My homiletic preparation has been influenced by Pope Francis. I prayerfully prepare the homily under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, Who is the Doer and I am the instrument. In so doing, I focus on one major theme, which guards against wandering and freely associating. The spotlight is on the Lord, not on me the homilist. In terms of length, the sweet spot seems to be 8 minutes, no more than ten. Preaching is a lot like drilling for oil: if you haven’t struck oil at 8 minutes, stop drilling! Finally, I try to address the “so what” factor: i.e., given what has been
preached regarding the Lectionary readings, especially the Gospel, now what? A good faith-filled homily must inspire the assembly to action; otherwise, it’s just a lecture.
God proposes: he doesn’t impose
28th Sunday in Ordinary Time (A); October 11, 2026 Is 25:6-10a. Ps 23. Phil 4:12-20. Mt 22:1-14 Deacon Jim McFadden The parable we hear in today’s Gospel tells us a lot about the Kingdom of God, which is likened to a king who throws as wedding feast for his son. Notice that father (God…
The wicked tenants: Ungrateful and greedy
27th Sunday of Ordinary Time (A); October 4, 2026 Is 5:1-7. Ps 80. Phil 4:6-9. Mt 21:33-43 Deacon Jim McFadden The parable about the mismanagement of the vineyard tells us a lot about the Kingdom of God, the choices we make, and the God who is always faithful in his forgiveness and mercy. As a…
the road home
26th Sunday in Ordinary Time (A); September 27, 2026 Ez 18:25-28. Ps 25. Phil 2:1-11. Mt 21:28-3 Deacon Jim McFadden In a past issue of the Catholic Herald (September/October 2020), the newsmagazine for the Diocese of Sacramento, there is a gripping story of Eliza Cobos, who had an abortion at age 18. Looking back at…
no unemployed in heaven!
25th Sunday in Ordinary Time (A); September 20, 2026 Is 55:6-9. Ps 145. Phil 1:20c-24. Mt 20:1-16a Deacon Jim McFadden Sometimes Jesus just doesn’t seem fair. The parable of the Day Laborers evokes the sense of getting ripped off. That’s why it’s probably the least liked parable that Jesus ever told because it offends our…
outside of forgiveness: No Hope, No Peace
24th Sunday in Ordinary Time (A); September 13, 2026 Sir 27:30-28:7 Ps 103. Rom 14:7-9 Mt 18:21-35 Deacon Jim McFadden Today’s Gospel speaks to us about forgiveness. Peter asks Jesus a very straightforward question: “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times? (Mt 18:21).…
fraternal correction
One of the Highest & Most Demanding Expressions of Love 23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time (A); September 6, 2026 Ez 13:8-10. Ps 95. Rom 13:8-10. Mt 18:15-20 Deacon Jim McFadden If there is one absolute in our secular culture today is non-judgmentalism. The basis of that implicit bias is that there are no universal, absolute,…
The cross is the way home
The Cross is the Way Home 22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time (A); August 30, 2026 Jer 20:7-9. Ps 63. Rom 12:1-2. Mt 16:21-27 Deacon Jim McFadden After establishing Peter as the rock of his Church, Jesus then begins to speak to his disciples about his Passion. Along the path to Jerusalem , he openly explains…
“Who Do You say that i am?”
21st Sunday in Ordinary Time (A); August 23, 2026 Is 22:19-23. Ps 138. Rom 11:33-36. Mt 16:13-20 Deacon Jim McFadden Midway through his public ministry, Jesus ventured with his disciples to the northern reaches of the Promised Land, to the region of Caesarea-Philippi, near the present-day Golan Heights, and there he poses a most basic…
“Lord, Help Me”
20th Sunday in Ordinary Time (A); August 16, 2026 Is 56:1,6-7. Ps 67. Rom 11:13-15,29-32. Mt 15:21-28 Deacon Jim McFadden Today’s Gospel (Mt 15:21-28) presents us with a unique example of faith in Jesus’s encounter with a Canaanite woman, a foreigner to the Jews. The scene unfolds as Jesus leaves God’s own holy land…
“Come to the quiet”
19th Sunday in Ordinary Time; August 9, 2026 1 Kgs 19:9-13a. Ps 85. Rom 9:1-5. Mt 14:22-33 Deacon Jim McFadden 46 years ago John Michael Talbot released a remarkable faith-filled album, Come to the Quiet, which was a collection of serene meditations, focusing primarily on the Psalms, one of which was Psalm 131. We…
Do I Feel Compassion or Do I Look Away?
