Jesus has not saved us merely to sit in the light, but to shine it.

Fr. Michael Strachan reflects on Christ as the Light of the world — the Lamb who was slain — and what it means for the Church to reflect that light faithfully. Drawing from John the Baptist’s witness, Isaiah’s vision for the nations, and the calling of the first disciples, Fr. Michael invites us to see that our radiance is never self-generated. Like the moon reflecting the sun, we shine only because Christ has first shined upon us.

We are reminded that the light of Christ has a source, a purpose, a pattern, and a promise of sustenance. Fed by God’s Word and nourished at His Table, we are strengthened to carry that light beyond our comfort zones — into our neighborhoods, our workplaces, and to the ends of the earth — so that Christ may be known, worshipped, and obeyed.

Fr. Michael Strachan reflects on Jesus beginning his public ministry in the shadow of state violence and proclaiming, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” Observing the Gospel reading alongside the words of the prophet Amos and the conversion of St. Paul, he calls the Church to discern the difference between the kingdoms of this world and the kingdom of God.

Repentance, Fr. Michael reminds us, is not simply feeling sorry, but turning around and walking in a different direction. Rather than aligning ourselves with power, security, or violence, we are invited to confess, lament, intercede, and pray for the coming of God’s kingdom — a kingdom marked by justice, mercy, and allegiance to Christ alone.

Drawing from Micah 6, Fr. Michael reflects on God’s covenant faithfulness and His call for His people to live lives shaped by justice, mercy (hesed), and humility. Scripture reminds us that God does not desire empty sacrifice, but hearts transformed by His steadfast love—lived out toward our neighbors.

As we approach Lent, Fr. Michael invites us to consider not what we might give up, but how we might more fully reflect the mercy we have received in Christ.

On World Mission Sunday, Fr. Michael reflects on Jesus’ words in Acts 1:8 and what it truly means for the Church to be Christ’s witnesses — not only across geography, but across deep human boundaries.

Drawing from the Old Testament vision of the nations streaming toward Jerusalem, Fr. Michael explores how the coming of the Holy Spirit reverses the direction of God’s mission. No longer do the nations come to the temple — now the temple goes with God’s people into the world.

This calling challenges us to move beyond comfort, familiarity, and tribal boundaries, and to bear witness to Christ among those who are hardest to love, hardest to reach, and often farthest from us.

Ash Wednesday confronts us with a tension: Jesus tells us to “wash your face,” yet we mark our foreheads with ashes. Are we contradicting Him — or entering more deeply into what He commands?

Preaching from Joel’s call to “rend your hearts and not your garments,” David’s cry in Psalm 51, Paul’s appeal to be reconciled to God, and Jesus’ warning against performing righteousness, Fr. Michael Strachan leads us beyond outward religion to inward repentance.

The ashes remind us that we are dust. The cross reminds us that Christ has borne the curse. It is not the ashes that define the cross — but the cross that defines the ashes.

Lent does not begin with self-improvement. It begins with honest reckoning before a gracious and merciful God who alone can create in us clean and contrite hearts.

What is the Bible really about?

Many people assume Scripture is primarily a guide for how we go to heaven when we die. But the story of the Bible tells something far bigger. From Genesis to Revelation, the Scriptures reveal God’s desire to dwell with His people and fill the world with His glory.

Beginning in Eden, continuing through the tabernacle and temple, fulfilled in Jesus Christ, and carried forward by the Holy Spirit through the Church, the Bible unfolds one unified story: God coming to live among His people and renew creation.

As those who belong to Christ, we are now called to be temples of the Holy Spirit—people through whom the life of God flows into the world.

In John 9, a man born blind receives sight from Jesus — yet the deeper miracle is not physical vision, but spiritual sight.

While the man gradually comes to recognize who Jesus truly is, the religious authorities grow increasingly certain of their own understanding and increasingly blind to what God is doing before them. Their certainty closes them off from the very truth they claim to guard.

