Evangelization
Why 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 More6th Sunday of Easter, Year AActs 8:5-8, 11-17Psalm 66:1-3, 4-5, 6-7, 16, 20 (1)1 Peter 3:15-18John 14:15-21May 17, 2020 Jesus calls us to proclaim the gospel message. Just before his Ascension, Jesus tells his disciples to go out and baptize…
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 More5th Sunday of Easter, Year AActs 6:1-7Psalm 33:1-2, 4-5, 18-19 (22)1 Peter 2:4-9John 14:1-12May 10, 2020 Today’s gospel is a familiar one to many, at least the first half. The first six verses are often chosen as the gospel reading…
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…
Read MoreAs Catholics we have many rites for how we do things. For instance, we have specific rubrics as to how we celebrate Mass (see “The Roman Catholic Mass Explained”). We have particular rites for every Sacrament. It is important for…
Read MoreEarlier this week I wrote a blog article, “Silence, How Much and When” where I talked about silence in private prayer as well as silence at Mass. Now, I would like to discuss how silence at Mass needs to be…
Read MoreI 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…
Read MoreDuring 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…
Read MoreI 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…
Read MoreThe 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…
Read MoreToday 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…
Read MoreIf 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…
Read MoreI 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…
Read MoreEvangelization, 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…
Read MorePeople 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.”…
Read MoreHere’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…
Read More2nd 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.…
Read MoreOn 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
Read MoreI 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…
Read MoreI 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…
Read More14th 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…
Read MoreI 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…
Read MoreWe 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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