Preaching Links
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Why preach?
We preach for encounter; we preach to bring people closer to God, to guide, to facilitate or make more possible the encounter of hearers with a living God.
Meeting the living God changes us. We call this metanoia (conversion or transformation) - which is an ongoing, life-long process - we are moved to gratitude, wonder, and love, which grounds the desire to live differently, to respond and serve in a life of missionary or intentional discipleship, devoted to service and mission (holiness of life).-Fr. Michael E. Connors, CSC
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Scripture Series
The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, through a grant from the American Bible Society, will offer a Sunday Seminar Series of five videos about Sacred Scripture in the life of the Church. These videos, offered in English and Spanish, will be offered by some of the finest biblical scholars in the United States.
Information (Eucharistic Revival Blog)
Website / Videos (English & Español)
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Preach: The Catholic Homilies Podcast
What makes a great Catholic homily? And what goes into the art of delivering it well? Preach is a weekly podcast from America Media that features a diverse cast of Catholic preachers who open up their hearts and minds to reveal their techniques, approaches to interpreting scripture and the spiritual reflection necessary to enable great preaching. CLICK HERE for more!
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Let us now look at preaching within the liturgy, which calls for serious consideration by pastors. I will dwell in particular, and even somewhat meticulously, on the homily and its preparation, since so many concerns have been expressed about this important ministry and we cannot simply ignore them. The homily is the touchstone for judging a pastor’s closeness and ability to communicate to his people. We know that the faithful attach great importance to it, and that both they and their ordained ministers suffer because of homilies: the laity from having to listen to them and the clergy from having to preach them! It is sad that this is the case. The homily can actually be an intense and happy experience of the Spirit, a consoling encounter with God’s word, a constant source of renewal and growth.
-Pope Francis, Evangelii Gaudium #135
(link to excerpted section on The Homily; link to full document below)
The following links are provided as a service to those who are engaged in proclaiming the Scriptures in the liturgy, especially via the preaching ministry. The diocese is not responsible for their content, and does not necessarily agree with the material found or opinions expressed on those sites. Some of the sites are explicitly Catholic; others are not. Please report any concerns or broken links to the Director of Liturgy. -
Table of Contents
LECTIONARY RESOURCES
Preaching the Lectionary
Resources for Proclamation
SCRIPTURE RESOURCES
On-Line Texts
Greek & Hebrew
Academic Resources for Exegesis
PREACHING PEACE & JUSTICE
Avoiding Unintended Anti-Judaism
PREACHING & THE SCIENCES
Care for Creation
SPANISH RESOURCES (Recursos en Español)
OTHER PREACHING RESOURCES
Ecclesial Documents
Marten Program - Notre Dame
Other Lectures (Video) / Articles
FDLC: Mystagogy on Missal Prayers
Preaching Organizations -
Lectionary Resources
Resources for proclaimers and preachers of the word.
General Resources
Lectio divina (St. John's Abbey)
Roman Catholic Liturgical Calendar (Daily Readings)
Catholic Resources - Felix Just, SJ
Calendario litúrgico (Spanish / Español)Preaching the Lectionary
Preaching Hope
Catholic Women Preach
TheWord (Dominican Preaching from around the world)
Creighton University - Daily Reflections
Preachers' Exchange - Jude Siciliano, OP
The Center for Liturgy - St. Louis University
Liturgy Prep - Sunday Homilies and Commentary
Lectionary Resources - Institute for Homiletics (Univ. of Dallas)
The Text This Week (ecumenical) - includes connections to movies and art
WorkingPreacher (Luther Seminary)
Building on the Word: Homiletics, Bible study, and Jewish-Christian Resources
Catholic Homily Resources
Biblical Resources (Ireland)
SermonWriter (Protestant)
NCR-Sunday
Sermons That Work (Episcopal Church)
New Pilgrim Path (Ireland)
Christian Art (reflections on the gospel text)Resources for Proclaiming the Word
Lector's Notes
- For each day's first and second readings (and occasionally for the gospel), the Notes give the historical and theological background, plus suggestions on oral interpretation.
