Sermons from St. Francis
Listen to sermons and homilies from Sunday Mass at St. Francis.
Sermon for April 12, 2026
A reflection on John 20, where the risen Christ breathes on His disciples and says, “Receive ye the Holy Ghost: whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them.” Just as God breathed life into Adam, Jesus breathed His Spirit into His Church and gave it life and authority. Unlike independent congregations standing alone, we belong to one universal Church, a single family sharing one mission. Through the sacrament of confession and pardon, the Church offers the repentant sinner an outward and visible sign of God’s real forgiveness, as Christ commissioned us to teach and baptize all nations.
Sermon for April 5, 2026
An Easter reflection on John 20, where Peter and John run to the empty tomb. John outruns Peter and arrives first, but stops at the entrance, while Peter goes straight inside; then John enters too, and sees, and believes. In the Christian life the last often become first, and what matters is not how fast we arrive but that we get there. Some come to God quickly and others slowly, but Christ is calling each of us, and on this morning of resurrection all it takes is one decision to enter in and walk with Him.
Sermon for March 29, 2026
A reflection for Palm Sunday on Matthew 27, where those passing by the cross mock Jesus and say they will believe if He comes down. Like a narrow doorbell camera that shows only a sliver of the street, we tend to see only what we want to see, unaware of the needs of others. Christ came not to make our world smaller and safer but to bring salvation to all nations and all people, and to open our eyes to the needs around us. Ironically, we believe Jesus is the Son of God precisely because He chose to remain on the cross.
Sermon for March 22, 2026
A reflection on Hebrews 9, which tells us that Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, redeeming us from the failures of the first. The true story of a son who squandered his parents’ life savings, and of the parents who still chose to help him start over, mirrors our own relationship with God. We took what God gave us in love and spent it on ourselves, with nothing left to give back. Yet out of His infinite mercy God forgave us, gave us His own Son to pay a debt we could never pay, and calls us to a new covenant and a second chance to love as we are loved.
Sermon for March 15, 2026
A reflection on the feeding of the five thousand in John 6. When Jesus asks how the crowd will be fed, Philip sees no way at all, while Andrew offers at least a little hope: a boy with five barley loaves and two fish. From those small gifts Jesus feeds everyone with twelve baskets left over, showing that God cares for our worldly needs as well as our spiritual ones. A personal story of a calling to ministry that seemed lost, then was restored, shows that nothing can stand in the way of God’s will, and God always gives what is right and best for those who trust Him.
Sermon for March 8, 2026
A reflection on Luke 11, where Jesus speaks of the strong man overcome by one stronger and declares, “Whoever is not with me is against me.” Lent calls us to recognize that we live in a real struggle between good and evil, and that our own strength is no match for temptation; only the power of God can save us. Growing in faith is a lifelong process, like an acorn becoming a mighty oak, nourished by baptism, Holy Communion, confession, Scripture, and daily prayer. Every choice we make draws us closer to God or away from Him, and love is not a feeling but a choice.