Fr. John Ehrich Podcast

Fr. John Ehrich, STL Please see entire Worship Service video at www.stmglendale.org

Fr. John Ehrich, STL For full worship service video go to stmglendale.org

The disciples are in a state of excitement and confusion as they recover from a series of events and realizations. Jesus is crucified, His body is gone from the tomb and He appears absent, and then He reveals himself as resurrected, alive again. So He’s with them in presence and life in new form...but then again, He says, “I am leaving.” And the key note to remember is his last words, “Follow Me.”   We hear the departing words of Jesus that His new purpose is to go back to the Father in order to prepare a place for us.   In the whirlwind of events and transitions in our personal lives, where we can feel connected and then disconnected to Christ and his presence or Body, let us reflect on “the bigger plan” that is consistently proclaimed in the Gospel. A bigger reality, a fulfillment that He provides, a gift beyond our expectations. We know intuitively that we are created for more, for a lasting state of being, and ultimately for Union in divinity. By His grace, we can see that our own present plans and realit

Jesus regularly speaks in metaphors about animals and crops, often relating to the agrarian citizens of his historical time.   Take the ‘Shepherd and His Flock’ concept. One of His ideas or depictions could portray two or three shepherds meeting, and congregating together, and therefore, so do their flocks - their individual group of sheep mingle together into a larger flock. If we regard the role of shepherds to the role of priests and prominent holy people, we could see how contemporary religious leaders today are entrusted to their followers and seek to provide their insights and concrete display of faith. Their actions are meant to lead us into deeper communion with Christ and each other.   We as followers might initially have a hard time trusting our shepherds, leaders, as well as the Voice of God, the primary Shepherd. Are we openly listening to these various voices with trust and willingness? Are we willing to later follow through with their practical applications in our lives? These are various and mo

A famous story: The Road to Emmaus   After the harsh and difficult events of the Lord’s Crucifixion and then the rumor His resurrection, you, the reader, can surmise the quality of emotion and struggle that is taking place in the hearts of these disciples.   And then a stranger appears.   Initially, the disciples don’t recognize Him as Jesus Christ, the very catalyst of all these past events. But as they continually share in conversation and even vulnerability with this stranger, He allows them to see the truth of His presence with them. And a key point here is the timing: He reveals Himself during the act of breaking bread with them, in act of congeniality and reception.   Isn’t this very much like God in the times He approaches us in our everyday lives? Christ initiates contact when we are open to sharing and reciprocity, and then we are given deeper wisdom and understanding. The messages and person of Jesus often resonates through this initial reciprocity, this first encounter. And as we recognize it more,

The Son of God bears the wounds of the cross for all of eternity. How severe and powerful this idea of evil can be seen, in the scars of our savior for all of time.   Nevertheless, Jesus’ disposition to the disciples is not victimhood but instead revealed when He says the words “peace be with you.” In other words, “Yes, this severity truly happened, but this is mercy.”   The same mercy is available to each of us. Divine Mercy is freedom that is perfectly given and in pursuit of peace. Can we accept that mercy internally, in fullness and deep awareness of our own fragility and then turn to our neighbor and mirror that mercy to others? By His wounds, Christ says, “yes.” Peace be with you. For full worship service, go to www.stmglendale.org

This may be one of the strangest Easter celebrations in our recent memory.   So many are unable to come to the church in person on one of the most celebrated days of the year. It’s important to remember that God did not cause this pandemic nor has he abandoned us. He may be in the midst of it and He still has as much strength and power as ever.   We can see the Resurrection event from the perspective of disciples who were confronted with a very baffling encounter. They did not understand it, but they believed. They experienced Him was as reincarnated with their senses and testified to the truth of that experience without knowing rationally or having a fully articulated grasp of the “how” or “why” of the situation.   Though we are confronted with the difficulty of not having access to the sacraments during this pandemic, we still have access to the graces of God. This grace that we seek is still experiential and only requires us to trust in this belief. It can still permeate our lives in our social distancing

Fr. John Ehrich Watch the full livestream Mass at www.stmglendale.org

Fr. John Ehrich For full video and worship service please go to www.stmglendale.org

I'm asking everyone to pray one decade of the rosary a day for each other, for our intentions and for a swift end to the Coronavirus.  Please email us and tell us you are going to commit to this: rosary@stmglendale.org

Fr. John Ehrich www.stmglendale.org

Fr. John Ehrich Stmglendale.org

How do we forge relationship, communicate and stay close to people when it can be difficult at times? Especially when we try to affect the truth of God in others who might not be receptive to the message, this can be a continual struggle and even feel like a challenge. For parents of teenagers, opposing family members, friendships, coworkers, and strangers - communication breakdowns about faith or theology, theopraxy, or morality can stifle connection and relationship.   In today’s Gospel, we see Jesus engage with a woman who is not a Jew, (and a woman), by showing genuine interest in her. He is more interested in her and her heart than in the cultural and social barriers of the time. He gets her to open up and be vulnerable and as she continues to speak with him, a trust between the two of them begins. Communicating an essential and candid message of mutual value and honor between one another can be the first pathway to connecting in truth together. This can affirm and strengthen all of our relationships and