Liturgy Prep - Sunday Homilies and Commentary
- Click on the "Lector" tab
Two sites with audio files:
> Pronunciation Guide
USCCB - Daily Readings (audio) -
Scripture Resources
On-Line Texts
Bible Hub (previously "Biblos" - multilingual parallel texts & other resources; use critically since it does not reflect Catholic biblical theology and criticism)Bibleverses (multiple versions; accessible for those with visual impairments)Read Bibleverses' mission statement here.Biblia.com (multiple versions and other resources; can open in two parallel columns for comparison)Biblia Católica (Scripture translations in multiple languages - including Spanish, Latin, French, German, Italian, Greek....)Oremus Bible Browser (NRSV and others)Readings from the Roots (new translation of the RCL)Greek & Hebrew
Bible Web App (parallel Greek NT)(for more information about the Library and its work, click here)Academic Resources for Exegesis
Bible Tools and Links (Ecumenism in Canada)Bible Odyssey (SBL)Enter the Bible (Luther Seminary)Reading the Word of God with the Church (an extensive library of resources for download from the Vatican's Congregation for the Clergy)-Bible Odyssey (the world’s leading scholars share the latest historical and literary research on key people, places, and passages of the Bible)The Torah: Torah and Academic Biblical Scholarship (Jewish exegesis) -
Preaching Peace and JusticeSee also the Preachers' Exchange and the Center for Liturgy websites listed above.Social Justice Lectionary (uses Revised Common Lectionary)Preaching Laudato Si' (Catholic Climate Covenant)EcoPreacher (Interfaith Center for Sustainable Development)
Avoiding Unintended Anti-Judaism
"Sadly, anti-Semitic attitudes are also present in our own times. As I have often repeated, a Christian cannot be an anti-Semite; we share the same roots. It would be a contradiction of faith and life. Rather, we are called to commit ourselves to ensure anti-Semitism is banned from the human community." -Pope Francis
Church DocumentsNostra Aetate (Vatican II, 1965)Guidelines for Implementing Nostra Aetate (Vatican, 1974)Notes on the correct way to present the Jews and Judaism in preaching and catechesis in the Roman Catholic Church (Vatican, 1982)Guidelines for Catholic-Jewish Relations (USCCB, 1985)God's Mercy Endures Forever: Guidelines on the Presentation of Jews and Judaism in Catholic Preaching (USCCB, 1988)We Remember: A Reflection on the Shoah (Vatican, 1998)Ecumenical and Interreligious Sensitivity in Preaching (John W. Crossin, OSFS; Secretariat for Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs, USCCB; video)"The Gifts and the Calling of God are Irrevocable" (Vatican, 2015)
Catholic Biblical Association Fact Sheets
These are posted with the kind permission of the CBA.
Introduction
On Jewish Responsibility for the Death of Jesus
On Lepers
On the Pharisees
On WomenCenter for Christian-Jewish Learning
Home Page
Preaching Do's and Don'ts
Criteria for Presenting Jews and Judaism in Preaching and Teaching
(summation of Catholic Church documents)
Resource Library
Video Library
Video Series: Presenting the Passion... without blaming "the Jews"- Judas and Betrayal (“Do you betray me with a kiss?”) with Ruth Langer and Jesper Svartvik
- The Jewish Leaders and Conspiracy (“Looking for a way to arrest Jesus…and kill him.”) with Katharina von Kellenbach and Peter A. Pettit
- The Jewish Crowd, Pilate, and Guilt (“His blood be on us and our children.”) with Victoria Barnett, Philip Cunningham, and Adam Gregerman
- The Crucifixion and Accountability (“And they took him away and crucified him.”) with Mary Boys, John Pawlikowski, and Elena Procario-Foley
Videos from the Center for Christian Engagement, St. Mark's College, Vancouver
Other Resources
A Select Bibliography (Agnoli; updated 4/23/25)USCCB (Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs)
Council of Centers on Jewish-Christian Relations
-this site has an impressive collection of documents, articles, and other resourcesTranslate Hate: Catholic Edition (USCCB) / Response by Palestinian Christians (Kairos)
ICJS: Institute for Islamic-Christian-Jewish Studies [resource page]
Council of Christians and Jews (UK)
Building on the Word: Jewish-Christian ResourcesISPS-Ratisbonne / Bat Kol Christian Centre for Jewish Studies: includes weekly commentaries on the readings from Christian and Jewish lectionaries
Bat Kol בת-קול International: An Online Grassroots Initiative for Christians Studying the Word of God within its Jewish milieu using Jewish sources
Society for Post-Supercessionist Theology
Post-Supercessionism
Journal: Studies in Christian-Jewish Relations
Journal of the Jesus Movement in its Jewish Setting
Jewish Virtual Library
ELCA: Preaching & Teaching "With Love and Respect for the Jewish People"
Institute for Jewish-Catholic Relations (St. Joseph University)
Rabbi David Rosen
PBC: Jesus and the Pharisees Conference (Videos)
