Homilies

November 27, 2019

Column: Why I’m Thankful for Sinners

As a priest, part of my gig is listening to people tell me their sins.
November 3, 2019

Column: On “Nones” and the New Religion

Religion is not in decline, though such are the headlines.
October 4, 2019

Column: Farewell to a Ballpark

Baseball is a place as much as it is a game.
September 1, 2019

Column: Like the Ancients, We Still Want the Gods in our Politics

No better in our politics than primitives, we still invoke the gods.
August 11, 2019

Column: Human Bonds or Political Bounds?

Rodrigo’s son is Adrian. Adrian is disabled. Rodrigo works three jobs to pay for his care. Rodrigo brought Adrian from Peru to the United States 15 years ago, so he’d receive the best care possible, so he could live. Because Rodrigo loves Adrian, a father and a son.
July 27, 2019

Column: 5 Tips for Preaching to Children

Preaching to children belongs to the work of the priest.
October 31, 2019

Homily: The Christian Language of All the Saints

It’s possible only with the English language; it’s the marvelous characteristic of our great transatlantic tongue.
November 2, 2019

Homily: Praying for the Dead, Love and Living Memory

We’ve been doing this since the very beginning, honoring and praying for the dead.
November 10, 2019

Homily: Martyrs and Angels and Christian Courage

You wouldn’t think it, necessarily, but early Christian martyrs were often funny. They weren’t pious wimps singing hymns while being led away to torture and death. More often than not they were sardonic, sarcastic, and smart-mouthed.
November 17, 2019

Homily: When Christ Loses the Argument

To listen to this homily click here. I have always been haunted by the fact that Jesus didn’t really win the argument, that he convinced only very few. What I mean is that all along and throughout his ministry, although at times he attracted countless many, his disciples, when all was said and done, were few.
November 24, 2019

Homily: Killing Kings and Freedom

To listen to this homily click here. The death of the king marked year one in the French Revolution, the beginning of the republic and a new era—an era, of course, of freedom.
November 27, 2019

Essay: On Hope and Advent Preaching