http://www.catholic-forum.com/saints/pope0261i.htm The above takes you to the speech of Pope John XXIII which I referenced in today's homily. We all seek meaning in the span of days which is ours. We trust in the one sacrifice of Jesus, as discussed in today's passage from the Letter to the Hebrews.

Money is the reward for our personal labors, and we consider the disposition of our money to be quite a personal (and painful!) undertaking. We seek to trust that, if we are devoted to the Kingdom of God, we will discover that God is more devoted to us than we had imagined.

Human history is loaded with anonymity. Think of your multiple-great grandparents whose names you do not know. Think also of how Christian faith was passed on to you, and realize the greater difficulty of tracing your faith-genealogy. All Saints is about the witness of anonymous people, upon whom we depend absolutely for the gift of faith.

James and John last week did not perceive what Bartimaeus this week does perceive: that before one makes elaborate plans for the future, one must make sure of the way that he is traveling.

Christians must not settle for "generic religion," but must plumb the depths of the shocking, personal nature of faith in Jesus Christ.

The Word of God cuts through joints and marrow. We are more than naked in the sight of God: our most hidden thoughts and attitudes are known to him. Let us take advantage of this direct and frank relationship, opening ourselves to the help of the one who knows us well.

High ideals for marriage are accompanied by the assurance that the Word Made Flesh is pleased to be called our brother.

Seek consensus and unity, not division. This is a fairly obvious expectation for human collaboration. We have a maddening propensity toward ignoring this expectation, however.

It is typical of all of us that, when someone brings up a topic we don't want to think about, we change the subject. The Twelve can do this just as well as we can.

It is permitted to move a popular solemnity or feast of the Lord to a nearby Sunday. What could be more popular than the parish's own feast day?

As we hear of Jesus' healing of a deaf and speechless man, we ask how well we are hearing the Church's teaching of the truth about economic matters.

In the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois, today was set aside for special readings and prayers for a new bishop. The readings were from Isaiah 61, Hebrews 5, and John 17. The podcast includes a few thoughts on the bishop as someone who is first a good administrator of what's going on in his own heart.

Our affiliations speak about our life priorities. We are free to join ourselves to God or not. Whether we do or not makes all the difference for the direction and meaning of our lives.

We open ourselves to wisdom as we acknowledge how little wisdom we have. We develop our hunger and thirst for Jesus. Some thoughts today on health care and the common good, Eunice Kennedy Shriver, and Buzz Aldrin.

... Sunday, August 9. I'm on vacation.

The above is the number of articles in English listed by Wikipedia. It would appear that the total will reach three million in a matter of days. Although many are wary, thinking that a "do-it-yourself" encyclopedia cannot be accurate, the principle of millions of eyeballs making for an ever-more-accurate public knowledge font is sound. I have found much that is of interest to me as I look around Wikipedia, and I am sure there is a great deal for everyone.

If we speak of something as "merely a symbol," we don't understand symbolism and its power. Some etymologies say that the word "manna" itself means "what is it?" God's people keep on asking for the food that nourishes to eternity. When Jesus said, "I am the bread of life," he meant it, absolutely.

What can we define as "a lot of food"? Given the insatiable appetites of human beings, it's hard to say that any quantity is a lot. Obviously, our God is calling us to be less concerned about stockpiles and more concerned about our relationship with the one who feeds us.

This afternoon, the College of Consultors elected Msgr. Carl A. Kemme Administrator of the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois. Msgr. Kemme had served as Vicar General of the Diocese since 2002, and continues as Moderator of the Curia. He remains the pastor of St. John Vianney Parish, Sherman.

There were no homilies the last two weekends, as I was at work camp. Gathering the flock together and making sure that they are fed: these are the responsibilities of the shepherd. Even the shepherd is changed by his interaction with the sheep.

Evil is not a "force." It is a lack, a deficiency. We find our confidence in knowing that the Author of Life supplies for all the deficiencies we find in ourselves.

Is there an incident that better captures the humanity and the divinity of Jesus than his calming the sea? He makes short work of the subduing of nature ... because he wants to get back to sleep!

http://www.sj-r.com/archive/x986608316/Seeking-forgiveness-is-key-in-many-faiths Thoughts on forgiveness: I was interviewed for this a few weeks ago.

On June 3, 2009, Pope Benedict XVI transferred Bishop George Lucas of Springfield in Illinois to the Archdiocese of Omaha. We will be experiencing at least a few months of "sede vacante" and waiting for a new bishop. Life is messy, so why should we be so surprised by Moses splashing blood all over the altar?

This was Mission Co-op weekend in my parish, so I got lost.

The Bible is not the Book of Lists. There are a few lists in the book, and today's celebration highlights a couple of lists: the fruits of the Holy Spirit in Galatians 5 and their antitheses.

This is a big year for weddings for me; I have six scheduled. I thought I might record the homily for my first wedding of the year.

The Lord Jesus ascended because he descended -- into the depths of the misery humans experience because of the broken, sinful situation we are in. He is on his throne but he has also embedded himself in our anguish.

How can anyone talk about love? The subject overwhelms any human being. God is love, and we discover who we are in being loved by God.

Regular listeners know that I do not go out of my way to bring politics into my preaching. Issues of religion in human society, of "church and state," of infusing the social order with the fruits of faith, are the toughest issues one can preach on. And yet it must be done. The complexities must be grappled with. And I do not relish the task.

Today is the forty-fifth anniversary of my first Communion. I speak about the "Obama-at-Notre-Dame" thing, questioning the outraged response of some Catholics. The unity that St. Paul sought was not immediate when he made his debut as a converted person. Vine and branches, mother and child -- these say much about the organic unity of the Body of Christ.

Profound things are found in each of the readings. "Salvation is in no other name." "We are God's children now. What we shall later be has not yet come to light, but we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is." "There will be one fold, one shepherd."

