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Exaltation of the Holy Cross Numbers 21:4b-9 Philippians 2:6-11 John 3:13-17 September 14, 2014 Today we take a step away from what would normally be the Twenty-fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time for this feast of the Exaltation of the…
Read MoreToday I did something that I haven’t had to do in seven years of priesthood and I would have preferred if I never needed to do it. In a little over seven years I have probably done over 180 funerals…
Read More23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A Ezekiel 33:7-9 Romans 13:8-10 Matthew 18:15-20 September 7, 2014 Ezekiel serves the Lord as a prophet. Part of his duties as a prophet is to be a “watchman”. A watchman stands on…
Read More22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A Jeremiah 20:7-9 Romans 12:`01 Matthew 16:21-27 August 31, 2014 Jeremiah wonders if he has been duped in his role as a prophet. He is proclaiming God’s Word and he suffers derision and reproach…
Read MoreYesterday I was privileged to have a conversation with a young woman whose faith is very important to her. It is inspiring to me to see such faith in young people. She is currently doing an internship and we were…
Read More21st Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A Isaiah 22:19-23 Romans 11:33-36 Matthew 16:13-20 August 24, 2014 Eliakim is offered the key to the House of David. Jesus gives Peter the keys to the Kingdom of Heaven. What is the significance…
Read MoreThose of you who are longtime readings of this blog know I used to write articles at least weekly here on various topics and events. It’s been at least several months since I have posted anything on a regular basis…
Read More20th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A Isaiah 56:1, 6-7 Romans 11:13-15, 29-32 Matthew 15:21-28 August 17, 2014 Jesus finds time to withdraw to the region of Tyre and Sidon. One might expect this to be a place where Jesus…
Read MoreNormally I would be posting my Sunday homily about now but for the first time in a couple of years I did not preach this weekend. Each summer we welcome a person from a diocese, religious community, or official Catholic…
Read More18th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A Isaiah 55:1-3 Romans 8:35, 37-39 Matthew 14:13-21 August 3, 2014 When Jesus got off the boat he was immediately greeted by a vast crowd. He had gone off to be by himself…
Read More17th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A 1 Kings 3:5, 7-12 Romans 8:28-30 Matthew 13:44-52 July 27, 2014 How valuable is the Kingdom of Heaven to us? Does the word “treasure” fit? How much a treasure is it? Jesus talks…
Read More16th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A Wisdom 12:13, 16-19 Romans 8:26-27 Matthew 13:24-43 July 20, 2014 Our God is all-knowing and all-powerful. There is nothing God cannot do. God can choose to do whatever he wants. What does God…
Read MoreWhat follows is a piece I wrote for next week’s bulletin. How We React to “Stuff” Just about a month ago I was driving back to Ithaca. I was near Mecklenburg when a coy dog walked out in front on…
Read More15th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A Isaiah 55:10-11 Romans 8:18-23 Matthew 13:1-23 July 13, 2014 Jesus drew large crowds whenever he arrived in a town. Why? People must have known about him. The only way they could have…
Read More14th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A Zechariah 9:9-10 Romans 8:9, 11-13 Matthew 11:25-30 July 6, 2014 Why are you here? This might seem like a simple question with an obvious answer but I think it is a question that…
Read MoreToday is June 30th and the Memorial of the First Roman Martyrs. While this memorial is an optional memorial, for the last seven years, it has held a particular significance for me. Before I get into why this memorial is…
Read MoreSolemnity of Sts. Peter and Paul Vigil Acts 3:1-10 Galatians 1:11-20 John 21:15-19 Day Acts 12:1-11 2 Timothy 4:6-8, 17-18 Matthew 16:13-19 June 29, 2014 Today would normally be the Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time but June 29th is…
Read MoreThe Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ, Year A Deuteronomy 8:2-3, 14b-16a 1 Corinthians 10:16-17 John 6:51-58 June 22, 2014 Last week we celebrated the Most Holy Trinity as a central mystery of our faith. This week we…
Read MoreThe Most Holy Trinity, Year A Exodus 34:4b-6, 8-9 2 Corinthians 13:11-13 John 3:16-18 June 15, 2014 Today we celebrate the Most Holy Trinity. The Trinity is central to the way we pray as Catholics. Every time we celebrate…
Read MoreSome of the colonists who came to America over 300 years ago came seeking religious freedom. When the United States became an independent nation, we adopted a constitution that included a Bill of Rights. The First Amendment guarantees freedom of…
Read MorePentecost, Year A Vigil Readings Genesis 11:1-9 Romans 8:22-27 John 7:37-39 Day Acts 2:1-11 1 Corinthians 12:3b-7, 12-13 John 20:19-23 June 8, 2014 Fifty days have passed since Easter. Our celebration of Pentecost now draws our Easter season to a…
Read More7th Sunday in Easter, Year A Acts 1:12-14 1 Peter 4:13-16 John 17:1-11a June 1, 2014 On Thursday we celebrated the Ascension of Jesus into Heaven where he returns to be seated at the right hand of the Father. Before…
Read MoreThe video of my presentation on Death, Heaven, Hell, and Purgatory is now available at https://renewaloffaith.org/basics/talking/fourlastthings.htm. Peace, Fr. Jeff
Read More6th Sunday in Easter, Year A Acts 5-8, 14-17 1 Peter 1 Peter 3:15-18 John 14:15-21 May 25, 2014 Jesus gives us a mission to proclaim the gospel. St. Francis tells us ‘proclaim the gospel always, to use words only…
Read More5th Sunday in Easter, Year A Acts 6:1-7 1 Peter 2:4-9 John 14:1-12 May 18, 2014 Jesus says, “Do not let your hearts be troubled.” The reality is the world is not perfect and we can have “troubled hearts.” Sometimes,…
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