Preach: The Catholic Homilies Podcast

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Latest Episodes:

‘Sacraments aren’t vending machines’: Preaching God’s grace as encounter, not transaction Sep 15, 2025

This week on Preach, we launch a new series: Preaching for the Sacraments—how homilists can bring depth and imagination to their preaching during some of the Catholic Church’s most meaningful rites.

To set the stage, host Ricardo da Silva, S.J., speaks with Anthony Ruff, O.S.B., Benedictine monk and professor of liturgy at Saint John’s School of Theology and Seminary in Minnesota. Together they unpack what sacraments truly are—and how to preach them with both depth and imagination.

“A sacrament is not a vending machine where we put the thing in our action and then the thing comes out automatically,” Anthony explains. “God acts through symbols such as water and oil and laying on hands and exchanging the peace with one another and singing together.” Grace is not dispensed mechanically, but unfolds through real human experience: “If I’m becoming more human and growing in community, I’m being divinized.”

Preaching at sacramental celebrations must therefore begin with the lives of those gathered, not abstract theology. “I really try to say, what’s the word that will be Christ for them, that will resonate with their experience?” Anthony reflects. “We really have to think about the whole life of this community—and then our homily is a part of that.”

In this episode:

00:00 – ‘A sacrament is not a vending machine’

01:10 – Introduction

02:40 – Meet Anthony Ruff: monk and teacher

04:00 – About the Compelling Preaching Grant

08:10 – What is a sacrament? Encounter, not simply ritual

08:48 – What is the core purpose of the sacrament?

13:20 – A sacrament as a sign of peace

15:50 – Mystery, not magic

17:38 – Becoming aware of the God's presence in your life

19:48 – Sacraments vs. sacramentals: what’s the difference?

21:40 – Sacraments for community and the individual

24:05 – A final word on sacraments

27:05 – What preaching is for?

28:45 – Homilies at sacramental Masses: rite or readings?

33:10 – Symbols as stage directions

36:40 – Challenges and pitfalls of preaching the sacraments

38:50 – How long does it take to prepare for a sacrament

40:50 – Keeping the mystery of the sacraments alive

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Preaching that cuts deep: the sharper edges of God’s Word Sep 08, 2025

The third season of “Preach” begins with a fundamental reminder: What is preaching, and what is it for? To explore that question, host Ricardo da Silva, S.J., invites the Rev. Lynn Barger Elliott—a preacher who has inspired him to think about this question in recent months. As a fourth-generation Presbyterian pastor and consultant for the Compelling Preaching Initiative—the Lilly Endowment project that supports this podcast—Lynn brings the wisdom of that legacy to remind us that preaching takes root in lived experience.

“I personally needed a story to help interpret [Scripture] so that I could make [it] meaningful in my own life,” Lynn says, explaining her approach to good preaching. In this episode Lynn recalls how witnessing her mom undergo back surgery gave her new insight into a passage from Hebrews, where the word of God is likened to a two-edged sword, “piercing until it divides soul from spirit, joints from marrow” (Hebrews 4:12). “It gave me a new way to interpret words of Scripture,” Lynn says, “that are double-edged and sharp in every direction.”

“Preach” is made possible through the generous support of the Compelling Preaching Initiative, a project of Lilly Endowment Inc. Get daily Scripture reflections and ⁠⁠⁠support⁠⁠⁠ “Preach” by becoming a digital subscriber to America Magazine

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Bonus: Season 2 Survey + The Spiritual Life with Father James Martin, S.J. Jun 30, 2025

Season two of “Preach” has wrapped. Before we pause until fall, please share what moved you this season, what you’d like more or less of, and any ideas for future episodes to shape next season's lineup.

In this bonus episode, Ricardo and Maggi Van Dorn – his co-producer on “Preach” and producer of America Media’s newest podcast – introduce “The Spiritual Life with Father James Martin, S.J.” They discuss what preachers can gain from the show and share the first episode featuring Cardinal Timothy Radcliffe.

Cardinal Timothy Radcliffe is a Dominican friar, former Master of the Dominican Order, and a widely respected author. Pope Francis chose him as retreat leader for the Synod on Synodality. In this episode, he shares insights on Dominican spirituality, friendship with God, and living with cancer.

“The Spiritual Life” is hosted by Father James Martin, S.J., a Jesuit priest, bestselling author, editor-at-large at America Media, and founder of Outreach. The show explores how people pray and find God in daily life. Each episode features listener questions answered by Father Martin and his guests in a relatable “Dear Abby of the soul” style. Guests include Stephen Colbert, Whoopi Goldberg, Pete Buttigieg, and Cardinal Timothy Radcliffe.

🎧 Take the “Preach” listener survey and follow “The Spiritual Life with Father James Martin, S.J.” every Tuesday wherever you get your podcasts.

“Preach” is made possible through the generous support of the Compelling Preaching Initiative, a project of Lilly Endowment Inc. Get daily Scripture reflections and ⁠⁠⁠⁠support⁠⁠⁠ “Preach” by becoming a digital subscriber to America Magazine

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The Eucharist is more than ritual—it makes us what we receive Jun 16, 2025

“We become like the things we contemplate,” the Rev. Hank Hilton says. In this homily for Corpus Christi, Year C, Hank draws on ancient philosophy, childhood boat rides on the Jersey Shore, and his mother’s wisdom to reflect on the transforming power of Christ’s kindness—to friends, enemies and strangers.

In this episode of “Preach,” Hank shares the three-step preaching method he’s used for decades: concept, exegesis, application. He explains why he usually starts with a story instead of a quote, and how conversations at the church door shape his message. He also introduces Holy Chow, his parish’s food-truck ministry serving not only meals but the peace of Christ.

Guest: Hank Hilton is pastor of St. Joseph Parish in Hillsborough, N.J. A former Jesuit, he holds advanced degrees in theology, philosophy, psychology and economics, including a Ph.D. in land resources.

“Preach” is made possible through the generous support of the Compelling Preaching Initiative, a project of Lilly Endowment Inc. Get daily Scripture reflections and ⁠⁠⁠support⁠⁠⁠ “Preach” by becoming a digital subscriber to America Magazine

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‘There’s a monk in me’: Pope Leo's Scripture professor and an introverted preacher Jun 09, 2025

Most people hear “Holy Trinity” and think “mystery”—something abstract and hard to explain. But for Dianne Bergant, C.S.A., the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity, Year C, is a chance to root the doctrine in daily life. She invites us to see it instead as “the relationship that human beings have to the Creator.” God, she says, “literally serves us”—through creation, Christ, and the Spirit, who “does not go alone” but “works through us.”

In this episode of Preach, Dianne reflects on preaching as an introvert, why she never writes her homilies, and her memories of teaching exegesis at Catholic Theological Union in Chicago—including to a quiet, thoughtful student now known as Pope Leo XIV. “He was a very good student,” she recalls. “I have kept every grade, a record of every grade. So when I say he was a good student, I have evidence.”

Guest: Dianne Bergant, a Sister of St. Agnes and distinguished scholar of the Hebrew Scriptures, taught for over 40 years at Catholic Theological Union in Chicago and served on the Pontifical Biblical Commission.

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“Preach” is made possible through the generous support of the Compelling Preaching Initiative, a project of Lilly Endowment Inc. Get daily Scripture reflections and ⁠⁠support⁠⁠ “Preach” by becoming a digital subscriber to America Magazine

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More wild goose than gentle dove: a surprising Pentecost homily Jun 02, 2025

Say “Holy Spirit” and most picture a dove or gentle fire. But Anthony SooHoo, S.J., turns to a wilder Celtic image: a honking goose in flight—untamed and impossible to ignore. It’s how he preaches Pentecost: the Spirit who startles us into new life and calls the church to fly together—rather than just waddle along. For the Solemnity of Pentecost, Year C, Anthony draws on the physics of flight and a Kierkegaardian parable about ducks. In conversation with host Ricardo da Silva, S.J., he explores imagination in preaching and the art of going off-script—especially when the Spirit honks.

Guest: Anthony SooHoo, S.J., professor of ancient Near Eastern studies at the Pontifical Biblical Institute in Rome and pastoral staff member at Caravita, an international English-language Catholic community.

Get daily Scripture reflections and support “Preach” by becoming a digital subscriber to America Magazine⁠⁠⁠⁠

“Preach” is made possible through the generous support of the Compelling Preaching Initiative, a project of Lilly Endowment Inc.

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Let art lead the homily: preaching the Ascension May 27, 2025

Seventeen years ago, Ricardo da Silva, the host of this podcast, heard a homily that has stayed with him ever since. It was preached by his novice master, British Jesuit priest Paul Nicholson, and began with a simple but unforgettable image drawn from medieval art: Jesus’ feet dangling in the air, his body swallowed by clouds.

Preaching for the Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord, Year A, Paul returns to that homily, reflecting on how visual art and imagination can lead those who receive a homily beyond scriptural explanation or catechesis and into prayer. Together, he and Ricardo explore how this feast—so often understood as a moment of departure—can also reveal God’s nearness and how that insight might shape preaching at funerals and help preachers speak to grief, absence and hope.

Guest: Paul Nicholson, S.J., director of the Jesuit Institute in the United Kingdom.

Get daily Scripture reflections and support “Preach” by becoming a digital subscriber to America Magazine⁠⁠⁠

“Preach” is made possible through the generous support of the Compelling Preaching Initiative, a project of Lilly Endowment Inc.

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The Augustinian roots of Pope Leo XIV: preach grace, not duty May 19, 2025

Shortly after Cardinal Robert Prevost was elected Pope Leo XIV, Bill Gabriel, O.S.A., received an unexpected email from a student at Malvern Prep in Pennsylvania. The student asked, “Is this your boy?” alongside a photo of the new pope. Bill replied, “I wouldn’t say he’s my boy, but he is our brother,” referencing their shared Augustinian bond. The student responded, “Well, I guess that makes him my brother too.”

Preaching for the Sixth Sunday of Easter, Year C, Bill finds resonance in his homily between the risen Christ’s parting words—“Peace be with you”—and Pope Leo XIV’s call for “an unarmed and disarming peace.”

Guest: Bill Gabriel, O.S.A., Head of Mission and Ministry at Malvern Prep.

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“Preach” is made possible through the generous support of the Compelling Preaching Initiative, a project of Lilly Endowment Inc.

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What made Pope Francis a great preacher May 12, 2025

“Every time I proclaim one of Francis’ homilies, my heart is filled with joy,” says Greg Heille, O.P. “It’s heart speaking to heart.” Recorded just hours before Cardinal Robert Prevost was elected Pope Leo XIV—while the cardinals were still in conclave—Greg joins “Preach” host Ricardo da Silva, S.J., to reflect on the homiletic legacy of Pope Francis: always on message, spoken from the heart, simple without losing depth. He proclaims a homily by Francis for the Fifth Sunday of Easter, Year C, in 2022, where those qualities shine through. Grounded in a single verse from John’s Gospel—As I have loved you, so you also should love one another—the homily weaves together themes of holiness, simplicity and love in action.

Guest: Greg Heille, Dominican friar, preaching professor at Aquinas Institute of Theology and author of The Preaching of Pope Francis.

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“Preach” is made possible through the generous support of the Compelling Preaching Initiative, a project of Lilly Endowment Inc.

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A real-life shepherd and bestselling author on why Jesus’ likens his followers to sheep May 05, 2025

At 3 a.m. in the lambing shed on his farm in the Irish midlands, John Connell speaks gently to a ewe in labor. “The wave of willful force doesn’t work,” he says. “It’s about calm and serene and speaking gently, and that’s generally how the thing gets accomplished, certainly on our farm.” An award-winning author, investigative journalist, and organic farmer, John has spent over a decade working with sheep. “They’re very caring, look after each other, and are more intelligent than we think,” he says. “But they can be vulnerable. If they get sick, they don’t have as big of a fight in them as, say, a cow would.” And yet, John has come to admire their quiet bravery. “I think if people would spend a little time getting to know sheep, they'd realize there’s more to them than they might first comprehend.”

For the Fourth Sunday of Easter in Year C, John reflects on the Gospel’s message of Jesus as a shepherd, who knows his sheep intimately and cares for them with great love. We invited him to Preach as part of our Culture of Encounter series, inspired by Pope Francis’ call to engage with people today—the real people we hear about in the Scriptures—rather than simply engaging with ideas. “He was the pope that spoke to me most directly,” John says. “And I feel lucky that I got to become aware of his work while learning about farming.”

