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As I settle into a new rectory, I look to shape the space in which I will pray. This rectory has enough rooms that I am able to dedicate a whole room to prayer and God. Many people may not…
Read MoreI am now seven days into my new assignment at St. Mary’s of the Lake and St. Benedict’s. In my first article (“From an End to a Beginning”) after the move, I wrote about the people I was meeting and…
Read More14th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year BEzekiel 2:2-5Psalm 123:1-2, 2, 3-4 (2cd)2 Corinthians 12:7-10Mark 5:7-10July 4, 2021 Jesus said, “A prophet is not without honor except in his native place.” Hum…Either God has a sense of humor or I am…
Read MoreWell, the change has finally taken place. Yesterday, June 29th, with the help of some good friends (a big thank you to them), we loaded my stuff into our vehicles at St. Luke the Evangelist Parish and left there about…
Read More13th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year BWisdom 1:13-15; 2:23-24Psalm 30:2, 4, 5-6, 11, 12, 13 (2a)2 Corinthians 8:7, 9, 13-15Mark 5:21-43June 27, 2021 Why are we here today? Taking the question literally, we are here to celebrate Mass. Going a…
Read MoreYou may have heard in the news that the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB – www.usccb.org) voted last week at its annual June meeting to approve the writing of a document on the Eucharist. If you have been…
Read MoreAs I write this, I am just seven and a half days from moving from my current assignment as the Parochial Vicar at St. Luke the Evangelist Parish in western Livingston County to St. Mary’s of the Lake in Watkins…
Read More12th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year BJob 38:1, 8-11Psalm 107:23-24, 25-26, 28-29, 30-31 (1b)2 Corinthians 5:14-17Mark 4:35-41June 20, 2021 “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” This is the question the disciples ask Jesus. They are in a…
Read MoreIn the Lord’s Prayer we pray “thy will be done.” We say it but do we mean it? Are we willing to completely set aside our own will to completely abandon ourselves to God’s Will? I would like to use…
Read MoreJesus tells us to love our neighbor. It seems like this should be easy but it is not without its difficulties. In loving and caring for others, we make ourselves vulnerable to feeling pain. It might be from sharing their…
Read More11th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year BEzekiel 17:22-24Psalm 92:2-3, 13-14, 15-16 (2a)2 Corinthians 5:6-10Mark 4:26-34June 13, 2021 We returned to Ordinary Time right after Pentecost. However, for the last two Sundays we celebrated two Solemnities, The Most Holy Trinity and…
Read MoreRecently, I have been using Fr. James Mallon’s new book, Divine Renovation Beyond the Parish (Frederick, MD: The Word Among Us Press. 2020) for reflection both on change and leadership. Today, I offer my final article using this book. In…
Read MoreThose who have been reading my recent articles on change know that I recently read Fr. James Mallon’s new book, Divine Renovation Beyond the Parish (Frederick, MD: The Word Among Us Press. 2020). Today, I would like to use some…
Read MoreThe Most Holy Body and Blood of C, Year BExodus 24:3-8Psalm 116:12-13, 15-16, 17-18 (13)Hebrews 9:11-15Mark 14:12-16, 22-26June 6, 2021 Today we celebrate the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ. In the Eucharist, it is truly Jesus we receive. …
Read MoreSince it was announced that I will be moving to a new assignment, I have written several articles related to change. The first one, “The Next Change”, started with the saying “change is inevitable.” For me, change almost seems a…
Read MoreFour weeks from today I will be moving to my new assignment at St. Mary’s of the Lake and St. Benedict’s. As I prepare to lead them, I continue to reflect on what it is that God calls us to.…
Read MoreToday (May 31st), we celebrate the Feast of the Visitation of Mary. One might wonder why this feast falls at this time of year. We are in Ordinary Time. However, yesterday, for our Sunday Mass we celebrated the Solemnity of…
Read MoreThe Most Holy Trinity, Year BDeuteronomy 4:32-34, 39-40Psalm 33:4-5, 6, 9, 18-19, 20, 22 (12b)Romans 8:14-17Matthew 28:16-20May 30, 2021 Today we celebrate the Most Holy Trinity, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. They are three persons yet one God. This can…
Read MoreIn my last article, “Hopes and Dreams”, I spoke of helping people and leading people to Jesus. In my past article, “What Sort of Church Should We Be?”, I spoke of serving the people. Today I would like to write…
Read MoreAs preparations continue for me to transition to St. Mary’s of the Lake and St. Benedict’s at the end of June, a couple of people from there have asked me about my “hopes and dreams” for the parish. It is…
Read MorePentecost, Year BActs 2:1-11Psalm 104:1, 24, 29-30, 31, 34 (32)1 Corinthians 12:3b-7, 12-13John 20:19-23May 23, 2021 Fifty days ago we celebrated Easter. Easter is the most important day of the year (Christmas is #2). Today, we celebrate the third most…
Read MoreLast night I offered another webinar, Three Saints to Aid Us, covering St. Michael the Archangel, St. John Fisher, and St. Thomas More. The video recording of the webinar and slides are available on my website at www.renewaloffaith.org/threesaints. I will…
Read MoreI would like to pose a question for reflection – “Do you belong to your parish or does your parish belong to you?” For the latter, what do you expect from your parish? Do you only go to your parish…
Read More7th Sunday of Easter, Year BActs 1:15-17, 20a, 20c-26Psalm 103:1-2, 11-12, 19-20 (19a)1 John 4:11-16John 17:11b-19May 16, 2021 We come today between our celebration of the Ascension of Jesus and Pentecost. This is the time frame in our first reading…
Read MoreAscension ThursdayActs 1:1-11Psalm 47:2-3, 6-7, 8-9 (6)Ephesians 1:17-23Mark 16:15-20May 13, 2021 Today we celebrate the Ascension of the Lord. The Ascension might seem like just a step along the way from the Resurrection to Pentecost. In the chronology of the…
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