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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Saturday, 22nd Week of Ordinary Time, Cycle I Published: Saturday, September 7, 2019 One of the reasons we abstain from meat on Fridays of Lent is to help us identify with the poor who cannot afford meat. If you eat lobster, you have not violated the letter of the law regarding this Lenten regulation, but fine dining of this sort is contrary to the spirit of Lent. |
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Friday, 22nd Week of Ordinary Time, Cycle I Published: Friday, September 6, 2019 Considering that we eventually separated from Judaism, you may be surprised to learn that in the Gospels it seems clear that continuity is what Jesus had in mind, at least at this point. He came to prune the old religion, improve it ... to replace parts of it, discarding wrong attitudes and abuses, but not to replace or discard Judaism as a whole. |
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St. Teresa of Calcutta Mass 2019 Published: Thursday, September 5, 2019 What Jesus is talking about here is giving simple help to those in need, people we see on the street or even just acts of kindness to people we meet every day. Maybe people who are sort of invisible otherwise. Mother Teresa says: “We can do no great things — only small things with great love.” |
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22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C Published: Sunday, September 1, 2019 Ambition or dedication? This may be the greatest spiritual challenge that any of us ever faces and your choice will impact every sector of your life. It is the choice between pursuing success as the world judges success or placing yourself at the service of others in a way truly worthy of the Lord. |
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Funeral for Sister Mary Alice Grace, OCD Published: Saturday, August 17, 2019 She was more “alive” in her 90s than most people are in their 60s, especially in the way she radiated childlike joy — just like we see Jesus referring to in the Gospel chosen for her funeral: “I give you praise, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, for although you have hidden these things from the wise and the learned, you have revealed them to the childlike.” That would be Sister Mary Alice! |
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Sisters Catherine and María Rose Profess Perpetual Vows Published: Thursday, August 15, 2019 Sisters Catherine and María Rose will be wearing rings that two of their faithful predecessors in this community wore throughout their monastic life. You Benedictine sisters are a multi-generational family; sisters united in faithfulness across multiple generations. |
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Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary 2019 Published: Wednesday, August 14, 2019 Every mystery of Mary is meant to draw us closer to Jesus. Every feast of Mary is meant to help us better understand how Jesus’ promises of salvation are really true and apply to us. So Mary, who is a human being just like us — fully woman and the best of humanity, but no more divine than we are — SHE has been raised to heaven at the end of her life on earth. She is the first fruits of the great harvest of salvation, which is us! |
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Mass with Seminarians 2019 Published: Monday, August 5, 2019 Remember all the talk of gloom and doom regarding religious vocations in the not too distant past, projections that if those trends continued, one day there would only be four priests left for all of Arkansas? But we trusted in God's providence and look at the results. |
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18th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C Published: Sunday, August 4, 2019 Fidelity to Jesus requires us to be just as countercultural in our own time as Jesus was in his. And his message is that true happiness does not come from getting, it comes from giving. |
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Permanent Deacon Lector Installation 2019 Published: Saturday, August 3, 2019 My brothers who are being installed as lectors in this Mass, if you want to be a faithful deacon, you will have to find in yourself the generosity to “give up your life” for the Lord and “for the salvation of your brothers and sisters.” Certainly, in your words and deeds, and maybe even with your blood. |
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16th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C Published: Sunday, July 21, 2019 There's a big difference between human traditions that can and at times must change and divine revelation that does not change — Tradition with a capital "T" — which is what Mary was learning as she sat with the Lord, and what Martha was missing out on by fretting too much about the less important details of hospitality. |
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15th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C Published: Sunday, July 14, 2019 For Pablo this is a response to God’s invitation not only to love God with all his heart, mind, soul and strength, but also to love others — everyone — as Jesus loves us, meaning 100 percent, sacrificially, like the good Samaritan in today’s Gospel, indeed like Jesus on the cross. |
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Catholic Charities Summer Institute (C²SI) 2019 Published: Friday, July 12, 2019 In today’s Gospel Jesus says to do three things: 1.) keep your eyes open; 2.) be courageous; and 3.) persevere … and he promises to help us through these troubles. Here Jesus is speaking about the persecution of believers by the government and betrayal by their own family members, but what he says applies to other troubles as well. |
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Jubilarian Mass at Holy Angels Convent 2019 Published: Thursday, July 11, 2019 Today we are gathered to celebrate our jubilarians, our Sisters Mary John Seyler and Mary Thérèse Johnson who this year mark 70 and 25 years respectively serving the Lord in this monastic community — a total of almost 100 years. |
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14th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C Published: Sunday, July 7, 2019 The Kingdom of God that Jesus proclaims is countercultural and all of us — especially us priests — have an obligation to proclaim God’s truth whether it is popular or not. |
