Sunday Homilies

from Father Kevin Laughery, Troy St. Jerome and St. Jacob St. James Parishes, Diocese of Springfield in Illinois. Note: Comments from this page do not reach me; instead, email: kl@kevinlaughery.com

The Podcasts

It's not enough to be acquainted with our God; we must enter into the challenge of relationship with the author of our being.  The challenge will feel like discipline, so we must be careful to recognize that discipline is for the sake of growth, not shame.

Direct download: KML_2010-08-22_945am.MP3
Category:Sunday Homilies -- posted at: 4:10pm CDT

The Diocesan Adult Enrichment Conference will be held in Decatur on November 7 and 8.  For the upcoming edition of this biennial conference, I especially recommend the presentations by Father Paul Turner on the new English translation of the Roman Missal.

http://www.dio.org/catechesis/diocesan-adult-enrichment-conference.html

Category:Sunday Homilies -- posted at: 11:47am CDT

It amazes us to think that the strange imagery of Revelation and other apocalyptic literature was part of the purpose of encouraging people!  But in fact, this writing is for the sake of comforting people under persecution.  They are invited to recognize the cosmic significance of their own sufferings.  The woman was given a place of refuge in the desert; this is a fitting image of Mary's assumption into heaven.  Recorded at Sacred Heart, Franklin.

Direct download: KML_2010-08-15_800am.MP3
Category:Sunday Homilies -- posted at: 11:38am CDT

The Assumption of the Mother of God calls to mind the presence of the Son of God in this world.  Awareness of the presence of God focused, among the people of Israel, upon the Ark of the Covenant.  The title "Mother of God" is literally translated "God-bearer."  Recorded at St. Sebastian, Waverly.

Direct download: KML_2010-08-14_605pm.MP3
Category:Sunday Homilies -- posted at: 11:34am CDT

I already noted Alveda King's visit to Springfield.  There is another event to tell you about.  Alveda King will be the featured speaker at Springfield Right to Life's annual benefit dinner, to be held this year on Friday, September 24, 6:30 pm, at Northfield Center, 3280 Northfield Drive, Springfield.  Reservations: adults $50, students $25.  Anyone who is interested in attending may contact me by Thursday, September 2.

The feeling dimension of our lives is of the greatest importance.  I invite you to take a look at some materials I've prepared: http://www.kevinlaughery.com/feelings.html

Category:Sunday Homilies -- posted at: 3:11pm CDT

Effective Sunday, August 22, the Sunday Mass schedule will be: 8:00 am at Sacred Heart; 9:45 am at St. Mary.  Again, my thanks to all parishioners who offered ideas.

Category:Sunday Homilies -- posted at: 12:15pm CDT

A consideration of the concrete experience of faith.  This was recorded at the end of my current weekend schedule, at New Berlin St. Mary.

Direct download: KML_2010-08-08_930am.MP3
Category:Sunday Homilies -- posted at: 12:09pm CDT

Thanks again to all Sacred Heart parishioners who worked at Vacation Bible School.  Franklin can be very proud of its ecumenical spirit.  Next year is Sacred Heart's turn to provide a director for VBS.

Here is more complete information on the Franklin Christmas musical.  An initial meeting will be held this Wednesday, August 11, 7:30 pm, at Franklin Christian Church.  The contact for further info. is Nita Reese, 675-2221.

Our diocesan Social Concerns Office has helped to organize a couple of pro-life events involving Dr. Alveda King, a niece of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.  More info.: http://mm.dio.org/aug_10/item08h.pdf

Recently I was captivated by an image connected with an ecumenical event in Germany.  You can see it too.  Go to my home page, kevinlaughery.com, and click on "Walking on Water."

Category:Sunday Homilies -- posted at: 12:41pm CDT

I can now announce my decision regarding the Saturday Masses.

Effective Saturday, August 14, Mass will be at Visitation at 4:20 pm, and at St. Sebastian at 6:05 pm.

I want to take one more week to consider two possibilities for the Sunday schedule.  We could have 8:00 am at Sacred Heart and 9:45 am at St. Mary; or, we could flip the schedule, with the earlier Mass being at St. Mary.

With thanks to all who have offered their ideas.

