frsuelzle Sermons

Satan is Strong. Christ is Stronger.

A homily for the Feast of St. Michael the Archangel, by Fr. Dan Suelzle

We find ourselves directly in the midst of a fierce spiritual war, waged by Satan and his fallen angels who use lies, guilt, and oppression to attempt our destruction. It is a war of words. However, we do not stand in this battle alone or unarmed or unprotected. Because Satan and his demons are created beings with millennia of practice, we are no match for their strength in our own power. However, God equips His believers with the full divine armor—from the belt of truth to the sword of the Spirit—and sends His holy angels to guard us in body and soul against the devil’s relentless deceptions, that we would be able to stand in the evil day (Eph. 6).

Ultimately, the defining truth of this cosmic conflict is that while Satan is strong, Christ is stronger. Because Jesus is not a created being but the eternal Son of God, Satan and his forces remain entirely subject to His supreme authority. Through His death and resurrection, Christ has crushed the serpent’s head, answering every accusation of Satan, not by denying our guilt, but by covering it with His own blood. Marked by Holy Baptism and clothed in His righteousness, our identity is secure in Christ. Guarded by Christ, who enlists his holy angels for our protection, we are directed to His gifts, that we can stand firm with confidence, knowing that victory belongs eternally to the Lamb.

Listen to the full homily below.

frsuelzle Sermons

Baptized Slaves

A sermon for the Seventh Sunday after Trinity, by Fr. Dan Suelzle.

Modern culture defines freedom as the unchecked pursuit of individual happiness—doing whatever feels good so long as it doesn’t break any laws or hurt others. Yet, this self-centered definition inevitably collapses into a hedonistic paradox: chasing endless selfish desires only leads to anxiety, emptiness, and a deeper form of bondage. As Christians, we recognize that we are never entirely autonomous; we are always serving a master. The critical question is: which one? Sin, which pays out only in death? Or Christ, whose apparent “slavery” is actually the only path to true, lasting liberty.

True freedom is not a self-help program or a checklist for behavioral modification, but a reality anchored entirely in the work of Jesus. Through Holy Baptism, our old, sinful nature is drowned, and Christ claims us as His own, shifting our ultimate allegiance. When we inevitably struggle with the flesh and fall short, our hope does not rely on our own willpower or renewed commitments, but on returning to the objective promises of our baptism, the forgiveness of the Holy Eucharist, and the truth of His Word. To be a slave to Christ is to be truly free, resting in a good and holy order that protects us from hurtful things and equips us for eternal life.

Listen to the full sermon below.

frsuelzle Sermons

Who Is A God Like You?

A sermon for the Third Sunday after Trinity, by Fr. Dan Suelzle.

The sinful human nature is plagued by a constant temptation to refashion God into our own image—to turn His Word into an a la carte menu where we pick what is comfortable and discard what is convicting. Whether through world religions that demand rigorous submission or modern idols like wealth, comfort, and self-righteousness, left to ourselves we will always gravitate towards a self-made religion of human effort. But as the prophet Micah warns, the true and almighty God cannot be compromised or tamed by our manufactured spiritualities; He exposes these empty, impotent idols for what they are, and invites us to cast our cares upon him, for he truly cares for us.

But his care for us is not vague. What sets the true God apart from every false, human-made religion is that He does not demand we climb a ladder of perfect submission to earn His favor; instead, He descends to us in the flesh. Jesus Christ makes all the difference, drawing a sharp, exclusive line between the religions of human effort and the Gospel of divine grace. On the cross, God poured out His just judgment upon Christ instead of us, paying the ultimate price so that we can know exactly where we stand with Him. We are left not with an anxious hope for mercy, but with the absolute certainty of being fully pardoned, loved, and redeemed by a God who has no equal.

You can listen to Father Suelzle’s full sermon audio below to hear the complete sermon.