Intended for everyone who would like to become better acquainted with the passages of Scripture that are read at Mass each week — and not merely the homilist in search of ideas for his next sermon — this collection of homilies represents the fruit of thirty years of preaching each Sunday in parishes to people from very different social, racial, and educational backgrounds, many of whom have claimed to have enjoyed and profited from them. The desire of so many of our parishioners to know more about the Good News has provided the motivating force behind this publication. Since nothing could contribute more effectively to a fuller and more fruitful participation in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass than this, it is the author’s hope that these homilies will help people to understand the Scripture readings better, appreciate them more, and read the Word of God more frequently on their own.