Category:Sunday Homilies -- posted at: 10:18pm CDT

I recorded this homily at the beginning of my weekend schedule, at Visitation BVM Church in Alexander, an unincorporated community on Old U.S. 36 between Springfield and Jacksonville.  We hear from Ecclesiastes the word "vanity," which perhaps for you and me is better rendered "foolishness."

Direct download: KML_2010-07-31_430pm.MP3
Category:Sunday Homilies -- posted at: 11:24am CDT

Last Saturday at Visitation, parishioners experienced a "Sunday Celebration in the Absence of a Priest."  It happens that we have ritual books for leading this sort of service; I am leaving them in the sacristies this weekend.  In weeks to come I will plan for one or more training sessions for parishioners willing to be designated to lead a "SCAP."  If it is at all possible, we want to avoid having to resort to SCAP; but, as Saturday proved, we need to be prepared for emergency situations.

The Region 12 (ourselves, Chatham, Auburn, Virden, Girard) planning group met on Wednesday; we will meet again on Wednesday, September 15, 6:30 pm, at our parish office building in New Berlin.  Before too long, you will begin to see in the bulletin a number of regular communications regarding shared activities and ministries, including coordinated schedules for Christmas and other holy days of obligation.

Vacation Bible School in Franklin will take place Sunday, August 1, through Thursday, August 5, 6:00 - 8:00 pm, at Franklin Christian Church.  Franklin is only the second town I've pastored (the first was Girard) where several churches collaborated on VBS.  This is a very powerful sign of willingness to seek unity among Christians.  In 2011 it will be Sacred Heart's responsibility to designate a VBS coordinator.  Thanks to all Sacred Heart parishioners who are working to make the 2010 VBS possible.

The weekly confession schedule has now been implemented.  The bulletin will always state explicitly whether or not I will be available on the coming Saturday.  Whenever there is a visiting priest, there are no scheduled confessions times.  The schedule is: 8:00 - 8:30 am at Visitation; 8:45 - 9:45 am at Sacred Heart; 9:30 - 10:00 am at St. Sebastian; 10:20 - 11:00 am at St. Mary.

An initial meeting in preparation for the Franklin Christmas Musical will be held Wednesday, August 11, 7:30 pm, at Franklin Christian Church.

Category:Sunday Homilies -- posted at: 12:51pm CDT

After a couple of head-scratching sessions with my recording device, I have succeeded in getting the thing to work again.  I'll post my August 1 homily and we'll be back in business!

Category:Sunday Homilies -- posted at: 12:48pm CDT

http://www.scborromeo.org/ccc/para/2267.htm

Paragraph 2267 of the Catechism of the Catholic Church discusses the right of society to make use of the death penalty; it mentions qualifications which render almost nonexistent the situations in which capital punishment is necessary.  We must stress this teaching as our state legislators consider the possibility of abolition of the death penalty.

Category:Sunday Homilies -- posted at: 2:58pm CDT

Last evening I attended the Songfest of the Franklin Area Service Association at the United Methodist Church.  Sacred Heart parishioners can be proud of the fact that our parish participates in this organization.  I'm interested in learning more about the activity of this organization.

I have learned that members of the Christian Church are attempting to organize Vacation Bible School for the week of August 2.  If you have worked on VBS in the past, you will probably be hearing from someone.  We must remember that it will most likely be our responsibility to provide a director for the 2011 VBS.

Feedback: I would advise emailing me at kl@kevinlaughery.com, instead of leaving a comment on this blog.  I am being deluged with dozens of apparently automated comments per day.

Category:Sunday Homilies -- posted at: 10:26am CDT

This morning I found that my recording device was completely unresponsive, not giving any sign of life, even after a battery change.  I'll work on finding alternate means for recording my Sunday homilies.

I am receiving comments regarding changes in the weekend Mass schedule.  So far I have not received much feedback on the prospect of moving Saturday Mass at Visitation from 4:30 pm to 4:00 pm.  There seems to be a good deal of contention, however, over the Sunday schedule.  Thus far I have received numerous communications attesting to the difficulty of getting young families ready for 8:00 am Mass, and the aggravated difficulty if Mass should be scheduled earlier.  I have not heard many compelling arguments against changing 9:30 at St. Mary.  I will be publishing my decisions on Wednesday, August 4.  Until then, please give me your ideas.

http://www.usccb.org/romanmissal/ is an online resource which all of us can use to familiarize ourselves with the new English translation of the Order of Mass, which will go into effect the weekend of the First Sunday of Advent, November 26-27, 2011.  In May I attended one of the workshops on the new Roman Missal offered by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.  In weeks to come I will take a little time before the homily to focus on some of the changes in language and the reason for these changes.