Ricardo asks John what he hears Jesus saying to him when he reads, “My sheep hear my voice.” For John, Jesus is saying: “I totally understand who you are, and I want you in this flock.” That intimacy shapes his writing—and how he invites preachers to write: with heart, clarity, and “one true sentence” at a time.

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“Preach” is made possible through the generous support of the Compelling Preaching Initiative, a project of Lilly Endowment Inc.

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A chaplain to fishermen preaches the risen Christ Apr 28, 2025

When fishermen set sail, Deacon Marlowe Sabater says, they place one foot on the deck—and the other, unknowingly, “in the watery grave, because you just won’t know what’s gonna happen out there.” Born and raised in Metro Manila, Marlowe now ministers to seafarers and port workers—many of them migrant workers from his native Philippines—through the Diocese of Honolulu’s Apostleship of the Sea ministry. Facing unpredictable storms and countless dangers at sea, every safe return to shore, he says, is “an everyday miracle.”

Marlowe is our guest on “Preach” for the Third Sunday of Easter. In his homily, he reflects on the Gospel story of the risen Christ meeting his disciples on the shore and connects it to the faith of those who work and live at sea today. In conversation with host Ricardo da Silva, S.J., Marlowe draws even further from his ministry—meeting workers at the docks to pray with them, to minister to them and to share the trust that sustains us all amid life’s storms: “When Jesus is in our boat, he has the capability of calming the storm of our lives.”

When he’s not at the ambo, on the docks or behind a desk, Marlowe finds his anchor in family life with his wife, Maggie, and their two sons. He credits Maggie as his “editor in chief,” offering the honest feedback every preacher needs. “Sometimes she’ll read my homily and say, ‘I don’t feel it,’” he says. “And it’s back to the drawing board—and she’s always right.”

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“Preach” is made possible through the generous support of the Compelling Preaching Initiative, a project of Lilly Endowment Inc.

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When all feels lost, see what God is doing in Acts Apr 21, 2025

The emboldened disciples in Acts 5:12-16 perform signs and wonders of the risen Christ to a crowd gathered at Solomon’s portico in Jerusalem. Witnessing the good news of the Resurrection for the first time, astonished onlookers bring the sick and wounded for the apostles to heal through the power of God. “I just hope people feel some desire to get together with other people in their community and do a little Bible study on the Acts of the Apostles,” says Casey Stanton, co-director of Discerning Deacons, a project helping the Church listen more deeply as it discerns the role of women in the diaconate. “The church has given us this gift of a text that offers us a way to recover something that feels lost right now: a common life together.”

Joining host Ricardo da Silva, S.J., on this episode of “Preach” ahead of the Second Sunday of Easter, Casey connects the first reading to the current situation facing many immigrant and migrant Christians in the U.S., who live in fear of deportation and detention. “What will our testimony be in this generation in our time?” she asks. “We are called to be in community, especially with and as those who are called criminals. Those who are deemed unworthy, those who think they do not have a right to speak, those whose land is being stolen, whose waters are polluted, whose lives are under siege, who struggle for life and dignity.”

Casey Stanton has spent over a decade in ministry working on social concerns in parish settings, as well as engaging with broader faith-based networks focused on justice and inclusion. She lives in Durham with her husband Felipe and their three children—Micaela, Teddy and Oscar. Her work is rooted in Pope Francis’ call to a synodal Church—a Church that listens, walks together, and follows the lead of the Holy Spirit.

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“Preach” is made possible through the generous support of the Compelling Preaching Initiative, a project of Lilly Endowment Inc.

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Father Greg Boyle on living the resurrection this Easter—and every day Apr 14, 2025

In John’s account of the Resurrection, “the other disciple” enters the empty tomb, sees, and believes. Why is this detail included? “I think the hope here is that we not focus on some historical moment that happened, but rather an understanding of what the risen life is here and now,” says Greg, founder and president of Homeboy Industries, the largest gang intervention, rehabilitation and reentry program in the world.“ The risen life is meaningful now, or it’s not meaningful at all.”

In this Easter Sunday episode of Preach, Greg shares with host Ricardo da Silva, S.J., how we might recognize and receive God’s “tender glance” not only at Easter but every day. “How do we notice the notice of God?” he asks. “And then become that notice of God in the world?” For Greg, the Resurrection isn’t only about what happened to Jesus more than 2,000 years ago. “We’re all going to die, and none of us will live forever, but we really can live in the forever,” he says. “The risen Lord is here and now—in the struggle, in the loss, in the grieving, in the delighting, in people sharing their lives with each other. You want to be able to say, ‘I’m right here, and I’m right now, and I’m breathing in the spirit that delights in my being, and now I’m breathing that out into the world. ‘Cause the world could use it.’”

Greg is also the bestselling author Tattoos on the Heart: The Power of Boundless Compassionand Barking to the Choir: The Power of Radical Kinshipand his newest book, Cherished Belonging, the Healing Power of Love in Divided Times. In 2024, he received the nation’s highest civilian honor: the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

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“Preach” is made possible through the generous support of the Compelling Preaching Initiative, a project of Lilly Endowment Inc.

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Luke Timothy Johnson on how to read Jesus’ Passion in Luke and John Apr 07, 2025

Luke’s account of Jesus’ Passion offers a distinctive perspective: “The ordinary people are not only not complicit in the death of Jesus, but they repent of what has been done to him,” says Luke Timothy Johnson, a leading scholar of Luke-Acts and Woodruff Professor Emeritus of New Testament and Christian Origins at Emory University. Unlike the other Gospels, Luke paints a vivid image of repentance in Jesus’ final moments: a great crowd of people turning their backs on the city after his death, beating their breasts—an action that Professor Johnson says is significant because it is the “classic body language of repentance” used throughout the Scriptures.

“Luke thereby sets up the conversion of the people in the story of Acts, where thousands of faithful Jews hear the word of the resurrection and join the Jesus movement in Acts,” Professor Johnson argues. Recognizing this, he suggests, offers us “a much more positive view of the people of Israel.”

Returning to “Preach” for the second time this Lent, Professor Johnson joins host Ricardo da Silva, S.J., to discuss the Passion narratives in both Luke and John—accounts that we will hear during the principal liturgies of Holy Week, on Palm Sunday of the Lord’s Passion, Year C, and on Good Friday. With liturgies requiring long stretches of attention and involvement from the congregation, the preacher’s role is, as Johnson observes, “fundamentally, to get out of the way.” He adds that, on these days, “preaching should be very succinct, if practiced at all.”

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“Preach” is made possible through the generous support of the Compelling Preaching Initiative, a project of Lilly Endowment Inc.

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Reading the woman caught in adultery in John’s Gospel: A Latina theologian on sin Mar 31, 2025

“This passage is about sin, but I want to ask about whose sin, right?” asks Amirah Orozco, a doctoral student in systematic theology at the University of Notre Dame. Raised on the U.S.-Mexico border between El Paso, Texas, and Juarez, Chihuahua, Amirah reflects on the woman caught in adultery(Jn 8:1-11), whom Jesus stops from being stoned to death by a group of men who want to punish her, and test Jesus. “The woman is concerned about her sin,” Amirah reflects. “What if we made it also about the sin of the men who want to kill her?”

On this episode of “Preach” for the Fifth Sunday of Lent, Year C, Amirah joins host Ricardo da Silva, S.J., to offer a woman’s perspective on the adulterous woman that draws insight from liberation theologies. “Although personal sin is real, it is clear to us now that structures are set up in such a way that social sin becomes possible for us to talk about.” Amirah says. “The God of great mercy reminds us that if social sin is possible, so too is social mercy and forgiveness.”

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“Preach” is made possible through the generous support of the Compelling Preaching Initiative, a project of Lilly Endowment Inc.

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Pain, shame, and family trauma: Fresh perspectives on the prodigal son Mar 24, 2025

The older brother in the parable of the prodigal son voices a common frustration: “The unfairness of somebody else getting what we think they don’t deserve,” says Stephen Tully, pastor of All Saints Catholic Church in Ballito, an affluent coastal town just north of Durban, South Africa, and chairman of the Napier Centre 4 Healing. Loyal and hardworking, the older brother feels overlooked when his father celebrates the younger son’s return with a lavish feast—a welcome he’s never received. “I think his pain and shame is that he’s done everything right. So why don’t I get more?” Stephen reflects. “Maybe the father never thought of doing a fatted calf for him because he was just so everyday happy with him.”

On this week’s “Preach,” for the Fourth Sunday of Lent, Year C (Laetare Sunday), host Ricardo da Silva, S.J., is joined by Stephen, whose years of ministry among marginalized communities have shaped his reading of the parable—and even led him to question the younger brother’s motivations for leaving home. Could family dynamics and trauma have played a role in his departure? “For all we know, the prodigal son may have run away because the older brother was so arrogant, a horrible person to be with,” says Stephen. “You can go back to the older brother, but if he’s the toxic person that made you run away, stuff’s got to be done.”

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“Preach” is made possible through the generous support of the Compelling Preaching Initiative, a project of Lilly Endowment Inc.

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From the farm fields to the pulpit: Lessons from a bishop who sends seminarians to pick fruit alongside migrants Mar 17, 2025

“I learn a lot about the character of my men by how they pick fruit,” says Bishop Joseph Tyson of the Diocese of Yakima, explaining that his “Calluses to Chalices” formation program requires seminarians to live and work alongside migrant farmworkers picking fruit in the summer. He recalls a moment when he discovered that some seminarians had taken a break apart from the workers. Noticing this, the migrant workers invited them to join in the shade and share their food. “When you're ordained a priest, you'll prepare the table for them,” Bishop Tyson told his seminarians. “But you start by being at their table.”

In his homily for the Third Sunday of Lent, Year C, recorded for “Preach,” Bishop Tyson draws a parallel between the seminarians' work in the fields and spiritual fruitfulness. Speaking candidly with host Ricardo da Silva, S.J., around the time of Pope Francis’ letter to U.S. bishops, he stresses the need to address policies that harm marginalized communities. “I become better—a better bishop and a better priest, and better to my men—precisely because I want to generate love for the migrant who’s passing through this diocese” he says. “We’ve got to find a way of preaching and teaching that better.”

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“Preach” is made possible through the generous support of the Compelling Preaching Initiative, a project of Lilly Endowment Inc.

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Living faith beyond Sunday: A preacher’s call to action Mar 10, 2025

“This may not be my best day, but I know One who makes tomorrows better,” says the Rev. Daniel Kingsley, explaining how he hopes parishioners should leave the pews after hearing the homily on Sunday. “Sometimes, it's hope that gives people the motivation to see tomorrow.”

Daniel, the pastor of Saint Clare Church and the administrator of Saint Pius X Church in Rosedale, Queens, NY, is our featured guest on “Preach” for the Second Sunday in Lent, Year C. After preaching on the Transfiguration of Christ on Mount Tabor in Luke's Gospel, Daniel shares with host Ricardo da Silva, S.J., his belief that preachers are called to inspire their communities to see faith as something active—something that transforms and moves people to action. He emphasizes how important it is for us to live out our faith beyond the pews. “May our witness to the Good News help bring healing and wholeness in everyone we encounter and every place we travel,” he says. “It would be tragic if our Sunday ritual were just a Sunday ritual.”

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“Preach” is made possible through the generous support of the Compelling Preaching Initiative, a project of Lilly Endowment Inc.

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Luke Timothy Johnson on how to read Luke’s Gospel this Lent Mar 06, 2025

“What does it mean to be a prophet?” This is the challenge preachers must wrestle with and present to their congregations over and over, says Luke Timothy Johnson, a renowned Scripture scholar, particularly in Luke-Acts, and Woodruff Professor Emeritus of New Testament and Christian Origins at the Candler School of Theology, Emory University. Christian prophetic witness lies at the heart of Luke’s Gospel. “The prophet is led by the Spirit of God; speaks God’s word; embodies God’s word; enacts God’s word; and bears witness even through persecution for God’s word,” Professor Johnson says. “And so in each of those categories, the church has room to examine itself.”

