Who are the books written for?

These books of Sunday Homilies are written for all who seek nourishment in Sacred Scripture.

Sacred Scripture is a goldmine for understanding God. These books can serve as a companion for exploring the treasures of Sacred Scripture, in personal reflection or as an accompaniment to the Sunday Mass readings.

How should I use these books?

The books are structured to follow the readings presented in the Lectionary for Mass which is arranged around the liturgical calendar. These are the same readings in the Missal at your local church, and the books are organized to follow along easily with the Church’s readings. Because the homilies align with the Sundays of the Lectionary, readers can simply find the associated Sunday and read that homily.

Can I reuse the books year-after-year?

Yes, the books are designed to be perennially useful across the three cycles of the Lectionary — Years A, B, and C — which rotate every fourth year. The books are organized so readers can efficiently plot a course through the changes that occur in the liturgical calendar from year-to-­year.

Where can I find the Lectionary and follow the liturgical calendar?

At the outset of each homily, I have provided the Scripture references for the associated readings. These readings can be found in the Bible, and are also the same selections that would be in the Roman Missal at your church for that day.

The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops also offers the daily readings slate and a full calendar at its website, which is an excellent resource for locating the Scripture readings for Mass. This is located at https://bible.usccb.org .

The USCCB also has made available online the New American Bible at https://www.usccb.org/offices/new-american-bible/books-bible .

See Resources page.

How did you select the homilies to include?

The homilies were selected from more than forty years of my ministry spent preaching at St. Ignatius Church, Baltimore, and St. Ignatius Loyola Church, New York.

This collection was not written with publication in mind. So, on a few rare occasions, some Sundays were not included in this collection. When this is the case, I have noted for that Sunday: “Not included in this collection.”

Are these the same homilies you gave at Mass?

Yes, the homilies are presented essentially as I delivered them at Mass. Since these are drawn from a forty-year collection, readers may or may not find a particular homily they heard me deliver, however, because I could not include every homily I gave. From my archives, I selected one for each Sunday of the calendar.

Why is there an appendix to each volume?

Each volume contains supplemental homilies that can be used whenever they are applicable, across any of the three liturgical cycles. For example, if the Solemnity of the Exaltation of the Cross displaces a Sunday in any year, a reader can find a homily for that feast day in the appendix to Volume A. Likewise, if a reader is looking for a homily for Holy Thursday or the Feast of the Ascension, those homilies can be found in Volumes B and C, respectively, and they can be used in any year.

The appendices are:

Volume A: “Homilies for Solemnities and Feasts that May Displace Ordinary Time Sundays.”

Volume B: “Homilies for The Easter Triduum.”

Volume C: “Homilies for Holy Days of Obligation.”