Category:Sunday Homilies -- posted at: 4:50pm CDT

Hello parishioners of the four parishes, 

I am going to use this blog (http://exsult1.libsyn.com) as the fastest and most convenient way to put my thoughts in writing.  I welcome parishioners' email addresses; please send your addresses to me at kl@kevinlaughery.com.

On this blog I post not only text, but also recordings of Sunday homilies.  If you want to set up an RSS feed so that you know when I've updated the blog, the address is http://exsult1.libsyn.com/rss

I have become aware of an immediate need in Franklin regarding Christian initiation for a young lady seeking to be received into the full communion of the Catholic Church.  I would like to develop a team whose purpose will be to work with such persons and prepare them to become Catholic Christians.  I am interested in receiving word from parishioners who are interested in engaging in this activity.

Category:Sunday Homilies -- posted at: 9:13am CDT

I am afraid that I could not readily put my hands on the iRiver in order to record this weekend's homily.  (I still have a lot of organization to do in my new rectory.)  I talked about how the word religion has shrunk in esteem, about the importance of the distinction when people say "I'm not religious, I'm spiritual" (religion as being bound to some practice -- one might say "stuck," vs. spirituality as spontaneous response to the presence of God in our lives), how Moses and Jesus today call us to a natural, spontaneous exercise of religion/spirituality; and I also threw in the controversy (Arians asserting that Jesus is not God) facilitated by St. Paul's expression today of Jesus being "the first-born of all creatures."

Category:Sunday Homilies -- posted at: 5:52pm CDT

Dear parishioners, 

My name is pronounced LOFF-ree or LAW-free (this last is an apt pun, since I am a church lawyer who sometimes would like to find a law-free zone, if such exists).  I answer to Fr. Kevin.

Confessions:

Before and after Masses seems to me a bit too casual, and could keep me from plain old visiting with parishioners after Mass.  I propose the following schedule for Saturday mornings:

8:00 to 8:30 am at Alexander Visitation BVM; 8:45 to 9:15 am at Franklin Sacred Heart; 9:30 to 10:00 am at Waverly St. Sebastian; 10:15 to 11:00 am at New Berlin St. Mary.  

It appears that I will have to wait until Saturday, July 31 to put this into effect.  Mission Co-op is July 24-25.  Whenever there is a visiting priest, I announce in the bulletin that there are no scheduled confession times that Saturday, but of course individuals always have the right to ask the priest to hear one's confession.  I may not offer the schedule every Saturday; the bulletin will say definitely whether the schedule will be in effect for the coming Saturday.

Weekend Mass schedule: 

An hour and a half between Mass start times makes for far too tight a schedule.  It is my plan, effective Saturday, August 14, to set the schedule as follows: 

Sat. 4:00 pm at Visitation; 6:00 pm at St. Sebastian; Sun. 8:00 am at Sacred Heart; 10:00 am at St. Mary.  

Please let me know your thoughts on these proposals.

Category:Sunday Homilies -- posted at: 12:37pm CDT

Hello to my new parishioners!  The task of moving was accomplished on Monday and Tuesday, June 28 and 29.  As of Thursday, July 1, I am taking a little vacation.  I look forward to presiding at Eucharists on the weekend of July 10 and 11 as well as to a new schedule of weekday Eucharists.  

On the evening of Wednesday, June 30, a number of representatives of our parishes attended the pastoral planning meeting for Region 12 (ourselves, Chatham, Auburn, Virden, Girard) to keep discussing how we will be in collaboration in our region.  From one point of view, the region has already accomplished its task.  With Fr. Angel's move from the parishes, my arrival, and Fr. Daren Zehnle's taking on Auburn in addition to Virden and Girard, we have reached the goal of having three priests in the region instead of four.  Now, however, we must continue our discussions about how to collaborate.  It was noted that the "Quad Parishes" already have a history of self-understanding as a pastoral unit.  This history is something we can build upon.  The next meeting of Region 12 is set for Wednesday, July 28, 6:30 pm, at the Holy Cross Parish Center, 125 East Washington, Auburn.

