Homilies, Sermons and Talks by a Country Priest.
God has made room for us in Himself, for our humanity, forever. Persevere in making space for God in your life. Homily for the Ascension of the Lord.
The dream that is America, and John's dream or vision in the Book Revelation of the heavenly Jerusalem is not a task we can complete, or one from which we can shrink... Homily for the Sixth Sunday of Easter.
Don't be deceived by the distance between us and the Apostles, or by the work you do. You, too, are called to proclaim the Gospel, if you're a follower of Jesus. Homily for the Fifth Sunday of Easter.
Jesus said that his sheep hear his voice. How do we hear it, listen for it, discern it? Remembering our mothers on this special day can help us understand. Homily for the Fourth Sunday of Easter.
Our faults, shortcomings and areas in need of healing are no obstacles to our Lord. Homily for the Third Sunday of Easter.
The unexpected way God approaches those who have let Him down. Homily for Divine Mercy Sunday.
Homily for the Resurrection of Jesus Christ.
There is so much more to life than meets the eye. If only we had the Key to unlocking life's mysteries... Homily for Holy Thursday - The Mass of the Lord's Supper.
Evil is not triumphant, nor did Jesus fail to leave room for us to participate in His love and so be coworkers with Him in overcoming all evil. Homily for Passion Sunday.
By delivering the woman from being stoned, Jesus also showed the way to escape being critical of others. Homily for the Fifth Sunday of Lent.
Homily for the Fourth Sunday of Lent.
Homily for the Second Sunday of Lent.
He's deceptive and tricky, but Satan can be overcome in ways that touch upon the everyday. Homily for the First Sunday of Lent.
Jesus links an unworthy guide--one who is blind--with the person whose heart doesn't permit their mouth to speak the good things people need to hear. What are the causes of blindness? Are they affecting you? How so? Homily for the Eighth Sunday of Ordinary Time.
If being good means doing good across the board, how do we avoid the compartmentalization which plagues us and is rebuked by Jesus? What serves the integrity of which He speaks? What helps or hinders our becoming good, moral people? Homily for the Seventh Sunday of Ordinary Time.
An image is so very helpful. The image of my grandmother comes to mind when I hear Jeremiah's words: "Blessed is the one who trusts in the LORD, whose hope is the LORD. He is like a tree planted beside the waters that stretches out its roots to the stream: it fears not the heat when it comes; its leaves stay green; in the year of drought it shows no distress, but still bears fruit." Homily for the Sixth Sunday of Ordinary Time.
Being with God leads to being sent by Him on mission, which for baptized lay people involves developing their anointing as Priest, Prophet and King. Homily for the Fifth Sunday of Ordinary Time and Discipleship Renewal.
The human brain takes in a massive amount of information each moment, but we're conscious of but a sliver. That means we're significantly influenced by factors of which we're unaware. How can we positively affect the unconscious instincts produced in us? Homily for the Feast of the Presentation.
How do we discover our place in the world? Where is our relevance and importance cultivated, as well as our awareness of that of others? How does what we learn in school take on its proper and higher significance? Homily for the Third Sunday of Ordinary Time.
Despite prominent voices to the contrary, marriage cultivates meaningful and happy lives, and economically successful ones, too. Homily for the Second Sunday of Ordinary Time.
The people coming to John the Baptist acknowledged their sins and expressed their intention to change their lives. But even with that, the gift for which they longed was beyond their reach until the heavens opened and they were baptized into Christ Jesus. Homily for the Baptism of the Lord.
If you've met them, you know that God is still at work in this world and speaks to people. Homily for Epiphany.
Mary gathers us around her Son, the source of blessings, protection and mission in the New Year. Homily for the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God.
The world as we know it can only be explained by Christmas. What about your own personal life? Homily for the Nativity of Jesus.
Our reading from the Letter to the Hebrews seems a little out of place, this close to Christmas and paired as it is with the prophecy of the coming Messiah and its fulfillment in the first reading and the Gospel. But is it really? Homily for the Fourth Sunday of Advent.
If St. Paul encouraged the Philippians to rejoice, even though he wrote from a prison cell, what did he know that we desperately need to know, too? Homily for the Third Sunday of Advent--Gaudete Sunday.
Where does value come from? What does pursuing the highest value do? What about pursuing something less? Homily for the Second Sunday of Advent.
Stories help us to understand life, our place in this world and how to live well. More than one story exists, though, and often they compete and clash. In whose story are you living? Homily for Christ the King.
Having been proved true and accepted by the Father, Jesus invites us to a way of life that leads to being vindicated by God, too. Homily for the 33rd Sunday of Ordinary Time.
The strange paradox of the widow. Homily for the 32nd Sunday of Ordinary Time.
A little true listening goes a long way. Homily for the 31st Sunday in Ordinary Time.
Having been baptized into Christ's love gives us a share in His mission to provide healing and hope to a broken world. Homily for the 29th Sunday of Ordinary Time.
Homily for the 28th Sunday of Ordinary Time.
Christian marriage is an extraordinarily exalted vocation. Homily for the 27th Sunday of Ordinary Time.
Altar Server Appreciation Sunday was the perfect occasion to better understand Jesus' words in the Gospel. Homily for the 26th Sunday of Ordinary Time.
The disciples asked, "Who is the greatest?" Jesus didn't follow that with, "Don't seek greatness," but "If anyone wishes to be first, he shall be the last of all and the servant of all." The question about greatness shouldn't focus on oneself, but on that which is true greatness, and on the One who embodied it. Homily for the 25th Sunday of Ordinary Time.
Why are so many young people protesting and demonstrating? What has made them susceptible to trends that offer a sense of moral superiority without actually demanding much moral excellence? Is the common Christian invitation consonant with Christ's? Homily for the 24th Sunday of Ordinary Time.
There's nothing wrong with pursuing wealth--we need it to survive, and to some degree, to thrive. The problem comes with pursuing or misusing excess wealth, which as St. James suggests, impacts how we assess the worth of others. Homily for the 23rd Sunday of Ordinary Time.
If Jesus accepted the rejection of his teachings, wouldn't that mean his teachings were consequential, important enough not to be amended, discounted or equivocated? Were they more important than increasing the number of followers? What does that mean for Christianity and following him? Homily for the 21st Sunday of Ordinary Time.
Friends, we've been brought into not just any family, but God's family, given not just any bread, but the bread from heaven that gives life, and invited to do this—live your life as a gift of love. Don't put limits on what God can do. Just believe. Homily for the 20th Sunday of Ordinary Time.
A life without many sacrifices suggests a life without a high aim. Sacrifice for the highest good, and life becomes pleasant and fragrant, as St. Paul said. Homily for the 19th Sunday of Ordinary Time.
Not all of Christ's followers are asked to preach, but all are involved in the proclamation of the Gospel. Homily for the 15th Sunday of Ordinary Time.
The President's predicament may not be far removed from our own. Homily for 14th Sunday of Ordinary Time.
Homily for the 13th Sunday of Ordinary Time.
Homily for the 11th Sunday of Ordinary Time and Father's Day.
Confusion is a hallmark of the tricky, little Serpent. Homily for the 10th Sunday of Ordinary Time.
Covenants aren't made and renewed by word alone. Corpus Christi Homily.
Our Ancestors acted in time; our God acted and acts in time, too. Our connection with both depends on our respectful remembering and our love. Holy Trinity Homily on Memorial Day Weekend.