Sermons from St. Francis
Listen to sermons and homilies from Sunday Mass at St. Francis.
Sermon for November 30, 2025
A reflection for the First Sunday of Advent on Romans 13: “Now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed. The night is far spent, the day is at hand.” We tend to believe there will always be more time, but the parable of the ten virgins, beloved by both Bach and Johnny Cash, warns us to be ready. Like a dream of showing up to a final exam unprepared, we are called to consider what will matter when Christ comes to judge the living and the dead. It will not be our bank accounts or resumes, but how we have prepared our hearts.
Sermon for November 23, 2025
A reflection on what it truly means to be a Christian in a world where the name is used in many different ways. With St. Paul we say, “I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified.” To be a Christian is to believe that Jesus Christ is truly God and truly man, who died for our sins and rose again to give eternal life to all who believe in Him, as the ancient creeds confess. We are called to love and pray for those who believe differently and to share the truth with them, without being drawn away from sound doctrine ourselves.
Sermon for November 16, 2025
A reflection on Matthew 18, where Peter asks how often he must forgive and Jesus answers, “Until seventy times seven,” followed by the parable of the unforgiving servant. How should we relate to those who have strayed from the faith: keep our distance to stay pure, or stay close in hope of helping them return? Jesus calls us to be abundantly merciful, as God has been merciful to us, while also discerning what is right and holding fast to God’s commandments. As the old saying puts it, “In essentials unity, in non essentials liberty, in all things charity.”
Sermon for November 9, 2025
A reflection on Ephesians 6: “Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers.” In a time of countless denominations and shifting beliefs, the ancient worship of the Church keeps our eyes fixed on Christ and reminds us each week of our need for God’s forgiveness and grace. The spiritual battle Scripture describes is not a metaphor; it is real. The Mass is our training and strength to stand firm for Jesus, and the call of John the Baptist still rings true: “Repent ye, and believe the gospel.”
Sermon for November 2, 2025
A reflection for All Saints on Revelation 7, the great multitude in white robes washed in the blood of the Lamb, from whose eyes God will wipe away every tear. The saints are not only those with statues and feast days, but all the faithful who served quietly in kitchens, at work, and in raising families, like the bricks that build God’s kingdom on earth. The martyrs of New Guinea, whose witness helped lead a nation to Christ, show how much faithful lives can change the world. If you had just one day left to live, how would you spend it, and what will you do today to make your life matter?
Sermon for October 26, 2025
A reflection on Colossians 1, where St. Paul writes that Christ “is before all things, and by him all things consist,” reconciling all things through the blood of His cross. This world can be beautiful one moment and full of sorrow the next, and we could never survive it on our own. The stories of a faithful man who faced death again and again without losing his joy, and of spouses who carry the pain of watching the ones they love suffer, show the strength that comes from trusting Christ. In worship and Holy Communion we are never alone, for in Christ all things hold together.