On “Preach” this week, the Rev. Kareem Smith, pastor of St. Michael the Archangel Church in Co-op City, the Bronx, reflects with host Ricardo da Silva, S.J., on the Gospel reading for the Second Sunday in Ordinary Time—the wedding at Cana. Connecting the scarcity of wine and the tension between Jesus and his mother to modern challenges like racial justice and political divides, Kareem points to the tension many feel as Martin Luther King Jr. Day and Donald Trump’s second inauguration fall on the same day, Jan. 20, 2025. “There’s this breakdown in conversation,” he says of the state of the nation. “We desire to be heard, but are we failing to listen?”

0:00 Intro
0:30 Meet Rev. Kareem Smith
3:23 The Scripture readings for this episode
4:43 About Rev. Kareem Smith's community
6:31 Rev. Kareem Smith's homily
16:02 How do you approach both Scriptures and global events together?
18:45 Biblical dialogue as a vehicle for interpersonal conversation
22:32 How can we uplift the voices of our Black brothers and sisters?
26:15 Educational resources for preachers
28:27 Scriptural insights on the Wedding at Cana
31:57 The incarnate Word of God
34:49 Preaching skills and insights

Find the transcript for this episode's homily here: https://www.americamagazine.org/faith/2025/01/14/mlk-trump-wedding-cana-preach-kareem-smith-249686

Learn more about the Preach podcast: https://www.americamagazine.org/voices/preach

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