In this episode, released ahead of the First Sunday of Lent, Year C, “Preach” host Ricardo da Silva, S.J., first invites Professor Johnson to explore key themes in Luke’s Gospel. Then, they discuss the Gospel readings for the first four weeks of Lent—The Temptation of Jesus, The Transfiguration, and the parables of the barren fig tree and the prodigal son—and reflect on how these passages illuminate Jesus’s prophetic journey to Jerusalem and the church’s call to embody this same prophetic mission today.

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Ash Wednesday: A day of grace and welcome for all—no exceptions Feb 24, 2025

Ash Wednesday is one of the most universally accessible days in the Church’s liturgical year, offering a simple yet profound reminder: God’s grace is available to all—without exception. This is the firm conviction of our first guest for the Lenten season, James Hanvey, S.J., a Jesuit priest and theologian who currently serves as Secretary for the Service of Faith at the Jesuit General Curia in Rome.

In his conversation with Ricardo da Silva, S.J., James reflects on the universal appeal of Ash Wednesday. “Everyone is drawn to the ashes—for whatever reason,” he says. “They may not feel that they can receive Communion, but they're drawn to the ashes. And I think it's about helping people understand, first of all, that they have a place here in this community, that they are welcomed and that the grace of this moment is for them.” He goes on to highlight the inclusivity of the ritual, emphasizing, “We’re all in need. How can I judge that your need is greater than my need? This quantifying doesn’t make sense. I mean, we all come in our need to the One that we need.”

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Bishop Budde's sermon: How Catholic preachers navigate politics from the ambo Jan 28, 2025

Last Monday, the 47th presidential term began in the United States. A day after the inauguration, on Tuesday, January 21, 2025, Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde, the spiritual leader of the Episcopal Diocese of Washington, delivered a powerful sermon at a national prayer service held at Washington National Cathedral. Her sermon highlighted the ethical challenges facing the nation and called for a deeper commitment to mercy, justice and compassion. Addressing pressing issues such as the treatment of immigrants and the rights of LG.B.T.Q. individuals, she made a direct appeal to President Donald Trump, who was present in the congregation.

The reaction—for good and ill—to Bishop Budde’s sermon got us thinking here on the Preach team. Since launching the podcast, we’ve asked many of our guests how as Catholic leaders they can best balance preaching with politics. Where’s the line between speaking truth to power and staying true to the faith, the Scriptures— the Word of God? In this episode, we’re revisiting a few of those conversations to explore how some faith leaders navigate the challenge of speaking out without compromising their spiritual mission when addressing political issues from the ambo.

Listen to the full conversation with guests featured on this episode

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“Preach” is made possible through the generous support of the Compelling Preaching Initiative, a project of Lilly Endowment Inc.

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Taizé head: Christian unity is about reconciliation, not theological disputes Jan 21, 2025

When Roger Schutz, a Protestant minister from Switzerland, founded the Taizé community in 1940 in a small village in Southern Burgundy, France, amid the turmoil of World War II, he envisioned it as “a parable of communion.” Brother Matthew, the first Anglican and Englishman to lead this unique Christian community as its prior, reflects on Brother Roger’s vision: “It was a way of saying that what we lived as a community together should be like a sign that didn’t need too much explanation.”

On “Preach” this week, released during the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity—a celebration observed by Christian churches worldwide—Brother Matthew, preaching for the Third Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C, emphasizes the importance of moving beyond theological debates to focus on fostering reconciliation and communion among Christians. “I think that’s one of the challenges that we face—how to dare to go towards the other, even when you know that you’re not going to agree,” he says. “Because if we can’t do that, then this parable doesn’t work.”

Read the Scripture readings and full text of this week’s homily

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MLK, Trump, and the wedding at Cana: A call to listen and heal Jan 14, 2025

“Race has become something that, in many homes, in many places, is encountered when you see it on the news,” says the Rev. Kareem Smith. “But to look at it as a gift, to see other people as a gift and what they have to offer as something that is beautiful—that is to see the creation of God.”

On “Preach” this week, the Rev. Kareem Smith, pastor of St. Michael the Archangel Church in Co-op City, the Bronx, reflects with host Ricardo da Silva, S.J., on the Gospel reading for the Second Sunday in Ordinary Time—the wedding at Cana. Connecting the scarcity of wine and the tension between Jesus and his mother to modern challenges like racial justice and political divides, Kareem points to the tension many feel as Martin Luther King Jr. Day and Donald Trump’s second inauguration fall on the same day, Jan. 20, 2025. “There’s this breakdown in conversation,” he says of the state of the nation. “We desire to be heard, but are we failing to listen?”

Kareem, who is also president of the National Black Catholic Clergy Caucus, emphasizes Mary’s words—“Do whatever He tells you”—as a call to trust God to transform scarcity into abundance and view divisions as opportunities for renewal through humility and faith.

Read the Scripture readings and full text of this week’s homily

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Embracing the simplicity of Jesus’ birth: A Christmas Eve homily inspired by Henri Nouwen Dec 23, 2024

On Christmas Eve, Ukrainian families create a living Nativity scene by spreading straw across the floor and placing hay beneath the dinner tablecloth. “This gesture connects the birth of Jesus to the natural world, with the presence of the field permeating the home,” Metropolitan Borys Gudziak says.

Portuguese families observe Noite da Consoada (Night of Comfort and Consolation) with a humble meal of salt cod, cabbage and potatoes. “The idea is to echo the simplicity of the day,” Ricardo da Silva, S.J., shares with Metropolitan Gudziak. “Jesus was born in this very simple setting.” These practices, Ricardo suggests in this year’s final episode of “Preach,” remind us not only of Christ’s simplicity but also offer a nudge for preachers: “The best thing to do is to preach simply.”

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Metropolitan Borys Gudziak of the Ukrainian Catholic Archeparchy of Philadelphia leads the Ukrainian Catholic community in the United States. Born in Syracuse, N.Y., he holds a doctorate in Slavic and Byzantine cultural history from Harvard University. He was the founding president and rector of the Ukrainian Catholic University in Lviv, Ukraine, from 2002 until 2012, and served Ukrainian Greek Catholics in Western Europe until 2018.

His preaching is deeply influenced by his dear friend and mentor, Henri Nouwen, who was known for his emphasis on simplicity and authenticity. “People today know Henri from his writings,” he says, “but I would say his preaching was an order above because it was personal.” The metropolitan recalls what he learned from hearing hundreds of Nouwen’s homilies when he was a student at Harvard. “Henri just said: ‘Keep it very simple. Use keywords many times.’”

And it is this ability to communicate simply that the metropolitan shows in his Christmas Eve homily, when he uses vivid expressions like “the clear odor of the manure” and “the bells of the cows.” By drawing on Nouwen’s wisdom, the metropolitan invites us to approach the Christmas mystery with renewed awe, wonder and openness.

Read the Scripture readings and full text of this week’s homily

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An unexpected focus for Gaudete Sunday: A homily on sin Dec 09, 2024

On Gaudete Sunday—a day in Advent dedicated to rejoicing—the Rev. Justin Lopina will surprise his congregation by focusing his homily on sin. As the newly assigned pastoral administrator at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Wauwatosa, Wis., he believes that our fear of sin—what he calls “our fear of letting God down”—often robs us of joy. Justin joins host Ricardo da Silva, S.J., to discuss how John the Baptist’s call to repentance in the Gospel for Gaudete Sunday leads to joy more than simply moral obligations. They also explore the essentials of great preaching, emphasizing the importance of using one’s body and physical presence and keeping homilies short (around 8 minutes) to maintain the congregation’s attention.

Read the full text of this week’s homily and Scripture readings.

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What parents want in a homily for their children (and themselves) Dec 02, 2024

How can a preacher deliver a homily that captures the hopes of younger audiences—from toddlers to teens—while keeping parents and the entire congregation engaged? It’s a tall order, but in this special “Preach” episode, host Ricardo da Silva, S.J., tackles this challenge in another panel discussion, this time with three America Media colleagues and parents: Tim Reidy, deputy editor-in-chief; Kerry Weber, executive editor; and Heather Trotta, vice president of advancement. Together, they share their experiences of nurturing their children’s faith and reflect on what makes for a homily that connects with everyone.

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Advent homilies inspired by Pope Francis’ writing on the Sacred Heart Nov 25, 2024

Sam Sawyer, S.J., editor-in-chief of America Media, returns to “Preach” to discuss his Advent homily series, designed to be more cohesive than the usual week-to-week, stand-alone Sunday homilies that preachers typically prepare. Sam shares with host Ricardo da Silva, S.J., how Pope Francis’ latest encyclical, Dilexit Nos, inspired him to create these homilies for the season, specially commissioned for Homiletic & Pastoral Review.

Over the four weeks, Sam leads the congregation through a four-part reflection on the heart: awakening the heart, trusting its activity and passion, recognizing our heart’s capacity to desire something greater, and embracing God’s grace in our heart as it overflows from within us

Read the full text of this week’s homily and Scripture readings.

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The kingship of Christ reveals God's mercy, not condemnation Nov 18, 2024

This episode is a re-airing of our 2023 episode for the feast of Christ the King.

The Scripture readings for the Solemnity of our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe, invite us to interpret the Scriptures through a lens that is perhaps less common for this celebration. Agbonkhianmeghe Orobator, S.J, tries to imagine ways in which the readings for the last Sunday of the liturgical calendar, “can be perceived less as a hierarchical, patriarchal or monarchical depiction of who God is in Christ through the Spirit, and more about how God relates to us; in humility, in care, in tenderness.”

Father Orobator, a Jesuit of the North-West Africa Province, is an internationally acclaimed theologian and a convert to Catholicism from traditional African religion. He is the dean at the Jesuit School of Theology at Santa Clara University.

On this week’s “Preach,” Orobator shares with host Ricardo da Silva, S.J., how thinking of the Gospels as stories can subvert hierarchical, monarchical, and even patriarchal readings of the Scriptures.

Read the full text of this week’s homily and Scripture readings.

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“Preach” is made possible through the generous support of the Compelling Preaching Initiative, a project of Lilly Endowment Inc.

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God lifts up the underdogs Nov 04, 2024

When Thomas Massaro, S.J., hears underdog stories, he recognizes the various ways they parallel biblical narratives. “I’m a moral theologian, so I pretty much have to do this,” he says. “It’s part of my task to reach for some moral implications.” Those implications? If you’re a preacher, don’t moralize at the pulpit—especially when you are preaching on the first Sunday after the 46th United States presidential election. Instead, adopt the perspective of the underdog, and humbly strive to build bridges between people who come to Church with opposing viewpoints.

In this episode of “Preach” for the 32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B, Tom joins Ricardo da Silva, S.J. to discuss how preachers can avoid polarizing issues while keeping an eye toward social justice.

Tom is a scholar of Catholic social thought. He holds the Laurence J. McGinley Endowed Chair in Religion and Society at Fordham University in New York. His most recent books include Pope Francis as Moral Leader (Paulist Press, 2023), and Mercy in Action: The Social Teachings of Pope Francis (Rowman & Littlefield, 2018).

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After the election, people may know your political party—but will they know you’re a Christian? Oct 28, 2024

“If scripture is the living word of God, then it has something to say about anything,” the Rev. John Kartje reflects on this episode of “Preach” just ahead of the United States presidential election. His advice to his congregation: live out your Christian faith every day, regardless of the election outcome. “When you wake up next Wednesday, the political world will have changed,” he says, “But the world transformed by the life, death, resurrection, and sending of the Holy Spirit changed 2000 years ago. And your world changed on the day of your baptism.”

John joins Ricardo da Silva, S.J. on “Preach” to explore how to preach about civic responsibility before the election. John cautions against the tendency to “live like the ancient Israelites” who trusted in temporary, precarious human leaders rather than the eternal high priest, Jesus Christ.

A native of northwest Indiana and now a priest of the Archdiocese of Chicago, John currently serves as the rector and president of the University of Saint Mary of the Lake/Mundelein Seminary. He holds a Ph.D. in astrophysics from the University of Chicago, which has enabled him to embrace mystery in both his scientific research and his religious vocation. He has also served as campus chaplain at Northwestern University and as a parish priest.

