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Surround sound

A homily for the Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, June 28, 2026

2 Kings 4:8-11, 14-16a, Romans 6:3-4, 8-11, Matthew 10:37-42

A half-century ago, more or less, the music industry had what they thought was a genius idea: quadraphonic stereo. Their engineers devised a way to embed not one but two soundtracks into each side of a vinyl record groove: a main one, intended to be heard from the front speakers, and another, for more depth or richness, to be piped through a set of rear speakers.

Four unique sounds blending harmoniously in our heads.

Critics, or, more accurately, cynics, saw this technology as a scam to sell more amplifiers, speakers and higher-priced albums.

We have only two ears, they argued. Why do we need four channels of sound through four speakers?

After a while, however, consumers like us — led by musicians and filmmakers — couldn’t imagine not having front and rear speakers and subwoofers and headphones and earbuds, with far-off timpani or coyotes howling.

Ah, depth and richness. A spatial experience. From an artist — a source — we embrace, even cherish.

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To have and to hold

A homily for The Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ (Corpus Christi), June 7, 2026

Deuteronomy 8:2-3, 14b-16a, 1 Corinthians 10:16-17, John 6:51-58

We are tactile people. When we say, “I’ll believe it when I see it,” whatever “it” turns out to be, what we really mean is we’ll use all of our available senses to determine if something is real.

All five senses, if we’re so blessed, and a little bit of imagination, too.

That’s why, in the early days of Amazon.com and other online shops, many of us would visit traditional brick-and-mortar stores first to check out this item or that. To hold it, shake it, listen to it, smell it, maybe try it on for size. And then we’d whip out our smartphones or head home to our computers and order the item for delivery tomorrow for 30 percent less than the other guys were charging.

Because we saw it and felt it, we believed.

Which is why the Eucharist is such an extraordinary gift.

Continue reading To have and to hold

Unto Caesar

A rerun of some homilies for The Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity, May 31, 2026

Today’s readings: Exodus 34:4b-6, 8-9, 2 Corinthians 13:11-13, John 3:16-18

This weekend, I’m working at the polls for early voting in New Jersey’s 2026 Primary Election. On Friday, I saw a clergyman in Roman collar and cross wearing a John 3:16 cap. It was dually appropriate for casting a ballot and for this weekend’s “brand-name” Gospel.

I’m linking to three homilies from my archive. I’ll post something fresh next weekend.

Peace and blessings!

All in all: https://bill.zapcic.com/all-in-all

Trio: https://bill.zapcic.com/trio

Proud to profess it: https://bill.zapcic.com/proud-to-profess-it

A better idea

A homily for Pentecost Sunday, May 24, 2026

Readings for the Mass During the Day

Acts 2:1-11, 1 Corinthians 12:3b-7, 12-13, John 20:19-23

Just for a moment, let’s imagine that today is the first Pentecost, and we are Christ’s disciples, all gathered together.

Which we are.

The Holy Spirit descends on us, and gives us … what? Tongues as of fire floating above our heads? Every one of us who ever learned “stop, drop and roll” would probably do our best to extinguish them before they set our hair on fire.

No, in 2026, we’d have little light bulbs over each of us, those little symbols of — DING! — I’ve just had a brilliant idea.

We’ve just been inspired.

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Ism

A homily for the Second Sunday of Easter, April 12, 2026

Acts 2:42-47, 1 Peter 1:3-9, John 20:19-31

Tattoos, T-shirts and trucks have become billboards for our thoughts and feelings, especially our social or political leanings. And, by logical extension, for our spiritual or religious or ethical beliefs.

But there’s not a lot of nuance in inked insights, in silk-screened slogans, or in bumper stickers telling the world where to stick it. Stick-figure images of the Remington and AR and Glock and Kalashnikov families could not be further from subtle.

Yes, we live in a broad-brush-label-’em world. Some of us have devolved into “if you’re not with us, you’re against us.” And that slippery slope leads to “if you’re against us, we have to shun you, or troll you, or worse.” Heaven knows, there’s a lot of “worse” to be found.