This passage invites us to consider the difference between certainty and faith. Spiritual sight is not something we achieve through intellectual mastery or theological systems. It is a gift of God received with humility, trust, and openness to the light of Christ.

As the story unfolds, the man who once sat outside the temple ends up worshiping Jesus as Lord — while those convinced they can see remain in darkness.

What does it mean to be set free?

In John 11, Jesus stands before the tomb of Lazarus and speaks life into death. But the miracle doesn’t end with resurrection—He turns to those standing nearby and commands them: “Unbind him, and let him go.”

This moment reveals not only Christ’s authority over death, but His desire to free us from everything that still holds us captive. Where in your life might Jesus be calling you out—and who is He inviting to help unbind you?

As Jesus enters Jerusalem, the whole city is stirred and asks a single question: “Who is this?”

Palm Sunday opens Holy Week with both celebration and tension. The crowd welcomes a king, but not the one they expected. Instead of power and conquest, Jesus comes in humility, riding on a donkey, revealing a kingdom unlike any other.

That question—Who is this?—doesn’t fade. It follows the story through the week, leading to the cross, where the clearest answer is finally revealed. Palm Sunday begins the question. Good Friday answers it.

On Easter morning, Mary Magdalene stands in the darkness of the garden, searching for Jesus—and hears her name.

Drawing from John 20, Fr. Michael reflects on the resurrection not simply as a return to life, but as the beginning of a new creation. In the garden, the risen Christ appears as the true Gardener—the second Adam—restoring what was lost and calling his people into a renewed world.

What we encounter in the resurrection is not only an empty tomb, but the fulfillment of every human longing: for love, for justice, for beauty, for communion. The voice Mary hears is the voice behind every echo—the one our hearts have always been searching for.

The risen Christ calls each of us by name. And like Mary, we are sent to go and tell.

On the night he was betrayed, Jesus loved his own to the end.

Fr. Michael draws together Exodus 12, 1 Corinthians 11, and John 13 to reveal the unity of the Passover, the Lord’s Supper, and the Cross. What begins at the table is not separate from what unfolds on Good Friday—it is one continuous act of self-giving love.

As Jesus washes his disciples’ feet and gives them his body and blood, he shows that true love is not abstract, but sacrificial. The command to love one another flows directly from the love first given—love that goes to the end.

Maundy Thursday invites us not only to remember, but to be drawn into this pattern of life: to receive Christ’s love, and to embody it in humility and service.

On Good Friday, we stand at the foot of the Cross and witness the suffering and death of Jesus Christ.

In John’s account of the Passion, the crucifixion reveals both the depth of human brokenness and the mystery of God’s redeeming love. What appears to be defeat is, in truth, the place where all the longings of the human heart—justice, love, meaning, and restoration—are brought into focus.

Fr. Michael reflects on the Cross as a “broken signpost”: a moment where the signs that point beyond themselves seem to fail, yet in that very breaking, they reveal their true fulfillment. In the crucified Christ, we see not the absence of God, but his self-giving love poured out for the life of the world.

Good Friday invites us not to look away, but to behold—to see in the Cross the truth about God, the world, and ourselves.

On Holy Saturday, the Church keeps watch in stillness as Christ lies in the tomb. Yet beneath that silence, something profound is taking place.

This ancient homily from the early Church proclaims the mystery of the Lord’s descent to the dead. Christ enters into the darkness—not as a captive, but as a conqueror—seeking out Adam and Eve and raising all who have fallen asleep.

In words that have echoed through the centuries, the risen Christ calls out: “Awake, O sleeper, and rise from the dead, and Christ will give you light.”

Holy Saturday reveals that even in the deepest silence, God is at work—bringing life out of death, and light into the darkest places.

From the new fire to the long story of Scripture, the Church waits—remembering creation, exile, rescue, and promise—until at last we arrive at the empty tomb.

