Arkansas Catholic Men’s Conference 2026

Published: February 7, 2026

Bishop Anthony B Taylor preached the following homily at the Arkansas Catholic Men’s Conference in Little Rock Feb. 7, 2026.

Bishop Taylor

The readings you have just heard fit very well with the theme of this day of recollection: “A man after God’s own heart” as modeled by King David, who is presented to us in his roles of shepherd, warrior, lover and king — roles that should also be a reality in our own lives.

Our first reading was the call of David in 1 Samuel. Here we see that despite being the youngest of his brothers and thus the least likely to be chosen for an important role, God sees what is beneath the surface. He sees the heart. David was not chosen by appearance, although he was good-looking. Nor by evident gifts or status — he was just taking care of the sheep. He was chosen because of his heart. God chooses the unlikely, the one who was overlooked. He was still out tending the flock while all his older brothers were called in to meet the prophet Samuel.

In our Psalm 51, our responsorial psalm, we find David’s intense remorse after his grave sin with Bathsheba — love, but the wrong kind of love. Actually lust, not love. And then his murder by proxy of Uriah the Hittite, her husband. David recognized that he had been unfaithful and had misused his power as king and was filled with immense regret, but he didn’t stay there. He acknowledged his sin, humbled himself before God, faced the truth about how badly his heart had strayed and he prayed intensely for forgiveness, to set things right. Is that part of your story?

In our second reading we see that the spiritual life — our response to God’s call, our repentance for our own sin — is not passive. It is a struggle. It is combat for the soul, but it involves putting on the armor of God, fighting the right battles using the right weapons. Combat to protect your family with the strength you have in the Lord. Standing firm against the tactics of the devil. Combat in the struggle against sin in our own lives, struggling to stand firm in time of temptation, holding firm to do all that duty requires with the discipline of a soldier. Discipline of mind and heart.

Then in our Gospel we have the familiar story of the Prodigal Son. The unconditional love of the Father who is there for his younger son in his time of shame and brokenness, and who is also there for his older son despite his resentment and self-righteousness. And isn’t it true that in one way or another, we are all sons who need our Father to restore us, free us from our alienation, despite our shame in some cases and despite our self-righteousness if that is our issue.

So, there we have it. Like David, God calls us — chooses us! He sees our heart. Like David, we become strong when we admit our weakness. And here we are blessed with the sacrament of Reconciliation. We are made for spiritual combat against sin, against shame, against lies and against fear, and like the Prodigal Son, when we return, our father restores our identity as his son, heals our shame and reclaims us as his own.