The novel I refer to is The Way of All Flesh by Samuel Butler; I find the lives of Theobald and Ernest to be a caution against the establishment of religion. When religious faith is one with the postal service and internal revenue, what sort of faith is it?

Your homilist still doesn't understand how a Sunday of Easter can be named for a private devotion.

Get rid of the old yeast and become unleavened. St. Paul's Passover imagery is applied to the change that comes about when we acknowledge the sense of human dignity that follows from the treasure of the resurrection.

The amazement of the women at the tomb may, very usefully, be compared with the amazement of the brothers of Joseph when they found that one they thought dead was in the position of saving them from starvation.

The Passion of St. John is most emphatic about Jesus "laying down" his life, as opposed to having someone snatch it from him. The calm silence of Jesus unnerves Pontius Pilate.

This is a homily on "basics" of the sacrament of the Eucharist.

Was "Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?" a cry of despair? We must consider the source of this expression in order to understand properly why the writer of Mark's Gospel put it on Jesus' lips when he was on the cross.

The image of the grain of wheat "dying" may not be botanically satisfactory, but we certainly know what Jesus means. Conversion means entering into an existence that cannot be foreseen. It demands abandonment of self so that one's true self can be found.

An extremely important characteristic of our conversion into Jesus Christ is its personal nature. God as Trinity is personal. We come to understand that, as precious as any of our personal relationships is, there is infinite richness in the relationships among Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. It was truly a personal sacrifice when the Son of God became human.

Tell a psychiatrist what Jesus does in today's Gospel, and you will get a diagnosis affirming that he is suffering from delusions. That's the scandal of Christianity: we acknowledge that anyone else in this circumstance would be delusional, but in the case of Jesus, his identity and his special relationship with the Father are real.

What sort of God gives a couple a child -- miraculously -- and then says, offer up the child as a sacrifice? The same God who gave his son as the sacrifice which achieves humanity's salvation. Glory is found in the midst of suffering. God is truly personal.

Conversion means becoming who we really are? Strange as it may seem, this is a very helpful way to look at conversion. Conversion is from sin, which distorts our best and truest self. So the "change" of conversion is not into something alien to us; rather, it is ourselves becoming as God has intended us to be.

My friend Brian Noe has posted his concerns about recent U.S. Catholic mobilization against some federal legislation: http://noebie.com/blog/2009/02/21.html I concur with him that prophecy can only be based on the reality of possible laws -- not on extremes of speculation.

Ah, performance anxiety! I had said exactly what I wanted to say at the 8 am Mass. Regrettably, I had not recorded that one. So at 10:15 I was trying to duplicate the earlier delivery. I was way off. And it is a complicated thing to think about -- the qualitative difference between sight and insight. I find I sound better than I think I'm sounding, so this one is probably not bad. Anyway, we trust in the power of the Word for our deepest healing.

Catholics are hearing a lot about a bill before Congress called the "Freedom of Choice Act." I recommend your checking out a couple of recent articles in the Catholic press: Commonweal The Tablet

This homily is a little different from the other one because of a rite of acceptance for a new catechumen.

Hear the word "leper," think the word "leopard"? I do.

"Thou shalt not whine." Is it possible to live according to this commandment?

What might I have talked about on this weekend? You'll have to listen to find out.

Today is the 50th anniversary of Pope John XXIII's call for an ecumenical council.

I do recall that I made mention of the historic character of Barack Obama's assumption of the Presidency.

Again, I am uploading this on 2/14/09 and I do not recollect the substance of this homily.

I was traveling this weekend; hence, no homily.

Once again, this homily has disappeared into the mists of history, at least as far as my own mind is concerned.

I did not manage to record a Christmas homily.

Hello, Fr. Kevin is back in business. The other six will upload shortly. I have to run. I'm sorry I can't remember exactly what I was talking about on this occasion.

I am indeed taking a little break from tribunal business. It has been a long time since I have posted anything. I am recording my Sunday homilies; I am currently experiencing a technical problem which prevents me from uploading them. Friday I will be engaging in some troubleshooting. Blogs, I know, tend to be brief opinion-pieces. I am not necessarily comfortable with such, because I find that important societal issues require more than a statement of opinion. Indeed, I was recently reading a Commonweal article from a Catholic legal expert who finds the blogosphere odious because of the unthoughtful way in which so many super-Catholic bloggers respond. He finds it difficult to see charity being practiced. I can get into this frame of mind -- the short, sharp opinion! -- when I want to: say, when it comes to English grammar??? Garrison Keillor once did a sketch in which his character asks whether there is some kind of rule about the use of "whom." I find that there are a lot of people who vaguely know that "whom" is supposed to be used in certain cases. They have no idea, however, what the rule is. And then there's "between you and I." I'm told that President Obama is an egregious offender in this department. These situations are related, because both require a working knowledge of the objective case. English-speakers are not well aware of the case of nouns and pronouns. We tend to rely upon the order of words in a sentence as our indication of what's the subject and what's the object. Inflected languages, on the other hand, have noun endings which remove all doubt about the case. In English we encounter some inflection in "who/whom," "I/me," etc. The second of each pair is the objective-case form, while the first is what we call the nominative case. Direct objects, indirect objects, and objects of prepositions are to be in the objective case. So, for instance, it's always "between you and me." "I was heard by whomever was in the room." Sorry! This statement has to be analyzed so we see that "I was heard by whoever was in the room." We can rephrase this as "I was heard by anyone who was in the room." "Who" is the subject of the clause "who was in the room," and the form of "whoever" follows the case of "who"'s function -- as the subject of the clause -- and therefore it is in the nominative case: "whoever," not "whomever." I've been wanting to express this for years. If you've enjoyed this, tell all your friends you seen it here.

It may seem insignificant that John the Baptist answered "no" to the question, "Are you the Christ?" In fact, his "no" shines a light on our tendency to say "yes" and to act as if we are our own saviors.