There on the mountain, Moses communed with God for many years and brought back the promises to . This period of time was a well known to the followers of Jesus. So when they witness Christ being raised up, shown with Moses and Elijah, they know he is truly the Messiah. This means He is truly their deliverer and prophetic figure that the hearts of many were waiting for. What are our hearts waiting for? What future or unfulfilled promises do we carry with us; maybe even ask God to deliver us from? If Jesus is the Son of God, who died and rose and made manifestation our salvation, are we relying on Him during this Lenten time? The three theological virtues (Faith, Hope, and Love) can help us entrust ourselves to Christ’s light for healing, restoration and deliverance. As we hear and reflect more about Christ’s death, we can be reminded of our own mortality, our own suffering and hardship that we can bring the the altar, especially during this season of Lent. We are creatures destined for eternity - we should no

Sin and death came into the world, not simply because these first two human beings are the forbidden fruit. We know this Genisis story along with many others that are allegorical in nature. Without getting caught up in the historical accuracy, we can be attentive to the purposes of these stories and the wisdom they impart to us today.   We are given life by God as He breathes life into us from our birth. He made us male and female. He made us and saw “that it was good.” Satan is a the father of lies, but can successfully entice us with what we are convinced is good. He is a trickster, and with by adding our desires, often motivates us to be do wrong things for the right intentions.   Can we allow God to help us determine truth? Sometimes we struggle to find and choose the truth and reality of ‘good vs. evil.’ We. get ourselves into trouble with sin, we often are trying to take the reigns and commit acts of pride and envy rather than trust and confidence in Gods omnipotence and providence. Let’s look at our li

Fr. John Ehrich St. Thomas More, Glendale, AZ.

We all know friends or people in our own lives who truly struggle. No matter their upbringing, circumstances, issues such as addiction or abuse and their repercussions can be a damaging and lifelong battle for many people we might know intimately. Seeing the humanity of a person and the desperate reality they live in can be a very humbling sight. Have you ever wondered what it’s like to hear confession? It is a theme among a large number of people that we all are striving to be better despite ourselves. Seeing a priest as a conduit for God's Grace is a way to present themselves honestly and to make real moves to improve and make changes. Though we may struggle with the same sins constantly, it is a comfort to know how universal our human suffering can be. This idea also emphasizes a greater need for consistent compassion and nonjudgement when we interact with one another. When we see each other on a human level, we can see how remarkable each of us are as we acknowledge the many demons that we all face daily

It’s been said by many scholars of scripture that “Jesus is more about love than the law;” a statement that we can be attentive to. How easy it is for us, as members of nations, societies, religions, and clubs, to use language such this, which often can be dichotomous, dualistic or black/white thinking. While the lasting and promised mercy of Christ is certainly apart of our salvation, could it not be said that Jesus is “about” both love and the law? The two terms can be intertwined especially in the ways that Jesus expounds upon the law in today’s gospel. For example, Jesus explains that not only is the action of adultery or hate sin, but the very thoughts and mentality that lead up to those actions can also be culpable. Our heart is the very thing Jesus is after, not our good deeds. It’s important to remember that there is definitely an eternal value to our actions and that confession is an important element to how we treat our humanness. There can be two ways we deal with this internal reality. Sometimes

Have you ever been stuck in a room of total darkness? It can be terrifying to be in that disorienting situation, trying to stumble through to find a light switch and not trip over anything. Once the lights are suddenly turned on, we are immediately comforted and can see the reality of our surroundings, feeling much better. The divine revelation of our faith says that the world was in darkness, searching as lost children. When Christ came, He illuminated that darkness and brought deep peace while pointing us in the right direction. We are called to be the hands of feet of God by bringing that light into the world as well. Today’s gospel asks us to consider whether we bring light/dark, positivity/negativity, kindness/resentment, harmony/discord to the our own reality. In being light to others, we allow ourselves to Also bring Christ into the room.

Why, as people of authority, (parents, teachers, priests, leaders) do we try to enforce or expect others, such as our children, to learn the value of rule-following? Is it perhaps for the purpose of discipline, in hopes of the best interest of the other? Is it in hopes that children learn to take ownership of their lives as well set good boundaries for themselves? The very laws that are the hardest to follow, remain faithful to, or even accept into our lives at all, are always the laws that point to a greatest good.   The Jews were certainly aware of the root and purpose of laws; the definite value they present especially in relationship to God. The lawful act of praise and worship in a church and community is ultimately good for us- our very nature is affirmed in the act of letting God into the fabric of society. Going to mass weekly is not meant to be obligatory simply by the hand of authority or challenge, but to uphold and affirm our true selves, which is the very nature that is apart of His design. It is