"15 Minute Homilettes" Archive

  • Two Things We Really Need

    Two Things We Really Need

    What do we really need? We live in a world where we can get overloaded with all kinds of information. All kinds of stuff vie for our attention. A myriad of things are being sold to us on a daily basis. Someone might tell us “You need this” but another might say, “No, you need that.” So it’s no wonder that sometimes we get confused.

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  • We’re All In The Same Boat

    We’re All In The Same Boat

    We're all in the same sinking boat. That's the bad news. What's the good news?

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  • This Is My Father’s World

    This Is My Father’s World

    Because the Christian life is believed to be a spiritual life, Christians normally think that whatever privileges they have must all be spiritual. Indeed, the Bible says that God “has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ” (Ephesians 1:3b). What we need to understand, however, is that when the Apostle Paul said it, it is likely that he believed that these blessings in the heavenly realms actually affect earthly living.

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  • “Let me tell your fortune…”

    “Let me tell your fortune…”

    Who among you wants to be a loser? Nobody! Who wants to be a winner? Everybody! Everybody wants to be a winner. Everybody wants to be a success. The question is How?

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  • From Prison to Freedom

    From Prison to Freedom

    You have only one life. What are you going to do with it? To answer this basic but utterly important question it is necessary for you to know who you are and where you are right now. If you’re not happy with what you are and where you are today, know that you can be a better you, that you can do what God really wants you to do, and that you can be in a better situation tomorrow.

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  • “The Praise-Deserving Mom”

    “The Praise-Deserving Mom”

    What does the Bible say? Who is the praise-deserving mom? According to the Bible, what kind of mom that is worthy of her children’s and/or her husband’s praise and appreciation? Proverbs 31:10-31, which provides one of the best portrayal of the Christian mother, details important characteristics that make a mother worthy of highest praise. To help us to easily remember these qualities we will use the acronym M-O-T-H-E-R.

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  • A Risky Kind of Loving

    A Risky Kind of Loving

    We glibly say we “love” one another. But how do we actually and in reality love one another? Often, very superficially. Often, we just try to please one another. We’re careful that we don’t hurt each other’s feelings. We’re often nice as we want others to be nice to us. And when we see or hear someone doing something wrong, we are careful, often too careful, in dealing with the problem. If ever we talk to that person, we talk to her in a very nice way so that in the end that person thinks that the wrong she has done is really no big deal, even if is…that’s she’s okay even if she’s not okay.

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  • Jesus: Is he what you think he is?

    Jesus: Is he what you think he is?

    The Jews were looking for a Messiah, a Savior who would set them free and lead them to a life of abundance. But when Jesus came and showed himself to be the Messiah, they did not believe in him. Why? Because, according to Jesus, “…you are not part of my flock.” People may give rational arguments why they do not believe in Jesus. But in the end, as far as Jesus is concerned, the real reason is because people are not part of his flock.

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  • Things We Can Learn from a Skeptical Saint

    Things We Can Learn from a Skeptical Saint

    ...often we think of a saint as a person gifted with a faith that simply takes in everything…. But as far as St. Thomas is concerned, nothing can be farther from the truth.

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  • ARISE! Live Free, Live Fully

    ARISE! Live Free, Live Fully

    (This homily is dedicated to a friend in Japan, May Ann Hojo, who just celebrated her birthday.) Do you have favorite personal stories that you love to tell again and again? I do. And whenever I tell those stories my kids would go, “Pa, we’ve already heard that before.” And my wife would say, “Papa is getting old.”

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