While on a conference call this morning, I took a look at "Kevin Laughery" on Google and found a number of references to my having expressed concerns last week about setting up a Nativity scene in the Illinois State Capitol. I repeat my sense of the situation: that one must be wary of getting into the religious-symbolism business in the halls of government. I have been told that this is a free-speech matter; I still hold that there are also serious non-establishment concerns. I will be happy to discuss this issue.

Can we hold together the words "comfort" and "repent" in the same thought? If not, we need to open ourselves to the chastening received by God's people when they returned from the Babylonian Captivity.

See November 16.

See November 16.

For four weeks I failed to get my software to recognize my hardware. This morning, at last, it worked. Off the top of my head, I can't remember exactly what I was talking about in these earlier ones.

Why does all the world celebrate the dedication of a church near a subway station on the southeast side of Rome?

How many schools have their own mausoleum, and must one assume that such schools are pretty tough?

It isn't wrong because it's forbidden; it's forbidden because it's wrong.  It isn't right because it's commanded; it's commanded because it's right.

I was on vacation, and therefore dodged the bullet: the "Caesar's coin" incident just before a presidential election.  I'm good for another 12 years.

I can't remember what I preached about.

As of this Friday, October 31, AOL is no longer hosting websites.  I have therefore moved my site to a new service provider.  You can find the site at http://www.kevinlaughery.com.

Did I say "have moved"?  It's a process.  Besides uploading the files, I have to edit out the old URLs referring to the old service provider.  I am just back from vacation and have a lot of tribunal work before me.  So I am working on the site as I have the chance.  I will do my best to address the most popular parts of the site (liturgical calendars and "What Really Matters") with expedition.

(I am reminded of a comment by a Rome classmate of mine.  He said, "When waiters in Italy say subito [right away], they say it without any reference to time.  When they say it, the meaning is: 'I heard you.' ")

If you're wondering about Sunday homilies: I have two recorded.  The process of transferring them to my computer is at a standstill.  I plug the thing in and the software doesn't recognize that the device is connected.  I'll look into it ... subito.

AOL is discontinuing web hosting as of 10/31/08.  This podcast page is currently redirected from http://www.kevinlaughery.com, which will be the website's proper URL after it is moved.

Today is "Vineyard III." Am I coming across as genuine? Why be preoccupied with whether people perceive us as "good people"? We need to free ourselves from maintaining our image, and let God change us. Conversion -- a dynamic process -- is the fundamental reality of the Christian life.

I did not record myself on this "Vineyard II" weekend. We had a presentation regarding our sister parish in Guatemala.

Somebody said economics is the "dismal science." And I can't help sounding less than peppy when trying to talk about economics, even in the light of the Gospel. Of course, we have to stress that the parable of the workers in the vineyard has nothing to do with everyday economics. It is describing the Kingdom of God. Even so, we keep in mind that everyday economics is not divorced from the Gospel. "Greed is good" is wrong. Those involved in our economic system must concentrate on the good of all in the "law of the household" -- which is the meaning of the word "economy." The household is the whole world, including the poorest and most vulnerable.

This feast also happens to be our parish feast day. Consider the inconsistency: The people of Israel were not to make a golden calf, but Moses was instructed to make a bronze serpent.

I did not preach this past weekend because of the presence of a visiting priest.

I did participate in an interfaith service commemorating the 1908 race riot in Springfield, Illinois, on Saturday, September 6, in the Hall of Representatives of the Old State Capitol, Springfield.  I gave the welcome; here are my remarks:

Welcome to a place which people call "historic."

We can think of the time when this was the lawmaking center for the entire state, and when a man of this city grappled with our nation's prospect of becoming "a house divided."

We can recall that the body of this slain President was viewed here by the people for the last time.

Later, this place became this county's seat for seeking, but not always finding, justice.

Today we remember justice denied and justice miscarried here.

And we remember what "history" means.

History is not a charming tale that we contemplate from a distance.

For as surely as we are in this place, we are history, whether we want to be or not.

So today we turn from the expression "You're history," as meaning that one is over and done with, and embrace instead the identity of ourselves as history, as the cause of a just and loving future, as people whose repentance, conversion and dedication build a future worthy of the dignity of human beings.

The calendar cycles have aligned ... to provide a recollection of what I was doing 33 years ago, the weekend I entered the seminary. It is amazing how the very Scriptures I read at my last Mass at home have grown in significance -- especially Paul's instruction to "be transformed by the renewal of your mind."

We are all familiar with abuses of authority. Christians are called to a counter-intuitive sort of authority, modeled for us in Jesus himself, who came among us as one who serves.

I'm having difficulties uploading files from my recording device.  I hope to resolve this by Sep. 14 (next time I preach on a weekend).

When he speaks of throwing the food of the children to the dogs, Jesus lays bare a nativism which we carefully hide from ourselves. The fact of a child's illness breaks through the barriers we erect so we can create for ourselves that "comfort zone" we so frequently refer to. The human need for health -- for salvation -- is universal. May our self-imposed barriers crumble beneath God's outstretched arm (Alternate Opening Prayer).

I love the Olympics. I always have to see the opening ceremony. Friday night, in addition to the spectacle, we saw a little boy with the towering Yao Ming. I find a connection with Elijah in the cave and Peter trying to walk to his master on water.

Our duty to foster communion and dialogue; our assurance that nothing can separate us from God -- these are a few parts of the great variety of thoughts presented to us through the Scriptures.

What is your heart's desire?  It becomes obvious to any Christian that we must keep revising our idea of that heart's desire as it comes to embrace nothing less than the Kingdom of God.

Rely not upon the "explanation" of the parable of the weeds in the wheat. Let the parable itself carry you to a consideration of the patience of God.

Saturday, July 12, 2008, at the Catholic Pastoral Center, Diocese of Springfield in Illinois.

