Why Did God Bring You Together?
We often tell the story of how we met, but do we ever wonder why we met? If God has a plan your life, and He brought the two of you together, God must have a plan for your marriage, too. What is it?
Schmidt, Joel
Homily: A Reason to Leap for Joy
At the time Israel was being conquered, the prophets were proclaiming the coming of a savior. Imagine the longing of the Israelites to believe this message, which must have sounded too impossible to believe. Deacon Joel shares his homily for the Fourth Sunday in Advent.
Being Deacon: Good vs. Good
During diaconate formation, commitments were mostly structured and mandatory. Now, after ordination, little is mandatory. How to meet expectations is largely discerned, not dictated. It’s been a year, and we still haven’t figured out the magic formula.
Being Deacon: Holy Associations
God’s call for us can be revealed through the people the Holy Spirit has placed in our lives. I blame Deacon John McCully. Whenever someone asks about my vocation story, I start with him. He played an integral role in planting the “diaconate seed.”
Homily: Would You Have Walked Away from Jesus?
One day 2,000 years ago in Capernaum on the northern shore of the Sea of Galilee many people walked away from Jesus in the Eucharist. Would you have walked away, too? Deacon Joel shares his homily for the Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time.
Being Deacon: Lessons From the Fishbowl
As a deacon, I’m becoming more comfortable with the idea that people are watching me and my family. I may not like it, but I’m learning to embrace it. To a large degree, that’s what I signed up for, to be a symbol of something different, a sign of contrast, to represent Christ in a way I hadn’t done before. But as Christians, aren’t we all called to represent Christ in a way that’s visible, that makes Him known to the rest of the world, through the witness of our lives?
Being Deacon: The Knot
Ever since I was ordained a deacon last August, I’ve meant to start a “Being Deacon” series. In fact, someone even contacted us through our Facebook page, urging me to provide this very series, but up until now, I’ve managed to churn out exactly one installment. Then, along came the Knights of Columbus, who asked me to write a weekly series this month for Fathers For Good.
Homily: Hello Again, Ordinary Time
Well, it’s that time of year again. You know, that L-O-N-G stretch of Ordinary Time that lasts from June to November. 20 weeks of green … hello Ordinary Time. What could the Church possibly be thinking? How about this: Ordinary Time is the most important time of the whole year. Deacon Joel shares his homily for the Eleventh Sunday in Ordinary Time.
Homily: Something to Shout
“Lord, let your face shine on us.” That’s the cry of David in today’s Responsorial Psalm. Interesting if you think about it. What is the precondition for a face? A body – flesh – which God did not have prior to the Incarnation. Before Jesus, the phrase “the face of God” was just a poetic metaphor for God’s favor or His grace. Then Jesus came along and changed that – and indeed, everything.
Pregnancy and Infant Loss Mass (Diocese of Des Moines)
Honoring our children with the Lord: the spring Pregnancy and Infant Loss Mass will be held April 27 at All Saints Catholic Church in Des Moines.