Wednesday of the Fourth Week of Easter, Feast of Saint Catherine of Siena First Reading: Acts 12:24—13:5a | Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 67 | Gospel: John 12:44-50 I vividly recall from the hazy recollection of my youth, a Tuesday that ended in tears, ketchup, and theological insight. And to be very clear that what happened … Continue reading Seminary Farewell Homily
Fourth Sunday of Easter — Good Shepherd Sunday (Year A) April 26, 2026 Readings: Acts 2:14a, 36-41| Psalm 23 | 1Pet 2:20b-25 | Jn 10:1-10 Coachella just ended. For those of you who have successfully avoided knowing what Coachella is, congratulations—and please pray for the rest of us. It’s a music festival in the California desert. It began in 1999 as something … Continue reading Finding the True Voice in a Noisy World
Every Mass begins with the sign of the cross: "In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit." Less than four seconds. Yet in that most foundational of prayers, usually somewhere between finding the hymn page and wondering if the mic is on, we are doing more than starting … Continue reading The Sign of the Cross: Four Seconds That Witness Everything
Second Sunday of Easter (Divine Mercy Sunday), Year A — April 27, 2026. Acts 5:12–16 | Ps 118:2–4, 13–15, 22–24 | Rev 1:9–11a, 12–13, 17–19 | Jn 20:19–31 There is a strange moment in history that happened in Halifax, England, in November of 1938 — a time when Europe was nervously eyeing Hitler, and Halifax was nervously eyeing pretty much everything else.. … Continue reading The Threefold Gift
The stone is sealed. The guards stand watch. The world is sure it has won. He is risen. The women walk in the dark. They carry spices for a corpse. They expect only stone. He is risen. Peter wept by a charcoal fire. Judas is gone. Thomas is hiding. He is risen. The cross is … Continue reading He is Risen.
There are sermons that outlive the moment in which they were preached. Dr. S. M. Lockridge served as pastor of Calvary Baptist Church in San Diego from 1953 to 1993 and was a master of the African American preaching tradition, using repetition, rhythmic cadence, and dramatic contrast to make the room itself feel alive. On this Good … Continue reading It’s Only Friday
The Passover lamb has been slaughtered. The table is set. The bread is unleavened. The wine is poured out. Twelve men are arguing about which one of them is the greatest. And the King of kings wraps a towel around his waist. Not a crown on his head. A towel around his waist. He kneels … Continue reading Holy Thursday Homily
Palm Sunday of the Lord's Passion — March 29, 2026 | Lectionary Year A Matthew 21:1–11 | Isaiah 50:4–7 | Psalm 22:8–9, 17–18, 19–20, 23–24 | Philippians 2:6–11 | Matthew 26:14–27:66 (shorter form: Matthew 27:11–54) The Roman Empire knew exactly how power sounded: trumpets, hooves, the rattle of armor, and the silence of people who knew … Continue reading The First Tremor (Homily)
The goal of every Catholic parish is to create missionary disciples. Which sounds inspiring... until you try to do it. Then it feels like you were handed a shovel and told to redirect the Atlantic Ocean—ideally before the 10:30 Mass lets out, the coffee runs out, and someone corners you about why we don’t sing … Continue reading Transforming Faith Through Genuflection
Fourth Sunday of Lent — Year A | Laetare Sunday 1Sam 16:1b, 6–7, 10–13a | Ps 23 | Eph 5:8–14 | Jn 9:1–41 In the 1970s through the 1990s, a new idea swept through Western culture — schools, therapy programs, churches, youth groups, Christian formation programs, and eventually the trophy manufacturing industry, which was about to have its best decade since the invention … Continue reading Seeing Beyond: The True Nature of Self-Worth
The Joy of the Gospel 