Following upon our series of sermons on the Apostles, we look to St Mark the Evangelist. Though not an Apostle, he was a close disciple of St Peter and wrote his Gospel on the authority of that apostle. We consider St Mark's life (even from his original service as a Jewish priest of the Temple), and then turn to the particularities of his Gospel.
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St Andrew is a great Advent saint, with the first Sunday of Advent being the Sunday closest to his feast day.
Andrew and John the Evangelist are the two great disciples of John the Baptist, and their feasts are the opening and closing of Advent season - while St John the Baptist is the solemn cry which personifies Advent.
This sermon continues our series of sermons on the Apostles - others can be found [here]!
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In this sermon, we consider St Matthew (on his feast day) as a marvelous example for reflection on the parable of the dishonest steward (the Sunday Gospel passage).
After considering the life, ministry, and martyrdom of St Matthew, we also discuss his Gospel and give reasons why the Catholic tradition has maintained that it was the first Gospel written.
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We consider what can be known with relative certainty about the apostle St Bartholomew, who is likely Nathanael in St John's Gospel.
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Today the Church celebrates the feast of Saint Lawrence, deacon and martyr. He is one of the most important saints in the history of the Church, and is honored nearly on the same level as the Apostles!
We consider the story of his life and martyrdom.
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The story of St James the Greater from the Gospels and Acts of the Apostles, as well as the early tradition of the Church - including the first Marian Apparition, Our Lady of the Pillar! We also consider the intercession of St James the Great in the history of Spain and also for Christopher Columbus and the New World.
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As we celebrate the Solemnity of Sts Peter and Paul, we consider the inspiring life of St Peter, prince of the Apostles.
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This week, we give two sermons: One on St Philip the Apostle, and a second on The Gospel Account of the Apparition of the Lord at the Sea of Tiberius.
On St Philip the Apostle, as part of our series on the Apostles. The whole series is found [here].
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On the account of the Lord's Apparition at the Sea of Tiberius.
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As the feast of Sts Simon and Jude is Monday, October 28th - we preach about these two apostles in the Sunday Sermon.
Simon is called the Zealot - because he was filled with much zeal for the Gospel. Simon was martyred by being sawn in half.
Jude is called Thaddeus - because he was "big of heart" and still has much compassion for those in hopeless cases. He is the brother of James the Less and a cousin of Jesus by way of St Joseph (his uncle).
(this sermon is part of a systematic effort to preach on all Apostles from July 2024 to January 2026. The sermons on other Apostles can be found [here]!)
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Our Lord told the Apostles that the greatest among them would be the servant of all. St Luke was the great servant of St Paul, his faithful friend and the steadfast worker in the service of the Gospel.
In this sermon, we consider the history of St Luke and his important role in the writing of the New Testament. We also reflect on other traditions related to St Luke, especially that he had painted holy images of the Blessed Virgin Mary, some of which are preserved even to our day.
(this sermon is part of an intention effort to preach on the Apostles and Evangelists from July 2024 to January 2026. The sermons on the other Apostles and Evangelists can be found [here]!)
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As we read from the Letter of St James in second reading of the Sunday Lectionary, we consider the history of this great apostle who is called the "brother of the Lord."
James the Lesser was shorter than the other James call the Greater, but he was actually his uncle! This James the Less is the son of Alpheus (called Cleophas), the "brother of the Lord" (meaning the cousin of Jesus and the nephew of St Joseph), the brother of St Jude and St Salome the wife of Zebedee, and the first bishop of Jerusalem. St James the Less was called "James the Just" and was most highly respected even by the Jews.
(This sermon is part of an intentional effort to preach on all the Apostles at Sunday Masses from July 2024 to January 2026. The sermons on the other Apostles can be found [here].)
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Over the next three years, we will preach once again on each of the Apostles and the Evangelists, beginning now with St Paul the Apostle.
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