who is the greatest in the Kingdom of heaven?” He called a child over, placed it in their midst, and said, “Amen, I say to…
Luke 17:5-10 The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith.” The Lord replied, “If you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you would say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you. “Who among you would say to your servant who has just come…
Telling the story of his pilgrimage to the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City, Fr. Michael took to heart the advice Jesus gave his disciples, to travel with little and trust in God’s providence on the journey. Can we live a life of true trust in the Lord? Luke 9:1-6 Jesus summoned…
Luke 16:19-31 Jesus said to the Pharisees: “There was a rich man who dressed in purple garments and fine linen and dined sumptuously each day. And lying at his door was a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, who would gladly have eaten his fill of the scraps that fell from the rich man’s…
Given at Bellarmine Jesuit Retreat House on the Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross, Fr. Michael shares the spiritual impact that suffering had on his best friend, Fr. Jim Willig, as well as on Cardinal Bernardin. These lessons are important for all who will experience suffering in their lives. For more on suffering, check…
Luke 16:1-13 Jesus said to his disciples, “A rich man had a steward who was reported to him for squandering his property. He summoned him and said, ‘What is this I hear about you? Prepare a full account of your stewardship, because you can no longer be my steward.’ The steward said to himself, ‘What…
Reflecting on the Sermon on the Plain, or the Beatitudes from Luke’s Gospel, Fr. Michael teaches us to know our frail human tendencies and to ask God to remove those traits and take us closer to Him. Luke 6:20-26 Raising his eyes toward his disciples Jesus said: “Blessed are you who are poor, for the…
Luke 15:1-32 Tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to listen to Jesus, but the Pharisees and scribes began to complain, saying, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.” So to them he addressed this parable. “What man among you having a hundred sheep and losing one of them would not leave the…
To learn more about Fr. Michael’s next pilgrimage, download this flyer: [download id=”7998″] History and Fr. Michael remind us that all things of this world will eventually fall and decay. How then does God seal His perpetual covenant with us? Luke 4:38-44 After Jesus left the synagogue, he entered the house of Simon. Simon’s mother-in-law…