Teaching & Preaching: Deacon Matt's homilies & podcasts

Pelagius was a British monk who taught that salvation was possible through upright moral living apart from God's grace. He denied the reality of original sin and the necessity of grace for salvation. His chief opponent was St. Augustine of Hippo, whose writings against Pelagius helped to develop Catholic teachings about original sin, grace and baptism.

This week we take a look at the first major Christological heresy, Arianism. Arius claimed that Christ was a creature made by God. He was the greatest of all God's creation, but he was a creature and therefore not himself God. In responding to this heresy at the Council of Nicea in 325 and the Council of Constantinople in 381, the Church would give us the Creed that we still use today to express and affirm our faith in Jesus Christ as being "consubstantial" (of the same being) with the Father.

Preached at St. Mary Mother of God Roman Catholic Church in Sylva, NC, on Sunday, June 2, 2019.

As we begin our tour of historic heresies, we begin with Gnosticism, which actually pre-dates Christianity in origin, but quickly became one of the chief heretical movements that the early Church had to contend with. Learn about this esoteric belief system, how it tried to corrupt Christian orthodoxy, and how some aspects of gnostic thought still exist today.

CCM "Summer School" is a 10-part podcast series dealing with Church history that will be released weekly over the summer. Each episode will look at a different heresy in the history of the Church, who the major players were, what the heresy taught, and how the Catholic Church responded. By learning about how the Church responds to heresies, we will learn about the development of doctrine and come to a better understanding of the Catholic faith today. Episode 1 is an introduction to the idea of "heresy" and a basic overview of what the rest of the series will be covering.

Preached at the Catholic Campus Ministry Chapel of Our Lady of the Annunciation at Western Carolina University on May 5, 2019. "Jesus said to them, 'Come, have breakfast.' And none of the disciples dared to ask him, 'Who are you?' because they realized it was the Lord" (Jn 21:12).

Preached on May 5, 2019, at St. Mary Mother of God Roman Catholic Church in Sylva, NC.  " Jesus said to him... 'Amen, amen, I say to you, when you were younger, you used to dress yourself and go where you wanted; but when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go.' He said this signifying by what kind of death he would glorify God. And when he had said this, he said to him, 'Follow me'" (Jn 21:18-19). 

Homily preached on Palm Sunday of the Lord's Passion, April 14, 2019 (the anniversary of my ordination), at St. Mary Mother of God Roman Catholic Church in Sylva, NC.  " The women who had come from Galilee with him followed behind, and when they had seen the tomb and the way in which his body was laid in it, they returned and prepared spices and perfumed oils. Then they rested on the sabbath according to the commandment" (Lk 23:54-56).

Preached at the Lenten Penance Service at St. Mary Mother of God Roman Catholic Parish in Sylva, NC, on March 25, 2019, the Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord.

A daily Mass homily preached on Friday, March 22, 2019 at St. Mary Mother of God Roman Catholic Church in Sylva, NC. "In you, O Lord, I put my trust, let me never be put to shame; release me from the snare they have hidden for me, for you indeed are my refuge" (Ps 31).