Homily Library

The homily is part of the Liturgy of the Word at Mass. It is a living commentary of the Word of God just proclaimed. Pope Francis says that the homily is like a mother teaching her children. There is a long tradition of monastic homilies. The homily in a monastery is usually a kind of oral and public lectio divina on the part of the monk who is delivering it. Every day the brother who presides at Mass gives a brief homily that is at once personal and also sheds evangelical light on the realities the brothers and guests are living through at the moment. We are happy to offer some of our monastic homilies here.

Below are links to a number of homilies preached at New Melleray and Our Lady of the Mississippi by members of our community.

December
Fr. Stephen VerbestDecember 3, 2022Memorial of St. Francis Xavier
November
Fr. Stephen VerbestNovember 27, 2022First Sunday of Advent
Fr. Jonah WharffNovember 23, 2022Wednesday in the Thirty-Fourth Week of Ordinary Time at Mississippi Abbey
Fr. Stephen VerbestNovember 23, 2022Wednesday in the Thirty-Fourth Week of Ordinary Time
Fr. Jonah WharffNovember 22, 2022Memorial of St. Cecelia, Virgin and Martyr
Fr. Jonah WharffNovember 20, 2022Solemnity of Christ the King
Fr. Stephen VerbestNovember 19, 2022Votive Mass of Mary, Temple of the Lord
Fr. Stephen VerbestNovember 14, 2022Votive Mass for the Dead
Fr. Stephen VerbestNovember 9, 2022Feast of the Dedication of St. John Lateran
Fr. Stephen VerbestNovember 6, 2022Thirty-Second Sunday in Ordinary Time at Mississippi Abbey
Fr. David BockNovember 6, 2022Thirty-Second Sunday in Ordinary Time
Fr. Stephen VerbestNovember 3, 2022Thursday in the Thirty-First Week of Ordinary Time
Fr. David BockNovember 1, 2022Solemnity of All Saints
October
Fr. Stephen VerbestOctober 30, 2022Thirty-First Sunday in Ordinary Time
Fr. Stephen VerbestOctober 29, 2022Saturday in the Thirtieth Week of Ordinary Time
Fr. Jonah WharfOctober 16, 2022Twenty-Nineth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Fr. Stephen VerbestOctober 12, 2022Votive Mass for the Deceased
Fr. Jonah WharffOctober 12, 2022Wednesday in the Twenty-Eighth Week of Ordinary Time at Mississippi Abbey
Fr. Jonah WharffOctober 11, 2022Tuesday in the Twenty-Eighth Week of Ordinary Time at Mississippi Abbey
Fr. Jonah WharffOctober 10, 2022Monday in the Twenty-Eighth Week of Ordinary Time
Fr. Stephen VerbestOctober 9, 2022Twenty-Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time at Mississippi Abbey
Fr. Brendan FreemanOctober 9, 2022Twenty-Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Fr. Stephen VerbestOctober 4, 2022Memorial of St. Francis of Assisi
Fr. David BockOctober 2, 2022Twenty-Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time
September
Fr. Jonah WharffSeptember 30, 2022Friday in the Twenty-Sixth Week of Ordinary Time
Fr. Jonah WharffSeptember 28, 2022Wednesday in the Twenty-Sixth Week of Ordinary Time at Mississippi Abbey
Fr. Stephen VerbestSeptember 28, 2022Votive Mass for Vocations
Fr. Jonah WharffSeptember 25, 2022Twenty-Sixth Sunday of Ordinary Time at Mississippi Abbey
Fr. Stephen VerbestSeptember 21, 2022Feast of St. Matthew
Fr. Jonah WharffSeptember 21, 2022Feast of St. Matthew at Mississippi Abbey
Fr. Jonah WharffSeptember 20, 2022Tuesday in the Twenty-Fifth Week of Ordinary Time at Mississippi Abbey
