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This is the fifth article in my series based on my reading of the Introduction to the Devout Life by St. Francis De Sales. Written 400 years ago, it is available in various translations. I am reading the 2015 version published by…
Read MoreIn our first reading, through the prophet Isaiah, the Lord offers a message to the Israelites in distress. “The desert and the parched land will exult; the steppe will rejoice and bloom. They will bloom with abundant flowers.” The message…
Read MoreHere is the “announcement” of my next series of presentations! The Greatest Gift: The Eucharist A New Series of Presentations by Fr. Jeff The Eucharist we receive is the Body and Blood of Jesus. It is the Sacrifice of Jesus…
Read MoreThe Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin MaryGenesis 3:9-15, 20Psalm 98:1, 2-3ab, 3cd-4 (1)Ephesians 1:3-6, 11-12Luke 1:26-38December 8, 2022 Our first reading today comes from the story of the first sin in the Garden of Eden. God had created the…
Read MoreThis is the fourth article in my series based on my reading of the Introduction to the Devout Life by St. Francis De Sales. Written 400 years ago, it is available in various translations. I am reading the 2015 version published by…
Read More2nd Sunday of Advent, Year AIsaiah 11:1-10Psalm 72:1-2, 7-8, 12-13, 17 (7)Romans 15:4-9Matthew 3:1-12December 4, 2022 Our gospel passage today comes from the time just before Jesus began his public ministry during his first coming. It speaks of preparation. We…
Read MoreThis is the third article in my series based on my reading of the Introduction to the Devout Life by St. Francis De Sales. The first article was “What Does It Mean to be Devout?” followed by “Purification in the…
Read MoreIn today’s gospel, Jesus speaks the coming of the Son of Man. Noah had been commissioned by the Lord to build an ark. The people did not know that a great flood was coming. “They were eating and drinking, marrying…
Read MoreThanksgiving DaySirach 50:22-241 Corinthians 6:3-9Luke 17:11-9November 24, 2022 Today we celebrate Thanksgiving Day. It is a national holiday for us. It is a secular holiday but it is a day that we need to celebrate. Why do we need Thanksgiving…
Read MoreLast week I began a series of articles inspired by my present reading of St. Francis De Sales, Introduction to the Devout Life. The first article was “What Does It Mean to be Devout?”. I ended that article with a…
Read MoreOur Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe, Year C2 Samuel 5:1-3Psalm 122:1-2, 3-4, 4-5 (see 1)Colossians 1:12-20Luke 23:35-53November 20, 2022 Today we celebrate our Lord Jesus Christ as King of the Universe. The Jews had been waiting for a…
Read MoreLast night I offered the third (and final) presentation in my series, Being Church in Today’s World. The video and slides for Part III are now available on my website at https://www.renewaloffaith.org/beingchurch2022part3. If you watch the video in the next…
Read MoreLast month I began reading St. Francis De Sales, Introduction to the Devout Life. Written 400 years ago, it is available in various translations. I am reading the 2015 version published by Ignatius Press (San Francisco) and the Augustine Institute…
Read MoreIn two weeks our current liturgical year will draw to a close. Our gospel comes from a time shortly before Jesus’ Passion. He knows his time on earth will be coming to end soon. He wants to prepare his disciples.…
Read MoreI’ve been hearing in the news lately about anti-Semitic comments. I do not know why there is a rise in these comments. The Jews as a group were stereotyped by Catholics as bad for a long time. In the gospels…
Read More32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C2 Maccabees 7:1-2, 9-14Psalm 17:1, 5-6, 8, 15 (15b)2 Thessalonians 2:16-3-5Luke 20:27-38November 6, 2022 The Sadducees come to Jesus with a question. Given that this passage starts by saying the Sadducees “deny that there…
Read MoreAll Saints DayRevelation 7:2-4, 9-14Psalm 24:1bc-2, 3-4ab, 5-6 (see 6)1 John 3:1-3Matthew 5:1-12aNovember 1, 2022 There are numerous people who have been canonized as saints in our Catholic Church. Each of them has their own feastday. For example. St. John…
Read MoreOctober is Respect Life Month. Life is a precious gift from God. Life must be cherished from the moment it begins at conception and continues until it ends naturally and at every point in between. Today is October 31st, the…
Read MoreAt times we may feel like no one is listening, that no one cares about us. We might feel like we do not matter. We feel small and insignificant. How can little old me matter to God. After all, “Before…
Read MoreLast night I presented Part II in my new series of presentations, Being Church in Today’s World. The video recording and slides are available at https://www.renewaloffaith.org/beingchurch2022part2 . If you watch the video in the next couple of days, you can complete an online evaluation…
Read MoreWhile I was on retreat last week two things happened that led me to think about some of the saints who inspire me. The first was that we celebrated the feastdays of some of them. Secondly, as I was reading…
Read More30th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year CSirach 35:12-14, 16-18Psalm 34:2-3, 17-18, 19, 23 (7a)2 Timothy 4:6-8, 16-18Luke 18:9-14October 23, 2022 Once again Jesus tells a parable, this time “to those who were convinced of their own righteousness and despised everyone…
Read MoreAs I write this, I am almost done with some time off. When I write “time off” I suspect the word “vacation” probably comes to mind for many of you. What is the purpose of a vacation? When I think…
Read MoreIt is necessary for us “to pray always without become weary.” Today Jesus tells a parable of a woman who persists in her request. She is awaiting a decision from a judge. The judge, “who neither feared God nor respected…
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