Readings and transcript of John's homily

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Blindness is not a curse to be broken Oct 21, 2024

Dr. Moira Egan does not relate to Bartimaeus, a blind man who encounters Jesus in Mk 10:46-52 and begs for sight. Moira was born blind, but she has never begged for sight. Why should blindness exempt her from the Kingdom of God? “There’s an assumption that, if any blind person were asked the open-ended question, ‘What do you want?’, ... they would say they want to see,” Moira says. “I think it’s hard for people to believe that isn’t true.”

In a conversation inspired by Pope Francis and his invitation to building a “culture of encounter,” Ricardo da Silva, S.J., welcomes Moira to “Preach” to reflect upon the difficulty of certain scripture passages, how to avoid ableist language, and consider the experiences of people with disabilities.

Moira serves as the director of prestigious awards and graduate fellowships at Pace University in New York City. She also is an active parishioner at The Church of St. Francis Xavier, where she is involved with Ability Xavier. This program not only advocates for justice and understanding for persons with disabilities, but bridges the accessibility gap by providing tangible worship accommodations such as Braille worship aids, auditory assistive headsets for persons with hearing loss, and American Sign Language interpreters.

[Learn more about disability theology—email Gregory Woods to join a private Facebook discussion group.]

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LGBTQ Catholics deserve preaching that builds bridges—not barriers Oct 15, 2024

This special episode of “Preach” features a live recording at the Outreach 2024 conference at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C, where Ricardo da Silva, S.J., is joined by panelists Carly Reidy, Jim Scholl, and Ish Ruiz to discuss how preaching can be a source of spiritual nourishment for LGBTQ+ Catholics and allies.

A music minister of 20 years and the proud parent of a bisexual daughter, Carly works in administration at a diocesan parish in Burlington, Mass. Jim is a proud gay Catholic who works in non-profit Catholic fundraising and attends mass at St. Ignatius Parish in Chestnut Hill, Mass. Ish, a queer person from Puerto Rico with 11 years of teaching experience in Catholic education, often hears stories of exclusion from his queer students who reference preaching that draws exclusively on “conventional” relationships.

Guests shared times they heard a homily that was affirming, along with experiences that hurt more than they helped. For Carly, a shining moment occurred in her diocesan parish when a priest reflected on the words of John 13:34-35—“As I have loved you, so you must love one another.” Extending the homily to include every race, class, and sexual orientation represented among the congregation, the preacher distinguished tolerance from acceptance, and acceptance from love. “It was the first time in a diocesan parish that I had experienced someone speaking about the LGBTQ community in a positive light,” Carly says.

On the Outreach website, You can find news, essays, resources and community for LGBTQ Catholics and those who minister for them in the church worldwide today.

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How to preach about poverty to wealthy parishioners—without guilt and shame Oct 07, 2024

“What keeps you and me knowingly, unknowingly, consciously, or unconsciously sad, because we’re possessed by what we possess—our possessions?” Father John Unni posed this question in a homily three years ago standing before his congregation at St. Cecilia Parish in Boston’s affluent Back Bay. “There’s no U-Haul after a hearse.”

It is this introspection serves as a catalyst for this week’s conversation on “Preach” with Ricardo da Silva, S.J., where John reflects on his 2021 homily for the 28th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B. “I like what that guy is saying, but I find it even more challenging three years later,” he admits. “I’m wrestling with these readings in a different way, a deeper way.”

After 21 years at St. Cecilia, John—once a high school English teacher and a part-time landscaper—is known for his thought-provoking preaching but also for being something of a “long-form” preacher. Although this approach defies prevailing wisdom, people flock to hear him in the parish and online. The secret to capturing his congregation’s attention? “This message isn’t coming from Johnny—it’s coming from Jesus.”

Get this week's Scripture readings and a transcript of John’s homily

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Lean into love, not fear, this World Day of Migrants and Refugees, Beirut Jesuit pastor tells preachers Sep 23, 2024

St. Joseph Church in Beirut offers a sanctuary for migrants, refugees, and asylum seekers fleeing South Sudan, Syria, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, and many other conflict-torn nations. Daniel Corrou, S.J., pastor of the community, vividly recalls entering the 19th-century church immediately after the devastating 2020 blast in Lebanon’s capital.

“It was still filled with dust, broken wood everywhere; the pews were all shattered, and all the glass was torn down. It was in the middle of the night; so, it was pitch dark,” Dan tells “Preach” host Ricardo da Silva, S.J. Still, there was one light that shone on and cut through the darkness, Dan says. “The little red candle next to the tabernacle. The whole damn city had been devastated, thousands of people in the hospital and hundreds had died, but Jesus was still there, right in the middle of it,” he recalls. “If Jesus isn’t running away from this, I don’t know what the incarnation is other than that.”

In his homily for the 110th World Day of Migrants and Refugees, Dan, who also oversees the Jesuit Refugee Service in Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria, calls us to see the humanity in seemingly intimidating strangers. We must embrace a “story of love” rather than a “story of fear,” he says. “A story of love is always a better story—lean into the story of love!”

Get this week's Scripture readings and a transcript of Dan’s homily

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How St. Phoebe is helping us hear more women’s voices in homilies Sep 17, 2024

When Ellie Hidalgo served as a pastoral associate at Dolores Mission Church in East Los Angeles, the priest asked her to lead Liturgy of the Word and Communion services on Thursdays to give him a day off. “I would often use stories of people acting with courage, loving their neighbor, serving as good Samaritans and living out Gospel values,” she says, reflecting on the homiletic approach she developed over 12 years. “Storytelling builds community. It builds identity.”

Inspired by St. Phoebe—a pioneering woman deacon esteemed and commended by St. Paul to serve the early Christian community in Greece and Rome, and whose feast day is Sept. 3—Ellie joins “Preach” host Ricardo da Silva, S.J., to discuss St. Phoebe’s ministry and its impact on contemporary debates within the Catholic Church regarding women’s ordination to the diaconate, a live topic in the ongoing Synod on Synodality.

As co-director of Discerning Deacons, Ellie offers practical strategies for expanding lay preaching opportunities. She encourages clergy to invite women to preside at Liturgy of the Word and Communion services, share testimonies during homilies and participate in parish faith-sharing groups to bring diverse perspectives from the pews—especially those of women—into their homilies.

Get this week's Scripture readings and a transcript of Ellie’s homily

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Why did Jesus call Peter ‘Satan’?: Questioning the mysteries of Mark’s Gospel Sep 09, 2024

Why does Jesus rebuke Peter, admonishing him to “Get behind me, Satan”? What is behind Jesus’ stern warning to his disciples to “tell no one” about his miraculous deeds, the so-called “messianic secret”? As the church's Sunday lectionary cycle takes us deeper into the Gospel of Mark, this week on “Preach” we confront some of this Gospel's most perplexing questions.

Joining us to explore these and other perplexing aspects of Mark, including its literary genius, and how it was crafted to help the early Church understand the life and ministry, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ is the Rev. Charles Bobertz.

Charles enjoyed a distinguished 35-year teaching career in New Testament and Patristics at St. John’s School of Theology and Seminary this spring. Although he retired this spring, he continues to preach and teach seminars on Scripture and homiletics in parish and clergy continuing education programs throughout Minnesota and the United States. He is also the author of The Gospel of Mark: A Liturgical Reading.

Get this week's Scripture readings and a transcript of Charles’ homily

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Timothy Radcliffe: Don't preach like a know-it-all. Be ‘a searcher, a doubter, a questioner.’ Sep 03, 2024

“Preach” is back! We're thrilled to launch our second season with Timothy Radcliffe, O.P., a renowned Dominican from the English Province, as our guest for the premiere episode. Timothy brings extensive experience as the former worldwide leader of his order, as well as a distinguished preacher, spiritual author, guide and sought-after retreat leader. Though his leadership and wisdom have long been recognized in the church, his international profile was significantly elevated when Pope Francis invited him to co-lead the retreat ahead of the synod, where he preached alongside Mother Maria Ignazia Angelini, O.S.B., winning great acclaim and respect from Catholics in the pew and cardinals alike.

In this episode of “Preach,” Timothy shares how he went about preparing for that retreat and offers valuable insights and wisdom drawn from his extensive experience in retreat ministry, spiritual writing and leadership. He also sheds light on the distinctive characteristics of Dominican preaching, particularly its emphasis on doctrine, and shares practical guidance for preachers and retreat leaders seeking to deepen their own ministry.

When asked about synodal preaching, Timothy emphasizes the importance of vulnerability and authenticity. “I think that it’s crucial in all preaching,” he says, “but perhaps most especially in synodal preaching, that you come across not as somebody who knows it all, but as a searcher, a doubter, a questioner.” He echoes Pope Francis’ words, “Where there are no questions, our faith is dead. If there are no questions, God’s not there.”

“We need to be prepared to admit as preachers, ‘this is what I struggle with. This is what I don’t understand,’” he says. “‘Will you help me?’”

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Top preaching takeaways from the National Eucharistic Congress Jul 26, 2024

At the start of every “Preach” episode, we state the mission of the show: “We take you into the minds and hearts of some of the finest preachers in the Catholic Church; we listen to their homilies, learn what makes them great and draw inspiration to keep preaching the Good News.” This mission informed our decision to send host Ricardo da Silva, S.J., to the National Eucharistic Congress, a historic event—the first of its kind in 83 years—that took place in Indianapolis, Ind., from July 17-21.

On this episode of “Preach,” Ricardo reflects on his experience attending the congress and the rich tapestry of preaching styles he experienced while there. From homilies by bishops like Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, the pope’s envoy to the congress; Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York and Bishop Andrew Cozzens of Crookston, Minn., to keynote addresses and breakout sessions led by notable speakers such as Gloria Purvis, the Rev. Mike Schmitz and Mother Olga of the Sacred Heart, he gained a deeper understanding of the art of preaching and its power to inspire and transform.

Joining him is Paul Shelton, S.J., a fellow Jesuit priest who was one of three Jesuits chosen as Eucharistic preachers for the National Eucharistic Revival and was also at the congress. Paul also serves as the provincial’s assistant for vocations in the Midwest Province. Together, they discuss their takeaways from this momentous occasion in the life of the U.S. church.

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Writing a homily after the Trump assassination attempt Jul 17, 2024

“There were people who came up to me and said, ‘thank you for saying what you said about the rhetoric. I hope that the Biden people get this message.’ And then other people would stop and say, ‘thank you for what you said. This is [what] Trump people really need to hear.’” Greg Kandra shared, “so I think somehow by the grace of God, I walked to that middle line and I gave a message that everybody connected to and related to, and was able to take something positive from.”

On this episode of “Preach,” host Ricardo da Silva, S.J., talks with Deacon Greg Kandra about the homily he wrote in two hours after hearing the news of the attempted assassination of Donald Trump at a rally in Butler, Pa., this past weekend. The homily was first delivered for the congregation at St. Francis of Assisi Church in Apopka, Fla., where Greg serves as a deacon.

Greg’s career spans three decades in television, collaborating with industry giants such as Dan Rather, Ed Bradley and Katie Couric, and earning two Emmys and two Peabody Awards. As an ordained deacon in the Catholic Church, he skillfully integrates his passion for storytelling, honed in the newsroom, with his unwavering commitment to his Catholic faith, which he professes from the ambo.

Read Greg’s homily on America Media's website

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Meet a ‘perpetual pilgrim’ on her way to the National Eucharistic Congress Jul 08, 2024

“We’re like the apostles,” says Shayla Elm. “We’re getting to walk with Jesus, like the apostles did; getting to learn from him, getting to see the ways that He brings people to Him that maybe you didn't think twice about, the people on the fringes.”

On this episode of “Preach,” host Ricardo da Silva, S.J., talks with Shayla Elm, one of 24 young adults chosen to accompany the Eucharistic processions that started out across the country this past Pentecost Sunday. She has been on the road for almost two months, walking one of the four legs of the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage. This journey will culminate in a nationwide event at the National Eucharistic Congress in Indianapolis, taking place from July 17 to 21.

Shayla currently lives in Denver, Colo., where she serves as the community engagement manager for Christ in the City, a nonprofit organization serving people experiencing homelessness.

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How the Eucharistic Revival can help us love God more deeply Jul 01, 2024

“The Eucharist is the food that makes us hungry,” says Joe Laramie, S.J., so when he preaches, he hopes to stir his congregation “to deeper hunger for the Lord, to grow in deeper devotion to him.”

