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2nd Sunday of Advent, Year BIsaiah 40:1-5, 9-11Psalm 85:9-10, 11-12, 13-14 (8)2 Peter 3:8-14Mark 1:1-8December 6, 2020 Scholars divide the Book of the Prophet Isaiah into three sections. Today’s reading from chapter 40 begins the second section. God “speaks tenderly”…
Read MoreWe are called to pray. Jesus spent time in prayer. If Jesus prayed, then all the more we need to. When you read the word “prayer”, what comes to mind? Is the Rosary the first thing that comes to mind?…
Read MoreIn October I wrote two separate blog articles reflecting on The Serenity Prayer and the Prayer of St. Francis. Two years ago, I shared a homily from a holy hour reflecting on the Lord’s Prayer. Today I would like to…
Read More1st Sunday of Advent, Year BIsaiah 63:16b-17, 19b; 64:2-7Psalm 80:2-3, 15-16, 18-19 (4)1 Corinthians 1:3-9Mark 13:33-37November 29, 2020 Our passage from Isaiah today comes from a time when the Babylonian Exile was ending and the Jews were returning to Jerusalem. …
Read MoreThanksgiving DaySirach 50:22-24Psalm 113:1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 7-81 Corinthians 1:3-9Luke 17:11-19November 26, 2020 Today is our national day of Thanksgiving. The custom of this holiday dates back to the first pilgrims in Massachusetts. They were thankful that God had blessed them…
Read MoreIn the past, the understanding by many was that Catholics were supposed to “pray, pay, and obey” to be good Catholics. (A search on the Internet shows the order of the first two, pray and pay, are sometimes switched). The…
Read MoreOur Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe, Year AEzekiel 34:11-12, 15-17Psalm 23:1-2, 2-3, 5-6 (1)1 Corinthians 15:20-26, 28Matthew 25:31-46November 22, 2020 Ezekiel opens today with the Lord assuring his people, “I myself will look after and tend my sheep.” …
Read MoreI have finished my fourth and final article in my series, Our Relationships With Others, reflecting on Pope Francis’ encyclical, Fratelli Tutti. As I complete this series, please note that the four articles do not cover the entirety of the…
Read MoreI just uploaded the video and slides from the third and final video in my series, Uncovering the Treasures of the Mass. You can view this third video at www.renewaloffaith.org/masspart3. Peace, Fr. Jeff
Read MoreI just completed the third article, “Seeking Real Dialogue”, in my series, “Our Relationships With Others”. In the first two articles I took an instructive approach. In this third article, I continue to seek to help readers understand what Pope…
Read More33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year AProverbs 31:10-13, 19-20, 30-31Psalm 128:1-2, 3, 4-5 (1a)1 Thessalonians 5:1-6Matthew 25:14-30November 15, 2020 Proverbs speaks of the “worthy wife, her value is far beyond pearls.” She is praised for the good she does as…
Read MoreI just posted to my website the second article, “The Right to Private Property and Loving Our Neighbor” in my series, “Our Relationships With Others” reflecting on Pope Francis’ new encyclical, Fratelli Tutti. I hope it is helpful for you.…
Read More32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year AWisdom 6:12-16Psalm 63:2, 3-4, 5-6, 7-8 (2b)1 Thessalonians 4:13-18Matthew 25:1-13November 8, 2020 Everyone is looking for happiness. We find lasting happiness, we find joy, when we find fulfillment. What is it that fulfills us?…
Read MoreEarlier this week, I wrote an article, “Why Do We Choose to Sin”. Following that article, a person asked me to write about “sins of omission.” Most often, when we talk about sin, we talk about what we have done…
Read MoreWhen we confess our sins in the Sacrament of Reconciliation, we receive a penance, and say an “Act of Contrition.” As part of the “Act of Contrition,” we firmly resolve to sin no more. Yet, our struggle with sin often…
Read MoreThe Solemnity of All SaintsRevelation 7:2-4, 9-14Psalm 24:1bc-2, 3-4ab, 5-6 (6)1 John 3:1-3Matthew 5:1-12aNovember 1, 2020 We gather today for Sunday Mass. Normally we would be celebrating the 31st Sunday in Ordinary Time today. However, today is different. It is…
Read MoreIn the third video presentation in my series, Sacraments: Channels of God’s Grace, on the Eucharist, I addressed the question of “Who Can Receive the Eucharist” in slides 36-38. I began with the general question speaking about the need to…
Read MoreLast week I posted an article, “Do People Understand What Jesus Does for Us?” In that article, I discussed Jesus’ action to save us from our sins. My inspiration for that article came from Clear and Simple: How to Have…
Read More30th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year AExodus 22:20-26Psalm 18:2-3, 3-4, 47, 51 (2)1 Thessalonians 1:5c-10Matthew 22:34-40October 25, 2020 Last week we heard how the Pharisees were trying to “entrap Jesus in speech.” As they did this, Jesus responded “knowing their…
Read MoreDear Lord, It has been a challenging year and we still have two months to go. The challenges have come in various ways. Perhaps the one most obvious to all is the Coronavirus Pandemic. Our greatest concern is for those…
Read MoreWith fewer and fewer people coming to church even before the Coronavirus, one asks the question, “Why don’t more people come to Jesus?” Jesus offers us something wonderful. Do people understand what Jesus offers us, namely, salvation? I just finished…
Read MoreIn the 1930’s, Reinhold Neibuhr (1892-1971) developed the Serenity Prayer. The first four lines have become well-known. God grant me the serenityto accept the things I cannot change; courage to change the things I can; and wisdom to know the difference. It…
Read More29th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year AIsaiah 45:1, 4-6Psalm 96:1, 3, 4-5, 7-8, 9-10 (7b)1 Thessalonians 1:1-5bMatthew 22:15-21October 18, 2020 We gather on this 29th Sunday in Ordinary Time. Today is also October 18th. This is the feast of St.…
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