"What Christians Get Wrong about Judaism and Why it Matters" (video) -
Preaching and the Sciences
- Readings in Science and Theology (update 4/23/25)
Catholic Theological Union: Preaching with the Sciences
Science Videos:- Science and Spirituality: Science for the Common Good / Climate Change (Prof. Ramanathan)
- Primatology (Dr. Cords)
- Empathy / Theory of the Mind (Prof. Spezio)
- Reawakening the Religious Imagination with (Space) Science (Dr. Wolf-Chase)
- Clinical Pathology / COVID (Dr. Beavis)
Fr. Ed Foley at Notre Dame (2022)Vatican Observatory
Faraday Institute
Preaching and Care for Creation
- USCCB: Caring for God's Creation - Resources for Liturgy, Preaching, and Taking Action
- Preaching Laudato Si' (Catholic Climate Covenant)
- Association of US Catholic Priests
- Creation-Crisis Preaching (ecumenical)
- Preaching for God's World (ecumenical)
- Green Lectionary Podcast (ecumenical)
- EcoPreacher 1-2-3 (ecumenical)
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Spanish Resources / Recursos en Español
Biblia Católica (Traducciones bíblicas en varios idiomas)
Catecismo Católico de los Estados Unidos para los Adultos
Se Realiza a Escucharla (Fulfilled in Your Hearing)
Homilías Católicas
Homilías Dominicales
Palabras para Domingo
Reflexiones en Español
Servício Biblico Latinoamericano
Ciudad Redonda
-lectura del día
-comentario / homilia -
Other Preaching Resources
Homiletic Bibliography (Agnoli; updated 8/23/25)
Yale University Divinity School Library - Resources for Preaching
Ecclesial DocumentsEvangelii Gaudium:
complete: html / pdf
excerpt: The Homily
Fulfilled in Your Hearing (USCCB)
Se Realiza a Escucharla
Preaching the Mystery of Faith: The Sunday Homily (USCCB)
Review of Preaching the Mystery of Faith (Agnoli)
Homiletic Directory (full text on Vatican website)
Review of the Homiletic Directory (Agnoli)Marten Program in Homiletics and Liturgics - Notre Dame
Marten Lectures (including homilies)
-Videos of Past Conferences and Lectures (by topic) (by presenter)Other Lectures / Articles
The Funeral Homily by Deacon Frank Agnoli
(published in the May/June issue of The Deacon and posted here with permission of OSV)
"Intercultural Competency and the Sunday Homily" by Fr. Allan Figueroa Deck
YouTube Video
Preaching Resources: Boston College
-Touchstones for Preaching: A series of lectures (videos, transcripts available for download) from Boston College School of Theology and Ministry in partnership with The Church in the 21st Century Center prepared to support priests, deacons, and lay preachers in developing their preaching skills. Includes sections on preaching in particualr settings (weddings, funerals, on justice, to children).
-Flesh Made Word: An on-line preaching collection in a multimedia format, this series will introduce the viewer to the art of crafting a homily through a variety of preaching approaches. Much of the material is visual, and the examples are designed to explore a wide range of preaching methods, styles and techniques.
Edward Foley, Capuchin: is a Roman Catholic priest and member of the Province of St. Joseph of the Capuchin Order and is the Duns Scotus Professor Emeritus of Spirituality and Retired Professor of Liturgy and Music at Catholic Theological Union.
Article Series: Deacon Newsletter
These articles were first published in the Diocese of Davenport's Deacon Newsletter. Each article briefly goes over the particular topic and then lists a number of resources for further exploration.
#1 Preacher, Know Thyself / #2 Your Theology of Preaching
#3 The Listener / #4 Exegesis & Hermeneutics
#5 The Liturgical Bible / #6 Content and Form, Part 1
#7 Content and Form, Part 2 / #8 Avoiding Unintended Anti-Judaism
#9 The Postmodern Context / #10 Language
#11 Visual Preaching / Imagery / #12 Delivery
#13 Epilogue: Does Preaching Matter?FDLC: Reflections on the Prayers of the Missal
The PDF files contain reflections on the Collect and Prayer after Communion.
Advent
Advent Sundays
Christmas Time
Christmas & Sundays of Christmas Time
Lent
Ash Wednesday, Sundays of Lent (incl. Scrutinies), Chrism Mass
Triduum & Easter Time
Paschal Triduum & Easter Time
Ordinary Time
Sundays 1-7
Sundays 8-14
Sundays 15-21
Sundays 22-28
Sundays 29-34
Other
Proper of Saints
Solemnities of the Lord in Ordinary Time
Preaching Organizations
Catholic Association of Teachers of Homiletics
Catholic Association of Preachers (UK)
College of Preachers (UK)
-Resources for Occasions
-VideosThe Academy of Homiletics
Center for Arts and Preaching
>Homiletic (on-line journal)Societas Homiletica
Zeteo
-International Journal of Homiletics
Institute for Homiletics (University of Dallas)
The Living Pulpit (on-line journal)
Sunday to Sunday (An online and cable TV program that identifies a series of case studies about preaching by listening to preachers in their own words and hearing samples of their efforts.)