Search This Blog

Wednesday, July 29, 2020

Invitation to Adoration - 17th Sunday in Ordinary Time - July 26th, 2020

I was incredibly nervous as I made my way to St. Patrick’s Church in Rolla.  I had never, or at least as far as I could remember, never gone go Adoration before that.  However, when we were invited at Mass to go to Adoration, the Lord put it on my heart to accept the invitation.  I was going by myself and determined to do as God was calling me, but I also had no idea what to expect or what I should be doing when I get there. 
I opened the door to the chapel and looked inside.  There were about few people there.  Some sitting, some kneeling.  I quickly found a seat and went there, while trying to make it look like I knew what I was doing.  “Should I be sitting or kneeling?  I can sit.  Now what?  Um, now I kneel.  Lord, I don’t know what I am doing, but I’m here.” 



Readings:  1 KGS 3:5, 7-12; PS 119:57, 72, 76-77, 127-128, 129-130; ROM 8:28-30; MT 13:44-52 
Key Themes:  Adoration, Buried Treasure, Pearl of Great Price, Kingdom of Heaven, Jesus our King


This homily (actually, a slightly longer version) was part of our 9:15 am Live Stream Mass.  The homily was clipped from the rest of the recording of the Live Stream and can be viewed by clicking the link below.


Fr. Lampe Preaching at the 9:15 am Mass on July 26th, 2020


Learn more about Adoration at Ascension:  https://www.ascensionchesterfield.org/adoration

Tuesday, July 14, 2020

The Parable of the Sower - 15th Sunday of OT - July 12th, 2020

This Gospel passage is so familiar isn’t it?  At first, I wasn’t sure what to say about since it seems straight forward. We start with the Parable of the Sower, and it sort of makes sense by itself, but before we finish our passage we have an explanation.  Jesus tells us what He means by the parable.  So, we can just read the ending and we would know what the parable means.  Okay, so, does that mean I’m done?  Nothing more to preach about?  Oh, there is always more with God.  Listen to the Homily to learn more.



Readings:  IS 55:10-11; PS 65:10, 11, 12-13, 14; ROM 8:18-23; MT 13:1-23 OR 13:1-9
Key Themes:  Sower, seed, soil, bearing fruit, word of God, tips to be rich soil



Tips to be Good Soil (Excerpt from the Homily):
I hope that you at least desire to be like the disciples, be rich soil, and allow the teachings of Jesus Christ and your relationship with Him transform you into the saints He wants you to be.  Here are some tips to help you be the rich soil:
·      Pay attention.  Pay attention to what is happening, right here, right now, during Mass and any time you pray with scripture.  You can’t receive the word of God if you aren’t paying attention.  The Mass is mostly scripture quotes, so at any point during the Mass you could be able to receive the word of God.
·      Receive the seed.  When something strikes you or stands out, when it makes you wonder or ponder its meaning, it could very well be the seed God is sowing in you.
·      Write it down.  Yes, write it down.  Whatever seed God sows in you, you will retain it better if you write it down.  Write it down immediately after Mass or write it down during my homily.  I would be happy to see you writing something during my homily because then I’ll have to assume it means I said something worth writing down.  Just don’t let the seed be taken from you. 
·      Think about it.  Whatever seed you received will more easily take root if you are thinking about it and trying to understand it more fully.
·      Discuss it with family and friends.  The seed will grow and bear fruit if you are sharing it with others.  In order to share it, you must first have it for yourself, so discussing it helps you understand it better and allows it to be sown in others.

Monday, July 6, 2020

Not Alone, But with Jesus - 14th Sunday in OT - July 5th, 2020


Recently, I was looking through some of my class work from the seminary.  I came across a paper that I wrote.  I remembered what it was like when I wrote that paper.  I had an early start and it seemed to be going well.  However, I had other classwork, duties, and responsibilities that led me to pause my work on the paper.  Later, I tried to work on it some more, but I wasn’t getting anywhere.  I spent many hours laboring on it with very little to show for it.  I was frustrated and confused why I seemed to have a writer’s block.  The paper seemed to be such a burden to me, so much so, that I avoided working on it.  When the due date was near, I couldn’t avoid it any longer, so I tried to work on it again, but continued to struggle. 
Didn’t Jesus say, “my yoke is easy, and my burden light.”  Why was it so hard to write this paper then?  Why is following Jesus through His Church hard sometimes if He says it is easy?  Why do we find it hard to avoid sin if the burden of being His follower is supposed to be light?
Listen to my homily for answers to these questions!



Readings:  ZEC 9:9-10; PS 145:1-2, 8-9, 10-11, 13-14; ROM 8:9, 11-13; MT 11:25-30
Key Themes:  Relying on Jesus, yoked, not doing it alone, with Jesus

 Photo by Josh Applegate on Unsplash

Cover of the Paper I spoke about in my Homily

Last Posting for this Blog!

Hello Everyone, I was blessed to be at Ascension for 4 years and all my Sunday homilies, most Holy Days of Obligation homilies, some Vocatio...