Preach: The Catholic Homilies Podcast

“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

“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

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

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

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