Joe, the National Director of the Pope’s Prayer Network and a preacher for the National Eucharistic Revival, preaches for the Fourteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time, Year B.

After the homily, Joe joins host Ricardo da Silva, S.J. to discuss how the National Eucharistic Revival is trying to stir greater hunger for the Eucharist among U.S. Catholics. He shares ideas on preaching the mystery of the Eucharist in an accessible way and tells Ricardo about how his previous experience as a high school teacher has informed his preaching.

Read Joe’s homily

Read the Scripture readings for the Fourteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time, Year B

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Try writing your next homily in a coffee shop May 28, 2024

A homily is a public speech, so it only makes sense to write it in public, says Scott VanDerveer, who mostly writes his homilies sitting at a long shared table in a coffee shop. “I love looking up at whoever’s in line at the cash register at that moment and thinking, ‘Would this guy, or would this woman care about what I’m saying at all; would this speak to their life at all?’” he says. “Or would they say, ‘Ugh, that’s so churchy?’”

The Rev. VanDerveer, a priest of the Diocese of Albany and the pastor of St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Glens Falls, New York, joins “Preach” host Ricardo da Silva to discuss his homily for the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ, often referred to as Corpus Christi.

In the season finale of Preach, we’re answering a resounding call from our listeners! Instead of our usual homily recorded exclusively for the podcast, we’re sharing one Scott delivered at his parish in June 2022, before a live congregation.

Ricardo invites Scott to revisit the homily, two years later, to explore how it evolved from preparation to delivery and how he would refine it today. Scott also shares his tips for weaving parishioners’ personal stories into his homilies, revealing how he leverages his training as a journalist and uses the notes app on his cellphone, akin to how a reporter might use a notebook to capture inspiration on the go.

Scott also jokes about his retirement plans, imagining himself back behind the wheel of a school bus, a job he briefly held for a time after college. He quips, “I always tease my friends that priesthood is the second-best job I’ve ever had.”

Read Scott’s homily

Read the Scripture readings for the Solemnity of the Body and Blood Christ, Year C.

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Never start a homily with these 4 words May 20, 2024

A surefire way to lose your congregation’s attention is to start a homily with “In today’s Gospel reading,” says Thomas Groome. “The purpose of good preaching,” he says, “is to bring our lives to God and God to our lives.” A preacher’s job, then, is to facilitate a meaningful conversation between the two.

This week on “Preach,” Tom, a professor of theology and religious education at Boston College’s School of Theology and Ministry, preaches for the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity, Year B. Rather than speaking in theological abstractions, Tom uses a relatable concept - relationships - to illuminate the mystery of the Trinity, making it accessible to all.

Tom joins host and co-producer Ricardo da Silva, S.J. and former student and co-producer Maggi Van Dorn, guest co-host for this episode, to share devices for connecting Scripture to everyday experience. He discusses his use of silence to deepen the congregation’s encounter with God and themselves, and shares insights gained from the 20 years he served as a priest, and now nearly 50 years as a teacher, including how he found his unique preaching voice.

Read Tom’s homily

Read the Scripture readings for the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity, Year B

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Preachers: Tell a story that will stay with your listeners long after the homily is over. May 13, 2024

Though Jesus preached in parables that still captivate us, not every story told in a homily has a similarly lasting impact. The Rev. Christopher Clohessy shares how preachers can craft stories that linger long after Mass is over.

This week on “Preach,” host Ricardo da Silva, S.J., is joined by another South African priest. Chris is a priest of the Archdiocese of Cape Town who now teaches Arabic and Islamic theology at the Pontifical Institute for Arabic and Islamic studies in Rome. In his homily, Chris harnesses the technique of narrative storytelling to illuminate what the work of the Holy Spirit, the Paraclete, looks like in our lives.

In the conversation after the homily, Ricardo and Chris talk about the power of telling stories in homilies—and the art of telling a good one. Chris says that a successful story starts with a character with whom the congregation can relate, and it comes alive through “word pictures,” images that will stick in listeners’ minds after the homily concludes. “You want to be able to get people involved, not in their listening, but in their imagination and in their emotions,” Chris explains. “I think a good emotional response to a sermon is a very important thing because in the Gospels, people respond emotionally to Jesus.”

Read Chris’ homily.

Read the Scripture readings for Pentecost.

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Ron Hansen on bringing fiction-writing techniques to homily writing May 06, 2024

Ron Hansen has written award-winning novels that have been turned into Hollywood hits. As an ordained deacon, he crafts equally compelling homilies.

This week on “Preach,” Deacon Ron Hansen, a permanent deacon in the Archdiocese of Washington and a prolific author, preaches for the Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord, Year B. His homily reflects on the physical reality of the Ascension and the promise it holds for us.

In the conversation after the homily, Ron and host Ricardo da Silva, S.J., talk about using homilies as a tool for building empathy, which Ron does by crafting vivid images that allow listeners to imagine themselves in the scene. They discuss the challenge of “writing for the ear” while preaching and using real-world examples that connect to deeper theological insights. Ron also makes his case for a short homily.

Read Ron’s homily

Read the Scripture readings for the Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord, Year B

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What young adults most need to hear in a homily Apr 29, 2024

While most parishes struggle to attract young members, Saint Clement Parish in Chicago stands out with a mostly young adult congregation.

This week on “Preach,” the Rev. Peter Wojcik, the pastor of Saint Clement Parish in Chicago, Ill., preaches for the Sixth Sunday of Easter, Year B. In his homily, he reflects on the depth of Jesus’ committed love for us and our Christian duty—and challenge—to share that transformative love with others.

In the conversation after the homily, Peter and host Ricardo da Silva, S.J., talk about strategies for preaching to a parish of mostly young adults and connecting with the community’s struggle with mental well-being. They also discuss strategies of welcoming newcomers to the parish, including on social media. Peter shares about how when he preps his homily, he focuses on how congregants will feel. He uses his homilies to bring them to a “place of freedom” where they can recognize God’s love and explore their faith.

Read Peter's homily for the Sixth Sunday of Easter, Year B

Read the Scripture readings for the Sixth Sunday of Easter, Year B

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A preacher should offer the congregation a challenge—not cheap grace Apr 22, 2024

Gemma Simmonds, C.J., a theologian and sister at the Cambridge Theological Federation in Cambridge, England, preaches for the Fifth Sunday in Easter, Year B:

In her homily, she reflects on her experience of poverty in Brazil, giving significance to Christ’s words: “Make your home in me as I make mine in you.”
Then, in the conversation with host Ricardo da Silva, S.J., they discuss the importance of humility in preaching, her role as an ecumenical chaplain in the Church of England, preaching for the BBC and finding God’s presence in unexpected places—like poop.

Read Gemma’s homily.

Read the Scripture readings for the Fifth Sunday of Easter, Year B

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Bishop Stowe preaches on the climate crisis for Good Shepherd Sunday Apr 15, 2024

“I think there's a major concern for living more in harmony with creation, which is a result of conversion,” says Bishop John Stowe, OFM Conv., “But I think Pope Francis is also, as our good shepherd, calling us to greater urgency to act because time is slipping away and we haven't done much.”

Bishop John Stowe is a Conventual Franciscan, the third bishop of Lexington, Kentucky and the bishop president of Pax Christi.

Listen to Bishop Stowe's homily for the Fourth Sunday of Easter, Year B, on this week’s episode of “Preach.” After the homily, he shares with host Ricardo da Silva, S.J., how he connects the image of the Good Shepherd from the gospels to the climate crisis.

Read Bishop Stowe’s homily

Read the Scripture readings for the Fourth Sunday of Easter, Year B

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To be a good preacher, pray more and read widely Apr 08, 2024

Good preaching requires mastery of rhetoric, in particular the tools of repetition and organization. “Otherwise, they’re not gonna remember,” says John Baldovin, S.J. “This is a no-brainer, but beginning, middle and end, and not trying to make too many points” are key to a compelling homily. He also adds with hyperbolic emphasis, “If you want to be a good preacher, you have to read, read, read, read, read and pray, pray, pray, pray, pray.”

John, a Jesuit priest and professor of historical and liturgical theology at the Clough School of Theology and Ministry at Boston College, instructs candidates for the priesthood. He is in his 86th semester as a teacher, and specifically dedicates much of his time to helping future ordained ministers cultivate and refine their presiding and preaching styles and be good confessors. “I’ve preached a lot in my lifetime,” he shares with “Preach” host Ricardo da Silva, S.J.

Listen to John’s homily for the Third Sunday of Easter to hear him share the wisdom of his years as a preacher and teacher, and why even in the season of Easter, it is important to hold the wounds of Jesus’ passion, together with the joy of resurrection.

Read the Scripture readings for the Third Sunday of Easter, Year B

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Striking a chord: The debate on singing in the homily Apr 01, 2024

“Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!” This is how Kim Harris starts her homily for the Second Sunday of Easter—in joyous song. “When Thomas first the tidings heard / How they had seen the risen Lord / He doubted the disciples’ word. Alleluia!...”

Such daring from the ambo has long struck a controversial chord with preachers and liturgists alike, prompting “Preach” host Ricardo da Silva, S.J., to ask Kim about her choice to start her homily in song. Kim, an assistant professor of African American Religious Thought and Practice at Loyola Marymount University, swiftly responds.

“Not only am I a singer,” explains Kim, who is also a cantor, composer, recording artist and liturgical consultant for the Office of Black Ministry in the Archdiocese of New York. “But also, the idea of a preacher who sings as a part of their homily is part of many African American cultural traditions,” she adds. “The songs carry so many of our stories, hopes, and beliefs, and what we’re thinking about and believing and preaching about.”

Listen to “Preach” as Kim shares her strategies for approaching well-known biblical narratives, such as Doubting Thomas in today’s Scriptures, in a fresh and insightful manner. She also offers guidance on interpreting Scripture with reverence for its historical context while remaining sensitive to contemporary challenges, like ableism, that confront congregations today.

Read the Scripture readings for the Mass of the Day on Easter Sunday, The Resurrection of our Lord

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When preparing to preach, treat your homily like music Mar 25, 2024

In the Judeo-Christian tradition, God often makes Godself known through sound: be it a voice from a burning bush, a resounding clap of thunder or the blast of a trumpet. “God is revealed through sound,” affirms Ed Foley, O.F.M. Cap. “I think of a homily as sound theology,” he adds, “it’s acoustic engagement.”

When preparing to preach, Ed, the Duns Scotus Professor Emeritus of Spirituality and a retired professor from the Catholic Theological Union in Chicago, first writes his homilies word for word in poetic form. Then, he meticulously annotates his manuscript, like a conductor’s score. “Where’s the crescendo?” he asks himself. “Where’s the pause? When do the trumpets come in?”

Practice extends beyond the art of the homily, permeating life itself. It is, perhaps, a vital Christian practice as we enter the Easter season of Christ’s resurrection. “The followers of Jesus practiced resurrection,” Ed says in his homily on “Preach” for the Mass of the Day this Easter Sunday. “Their dogged commitment to living an Easter spirituality and pass it on from one generation to the next, usually at great cost, is why we stand missioned to practice resurrection again today,”

But, even though prudent preparation is necessary, there must always be enough room to veer from the script when you’re standing in front of a congregation.

“Improvisation is not shooting from the hip. We learned this from people, from standup comics, improvisation is taking what somebody gives you and doing something with it. It’s preparation,” Ed says. “The text is not the performance, just like a script is not a play, a score is not music.”

Read the Scripture readings for the Mass of the Day on Easter Sunday, The Resurrection of our Lord

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Ukraine military chaplain: Preaching hope to a world at war on Good Friday Mar 18, 2024

When reflecting on the life, death and resurrection of the Lord while living in a state of military invasion and active war, Andriy Zelinskyy, S.J., says that “everything becomes more authentic.” For this Jesuit priest, who serves as the chief military chaplain of the Ukrainian-Greek Catholic Church, the task of preaching to those suffering in Ukraine, “from the trenches to the President,” has brought the challenge and promise of preaching hope on Good Friday into stark relief.

To authentically preach the hope of the resurrection in such dire circumstances, preachers must first find hope themselves. “It begins with your search for hope,” Andriy shares with “Preach” host Ricardo da Silva, S.J. “And this is already a result of your search for sense, to find God in everything that’s happening around you.”