Category:Sunday Homilies -- posted at: 9:50am CDT

For the last time at Holy Cross, a summary of the strangeness of the Christian faith, and its power to shatter all distinctions among human beings.

Direct download: KML_2010-06-20_8am.MP3
Category:Sunday Homilies -- posted at: 1:32pm CDT

Walking in on the second act of "David and Bathsheba," as we do today, is proof that our appreciation of our worship depends on our taking time to be more familiar with the Bible.  The second reading and Gospel make abundantly clear the gratuitous nature of mercy, forgiveness, and salvation.

Direct download: KML_2010-06-13_8am.MP3
Category:Sunday Homilies -- posted at: 1:26pm CDT

When I tried to record this, I failed to turn it off until it had been recording for about four hours.  So here's a summary.  "Eating helps."  This was my discovery in the midst of the pain of facing up to a move.  The eternal priesthood of Jesus Christ keeps sustaining us.

Direct download: KML_2010-06-06_Summary.MP3
Category:Sunday Homilies -- posted at: 1:18pm CDT

Aspects of God as Trinity may be reflected upon when we say the Profession of Faith.  The new English translation highlights the "consubstantiality" of Father and Son, and the incarnation of the eternal Word of God.

Direct download: KML_2010-05-30_8am.MP3
Category:Sunday Homilies -- posted at: 9:27am CDT

The flesh is not evil.  We must understand Saint Paul's use of the term "the flesh."  Perhaps a contemporary equivalent is the modern concept of "addiction."

Direct download: KML_2010-05-23_8am.MP3
Category:Sunday Homilies -- posted at: 9:25am CDT

"What's up, Doc?"  What is the meaning of "up" when we consider the Ascension of the risen Jesus?  Clues may be found in the Hebrews passage, about Jesus' entrance into the heavenly sanctuary, and in the Gospel passage, about the Apostles frequenting the Temple of Jerusalem.

Direct download: KML_2010-05-16_8am.MP3
Category:Sunday Homilies -- posted at: 9:56am CDT

Of all the things that promise to unite people, jokes have a lot of promise -- although we have to be careful that the humor is not in mere ridicule but in a common sense of absurdity in human life.

Direct download: KML_2010-05-09_8am.MP3
Category:Sunday Homilies -- posted at: 9:54am CDT

On the occasion of First Holy Communion, a reflection on "love one another" and the fact that we can concretely love one another if we engage in the small act of listening.

Direct download: KML_2010-05-02_1015am.MP3
Category:Sunday Homilies -- posted at: 5:55pm CDT

On April 18, the Third Sunday of Easter, I had to catch a plane right after the last Mass, and I just didn't want to mess around with recording.  On the Fourth Sunday of Easter, Good Shepherd Sunday, I took a look (again) at the unrelenting aftershocks of the clergy sexual abuse crisis.  Crises can make us stronger if we give up our denial and confront the dysfunction in our midst.

Direct download: KML_2010-04-25_8am.MP3
Category:Sunday Homilies -- posted at: 5:50pm CDT

Even though I have spoken about the issue of clergy sexual abuse many times in the past, I had a hard time with this homily, and its length (16 minutes plus) reflects my difficulty.  My RSS feed of The Tablet has just reported that the Vatican has published on its website, in English, norms for handling such cases; there is stress upon the requirement that police be contacted.

Direct download: KML_2010-04-11_8am.MP3
Category:Sunday Homilies -- posted at: 1:54pm CDT

The apostles and the other witnesses of Jesus' resurrection found this event to be an inner as well as an outer experience.  His resurrection meant that so many things which they did not understand beforehand made sense now.

Direct download: KML_2010-04-04_8am.MP3
Category:Sunday Homilies -- posted at: 1:51pm CDT

Our anxiety about whether "things are going to be OK" hangs on the meaning of the death of the man in whose Passion we participate today.

