Fr. Kyle White's Homilies

 How do we know whether or not God is calling us to have a hard conversation with someone? Here’s 3 things to consider when making that decision.For more information on our mission, visit www.stleolafayette.com

A true conversion is about seeing everything differently. The Truman Show, Plato’s Allegory of the Cave, and Jesus’ rebuke of Peter in the gospel reading all point to the importance of a true metanoia, a change of perspective.Visit stleolafayette.com to learn more about our mission.

We are all building things - families, careers, relationship - but what are we building them upon? If we don’t build them upon Christ, they will all eventually become another ruin. Visit stleolafayette.com to learn more about our mission.

Your faith is a gift that was never meant to be kept for yourself. Just as Old Testament Isreal was supposed to be a light to the gentiles, so too are we supposed to be a light to the world.Visit stleolafayette.com to learn more about our mission.

Even faithful people experience fear. We can’t always control whether or not we feel afraid, but we can decide how we’ll respond to it. Visit stleolafayette.com to learn about our mission.

It's not your job to feed the 5,000. Your job is only to provide the 5 loaves and 2 fish. Imagine the freedom we'd have if we cared more about being faithful to God than about worldly outcomes.Learn more about our mission at stleolafayette.com

True wisdom is not about having all the information, but in having an attentive heart that notices the treasures of God and responds accordingly.Learn more about our mission at stleolafayette.com

When bad things happen to us or around us, we find ourselves wondering why God doesn’t just fix it. Jesus offers a mysterious answer to this question deep within us. Learn more about our mission at stleolafayette.com

The average American would probably define freedom a bit differently than the Christian. True freedom is not in escaping yokes, but in embracing the yoke of Christ. Learn more about our mission at stleolafayette.com

A Christian who doesn’t put Christ first is out of place. If we want to experience fullness of life, we must first enter into fullness of death to our constructed ego. This will be tough, as the cross is guaranteed, but the payoff is more than worth it. Learn more about our mission at stleolafayette.com

Most of us care more about what others think of us than about what God thinks of us. This not only prevents us from having a true conversion, but also burdens us with insecurity and fear. But the love of God has the power to cast away all fear. Learn more about our mission at stleolafayette.com

There seems to be a growing interest in Catholicism among young people. Perhaps one reason for this is because they’ve been left empty by the promise of modernity, and Catholicism offers the only adequate response to their deeper questions. To learn more about our mission, visit stleolafayette.com

God has given us an extraordinary gift in the Holy Eucharist, but we too often take it for granted. Here are some minimum requirements for preparing to receive the Eucharist, as well as some practical tips to better prepare for Holy Communion. For more information on our mission, visit stleolafayette.com

In a world of AI, what makes us human? The good news is that it’s more than intelligence alone. We are made for communion.For more information on our mission, visit stleolafayette.com

Sometimes the sacrament of confirmation can feel a bit anticlimactic when we compare it to Pentecost. But, the measure of the Holy Spirit’s action in us is not so much about emotional intensity, but about the fruits of the Spirit (Gal 5).For more information on our mission, visit stleolafayette.com

Who is growing closer to Christ because of you? We all have influence over others, positively or negatively. How are you using it? For more information on our mission, visit stleolafayette.com

When Christians persevere in hope, the Gospel spreads like wildfire. To learn more about our mission, visit stleolafayette.com

More than having all the answers or the perfect plan, our hearts are fundamentally longing for Jesus Christ. To learn more about our mission, visit stleolafayette.com

We often make it more complicated than God does. In making decisions, we don’t have to approach it as a puzzle to solve, but a relationship to trust. Jesus is the Good Shepherd, and he respects our freedom. To learn more about our mission, visit stleolafayette.com

We all know people who have left the faith. Some of them might have once had a strong faith, only until something happened that caused them to walk away. Jesus is drawn to these people, just as he was drawn to the disciples on their way to Emmaus. To learn more about our mission, visit stleolafayette.com

The Risen Jesus enters into the upper room even though the doors are locked. He does the same for our hearts and says, “peace be with you.”To learn more about our mission, visit stleolafayette.com

The fundamental claim of Christianity is that Jesus Christ truly died & rose from the dead. We have plenty of historical evidence to suggest that he did. There’s no room for middle ground here. He either rose or he didn’t. To learn more about our mission, visit stleolafayette.com

Pontius Pilate gives us two options: the kingdom of the world v the kingdom of God. Which will you choose? To learn more about our mission, visit stleolafayette.com

So many of us live as though we’re already dead, but Jesus calls us by name and loves us back to life. It’s time to start acting like it. **This is the final week of our series on conversion. To learn more about our mission, visit stleolafayette.com

Although conversion includes a change in behavior, it’s so much more than that. True Christian conversion is about changing the way we see. Everything changes when we put on the lens of Christ.  To learn more about our mission, visit stleolafayette.com

The problem is not that we desire too much, but that we settle for too little. Deep within each of us is an innate desire for God, but most of us aren't able to tap into that desire because of so many smaller desires that keep our attention. Our desires need to be purified so that we can discover our thirst for the Lord, who thirsts even more for us. To learn more about our mission, visit stleolafayette.com