You need an explanation of the parables of Jesus ... if you want to make them safe and domesticated and toothless. Jesus probably did not provide explanations; somebody in the early Church considered this necessary. Jesus intended his parables to have teeth -- to keep gnawing at us as we consider how we enter into the kingdom of God.

Saturday, July 12, 2008, at the Catholic Pastoral Center, Diocese of Springfield in Illinois.

Saturday, July 12, 2008, at the Catholic Pastoral Center, Diocese of Springfield in Illinois.

Saturday, July 12, 2008, at the Catholic Pastoral Center, Diocese of Springfield in Illinois.

You need to decide whether the homilist is conscious. After a week spent at Catholic HEART Workcamp, I was suffering from severe sleep deprivation. I seem to recall talking about CREATURELINESS. Believe me, I was feeling like a creature, not a creator.

This was the homily given on the occasion of my silver jubilee.  This homily is unusual because I am interrupted by people explaining to me how funny it was for me to say "You don't know one another ... and it's a good thing."  They didn't let me complete my thought -- it's a good thing (for me, at least) that all these people from across nearly 51 years can come together for something very meaningful.  It was especially good for me.

Since Easter was the earliest we'll ever see it, we have before us twenty-six weeks of Ordinary Time, and that means six months of a more or less continuous reading from the Gospel of Matthew.  Today's passage is the conclusion of Jesus' Sermon on the Mount.  Does the exhortation to "build your house on rock" contradict St. Paul's teaching that salvation is a free gift?

The "homily" on this day was largely devoted to the in-pew fundraising campaign for the Cathedral.  I don't want to subject anybody to any more of this.  I promise a real homily next week!

We were baptized into "the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit."  The  communitarian being of God Himself helps us to understand why it is absolutely necessary for us to live our lives in relationship.

See the Vigil of Pentecost for references to harrowing experiences (does even St. Paul have the right to be the one talking about "labor pains" on the weekend of Mother's Day?).  Going through crises may perhaps purify our sense of what really matters in life.  We may be more responsive to the Holy Spirit.

This one features yours truly trying to talk about four different things; the third part is the homily proper.  Jesus commands the Eleven to "go and make disciples" -- in other words, bring people around so that they are as excited about their faith as anyone devoted to a particular teacher.

Sorry, a string of mishaps led to no homily being recorded for this Sunday.

The essence of God is sharing.  Now that's something to think about.

I had a Koinonia weekend going this weekend, I was just reconfiguring my computer, and I was between trips for conferences, so, I'm sorry, but no recording this week.

I can't remember what I preached about.

The resurrection of Jesus, and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, create community.  The first letter of Peter proclaims our new birth in baptism.  Birth means we belong to someone.  We eagerly claim our relationship to the crucified and risen one.

Resurrection is real; we just have a hard time perceiving it.  Resurrection, in fact, is a challenge held out to us.  Do we accept the challenge?  Do we submit to the dying that is necessary if we are to rise?

"What is truth?"  Pilate doesn't know.  Pilate very likely doesn't want to know.  Truth includes an acknowledgment of human suffering.  Jesus in his death does this very thing.

Through the Passover, and then through the Eucharist, ancient memories are alive and active in our midst, helping us to "remember forward" regarding our dignity and our call from God to service.

I was a bit distracted on Palm Sunday and did not manage to record a homily.  This is a summary.

"If I can survive death, I can survive anything."  But how does one survive death?  Jesus himself succumbed to death -- but this death was the conquest of death.  The raising of Lazarus prepares us to celebrate Jesus' resurrection.

Recorded while I was having my car worked on -- there may be some background noises.

On Laetare Sunday, I was looking for a "respite" from this sorry winter we've been experiencing.  On that particular day, the temperatures got up around 70.  I'm uploading this the following Tuesday, and we've been hit with several inches of blowing snow.  Maybe I should have prayed for more than a respite.

I'm sorry to be late with this upload.  As I recall, I looked at Jesus and the Samaritan woman as a way of identifying various anxieties of human life.

How can we act with true hope, and not give in to a despairing attitude?  Jesus gave an answer through his transfiguration.  We can perceive, along with Peter, James, and John, that the good is triumphant, even when we can see only evil surrounding us.

Yes, this year we are going to talk about sin.  Jesus' resistance of temptation is a good occasion for us to think about sins of recklessness, as well as their opposite extreme: sins of shrinking fearfulness toward all the challenges of life.

Today we are "searching for Bobby Fischer" and thereby presenting a counterexample for the Beatitudes.  We are all tempted to make the activity that most gratifies us our only goal in life.  If we accede to the temptation, we tell ourselves that we are providing ourselves with happiness, but in fact we cut ourselves off from the deeper acceptance of the world and our place in it which in fact brings joy to us.

DISCIPLES are people who submit willingly to a certain DISCIPLINE.  We can think of certain people or ideas that have excited us.  At one time or another, we have wanted our lives to be reflections of the thing that fascinates.  To be a disciple of Jesus means to be open to the many ways in which he calls us to re-think our own existence.

This was the first sermon for Auburn's observance of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity in its centennial year.  The venue: Cornerstone Community Church.  I forgot about recording until a couple of minutes into it.  Before turning it on, I got a good laugh when I said: "The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity was started by Episcopalians who shortly thereafter became Roman Catholics.  In mentioning this, I do not mean to presuppose any outcome."

We, the church, the assembly, are called to holiness.  "Holy" is a word rich in significance; yet it can be an obstacle to us when we seek to understand ourselves before God.  We welcome the encouragement of all who have accepted the challenge of the call to holiness.

Baptism is death.  This is not the sort of polite conversation that one expects when an infant undergoes baptism.  But this is precisely why Jesus underwent baptism: to be in solidarity with us who face this very strange thing called mortality.

We live in accelerated times.  Today we attempt to grasp what is of value in this time and for eternity.  We accept the challenge of accepting a gift of universal significance to humanity.

