St. Patrick Catholic Parish Podcast

In this homily, delivered on October 12, 2025, Dcn. Peter preaches on the need to protect our homes from explicit internet content and to make our homes safe havens for our kids to flourish in purity and holiness. Society is inundated with inappropriate and explicit internet content, which can enter our homes through our devices. Dcn. Peter lays out various practical suggestions to protect our kids from these evils. First, don't give kids a smartphone until they are in high school. Second, protect family devices with parental controls. Third, don't allow smartphones, tablets, computers, or any other devices in the bedroom. Fourth, have an open and honest conversation with kids about the problem when they have reached an appropriate age. Fifth, use resources such as Covenant Eyes to learn more ways to navigate this difficult issue. Lastly, talk with other parents and families to get support and further ideas about combating the issues. Dcn. Peter ends with a word of hope: Jesus wants abundant life for us and our kids, so we can turn to Him to help us live in freedom and protect our families.

In this homily on October 5th, 2025, Fr Mathias preaches on the truth that we are unprofitable servants who owe God everything.  Yet our God still astoundingly chooses to love us.  Father Mathias challenges us as God's servants to reject a fear-based Christianity that causes us to only do the "bare minimum" and invites us to see God's commandments in terms of love.  We love God because he has first loved us and the reward for doing so isn't small. 

In this homily, delivered on September 28, 2025, Dcn. Peter preaches that God is inviting us to enter into His own divine life but to enter into this life demands everything. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit hold nothing back from each other in their love, and to enter that love, we too must hold nothing back. This makes sense of the parable of the rich man and Lazarus. The rich man chose to reject God's offer of divine life and to hold back love from Lazarus, which resulted in eternal separation from God. Dcn. Peter invites us to allow the Father into whatever part of our heart is still not transformed in God's love, which is so worth it, even if it demands everything.

Father Joshua Fons breaks open this Sunday's puzzling Gospel of the Dishonest Steward (September 21st, 2025). The key lies in recognizing that everything we have, all our gifts and talents, are all dishonest wealth. It is all a gift! We didn't earn any of it. The question for us then becomes: what will we do with it? Will we use it for ourselves, or will we spend it to gain eternal rewards? Will we use it to save souls? On our response to this question hinges our salvation, and the salvation of those around us.

In this homily on September 14th, 2025, Fr Mathias preaches Part 2 of the preaching series on small groups.  Father outlines the four essential elements of effective small groups:

1) Prioritized Consistency

2) Vulnerable Sharing

3) Commitment/Accountability to Shared Vision:

4) Real Prayer

Father ends his explaining how to get people into small groups at St Patricks and he invites those interested in joining a small group to come to a September 25th event.

In this homily on September 7th, 2025, Fr Mathias preaches Part 1 of the preaching series on small groups. Father outlines reasons why small groups are a game-changer for having the humility, courage and perseverance necessary to follow Jesus to heaven. Since often the most faithful, resilient, and joyful Christians are the most supported Christians, Father strongly exhorts us to consider forming a small group, so we can flourish in the Christian life. The vision for what this looks like and how to do it is the subject of next week's homily.  

In this homily, preached on August 31, 2025, Dcn. Peter preaches about Jesus' love for us even in our lowest place. In prayer, we are called by Jesus to go to our lowest place, our place of weakness and brokenness, so that we can meet Him there. When we meet Him there, He sits with us, loves us, and gradually transforms us. Experiencing Jesus' love in our lowest place allows us to live from love and security instead of shame and fear. 

Here is the talk by Fr. Mathias that Dcn. Peter mentioned. Dcn. Peter also mentioned the book Personal Prayer by Fr. Boniface Hicks and Fr. Thomas Acklin.

As Football season approaches, Father Joshua Fons challenges us to consider whether, in our Faith, we are just a spectator or whether we are in the game. In the Gospel this Sunday, August 24th, 2025,  we hear Jesus asked about salvation: "Will only a few people be saved?" Rather than give us a percentage, or a theory, treating us like spectators, Jesus gives us a command: Strive. Strive to enter by the narrow gate. This is personal. Each of us is called to strive to enter by the narrow gate. There are no spectators in this. We need to get in the game.

In this homily on August 17th, 2025, Fr Mathias talks about the division that our faith in Jesus can cause in our families.  If this happens, we are not to be surprised and blame ourselves.  But we are also meant to respond with humility on how we can be a better witness. Father ends his homily with an exhortation to persevere in our faith together in our mission to set the earth on fire with the love of God. 

In this homily on July 27th, 2025, Fr Mathias outlines several reasons why God doesn't give us what we want in prayer, as drawn from St Augustine and Scripture.  He concludes his homily by exhorting us to ask, seek and knock for the gift that the Father wants to give us: the gift of the Holy Spirit.