Preach: The Catholic Homilies Podcast

America Media
America Media
  • 4.7 (297)
  • Christianity
  • Updated Biweekly

Every Sunday, millions hear homilies. But what separates the forgettable from the inspiring? Preach, from America Media, goes behind the pulpit to reveal the art and craft of great Catholic preaching. Host Ricardo da Silva, S.J.—Jesuit priest and associate editor at America Media in NYC—features weekly homilies from outstanding preachers, followed by intimate conversations. From Scripture interpretation to delivery, discover what makes today’s most compelling Catholic voices so transformative. Read featured homilies and daily Scripture reflections at americamagazine.org/subscribe⁠ Preach is supported by a generous grant from Lilly Endowment Inc., as part of its Compelling Preaching Initiative.

  1. 5d ago

    Should priests use A.I. for homily help? A Silicon Valley priest offers some ethical guardrails

    “If you don't spend time writing your homily today and you just get up and give it, ask ChatGPT or Claude — they’re gonna do a better job than you,” says Brendan McGuire. In the third episode of our series on Preaching for Missionary Discipleship, host Ricardo da Silva, S.J. welcomes Brendan McGuire, pastor of St. Simon Parish in Los Altos, California, and a former Silicon Valley technology executive who now advises the Vatican and Anthropic on AI ethics. A longtime teacher of homiletics, McGuire recently led formation sessions for Jesuit scholastics in Florence on using AI in homily prep — and brings that teaching here, making the case for a disciplined “deep prompt,” built from a preacher’s own best homilies, over a “thin prompt” that produces something generic and derivative. Timecodes: 0:00 AI may prepare a better homily than you 2:29 Meet the Silicon Valley priest advising Anthropic and the Vatican 4:00 Recalling his first homilies — 30 years ago 8:20 Preaching as an ‘art’ 11:41 Preaching that leads to "missionary discipleship" 15:33 Not just the words of the homily — but the delivery 18:20 A nun challenges him to change how he preaches 23:00 AI homilies: Yes or No? 25:19 25:58 AI homilies: thin prompts vs. deep prompts 30:10 AI Hallucination and scriptural analysis 37:20 What are the ethical guardrails for an AI homily? Brendan’s homilies: https://www.frbrendanmcguire.org/homilies-master Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    Should priests use A.I. for homily help? A Silicon Valley priest offers some ethical guardrails

  2. Jul 6

    A Franciscan approach to preaching for missionary discipleship

    “Jesus doesn't put burdens on us,” says Jean-Pierre Ducharme, O.F.M. “Jesus invites us into a relationship where we are graced and blessed by God.” Continuing our series on Preaching for Missionary Discipleship, host Ricardo da Silva, S.J. welcomes Jean-Pierre Ducharme, O.F.M., Minister Provincial of the Holy Spirit Province, Canada. He makes the case for homilies that center the relationship Jesus invites us into — one of freedom and joy — rather than dwelling on sin and placing undue burdens on the congregation. Timecodes: 0:00 Preaching shouldn’t burden people 4:05 A synodal style of preaching 7:31 Reading: Matthew 13: 21-43; Jesus’ parables of the kingdom of heaven 9:26 Jean-Pierre’s homily 17:32  A sermon vs. a homily 20:21 All preachers must talk about grace 22:03 Focusing on mission in our preaching 27:45 Homilies should only make one point --- Support this podcast by becoming a subscriber. Visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠americamagazine.org/subscribe⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    A Franciscan approach to preaching for missionary discipleship

