Open Wide the Doors
”Be not afraid, open wide the doors for Christ.” Episodes include homilies, reflections, and lectures given by Fr. Daniel Belken, who is a priest of the Diocese of Springfield-Cape Girardeau in Missouri, and has been ordained a priest since June 2020.
”Be not afraid, open wide the doors for Christ.” Episodes include homilies, reflections, and lectures given by Fr. Daniel Belken, who is a priest of the Diocese of Springfield-Cape Girardeau in Missouri, and has been ordained a priest since June 2020.
Episodes

Sunday Sep 14, 2025
September 14, 2025: Violence, Hatred, Suffering... and A Cross to Save
Sunday Sep 14, 2025
Sunday Sep 14, 2025
In days when there is so much hatred and suffering- and even violence, the Cross stands firm- and even offers hope, if we let it.

Wednesday Sep 10, 2025
September 10, 2025: Are You Afraid of Being Holy?
Wednesday Sep 10, 2025
Wednesday Sep 10, 2025
We often bill holiness as misery and as something too unattainable. Yet, isn't it what is going to help us to be happy, and will set us free?

Sunday Sep 07, 2025
September 7, 2025: Running Out of Gas
Sunday Sep 07, 2025
Sunday Sep 07, 2025
Calculate the cost! Being a disciple may cost more- and is worth more- than you expect!

Sunday Aug 31, 2025
August 31, 2025: Humility... Not What You're Thinking of Though
Sunday Aug 31, 2025
Sunday Aug 31, 2025
Humility has recently been portrayed as something of a low self-esteem, or maybe thinking you're not worth anything at all. If Jesus tells us anything in the Gospel this weekend, maybe we don't understand it quite right, though.

Sunday Aug 17, 2025
August 17, 2025: Good vs. Evil
Sunday Aug 17, 2025
Sunday Aug 17, 2025
Jesus says that He will cause division- and that doesn't seem to mesh with the version of Jesus we all know from the Gospels- does it?

Friday Aug 15, 2025
August 15, 2025: What is the Assumption?
Friday Aug 15, 2025
Friday Aug 15, 2025
We've heard of the Ascension, and we've also heard of the Assumption. Are both the same or different things, and how does that challenge us?

Monday Aug 11, 2025
August 10, 2025: Closer than It Appears
Monday Aug 11, 2025
Monday Aug 11, 2025
Do you know how close you are to the Kingdom of Heaven- or even how close it may be to you?

Sunday Aug 10, 2025
August 10, 2025: St. Lawrence
Sunday Aug 10, 2025
Sunday Aug 10, 2025
We know so little about St. Lawrence- and yet so much through the few parts of his life that we know. May he inspire us to virtue.

Introduction
"Be not afraid. Open wide the doors to Christ." Those words were a part of Pope John Paul II's timeless first address after being named the Holy Father. Through my homilies, talks, and lectures, here presented, it is my hope to continue that same work that John Paul II dedicated himself to so many years ago.
As a priest, I seek to bring others closer to God as a humble instrument, and pray that I can, in some small way, continue to resonate that very same theme that John Paul II begun his papacy with.
Therefore, what he has said, I say to you: "Be not afraid. Open wide the doors to Christ!"



