Rich Thoughts

At Blessed John XXIII Parish, Knoxville. Understanding the "Shema" of Deuteronomy 6:4-5 before applying it to Mark 12:28-34. Loving God, neighbor, and self. Special thanks to Brady Allred and the Bach Choir of Pittsburgh!

At Blessed John XXIII Parish, Knoxville. Why this is perhaps my favorite day of the church year!

At Blessed John XXIII Parish, Knoxville. We chafe at some of Ephesians' instructions to women, children, and slaves, but let's put it in the first-century context. The radical parts were directed to the Roman men, and the main goal was Christian unity.

At Blessed John XXIII Parish, Knoxville. Reflections on the origins of greed and gossip, in light of Ephesians 4:32 - 5:8.

At St. Joseph School, Knoxville. Picking up some themes in Ephesians 2:1-10, Psalm 100, and Luke 12:13-21, and applying it to the every-day realities of middle school.

At Blessed John XXIII Parish, Knoxville. Through our baptism, we are knit into the Church, into the Body of Christ. So, why do so many of us speak about "the Church" as if it were an institution to which we don't belong? Let's choose our words wisely!

At Blessed John XXIII Parish, Knoxville. Some general ideas about the Gospel of Luke and the Acts of the Apostles, and then some more specific ideas on Luke 10:1-9. We are ALL called by the Holy Spirit!

At Blessed John XXIII Parish, Knoxville. The idea of making our priorities apparent -- in work, in Galatians 5:18-25, in Luke 11:42-46, and in the life and death of Ignatius of Antioch.

At Blessed John XXIII Parish, Knoxville. Using the readings prescribed for this Paulist Feast Day (Romans 8:22-27 and John 15:1-8) as a springboard to describe how we are blessed by the many dimensions of Teresa of Avila.

At Blessed John XXIII Parish, Knoxville. Paul and Peter's disagreement (Galatians 2:1-2, 7-14) illustrates the first debate about inculturation in Christianity. The debates continue today; pray for delegates at the Synod for the New Evangelization!

At Blessed John XXIII Parish, Knoxville. How do we humans experience the Gospel of Jesus Christ, if Paul says that it is "not of human origin" (Galatians 1:12)?

At Blessed John XXIII Parish, Knoxville. (Similar homily preached to the Diocese of Knoxville deacon aspirant class in Lenoir City, TN on Saturday, 10/06/12.) The Book of Job wrestles with a profound question, but the answer is… another question.

At Blessed John XXIII Parish, Knoxville. How "the little way" of Thérèse (a.k.a. "The Little Flower") illustrates both our gospel passage (Luke 9:46-50) and our passage from the book of Job (Job 1:6-22). Blessed be the name of the LORD!

At Blessed John XXIII Parish, Knoxville. Jesus address three groups of people in Mark 9:38-48 -- community "outsiders" (in a way similar to Numbers 11:25-29), community "insiders," and each of us as individuals. Different messages for each!

At Blessed John XXIII Parish, Knoxville. How can the Book of Proverbs and the Book of Ecclesiastes -- which seem to contradict each other -- both be "wisdom" inspired by God? Readings of the day are Proverbs 3:27-34 and Luke 8:16-18.

At Blessed John XXIII Parish, Knoxville. Getting the best of our tendencies to compare ourselves with others, in light of James 3:16-4:3, Mark 9:30-37, and my own experiences at the gym!

At Neyland Stadium, University of Tennessee, Knoxville. I gave the invocation at the first home football game since the Freedom From Religion Foundation requested that UT stop having prayer at games. The letter was the lead local news story this week!

At Blessed John XXIII Parish, Knoxville. Paul's third (and "more excellent") treatise on how the Corinthians are to become a truly Christian community. 1 Corinthians 13:1-13, as seen through the filter of Luke 7:31-35.

At Blessed John XXIII Parish, Knoxville. Putting Paul's account of the Last Supper (1 Cor 13:17-26) in the context of the Corinthian community. What does it teach us about our debates today regarding "worthiness" (Luke 7:1-10) to receive the Eucharist?

At Blessed John XXIII Parish, Knoxville. The turning point in Mark's gospel (8:27-35). What are the crosses we are called to bear in our lives? Four possible categories of ways we "die to ourselves" to follow Christ.