(Fourth Sunday of Easter (B): This homily was given on April 1, 2024 at St. Pius X Church, Westerly, R.I., by Fr. Raymond Suriani.  Read Acts 4:8-12; 1 John 3:1-2; John 10:11-18.) [For the audio version of this homily, click here: Fourth Sunday of Easter 2024] Every Christian will say, “Jesus is my shepherd.” And that’s good; every Christian should say that! But that assertion still leaves one very important question unanswered: WHICH JESUS is the person talking about?  Of all the Jesuses that are out there—of all the Jesuses that they could possibly be following in thi ..read more

(Third Sunday of Easter (B): This homily was given on April 14, 2024 at St. Pius X Church, Westerly, R.I., by Fr. Raymond Suriani.  Read Acts 3:13-19; Psalm 4:2-9; 1 John 2:1-5a; Luke 24:35-48.) [For the audio version of this homily, click here: Third Sunday of Easter 2024] Which gospels do you want?  Which gospels do you want to use as the basis of your religious beliefs? The ones that were inspired by the Holy Spirit?  The ones that were written in the first century by the four men whose images adorn the back wall of our sanctuary: Matthew, Mark, Luke and John? Or the ..read more

Walter Jameson and Sam Kittridge (Easter 2024: This homily was given on March 31, 2024 at St. Pius X Church, Westerly, R.I., by Fr. Raymond Suriani.  Read Acts 10:34a, 37-43; Colossians 3:1-4; John 20:1-9.) [For the audio version of this homily, click here: Easter 2024] “Long Live Walter Jameson” was the title of an episode of “The Twilight Zone” which aired during the program’s very first season.  If you’re old enough, you may remember it from its first showing; others may recall it from the reruns of the Twilight Zone that currently air on the Sci-fi channel.  ..read more

(Palm Sunday 2024 (B): This homily was given on March 24, 2024 at St. Pius X Church, Westerly, R.I. by Fr. Raymond Suriani.  Read Isaiah 50: 4-7; Psalm 22; Philippians 2: 6-11; Mark 14:1-15:47.) [For the audio version of this homily, click here: Palm Sunday 2024]   Here’s a suggestion for the producers of the Jeopardy program (that’s the game show where they give you the answer and you’ve got to figure out the question): The answer is: The only Gospel in which the following line appears: “There was a young man following [Jesus] who was covered by nothing but a linen cloth.&nbs ..read more

Stuart Scott 1965-2015 (Fifth Sunday of Lent (B): This homily was given on March 17, 2024 at St. Pius X Church, Westerly, R.I., by Fr. Raymond Suriani.  Read Jeremiah 31:31-34; Psalm 51:3-15; Hebrews 5:7-9; John 12:20-33.) [For the audio version of this homily, click here: Fifth Sunday of Lent 2024]   Stuart Scott was a sportscaster and anchor on the ESPN television network.  He was definitely a familiar face to anybody who watched SportsCenter on a regular basis a decade or so ago. In 2007, he had what was supposed to be routine surgery to remove his appendix.&nbs ..read more

(Fourth Sunday of Lent (B)”: This homily was given on March 10, 2024 at St. Pius X Church, Westerly, R.I., by Fr. Raymond Suriani.  Read 2 Chronicles 36:14-16, 19-23; Psalm 137:1-6; Ephesians 2:4-10; John 3:14-21.) [For the audio version of this homily, click here: Fourth Sunday of Lent 2024] Little 7-year-old Raymond gets into a fight with his sister and he purposely breaks one of her toys.  At that point his mother happens to come into the room and she sees what’s going on.  She says, “Raymond Nicholas, you ought to be ashamed of yourself.  Apologize to your siste ..read more

(Third Sunday of Lent (B): This homily was given on March 3, 2024 at St. Pius X Church, Westerly, R.I., by Fr. Raymond Suriani.  Read Exodus 20:1-17; Psalm 19:8-11; 1 Corinthians 1:22-25; John 2:13-25.) [For the audio version of this homily, click here: Third Sunday of Lent 2024] One day a man was being tailgated by a stressed-out woman as he drove down a busy city street.  Suddenly, the traffic light just ahead of him turned yellow.  Realizing that it would be red by the time he actually got into the intersection, he stopped.  He made the right decision.  (I ..read more

  (Second Sunday of Lent (B): This homily was given on February 25, 2024 at St. Pius X Church, Westerly, R.I., by Fr. Raymond Suriani.  Read Genesis 22:1-18; Psalm 116:10-19; Romans 8:31-34; Mark 9:2-10.) [For the audio version of this homily, click here: Second Sunday of Lent 2024] An elderly woman from the parish went to see her orthopedic surgeon on a Friday morning.  She had been under his care—and homebound—for a few months after falling in her home and hurting her shoulder.  Well, happily, the doctor gave her a clean bill of health during that office visit, and ..read more

(Ash Wednesday 2024: This homily was given on February 14, 2024 at St. Pius X Church, Westerly, R.I., by Fr. Raymond Suriani.  Read Joel 2: 12-18; Psalm 51; 2 Corinthians 5: 20-6: 2; Matthew 6: 1-18.) [For the audio version of this homily, click here: Ash Wednesday 2024] It’s both meaningful and providential that Ash Wednesday falls on St. Valentine’s Day this year—because if there’s one thing that most of the world is totally mixed-up about it’s the meaning of love.  Love, contrary to popular belief, is not a synonym for sex.  It’s not a reward for being good (or ..read more

  (Fifth Sunday of the Year (B): This homily was given on February 4, 2024, at St. Pius X Church, Westerly, R.I., by Fr. Raymond Suriani.  Read Job 7:1-4, 6-7; Psalm 147:1-6; 1 Corinthians 9:16-23; Mark 1: 29-39.) [For the audio version of this homily, click here: Fifth Sunday 2024]   The title of this homily is: “The Big Difference Between Job and Monsignor Aloysius Schwartz.” I know—it’s not the most catchy title in the world, but it’s accurate nonetheless. Most of us, I’m sure, know the story of Job.  The Bible tells us that he was a deeply religious man, “who fea ..read more