Homilies
A list of homilies delivered by Bishop Paul Swain.
“Who do you say that I am,” Jesus asked the disciples. It is a question we must ponder as well. Who we say Jesus is for us will shape our lives. Simon Peter answered, “The Christ of God.” It was an insight received from having walked with Jesus and absorbed his teachings. The disciples had just experienced the miracle of the multiplication of loaves to feed the thousands. They themselves having been sent were able to cast out demons and heal the sick on the authority of Jesus. No wonder Simon Peter would make such a declaration. But it was an incomplete answer. Most were expecting the Messiah to be religious liberator settling all the political and personal scores. Never in their thoughts would suffering servant, noted in our first…
Our readings today are a summary of what the Jubilee Year of Mercy is all about. God’s mercy and forgiveness of us is without limit. However we must be honest with ourselves about our sins and own up to them as did King David. Then we like the woman in the Gospel with humility ought to be thankful for God’s mercy. “Her many sins have been forgiven because she has shown great love,” Jesus told the Pharisee. St. Ambrose wrote: “It was not the ointment that the Lord loved, but the affection; it was the woman’s faith that pleased him, her humility. And you also, if you desire grace, increase your love; pour over the body of Jesus Christ your faith in the Resurrection, the perfume of the holy Church…
Thank you for praying with us this Chrism Mass. Each year the clergy of every diocese whoever they are and whatever their merits and sins gather around their bishop, whoever he is and whatever his merits or sins, in a prayerful and symbolic affirmation of solidarity with one another and reaffirmation of faithfulness to the Roman Catholic Church instituted by Jesus Christ. It is an act not to be taken lightly; it is also sign of hope. I am unworthy to be a bishop as you know so well, yet proud to be yours. [icon name="file-pdf-o" class="" unprefixed_class=""]View 2016 Chrism Mass Homily [embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UlehuPRwwCU[/embed]
Friday, January 22, 2016, at the Cathedral of St. Joseph on the 43rd anniversary of the Roe v. Wade decision, Bishop Swain presided at a Mass celebrated for life and the protection of unborn children. [icon name="file-pdf-o" class="" unprefixed_class=""]View 2016 Mass for Life Homily [embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jIqFyi_6wHM[/embed]
We come together today as a continuation of our celebration of the 125th anniversary of the establishment of the Diocese of Sioux Falls. We come together especially to acknowledge the important presence and influence Native peoples have had and continue Church, an influence under-appreciated and under acknowledged. [icon name="file-pdf-o" class="" unprefixed_class=""]View Statement
Praised be Jesus Christ. Now and Forever. Praised be Jesus Christ for the 125 years of the local church of Sioux Falls. Praised be Jesus Christ for your presence today as we pray the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, the source and summit of Christian life, of our faith. [icon name="file-pdf-o" class="" unprefixed_class=""]View Statement
Bishop Swain presented this homily during Mass in Woonsocket, SD as hundreds celebrated on the farm of Mr. & Mrs. Kent & Gay Swenson near Woonsocket, SD, June 27, 2015. [icon name="file-pdf-o" class="" unprefixed_class=""]View Statement
Thank you for praying with us tonight as we join the Roman Catholic Church in the United States for the fourth year of Fortnight for Freedom. It is a fourteen day endeavor of prayer, education, and action toward preserving religious freedom in the United States and around the world ending on the Fourth of July. [icon name="file-pdf-o" class="" unprefixed_class=""]View Statement https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tRwh_iHaAVQ
Bishop Swain delivered this homily at the Chrism Mass on March 19, 2015 at the Cathedral of Saint Joseph. Thank you for praying with us today as we celebrate the Chrism Mass. Two years ago we did so on the day Pope Francis was selected. Last year we did so in the midst of a winter storm. So, it is comforting to be here today on a placid, though chilly, South Dakota March day. [icon name="file-pdf-o" class="" unprefixed_class=""]View Statement https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S-dXgHE80rI
Once again we gather to pray with the entire Church in the United States for penance for the violations to the dignity of the human person committed through acts of abortion, and for the full restoration of the legal guarantee of the right to life. [icon name="file-pdf-o" class="" unprefixed_class=""]View Statement https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pwhFUBf7Q-A
