Homilies with Fr John Rutten

We are called to give our whole lives to God. To do so we also give our lives to love His people. Some are called to do so as religious and priests. How do we know if this is us?

We want a full house. With faith, we recognize a fuller house at Mass and in life because the Saints are rooting for us.

People are blind and we are called to have patience with the ignorant. How do we help? Add more points of awareness in order to see the truth more clearly.

DDays is homecoming week. We consider this University a home because of the relationships we built. Ultimately our Home is Heaven and that too is a result of a relationship with Jesus. What gets in our way from saying Yes to Him!

When your lost, it’s sometimes easy to keep going forward. However, at a certain point one has to stop and turn around.

The St Thomas More Newman Center celebrates the 60th anniversary of the first Mass offered! Friendship, marriage, games, study, difficulties, retreats, and sacraments. All the ways God has blessed his people!

We need to create cultures that cause the best for people to happen and make it difficulty for bad things to happen. This is the case in our state.

How do miracles play a role in the life of Jesus and the Church? What is the reason for them and why are there not more? Have you experience one?

Worth listening to

Is a Christian different in the way of operating in the world?

The 12 Tribes were dispersed and further from the Lord. Joshua gathered them together again. The Disciples were given a great gift to feed the family (Eucharist) many left but the 12 Apostles stayed. We all are now tempted to move out but God gathers us. To stay is possible when we look at our history and the miracles we’ve seen.

Life hacks, Rules for Life, or hearts of life…man is always attempting to attain qualities it does not possess. Jesus desires to give them to us in His very self! Do you receive, aware of this? What do you say to His words?

Why is it? The Eucharist isn’t more central to peoples lives?

No one has told them!They don’t see it effect in their life.They don’t have a great enough need or an awareness of their spiritual hunger.

We are made to come back into relationship with God through food!

Explaining this weekend‘s reason for posting to homilies.

Wealth isn’t the problem. Losing the relationship with God is, and this can happen no matter how much one possesses. What is your relationship with things?

How do you respond when corrected? Our initial response is important to pay attention to. Why does it matter? Listen in…

What do circular saws and bells have in common? Listen in…

How often we want to run from the storms, but Jobe and the apostles and our own experience revealed to us that God addresses us in the midst of the storms. Neil, stay still, and ask for him.

A visit to the Rockies and Mass for Summer Projects.

People have an intuition that blood connection is a means of something mysterious yet human. The source of connecting to a “life source.” All of this is pointing toward what God will do by offering the Body and Blood of his son Jesus.

The visitor has had an Important role in human culture and for the Christian it is a window into understanding the Visitor, who is God. This first journey of Mary, and God within her, to visit Elizabeth is the beginning of our own experience of the same dynamic: God visits through a people!

Homily on Solemnity of Pentecost

The wedding homily for James and Kenna Kleinschmit. Sts. Peter and Paul Church, Bow Valley, NE on May 18, 2024

Ever been on a spiritual high point, only to end up feeling like you’re starting over again?

The Apostles have been on a rollercoaster of Grace! After the most I credible fact: He Rose from the Dead…they don’t get their question answered and He leaves. Now they start again and need to await His Power.

Love is connected to “law” in today’s readings: to be upright and to follow the commandments is the request of God. But he wants us to do so by receiving His love and remaining in His goodness. Do you know His goodness as the means of being able to live the law?

Jesus tells us to abide in him. To abide is not a passive reality but to stick with, hold on to, obey.

He is saying this in the midst of the Last Supper, where he institutes the Eucharist and tells the apostles to do the same.

For us to abide in Jesus is to hold on to the celebration of the Eucharist. And to do so is to hold on to the whole of the Mass.

A world that can’t look up, and Peter and John walk in and the lame man is healed. When others start looking to them, they say “it’s in the name of Jesus! Look to Him!

Today we welcomed 11 people into the sacraments! A people who together witness to looking at Him.

From Abraham until today, God gathers people together. He does so to reveal Himself and in doing so we become more together. More together within ourselves and more fully together in friendship with each other!

before divine Mercy, we see a possibility of a human mercy on behalf of the church. More importantly than providing houses, is to provide the “house“ of friendship. and when we do so, and find ourselves moved with sympathy, we become instruments of divine mercy.

The cross and candle are signs to us of Jesus. We are here because of Jesus!

Palm Sunday begins Holy Week. It’s a full week and all the liturgies together help us understand the life Christ has given for us!

Water is the connection of hydrogen and oxygen- a connection that makes life possible for humanity. So necessary is it that we all must connect ourselves with water.

god though desires to use our endless needs to help us connect with something needed: our heart which needs to connect with God.

