Evangelization
I recently read The Old Evangelization: How to Spread the Faith Like Jesus Did by Eric Sammons (El Cajon, CA: Catholic Answers Press. 2017). When I saw the title, I ordered it based on my continuing desire to evangelize. As…
Read MoreAt the risk of sounding like a broken record, I would like to talk about something I have spoken about before. Why do we go to Mass? I write this in the midst of Holy Week. In the events we…
Read MoreIn the midst of the Babylonian Exile God offers Ezekiel a vision that points to the Resurrection and new life (first reading – read all of chapter 37 for the whole story). The Lord promises that He will open our…
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 MoreIn our gospel reading today, Jesus frees people from illnesses. On the Cross, Jesus frees us from our sins. In the United States of America, today we celebrate another time of freedom. Today is July 4th. It is the anniversary…
Read MoreToday a letter I wrote, with comments and suggestions from staff, will be going out to all our parishioners in the two parishes I serve. While it is with St. Mary’s of the Lake and St. Benedict’s in mind, I…
Read MoreI 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 MoreThose who are regular readers of my blog know that evangelization, the sharing of our faith, is very important to me. The articles I write here, on my website, and the presentations (also available on my website) are all geared…
Read MoreIf you are reading this blog article, it would seem likely that your faith means something to you. It likely means faith is more for you than just going to church on Sunday for one hour. The time spent at…
Read More30th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year BJeremiah 31:7-9Psalm 126:1-2, 2-3, 4-5, 6 (3)Hebrews 5:1-6Mark 10:46-52October 24, 2021 As Jesus leaves Jericho, “Bartimaeus, a blind man,” is sitting by the roadside begging. When he hears that Jesus of Nazareth is there,…
Read MoreI recently read St. Joseph and His World by Mike Aquilina (New York: Scepter Publishers. 2020). I purchased this to read with the Year of St. Joseph called for by Pope Francis (Dec. 2020-December 2021) in mind. As indicated by…
Read MoreEarlier 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 MoreIs 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 MoreRecently, I have been using Fr. James Mallon’s new book, Divine Renovation Beyond the Parish (Frederick, MD: The Word Among Us Press. 2020) for reflection both on change and leadership. Today, I offer my final article using this book. In…
Read MoreSince it was announced that I will be moving to a new assignment, I have written several articles related to change. The first one, “The Next Change”, started with the saying “change is inevitable.” For me, change almost seems a…
Read MoreFour weeks from today I will be moving to my new assignment at St. Mary’s of the Lake and St. Benedict’s. As I prepare to lead them, I continue to reflect on what it is that God calls us to.…
Read MoreAs preparations continue for me to transition to St. Mary’s of the Lake and St. Benedict’s at the end of June, a couple of people from there have asked me about my “hopes and dreams” for the parish. It is…
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 MoreIt is no secret that 2020 was a difficult year. A number of my blog articles in the last year reflect that. In particular, there were the articles, “2020: What a Year!” and “2020 is Over!”. Now, we try to…
Read More2nd Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B1 Samuel 3:3b-10, 19Psalm 40:2, 4, 7-8, 8-9, 10 (8a and 9a)1 Corinthians 6:13c-15a, 17-20John 1:35-42January 17, 2021 Jesus asked the two disciples of John the Baptist, “What are you looking for?” Jesus asks…
Read MoreOn November 29th, we began a new year in the church with the First Sunday of Advent. In my homily that day, I spoke of people making new year’s resolutions for the secular new year on January 1st and how…
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 MoreThe first reading in yesterday’s (28th Sunday in Ordinary Time) Office of Readings in the Liturgy of the Hours led me to think about where we are at as a Church with regards to the number of people who practice…
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