Discipleship

Are We Really Supposed to Love our Enemies?

By Fr. Jeff | 02/20/2022

As Jesus continues his Sermon on the Plain, today’s gospel begins, “love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.“ Are we really supposed to love our enemies?…

Read More

Final Reflections on “The Catholic Gentleman”

By Fr. Jeff | 02/15/2022

Three weeks ago I began a series of articles reflecting on my reading of Sam Guzman’s book, The Catholic Gentleman: Living Authentic Manhood Today (San Francisco: Ignatius Press. 2019). Today, I would like to offer my sixth and final article on The…

Read More

6th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C – Homily

By Fr. Jeff | 02/13/2022

6th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year CJeremiah 17:5-8Psalm 1:1-2, 3, 4, 6, (40:5a)1 Corinthians 15:12, 16-20Luke 6:17, 20-26February 13, 2022 In this gospel passage Jesus begins his Sermon on the Plain.  The passage is explicit in saying He “stood on…

Read More

Work, Sainthood, and Holiness

By Fr. Jeff | 02/08/2022

This is the fifth of sixth articles I offer here inspired by my reading of Sam Guzman’s book, The Catholic Gentleman: Living Authentic Manhood Today (San Francisco: Ignatius Press. 2019). (For the previous articles see “Are You for Real?”, “More from “The Catholic Gentleman”,…

Read More

God’s Calling

By Fr. Jeff | 02/06/2022

We are all called to be disciples of Jesus. We are all called to serve God in some way. In today’s readings we hear three call narratives. It begins with the call of Isaiah in our first reading. Isaiah is…

Read More

How Do You Look at Things?

By Fr. Jeff | 02/03/2022

This will be my fourth article inspired by Sam Guzman’s book, The Catholic Gentleman: Living Authentic Manhood Today (San Francisco: Ignatius Press. 2019). (For the previous articles see “Are You for Real?”, “More from “The Catholic Gentleman”, and “We Need to Stand for…

Read More

We Need to Stand for Something

By Fr. Jeff | 02/01/2022

Today I continue my series inspired by Sam Guzman’s book, The Catholic Gentleman: Living Authentic Manhood Today (San Francisco: Ignatius Press. 2019). (For the two previous articles see “Are You for Real?” and “More from “The Catholic Gentleman”) Today I would like…

Read More

More from “The Catholic Gentleman”

By Fr. Jeff | 01/28/2022

A few days ago I began a new series of articles based on Sam Guzman’s book, The Catholic Gentleman: Living Authentic Manhood Today (San Francisco: Ignatius Press. 2019) with an article titled “Are You for Real?” Today I offer my second article…

Read More

Are You for Real?

By Fr. Jeff | 01/25/2022

“Authentic. Genuine. Handcrafted. Vintage. Real.” These are the first words in chapter 1 (page 17) of Sam Guzman’s book, The Catholic Gentleman: Living Authentic Manhood Today (San Francisco: Ignatius Press. 2019). Are we who we claim to be? Do we…

Read More

Unpredictability

By Fr. Jeff | 01/18/2022

It is winter where I live. This means cold weather and snow but how predictable is the weather? Since about mid-last week, the weather forecasters in the northeast were calling for a significant snowstorm for Sunday into Monday. By last…

Read More

A New Beginning

By Fr. Jeff | 12/28/2021

In a few days this year of 2021 will come to a close. Like 2020, 2021 has been a challenging year because of the Coronavirus pandemic. In July, it seemed things had turned for the better. The number of new…

Read More

Spreading the Gospel

By Fr. Jeff | 12/14/2021

I recently posted an article, “Helping Our Children be Disciples,” inspired by my recent reading of An Evangelizing Catechesis: Teaching from Your Encounter with Christ by James C. Pauley (Huntington, IN: Our Sunday Visitor Publishing. 2020).  Today I would like to…

Read More

Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe, Year B – Homily

By Fr. Jeff | 11/21/2021

Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe, Year BDaniel 7:13-14Psalm 93:1, 1-2, 5 (1a)Revelation 1:5-8John 18:33b-37November 21, 2021 This is the last Sunday of our liturgical year.  We always celebrate the Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of…

Read More

Suffering and Serving

By Fr. Jeff | 10/17/2021

Today’s first reading comes from the fourth of four passages in the Book of Isaiah that speak of a “suffering servant.” People see suffering as something terrible and to be avoided. However, in the first reading, regarding the suffering servant,…

Read More

What is Most Important?

By Fr. Jeff | 09/17/2021

We need to ask ourselves what is most important. Lots of things have importance but what is most important? We need things. We need food, clothing, and shelter to feed our physical bodies. To have these things we need money.…

Read More

Three Ways to Look at Discipleship

By Fr. Jeff | 09/12/2021

In today’s reading for the 24th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year B we hear three different ways of thinking about discipleship. The first comes from the third of four servant servant oracles in the Book of Isaiah. The suffering servant…

Read More

23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B – Homily

By Fr. Jeff | 09/05/2021

23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year BIsaiah 35:4-7aPsalm 146:6-7, 8-9, 9-10 (1b)James 2:1-5Mark 7:31-37September 3, 2021 “Thus says the LORD:  Say to those whose hearts are frightened: Be strong, fear not!” Fear can be a powerful thing.  Fear can dictate…

Read More

The Resurgence of COVID

By Fr. Jeff | 08/24/2021

I have not written much on the Coronavirus in recent months (You can see past articles by clicking here). There are two reasons for this. The first is that I didn’t have anything new to say about it. The second…

Read More

Our Relationship With God

By Fr. Jeff | 08/20/2021

Earlier this week I wrote an article, “Is Faith a Matter of Opinion?”, based on F.X. Cronin’s book, The World According to God (Manchester, NH: Sophia Institute Press. 2020). That article reflected on the first fifty pages. Today I would like…

Read More

Is Faith a Matter of Opinion?

By Fr. Jeff | 08/17/2021

Is what one chooses to believe merely a matter of personal preference? Does God exist? These are two of the key questions F.X. Cronin discusses in his new book, The World According to God (Manchester, NH: Sophia Institute Press. 2020).…

Read More

More From Peter Kreeft on Liberty

By Fr. Jeff | 07/23/2021

Earlier this week I posted an article, “Peter J. Kreefts “How to Destroy Western Civilization”, sharing some thoughts from Kreeft’s new book, How to Destroy Western Civilization and Other Ideas From the Cultural Abyss (San Francisco: Ignatius Press. 2021). In that…

Read More

Peter J. Kreeft’s “How to Destroy Western Civilization”

By Fr. Jeff | 07/20/2021

I recently read Peter J. Kreeft’s new book, How to Destroy Western Civilization and Other Ideas From the Cultural Abyss (San Francisco: Ignatius Press. 2021). From the title alone one might think it is a “how-to” book giving ideas on…

Read More

16th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B – Homily

By Fr. Jeff | 07/18/2021

16th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year BJeremiah 23:1-6Psalm 23:1-3, 3-4, 5, 6 (1)Ephesians 2:13-18Mark 6:30-34July 18, 2021 Jeremiah served as a prophet of the Lord in the time leading up to and including the start of the Babylonian Exile.  God…

Read More

Chosen

By Fr. Jeff | 07/11/2021

One of the things that is different for me in my new assignment is that the parish has three deacons. They each have a turn in preaching on Sunday. Currently, I will be preaching every other weekend. They each take…

Read More

Where Do you Go to Find God?

By Fr. Jeff | 07/09/2021

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 More

Archives