  3. Jun 29

    Inside Archbishop Lori’s homily for the 250th anniversary of the United States

    As we approach the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States, preachers face a sacred responsibility– to proclaim the Gospel and heed the signs of the times, without getting lost in political ideologies. When Archbishop William E. Lori of Baltimore was asked to preach at a Mass consecrating the United States to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, he did just that.  He joins “Preach” host Ricardo da Silva, S.J., to discuss his preparations for this auspicious occasion and what it means to consecrate the nation to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.  Timecodes: 0:00 What does it mean to consecrate the nation to the Sacred Heart? 4:43 Setting the scene: Preaching at the spring plenary of the U.S. Bishops 7:42 Jesus’ high priestly discourse in the Gospel of John 9:05 Archbishop Lori’s homily  20:23 Preparing a homily for the nation’s 250th anniversary 23:40 How not to let your homily go off the rails 28:00 We must identify as Catholics first, before political affiliations 31:44 Preaching without jargon 34:10 What does it mean to preach for missionary discipleship today? --- Support this podcast by becoming a subscriber. Visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠americamagazine.org/subscribe⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    Inside Archbishop Lori’s homily for the 250th anniversary of the United States

  4. Apr 27

    Preaching the Risen Christ: Mass in migrant shelters along the U.S.-Mexico border

    Along the U.S.-Mexico border, Flavio Bravo, S.J., celebrates Mass in migrant shelters among people living in fear and uncertainty. Reflecting on John’s resurrection appearances in which Christ shows his wounds and breathes his Spirit, Flavio preaches the risen Christ, not as an idea, but as a presence encountered in woundedness. Flavio joins host Ricardo da Silva, S.J., to speak about preaching resurrection and hope from within places in which migrants are suffering as part of this Easter series of the "Preach" podcast. 0:00 A Haitian girl blesses the priest 2:07 Meeting Fr. Flavio Bravo, S.J. 2:48 Crossing borders: arriving in the U.S. as a teenage refugee 5:00 Who comes to the border today 9:34 Inside Del Camino Jesuit Border Ministries 11:35 Homily: The risen Lord is the crucified one 24:50 How preaching grows out of daily ministry 25:57 The Gospel stories we never wrote down 27:54 How his preaching has changed 28:39 Resurrection within suffering—not escape 30:25 Preaching on the move: new faces each week 32:00 Joy at Mass: children, bells, holy water 35:10 Sustaining the work: community and self-care --- Support this podcast by becoming a subscriber. Visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠americamagazine.org/subscribe⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    Preaching the Risen Christ: Mass in migrant shelters along the U.S.-Mexico border

  5. Apr 20

    Preaching during Easter: Resurrections in war-torn areas

    How does one keep their belief in the resurrection in a war-scarred area of the world? In this third episode of Preach’s Easter series, host Ricardo da Silva, S.J., speaks to Brother Peter Iorlano, F.S.C., who has lived and ministered at Bethlehem University in the West Bank for over 20 years, accompanying Palestinian students and colleagues through occupation, conflict and loss. He is also the university’s vice president for human resources. Together, they discuss how Brother Peter came to Bethlehem from New York after a meaningful encounter with a Muslim student. They also talk about how Brother Peter’s work at Bethlehem University has shaped his spirituality, emphasizing the power of daily resurrections. 0:00 Br. Peter Iorlano's journey to Bethlehem 4:55 Why Bethlehem University is special 9:23 An Easter reflection in a warzone 22:20 Preaching demands overcoming revenge 24:10 Being vulnerable when preaching 26:14 Preaching resurrection during a time of war 30:37 Making sure people do not feel alone 33:20 Tensions between despair and hope 35:15 Preaching as a lay brother --- Support this podcast by becoming a subscriber. Visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠americamagazine.org/subscribe⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    Preaching during Easter: Resurrections in war-torn areas