Direct download: KML_2010-03-28_8am.MP3
Category:Sunday Homilies -- posted at: 1:48pm CDT

On my tenth anniversary in Divernon and Auburn, a consideration of the fact that we would like God and his people to respond to us with mercy rather than harshness.

Direct download: KML_2010-03-21_8am.MP3
Category:Sunday Homilies -- posted at: 9:46am CDT

We say we see.  Do we have insight as well as sight?

Direct download: KML_2010-03-14_1015am.MP3
Category:Sunday Homilies -- posted at: 9:44am CDT

Grow or die.  Bear fruit or be rejected.  We know that our God is not the rejecting type; nevertheless, we need to be attentive to the spiritual imperative before each of us.

Direct download: KML_2010-03-07_8am.MP3
Category:Sunday Homilies -- posted at: 9:41am CDT

It is difficult for us to hold in our minds any thought which would embrace the wholeness of any person.  We use mental shorthand and categorize people into "like us" and "not like us."  The transfiguration of Jesus is a response to the tremendous difficulty the disciples would undergo when it seemed to them that their master was utterly isolated from all human society.

Direct download: KML_2010-02-28_8am.MP3
Category:Sunday Homilies -- posted at: 12:39pm CDT

This is about a guy who takes a funny-looking stick and hits a tiny little ball and people pay him lots and lots of money for doing this.

Direct download: KML_2010-02-21_8am.MP3
Category:Sunday Homilies -- posted at: 9:25am CDT

Every one of us has need of God as a tree needs to be rooted in a place with an unfailing supply of water.  We must not behave with presumption, as if we could casually postpone a bond with God until the time that suits us.

Direct download: KML_2010-02-14_8am.MP3
Category:Sunday Homilies -- posted at: 9:46am CDT

Our call from God makes itself felt when we are caught up in wonder and awe.  Our sense of awe may well be connected with a sense of unworthiness, as in the case of Isaiah, Paul, and Peter.  We are aware of our absolute need for God, and thus God can take command of our life.

Direct download: KML_2010-02-07_8am.MP3
Category:Sunday Homilies -- posted at: 9:37am CDT

Our feelings, including feelings of love, must become integrated with our sense of values and of relationship to God and the world.  We must move from the "childish" reaction of the crowd in Nazareth to a realistic sense of our limits and our call to love.

Direct download: KML_2010-01-31_8am.MP3
Category:Sunday Homilies -- posted at: 5:14pm CDT

We consider the strong feelings surrounding the reading from these scrolls in the books of Nehemiah and Luke. Awareness of our feelings keeps us in touch with our full humanity and our relationship with the Creator. Our being subject to our feelings is a fact which we can carry to our sense of wonder over Jesus, God become human.
Direct download: KML_2010-01-24_8am.MP3
Category:Sunday Homilies -- posted at: 9:38am CDT

"Jesus approved of marriage" -- this is like saying "Jesus approved of sunshine." In the analogy of the Church as the Body of Christ, all Christians in their various states of life contribute to the well-being of the whole body.
Direct download: KML_2010-01-17_8am.MP3
Category:Sunday Homilies -- posted at: 9:36am CDT

Solidarity with the human race is what Jesus expresses, both in his birth at the beginning of the Christmas season, and in his baptism on its last day. We are called to exercise solidarity with one another as well, for the sake of securing justice.
Direct download: KML_2010-01-10_8am.MP3
Category:Sunday Homilies -- posted at: 9:16am CDT

Making your child a public figure in infancy is probably not what you want to do. The Christ Child, on the other hand, was a public figure from birth, because of his identity as the unique Savior of all the nations of the earth.
Direct download: KML_2010-01-03_8am.MP3
Category:Sunday Homilies -- posted at: 9:28am CDT

All of us, by reason of our baptism, are living out our call to holiness. There are some highly visible vocations (e.g. priesthood) which we need to pay special attention to. All of us, living out the universal call, act with freedom so that, with the help of God's grace, "what we shall later be" can joyfully surprise us.
Direct download: KML_2009-12-27_Summary.MP3
Category:Sunday Homilies -- posted at: 4:16pm CDT

http://www.usccb.org/nab/bible/daniel/daniel13.htm The lady who attacked Pope Benedict and injured Cardinal Etchegaray happens to be named Susanna. So we have another, quite different story of "Susanna and the Elders" from the one referenced in the above link. On Sunday, December 27, at the last Mass, I made ready to record, and I didn't recognize that the device was signaling that I had "hold" on. Some time today I will record an audio summary of my homily for Holy Family.
Category:Sunday Homilies -- posted at: 11:31am CDT