Andriy tries not to rely too much on certain techniques to communicate God’s message. Instead, he actively searches for God in his experience. “I’m not against the techniques,” he says. “They’re important, but in their due time. When you are in front of a living human being, please be a living human and be in the here and now.”

Listen to Andriy’s homily and his conversation with Ricardo to hear how he sustains himself to preach hope amid war. They discuss the common humanity that allows Andriy to preach to people of all stripes and how his experience informs his preaching.

Read the Scripture readings for Good Friday of the Lord’s Passion

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A Preacher’s Guide to Holy Week: These are long liturgies. Be brief! Mar 11, 2024

The liturgies of Holy Week need to be seen as a unity. With two weeks remaining before the start of this summit of the Christian year, the “Preach” team sought the expertise of two esteemed liturgical scholars and practitioners to give preachers a whistle-stop tour of the readings and liturgies for this sacred week.

In conversation with “Preach” host Ricardo da Silva, S.J., Kim Harris and John Baldovin, S.J., discuss the connection of present-day social issues like antisemitism and state-sanctioned violence to Christ’s Passion and Resurrection. They encourage preachers to weave these grim realities into their homilies for Holy Week.

Amid the richness of words, actions, movement, and song in these liturgies, it’s essential to uphold the values of silence and brevity in preaching during Holy Week.

“The missal recommends that the preacher preach briefly,” John stresses. “It takes a lot more time to prepare a brief homily than it does to prepare a long homily.”

Read the Scripture readings for Holy Week, Year B.

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Father Rob Galea’s preaching strategies for reaching disengaged youth Mar 04, 2024

“Explain the resurrection to me in two minutes without using any church language.” This is the challenge that Father Rob Galea sets for his staff to ensure they can easily relate to the young people they serve. “That takes practice, and that takes hanging out with the kids and understanding the way they speak, the way they reason.”

Rob, originally from Malta, is now a priest in the Diocese of Sandhurst, Victoria, Australia. He has amassed a hundreds of thousands-strong following across social media platforms and is also a popular singer and songwriter who once auditioned for X-Factor Australia. Today, Rob leads Icon Ministry—formerly FRG Ministry, a global media and outreach apostolate that significantly expanded its reach over the pandemic years.

On “Preach,” Rob delivers a homily for the Fourth Sunday in Lent, Year B, also known as Laetare, or Rejoicing Sunday.

When asked about effective preaching strategies to use when ministering to young people, Rob suggests preachers allow themselves to become vulnerable and share current, real-life experiences. “Start with you, with your struggle, with someone, or something that happened within the school, something that they know,” he says, “And, for goodness’ sake, stop using church language.”

Read the full text of this week’s homily and Scripture readings.

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How a deacon’s past as a taxi driver fuels his preaching Feb 26, 2024

The best formation Deacon Steve Kramer has ever received were the four summers he spent as a taxi and limo driver. “It really prepared me for pastoral counseling,” he says of his year’s shuttling people back and forth. “They sit, they open their heart, and pretty much they figure out that they’ll never see you again. So they open up in a different way.

On “Preach,” Steve delivers a homily for the Third Sunday of Lent, initiating the Scrutinies for catechumens in the O.C.I.A. process. Departing from the usual Year C readings, Year A Scriptures are employed, better suited for those preparing for Baptism at the Easter Vigil. The Scrutinies prompt catechumens to confront their sinfulness and embrace God’s merciful love through reflection, repentance and exorcism.

Listen to Steve’s homily on this week’s episode of “Preach.” In their conversation afterwards, Steve and host Ricardo da Silva, S.J., discuss preaching to the needs of the community, the importance of listening and balancing themes of sin and God’s merciful love when preaching.

Read the full text of this week’s homily and Scripture readings.

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Meet a woman who teaches priests to preach Feb 19, 2024

“Effective preaching is like good butter sinking into warm toast,” says Karla Bellinger. “You’ve gotta give the Holy Spirit a little bit of time to do some work.” As the founding executive director of the Institute for Homiletics at the University of Dallas and president of the Catholic Association of Teachers of Homiletics, Karla is filled with bits of wisdom like this for homilists.

“The God of the universe who is infinite also wants to be the God who is intimate and close,” Karla says in her homily for the Second Sunday of Lent. “God wants to dazzle us.” In many ways, this is the mission of the homilist: helping people in the pews draw closer to God and prompting a dazzling encounter. Karla would know; as a lay woman and homiletician, she coaches and trains preachers—mostly ordained Catholic men—to give effective homilies. Preaching is a “pastoral act,” she says. Through every homily, “you want your people to come closer to God.”

Listen to Karla’s homily on this week’s episode of “Preach.” After delivering her homily, Karla explores with host Ricardo da Silva, S.J., some of the quick- and long-term fixes preachers can make to improve their homilies such that people in the pews can really hear what the preacher—and God—has to say.

Read the full text of this week’s homily and Scripture readings.

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Try something new this Lent: Map out your homilies like an org chart Feb 12, 2024

Russell Pollitt, S.J., approaches his homilies in a manner unlike any other preacher the “Preach” team has yet seen. While some rely on verbatim manuscripts, detailed linear plans, or simply loose notes, when this South African Jesuit priest sits down to write his homily after praying on the Scriptures, the first thing he does is produce an org chart (or organogram, as it’s better known outside the U.S.).” But, by the time Russell stands in front of the congregation to deliver his homily, the organogram has served its purpose and is nowhere to be seen.

“I get a picture of that organogram in my head,” he says, “so that on a Sunday, I can stand up and I can preach without notes,”

Russell is the superior of the Jesuits in Johannesburg and the director of the Jesuit Institute South Africa. For the First Sunday of Lent, Year B, Russell chooses to center his homily on a seemingly straightforward question: “What is Lent?” He offers three central lenses through which to consider the question. Think of Lent, he says, as a new start, a reminder and our desert.

In his conversation with Ricardo after the homily, Russell elaborates on his organizational methods for preaching and reveals how his brother’s suicide and presiding over the funeral of a toddler who drowned, compelled him to rethink his “own style” of preaching and even his “own theological framework,” he says. “It’s really heightened my own sensitivity to being with people who are bereaved, and preaching at a funeral.”

Read the full text of this week’s homily and Scripture readings.

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The Vatican’s chief liturgist on why preachers need to take their homilies more seriously Feb 05, 2024

Cardinal Roche opens the Lenten season on “Preach: The Catholic Homilies Podcast” with a heartfelt message taken from the Scripture readings for Ash Wednesday: “Come back to me with all your heart.” When asked by host Ricardo da Silva, S.J., why he chose the theme of “Welcome Home” and not to preach “in a heavier way,” to emphasize the penitential nature of the season, the cardinal, who is the most senior Vatican official to appear on the show, simply replies: “Well, because I think, really, that’s what Lent is all about.”

Cardinal Roche serves as the prefect of the Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments and is a former chairman of the International Commission on English in the Liturgy (ICEL). On the show, he not only imparts Lenten preaching wisdom but also shares his insights into Pope Francis’ synodal vision and emphasizes the need for preachers to meticulously prepare their homilies:

“I would say, really, take preaching—take your homily very, very seriously. And don’t be the person who looks on Saturday night to see what he has to say on Sunday morning.”

Read the full text of this week’s homily and Scripture readings.

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An update from the Preach team Jan 19, 2024

You may have seen that we haven’t had any episodes for the last two weeks. We are taking a break after the bumper set of episodes we put together for you during the Advent and Christmas seasons. We are reviewing the results of our survey—which you can still respond to here— and planning our offering for Lent.

In the meantime, in this great week when we celebrate the extraordinary contributions of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr, to racial and social justice in the U.S. and beyond, we’re re-airing an episode with preacher Bryan Massingale, titled "Preaching the kingdom of God when justice is delayed on earth." This episode originally aired on the 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time this past July.

Bryan is a priest of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee, and presently lives and works in New York City as a professor of theology at Fordham University. He is a leader in the quest for faith-based racial and sexual justice, especially within the Catholic Church, and regularly presides and preaches at the The Parish of St. Charles Borromeo Resurrection and All Saints, the mother church for Black Catholics in the Archdiocese of New York. This year is the 40th anniversary of his priestly ordination.

Listen to Bryan’s homily for the 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A, on this week’s episode of “Preach.” After the homily, he shares with host Ricardo da Silva, S.J., a less-rehearsed reading of the well-known parable of the sower in the Gospel of Matthew.

Read the full text of this week’s homily and Scripture readings

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The star first leads the wise men to Jerusalem—where Old and New Testament meet—not Bethlehem Jan 01, 2024

Preaching on the Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord, David Neuhaus, S.J., explores a curiosity in the story of the Wise Men’s journey from the East to the Bethlehem manger. “Why didn’t the star take them straight to Bethlehem? Why did it take them to Jerusalem?,” he asks. "I think it took them to Jerusalem, as we are always taken to Jerusalem, because we must encounter the scriptures of Israel,” he continues. “It is from the Scriptures of Israel that they will receive the precise destination to which they are going—Bethlehem.”

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David, a Jesuit priest and Scripture scholar of the Near-East province of the Jesuits, was born into Judaism in South Africa but has lived most of his life in the Holy Land. Firmly declaring his roots, he states, “I was born a Jew and remain a Jew,” he states, firmly declaring his roots. “I didn't have any faith until I became a Catholic.” Over the course of his ministry as a Jesuit, he has dedicated himself to teaching Scripture in both Israel and Palestine. Notably, from 2008 to 2017, he served as the vicar for the Hebrew-speaking Catholic community in Israel. Presently, he splits his time between Johannesburg and Jerusalem.

On this week's “Preach,” host Ricardo da Silva, S.J., delves into David’s questioning of the route the Magi took to see Jesus and its implications for the Sunday Mass readings. “There is always some intimate connection between the first reading from the Old Testament and the third reading from the Gospel,” David notes. “I would also say that it is very helpful when we realize that what we are called to do in a homily is to make Jesus alive, bring Jesus alive, and that Jesus is made alive by explicit texts about Jesus in the New Testament, and an implicit promise of Jesus in the Old Testament.

Read the full text of this week’s homily and Scripture readings.

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A Syriac Catholic priest and father in Bethlehem preaches on the Feast of the Holy Family Dec 25, 2023

Yunan Frédéric, a Syriac Catholic priest living in Bethlehem with his Latina-American wife and their three children, preaches on the Feast of the Holy Family, even though the Syriac Church does not observe this feast in its liturgical calendar. For the past two years, he has served as the pastor of the Syriac Catholic community in Bethlehem; a small, largely refugee, Arab-speaking group of about 100 people.

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Yunan, shares his approach to preaching and contemplates the situation of war in which he lives. "It's like walking with a friend and talking together," he says. “I am very much listening as well. I am looking at the faces of the people. I’m trying to create a communion as we are one body during the Mass, and the homily is part of that communion.” As the conversation draws to an end, Yunan shares a prayer he has spontaneously found himself praying since war broke out, “O God, forgive us.”

“When I was saying ‘us,’ I was including everyone. I was putting myself with the one who kills, and I was taking the one who killed into myself as well, as one family was human, one human family. God forgive us.”

Read the full text of this week’s homily and Scripture readings.

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Keeping Christmas joy alive in our preaching—even amid war, violence and poverty Dec 18, 2023

The anticipated joy of Christmas unfolds against a backdrop of pain and violence this year.

“I think one of the most important things in these extremely troubled times is that we do have the lights, both metaphorically and physically,” says Barbara Reid, O.P. “Our most important gift and our most important approach, not only to the advent and Christmas season, but to our lives overall, is never to let hope dim.”

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On the Christmas episode of “Preach,” Sister Barbara Reid, President of the Catholic Theological Union in Chicago and Carroll Stuhlmueller, C.P. Distinguished Professor of New Testament Studies at the C.T.U, preaches on the readings for Christmas Mass during the Day.

In conversation with Ricardo after the homily, Barbara reflects on how she maintains Christmas joy in her preaching without shying away from the grim realities of the world, and encourages listeners to read Scripture commentaries from “perspectives that are postcolonial, Latino/a, Black Catholic, Asian, and Asian American.”

Read the full text of this week’s homily and Scripture readings.