Family brings to mind familiarity -- and from ancient times it has been held that "familiarity breeds contempt."  Today's scriptures affirm that this does not have to be.  As we appreciate the growth of our family members, we find that learning to forgive is liberating.

I am quite certain that this homily, at the first Mass of Christmas, will be my best effort for the solemnity of the Incarnation.  The mystery of the Word Made Flesh calls us to look deep within ourselves to discover the joy which can emerge from misery as we ask what it means to be human, and ask as well why the Son of God would will to enter this life of ours.

We men like to assert our power.  The power or potency to beget children is greatly esteemed.  Today we hear of power being wielded in a way which calls all our power-posturing into question.

As I was uploading this, the host admonished me: "Please be patient."  Patience provides a near-universal challenge to human beings.  It is difficult to see what patience gives us.  Perhaps if we slowed down the processes of our minds, and simply stood quietly before the incredible images supplied by the prophet Isaiah, we might discover that in the slowness God gives much to us.

On a weekend of difficult weather and general distraction, a brief reflection on knowledge of God covering the earth as water covers the sea.

This somewhat windy homily takes the image of the man hammering his sword into a plowshare and applies it to the dream of the parish's becoming more completely a faith community.

Let's get past the reflexive response, "We're Americans -- we don't need kings!"  There is a great richness in the concepts of kingship and kingdom, and we can enrich ourselves by considering these concepts.  Jesus, truly God and truly human, subjected himself to ultimate degradation and made the cross his throne.  If we are in the midst of degradation, his presence there can mean everything to us.

This recording is close to an hour and a half.  I provide explanations of the various parts of the Mass.  We must conduct our lives remembering that we are the ancestors of the people of the future.  Will they be able to look back upon us with gratitude?

I received some highly gratifying positive feedback on this one.  I was happy to hear from people who said that it made them think!  That's what we must do if we are going to have an adequate appreciation of our relationship with God and what time and timelessness have to do with it.  We must rouse ourselves out of a "pie in the sky when you die" mentality.

After two weekends on vacation and some hassles with keeping my account activated, I am back with Sunday homilies. 

We all appreciate a quiet, loving hint so that we can be informed of a need to change something.  We don't appreciate it when this need becomes a topic of common conversation and we end up being the last to know.  Jesus was giving Zacchaeus that quiet, loving hint that leads to conversion.

Does the internet make place irrelevant?  Our deepest feelings say no.  Each of us is from somewhere.  We have a lot invested in particular places.  It is taking believers a long time to work through these feelings.

"How long, O Lord?"  This cry from the sixth century B.C. resounds in every age, wherever human beings are.  We experience time now as dragging, now as racing.  We are challenged to understand that God is drawing us from time into the timeless.  If we wonder about the virtue of patience, let us consider the patience of Jesus in casting his lot with humanity.

A somewhat different take on the rich man and Lazarus.  I consider what it means to take anyone's name in vain.  How do people instrumentalize each other?

Jesus' parable of the devious steward is not teaching us to be devious!  Rather, we find here an invitation to "work" a "system" as this man worked the economic system, which was all he could see.  Our "system" to "work" is creation itself.  We are to develop a sense of wonder toward God who, in his creation, constantly expresses his love for us.

Self-righteousness is hard to get rid of; after all, it feels so good!  But we can trade it in for something better.  May we confront ourselves in a healthy manner so as to accept the sense of peace which is far better than self-righteousness.

The death of Madeleine L'Engle; the ideas of C.S. Lewis regarding heaven; our upcoming parish feast day (Friday, September 14) and the prioritizing that occurs when we take up our cross.

Might heaven be boring?; a mistranslation of Hebrews; one of Jesus' least important parables; Mother Teresa couldn't control God.

I have to apologize for the strange appearance of this page.  I have to scroll down quite a bit through blank space to see the latest posts.  Libsyn has sent me some advice on how to correct this, but I don't have it figured out yet.

Apparently Libsyn has been having some problems over the last few days with access to their site.

Anyway, here's my first theology-bite on heaven, and my thought on responding to what is ultimately a meaningless question.  Accept discipline and stand up straight!

After two weekends away doing ecumenical training, the crusty old pastor is back.  This homily starts from a reflection on the practice of dueling.

Due to technical difficulties, this homily is appearing rather late.  The Scriptures give us a lot to consider regarding prayer.  It is most important to note the communal nature of prayer (even when we think we're "alone") and to take confidence in the strength of praying liturgically with people all over the world.  Does it help to tell people that the Tridentine Mass was never abrogated?  Does it help to treat the Christians of the Reformation as some virus in a test tube, on which you hope to put the right label?

We finish our reflection on the meaning of hell.  We also consider the virtue of hospitality, acknowledging that activity (of whatever kind) can get in the way of our focus on why we engage in various activities.

Treatment of eschatology continues with a consideration of hell, where jokes fall flat.  There has been a lot of name-calling in state government lately; we must consider the fact that labeling people is a foolish excuse for not responding to people spontaneously with love.

Today is my fiftieth birthday.  It's a time somewhat like Dante's mezzo del cammin di nostra vita (the middle of the walk of our life) and it was then that he looked into the "last things" in writing The Divine Comedy.  Today I complete my look at Purgatorio.  We also consider the meaning of fulfillment in life.  -- Well, I found an English translation of yesterday's motu proprio of Pope Benedict XVI and I can tell you that I don't like it one bit.

Freedom is the opportunity to choose a direction for one's life.  Jesus knew that he was proceeding resolutely to Jerusalem and an appointment with a cross.  Our challenge is freely to embrace everything that comes with the path of holiness.

Zechariah was unable to speak.  That doesn't mean he was unable to hear.  So why are the good fellows around him communicating in some sort of sign language?  Self-consciousness in difficult social situations can lead us to to do strange things (may I say "dumb" things?).  We recognize the un-self-consciousness of John the Baptist, whose vocation was to point to Jesus, Messiah and Savior.