The Christmas Curmudgeon of the 21st century asks: What does it mean when people say, "I can't believe that Christmas is here already!"? It may be a good experience for us to perceive the recurrence of great feast days and to lift our gaze to the eternal truths that they reveal to us.
Direct download: KML_2009-12-20_1015am.MP3
Category:Sunday Homilies -- posted at: 1:18pm CDT

"Your redemption is at hand." Instead of denying the fact that each of us faces a moment of ultimate truth before God, we who acknowledge our God as the Lord of all time and history look forward to God's work of fulfilling all of creation.
Direct download: KML_2009-11-29_8am.MP3
Category:Sunday Homilies -- posted at: 8:48am CDT

"You say I am a king." We are challenged to imagine a different sort of kingship in the Son of God who in ruling us has become the ultimate servant.
Direct download: KML_2009-11-22_8am.MP3
Category:Sunday Homilies -- posted at: 8:46am CDT

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.
Direct download: KML_2009-11-15_8am.MP3
Category:Sunday Homilies -- posted at: 6:26pm CDT

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.
Direct download: KML_2009-11-08_8am.MP3
Category:Sunday Homilies -- posted at: 6:23pm CDT

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.
Direct download: KML_2009-11-01_1015am.MP3
Category:Sunday Homilies -- posted at: 12:32pm CDT

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.
Direct download: KML_2009-10-25_8am.MP3
Category:Sunday Homilies -- posted at: 12:30pm CDT

Christians must not settle for "generic religion," but must plumb the depths of the shocking, personal nature of faith in Jesus Christ.
Direct download: KML_2009-10-18_8am.MP3
Category:Sunday Homilies -- posted at: 12:21pm CDT

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.
Direct download: KML_2009-10-11_8am.MP3
Category:Sunday Homilies -- posted at: 1:59pm CDT

High ideals for marriage are accompanied by the assurance that the Word Made Flesh is pleased to be called our brother.
Direct download: KML_2009-10-04_1015am.MP3
Category:Sunday Homilies -- posted at: 1:50pm CDT

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.
Direct download: KML_2009-09-27_8am.MP3
Category:Sunday Homilies -- posted at: 1:35pm CDT

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.
Direct download: KML_2009-09-20_8am.MP3
Category:Sunday Homilies -- posted at: 3:18pm CDT

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?
Direct download: KML_2009-09-13_8am.MP3
Category:Sunday Homilies -- posted at: 3:16pm CDT

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.
Direct download: KML_2009-09-06_1015am.MP3
Category:Sunday Homilies -- posted at: 3:14pm CDT

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.
Direct download: KML_2009-08-30_8am.MP3
Category:Sunday Homilies -- posted at: 6:56pm CDT

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.
Direct download: KML_2009-08-23_8am.MP3
Category:Sunday Homilies -- posted at: 10:03am CDT

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.
Direct download: KML_2009-08-16_8am.MP3
Category:Sunday Homilies -- posted at: 9:21am CDT

... Sunday, August 9. I'm on vacation.
Category:Sunday Homilies -- posted at: 7:33pm CDT

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.
Category:Sunday Homilies -- posted at: 5:55pm CDT

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.
Direct download: KML_2009-08-02_8am.MP3
Category:Sunday Homilies -- posted at: 5:46pm CDT

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.
Direct download: KML_2009-07-26_1015am.MP3
Category:Sunday Homilies -- posted at: 2:42pm CDT

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.
Category:Sunday Homilies -- posted at: 3:21pm CDT

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.
Direct download: KML_2009-07-19_8am.MP3
Category:Sunday Homilies -- posted at: 10:02am CDT

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.
Direct download: KML_2009-06-28_8am.MP3
Category:Sunday Homilies -- posted at: 9:17pm CDT

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!
Direct download: KML_2009-06-21_8am.MP3
Category:Sunday Homilies -- posted at: 9:13pm CDT