Fr. Michael reflects on the resurrection as the turning point of all history. In the light of the empty tomb, everything changes. What appeared broken on Good Friday—justice, beauty, truth, love—is not abandoned, but fulfilled.

The resurrection does not erase the darkness. It transforms it. The light of Christ shines backward into the whole story of Scripture, revealing that every “broken signpost” has always been pointing to him—and now shines forward into our lives, calling us into a new way of living.

As those baptized into Christ, we are sent into the world as witnesses of that light—living signs of the new creation breaking in.

Christ is risen—Cristo ha resucitado.

In this bilingual Easter sermon, Fr. Michael Strachan is joined by Fr. Luis Diaz, who translates as the proclamation of the resurrection is shared in both English and Spanish. Together, they reflect on John 20 and the moment Mary Magdalene encounters the risen Christ in the garden.

The resurrection of Jesus is not simply a return to life—it is the beginning of a new creation. In the darkness of the garden, Mary hears her name, and everything changes.

This bilingual proclamation is a sign of the Church’s unity across languages and cultures, and a reminder that the risen Christ calls each of us by name.

Alleluia. Aleluya.

Doubt is not absent from the resurrection accounts—it is woven throughout them.

Fr. Michael Strachan reflects on the surprising presence of doubt among Jesus’ first disciples, showing that even those who saw the risen Christ struggled to believe. In a world where every failed messianic movement ended in collapse, the early Church proclaimed something unprecedented: that Jesus had risen bodily from the dead.

He explores why that claim was so extraordinary, why doubt is not the enemy of faith, and why those who believe without seeing are called blessed.

Jesus is not merely known through information, but through communion.

Drawing from the road to Emmaus in Luke 24, Fr. Michael explores how Scripture points beyond itself to the person of Jesus Christ—and how He is ultimately made known to His people in the breaking of the bread. While the Word of God forms and teaches us, it is at the table that we are invited not only to know about Christ, but to share in His life.

Fr. Michael invites us to a deeper understanding of the Eucharist as participation in Christ’s body and blood, where the risen Lord continues to reveal Himself to His Church.

Jesus says, “My sheep hear my voice.” In Follow the Shepherd, Fr. Harry Mathis reflects on John 10:1–10 and what it means to recognize the voice of Christ, trust His leading, and enter into the abundant life He offers as the Good Shepherd and the Door.

In a world full of competing voices, Fr. Mathis reminds us that true peace, protection, and life are found in following Jesus.

What is the Church—not in theory, but as God actually defines it?

Drawing from 1 Peter 2, Fr. Michael explores the Church as a people united to Jesus Christ—living stones being built into a spiritual house, a royal priesthood called to stand at the intersection of heaven and earth. The Church is not defined by its visible imperfections, but by what God says is true: a people made alive in Christ, called out of darkness into his marvelous light, and sent into the world as a living witness to his grace.

This vision reshapes how we see our identity and our calling—not as spectators, but as participants in God’s work, offering our lives as a spiritual sacrifice for the sake of the world.

Motherhood is presented not as sentimentality or cultural ideal, but as a vocation marked by courage, sacrifice, protection, adoption, grief, and life in the face of death. Through these stories, we are reminded that God continually brings life where there was no life before, and that even imperfect expressions of motherly love reflect something true about the love of God Himself.

Through baptisms, confirmations, and first communions, Bishop Morales points to the ordinary yet holy means through which God continues His work in the world: water, bread, wine, oil, Scripture, and the life of the Church together.

As Christ ascends to the Father, the Church is sent into the world—not merely to believe privately, but to embody the love, mercy, and mission of Jesus Christ for others.

What if Pentecost is not an appendix to Easter, but the climax of the story of salvation?

Preaching on Pentecost Sunday, Fr. Michael Strachan reflects on the outpouring of the Holy Spirit in Acts 2 and why the Church is, and always will be, Pentecostal. From Eden to the tabernacle, temple, incarnation, and finally the Church, Scripture tells the story of God dwelling with His people through the power and presence of the Holy Spirit.

