Sermons from St. Francis
Listen to sermons and homilies from Sunday Mass at St. Francis.
Sermon for August 30, 2026
A reflection on the parable of the good Samaritan in Luke 10, seen through the eyes of the man who was beaten, robbed, and left for dead. The Samaritan did not judge his status, his character, or whether he could repay; he simply saw a person in need who could not save himself. That wounded man is each of us, for we are all unable to save ourselves, and Jesus Christ came to save sinners who could do nothing for themselves. Knowing how much God values us, we are called to go and do likewise.
Sermon for August 23, 2026
A reflection on 2 Corinthians 3, where St. Paul tells the Corinthians that they are a letter from Christ, “written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone, but in fleshly tables of the heart.” The letter of the law kills, but the Spirit gives life, and only in Christ is the veil lifted from our understanding. Christianity is not something we merely study or debate; it is something we are. A friend’s peaceful passing into the presence of Christ shows what that means: a life of love, freedom, and grace written on the heart by God Himself.
Sermon for August 16, 2026
A reflection on Micah 6:6 through 8: “He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?” Everything worth having in life, from a good job to a good marriage, takes intentional effort. God loves and provides for us every hour of every day, faithful to us even when we are barely faithful to Him. What He asks in return is not burnt offerings, but changed lives marked by justice, kindness, and humility, for we are always God’s first priority.
Sermon for August 9, 2026
A reflection on Luke 19, where Jesus weeps over Jerusalem because it did not recognize the time of God’s coming. The Church is a place of peace, but it must also speak truths that are at odds with the wisdom of the world, even when that is costly. Through the ages people have tried to destroy Christ’s Church by outlawing it, reshaping its message to suit the culture, or dismissing faith as childish, yet the Church still stands as a light on a hill. Its calling is to confront evil with God’s mercy and grace, to teach us to love our enemies, and to offer unchanging truth while there is still time to listen.
Sermon for August 2, 2026
A reflection on 1 Corinthians 10:13: “God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape.” A grandmother’s wise words echo St. Paul’s promise. This world is full of risks, and bad things do happen to good people, as the story of a faithful friend facing terminal cancer shows. We cannot always explain suffering, but we know God loves us through it, just as Jesus wept for Lazarus, and when our burdens are more than we can bear alone, we learn to lean on God, who will always lift us back up.
Sermon for July 26, 2026
A reflection on Matthew 7:21: “Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father.” Saying something is true does not make it so, and calling ourselves Christians is only the beginning. Confessing Jesus as Lord and believing in our hearts is the foundation, but salvation is a lifelong process of sanctification as we turn from sin and grow in grace. As an old Scottish prayer puts it, “I am not what I ought to be, but by the grace of God I am not what I used to be.”