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Preaching about joy starts with paying attention to life’s difficulties Dec 11, 2023

This week on 'Preach,' the script is flipped: Ricardo da Silva, S.J., the regular host, becomes the guest preacher, and Maggi Van Dorn, a usual producer, takes the mic as the host. Maggi and Ricardo, who work together extensively on “Preach,” “Hark! The stories behind our favorite Christmas carols” and “Inside the Vatican,” compare how preachers and podcasters alike craft stories to captivate their audience

On this Gaudete Sunday, Ricardo invites listeners to identify where they have experienced joy, even as he admits that we live in a world where joy is hard to come by.

In his homily, Ricardo tells a story by Pedro Arrupe, S.J., who was the 28th Superior General of the Society of Jesus from 1965 to 1983. The story is about Arrupe's visit to a Brazilian favela, and it helps Ricardo explore the connection between joy and self-gift.

“Joy cannot be manufactured. It's not something that we can create for ourselves,” explains Ricardo. “It’s something that sort of happens in a moment, in a flash, and then we catch ourselves in a joyful state.”

Read the full text of this week’s homily and Scripture readings.

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Preaching in Native American communities responding to generational trauma Dec 04, 2023

Despite his advanced studies in Scripture, it wasn’t until Victor Cancino, S.J., became the resident pastor at St. Ignatius Mission on the Flathead Indian Reservation in Western Montana that he properly grasped the Bible’s deep connections with Native American spirituality and practices. “The Bible is from a tribal world with a spirituality that is as old as the people that I’m living with,” Victor says. “We completely forget that and we think of this Roman-Greco society that looks like us, but the Bible looks a lot like tribal people.”

On “Preach,” Victor delivers a homily for the Second Sunday of Advent, Year B, focusing on the image of the desert presented in the first reading from Isaiah. In the conversation that follows the homily, host Ricardo da Silva, S.J., and Victor explore how the preacher might respond to generational trauma in marginalized communities, such as the people he works with on the reservation.

Read the full text of this week’s homily and Scripture readings.

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A preacher's guide to Advent Nov 27, 2023

“How do we really enter into a season like Advent when the world around us is already celebrating Christmas?” This is the question host Ricardo da Silva, S.J., sets before his guests, Scripture scholars Barbara Reid, O.P., and Victor Cancino, S.J., at the start of this episode, which breaks the usual mold of the podcast.

Instead of the usual show where we hear a homily for a given Sunday and then talk to a guest preacher, we’ve invited Sister Reid and Father Cancino to share ways into the Scriptures for Advent and offer us avenues for preaching in each of the four weeks of this time. What do preachers need to keep in mind as we move into a new liturgical year, from Year A to Year B, and season, from Ordinary Time to Advent? What are the key themes that preachers can draw inspiration from for their homilies?

Listen to “Preach” this week to hear what wisdom Barbara and Victor have to share about the Scriptures and the art of preaching to retell the Scripture.

Read the full text of this week’s homily and Scripture readings.

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A reminder for preachers: ‘Words can hurt; words can also heal’ Nov 20, 2023

Father Orobator, a Jesuit of the North-West Africa Province, is an internationally acclaimed theologian and a convert to Catholicism from traditional African religion. This summer, he began his tenure as dean at the Jesuit School of Theology at Santa Clara University.

Read the full text of this week’s homily and Scripture readings.

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At funerals, preach for the living, not the dead Nov 20, 2023

This November, as we remember our beloved dead and our liturgy begins to contemplate the end times, the stark reality of war is even more pronounced. In times, like these, “sometimes, the best thing you can do,” says Bruce Botha, S.J., “is acknowledge someone else’s pain and say, ‘I can’t imagine how you’re feeling.’”

Father Botha, a priest of the Southern Africa province of the Jesuits, has been in parish ministry for the last 15 years. He serves as the pastor of Holy Trinity Catholic Church and chaplain for two universities in Johannesburg, South Africa. Previously, he worked at St. Martin de Porres, a Jesuit-run parish in Soweto, “a historic township,“ he says, which was “the epicenter of a lot of the anti-apartheid struggle.” The parish is a stone’s throw from the world-famous Vilakazi Street, which he reminds, has “the homes of two Nobel Peace Prize Laureates in it: Desmond Tutu and Nelson Mandela.”

On “Preach” this week, host Ricardo da Silva, S.J., engages Bruce on the challenges of preaching in fearful, uncertain times of COVID and war, and at intimate moments of personal grief, like funerals.

Read the full text of this week’s homily and Scripture readings.

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Preachers: The elders also need homilies that speak to them Oct 30, 2023

Preachers face a delicate balancing act: while crafting homilies to draw young people to the pews, they must also engage the elders, who make up the majority of the congregation. The also deserve homilies that resonate with the particular joys and challenges of their lives. “I try to read the scriptures through their eyes,” says Jack Rathschmidt, an 80-year-old Capuchin friar. “Older people have this wisdom and these gifts, and so I just try to honor them.”

Jack has been a friar for 62 years and a priest for 54 years. He has preached in more than 60 dioceses and led over 100 retreats across the U.S. and the world. Despite holding four master’s degrees and a doctorate in theology, he hopes that his legacy extends beyond his academic achievements. “I come from a very lower middle class background; my father never made $100 a week until 1968,” he says. “I hope people catch from me, the essence of St. Francis; I am an everyday person who has been called to a particular vocation and role. I tried to live simply, I tried to identify, especially with the poor.”

Listen to Jack’s homily for the 31st Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A, on this week’s episode of “Preach.” After the homily, Jack shares with host Ricardo da Silva, S.J., how he keeps the fire for preaching alive.

Read the full text of this week’s homily and Scripture readings.

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The power of vulnerability when preaching in a retreat or parish setting Oct 23, 2023

As an undergrad at Boston College, Sarah Hansman was a self-described “retreat addict.” Today, she is a retreat leader in Boston College’s Kairos program and is often invited to preach in various settings. “When it comes to preaching, and when it comes to sharing my voice, one of my goals is to be a role model for those who either don’t feel like their voices are heard or don’t feel like their voices are worthy to be heard,” Sarah says, when asked about her vocation as a preacher. “Every time I’m offered to reflect in any setting, I say, ‘Yes!”

Sarah returned to her alma mater after a successful four-year career in tech sales and years of discernment during which she made the Spiritual Exercises of Saint Ignatius Loyola in daily life. Sarah is currently working towards an M.Div. degree at Boston College’s School of Theology and Ministry. In addition to her academic pursuits, she leads retreats, serves weekly in a men’s prison and embraces every preaching opportunity that comes her way.

In this “Preach” episode, Sarah Hansman delivers a homily for the 30th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year A, and shares with host Ricardo da Silva, S.J., how her corporate experience prepared her to take risks and practice vulnerability in preaching.

Read the full text of this week’s homily and Scripture readings.

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Pope Francis calls Catholics to support the global church. Our preaching should reflect that. Oct 16, 2023

Until the early 20th century, the Catholic Church in the United States was “still young, growing and vulnerable,” and “the recipient of help from the church in other lands,” recalls Anthony Andreassi, C.O., in his homily for World Mission Sunday. “Now it is our turn to reach out to support others so that this important work of evangelization can continue as we continue to make our pilgrim way here on earth.”

Anthony is a resident priest of the Brooklyn Oratory and serves its two parishes, but he has spent most of his professional life in Jesuit company—his last four years, until the summer of 2022, as the principal of Regis High School in New York City. Now, he works for the Pontifical Mission Societies and The Society for the Propagation of the Faith in its mission to raise consciousness of the emerging church, especially in the countries of the global south.

Listen to Anthony’s homily for the 29th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A, on this week’s episode of “Preach,” which also coincides with the appeal for World Mission Sunday observed in parishes worldwide. After delivering his homily, Anthony discusses with host Ricardo da Silva, S.J., how the Church’s evangelization reaches beyond missionary lands. It is also an invitation for all the faithful to walk together as pilgrims on a common course, echoing the ongoing invitation of the Synod on Synodality.

Read the full text of this week’s homily and Scripture readings.

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Center the experiences of marginalized people when preaching Oct 09, 2023

Before the Rev. James Martin, S.J., set off for the Synod on Synodality currently underway at the Vatican, he shared some of his hopes for preaching the message of the Synod. “This idea of Jesus calling people from the outside in is very much something that the synod is doing,” he said. “I think it’s reminding people that these groups, whoever it is—refugees, migrants, the poor, disabled, divorced or remarried Catholics, women that might be disenchanted with the church, L.G.B.T.Q people—that these are part of the body of Christ. And that these are people in whom the Holy Spirit is also active and alive.”

Jim is a Jesuit priest and editor-at-large at America, and the author of multiple New York Times bestsellers. His latest book, “Come Forth,” just released by Harper One, explores the miracle of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead. This month he is taking part in the ongoing Synod on Synodality in Rome; we’re thrilled to welcome him on “Preach” as we focus on “Preaching for a more synodal church.”

Listen to Jim’s homily for the 28th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A, on this week’s episode of “Preach.” After the break, Jim and host Ricardo da Silva, S.J., engage in a conversation about the synod, Jim’s new book, and his go-to homily resources.

Read the full text of this week’s homily and Scripture readings.

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How synodal listening transformed this preacher's homilies and faith community Oct 02, 2023

Brett Williams tries to connect his homilies from week to week. “Our discipleship isn’t limited to Sunday to Sunday,” he says; it needs to be seen “within the context of our ongoing journey.” He cautions that this path may include moments when “it seems dark, and there doesn’t seem to be any progress,” as well as times when it’s “fantastic, easy, wonderful to be a disciple of Jesus.” He believes that “when we create either a series or a linkage between Sundays, people start to see this journey more clearly.”

Brett serves as the pastor of St. Joseph Catholic Church in Durban, South Africa, and previously chaired the synod committee for the Archdiocese of Durban. He openly acknowledges that his ordination at the age of 35 made him a “late vocation.” Prior to entering the seminary, he pursued a career as a college lecturer and served as an international cricket umpire for two decades.

Listen to Brett’s homily for the 27th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A, on this week’s episode of “Preach.” After the homily, he shares with host Ricardo da Silva, S.J., a Jesuit priest from South Africa, associate editor at America, and associate pastor at the Church of St. Francis Xavier in Manhattan, how the practice of synodal listening, really listening to each other, has shaped his preaching.

Read the full text of this week’s homily and Scripture readings.

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The art of a short homily Sep 25, 2023

Synodality is not always an easy thing to describe. But for Iván Montelongo,“It is so concrete. It means walking together, but it means accompaniment. It means being there for somebody else, just as the Lord himself has decided to walk with us, has become a man and lived our same life with our struggles, with our issues.”

Iván Montelongo is a priest and canon lawyer serving in the Diocese of El Paso, Texas. Ivan was raised in Mexico but completed high school in the U.S. Though he was ordained in 2020, in the throes of Covid-19, he has already been called to significant responsibilities in his diocese: serving as vocation director, Judicial Vicar, and Synod coordinator. He is also one of only six U.S. delegates personally chosen by Pope Francis to participate in the upcoming Synod on Synodality in Rome this October. We’re delighted to have Ivan on “Preach” this month, where we are focusing our efforts around the theme of “Preaching for a more synodal church.”

Listen to Iván's homily for the Twenty-sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time on this week’s episode of “Preach.” After the homily, he shares with host Ricardo da Silva, S.J.—a Jesuit priest from South Africa, associate editor at America and associate pastor at the Church of St. Francis Xavier in Manhattan—how he brings the spirit of synodality to his preaching.

Read the full text of this week’s homily and Scripture readings.

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Preaching lessons from Servant of God Sister Thea Bowman Sep 18, 2023

“I had the great privilege of never having a man formally teach me preaching,” boasts Manuel Williams about his training for the priesthood. One of his teachers was Servant of God Sister Thea Bowman, F.S.P.A.; the other was Joan Delaplane, an Adrian Dominican sister and the first Catholic woman president of the American Academy of Homiletics. “What both of these great women stressed,” he said, “is you have the privilege each and every Sunday of standing before the people of God. And they would make it personal. They’d say, ‘We don’t get that privilege easily. We have to look for venues or for opportunities.’ And so never step into that preaching moment unprepared.’”