Finally we get to a post-death "destination" -- although it's not a final destination.  Purgatory is the antechamber to heaven, and the concept of this state of purification is difficult to understand.  More to the point are the words of Jesus to Simon the Pharisee and of Nathan the prophet to King David.  God is merciful.

In this time-bound existence of ours, we touch the timeless as we open our hearts to our God.  The Holy Eucharist proclaims to us that we are fed and nourished in Jesus' Paschal Mystery in ways which are not readily perceivable.  We remember that sacrament and mystery are equivalent terms.

How well developed is your sense of play and celebration?  Can you experience life with the enthusiasm of God the Creator?  He made us that we might in some way reflect the love shared among the persons of the Trinity.

The Holy Spirit is at work through the words of Sacred Scripture.  It is important for all of us to read the Bible in its entirety.  We also need to let Scripture guide our prayer.  Our liturgical experience of the proclamation of Scripture is a dramatic way in which we experience the Word of God being addressed to us in a way that responds to the drama of our life.

A lot was going on today.  We begin "Eschatology" with "Limbo."  What experiences do we have that give us a sense of the peace of "dwelling in the house of the Lord"?

Since, in my locality, the Ascension falls on the Seventh Sunday of Easter, we are permitted to use readings of that Seventh Sunday on this day.  I used the Gospel from next Sunday: "That all may be one."  How does the incident in the Acts of the Apostles demonstrate for us the manner in which we should seek communion among all believers?  How are we preparing to enter the New Jerusalem?

A different take on the same readings.  NOTE:  Next weekend I will again be away from the parish; therefore no homily for May 5-6.

You who are listening to the podcast know very well the concept of "multitasking."  Can people multitask and do justice to any of the work they do?  Jesus' attention was fixed on one matter alone.  His singleness of heart led to the salvation of all of us and each of us.

Recorded at Divernon on Saturday, April 14.  Personally I will always have esteem for Thomas in his unwillingness to be deceived -- though I grant that we can improve upon him and learn to appreciate the need to accept the testimony of witnesses.  -- NOTE: I was not in my parish April 21-22 and did not preach.

Resurrection allows us to accept our memories -- even the most bitter.  Our participation in Christian baptism means that we have accepted the invitation of Jesus to accept all the good that comes from his confrontation of the contradictions of human existence -- especially the contradiction called death.  We are grateful for the invitation we've been given -- the invitation to live fully.

As I attempted to record my homily for Holy Thursday, I discovered that the battery was dead.  Sorry.  You will note that my Triduum homilies are building upon the concept of memory.

Luke is my favorite Gospel, and likewise the Passion of Luke is my favorite of the narratives of the death of Jesus.  It seems to me that Luke has an eye on the universal implications of the sacrifice of the Word Made Flesh.  When he says to the one crucified alongside him, "This day you will be with me in Paradise," we understand that God in fact brings into the Kingdom those who seem to be irrevocably excluded.  Recorded at the 8:00 am Sunday Eucharist at Auburn.

Well, is this a stretch or not?  In the incident of the woman caught in adultery, can we see an element of class consciousness?  I will leave it to you to form your opinion.  Anyway, this passage from the Gospel of John is unfailingly powerful.

This is the Sunday 10:15 am Mass in Auburn.  Once again, we consider the parable of the Prodigal Son -- this time, without reference to etymology.

Is there a connection between the words prodigal and prodigy?  I said so in this homily, but without checking a dictionary.  Now that I have, I find I can't verify this.  At least I know that prodigal doesn't mean "repentant" but rather "wasteful."  And it is an open question how repentant the prodigal was.  Recorded Saturday evening in Divernon.

I preached on these readings only once today.  The Third, Fourth, and Fifth Sundays of Lent have two sets of readings in Years B and C (this year is C) when the scrutinies are celebrated for people preparing for baptism at Easter.  There is a richness to the Gospel of Jesus and the Samaritan woman which could lead to a very long homily.  Mine is rather brief.

This has nothing to do with the homily; I merely present this as a public service.  -- People apparently are up in arms about "In God We Trust" not being on the new dollar coins.  Think again.  "E Pluribus Unum," "In God We Trust," and the minting year are on the rim of the coin (I remember this sort of thing being done on one-pound coins in the UK).  So all you people who love to be sanctimonious: find something else to be sanctimonious about.

Jesus underwent temptation just as we do.  But he never sinned.  So how much like us is he, really?  Can we relate to him?  Can his fidelity to his Father be attributed to superhuman powers?  These are vital questions which we must answer if we are to make our way through Lent to the celebration of the Easter Mystery.  Recorded Saturday evening, February 24, in Auburn.

How do we view people?  Can we expand our vision so we can see people more in the way that God sees us?  It is possible, and we can develop an appreciation for human beings which is a step toward the vision of Jesus in his challenging command to love our enemies.

We're back, thanks to Brian Noe's expertise.  For this first attempt with a new recording device, I'm a little bit self-conscious wearing the thing on my wrist.  We cast aside all distracting thoughts and extend our roots so we will always be one with the source of life.

Don't you get angry when people tell you how to feel?  I thought so.  It seems that Ezra is doing this very thing in the first reading.  Jesus, on the other hand, does not try to manipulate us.

Marriage is a process of embracing the ordinary.  Our God calls us to discover how wonderful the ordinary is.

I'm still sick, as you can hear.  Considering the word "epiphany" as meaning coming to a new insight or an "aha" moment.

I have been sick for over a week -- hence the late upload.  The gist of my thoughts for the Holy Family is that we as a Church thought we had all the answers to what families are supposed to be.  We have been proven wrong. 

I waited till my last Mass to make a recording.  It turns out that that Mass was the one where I had the stiffest "competition."  The Scriptures for the Mass of Christmas Day have us considering messengers and messages and our need to distinguish between them.

