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We have all things SJB! Please check out the following: 1. Homilies by Fr. Alex Carlson 2. Youth Ministry Talks 3. SJB Catholic Montessori School Parent Enrichment Presentations *St. John the Baptist Catholic Church in Excelsior, MN
Episodes
Monday Oct 12, 2020
Monday Oct 12, 2020
28th Sunday in Ordinary Time 10/11/20 – Fr. Riley homily
Thank you to Fr. Riley Durkin for returning this weekend to celebrate Masses with us! Congratulations on your ordination and we wish you all the best in the Fargo Diocese!
Fr. Riley gives a great explanation of today's Gospel reading from Matthew. We have received an invitation to the banquet of the Eucharist. Mass is just a preview of the banquet of eternal life we have been called to. How will we respond?
Monday Oct 05, 2020
Monday Oct 05, 2020
27th Sunday in Ordinary Time 10/4/20 – Fr. Carlson homily
All of the readings today are rich in meaning! Let's dig in and look at the parable in the Gospel passage from Matthew. We have the landowner (God), the vineyard (the House of Israel), and the servants (prophets). Can you imagine the landowner sending even more servants and even his own son to be treated this way?! But that is how much God wants us to choose the kingdom of heaven.
Let us pray that we may choose to accept this great invitation from the Lord to work in His vineyard, to bear fruit, and to gain eternal life.
Tuesday Sep 29, 2020
Tuesday Sep 29, 2020
26th Sunday in Ordinary Time 9/27/20 – Fr. Carlson homily
We continue on in Matthew's Gospel and can see a common theme - God's mercy and forgiveness. This makes sense given that Matthew was a tax collector (a sinner) and experienced God's mercy firsthand. God WANTS to be merciful - if we just TRY to turn away from sin. A great example of this was Saint Mark Ji Tianxiang who was addicted to opium even when he died! There is always hope! Saint Mark Ji, pray for us!
Monday Sep 21, 2020
Monday Sep 21, 2020
25th Sunday in Ordinary Time 9/20/20 – Fr. Carlson homily
Today's Gospel is only found in Matthew's Gospel (so we only hear it once every three years). But when we do hear it, we usually always have the same response - that's not fair! Why would a laborer who only worked for one hour get paid the same as someone who had been there since 6 am?! But God is ALWAYS generous and merciful to EVERYONE with the gift of eternal life! When we dig deeper into this scripture passage, we know that we can't receive MORE than the gift of eternal life. Let us REJOICE in God's mercy and RESPOND to His invitation today.
Monday Sep 14, 2020
Monday Sep 14, 2020
24th Sunday in Ordinary Time 9/13/20 – Fr. Carlson homily
In today's Gospel from Matthew 18 we continue on in this discourse between Jesus and His disciples. Peter asks how many times he must forgive someone. Jesus really puts His answer into perspective! Can you imagine owing someone trillions of dollars (or 60 million days of wages) and being forgiven that debt?! But then how does this forgiven person act when HIS servant owes him a MUCH smaller amount (100 days wages)? Hmmm I think we can relate to BOTH situations in this story. We are called to forgive one another as God has forgiven us.
Tuesday Sep 08, 2020
Tuesday Sep 08, 2020
Twenty-Third Sunday in Ordinary Time 9/6/20
All of the readings today have a common theme - what it means to love someone and how to give/receive correction. It is difficult to correct someone and sometimes even MORE difficult to be corrected. True friendship (and brotherly love) is the ability to care so much for someone that you want to see them in heaven. So let us pray that we not harden our hearts but rather to receive correction and repent of our sin.
Tuesday Sep 01, 2020
Tuesday Sep 01, 2020
Today's Gospel reading from Matthew 16:21-27 is quite the contrast from last week. Jesus rebukes Peter for being a stumbling block to God's will. Peter was thinking as a human - and who can blame him? I think we can all relate to that. Who voluntarily signs up for suffering?!
Deny yourself, take up your cross and follow Christ. Being a Christian, a follower of Christ, means that we must lose our life in order to gain eternity with God. And it is very much worth it!
Monday Aug 24, 2020
Monday Aug 24, 2020
If you have ever been asked about why the Catholic Church has a pope, then listen up to the Biblical tradition in the first reading from the prophet Isaiah (Is 22:19-23) and the Gospel reading from Matthew (16:13-20). It's all right here - the "office" of the position, the succession, the authority, and even the renaming of Peter. Let us pray for our Holy Father and his role to lead us closer to God.
Monday Aug 24, 2020
Monday Aug 24, 2020
Today's Gospel can seem a bit harsh. A Canaanite woman asks for Jesus' help and He ignores her at first! What we can learn from Him testing her faith is her example of persistence and patience. Can you relate to God not always answering your requests in YOUR time frame? We should be as ready to receive what the Lord has for us with a simple prayer like hers - Lord, help me.
Wednesday Jul 29, 2020
Wednesday Jul 29, 2020
In today's Gospel, we hear the conclusion of Matthew 13 in which we hear three different accounts of what the kingdom of heaven is like. It is a treasure, a pearl - something that we long for! But we must give up things we are attached to in order to attain this great treasure. Listen as Fr. Carlson reads part of the very inspirational book "The Weight of a Mass: A Tale of Faith" and let your heart be transformed!