Manuel is a member of the Congregation of the Resurrection of Our Lord Jesus Christ. He has been pastor of Resurrection Catholic Church in Montgomery, Ala., for 33 years. Throughout this time he has also served as director of Resurrection Catholic Missions of the South, Inc. He preaches revivals and missions throughout the U.S., with a focus on African American Catholic spirituality and history. In 2021, he co-taught a course on “Anti-Racism Preaching” at the Aquinas Institute of Theology, where he is currently pursuing doctoral studies in preaching.

Listen to Manuel’s homily for the 25th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A, on this week’s episode of “Preach.” In conversation after the homily, with host Ricardo da Silva, S.J., Manuel unpacks how he makes oft-heard parables relevant and how he invites his congregation into full participation in the Gospel story.

Read the full text of this week’s homily and Scripture readings.

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Preaching is more than the homily Sep 11, 2023

Preachers and those in ministry confront a common dilemma: “We never live up to what we want to be,” says Patricia Bruno, O.P. “However, I think the preaching helps direct our own lives,” she adds. “It’s hard to say something in public that you don’t really believe.”

Patricia Bruno, is a Dominican sister of San Rafael in California. She is an experienced teacher and has served her congregation as both promoter of justice and preaching. She directs retreats at which she preaches often with fellow Dominican Jude Siciliano, whom we just heard on the last episode of Preach. She also serves as a spiritual director and writer. If she had a braid going down the back of her neck, she says that “one strand would be justice, the second spirituality, and the third would be the love that hopefully bonds them together.”

Listen to Patricia’s homily for the 24th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A, on this week’s episode of “Preach.” After the homily, she shares with host Ricardo da Silva, S.J., her conviction that preaching is only one instrument in the greater symphony of the Mass.

Read the full text of this week’s homily and Scripture readings.

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The three stories every homily should tell Aug 28, 2023

When Jude Siciliano, OP, sits down to write his homily, he always has a Venn diagram in mind. “It is one of the theories of preaching that there should be three stories,” Jude says, “The story of God, the story of the preacher, and the story of the listeners, the congregation.” And it is in the overlap of these three stories that Jude preaches.

Jude Siciliano, OP, is a member of the Southern Dominican Province, USA. For fourteen years he taught Homiletics at the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, California and is past president of the Catholic Association of Teachers of Homiletics. Jude has has given retreats and preaching workshops to ordained and lay preachers alongside Sr. Catherine Hilkert, OP, and Sr. Patricia Bruno, OP. You can read Jude’s weekly email reflections on the Sunday scriptures called "First Impressions" by visiting PreacherExchange.com.

Listen to Jude's homily for the Twenty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time on this week’s episode of “Preach.” After the homily, he shares with host Ricardo da Silva, S.J.—a Jesuit priest from South Africa, associate editor at America and associate pastor at the Church of St. Francis Xavier in Manhattan—his top tips for preaching and what women preachers have taught him about the craft.

Read the full text of this week’s homily and Scripture readings.

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Preaching to the hearts of college students Aug 07, 2023

How does a preacher best connect with college students? “I think the challenge for me is just being authentic, right?” says Brian Ching, C.S.C. “They know that your experiences and their experiences are not the same. And when we try to make our experiences relatable to their experiences it can often come off as gimmicky or trite. So just acknowledge the fact that, look, this didn't hit me the same way it hits you.”

A native of New York City, Father Ching now serves as Rector of the Basilica of the Sacred Heart at the University of Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana.

Listen to Brian's homily for the Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time on this week’s episode of “Preach.” After the homily, he shares with host Ricardo da Silva, S.J., how knowledge of the Scriptures, the life of faith and knowledge of the people in the pews is central to a good homily.

Read the full text of this week’s homily and Scripture readings.

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Can I be political in my preaching? Jul 31, 2023

“What's happening today in American society is the label of Christian is being applied to forces that are really deeply unchristian and certainly within the Catholic community, are very much in violation of our Catholic social teaching,” says Walter Modrys, S.J., reflecting on the challenge that preachers face today when their homilies touch on neuralgic political issues. “You don't have a right to label it Christian unless it really meets a very high standard that is reflective of the gospels.”

Walter Modrys is a Jesuit priest of the U.S.A. East Province of the Jesuits. He describes his present state of life as retired but still holds down five jobs, including one as co-host of “believe. teach. practice,” a preaching podcast.

Listen to Walter's homily for the Solemnity of the Feast of the Transfiguration, Year A, on this week's episode of “Preach.” After the homily, Walter shares with host Ricardo da Silva, S.J., what drew him to make connections between the glorious feast of the Transfiguration and the unspeakable tragedy of the atomic bomb at Hiroshima.

Read the full text of this week’s homily and Scripture readings.

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Yes, women can (and do) preach in the Catholic Church Jul 24, 2023

Preachers can be tempted to ask themselves the wrong question when starting to prepare a homily. “The question is not ‘What do I want to say,’” but ‘God, what do people need to hear?’”, says Kayla August. “When we start there, the thing that’s ruminating in our hearts, I think, brings out a really good sermon.”

Kayla is a Black Catholic preacher. Born and raised in New Orleans, she is presently pursuing doctoral studies, with a focus on preaching as a form of education, at the School of Theology and Ministry at Boston College. Through her preaching, she says “I hope to enliven the young adult faith community,” she says. “And also help to inspire marginalized voices—like mine—to play an active role in the Church.”

Listen to Kayla’s homily for the 17th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A, on this week’s episode of “Preach.” After the homily, she shares with host Ricardo da Silva, S.J., her passion for preaching and the unique gifts and insights of lay preachers in the church.

Read the full text of this week’s homily and Scripture readings.

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Preaching the kingdom of God when justice is delayed on earth Jul 10, 2023

”We will never solve the crisis of preaching in the Catholic Church, unless we emphasize that the preacher needs to be someone who is constantly learning about the Scriptures and what they mean in their context, but also that the preacher needs to be a person of prayer.” says Bryan Massingale. “Someone who stands in the pulpit as an authentic faith witness who wrestles with who God is.”

Read the full text of this week’s homily and Scripture readings

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How to preach to a congregation when you don’t share the same culture Jul 03, 2023

When Isaac-el Fernandes, S.J., delivers a homily he “won’t necessarily remember to say everything that I've written,” he says. “But what I will remember is the stuff that is closest to my heart. It is much more about the conviction that I say a homily with than about the clever ideas that one might have.”

Isaac is a Jesuit of the Southern Africa Province. He was born and raised in Zimbabwe but currently lives and works in Lusaka, Zambia.

Listen to Isaac’s homily for the 14th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A, on this week’s episode of “Preach.” After the homily, he shares with host Ricardo da Silva, S.J., just how he learned to depart from his prepared text and preach from the heart.

Read the full text of this week’s homily and Scripture readings

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Preaching tips from a Catholic priest, husband and father of five Jun 26, 2023

“I like what Pope Francis said in ‘Evangelii Gaudium’ when he talked about preaching and likened it to family conversation; I try and imagine that I’m at a coffee shop talking to someone and I just have a conversation with them,” Josh Whitfield says. “If I were to sit down with you and just talk about important stuff—share the Gospel with you—I would not lecture you. The homily is family talk.”

Father Whitfield serves as the pastor of St. Rita Catholic Community in Dallas. A former Episcopal priest, he trained for ministry in England. After his conversion to Catholicism, he was ordained a Catholic priest in 2012, through the pastoral provision of Pope St. John Paul II. He now lives in Dallas with his wife and their five children. Father Whitfield is a regular contributor to the Dallas Morning News and Our Sunday Visitor and the author of The Crisis of Bad Preaching: Redeeming the Heart and Way of the Catholic Preacher (Ave Maria Press, 2019).

Listen to Father Whitfield’s homily for the 13th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A, on this week’s episode of “Preach.” After the homily, he shares with host Ricardo da Silva, S.J., how this husband and father of five brings his whole self to the pulpit.

Read the full text of this week’s homily and Scripture readings

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Preaching is ‘believing out loud’ Jun 19, 2023

“I’m not trying to convey concepts. What I’m trying to convey is my own reliance on God and my own hope in God,” Sam Sawyer, S.J., says when asked to describe his approach to delivering a homily. “The best thing I have to offer someone else is the invitation to deeper love and trust in God.”

Sam is a Jesuit of the U.S.A. East province of the Jesuits and the 15th editor in chief of America Media.

In his conversation with host Ricardo da Silva, S.J., after the homily, Sam shares how ancient monastic wisdom has inspired him to lean into the more difficult lines in the Scriptures.

Read the full text of this week’s homily and Scripture readings.

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Preachers have one minute to captivate the congregation Jun 12, 2023

“I have discovered over the years that if you save your big point for the end, people have often tuned you out,” Deacon Fritz Bauerschmidt says, “You really have to give them something in that first minute.”

Fritz is a permanent deacon in the Archdiocese of Baltimore assigned to the Cathedral of Mary, Our Queen. He is also a professor of theology at Loyola Maryland University, the Jesuit university in Baltimore, an author, a husband and a father of three.

After the homily, Fritz explains to host Ricardo da Silva, S.J., why the rapper Post Malone provided the perfect hook for his homily.

Read the full text of this week’s homily, and Scripture readings.

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The key to a good homily is an authentic preacher Jun 05, 2023

“The most important thing for me when I enter into preparing a homily is just being able to authentically give witness to who I am and where I am in my relationship with Christ,” says John Gribowich. “If I can’t do that, then not only is it inauthentic, but it also just doesn’t really grab anyone.”

John Gribowich is a priest of the Diocese of Brooklyn. Today, he lives in San Francisco, Calif., where he serves as the religious studies teacher at Sacred Heart Cathedral Preparatory High School. Along with theology and art history, his personal interests include meditating, reading, running and listening to Bob Dylan.

After the homily, John shares with host Ricardo da Silva, S.J., how he thought to connect baseball to the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist.

Links from the show

Read Scripture readings for the Solemnity of Corpus Christi, Year A

Read a transcript of John Gribowich’s homily

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A woman’s preaching advice for a young priest May 28, 2023

The best advice Greg Chisholm, S.J., received about preaching a homily was not taught in the seminary. “I was helped as a young priest by a woman in a church that I served in Detroit, Michigan,” he said. “She came to me and she said, ‘When I go to church, I want to hear about Jesus, and you didn’t have a lot about Jesus in that sermon.’ I have never forgotten that.”

Greg Chisholm, S.J., the superior of the Jesuit community in Maryland and a former pastor of St. Charles Borromeo in Harlem, is the premiere preacher on “Preach,” our new podcast where we take you into the minds and hearts of some of the finest preachers in the Catholic Church today.

The show is hosted by Ricardo da Silva, S.J., a Jesuit priest from South Africa, associate editor at America and associate pastor at the Church of St. Francis Xavier in Manhattan.

“On this show, you won’t only hear and learn from Jesuits about preaching,” says Ricardo. “I will talk with lay liturgical preachers, women and men who ordinarily exercise a preaching ministry in their respective communities. I’ll talk with deacons, priests, bishops and maybe even a cardinal or two.”

“Preach” will usually be released on Mondays. But we could not pass on the significance of launching a podcast about preaching on Pentecost Sunday—when the church celebrates the descent of the Holy Spirit on the disciples in the upper room—which the Scriptures tell us “enabled them to proclaim” God’s word to all nations.

Links from the show

Read Scripture readings for the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity, Year A

Read a full transcript of Greg's homily.

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Coming this Pentecost: Preach May 18, 2023

What makes a great Catholic homily? And what goes into the art of delivering it well?

“Preach” is a new weekly podcast from America Media that features a diverse cast of the finest Catholic preachers. Each week, preachers open up their hearts and minds, sharing their spiritual lives, approaches to interpreting scripture and techniques for preparing the best homilies. Launching on the Solemnity of Pentecost May 28, 2023, “Preach” follows the liturgical calendar.

On each episode, listeners will first hear an inspiring homily, especially delivered for the podcast, and then take a privileged peek into the heart and mind of the preacher in a conversation with host Ricardo da Silva, S.J., a Jesuit priest and an associate editor at America Media.

Get daily Scripture reflections and support "Preach" by becoming a digital subscriber to America Magazine.

“Preach” is made possible through the generous support of the Compelling Preaching Initiative, a project of Lilly Endowment Inc.

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