Homily | July 22, 2026 | Mary Magdalene And The Voice That Changes Everything | (Episode 205)

Homily | July 22, 2026 | Mary Magdalene And The Voice That Changes Everything | (Episode 205)

We celebrate the Feast of Saint Mary Magdalene by sitting with the moment Jesus speaks one word that turns her grief into recognition and joy. We follow her story from bondage to fearless discipleship and hear why her witness still teaches us how to seek Christ when life feels dark.  • Jesus calling Mary by name as the turning point from despair to hope  • Recognizing Christ by hearing his voice rather than by sight  • Mary Magdalene’s transformation and her fidelity at the cross  • Why the Church honors her as Apostle to the Apostles and what Pope Francis changed by elevating the memorial to a feast  • The gardener detail as a sign of the new creation beginning in a garden  • “Stop holding on to me” as a shift from clinging to mission  • Staying in prayer through silence, grief, and uncertainty until we can say “I have seen the Lord”  Thank you for listening! Visit us at www.saintaugustinechurch.org

Homily | July 21, 2026 | Mary’s Unbroken Yes To God | (Episode 204)

We unpack why Jesus’ “Who is my mother?” is not a slight against Mary but a revelation of her greatness. We connect Mary’s lifelong yes to God’s will with baptism, Micah’s vision of mercy, and the daily choice to belong to Christ’s family.  • Jesus’ words about family as a definition of discipleship  • Mary’s greatness as obedience, trust, and a continuous yes  • Augustine’s insight on conceiving Christ by faith first  • The deepest relationship with Christ as spiritual, not biological  • Baptism as adoption into God’s family and life in the Church  • Micah’s image of sins cast into the sea  • God delighting in mercy, especially for repeat strugglers  • Holiness beginning with saying yes, even on hard roads  Thank you for listening! Visit us at www.saintaugustinechurch.org

Homily | July 20, 2026 | Stop Asking For Signs And Start Living Faithfully | (Episode 203)

We ask what God really wants from us, then discover the answer is simpler and harder than a religious checklist. We connect Micah’s call to ordinary faithfulness with Jesus’ response to people who keep demanding signs instead of opening their hearts.  • our instinct to bargain with God through more religious activity  • Micah’s three-part summary of the spiritual life  • choosing what is right even when no one is watching  • the difference between doing good and loving goodness  • walking humbly as a lifelong journey with God  • why the demand for signs can reveal a closed heart  • the Resurrection as God’s definitive sign and our call to respond Thank you for listening! Visit us at www.saintaugustinechurch.org

Homily | July 19, 2026 | God’s Patience And The Problem Of Evil | (Episode 202)

We name the question every believer eventually asks: why God doesn’t stop evil right now, and we let Jesus answer it through the parable of the wheat and the weeds. We explore how God’s patience protects the wheat, leaves room for conversion, and calls us to look honestly at our own need for mercy.  • the “enemy has done this” as a clear Christian view of evil  • why the weed looks like wheat and why early uprooting destroys the crop  • the real question of delayed judgment and sinners remaining in the world  • God’s patience as strength, not weakness, and mercy as opportunity  • conversion stories that change everything: Paul, Augustine, Peter  • the mirror turning back on us: resentment, habits, healing, neglected prayer  • mercy now, justice later, and grace at the altar doing what we cannot  Be a good seed, trust in the Lord, and all will come to fulfillment.  Thank you for listening! Visit us at www.saintaugustinechurch.org

Homily | Español | July 19, 2026 | God’s Kingdom Is Not Static, It Transforms Us | (Episode 201)

We explore how the Kingdom of God is God reigning in our souls, our personal history, and the world, revealed through three parables that describe growth and transformation. We challenge complacent faith, practice patient trust in God’s timing, and use the daily examen to notice grace early and uproot sin while it is still small.  • defining the Kingdom of God as God’s reign within the heart  • treating the kingdom as dynamic growth rather than a static label  • rejecting “staying a seed” as a refusal to change for the better  • naming habits that lead to mediocre Christian life without a growth plan  • learning patience from the parable of wheat and weeds  • trusting slow spiritual formation through confession, counsel, books, and life events  • seeing God work quietly like yeast and goodness grow like a mustard seed  • practicing the daily Ignatian examen to track grace and detect weeds early  Thank you for listening! Visit us at www.saintaugustinechurch.org