There are dramatic moments in this weekends Readings. However they can’t be understood without seeing all the little moments in the past that are connected. The Father holds us in his hands and is always connecting more!

Today’s Gospel says the Spirit drove Jesus to the desert where he was tempted. Is this how God works? Driving us to evil? Listen and recognize the importance of knowing where you are at spiritually, in order to know how the Holy Spirit will work with you.

What if eternal LIFE is a paradox? To attain it, we must die! So it is!

We Encounter the Risen Lord and life becomes beautiful and purposeful. However, have you considered the importance of dying to things of life, even as a follower of Christ? We must die to our will or our way, then we begin to see Resurrection! Things happening that are clearly of Him!

Haven’t many institutions lost authority? Work places can no longer dictate rules and sports can be ruled by the best players. When authority breaks down, we begin to recognize what it means that Christ and the Church have authority. This kind of authority speaks to the heart and the needs of humanity. Then we discover that the other authority is proposed because it is good for us and restrictions help us live!

Do you think of the priesthood as men who have sacrificed a wife and family? Is there a hint that somehow a priest gave something up that was really good? It’s actually true! But it’s also true that the vocation of marriage is sacrificial love. Marriage requires giving up— to love, to sacrifice for the good of others.

What makes it possible for Samuel and the Apostles to encounter God? What makes it possible for us to hear His voice, too? Is it possible to follow Jesus today? Listen to a necessary complement for your growth.

2nd Sunday of Ordinary Time

The Magi teach us to

Let our desires and search keep us looking up. But the search must have us looking down at where we are placed. Then when we see God, to bow in adoration.

A few words of reflection on reading Thomas Kempis this morning from – the Imitation of Christ – some powerful words really struck me.

Waiting is a human dynamic but the Christian waits for Christ to appear. Why wait?

1st Sunday of Advent

We have blown the Roof of this place and there is a list of people to thank! Also the weekend homily shows us the dignity of work and how Hod wants us to work and allow Him to make it abundant.

Raise the Roof, an effort to eliminate the debt caused by a roof replacement, is detailed. For all who appreciate these homilies and the social media presence, it is possible because of my ministry! Please prayerfully consider a donation!

Whats with the lamps that are ready and what about those that are not?

A little discussion about last weeks events and the students who participated. The body is the means of God bringing peace into this world. First into ourselves and then to the relationships closest to us. Then that can impact the world.

We worship God … or

we worship Power (control), Pleasure, wealth, and Honor.

he came that we might worship Him. We are called to give our lives away. To give our lives to Him to do his will!

The wedding banquet. Sent to invite others. Who remains and who is kicked out? Where will you be? Where are you now?

Unpacking St Paul’s second letter gives us a powerful path for the Lais with less anxiety! How do we take that path, listen in.

How do we search for God?

A few interesting points that feel a bit like class was being held!

Deacons and Bishops being married.

Miraculous and strange things happening.

God is among us!

Jesus calls us to correct our brothers and sisters. We are called to be corrected by others as well. But how do we go about doing so? Listen in!

It’s a sacrifice when we offer difficulties to God. Web. We are patient with someone or when we accept a child into this world. But sacrifice brings about New Life

We are each asked “Who do you say that I am!” As Peter was. However we don’t just say it about a historical Jesus. We are asked about His Dwelling Among Us! Do we recognize Him in our lives and do we say “You, Lord are with me!”?

There is a piece missing often from how we view our University days. A piece that Christ’s Peace provides.

We see a strange dynamic in the first reading where Elijah here’s the Lord’s voice, but then goes in search of the Lord. Peter knew the Lord and had him near and yet had to search for him. Are you searching?

Are you desirous to Glimpse more of God?

In human movement, a person shows up and causes us to move forward.

In the life of holiness, Christ shows up and causes us to move forward.

Ask Him to show up! Then be attentive so you can follow.

Summer has been great time to catch up on lots of things! Looking forward to returning to homily posting more often when school begins again!

When others are against us or we seem to be against ourselves, what steps do we take in response? Are they steps that God lays out for us in todays readings?

Evangelization is simply moving in response to God having done something to a person. Jesus isn’t seen like he isn’t seen in Mary and John isn’t seen in Elizabeth, but Christ dwells among us. So we go out!

Jesus promised the disciplines would see greater things than what they did through Him. And so they did. Do you see greater things?

A history is recounted that includes David. David, a man of the heart of God but also a sinner! This path includes each of us also and we, being united to Christ and instruments of the Father’s love are even greater than David! David wasn’t united to the Body of Christ…but in baptism, every Christian is!

The Chosen has been a great means of sharing the Gospel to our culture. However, a few pointers can help us consider from a Catholic discernment.