Drawing from Acts 2:1–11 and 1 Corinthians 12:4–13, Fr. Michael explores how the Holy Spirit forms the Church, transforms believers into the image of Christ, and bears fruit through a Spirit-filled community rooted in worship, prayer, Scripture, and love.

On Trinity Sunday, Fr. Michael Strachan explores the meaning of Ordinary Time within the Christian calendar. Far from being a spiritual "off-season," Ordinary Time is where Christians live out the reality of Christ's death, resurrection, ascension, and the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Following the great celebrations of Advent, Christmas, Lent, Easter, and Pentecost, the Church enters a season focused on faithful discipleship, spiritual growth, and participating in God's ongoing work in the world. This message invites us to see our everyday lives as part of God's greater story and to consider who God is calling us to be through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Whether you're new to the liturgical calendar or have followed it for years, this reflection offers a deeper understanding of why Ordinary Time is anything but ordinary.

What does God truly desire from His people?

Fr. Michael explores Jesus' words in Matthew 9:13: "I desire mercy, and not sacrifice." Drawing from Hosea 6:6, he unpacks the rich biblical meaning of hesed—God's steadfast goodness, kindness, and mercy—and challenges us to consider whether we truly know God or simply know things about Him.

As Christians enter the ordinary rhythms of life and discipleship, we are invited to move beyond self-righteousness and religious performance toward a life shaped by the same mercy God has shown us.

God has always called His people for a purpose.

In this sermon, Fr. Luis traces the connection between God's call to Israel at Mount Sinai and Jesus sending out His disciples in Matthew's Gospel. The same God who called Israel to be His treasured possession continues to call and send His people today.

As followers of Christ, we are invited into God's Kingdom and sent into the world to proclaim His presence through lives marked by faith, generosity, peace, and service. The Kingdom of God is not merely a future promise—it is breaking into the present through the work of Christ and the witness of His people.

What does it mean to live as one who has been called and sent? And what "golden calves" might be keeping us from fully embracing God's mission?

Jesus never promised His followers safety. He promised His presence.

Drawing from Matthew 10:16–33, Pastor John Howell explores Jesus' startling words: "I am sending you out as sheep among wolves." Throughout Scripture, God's faithful servants speak the truth, endure opposition, and trust the goodness of God in the midst of suffering.

Rather than responding to fear with power, control, or retaliation, Christians are called to walk the way of the Good Shepherd—bearing witness to Christ through courage, faithfulness, and love. The way of the disciple is not the way of the wolf. It is the way of the cross.

As followers of Jesus, we are called to trust God's goodness, resist fear, and remember that our victory is found not in cultural dominance, but in Christ alone.

What does Jesus mean when He says, "My yoke is easy, and my burden is light"?

Christ calls His followers to take up their cross, yet He also promises true rest. These are not competing ideas—they reveal the heart of Christian discipleship. As we walk with Jesus, the burdens of sin, fear, pride, and self-reliance are gradually lifted, and we become more fully the people God created us to be.

True rest isn't found by avoiding the cross, but by following Christ through it.

The Holy Spirit does more than empower believers—He dwells within them.

In Romans 8:7–17, Fr. Michael Strachan explores what it means to live in the season of the Holy Spirit. Because God's Spirit now dwells in His people, Christians are no longer slaves to sin and death but adopted children of God, led by the Spirit on the path that leads to eternal life. As we set our minds on the Spirit instead of the flesh, we are called to follow Christ, take up our cross, and walk faithfully toward the inheritance God has promised His children.

Why does God allow suffering? And what hope does the Christian have in the middle of it?

In Romans 8:18–25, Fr. Michael Strachan explains that Scripture never promises a life free from suffering. Instead, the Christian life follows the pattern of Christ Himself: the cross comes before the resurrection. As God's people journey toward the new creation, we live with confident hope that our present sufferings are temporary and that Christ will one day make all things new.

