Evangelization

New Video – A Tour of the Church

By Fr. Jeff | 04/29/2020

I just finished making a 20 minute video giving a tour of the church. We may know what the names of items in the church are but how often do we think about why we have them in church. Together…

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A Little About This Blog and an Invitation for Feedback

By Fr. Jeff | 04/20/2020

During this time of the Coronavirus I have been posting articles here on the blog every two to three days.  I have very much enjoyed being able to do this.  I started this blog about ten years ago (see “Why…

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Answering a Comment About Real Presence Through the Internet

By Fr. Jeff | 04/13/2020

I am writing this blog to provide an extended answer to a question asked in a comment under my most recent blog article, “Whom Are You Looking For?” In case you haven’t seen the question, I include it here: My…

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Whom Are You Looking For?

By Fr. Jeff | 04/13/2020

The gospel for tomorrow, Tuesday of Holy Week (April 14, 2020), John 20:11-18, is the passage that follows the gospel we heard on Easter morning (John 20:1-9). On Easter we heard that Mary of Magdala went to Jesus’ tomb “and…

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Conclusion on “How Do You Evangelize a Culture That Used to be Christian?”

By Fr. Jeff | 03/07/2020

Today I conclude the series of blog articles I have been writing in my attempt to reflect on the question, “How do you evangelize a culture that used to be Christian?”  Of course, the ministry of evangelization will continue as…

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How Do We Share the Faith and Whose Job is It?

By Fr. Jeff | 02/29/2020

I write today with another installment in my series on the question, “How do you evangelize a culture that used to be Christian?”  This is the fifth in the series.  If you have not read the others, here are links…

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“Answering Those Who Say They Don’t Get Much Out of Mass”

By Fr. Jeff | 02/22/2020

If this is the first article you are reading on my blog, please allow to begin by saying this is the fourth article in a series on “how do you evangelize a culture that used to be Christian?”  In order…

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Answering Those Who Think Faith is Irrelevant

By Fr. Jeff | 02/22/2020

I began a series of blog articles last week reflecting on the question, “How do you evangelize a culture that used to be Catholic?”  Our whole culture used to be based on Christian faith.  People are now turning away from…

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Has Science Eliminated the Need for God?

By Fr. Jeff | 02/19/2020

Evangelization, meaning to help those who already believe in God develop a deeper faith and to reach out to those who have fallen away from Christianity or have never believed, is something near and dear to my heart. Thus, it…

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The Quest for Fulfillment in the Modern World

By Fr. Jeff | 02/15/2020

People look for what brings them fulfillment. The question is where do we look? In a society that is becoming more and more secularized people look for fulfillment in material things; money, property, clothing. We are told “more is better.”…

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How We Can Witness to Our Faith

By Fr. Jeff | 02/06/2020

Here’s something I wrote for our parish bulletin 2/9/20 Evangelization: How Can You Share What Our Faith Means to You? I hesitated to use the word “evangelization” in the title of this article.  I think when people here the word…

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Second Sunday of Ordinary Time, Year A – Homily

By Fr. Jeff | 01/19/2020

2nd Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year AIsaiah 49:3, 5-6Psalm 40:2, 4, 7-8, 8-9, 10 (8a, 9a)1 Corinthians 1:1-3John 1:29-34January 19, 2020 To prepare us for Christmas as the First Coming of the Lord, we first celebrated the season of Advent.…

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New Presentation Series – Sacraments: Channels of God’s Grace

By Fr. Jeff | 01/10/2020

On Wednesday I started a new series of presentations on the Sacraments. It’s a five part series. Here is a link to the first presentation (a general introduction). www.renewaloffaith.org/sacramentsintro Peace, Fr. Jeff

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Another Presentation on Video

By Fr. Jeff | 11/08/2019

I just uploaded the video from the third and final presentation in my series, Our Saints and Intercessors to my website at www.renewaloffaith.org/saints3. In this presentation, we talk about St. Thomas Aquinas, St. Luke, and then pull all three presentations…

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My Latest Presentation, “Our Saints and Intercessors”

By Fr. Jeff | 09/13/2019

I started a new presentation series this week. In Part I, I begin with a general introduction to our Catholic understanding of the saints. Then, I discuss Mary and the Holy Angels (from two of our churches, St. Mary’s and…

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14th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C – Homily

By Fr. Jeff | 07/07/2019

14th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year CIsaiah 66:10-14cPsalm 66:1-3, 4-5, 6-7, 16, 20 (1)Galatians 6:14-18Luke 10:1-2, 17-30July 7, 2019 Jesus sent “seventy-two others” out on a mission.  In identifying them as “others” a distinction is made from the Twelve Apostles…

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Video Presentation – “Where Do We Go For Truth?”

By Fr. Jeff | 03/12/2019

I gave another presentation on Monday. This one, “Where Do You Go For Truth?,” discusses “Truth” and provides some guidance on how we search for God’s Truth to answer the tough questions in a world where society says there is…

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Sin and Division

By Fr. Jeff | 10/09/2018

We live in a world where there is sin and division.  We see it in the moral (or lack thereof) behavior of people.  We see it in violent acts and terrorism.  We see in the political divisions within government that…

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23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B – Homily

By Fr. Jeff | 09/09/2018

23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B Isaiah 35:4-7a Psalm 146:6-7, 8-9, 9-10a James 2:1-5 Mark 7:31-37 September 9, 2018 Many times we hear of “crowds” that come to Jesus.  The Jews had been waiting for a 1,000 years for…

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14th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B – Homily

By Fr. Jeff | 07/08/2018

14th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B Ezekiel 2:2-5 Psalm 123:1-2, 2, 2-4 (2cd) 2 Corinthians 12:7-10 Mark 6:1-6 July 8, 2018 One might think that people from Jesus’ “native place” would welcome him with great fanfare as the hometown…

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Seeing With the Eyes of Faith

By Fr. Jeff | 05/31/2018

Today we celebrate the Feast of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary.  At the Annunciation, Mary found out she had been chosen to be the mother of Jesus.  Mary’s reaction is not one of pride.  She does not begin…

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New Presentation on Video – What It Means to be a Church

By Fr. Jeff | 02/10/2018

Almost two weeks ago I did a presentation here at St. Michael’s.  I had planned my calendar around being able to edit and caption the video the day after the presentation so I could get it online as soon as…

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3rd Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B – Homily

By Fr. Jeff | 01/21/2018

3rd Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B Jonah 3:1-5, 10 Psalm 25:4-5, 6-7, 8-9 1 Corinthians 7:29-31 Mark 1:14-20 January 21, 2018 Back at the start of December we began a new liturgical year.  Our readings as found in the…

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What Sort of Church Should We Be?

By Fr. Jeff | 11/24/2017

If you are a long-term reader of my blog and website, then you know that I fell away from the Church after Confirmation but returned after 16 years.  It is very important for me to be mindful of those who…

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The Feast of Saints Simon and Jude

By Fr. Jeff | 10/28/2017

Today (October 28th) we celebrate the Feast of Saints Simon and Jude.  In the gospel reading for this morning’s Mass, we hear both Saint Simon and Saint Jude named among the twelve that Jesus had chosen to be Apostles. Simon…

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