But there’s far, far more “better” out there, and it’s closer than we think.

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Leaps and bounds

A homily for The Resurrection of the Lord, Easter Sunday, April 5, 2026, at the Mass of Easter Day

Acts 10:34a, 37-43, Colossians 3:1-4, John 20:1-9

On May 24, 1989, the finest movie in the franchise, “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade,” hit the big screen. Its pre-Memorial Day release guaranteed that the flick would be a summer blockbuster and, like the other “Indiana Jones” films, would become part of pop culture.

(We can debate this installment’s rank in the canon later, though I’m right about this.)

Near the climax of the movie, Indy must cross a seemingly impassable, staggeringly wide chasm to find the Holy Grail and save his father’s life. It’s the last of several life-threatening obstacles protecting the Grail. It’s The Leap of Faith.

By taking that leap, Henry Jones Jr. finds a solid path to his goal, much to his amazement.

Every year, Easter challenges us to take a leap of faith and renew our belief in the Resurrection of Our Lord Jesus Christ through the divine power of God.

By taking that leap this year, as we have in years past, all of us believers will again find a solid path to our goals. God willing, we’ll continue to be amazed.

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AI or JC?

A homily for the Fifth Sunday of Lent, March 22, 2026

Ezekiel 37:12-14, Romans 8:8-11, John 11:1-45

Val Kilmer, who died a year ago, is co-starring in a new movie now being shot. The film’s producers aren’t using footage of Kilmer they had from before he died. No, the scenes with Kilmer will be new, generated by artificial intelligence, with the approval of Kilmer’s estate.

For almost 50 years, video games have offered players the option, the purported ability, to play with a string of lives. If a ghost gobbles up Pac-Man, then reset, start again. New life. Even the most sophisticated, intricately detailed first-person games today have a reset button, a rebirth option.

If the game is essentially rigged so that nobody ever really dies, if popular and political culture gives everyone second and third and infinite next chances, is resurrection that big a deal?

If Jesus of Nazareth were to revive a public official’s child today, let alone coax his dead friend Lazarus out of the tomb after a long weekend of decomposing, would we be amazed?

After all, CGI and AI and deepfakes and broadband and Xbox, right?

Continue reading AI or JC?

Expectations

A homily for the Third Sunday of Lent, March 8, 2026

Exodus 17:3-7, Romans 5:1-2, 5-8, John 4:5-42

In the second episode of their second season a half-century ago, the highly irreverent British comedy troupe Monty Python carved a phrase into popular culture forever:

“Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition!”

The rest of their loony sketch was loaded with other unexpected ideas and items.

A Google search on “expect the unexpected” turns up a who’s who of people known for adopting some variation of the phrase as their personal mantras. There’s a millennia-old history of wisdom in being prepared for anything, even the unknown unknowns.

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Bewilderment

A homily for the Second Sunday of Lent, March 1, 2026

Genesis 12:1-4a, 2 Timothy 1:8b-10, Matthew 17:1-9

Blind dates can be wonderful, terrible, or just meh. Even in an age of internet matches, we don’t know a lot about someone when we meet them for the first time, and often we make sure we know where the exit is when we get together.

Even a first date with someone we’re already introduced to … that can go well or be a total disaster.

In either situation, how well the relationship develops — or collapses — depends on how much we learn about each other.

Our aha moments. Our moments of epiphany.

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Membership

A homily for The Baptism of the Lord, January 11, 2026

Isaiah 42:1-4, 6-7, Acts 10:34-38, Matthew 3:13-17

According to legend, in the early centuries Anno Domini, when followers of the carpenter from Nazareth were being persecuted and prosecuted for their beliefs, they were cagey about identifying themselves when they encountered strangers.

One Christian might trace an arc in the sand with his foot and then sidle back a few steps, eyeing the scratch with an occasional side glance. Aware, but not obvious.

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