When God calls, fear surfaces where trust is thin. If we fix our eyes on Jesus, our fear begins to fade, trust begins to grow, and our hearts begin to heal. To learn more about our mission, visit stleolafayette.com

Our hearts are divided because ew distrust Our Father. God wants to rebuild our hearts by regaining our trust.To learn more about our mission, visit stleolafayette.com

Just as a good doctor addresses high blood pressure & high cholesterol, Jesus addresses the “smaller,” hidden sins because they are still indicative of poor spiritual health. If left unchecked and unaddressed, these tend to escalate into much larger problems.To learn more about our mission, visit stleolafayette.com

When Jesus says that we are the salt of the earth, he means so much more than simply “making the world a better place”. While that’s definitely true, there’s a deeper meaning connected to the one perfect sacrifice of Jesus on the cross. To learn more about our mission, visit stleolafayette.com

Jesus was happy and he wants us to be happy. The Beatitudes are his instructions for deep, enduring fulfillment (makarios). Jesus not only taught them, but lived them out perfectly.

Although important, the call of the first apostles is but one moment of a much longer, complex story. Our conversion upon encountering Christ is a major event in our lives, but each day following should be a deepening of that conversion. The apostles give us much hope here. To learn more about our mission, visit stleolafayette.com

God created both faith and reason to draw us to Himself. The Magi used both to discover the Christ child. When the star and the scroll converge, the only proper response is worship.To learn more about our mission, visit stleolafayette.com

We don’t honor our parents because they’re perfect. We honor them because love demands it. The 4th commandment never expires, it only matures through the seasons of life. To learn more about our mission, visit stleolafayette.com

Christmas is supposed to be a time of joy and happiness, but that’s sometimes overshadowed by a cloud of suffering. Whether this past year has been filled with great moments or difficult ones, we’re in this together. God is with us! To learn more about our mission, visit stleolafayette.com

Although we may feel unworthy of the task to which God is calling us, we can find encouragement in taking Mary into our hearts. Be not afraid to accept God’s mission for you. To learn more about our mission, visit stleolafayette.com

John the Baptist points out that something better than the Messiah is here. Just because things may not be happening according to our plan doesn’t mean that God is not present. In fact, he may be doing something even better. To learn more about our mission, visit stleolafayette.com

Just like marathon training, growing in the spiritual life is a long, slow process. Patient endurance is key to building strength over time. You’ve already come this far - have hope in how much further God is taking you!To learn more about our mission, visit stleolafayette.com

 In the spiritual journey, many of us have been driving distracted, or worse, falling asleep at the wheel. Advent is our annual spiritual alarm clock. To learn more about our mission, visit stleolafayette.com

How is it that two people can look at the same thing, but see something completely different? Here’s how Pontius Pilate and St Dismas saw Jesus differently during his final moments. To learn more about our mission, visit stleolafayette.com

Work has dignity because of the dignity of the worker. From the medical field to the construction site, and from the stay at home parent to the disabled veteran, every human person needs a sense of meaningful purpose. Without it, we lose an essential piece of what makes us human. To learn more about our mission, visit stleolafayette.com

Three events converged this weekend: the conclusion of National Vocation's Awareness Week, the Feast of the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica this Sunday, and Veteran's Day coming up this Tuesday. What do all three of these have in common? Holy Zeal.To learn more about our mission, visit stleolafayette.com

Even after someone experiences a conversion, they still sin because of their brokenness. We all need to go through a process of purification, and suffering can be the opportunity we didn’t know we needed. To learn more about our mission, visit stleolafayette.com

Like the Pharisee in the parable, we tend to compare ourselves to others and lean too much into our spiritual resumes. The tax collector shows us the better way by praying The Jesus Prayer. To learn more about our mission, visit stleolafayette.com

The most important, effective, and powerful thing that you can do for someone you love is to pray for them. Our prayers are like lightning bolts where divine power meets human surrender. Prayer is so much more than a mental health exercise. We pray because the world depends on it. To learn more about our mission, visit stleolafayette.com

Gratitude is more than good manners. It keeps grace alive in us. Pride keeps us from happiness, but humility makes us grateful. To learn more about our mission, visit stleolafayette.com

Our efforts will always fall short to some degree, but God’s favor doesn’t depend on our success or results. It’s freely given; and when his grace meets our limitations, something extraordinary happens. To learn more about our mission, visit stleolafayette.com

Our lack of faith is not due to a lack of evidence, but to our hardness of heart. If you’re feeling doubtful, discouraged, or self-concerned, the solution to your misery may be surprising to you. To learn more about our mission, visit stleolafayette.com

Why does Jesus praise the dishonest steward? Not for his dishonesty, but for his prudence. True wealth is not measure by how much we accumulate, but in how much we give away. To learn more about our mission, visit stleolafayette.com

One of the most powerful things that sets us apart as Catholics is how we approach suffering. Although we don’t go looking for it, we also don’t run away from it. Instead, we face it with faith. And when we do, we are healed. This is the mystery of the cross, and the reason why we elevate the crucifix as the primary icon of our faith. To learn more about our mission, visit stleolafayette.com