I try to avoid politics as a priest. My job is to be a bridge, and we have all experienced the walls that go up when someone speaks about political issues.

The monks of Norcia, Italy experienced a series of earthquakes that destroyed their ancient church in the Italian, mountain town. The town was also devastated. A year later, an inspiring chapter is told from the rubble.

"I give no thought to what lies behind but push on to what lies ahead.

Today I received a video from my sister of my almost 1 year old niece walking. If you have watched younger siblings or nieces or nephews take their first steps, you know how exciting it is.

I’ve been living and breathing the Italian language and culture for three weeks in Siena, and I’ve noticed something: when I immerse myself in the language by listening to locals speak, reading things in Italian, and playing my Italian language games on my phone, I’m much more likely to have the rig

Start Digging - Homily

Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Siena, Italy – July 30, 2017

1 Kings 3:1, 5-12; Matthew 13: 44-52

Today’s Gospel parable from Matthew 13:44-52 is a powerful story. A man is digging in a field and finds a great treasure.

Choosing Joyful Burdens - Homily

Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Sts.

Independence Day — Homily

Sts. Peter & Paul Parish, Haubstadt, Indiana — July 4, 2017

Matthew 8:23-27

Every year on July 4, we gather and cook and eat and swim and boat and light and watch and in so many ways celebrate Independence Day, the Fourth of July.

There is something deeply satisfying about finishing a good book. This feeling is even more whole when upon turning the final page and closing the now-worn pages, you can sense that a new chapter will begun to be written because of the content you’ve poured over for some time.

The Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity — Homily

Sts. Peter & Paul Parish, Haubstadt and  Holy Cross Parish, Fort Branch, Indiana — June 11, 2017

Exodus 34, 2 Corinthians 13, John 3

Today we celebrate Trinity Sunday.

Memorial Memories Article

Fr. Tyler R.

PENTECOST SUNDAY- Final Homily in Newburgh

Saint John the Baptist Parish, Newburgh, Indiana – June 4, 2017

Acts 2, Psalm 104, 1 Corinthians 12, John 20

Listen to this homily from the 5pm Mass Sat, June 3

I have been at St.

I had never posted this homily from the weekend I introduced myself to the parish last summer. I thought some might like to read it as my time in Newburgh comes to a close.

Claiming the altars to unknown gods

HOMILY – Wednesday of the Sith Week of Easter

Saint John the Baptist Catholic Church, Newburgh – May 24, 2017

Acts 17

The passage about St. Paul from Acts 17:15, 22 to 18:1 contains a valuable lesson for us today about introducing someone to Christ.

Believe, Live & Receive - Homily

Sixth Sunday of Easter

Saint John the Baptist Parish, Newburgh, Indiana – May 21, 2017

Acts 8:5-8, 14-17, John 14:15-21

Listen to this homily from the 5pm Mass on Sat, May 20

My hometown pastor once told a fable about the ascension of Jesus into Heaven.

Homily - Be Christian

Tuesday of the Fourth Week of Easter

Saint John the Baptist Catholic Church, Newburgh – May 9, 2017

Acts 11

Have you been called “Christian”?

A few years ago, my seminary rector, Fr. Denis Robinson, OSB, pointed out this line from today's reading from Acts.

This past weekend was the busiest weekend I think I have had as a priest.

Homily - Magie's Wish

Friday of the Second Week of Easter

Saint John the Baptist Catholic Church, Newburgh - April 28, 2017

John 6

Today's gospel is about the loaves and fishes.

Our parish third graders finished a book about Jesus recently, and I was asked to come address some of their unanswered questions. I thought they were too precious -- and quite profound for their age -- not to share.

Homily - I've seen people rise

Fifth Sunday of Lent

Saint John the Baptist Parish, Newburgh, and UE & USI, Evansville, Indiana - April 2, 2017

Ezekiel 37, Romans 8, John 11

Audio of this homily

We profess that we believe in the new life Jesus offers, but we walk around without hope, like we’re

One area that usually gives parents parenting anxiety is talking with their children about sex and sexuality. Some are so nervous or dumbfounded that they simply don't bring it up at all.

Homily - Lead us Knot into Temptation

First Sunday of Lent

Saint John the Baptist Parish, Newburgh, Indiana - March 5, 2017

Genesis 2:7-9; 3:1-7; Matthew 4:1-11

EXCERPT: And isn’t that every temptation?! Isn’t that the “why” of every single sin we commit?! Giving into temptation is a result of n

There I sat. It was the morning after my ordination, and I spent some time at my home parish in Haubstadt, Indiana. I prayed about the previous day in our diocesan cathedral. I prayed about the previous 8 years of seminary formation.