We welcome nine members deeper into the life with Christ, and provide the sacraments.

We can deepen our understanding of how faith comes to be and how it grows and passes from one person to another! Listen…todays readings give us the shortcut!

The decline of the Church is a call back to Jesus! After all Easter is about Him - and we are called to be Witnesses!

We all did. Moments when we are stripped of solitons and answers to other peoples needs…to our own needs. It makes us cry out…

The Lord supper, and the institution of the priesthood is understood through the priesthood of Aaron.

Looks who is in the room: yes, Mary pouring perfumed oil on Jesus, but what about a dead man, who is alive? What about Martha who has a new life of service… how about you?

Understanding what made the life we want happen, makes it possible for us to go out and see God do it again! And we are the ones who do it with God’s help.

Palms were raised because the people were saying “Jesus is the Victor.” Today our phones can be raised as a sign that “Jesus is Victor” today for us!

Pastoral planning will not bring utopia. There will always be the temptation to dig in the garbage and forget the song bird. Keep your life in search of Jesus!

What does an oath mean, if we don’t believe we will really stand before God?

Keeping it short in the notes.

After meeting Jesus, through His friends, we experience “Mountain Top Moments” like the Transfiguration. Like Peter it’s tempting to revert to our plans and set up tents but the Lord has a plan to lead us by the hand and Going Down the mountain often isn’t as exciting but it is necessary to grow into the child who becomes capable to changing others and being an instrument to others.

The abundance, Adam, and eve possess, makes it difficult to discern when the evil one is whispering. But Jesus shows us that in our desert, we actually may discern more easily. Don’t leave your desert, but trust and ask for God to be there.

Ash Wednesday and the practices that expand our persons. Like the expansion of what we see in the Universe but for us, the salvation of Jesus goes beyond even creation!

Do you believe in His name the person you receive, is Jesus? What does this mean?

The Church provides communal acts of worship like the Mass and helps us pray together by offering us the forms.

and Jesus helps us live, by grace, the deepest ways He asks of His children.

We all have a choice to begin by looking at was is evil or what is missing Or to start from what is good, to begin with the one loaf that has been provided. What is your loaf? God can multiply from that one!

St Scholastic has her prayers answered in a very clear way and St Monica does not. Benedict must stay but Augustine can flee! None of us can flee the providence of God!

Her longing for the stars leads to longing for Christ and a vocation as a Religious who preaches love.

Do You know how salt works? I didn’t but now I do and it helped me understand how Jesus works through us when we are the “salt of the earth.” Not stuff we do but through us Jesus breaks down in others the obstacles to seeing the world and what He is doing.

Jesus is presented in the Temple 40 days after birth. The Holy Spirit was already working through Simeon and Anna. Do you have confidence image is working to bring those whom you love into the House of the Lord?

God reveals Himself over time and prepares for a Pinnacle moment. What is the Pinnacle point of Christianity? What is the top of the Mountain for you? What does God want it to be?

A few words about wanting to go back after having received Christ.

We all need people in the Church whom we are confident Christ is calling us through, but we all must grow more deeply and recognize Christ is also calling us through people in positions that call us and grow.

How do we grow in our awareness that the same proclamation made to the apostles by John the Baptist being made to us at Mass?

God Cares for you

He guides you

He gives you strength

When a moment strikes you, and you know it was Christ who makes all things happen…epiphany! Have you had one?

The Shepherds are given a privileged place in the people surrounding Jesus’ nativity. What can we learn from them. What do we learn from Mary?

How important to know we have a place in the heart of Our Lord: each of us are preferred. It is also good to have a person given to us such as Peter, who shows us the road.

Merry Christmas to you all from elk point, South Dakota! A joy to share this beautiful night with the people of God.

Having a desire to commit totally to Christ, her mother has other plans. However hemorrhaging happens to her mother and a request at the relics of St Agnes bring about healing of body and then of faith. Starting to give everything away, mom’s plans are not desired by the very man she desired for her daughter.

If John the Baptist is the Greatest but the least in. The Kingdom are greater, do we believe that may be us? Two simple faithful families prepared the way for significant figures in the Church to Encounter Christ. This is a method all of us can be instruments of!

Mary in uniting with God was without blemish and so for our coming union, we too must be without blemish. She helps us come out of hiding and bring ourselves to God.

When things turn on a dime.

The tail of two men who produced earthly fruit but only one prepare the fruitfulness of his soul. Are you ready?

as friends get closer, it can cause struggles as we learn more about the other. It will require us to recognize the foundation of Christ that we are standing on! We also then discover deeper aspects of people when we see them more in the eyes of God. Even the Saints we can learn more about. Learn this surprise Fr John learns about his friend Charles!