Apologetics
12th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year AJeremiah 20:10-13Psalm 69:8-10, 14, 17, 33-35 (14c)Romans 5:12-15Matthew 10:26-33June 25, 2023 Jeremiah faced danger. He heard “the whisperings of many” who sought to “denounce him.” Why did they want to denounce him? Because he…
Read MoreOctober 9th is the feastday of Cardinal John Henry Newman. This year it fell on a Sunday. Sundays take precedence over the feastdays of saints (unless it is a solemnity). So, his feast was not celebrated this year. However, I…
Read MoreOur gospel reading and the first reading for this 31st Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year B) speak of God’s commandments. We think in terms of 10 commandments. The Jews list 613 commandments with the 10 being the most important and…
Read MoreAs I have said before, many people today have some knowledge of what the Catholic Church teaches on various topics without knowing why the Church teaches it. Helping people understand not just what the Church teaches but why is at…
Read MoreLast night we started our new series, Treating Life with Dignity and Love. The video and slides are now available at www.renewaloffaith.org/prolife1. Registration is now open for the second part of this series where we will discuss abortion and the…
Read MoreIn our Catholic faith, we have two formal creeds, the Apostles’ Creed and the Nicene Creed. However, having two creeds does not mean we profess two different faiths. The two creeds are very similar in their content (you can see…
Read MoreI started my new series of webinars, Uncovering the Treasures of the Mass, last night. You are view the recording of the webinar on my website at www.renewaloffaith.org/masspart1. Peace, Fr. Jeff
Read MoreHello, Today I recorded a new 18 minute video on church vestments and liturgical colors. You can see the video at https://www.renewaloffaith.org/video—vestments.html. I hope it aids you in the riches of our liturgy. I am looking forward to a series…
Read MoreHave you ever pondered the question, “what will Heaven be like?” I don’t expect to end up there anytime soon but it is a question we might ask. After all, we expect to spend eternity there. The question comes to…
Read More17th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A1 Kings 3:5, 7-12Psalm 119:57, 72, 76-77, 127-128, 129-130 (97a)Romans 8:28-30Matthew 13:44-52July 26, 2020 God said to Solomon, “Ask something of me and I will give it to you.” If God said this to…
Read MoreIn the bulletin for this weekend, July 26th, I wrote a column about my passion for faith formation beyond children. I include some of my plans for this Fall. Here is the column: The three things where I most find…
Read MoreToday we celebrate our United States holiday celebrating our independence on the anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. As we celebrate our independence, “freedom” is very important to us. People take freedom to…
Read MoreWe call ourselves disciples of Christ but what does this really mean? Let’s start with asking what it means to call ourselves “Christian.” The term is generally applied to anyone who is baptized and/or says they believe in Christ. Yes,…
Read MoreWhile all Christianity honors Mary as the mother of Jesus, not all denominations hold Mary in the same regard as we Catholics do. Many Protestants misunderstand what we believe about Mary. Some of them interpret our devotion to Mary as…
Read MoreOne finds a lot of different items in Catholic churches. The stained windows, paintings, statues, and other artwork are there to help remind us of important things in our faith. The two most important items found in Catholic churches are…
Read MorePrior to the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965) it was common for Catholics to go to Confession at least monthly if not every other week. Some even went weekly. For some it didn’t matter if they didn’t know of any mortal…
Read More“Is God Angry With Us?” This is the question that began a comment posted on my blog. It is an important question. It is a question a lot of people may be asking. I think the best way to begin…
Read MoreEarlier this week I wrote an article, “Is There Still Sin in the World?” I ended that article by referring to the battle against sin and said I would write an article about battling sin. Well, here it is. I…
Read MoreLast night I hosted a live webinar called Praying With the Trinity. Here is the description, “The Trinity is three persons yet one God. It is a mystery that may be hard for us to comprehend. How can God be…
Read MoreThere has been sin in the world since the beginning of time. One only has to read three chapters in the Book of Genesis before one comes to the story of the first, the original sin. Adam and Eve ate…
Read MoreWhy are we faced with this Coronavirus pandemic? We believe God to be all-powerful and all-knowing. So, why doesn’t He end the Coronavirus? This question involves what is referred to as the “the problem of evil.” Carried to the extreme,…
Read MoreWho wrote the Bible? The answer to this question depends on what one means by “wrote”. Are you referring to the person who physically wrote the stories? Or are you referring the source of the content? If the latter, do…
Read MoreYou may have heard the term “Cafeteria Catholic” (Protestants would say Cafeteria Christian) and wondered what it means. We go to a restaurant and order what we want. If we don’t like something, we don’t have it. The strongest example…
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