The Parable of the Sower: Making Room for God's Word

The Parable of the Sower: Making Room for God's Word

What kind of soil is your heart? In this week's homily, Fr. Britto reflects on the Parable of the Sower from the Gospel of Matthew, exploring how God's Word is always being offered to us, but its fruitfulness depends on how we receive it. Drawing from the prophet Isaiah and the wisdom of saints like Jerome, Benedict, and Augustine, Fr. Britto offers three practical invitations: make room for God's Word in your life, receive it and make it your own, and let it become alive in how you actually live. He reminds us that God does not demand perfection or a hundredfold return from everyone, only our sincere effort and open hearts. Along the way, Fr. Britto shares a moving story of a young priest who rode from LA to San Francisco to raise money for AIDS research, and the unexpected generosity of migrant workers who gave $2.56 in change because, as they said, "We know what it is like to suffer." As Augustine put it, "The God who made you without you cannot save you without you." This week, we are invited to cooperate with God's grace and let his Word take root. Listen to more episodes at holyfamilyparish.org/podcasts.

WWW | "Reality Is God's Medium" — 14th Sunday in Ordinary Time | Fr. Terry Keehan

Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened. It's one of the most familiar lines in the Gospels — but what does it actually mean to take on the yoke of Christ? Fr. Terry Keehan unpacks a striking image from Matthew 11: a yoke wasn't one-size-fits-all. Farmers crafted each one to fit the animal perfectly. Christ's yoke fits us uniquely, individually — and it's an invitation into partnership, not obligation. Drawing from Zechariah 9, Romans 8, and Matthew 11, this episode explores what it means to work side by side with Christ through the ordinary and the tragic alike. Because as Fr. Terry puts it: reality is God's medium. Holy Family Parish | Inverness, IL | holyfamilyparish.org/podcasts

Welcoming the Unexpected: Hospitality, Discipleship, and the Peace of Christ | Word, World, & Worship

In this episode of Word, World, & Worship, Fr. Terry Keehan reflects on the readings for the 13th Sunday in Ordinary Time, exploring the powerful themes of hospitality, radical discipleship, and transformative love. Fr. Keehan begins with the Old Testament story from 2 Kings 4, where the prophet Elisha is welcomed by a generous woman. Her hospitality leads to the unexpected gift of new life — a son for a couple long thought to be childless — echoing the story of Abraham and Sarah. He invites listeners to consider: When have you welcomed unexpected life in your own experience? The reflection continues with Psalm 89 (“Forever I will sing the goodness of the Lord”), a call to gratitude, and Romans 6, which presents baptism as a profound ritual of immersion into Christ’s death and rising to new life. Fr. Keehan challenges us: What do you need to be raised from right now? We are called to be dead to sin and alive for God in Christ Jesus. In the Gospel from Matthew 10, Jesus delivers a demanding message about discipleship: loving God above even family, taking up our cross, and losing our life to find it. Fr. Keehan highlights the paradox at the heart of the Christian life — thinking “against common thinking” — and the profound truth that welcoming a disciple means welcoming Christ Himself. He ties the readings together through three essential movements: * Welcoming others because we see the presence of God in them * Offering peace as the peace of Christ, especially during the Sign of Peace at Mass * Loving others through the love of God within us Fr. Keehan concludes with a beautiful vision: when the peace, welcome, and love within us become the peace, welcome, and love between us, then the God within us becomes the God between us. This episode offers rich spiritual nourishment for anyone seeking to live the Paschal mystery more deeply in daily life. Perfect for reflection, small groups, or personal prayer.

Homily Rewind | Fr. Terry Keehan | Don't Be Afraid: Trusting God's Voice This Father's Day

In this Father's Day homily, we continue our journey through the Gospel of Matthew and its central theme of discipleship. Drawing from Jesus's call to "speak in the light what is said in the dark," this episode explores what it means to trust in God's deep knowledge and love for each of us, even down to the number of hairs on our head. The reflection weaves together personal memories of fatherly wisdom with three moving images of fathers and children: a little girl's joyful cry for her dad after a children's performance, a newborn calming at the sound of her father's voice, and the story of singer Michael McDonald, whose father first put him on a bar counter to sing as a four year old, sparking what would become a lifelong gift. Together, these stories point to a simple invitation: trust that God hears us, sees us, and calls us each by name, and let that trust shape us into better disciples. Listen to more episodes at holyfamilyparish.org/podcasts.

The Cost of Vengeance and the Power of Grace|WWW|Fr. Terry Keehan|June 19, 2026

This episode of “Word, World and Worship” with Fr. Terry Keehan reflects on the readings for the Twelfth Sunday in Ordinary Time, showing how Scripture, daily life, and the Eucharist all meet in God’s faithful love. Fr. Terry explores Jeremiah’s experience of ridicule and exile, inviting listeners to examine their own struggles with resentment and the temptation to seek vengeance, and to trust that God hears the cry of those who are “poor in spirit.” He then turns to Romans 5, contrasting Adam’s sin with the overflowing grace of Jesus Christ, and concludes with Matthew’s call to fearless discipleship—speaking God’s truth in the light, trusting that the Father knows even every hair on our heads, and believing that the pure goodness of Christ’s presence in the Eucharist will ultimately overcome every evil. Listen to this and other reflections at www.holyfamilyparish.org/podcasts