Parish Blog

A homily for the twenty-third Sunday after Trinity, by Fr. Joshua Leigeber.

“Our citizenship is in heaven,” St. Paul writes. And Jesus tells us, “Render to God the things that are God’s.” These two statements belong together. As Christians, our allegiance belongs to Christ, and our lives should reflect the reality that we belong to Him. In the Gospel, Jesus reminds us that earthly authority has its proper place, but it is not ultimate. We are to render to Caesar what belongs to Caesar, but above all, we are to render to God what belongs to God: our offerings, our days and years, our allegiance, and our very lives. For “the earth is the Lord’s, and the fullness thereof.” The danger is that we take the good gifts God has given us and turn them into idols. We look to money for security, possessions for contentment, earthly pleasures for happiness, and worldly success for our sense of worth. We worry, grasp, hoard, and grow discontent. We are guilty of idolatry, and we must repent. These things cannot forgive our sins, rescue us from death, or give us eternal life. As Proverbs teaches, “Wisdom is better than rubies. Her fruit is better than gold.” True Wisdom is found in Christ Himself. Here, in His Church, through His holy Word and blessed Sacraments, we receive riches infinitely more valuable than anything this world can offer.

And our heavenly citizenship is not merely a future reality. It is ours already, right now, through Christ. In the Divine Service, heaven and earth are brought together. Christ comes to us with forgiveness, and we partake of His very body and blood. We worship with angels and archangels and all the company of heaven. Though these gifts remain hidden beneath earthly veils, they are truly ours already. When Christ appears, what we now know by faith we shall know by sight. What we now receive in part we shall possess in its fullness. Until that day, let us not cling to the passing treasures of this world, but receive with thanksgiving the gifts God gives us. Our citizenship is in heaven, and our true riches are found in Christ alone.

Listen to the full homily below.

A homily for All Saints Day, by Fr. Daniel Suelzle.

In a culture increasingly drawn to hyper-individualistic spirituality, the Christian faith anchors believers in something far greater: the universal household of God. Rather than an accessory we tack onto our lives or a club we visit when convenient, the Church is the foundational community where God shapes our true identity, proclaims the truth, and delivers the forgiveness of sins. Through baptism and the Word, we are born into a timeless family spanning all of time and space. Within this household, we are reminded that we are not isolated individuals left to blaze our own spiritual trails, but contingent beings utterly dependent on Christ, who endured the full weight of our sin to secure our salvation.

Belonging to this expansive household equips us to endure the fierce spiritual warfare and earthly suffering that so often characterize our present reality. While the world can feel as though it is tearing apart at the seams under the consequences of sin, John’s vision in Revelation 7 offers profound encouragement by revealing both the Church Militant and the Church Triumphant. On earth, every believer is marked and sealed by God, protected for the daily battles ahead; in eternity, an innumerable host of saints who have survived the great tribulation stand victorious, their robes washed white in the blood of the Lamb. Their unceasing worship reminds us that our present struggles are temporary, and that a day is coming when God will wipe every tear from our eyes.

Listen to the full homily below.

A homily for the Twenty-first Sunday after Trinity, by Fr. Joshua Leigeber.

St. Paul reminds us that the Christian life is a spiritual battle (Eph. 6:10-17). The devil and his demons are real, and their schemes are often subtle, concealed beneath the ordinary distractions, resentments, and temptations of daily life. They seek to draw us away from Christ by encouraging us to neglect His Word, despise His gifts, and grow complacent in the faith. We must not underestimate our enemy, for we cannot overcome him by our own strength. But St. Paul does not leave us to fight alone. He calls us to “be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might,” putting on the whole armor of God. Clothed with Christ in Holy Baptism, we stand in the victory He has already won through His death and resurrection. Through the preaching of the Gospel, Holy Absolution, and the Sacrament of the Altar, Christ strengthens and preserves us against the assaults of the evil one.

In the Gospel (John 4:46b-53), the royal official takes Jesus at His Word, trusting that his dying son will live even before he sees the promise fulfilled. So also, when the devil tempts us to doubt God’s promises or despair of our salvation, we cling to the sure and life-giving Word of Christ. The battle is real, but its outcome is not uncertain. Christ has conquered the ancient foe, and He will sustain us in His gifts until the day when we see His victory in all its glory.

Listen to the full homily below.