Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Easter Sunday, 24 April 2011

Click here to download and listen to this homily (10 minutes) given by Fr Thomas Weise at St Catherine of Siena parish in Petersburg, Alaska.  Jesus has been raised from the dead by the Love of God the Father! Because we experience new life through Baptism and we have the promise of Eternal Life we REJOICE! Whenever we feel that joy fading we come to the Mass and feast from the Table of the Word and Eucharist and are restored.

Readings: Acts 10:34a, 37-43; Psalm 118; Colossians 3:1-4; 1 Corinthians 5:6b-8; John 20:1-9

Easter Vigil, 23 April 2011

Click here to download and listen to this homily (12 minutes) given by Fr Thomas Weise at St Catherine of Siena parish in Petersburg, Alaska.  Just as the Chilean Miners were pull from their living tomb trapped deep in the mine, so does Jesus want to pull us from our living tombs of depression, regret, addiction, sin, etc... and set us free.  Jesus' resurrection gives us hope that we too can rise from the countless little deaths we suffer with his help across the Red Sea. Jesus is Risen! He is Risen Indeed!

Readings: Genesis 1:1-2:2; Genesis 22:1-18; Exodus 14:15-15:1; Isaiah 54:5-14; Isaiah 55:1-11; Baruch 3:9-15, 32-4:4; Ezekiel 36:16-17a, 18-28; Romans 6:3-11; Matthew 28:1-10

Good Friday, 22 April 2011

Click here to download and listen to this homily (23 minutes) given by Fr Thomas Weise at St Catherine of Siena parish in Petersburg, Alaska.  Jesus came to show us how to love and be loved.  Let us learn to return love to our Lord who first loved us.

Lord, send down your abundant blessing upon your people who have devoutly recalled the death of your Son in the sure hope of the resurrection.  Grant them pardon, bring them comfort.  May their faith grow stronger and their eternal salvation be assured.  We ask this through Christ our Lord.

Readings: Isaiah 52:13-53:12; Psalm 31; Hebrews 4:14-16, 5:7-9; John 18:1-19:42

Friday, April 22, 2011

Holy Thursday, 21 April 2011

Click here to download and listen to this homily (9 minutes) given by Fr Thomas Weise at St Catherine of Siena parish in Petersburg, Alaska. "When the Lord of the world comes and undertakes the slave's task of foot-washing--which is an illustration of the way he washes our feet all through our lives--we have a totally different picture.  God doesn't want to trample on us, but kneels down before us so as to exult us.  The mystery of the greatness of God is seen precisely in the fact that he can be small... Only when power is changed from the inside, and we accept Jesus and his way of life, whose whole self is there in the action of foot-washing, only then can the world be healed and the people be able to live at peace with one another." ~ Pope Benedict XVI

Do this in Remembrance of Me.

Readings: Exodus 12:1-8, 11-14; Psalm 116; 1 Corinthians 11:23-26; John 13:1-15.

Palm ~ Passion Sunday, Cycle A, 17 April 2011

Click here to download and listen to this homily (30 minutes) given by Fr Thomas Weise at St Catherine of Siena parish in Petersburg, Alaska. It is Jesus' love for each one of us that takes him all the way to the cross of our rejection of that love.

Readings: Matthew 21:1-11; Isaiah 50:4-7; Psalm 22; Philippians 2:6-11; Matthew 26:14-27:66

Sunday, April 10, 2011

5th Sunday Lent, Cycle A, 10 April 2011

Click here to listen to this homily (15 minutes) given by Fr Thomas Weise at St Rose of Lima parish in Wrangell, Alaska.  Just as Jesus calls Lazarus to come forth from the tomb to resurrection in this life,  Jesus calls each of us to come out of those tomb areas of our lives: addictions, self-centerness, self-hatred, old festering hurts and grudges, stereotypes and prejudices, anything that is not of God. Jesus is the Resurrection and the life!

Readings: Ezekiel: 37:12-14; Psalm 130; Romans 8:8-11; John 11:1-45

Saturday, April 9, 2011

4th Sunday of Lent, Cycle A, 3 April 2011

Click here to listen to this homily (19 minutes) given by Fr Thomas Weise at St Catherine of Siena parish in Petersburg, Alaska. Jesus heals the man born blind showing all of us that only God can free us from our blindness.  Reading the Lives of the Saints is a great way for the Holy Spirit to work on us and help free us from our blind spots. Let us ask the Holy Spirit to illuminate our blind spots this Easter that we might truly see Jesus as Lord and find Him in our selves and our neighbor.

Homework: Research the life of one Saint this week.

Readings: 1 Samuel 16:1b, 6-7, 10-13a; Psalm 23; Ephesians 5:8-14; John 9:1-41