After last weekend's Mass, I received some nice compliments on my homily, including one parishioner who said "That homily wasn't boring."  I then received an e-mail message from a parishioner who said I was too redundant in my homily presentation.

I know that when one preaches a homily to hundreds of people, it is going to be received in different ways by those who listen, and produce a variety of responses.  I pray that I will always listen or read respectfully, what someone has to say, and always be thankful for those who have tried to listen to what was said and be open to what God has to say through His Faithful, and yet very human, instrument of His Word.

I was impressed by yet another person who came up to me and questioned something I said about Jesus being "on the move," even before Jesus was born as He traveled in the womb of Mary to visit her cousin, Elizabeth.  After Mass, the person who came up to me said: "Wasn't it John the baptist who stirred in his mother's womb on that occasion?"  I admitted that she was right, as the Scriptures don't tell us that Jesus stirred in Mary's womb when she visited Elizabeth.

I am pleased and give thanks to God that we have more and more Catholics who read and study the Scripture at mass, on their own, and in Scripture Studies like those we offer here at Sacred Heart.  It reminds me that I must do my best to always be true to what the Scripture says and be open (which I want to be) to those who recognize any missteps I make when it comes to Scripture at Mass or anytime.