Sinopsis
Homilies and talks given at St. Teresa's Parish, Christchurch NZ by the Community of St. John
Episodios
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One Thing is Necessary: Contemplation in the Heart of Busyness
20/07/2025 Duración: 10minIn this moving homily on the story of Martha and Mary (Luke 10:38–42), Fr. Michael shares insights from a recent retreat with his fellow brothers, led by the general superior of the Community of St John. With pastoral warmth and deep spiritual clarity, he explores the essence of contemplation — that still, silent gaze of love that renews the soul. Drawing on Scripture, Church history, and personal experience, Fr. Michael shows how returning to the “one thing necessary” not only strengthens us but renews the Church and heals relationships. A call to sit once more at the feet of Jesus.
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Awareness, Courage, and Fidelity: The Samaritan’s Path to Love - 15th Sunday of OT
13/07/2025 Duración: 10minThis Sunday, we encounter the Good Samaritan not as an idealised helper, but as a man with a quiet heart, courage in action, and a fidelity that sees through. Drawing from a university psychology class, Mother Teresa’s rice story, and the challenge of real family life, Fr. Michael reflects on how interior silence makes us truly see others—and how virtue is proven not in momentary acts, but in a life lived consistently in love. Are we aware enough to notice? Brave enough to engage? Faithful enough to return?
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Stay Sharp: The Mission Edge of Every Catholic - 14 Sunday of OT
06/07/2025 Duración: 11minJesus sends the 72 out two by two — and he sends us too. In this homily, Fr. Michael reflects on the courage it takes to live and proclaim the Gospel in everyday life. Whether it’s through a kind word on a deathbed, letting go of old wounds, or simply choosing peace over bitterness, every believer is called to be on mission. Drawing from encounters with his own family and parishioners, Fr. Michael reminds us that if we lose our edge — that missionary clarity and self-giving love — we lose our faith. This is a call to choose again, to live again, to go on mission again.
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The Trinity: The Secret God Reveals to His Friends
15/06/2025 Duración: 10minOn this Solemnity of the Holy Trinity, Fr. Michael reflects on the deepest mystery of our faith—not a distant doctrine, but a lived reality. God is not content to remain hidden; He opens His very heart to us through Christ and draws us into His own life through the Spirit. In this homily, Fr. Michael explains how we experience the Trinity in prayer, in our interior life, and even in our longing for heaven. The Trinity is not an abstract idea—it is the secret of God’s love made personal. #TrinitySunday #FrMichaelPodcast #CatholicHomily #HolyTrinity #InteriorLife #Prayer #CatholicFaith #IntimacyWithGod #SpiritualLife #FatherSonSpirit #HeartOfTheFather #LivingTheTrinity #Solemnity
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Pentecost: Alive in the Spirit, Changing the Culture
08/06/2025 Duración: 13minOn this Pentecost Sunday—marking five years since the birth of Holy Family Parish—Fr. Michael reflects on the explosive growth of the community and the deeper spiritual revival unfolding in hearts. But the Holy Spirit doesn’t just comfort us—He commissions us. Drawing from his own upbringing and missionary witness, Fr. Michael urges each of us to reject cultural drift, seek personal conversion, and become men and women truly alive in Christ. Pentecost isn’t just a memory; it’s a movement.