Fr. Michael explores the Christian understanding of suffering, resurrection, the renewal of creation, and the unshakable hope found in Jesus Christ.

What does it mean to "work with God"?

In this sermon on Romans 8:26-34, Fr. Michael explores Paul's vision of the Christian life as one of cooperation with the Holy Spirit. Rather than accomplishing His purposes apart from His people, God chooses to work through those He has redeemed. Even when we don't know how to pray, the Holy Spirit intercedes for us and invites us to participate in God's work of renewing the world.

Fr. Michael reflects on Romans 8 alongside Nehemiah's account of God's faithfulness in the wilderness and the feeding of the five thousand. Even when God's people wander, He remains merciful, continues to provide, and never abandons His people.

Our confidence rests not in our own faithfulness, but in God's. Nothing—not suffering, not failure, not even our own wandering—can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus. Because His mercy endures, there is always a path home, and He continues to provide for His people every step of the journey.

Fr. Michael reflects on Matthew 14 and the story of Jesus walking on the water, asking why the early Church remembered not only Christ's power over the wind and waves, but also Peter's failure in the midst of the storm.

The wind and waves of life are real, and following Jesus does not mean we will escape them. But when chaos surrounds us, we can keep our eyes fixed on Christ—the one who brings order to chaos, whom the wind and waves obey, and who will see us safely through the storm. Rather than waiting until life is at its hardest, we can begin now to develop habits of prayer, Scripture, and Christian community that teach us to keep our focus on Jesus.

Fr. Michael reflects on the great faith of the Canaanite woman and what her persistence teaches us about Christian faith and prayer.

Even in the face of silence, dismissal, and discouragement, she continues to cry out to Jesus for mercy. She trusts so completely in who Jesus is and in the future God has promised that she refuses to give up. Her faith becomes an example of what it means to remain persistent, confident, and certain of the hope we have in Christ.

Faith is also meant to be infectious. The blessings we receive from God are meant to overflow into the world around us, bringing others into His mercy and grace.

Fr. Michael reflects on Peter’s confession in Matthew 16: “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”

Spoken at Caesarea Philippi—a place associated with imperial power, pagan worship, and the gates of Hades—Peter’s confession makes a radical declaration: Jesus Christ is Lord, and no one else is.

Jesus then promises that the gates of Hades will not prevail against His Church. But gates do not attack; they defend. The Church is called to confront the power of death with the proclamation that death does not get the final word. Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of the living God, who goes to the cross, rises again, and calls His disciples to follow Him.

Fr. Michael reflects on the connection between Peter’s confession that Jesus is the Messiah and Jesus’ call to take up our cross and follow Him.

Peter says the right words about who Jesus is, but when Jesus begins to explain what being the Messiah actually means—suffering, death, and resurrection—Peter resists. His response reveals an important distinction: saying the right things about Jesus and understanding what those words mean are not always the same.

Jesus gets the final word on who He is and what it means to be His disciple. He calls us not simply to confess Him, but to listen to Him, deny ourselves, take up our cross, and follow wherever He leads.

As Fr. Michael reminds us, “The confession without the cross is meaningless.”

Fr. Michael reflects on Paul’s call in Romans 12 to present our bodies as a living sacrifice and to be transformed by the renewing of our minds.

The Christian life requires us to rethink how we see ourselves, our neighbors, and the world around us. Rather than being conformed to the patterns and assumptions of the world, we are called to have our minds shaped by Scripture and by the life, death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus Christ.

As our minds are transformed by the gospel, we learn to discern what looks like Jesus and what does not. Paul shows us what this life looks like: genuine love, humility, patience, generosity, prayer, mercy toward our enemies, and overcoming evil with good.

As Fr. Michael reminds us, “The most logical worship that we can offer the one who gave his life as a ransom for many is to spend our lives as living sacrifices for the good of others.”

How many times should we forgive someone who has wronged us?