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.
Category:Sunday Homilies -- posted at: 2:35pm CDT

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?
Direct download: KML_2009-06-14_1015am.MP3
Category:Sunday Homilies -- posted at: 12:46pm CDT

This was Mission Co-op weekend in my parish, so I got lost.
Category:Sunday Homilies -- posted at: 12:43pm CDT

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.
Direct download: KML_2009-05-31_8am.MP3
Category:Sunday Homilies -- posted at: 12:35pm CDT

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.
Direct download: KML_2009-05-30_230pm.MP3
Category:Sunday Homilies -- posted at: 12:32pm CDT

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.
Direct download: KML_2009-05-24_8am.MP3
Category:Sunday Homilies -- posted at: 12:05pm CDT

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.
Direct download: KML_2009-05-17_8am.MP3
Category:Sunday Homilies -- posted at: 2:44pm CDT

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.
Category:Sunday Homilies -- posted at: 5:16pm CDT

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.
Direct download: KML_2009-05-10_8am.MP3
Category:Sunday Homilies -- posted at: 9:18am CDT

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."
Direct download: KML_2009-05-03_8am.MP3
Category:Sunday Homilies -- posted at: 9:16am CDT

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?
Direct download: KML_2009-04-26_8am.MP3
Category:Sunday Homilies -- posted at: 9:17am CDT

Your homilist still doesn't understand how a Sunday of Easter can be named for a private devotion.
Direct download: KML_2009-04-19_1015am.MP3
Category:Sunday Homilies -- posted at: 6:09pm CDT

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.
Direct download: KML_2009-04-12_1015am.MP3
Category:Sunday Homilies -- posted at: 12:19pm CDT

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.
Direct download: KML_2009-04-11_830pm.MP3
Category:Sunday Homilies -- posted at: 12:17pm CDT

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.
Direct download: KML_2009-04-10_7pm.MP3
Category:Sunday Homilies -- posted at: 12:15pm CDT

This is a homily on "basics" of the sacrament of the Eucharist.
Direct download: KML_2009-04-09_7pm.MP3
Category:Sunday Homilies -- posted at: 12:13pm CDT

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.
Direct download: KML_2009-04-05_8am.MP3
Category:Sunday Homilies -- posted at: 11:23am CDT

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.
Direct download: KML_2009-03-29_8am.MP3
Category:Sunday Homilies -- posted at: 12:37pm CDT

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.
Direct download: KML_2009-03-22_8am.MP3
Category:Sunday Homilies -- posted at: 9:18am CDT

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.
Direct download: KML_2009-03-15_8am.MP3
Category:Sunday Homilies -- posted at: 12:42pm CDT

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.
Direct download: KML_2009-03-08_8am.MP3
Category:Sunday Homilies -- posted at: 9:17am CDT

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.
Direct download: KML_2009-03-01_8am.MP3
Category:Sunday Homilies -- posted at: 11:05am CDT

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.
Category:Sunday Homilies -- posted at: 12:21pm CDT

Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time, February 22, 2009 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.
Direct download: KML_2009-02-22_1015am.MP3
Category:Sunday Homilies -- posted at: 11:35am CDT

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
Category:Sunday Homilies -- posted at: 9:35am CDT

This homily is a little different from the other one because of a rite of acceptance for a new catechumen.
Direct download: KML_2009-02-15_1015am.MP3
Category:Sunday Homilies -- posted at: 1:56pm CDT

Hear the word "leper," think the word "leopard"? I do.
Direct download: KML_2009-02-15_8am.MP3
Category:Sunday Homilies -- posted at: 1:55pm CDT

"Thou shalt not whine." Is it possible to live according to this commandment?
Direct download: KML_2009-02-08.MP3
Category:Sunday Homilies -- posted at: 2:24pm CDT

What might I have talked about on this weekend? You'll have to listen to find out.
Direct download: KML_2009-02-01.MP3
Category:Sunday Homilies -- posted at: 2:23pm CDT

Today is the 50th anniversary of Pope John XXIII's call for an ecumenical council.
Direct download: KML_2009-01-25.MP3
Category:Sunday Homilies -- posted at: 2:20pm CDT