  6. Apr 13

    Preaching the Risen Christ: Finding hope in addiction recovery

    “You see the light in people's eyes come back and you see faces start to move instead of being frozen," says Tom Weston, S.J.,  speaking about his experience ministering to people in addiction recovery. “The humanity is reborn [...] it's resurrection.”  In this episode we continue our Easter series on preaching the hope of the resurrection in a broken world. Our guest Tom Weston, S.J., is a Jesuit priest, counsellor, and man in long-term recovery, who has devoted most of his priestly life to working alongside people battling addiction — leading 12-step based retreats, offering counseling and spiritual accompaniment, and lecturing internationally.  Together with host Ricardo da Silva, S.J., they discuss how we can all be witnesses to the resurrection and recipients of God’s grace, no matter how dark our lives may seem.  Timecodes: 0:00 We can see the resurrection clearly in those in recovery 7:00 Tom Weston’s homily 17:07 God’s grace is greater than our human will power 21:45 How much should a preacher reveal about themselves in a homily? 25:00 Grace isn’t only for those in recovery 26:40 What does the resurrection look like? 28:47 Preaching hope in darkness --- Support this podcast by becoming a subscriber. Visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠americamagazine.org/subscribe⁠   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  7. Apr 6

    Preaching the Risen Christ: A Scripture Scholar on the first witnesses

    What does it mean to preach resurrection into a broken world? In this first episode of our 2026 Easter series, host Ricardo da Silva, S.J., welcomes Alberto Solano, a New Testament scholar at the Jesuit School of Theology of Santa Clara University in Berkeley, California. Together, they open up the post-resurrection appearances in John’s Gospel—Mary in the garden, Thomas in the upper room, Peter by the charcoal fire—and ask why the risen Christ keeps showing up not to the powerful, but to the grieving, the fearful, and the lost.  Timecodes: 0:00 The risen Christ first meets the outcast, the fearful, the rejected 1:25 What do the resurrection appearances in John have to offer preachers today? 2:50 Alberto Solano brings scripture scholarship to Preach 4:26 Why does Jesus call Mary Magdalene by name? 8:50 What did “resurrection from the dead” mean to a Jewish people? 18:46 “Doubting Thomas”—or the most faithful disciple? 22:20 Your worst moment isn't your whole story 27:04 Why does the Church turn to John at Easter more than the other Gospels? 34:40 Acts — how the early Church learned to love its enemies as neighbours 38:45 What does Easter call preachers to say? --- Support this podcast by becoming a subscriber. Visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠americamagazine.org/subscribe⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    Preaching the Risen Christ: A Scripture Scholar on the first witnesses

  8. Mar 9

    Preaching the pillars of Lent: Fasting

    What is fasting for? What biblical precedent do we have for the practices of fasting and abstinence? And how can preachers steer between the two extremes of self-punishment and loophole hunting? “Preach” concludes its Lent 2026 series on the three classical pillars of the season with a conversation on fasting.  Host Ricardo da Silva, S.J. is joined by James Keane — senior editor at America and a writer who has spent some time reflecting and writing on what fasting is and what it’s for. Timecodes: 0:00 What’s fasting for? 2:00 The Brazilian loophole to abstinence during Lent: capibara  3:55 What does the church teach on fasting and abstinence? 6:53 Fasting is meant to bring you closer to God 8:35 Biblical citations of fasting 11:05 Fasting evolved alongside seasons of food scarcity and abundance 14:10 St. Ignatius’ fervour for fasting 16:10 Avoiding the two extremes of self-punishment vs.  loophole hunting  18:58 Pope Leo XIV’s message this Lent James Keane’s articles on fasting: On fasting: The difference between our preaching and our practice 7 things you never knew about fasting --- Support this podcast by becoming a subscriber. Visit ⁠⁠⁠americamagazine.org/subscribe⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    Preaching the pillars of Lent: Fasting
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About

Every Sunday, millions hear homilies. But what separates the forgettable from the inspiring? Preach, from America Media, goes behind the pulpit to reveal the art and craft of great Catholic preaching. Host Ricardo da Silva, S.J.—Jesuit priest and associate editor at America Media in NYC—features weekly homilies from outstanding preachers, followed by intimate conversations. From Scripture interpretation to delivery, discover what makes today’s most compelling Catholic voices so transformative. Read featured homilies and daily Scripture reflections at americamagazine.org/subscribe⁠ Preach is supported by a generous grant from Lilly Endowment Inc., as part of its Compelling Preaching Initiative.

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