In Matthew 18:21–35, Peter asks Jesus how often he should forgive his brother. Jesus’ answer points toward something far greater than keeping count: limitless forgiveness.

In “Limitless Forgiveness,” Fr. Michael Strachan explores Jesus’ teaching on forgiveness, the parable of the unforgiving servant, and what it means for the Church to be a community of forgiven people practicing forgiveness. The mercy we extend to others is rooted in the immeasurable mercy we have already received from God.

When we ask, “How many times should I forgive?” Jesus’ answer is always at least once more than we think.

Why does God’s generosity sometimes bother us—especially when it is extended to someone we think deserves less?

In Matthew 20:1–16, Jesus tells the parable of the laborers in the vineyard, where those who worked only part of the day receive the same wage as those who worked from the beginning. Their response reveals something deeply human: we compare, we keep score, and we expect God’s grace to operate according to our understanding of fairness.

Fr. Michael explores the tension between sacrifice, reward, mercy, and grace—and why the Christian life is not about earning God’s favor. We are called to serve, love, and sacrifice not for what we might receive in return, but out of gratitude to the God who has called, saved, and redeemed us.

Rather than comparing what we have received with what God has given others, Jesus invites us to trust in God’s justice, mercy, and generosity.

In the parable of the two sons, Jesus confronts the difference between claiming righteousness and actually following the way of God. Pastor John Howell explores how the religious leaders’ fear of losing power and status kept them from recognizing what God was doing through Jesus.

This sermon challenges us to examine where fear, power, privilege and self-interest can lead us away from the way of Christ. Instead, we are called to a cruciform life of repentance, obedience and sacrificial love—following Jesus by loving and serving our neighbors, even when it comes at a cost.

Fr. Michael Strachan reflects on the life of St. Francis of Assisi and his commitment to follow the teachings and footprints of Jesus Christ.

St. Francis reminds us that being a Christian is not simply about believing in Jesus as Savior, but about following the path Jesus walked before us. Fr. Michael explores what it means to look to Christ as our Archegos—the trailblazer who goes before us—and to shape our lives around His example.

How do we follow in the footprints of Jesus? Fr. Michael offers two practical invitations:

1. Read the Gospels.
If we want to know how Jesus lived, loved, taught, and walked in this world, we must become familiar with the stories of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.

2. Ask, “What would Jesus do?”
Rather than allowing the noise of the world to determine our path, we are called to keep our eyes fixed on Jesus and follow the way He has already walked.

May we learn from St. Francis to follow in the footprints of Jesus Christ our Lord.

What does it mean when Jesus says, “Many are called, but few are chosen”?

In Matthew 22:1–14, Jesus tells the Parable of the Wedding Feast, revealing God's invitation to His Kingdom and what it means to truly respond.

Fr. Harry Mathis explores the significance of the wedding feast, the meaning behind the wedding garment, and the relationship between salvation by grace and a life transformed by faith.

God's invitation goes out to everyone. We cannot earn our salvation through good works; it is a gift of grace received through faith in Jesus Christ. Yet that gift is meant to change us, shaping how we think, speak, love, and serve others.

Following Christ is more than accepting an invitation. It is allowing God to work within us, making us more like Jesus.

What does it really mean to give God what belongs to Him?

In Matthew 22:15–22, the Pharisees attempt to trap Jesus with a politically charged question about paying taxes to Caesar. But Jesus' response reveals a much deeper truth about our identity, our purpose, and where our ultimate allegiance belongs.

Fr. Michael Strachan reminds us that just as Caesar's coin bears his image, we bear the image of God. And because we belong to Him, we are called to offer not merely a portion of our lives, but the totality of who we are.

Through the lens of baptism, Fr. Michael explores what it means to be renewed in Christ, resist the distractions of worldly allegiances, and live out what God truly requires of us: to do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with Him.

Our identity is not found in a country, political party, or social group. We belong to the God who created us, redeemed us, and continues to renew us through the Holy Spirit.