Saint Clement Shrine Podcast

Crosses, limitations, weaknesses, and Triumphs Is it better for me to spend more time hearing confessions, in personal prayer, visiting the sick, and less time training for and running marathons? The answer is absolutely “yes.” No doubt. Yet, here is the reality of my life. God gave me a wonderful cross called insomnia. Lovesick crickets... The post Gospel-Homily for Twenty-Second Sunday in Ordinary Time (2023) appeared first on St. Clement Eucharistic Shrine.

Why Is Peter Wiser than the Other Disciples? When the Israelites first entered the Promised Land, they went from dieting on water and manna to ribeye, fresh veggies, and cabernet wine. They asked the locals where they got such delicious food. The people of the region did not tell them about Deere tractor loaders or... The post Gospel-Homily for Twenty-First Sunday in Ordinary Time (2023) appeared first on St. Clement Eucharistic Shrine.

Common Ground: What Units Us? How do you get groups, rivalries, or nations that do not get along to get along? Answer: common ground. No one can survive a nuclear holocaust, no one wants a comet to blow up our planet, and we do not need another Covid. When the Red Sox and Yankees play... The post Gospel-Homily for Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time (2023) appeared first on St. Clement Eucharistic Shrine.

The post Gospel-Homily for Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary (2023) appeared first on St. Clement Eucharistic Shrine.

God Is Found When the Dust Settles I recently joined a running club. We meet once a week at the track. The first thing the coach says is, “You are going to hate me tonight.” He then gives us his instructions. After that, we form groups and run around the track in a single file.... The post Gospel-Homily for Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time (2023) appeared first on St. Clement Eucharistic Shrine.

Defining Greatness My favorite commandment is the fourth: Honor your Father and Mother. Here is why–it is the only commandment that God gave to Moses that was attached to a reward: Honor your Father and Mother and you will have a long life. That may not sound impressive but it was in the ancient world.... The post Gospel-Homily for Feast of The Transfiguration of The Lord (2023) appeared first on St. Clement Eucharistic Shrine.

If You Could Have Just One Thing One evening, young King Solomon fell asleep, and he has a terrific dream. God came to him and asked him. “What do you want me to do for you?” Solomon answered, “Give me all the skills and knowledge I need so I can fulfill my mission in life... The post Gospel-Homily for Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time (2023) appeared first on St. Clement Eucharistic Shrine.

Obstacles Are Opportunities A group of us from the church recently ran a 5K race. I did it in 21 minutes. I was so pleased with my run that I told some of my friends and colleagues. That was a huge mistake. They said, “21 minutes is slow, I did a 5K in 18 minutes;... The post Gospel-Homily for Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time (2023) appeared first on St. Clement Eucharistic Shrine.

It was the bottom of the ninth inning. The Yankees were one out away before sweeping the Red Sox and winning a ticket to the World Series. Kevin Millar was the next batter. He is, in my estimation, the worst clutch hitter I have ever seen. He was facing the greatest closer in baseball history... The post Gospel-Homily for Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time (2023) appeared first on St. Clement Eucharistic Shrine.

My Yoke Is Easy: The Dream Work Partner My cousin and I were on a roof job together. My uncle, who was on top of the roof, yelled down for us to start bringing up the roof shingles. I reached down and shouldered an 80lb bundle and started up the two-storied ladder. My cousin was about... The post Gospel-Homily for Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time (2023) appeared first on St. Clement Eucharistic Shrine.

The Dead Potted Plant Beside a Watering Can Experts tell us that we do not drink enough water. That is because we are not always thirsty when we are dehydrated; and when we are thirsty, after tennis or golf, we have a cold beer or a cup of coffee. That is worse. This same pattern... The post Gospel-Homily for Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time (2023) appeared first on St. Clement Eucharistic Shrine.

Managing Fear I was on vacation in Maine, and I went to the other side of the lake to catch the evening hatch. As I was walking along, I turned off the flashlight to see how far I would walk. It was dark. Close your eyes…that is how dark it was without street lights. The... The post Gospel-Homily for Twelfth Sunday in Ordinary Time (2023) appeared first on St. Clement Eucharistic Shrine.

Nothing Like First Class My brother asked if I wanted to go to his daughter’s wedding. Now if he had asked “Do you want to go on a fly fishing trip,” there would have been no hesitation. But I hesitated because I did know if my brother really wanted me. You know the burden of... The post Gospel-Homily for Eleventh Sunday in Ordinary Time (2023) appeared first on St. Clement Eucharistic Shrine.

Don’t Let the Obstacles Stop You. When I was in second grade, after receiving my First Communion, I went to Mass every day. The staff of the church thought that was unusual. What kid goes to church every day? So they came to me and told me it was not normal for me to come... The post Gospel-Homily for Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ (2023) appeared first on St. Clement Eucharistic Shrine.

Opportunity Is Everywhere: We Just Have to See It My academic advisor asked me if I could read German. I told him I could not. So he replied, “You need to learn.” So here was my strategy. I made hundreds of German flashcards, made stacks of 50, and put a rubber band around them. When... The post Gospel-Homily for Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity (2023) appeared first on St. Clement Eucharistic Shrine.

The post Gospel-Homily for Pentecost Sunday (2023) appeared first on St. Clement Eucharistic Shrine.

The post Gospel-Homily for Seventh Sunday of Easter (2023) appeared first on St. Clement Eucharistic Shrine.

The post Gospel-Homily for Solemnity of the Ascension (2023) appeared first on St. Clement Eucharistic Shrine.

The Happiest Word: “Good” Dad told me to pick up 20 two-by-fours at Home Depot. We were working together on a job at our retreat center in Milton. As I was dashing out the door, he said, “Make sure they are straight.” Well, that changed everything. Home Depot’s two-by-fours are not all straight. Sure enough,... The post Gospel-Homily for Sixth Sunday of Easter (2023) appeared first on St. Clement Eucharistic Shrine.

How to Build a Church Peter, the Apostle, likes to talk about rocks in his letter. He uses rocks as an analogy, not because his name means rock, but because he wants to tell us how to build a church. This is how you build a church. You start with a cornerstone. This is the... The post Gospel-Homily for Fifth Sunday of Easter (2023) appeared first on St. Clement Eucharistic Shrine.