Are we like goats?  We make a lot of noise, and we will eat anything.

The word "talent" presents difficulties, since it seems to refer to performance.  Our God in fact wants us to go deeper than performance and recognize essential qualities which are not easily subject to observation.

"Stay awake!"  In fact, the point of the parable is the exercise of forethought, as opposed to vigilance.

On sainthood as a process.

The great commandments.

Every twelve years: "Caesar's Coin" just before a presidential election.

More perversity.

Perversity -- and a tribute to Joaquin Lavado (Quino), noted for his comic strip "Mafalda."

Of Brownies and brownie points.

"The parable that everybody hates": proof that Jesus intended his parables to be provocative.

The parable of the unforgiving debtor: Do we get it?

Campus minister Emily Rogers of the Newman Center of Eastern Illinois University interviews Fr. Kevin Laughery on racism.

Sorry, no audio for this Sunday.  You can hear the homily by viewing the St. Jerome live stream.  (My wearable mic wasn't working, but the ambo mic was.)

Part 2 of two parts.  Peter doesn't understand that the Messiah (and those who proclaim his name) has to suffer and die.

Part 1 of two parts.  Peter expresses faith in Jesus and Jesus calls him the "rock" on which he will build the Church.

Our lives are rich and full -- so much so that we could sing arias about them.

When we are afraid, we want people to affirm that they feel afraid, too.

Jesus is not the "victim" here.  He has something in mind when vast throngs come to him.

This was the weekend when we added a public Mass.  -- Does everything work out for good?  If we keep in mind the human family instead of a narrow focus on ourselves, we will be pleasantly surprised!

I can't recall why I don't have a recording for July 12.  -- Have you rebuked temerity lately?

Gentleness is needed to heal a raucous and agitated world.  

As important as family ties are, we must not allow them to impede us from proclaiming the Kingdom of Godl

We began having public Mass.  We are the assembly, and have always been such.  Fear no one.

I think that, for a time, I thought my recorder wasn't working, and I missed recording audio for two Sundays.  You can find the video recordings.  -- We focus on the physicality of eating and drinking and recognize that this food and drink feeds us more deeply than other nourishment.

My apologies to all who are looking for more homilies.  Particularly during this Easter season, I have been forgetful and have not always brought my digital audio recorder to church.  You can see and hear videos on Facebook, St. Jerome Catholic Church, Troy, Illinois.  The videos are archived on YouTube, St. Jerome Church, Troy, Illinois.

Heaven is not "up"!  Indeed, heaven is as close as the human heart when our God has made his dwelling there.

Mystery and conversion are things we surrender to, without trying to figure them out.

My apologies for not including Palm Sunday and the Second Sunday of Easter, neither of which I recorded (things have been weird here; have they been weird for you?).  Anyway, the theme of insight continues: things begin to come together and make sense for the two disciples on the road to Emmaus.

Insight is something which occurs within us and which we must pay more attention to.  The fragments of life coalesce and begin to make sense.  This was the experience of Peter and John at Jesus' empty tomb.

"Untie him and let him go free."  These words of Jesus, regarding Lazarus, apply to us as well.

The Year A readings of the Fourth Sunday of Lent are loaded with irony -- all the more so in the circumstances in which we find ourselves.

News was changing by the hour.  This homily ended up a little disjointed.  I meant to add -- to complete the thought about not being irrational -- that the current challenge is an opportunity for us to bring forth all that is most precious and beautiful within us.  As Jesus thirsted for the faith of the Samaritan woman, we thirst for an outpouring of love from us all.

"It's a good thing the world is far, far away!"  No, the world is with us, and we are with the world.  Jesus' Transfiguration is his pledge to be with us, whatever the world is suffering.

We must keep posing to ourselves the question: "Jesus -- he became human -- just like me?"  Yes, he is one with us when we are in the midst of temptation.

We take a look at St. John XXIII and all the renewal he initiated by calling Vatican II.

Generosity or codependency?; and why Easter should be one week later.  Also, my apologies for not including the Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time.  I left the recorder on and the file ended up being 2.5 hours!

I had a letter to read.  Light and salt!

The One presented in the Temple comes with the power to change us, and his influence will feel astringent!  But he derives his authority from his complete union with humanity.

It's not just these four fishermen who are called by Jesus.  Every one of us has received a call to holiness.

Some housekeeping matters, and these readings feel like a repeat of last week.  First Corinthians feels familiar to us, because all church is local!

I was not able to record the homily; what you hear here is a summary.

As we survey the diversity of the nations, we recognize the ironies of people, supposedly of one community, to fail to communicate.  We talk to one another about projects before us, and we recognize the value of silence.

Family traditions are of various kinds, even in the Holy Family.

We consider the secrets which give depth to our life.