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The Ascension: Where Jesus Goes, We Follow
31/05/2025 Duración: 07minIn this homily for the Ascension of the Lord, Fr. Michael reflects on the profound mystery of Christ’s return to the Father—not as a departure, but as a completion. The Son who descended to take on our humanity now brings that same humanity into the heart of the Father. What does this mean for us? That we are made for heaven, destined for the Father’s love, and invited to offer our lives daily as a living sacrifice in union with Jesus. This is not abstract theology—it’s the roadmap for hope. Come Holy Spirit. #AscensionSunday #CatholicHomily #FrMichaelPodcast #EasterSeason #TheologyOfTheBody #MadeForHeaven #CatholicPreaching #HolySpirit #LivingSacrifice #JesusIsLord #WayTruthLife #ChristianHope
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“The Indwelling Word & Peace of Christ” – Gospel Commentary – 6th Sunday of Easter
25/05/2025 Duración: 13minIn this special recording, Fr. Michael offers a deeper reflection on the Gospel for the 6th Sunday of Easter (John 14). He walks through the text verse by verse, uncovering its rich context—from the Last Supper to the sending of the Holy Spirit. Why does Jesus say, “We will come and make our home with him”? What is the peace He gives that the world cannot give? With clarity and warmth, Fr. Michael unpacks the theological heart of Christ’s promise to dwell within us and give us His peace. #GospelReflection #ScriptureStudy #Catholic #EasterSeason #John14 #PeaceOfChrist #FrMichaelPodcast #Indwelling #HolySpirit #LectioDivina
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“God Dwells Within You” – Homily – 6th Sunday of Easter
25/05/2025 Duración: 10minIn this warm and accessible homily, Fr. Michael reflects on Jesus’ promise: “We will come to them and make our home with them.” Prayer is no longer just a human gesture of worship or awe — through Christ, it becomes a daily communion. Drawing from Scripture, the parish prayer survey, and everyday examples, Fr. Michael offers practical encouragement for those beginning to pray and those who’ve been praying for years. Prayer is not just something we do — it’s living with the God who dwells within us. #Catholic #Homily #Easter #Prayer #JesusChrist #Gospel #Communion #Indwelling #FrMichaelPodcast #6thSundayOfEaster #TalkToGod
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“Love as I Have Loved You” – Homily – 5th Sunday of Easter
18/05/2025 Duración: 12minThis Sunday, Fr. Michael preaches on the radical heart of the Gospel: Christ’s commandment to love as He has loved us. With the story of Michelle Duppong—a young woman now on the path to sainthood—he shows how ordinary people become holy by extraordinary love. This homily is a call to all the baptised to embrace the universal vocation to holiness, through a love that gives all, even in suffering. #Catholic #Homily #Easter #UniversalCallToHoliness #LoveAsChristLoved #SaintsAmongUs #FrMichaelPodcast #FifthSundayOfEaster #Gospel
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“Becoming a Lamb in the Lamb” – Homily – Good Shepherd Sunday
11/05/2025 Duración: 13minOn Good Shepherd Sunday, Fr. Michael reflects deeply on the connection between being a lamb and becoming a shepherd. Sharing his personal vocation story and the powerful image of the Lamb who conquers in the Book of Revelation, he reminds us that every vocation begins by receiving the love of God first. Only by being held in God’s hands can we truly be called to lay down our lives with Christ—for Him and for others. #GoodShepherdSunday, #Catholic, #Homily, #Faith, #Vocations, #Easter, #JesusChrist, #Gospel, #LayDownYourLife, #Christchurch, #FrMichaelPodcast, #LambOfGod
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“Letting Go Like Peter” – Homily – 3rd Sunday of Easter
03/05/2025 Duración: 11minIn this moving homily on one of his favourite Gospel passages, Fr. Michael reflects on Peter’s journey from control to surrender. Through the Risen Christ’s tender questions—“Do you love me?”—Peter is restored and made ready for the Cross he once feared. Fr. Michael draws us into Peter’s humanity and invites us to follow Christ not according to our plans, but with open hands, even when love takes us where we do not want to go.
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“Mercy: Justice Fulfilled in Love” – Homily – Divine Mercy Sunday
26/04/2025 Duración: 08minOn this Divine Mercy Sunday, Fr. Michael reflects on the true meaning of mercy: not a denial of justice, but its fulfillment through love. Drawing from the life of St. Faustina, the image of Divine Mercy, and a personal story of conversion, he explains how God’s mercy flows from Christ’s wounded heart and transforms even the darkest of our sins. Mercy takes our misery into the heart of God—and calls us to a new life of grace.
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“The Turning Point of Love” – Homily – Easter Sunday
20/04/2025 Duración: 12minIn this powerful Easter homily, Fr. Michael proclaims the Resurrection of Jesus as the definitive turning point in history—and in our lives. He invites us to move beyond a life guided only by the law of the Old Testament into a new life transformed by grace. Drawing from Scripture, theology, and a touching personal story, he reveals how the fire of Christ’s self-giving love is not just for Him, but for each one of us. Easter changes everything—if we say yes to it.