18th Sunday in Ordinary Time (A); August 2, 2026 Is 55:1-3. Ps 145. Rom 8:35,37-39. Mt 14:13-21 Deacon Jim McFadden This Sunday’s Gospel presents us the miracle of multiplication of the loaves and fishes. The account illustrates two opposite ways of thinking and behaving: namely, do I have compassion for others or do I…
just one thing
17th Sunday in Ordinary Time (A); July 26, 2026 1 Kgs 3:5,7-12. Ps 119. Rom 8:28-30. Mt 13:44-52 Deacon Jim McFadden The Christian existentialist Soren Kierkegaard once said, “The saint’s life is about one thing.” The Dane didn’t mean that a saint’s life would be a monotonous existence—a “been there, done that” type of…
the problem of evil
Weeds Among the Wheat 16th Sunday in O.T. (A); July 19, 2026 Wis 12:13,16-19 Ps 86 Rom 8:26-27 Mt 13:24-43 Deacon Jim McFadden The parable of the weeds among the wheat continues Jesus use of parables to announce the Kingdom of God to the crowds. Among those in today’s Gospel, there is a rather…
Jesus is the sower; we’re the soil
Jesus is the Sower; We’re the Soil 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time (A); July 12, 2026 Is 55:10-11. Ps 65. Rom 8:18-23. Mt 13:1-23 Deacon Jim McFadden Today’s Gospel is about the parable of the Sower, which has been painted by a number of artists, most notably Vincent Van Gogh. As you reflect upon…
The Father has revealed hidden things to babes
14th Sunday in Ordinary Time (A); July 5, 2026 Zec 9:9-10. Ps 145. Rom 8:9-13. Mt 11:25-30 Deacon Jim McFadden In today’s Gospel Jesus is addressing his Father and, in so doing, is offering us the view of the inner life of God and he is inviting us to share in this eternal and…
there’s no true love without the cross
There’s No True Love Without The Cross 13th Sunday in Ordinary Time (A); June 28, 2026 2 Kgs 4:8-11, 14-16a. Ps 89. Rom 6:3-4,8-11. Mt 10:37-42 Deacon Jim McFadden John the Evangelist began his Gospel by proclaiming the Word of God became Flesh in Jesus, which means Jesus is divine. The first line in Mark’s…
christians: stand up to be counted!
12th Sunday of Ordinary Time (A); June 21, 2026 Jer 20:10-13. Ps 69. Rom 5:12-15. Mt 10:26-33 Deacon Jim McFadden Ringo Starr once sang that “Got to pay your dues if you want to sing the blues/And you know it don’t come easy” (It Don’t Come Easy by Ringo Starr and George Harrison). Applied to…
proclamation that God is Near
Proclaim that God is Near 11th Sunday in Ordinary Time (A); June 14, 2026 Ex 19:2-6a. Ps 100. Rom 5:6-11. Mt 9:36-10:8 Deacon Jim McFadden What strikes me in today’s Gospel is that Jesus calls the Apostles by name and then he sends them out. He’s giving them a personal invitation, which obtains for…
The Eucharist: the sacrament of memory
Corpus Christi Sunday (A); June 7, 2026 Dt 8:2-3,14-16. Ps 147. 1 Cor 10:16-17. Jn 6:51-58 Deacon Jim McFadden On this Solemnity of Corpus Christi, the idea of memory comes up frequently. At the get-go we hear in our 1st reading from Deuteronomy, Remember how the Lord your God has lead you” (Dt 8:2). Shortly…
the center cannot hold without god
The Most Holy Trinity (A); May 31, 2026 Ex 34:4-9. Dn 3:52-5. Cor 13:11-13. Jn 3:16-18 Deacon Jim McFadden For the last several years, our country has been going through a period of chaos, turmoil, disruption, and tearing apart. Sometimes I wonder, “Was there ever a ‘good old days’”? The German philosopher Artur Schopenhauer…
