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In mid-October, I went on retreat for a week. I was at a place in Pennsylvania on a quiet road surrounded by woods. It was very peaceful and I was able to do a lot of spiritual reading and fruitful…
Read More32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C 2 Maccabees 7:1-2, 9-14 Psalm 17:1, 5-6, 15 2 Thessalonians 2:16-3:5 Luke 20:27-38 November 6, 2016 When I arrived here just four months ago, we were all hot. That was summer. Now, summer…
Read More31st Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C Wisdom 11:22-12:2 Psalm 145:1-2, 8-9, 10-11, 13, 14 2 Thessalonians 1:11-2:2 Luke 19:1-10 October 30, 2016 Zacchaeus is described as being “short in stature.” He was short enough that he couldn’t see Jesus…
Read More30th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C Sirach 35:12-14, 16-18 Psalm 34:2-3, 17-18, 19, 23 2 Timothy 4:6-8, 16-18 Luke 18:9-14 October 23, 2016 Today Jesus tells us about two people praying, a Pharisee and a tax collector. One becomes…
Read More29th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C Exodus 17:8-13 Psalm 121:1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 7-8 2 Timothy 3:14-4:2 Luke 18:1-8 October 16, 2016 The Israelites had to defend themselves from an attack by Amalek. Joshua leads the battle but Moses is…
Read MoreI don’t think many people would argue with the statement that prayer is important. Well, actually they might without meaning to. By this I simply acknowledge the fact that not everybody prays. Maybe they mean to but it isn’t the most…
Read More28th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C 2 Kings 5:14-7 Psalm 98:1, 2-3, 3-4 2 Timothy 2:8-13 Luke 17:11-19 October 9, 2016 Both our first reading today and our gospel tell of people who was thankful for being healed of…
Read MoreToday, October 4th, we celebrate the Memorial of St. Francis of Assisi. He is among the more popular saints. I myself have read biographies about him and have a picture of him sitting on a table in my sitting room.…
Read MoreThis evening we celebrated a special Mass followed by a dish to pass supper to celebrate our parish feast day. We were blessed to have about 100 people join us. Thank you to all who helped, especially the Altar &…
Read More26th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C Amos 6:1a, 4-7 Psalm 146:7, 8-9, 9-10 1 Timothy 6:11-16 Luke 16:19-31 Today Jesus speaks about the rich man who wore fine garments and dined sumptuously each day. This in and of itself…
Read MoreLast week I did my first presentation at St. Michael’s Church in Newark. It is called “What Comes After the Jubilee Year of Mercy?” It largely contains pieces of what I did in my three presentations at Immaculate Conception Church…
Read More25th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C Amos 8:4-7 Psalm 113:1-2, 4-6, 7-8 1 Timothy 2:1-8 Luke 16:1-13 Jesus tells the parable of the steward who was fired for squandering his master’s property. The very purpose of a “steward” is…
Read More24th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C Exodus 32:7-11, 13-14 Psalm 51:3-4, 12-13, 17, 19 1 Timothy 1:12-17 Luke 15:1-32 Some of you may be old enough to remember the days when people went to confession at least monthly if…
Read More23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C Wisdom 9:13-18b Psalm 90:3-4, 5-6, 12-13, 14, 17 Philemon 9-10, 12-17 Luke 14:25-33 Is Jesus really telling us to hate people? This doesn’t match with what Jesus says the two greatest commandments are,…
Read More21st Sunday in Ordinary Time Isaiah 66:18-21 Psalm 117:1, 2 Hebrews 12:5-7, 11-13 Luke 13:22-30 Who is welcomed into the Kingdom of Heaven? The Jews saw themselves as a chosen people, the only ones who would get into the Kingdom…
Read More20th Sunday in Ordinary Time Jeremiah 38:4-6, 8-10 Psalm 40:2, 3, 4, 18 (14b) Hebrews 12:1-4 Luke 12:49-53 Jesus tells us that he comes to bring division, to set father against son and mother against daughter, and in-laws fighting. The…
Read MoreToday we celebrate the Feast of St. Lawrence. He was a deacon under Pope St. Sixtus II and was martyred in 258 A.D. Yesterday we celebrated the optional memorial of St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross (aka Edith Stein) who…
Read More19th Sunday in Ordinary Time Wisdom 18:6-9 Psalm 33:1, 12, 18-19, 20-22 Hebrews 11:1-2, 8-19 Luke 12:32-48 Last week we saw Jesus’ reaction to the man who asks him to tell his brother to share the inheritance. Jesus wasn’t interested…
Read More18th Sunday in Ordinary Time Ecclesiastes 1:2, 2:21-23 Psalm 90:3-4, 5-6, 12-13, 14, 17 Colossians 3:1-5, 9-11 Luke 12:13-21 A person comes to Jesus with a request, to tell his brother to share the inheritance with me. Jesus seems to…
Read MoreIf you look at today’s gospel, you will see it begin with Jesus saying “The Kingdom of heaven is like a net thrown into the sea, which collects fish of every kind.” I think that is all some people hear today…
Read MoreTomorrow I complete my first month at St. Michael’s in Newark. Of course, the month has been full of meeting new people. Every parishioner is a new face to me. While every person has been a new face to me,…
Read MoreToday’s (7/26/16) first reading comes from the Book of Jeremiah. Jeremiah served as a prophet in a time when people had fallen away from faith in our God. The people faced a very difficult time and wondered if God had…
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