Do you enjoy being visited?  Mary and Elizabeth visit each other in order to proclaim that God has visited his people.

How do we find joy in being reminded over and over that we are merely human beings?  PRECISELY in embracing our identity as human beings.

Sorry, the first upload was the wrong format.

Sorry about the screechy recording from last week.  What voices do we listen to?

This year we observe the briefest Advent possible.  Seize the moment and consider what a coating of ice and snow has to say to us about God, our beginnings, and our fulfillments.

This is relatively lengthy, starting as it does with an issue I'm going to be talking about for several weeks: dismal weekend Mass attendance. -- My time in London helped me to consider the matter of kingship; I think I have some helpful insights.

I was sick and this homily was very brief.  I believe that this was the Gospel of "the widow's mite."

"Love God with all your heart" -- this is the first and greatest commandment.  But it is certainly not the first commandment of which we have a practical grasp.  Let us consider how we learn to love.

Those of us who use computers must be impressed with the visual nature of the interaction between ourselves and these devices.  We equate seeing with understanding.  The word of God today encourages us in our understanding.  As Hebrews declares today, God understands us, not because he is standing by and looking on from a distance, but because in Jesus he experienced the effects of living in the obscurity of a sinful world.

When we are faced with the unpleasant or the perplexing, we do our best to distract ourselves -- even if that means taking a flight into fantasy.  So Jesus' disciples did in trying to ignore his words to them that he must be put to death, and launching into a discussion of who is the greatest among them.  Let's put aside fantasy and acknowledge what truly gives meaning to our life.

Powerful readings: Isaiah 50, the third Suffering Servant Song; from James, the "faith-works" controversy; from Mark, "Get behind me, Satan!"

How good it is for our ears to be opened once again to hear Sunday reflections on the Word of God.  Reflecting on the life of my first seminary spiritual director, I add the image of the "heart of stone" (Ezekiel 36: 24-28) to the prescribed readings.

The Holy Eucharist responds well to our humanity.  It is the satisfaction of an immediate need alongside other immediate needs about which we are frequently reminded during the course of a day.

I was away last week.  In the meantime, our bishop made a long-awaited announcement regarding an investigation.  We as the People of God are called to recognize the strength that allows us to make our various life-journeys, especially in adversity.  "Get up and eat, else the journey will be too long for you."

I was much happier with this homily, given at 10:15 am.  What happened at the "multiplication of the loaves and fishes"?  Did Jesus just get everybody to share?  Would that have served his purpose completely?  We consider the abundance of God's love and accept the challenge, given today by St. Paul, to rely upon a deep source of love and patience in our hearts.

I am somewhat dissatisfied with this homily, given at 8:00 am, so I will give it another try at 10:15 am.  For one thing, the homily goes 11 minutes.  I am consistently urged to preach no more than 10 minutes (in seminary, I was taught that eight minutes is enough!).

Having returned from vacation, Fr. Kevin sounds as if he'd really like to be with Jesus and the Twelve, going to that out-of-the-way place to rest a while.  He got very accustomed to the relaxation!  He sounds kind of tired.  Pray for peace.

The way of the world is death, but we have the audacity to believe in a Creator who preserves us to eternal life, and in a Savior who came quietly into this world to triumph over death and to give that full life to those who exercise faith.

Fear can be a good thing, if it's the reverential fear that we owe to God.  We lift up our hearts to God who gives us life and all good things, and we remember, with Job, that God even tells chaos how far it can go.

The readings in Year B focus greatly on the blood of Christ.  Let us acknowledge the differences between the ancient mentality and our own, and appreciate their understanding of blood as a sign of atonement for sin.

The dynamism of the Holy Trinity should be reflected in the dynamic action of love in our lives.

"Now, listen up; this is the Holy Spirit talking.  Everybody start talking Latin!"  This is not the way the Holy Spirit works.  Unfortunately, the recent unpleasantness regarding English liturgical texts would lead one to believe that some highly-placed people in the Church do think that this is how the Spirit operates.  Today's passage from Acts contradicts them.  -- I do have one retraction of something I said.  I do believe that God deals with sinners with respect for the sinner's individuality.

After you hear this homily, you may find yourself humming the Beatles' "In My Life."  I am.

Where I live, we celebrate the Ascension of the Lord on the Seventh Sunday of Easter.  Therefore, on the Sixth Sunday of Easter we can use readings from the Seventh Sunday which we otherwise would never hear.  Today I used the Seventh Sunday's Gospel, Jesus' prayer "that all may be one."  Catholics need to watch their language when they refer to Christians of different denominations.

Today we consider the image of the vine and the branches, which, if you think about it, may suffer from some inadequacies.  We also consider the awkwardness of a former attacker coming over to the enemy.

Even Jesus cannot provide a perfect analogy.  It's just the nature of an analogy that it is always in some way inadequate.  And in the case of the Good Shepherd, the deficiency is this: WE'RE NOT SHEEP.

My take on The Da Vinci Code.  Also, is it true that, after the Resurrection, you still get to eat?  This was from the 8:00 am Mass at Auburn (10:15 was First Communion).

I had a little competition at the beginning of this homily.  These are some thoughts on the various titles given to Jesus and their meaning.  Recorded at the late Mass in Auburn.

The Covenant ... and how it is expressed to its fullest degree in the one who was lifted up and draws all to himself.

A week ago I was having problems with uploading.  Now, I am having problems remembering what I talked about.  Having referred to a lectionary, I recall now that I talked about the Babylonian Exile.  Also, of course, about John 3:16.

I was windy today -- this is over 14 minutes, at the early Mass at St. Benedict. I am covering various aspects of participation in liturgy. I would love to go deeper into the social situation of "convenient sacrifice" at the time of Jesus. My personal spirituality is founded upon the notions of sacrifice as discussed in Hebrews 9 and 10.