Fr. Jonah WharffSeptember 14, 2022Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross at Mississippi Abbey
Fr. Stephen VerbestSeptember 13, 2022Memorial of St. John Chrysostom
Fr. Jonah WharffSeptember 13, 2022Tuesday in the Twenty-Fourth Week of Ordinary Time at Mississippi Abbey
Fr. Stephen VerbestSeptember 11, 2022Twenty-Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Fr. Jonah WharffSeptember 7, 2022September Mass for the Dead at Mississippi Abbey
Fr. Jonah WharffSeptember 6, 2022Tuesday in the Twenty-Third Week of Ordinary Time at Mississippi Abbey
Fr. Stephen VerbestSeptember 5, 2022Labor Day, St. Joseph the Worker
Fr. Jonah WharffSeptember 4, 2022Twenty-Third Sunday in Ordinary Time at Mississippi Abbey
Fr. David BockSeptember 4, 2022Twenty-Third Sunday in Ordinary Time
Fr. Stephen VerbestSeptember 3, 2022Memorial of Pope St. Gregory the Great
August
Fr. Stephen VerbestAugust 31, 2022Wednesday in the Twenty-Second Week of Ordinary Time
Fr. Jonah WharffAugust 31, 2022Wednesday in the Twenty-Second Week of Ordinary Time at Mississippi Abbey
Fr. Stephen VerbestAugust 28, 2022Twenty-Second Sunday of Ordinary Time at Mississippi Abbey
Fr. Jonah WharffAugust 27, 2022Memorial of the Passion of St. John the Baptist
Fr. Jonah WharffAugust 24, 2022Feast of St. Bartholomew at Mississippi Abbey
Fr. Jonah WharffAugust 24, 2022Tuesday in the Twenty-Second Week of Ordinary Time at Mississippi Abbey
Fr. Jonah WharffAugust 21, 2022Twenty-First Sunday in Ordinary Time
Fr. Jonah WharffAugust 20, 2022Solemnity of St. Bernard of Clairvaux at Mississippi Abbey
Fr. Stephen VerbestAugust 15, 2022Feast of the Assumption the Blessed Virgin Mary
Fr. Jonah WharffAugust 14, 2022Twentieth Sunday of Ordinary Time
Fr. Jonah WharffAugust 12, 2022Friday in the Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Fr. Stephen VerbestAugust 8, 2022Memorial of St. Dominic
Fr. Stephen VerbestAugust 6, 2022Feast of the Transfiguration
July
Fr. Stephen VerbestJuly 31, 2022Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Fr. Jonah WharffJuly 28, 2022Thursday in the Seventeenth Week of Ordinary Time
Fr. Jonah WharffJuly 27, 2022Wednesday in the Seventeenth Week of Ordinary Time at Mississippi Abbey
Fr. Stephen VerbestJuly 26, 2022Memorial of Saints Joachim and Anne
Fr. Jonah WharffJuly 26, 2022Tuesday in the Seventeenth Week of Ordinary Time at Mississippi Abbey
Fr. Jonah WharffJuly 24, 2022Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Fr. Jonah WharffJuly 17, 2022Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Fr. Stephen VerbestJuly 15, 2022Memorial of St. Bonaventure
Fr. Jonah WharffJuly 14, 2022Memorial of St. Kateri Tekakwitha
Fr. Jonah WharffJuly 13, 2022Wednesday in the Fifteenth Week of Ordinary Time at Mississippi Abbey
Fr. Stephen VerbestJuly 12, 2022Monthly Mass for the Deceased
Fr. Jonah WharffJuly 12, 2022Tuesday in the Fifteenth Week of Ordinary Time at Mississippi Abbey
Fr. Brendan FreemanJuly 10, 2022Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time at Holy Trinity Abbey Anniversary
Fr. David BockJuly 10, 2022Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Fr. Jonah WharffJuly 10, 2022Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time at Mississippi Abbey
Fr. Stephen VerbestJuly 5, 2022Tuesday in the Fourteenth Week of Ordinary Time