Yooper Catholic Podcast

We often think love and laws are opposite things, but Jesus teaches us that all the moral laws of God can be summed up in one word: love.  In this episode, Fr. Ryan breaks open the two greatest commandments and shows how God's laws teach us how to love.

It's not easy to fulfill our Christian duty to correct each other and reach out to people in serious sin.  But Jesus gives us a 3-step process to follow.  We are responsible for each other!  Let us participate in Jesus' call to be good shepherds and seek the lost to bring them back.

In this episode, Father Ryan explains how the Gifts of the Holy Spirit burn away the roots of the seven deadly sins in us, preparing the way for the Lord to come and help us bear good fruit of repentance.

Jesus predicts many bad things that are going to happen to us, but ultimately he wants to give us hope.  In this episode, Father Ryan shines light on our current situation and what God is calling us to as people of hope in the midst of trials and tribulations.

Jesus says he has come to cast fire on the earth.  Fire is frightening.  What can this image say to us about God's love?  Love is demanding, and the demands of love can be frightening.  When Jesus calls us, he doesn't allow us to stay as we are.  We must be changed, transformed.  What is disordered in us must be burned away so new life can grow.  In this episode, Fr. Ryan describes how Jesus' love and the demands of love lead to true happiness.

Jesus teaches the most perfect prayer when he teaches us to pray, "Our Father."  In this episode, Father Ryan explains the petitions of the Lord's prayer and how the Mass is the fulfillment of all we pray for in the Our Father.

The announcement of Jesus' death and resurrection is called the 'Gospel,' a word that means a life-changing event that radically changes our circumstances.  In this episode, Father Ryan proclaims the message of the Gospel of Jesus and the difference it makes.

The readings for the 5th Sunday of Lent call us to overcome the attitudes of condemnation and complacency, and grow in confidence in Jesus and His upward calling in our life.  In this episode Fr. Ryan explains how we can grow in this attitude!

The Transfiguration of Jesus has a long Biblical background of God's appearance as fire and cloud.  In this episode, Father Ryan explains God's promises to Abraham, and how Christ fulfills them and fills us to be God's presence on earth.

Jesus enters into spiritual combat with the devil and wins victory over temptations to pride, lust, and greed.  In this episode, Father Ryan explains how we face the same temptations, and how we can win with the weapons of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving.

As we being Lent, Jesus calls us to suffer with him and embrace the cross.  In this episode, Father Ryan encourages us not to flee from losing our lives each day.

Jesus calls us to be fruitful trees through speech that builds up, helps others, teaches and leads others, and removes others' defects.  In this episode, Father Ryan examines how we can bear good fruit for the Lord as we prepare for Lent.

In his Sermon on the Plain, Jesus gives us his four-point peace plan when we're faced with hatred, hostility, exclusion, or insults because we follow Christ and His teachings.  In this episode, Fr. Ryan explains how we can live out Jesus' plan in our lives and live in peace with all people.

God always takes the initiative in our life to come close to us and call us.  Isaiah and Peter's response is to recoil in fear and shame at their sinfulness, yet this doesn't stop God from calling them.  In this episode, Father Ryan explains the lessons we learn from their experience, and how we experience it today in the Sacraments.

Caring for people with same-sex attraction has become part of the 'culture wars,' with seemingly two sides pitted against each other.  In this episode, Father Ryan talks about how to walk in the way of Jesus, the way of love, as we reflect unconditional love and also bear witness to the truth about sexual morality.

In this episode, Father Ryan speaks about his experience with a bus load of Yooper pilgrims to the 48th March for Life in Washington, D.C.  Many of the speakers told their stories of how abortion affected their lives, and how they found mercy and a future of hope in Christ Jesus.

The central ritual of entry into the Christian life is baptism, being immersed and plunged into water.  In this episode on the feast of Jesus' Baptism, Father Ryan examines ways we can 'take the plunge' headlong into the Christian life, rather than just look at or admire it from afar.

Children teach us the true meaning of Christmas really is to receive gifts!  In this Christmas homily, Father Ryan reflects on four of the gifts Jesus brings when we receive Him into our lives.