Is anxiety necessary? Was Abraham's imperative to kill his son all in his mind? We will try to answer these questions today. Recorded at the 8 am Mass in Auburn.

Once I finished this homily, I realized that I had not mentioned the date of Easter; it's April 16. Lent does not exist for its own sake; rather, it is our preparation for Easter.

Where was I the previous two weeks? Well, I was at the ambo ... but I don't have recordings to prove it. I know I inadvertently erased Feb. 19 -- but I don't know what happened to Feb. 12. Today's reflection continues with practical matters of living as a parish community, and it focuses on that church staple put together with staples: the humble missalette.

Today I talk about money. Listen to determine whether I make a convincing case for money being "boring."

The early Mass at St. Benedict. The man crying out in the synagogue makes me think of 1) kids in church -- an emotionally-charged issue, and 2) mental illness. Listen to my thoughts.

The last and best-attended Mass. A familiar theme of mine: We don't go to Mass to make God happy. Rather, God makes us happy (repentance/conversion) and then we, out of thanksgiving, are present for worship.

You were perhaps looking for the "First Sunday in Ordinary Time"? Sorry -- it doesn't exist! A bit of housekeeping, plus a look at the built-in eagerness for God that all of us have.

This was a week ago. I don't remember much. Mainly I was, I think, talking about the officialization of the new parish.

Two listeners noted that my original recording was truncated. Here, I believe, is the complete recording.

Midnight in Auburn: my fourth of five Christmas Eucharists.

Earlier I had posted an explanation of my absence on the Second and Third Sundays of Advent -- but that recording was blank, because I had not turned the microphone on. I'm back with a homily recorded at the early Mass at Auburn.

Rather, where was my microphone? The explanation, and a summary of my thoughts for the Second and Third Sundays of Advent, is on the recording.

The late Mass in Auburn.

This was the early Sunday Mass, held at the St. Benedict Parish Center because the church interior is being painted.

I am still not used to turning on my recorder AFTER I have proclaimed the Gospel. November 13 I was one sentence into the homily (at my last Mass) and I said to myself, "No, I'm not going to stop now."

I goofed and recorded the Gospel passage. Is this illegal, or am I just PREMATURELY RIGHT?

I note some extraneous noise; I think the mic must have been rubbing against fabric. On "Priesthood Sunday," there are some pertinent readings! Fr. Kevin recalls his interview for the seminary. Recorded in Auburn, Sunday morning.

"You can't have everything you want." See whether this glum pronouncement leads to anything good. Recorded Sunday in Auburn.

The copyright cops have spoken! Until further notice (because the USCCB is still looking at the phenomenon of podcasting), I am not to podcast the proclamation of the Scriptures from the New American Bible. So we go straight to the homily. As Americans, we are wired to take the incident of Caesar's coin and project onto it all of our anxieties about the delicate balance of church-state relations. This homily was delivered Sunday morning in Auburn.

Fr. Kevin recalls his recent high-school reunion and considers the inclusiveness of God.

Recorded in Auburn on Sunday morning. I can't make many connections with "Murders at the Vineyard." Our minds are on the likely development of a new parish being formed from Pawnee St. Mary, Divernon Sacred Heart, and Auburn St. Benedict (with Waverly St. Sebastian under the care of the pastor of New Berlin).

Recorded Sunday morning in Auburn. A reflection on how a relationship with God "works." The example of Jesus' emptying of himself (Philippians 2).

"The parable that everybody hates." This is the parable of the workers in the vineyard. Consider the deliberate provocation that Jesus is making by telling this story. Recorded Saturday, September 17, in Waverly.

Recorded in Waverly, Saturday, September 10. I am now uploading using a high-speed wireless connection. This cuts the upload time dramatically. I am also using a new microphone. Unfortunately, my voice is not at its best.

Recorded in Auburn. A look at leadership through the life and death of Brother Roger Schutz of the Taize ecumenical monastic community in France.

Recorded in Auburn at 7:50 am Sunday. The selection of readings steers us toward a consideration of "who are foreigners?" and "who are God's people?" This is a common and very important theme in the Scriptures. I seek to expand beyond the idea of "nationality" and think of other ways in which we needlessly divide people up.

Recorded in Waverly on Saturday. I had some difficulty in turning off my recording device, so the Gospel and homily are in fact much briefer than this recording.

On developing a taste for God. Recorded in Auburn. Later today: audio of some remarks at parish meetings on inevitable changes in parish arrangements.

Here's the real thing.

Recorded Sunday in Auburn. My RCIA coordinator spoke right after the Gospel. My local ISP keeps disconnecting, so I have uploaded a brief sound file to indicate this. I hope before the day is out to upload by alternate means.

Recorded in Waverly, Saturday, July 16, 2005. On prayer as "groaning."

I was away on July 9-10; therefore, no homily.

Recorded Saturday, July 2, 2005, in Waverly, Illinois. Faithful Listener, do you find any difference in recording quality between Waverly and Divernon? I began this liturgy by talking about how much I dislike the word "meek." There was once a comic strip about mice called "Eek and Meek," and "meek" sounds to me like a sort of squeak coming from a mouse. It's a wimpy, doormat-like, mousy word, to me. But listen for a new and positive take on "meek."

Recorded Saturday evening at Divernon.

Recorded in Auburn. Goes into tedious detail about these recordings, the Catholic Times newspaper, and Catholic marriage law.

This one runs a little long. I was examining a recent tragic local event. Recorded in Waverly.

Recorded on Saturday in Waverly.

Once again, I did not preach. Fr. Phil Kraft covered my weekend schedule. I am feeling fine and look forward to posting a homily on May 22.

Sorry, I'm away from my parishes; therefore, no homily for this weekend.

Sorry, I'm away from my parishes, so no homily for this weekend.

"Good Shepherd Sunday" and the worldwide flock's anticipation of a new Pope.