Saint Clement Shrine Podcast

Let me tell you about my last camping trip. My brother asked me to go camping. Apparently, he reserved a nice spot beside a lake. I told him I did not have a tent, sleeping bag, or anything related to camping. He assured me he had everything I needed. When I got to the campground... The post “He pitched His tent among us” appeared first on St. Clement Eucharistic Shrine.

I was about to leave to say Mass at a nursing home, so got my alb, draped it over my arm, and went to the back door to check out the car situation. I opened the door to see what was available and there was nothing in the lot. I forgot to sign out a... The post Climb a Tree appeared first on St. Clement Eucharistic Shrine.

When I first came to St. Clement, the back of the church was taking in rainwater. Apparently, the façade caps needed some serious work so I called a company that rents hydraulic lifts. I got the secretary and I asked if I could talk to the president of the company. “May I ask who is... The post Pears appeared first on St. Clement Eucharistic Shrine.

When the Egyptians turned the Israelites into slaves and placed them in bondage, what happened to the Israelites? The Bible says that the Israelites multiplied. The more burdens the Egyptians placed on the shoulders of the Israelites, the more their numbers grew. So how do you multiply? You fall in love, get married, and have... The post Character and Faith in God appeared first on St. Clement Eucharistic Shrine.

The post Gospel-Homily for Twenty-Eighth Sunday of Ordinary Time (2019) appeared first on St. Clement Eucharistic Shrine.

Let’s say you are walking along and inadvertently you step in some quicksand. It is a slow sink, but the more you struggle the deeper you get. Finally, you are up to your neck and you are about to be buried alive. The end is near, but then someone comes by, sees you, and reaches... The post Staying Power appeared first on St. Clement Eucharistic Shrine.

26th Sunday of ordinary time, Luke 2019 So there you are sitting on the grass with the five-thousand holding a half a loaf of bread in your hand. You are so full that you can’t eat another bite. You start thinking about what to do with this half a loaf. You decide that you will... The post The Abundance of Scraps appeared first on St. Clement Eucharistic Shrine.

Jesus tells us that the kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed. It is the smallest of all the seeds yet it grows into the largest of trees. So, what is a mustard tree? It is an oversized weed. They are big, thickly branched, and ugly. If you have a mustard tree in your... The post In God’s Kingdom, Potential for Greatness appeared first on St. Clement Eucharistic Shrine.

My friend Jack taught me how to tie flies for fishing. They were always easy to tie, fun to fish, and they worked. In fact, that is how I produce my homilies: they are easy to write, fun to deliver, and they have to work. Anyway, my friend died and he left me something in... The post The Prodigal Father’s Legacy appeared first on St. Clement Eucharistic Shrine.

Let’s suppose I was invited to a banquet. I walk in and someone sees me from the head table and says, “Hey, Father, over here there is a seat.” So I sit down at the table and there I notice that everyone at this table is rich and famous. In fact, Billy Gates is seated... The post Banquets appeared first on St. Clement Eucharistic Shrine.

So, Jeremiah was forced down a cistern. Why, after so many centuries, are we still reading about this? We all have encounters with bullies. Why is it important for us to know that Jeremiah was in a cistern? The reason is this. Jeremiah is a prophet, and every experience of a prophet, every action and... The post A Time to Mend appeared first on St. Clement Eucharistic Shrine.

I got a call from someone who wanted to visit our seminary. I prepared his room, picked him up at the airport, got him something to eat and gave him a tour of the city. Then over the next two days, I talked to him about his vocation, and I took him to see St.... The post What Servants Do appeared first on St. Clement Eucharistic Shrine.

A guy successfully climbs up to the mountain of success. He has more money than he will ever spend, he is a king who rules over many nations so he wields great power, and he has vast wisdom and knowledge. Not many people can claim to have acquired so much in a lifetime. Most of us... The post Vanishing Vapors, Holes in the Ground, and Empty Barns appeared first on St. Clement Eucharistic Shrine.

I was on a roofing job working in my father’s company. My uncle, who was on top of the roof, yelled down to me and my cousin to start bringing up the roof shingles. I reached down and shouldered an 80lb bundle of shingles and started up the ladder. A pretty college girl came by... The post His Yoke and Our Inheritance appeared first on St. Clement Eucharistic Shrine.

One day I was at my desk, and I was on the phone. Apparently, someone tried to buy Rhode Island with my credit card and I was trying to figure out how to get a new card. While I was on hold the doorbell rang. So I hung up and answered the door. There was... The post Eyes to See appeared first on St. Clement Eucharistic Shrine.

The post The Good Samaritan appeared first on St. Clement Eucharistic Shrine.

You remember the Acts of the Apostles. The book begins with the Ascension of Jesus. After that, the Apostles receive the Holy Spirit and they begin to “act” just as Jesus did before his resurrection. They preached like Jesus, they cured people like Jesus, and they got the authorities upset like Jesus. It is almost... The post Jesus Returns to His Father appeared first on St. Clement Eucharistic Shrine.

Two years ago I had the façade of the church repaired. We replaced over 150 concrete blocks. The casts had to match by texture, shape, and color. The project cost over four hundred thousand dollars. Think about that. You could buy a condo with a view for four hundred thousand dollars. You can take a... The post Worth It appeared first on St. Clement Eucharistic Shrine.

One early morning my father called to tell me that my mother took a turn for the worst, and I should come to see her. When I got to the nursing home, Dad told me that he was going home to wash up and come back. I understood at the time that this could be... The post The Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity appeared first on St. Clement Eucharistic Shrine.

There are two things you cannot do when you are underwater. You can’t breathe, and you can’t cry for help. That is why the ancients feared to be under the water. To them, it was a tomb. When John the Baptist pulls you out of the water at baptism, what is the first thing you... The post The Lord, the Giver of Life: A Homily for Pentecost appeared first on St. Clement Eucharistic Shrine.