This past week, I posted a short reflection on the beauty of marriage. I didn't expect it to touch so many. In fact, in just a few days, it became one of the most-viewed posts on my blog ever.

It's National Marriage Week! Too often the vocation of marriage gets overlooked, and yet the commitment of oneself to a spouse for life is a symbol for Christ's own union with the Church, his bride (Eph 5:21-33).

SUMMARY: If you want to find God, stop searching in worldly ways, and, instead, imitate not the searching by the wise men but imitate their recognition that God revealed himself. When we follow His Revelation in our Church today, we, like the wise men, will see God.

And Mary kept all these things, reflecting on them in her heart

What is it that you keep and ponder in your heart?

It’s the New Year, and we celebrate who on Day One of 2017? Mary. Maybe we're supposed to learn something from her.

Day 200 - I've been a priest for 200 days.

SUMMARY: If we realize the gift of God in Christmas, then our lives will change. We won’t just love the songs and material elements of Christmas.

Holy Hour for Vocations – Evening Prayer and Adoration before the Priestly Ordination of Deacon Homero Rodriguez

Philippians 4:4-5

About two years ago, after a daily Mass at Saint Meinrad Seminary and School of Theology, we students and monks processed out of our many chapel doorways and gathered

Parish Reconciliation Service

Luke 15:11-32

There are times in life where we need to restrain ourselves, where we need to hold back. And there are times when we need to hold nothing back. In this story of the Prodigal Son, we see both.

The younger son doesn’t hold back.

Here is an audio clip of my homily on vocations from November 13, 2016

http://www.sjbnewburgh.org/uploads/mce/a785bdbf3c99e0509f4cc3417295cce9d89459a1/20161112%20Homily.mp3

Image source

Are you grateful, what are you grateful for, and do you show it?

Are you grateful? Here’s what I’m grateful for at Saint John the Baptist.

Two of our readings today are about death, and the first reading (2 Mac 7) is really quite disturbing. A mother and her seven sons are captured and told to violate God’s law or suffer torture and death. And sure enough, one by one, each son refuses to denounce his God, and is therefore killed.

We are supposed to minimize our cooperation in evil. One might see proportionate reasons in Trump himself (and not merely in comparison to Hillary) to hold their nose and vote Trump; I disagree, but I am not talking to those people, who may well be in good conscience.

It's the Feast of All Saints...

We do such a great job of seeing the holiness of the Saints.

But we often forget that, like us, they were human.

They enjoyed smoking pipes.

They picketed in protests.

They hiked in the mountains.

And they sometimes wondered whether God was even there.

Pope Francis, US celebrities, and world leaders from all across the globe are asking us to open our eyes to how we care for our common home: Earth.

I found this new movie "Before the Flood" to be quite powerful (and well done) and it has been on my mind since I watched it last night.

I've followed this election season pretty closely, and I have still not made up my mind on which presidential candidate I will vote for. I have decided on many other races at the local, state and national level, but for the highest office...

SUMMARY: The prophet Habakkuk cries out to the Lord, and he is answered by God who says that because of 'the just man’s faith', he shall be saved from the bad things going on around him.

In January, my seminary classmates and I visited the Parisian church where St. Vincent de Paul is entombed. As you can see in the above photograph, St. Vincent's tomb is just under the large arch on the right, topped with two angels and a statue of the Saint of Charity.

A friend of mine shared an article published on Huffington Post about a cultural understanding of pornography as a 'sophisticated pass-time for adults'.

Today's Gospel seems confusing at first read. Is Jesus commending a manager who deceives him? Why doesn’t the Master of the dishonest steward punish the steward? Why do we need to make friends with dishonest wealth? What is Jesus trying to tell us by this story?

The key here is the audience.

My homily from September 4 audio link: 

In Luke’s Gospel today, we read that “great crowds” are now following Jesus. It’s no longer the handful of fisherman he called about ten chapters earlier in the Gospel—maybe a few months or a year earlier in real time.

Today’s second reading is a powerful exhortation by Saint Paul to the Hebrews concerning faith. St.

To listen to an audio recording of this homily, click here

In a quiet convent in Buenos Aires, Argentina lived a 43-year-old nun named Sister Cecilia Maria. She was known for her perpetual smile.

Words cannot express my gratitude for the immense work, generosity and hospitality that was extended by so many from our parish and from our neighboring parishes this weekend. I couldn't help but be so proud to call this my home and our parish community my larger family.

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