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“Lose Yourself to Follow Christ” – Homily – Palm Sunday
14/04/2025 Duración: 08minIn this Palm Sunday homily, Fr. Michael invites us into Holy Week by calling us to shift our gaze away from ourselves and fix it on Christ. He reflects on the figures in the Passion—Peter, Mary Magdalene, Judas, and especially Mary—and encourages us to let the liturgy guide us step by step to the Cross. By losing ourselves in love, we learn to follow Christ fully, in silence and strength.
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Lazarus, Come Out: Christ’s Life is More Real Than Death – Homily – 5th Sunday of Lent (Year C – Scrutiny)
06/04/2025 Duración: 10minIn this homily for the 5th Sunday of Lent, Fr. Michael reflects on the powerful moment when Jesus raises Lazarus from the dead. He asks us the essential question: What is real? Is our day-to-day life more real than the God who made it? Is death final? Or is the life of Christ more real—even than death itself? In this final scrutiny Gospel, we are led to renew our trust in Jesus, the Resurrection and the Life. Fr. Michael walks us through Martha’s confession of faith, Mary’s grief, and Christ’s tears, showing how even our suffering is not hidden from God. The invitation is simple: to believe again, and to follow the One who raises the dead.
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The Father’s Heart: Beyond Duty and Escape – Homily – 4th Sunday of Lent (Year C)
30/03/2025 Duración: 11minIn this homily for the 4th Sunday of Lent (Year C), Fr. Michael reflects on the well-known parable of the Prodigal Son—or rather, the story of a father and two sons. He explores how the parable speaks powerfully to the real spiritual struggles many people face today: the temptation to escape responsibility, the danger of doing good without love, and the deep call to imitate the generous, merciful heart of the Father. Whether young or old, all of us are invited to conform our hearts to the Father’s—to go beyond legalism and beyond escapism, into the joy of mercy and communion.
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Justice, Mercy, and the Call to Bear Fruit – Homily – 3rd Sunday of Lent (Year C)
23/03/2025 Duración: 11minIn this homily for the 3rd Sunday of Lent (Year C), we reflect on Jesus’ urgent call to repentance through the parable of the barren fig tree. Fr. Michael explores how different generations in the Church have approached justice and mercy—and how both extremes can miss the heart of the Gospel. Drawing from personal experience, Church history, and Scripture, this talk reminds us that the call to repentance is not a threat, but an invitation to hope. God’s mercy is greater than all our sins, and Lent is the time to return to Him with our whole hearts.
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“The Weight of Glory: Embracing Love and Responsibility” - Homily - 2nd Sunday of Lent, Year C
16/03/2025 Duración: 09minIn this homily, Fr. Michael reflects on the Transfiguration and the meaning of “glory” as Christ reveals it—a glory that comes through love and self-gift. He shares how glory is not worldly success, but the radiance of a life given in love, like Christ on the Cross. Fr. Michael draws on personal experience to show how embracing responsibility, whether in priesthood, marriage, or family life, deepens joy and enlarges the heart. Like Christ on the mountain, we too are called to shine with the glory of love by carrying the responsibilities God gives us. This is the path of the Cross and the Resurrection.
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“Into the Desert: Listening to God This Lent” - Homily - 1st Sunday of Lent, Year C
10/03/2025 Duración: 13minIn this homily, Fr. Michael reflects on Jesus’ forty days in the desert and the invitation for each of us to follow Him into that place of encounter. Sharing his personal experience of time in hermitage and the story of St. Catherine of Siena, he explains how the “desert” is where we learn to listen to God and face our temptations. Lent is a time to strip away distractions, make space for God, and renew our choice to give our lives to Him. Fr. Michael encourages us to embrace this season as a real encounter with God’s love and to seek the grace of confession if needed.
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“A Tree is Known by Its Fruits: Seeking the Heart of Christ” - Homily - 7th Sunday of Ordinary Time, Year C
05/03/2025 Duración: 10minIn this homily, Fr. Michael reflects on Jesus’ teaching that a tree is known by its fruits. He explores how we often misjudge ourselves, focusing on exterior success instead of the true interior fruits of peace, love, and forgiveness. Through powerful stories of family wounds, forgiveness, and accompanying the dying, he highlights how the spiritual state of our hearts is revealed at life’s most critical moments. Are we bearing good fruit—Christ’s love—or are we clinging to bitterness? Fr. Michael challenges us to trust God fully, let go of resentment, and conform our hearts to Christ, who forgave even from the Cross.