Official Website of the
Catholic Diocese of Little Rock
Bishop Taylor Homily Library
Bishop Anthony B. Taylor celebrates Mass across Arkansas and beyond. This library features the homilies delivered from March 2014 to the present. To listen to earlier homilies, please visit the bishop's Homily Archive.
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Solemnity of All Saints 2018 Published: Thursday, November 1, 2018 Most people want to live good lives, but they desire holiness in only a rather vague or general way ... so when difficult situations occur, they are not prepared to make the sacrifices that doing the right thing demands, especially when they know some people will not like the results. |
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29th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B Published: Sunday, October 21, 2018 Self-promotion will get you nowhere in the Kingdom of God, where greatness is not measured by rank or position. The greatest people in heaven are those who — like Jesus — made themselves the "slaves of all" and gave their lives as a "ransom for many." |
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28th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B Published: Sunday, October 14, 2018 On the last day you will have to account for what you have done with all that God has entrusted to your care. If what matters to you most is doing God’s will and taking care of the family God has entrusted to you, well I am sure you will pass successfully through the eye of that needle. |
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27th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B Published: Sunday, October 7, 2018 Why is it that so many American marriages are so unhappy that 50 percent end in divorce? There are lots of reasons, some of which are understandable, but often the problem is simply that people had unrealistic expectations that sabotaged their marriage right from the start. |
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Dedication of St. Scholastica Monastery Published: Sunday, October 7, 2018 May you always be one and may your lives be filled with joy. You are countercultural, just like those first disciples and it is your obvious unity and evident joy that will give most eloquent witness to the presence of the Lord in our midst going forward. |
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Red Mass 2018 Published: Friday, October 5, 2018 I’ll bet some of you have to speak difficult truths as well, shedding light on evils that must be corrected and warning people of the judgment that awaits them if they do not change their ways. |
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26th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B Published: Sunday, September 30, 2018 Better to be a good Protestant than a bad Catholic! We may disagree on points of theology, but they're not against Jesus and that's important. Salvation is more about who you know — Jesus — than about what you know. |
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Religious Jubilarian Mass 2018 Published: Saturday, September 29, 2018 We celebrate this feast of the archangels Michael, Gabriel and Raphael in part to remind us that like St. Michael, we too must struggle against evil; like St. Gabriel, we too must proclaim the Good News of salvation, and like St. Raphael, we too must protect the weak and vulnerable. |
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Message about Clergy Disclosure List Published: Sunday, September 16, 2018 In my own name and in the name of the Church, I would like to apologize to all victims for the abuse you have suffered in the past and for the way that Church leadership has sometimes failed you. I am committed to doing everything in my power to ensure that this never happens again. |
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23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B Published: Saturday, September 8, 2018 During the baptism of infants there is a part of the rite called the "Ephphatha," where I touch the baby's ears and mouth, saying: "The Lord Jesus made the deaf hear and the dumb speak. May he soon touch your ears to receive his word, and your mouth to proclaim his faith, to the praise and glory of God the Father." |
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Candidacy Mass for Men in Permanent Diaconate Formation Published: Saturday, September 8, 2018 You candidates for the permanent diaconate are on a path to becoming ordained ministers of the Church. As such, you will encounter human brokenness in many ways and will need to deal compassionately with everyone you meet, including those people who are hard to love. |
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Friday, 22nd Week of Ordinary Time, Cycle II Published: Friday, September 7, 2018 In every age there are people who advocate changes in the Church, which is beneficial to the degree that they serve to prune the Church: eliminating abuses so that we can produce better fruit for the Lord, making us more faithful to Jesus' teaching. |
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Memorial Mass for Father Louis Franz, CM Published: Wednesday, September 5, 2018 I regret that I never met him — he served here in Arkansas from 1985 to 1993, so I missed him by about 15 years, but his influence can still be felt even today. |
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St. Teresa of Kolkata Mass 2018 Published: Wednesday, September 5, 2018 You parents know that anything good or bad that anyone does to your child, they’ve done to you and you react accordingly. Moreover, if you have a child that is especially vulnerable or otherwise dealing with problems, you become more protective and your concern expands in proportion to the need. |
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Reflections on the Sexual Abuse Crisis Published: Friday, August 31, 2018 My heart goes out to all who carry deep wounds of this sort. One such person whose abuser was not a priest brought this to my attention. He describes how it took 30 years for him to come to terms with his abuse and finally admit that he needed help. It takes much courage and strength to make this admission and it takes trust. |
