Forgiveness
My recent blog articles on forgiveness as well as my article, “Remembering the Past and Building a Better Future,” have led to discussions with people on the subject of accountability. The question at hand is “does forgiving someone mean they…
Read MoreI have finished my fourth and final article in my series, Our Relationships With Others, reflecting on Pope Francis’ encyclical, Fratelli Tutti. As I complete this series, please note that the four articles do not cover the entirety of the…
Read MoreEarlier this week, I wrote an article, “Why Do We Choose to Sin”. Following that article, a person asked me to write about “sins of omission.” Most often, when we talk about sin, we talk about what we have done…
Read MoreWhen we confess our sins in the Sacrament of Reconciliation, we receive a penance, and say an “Act of Contrition.” As part of the “Act of Contrition,” we firmly resolve to sin no more. Yet, our struggle with sin often…
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 More26th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year AEzekiel 18:25-28Psalm 25:4-5, 6-7, 8-9 (6a)Philippians 2:1-11Matthew 21:28-32September 27, 2020 Today Jesus poses a question to the chief priests and the elders. They have been asking him questions. They often asked Jesus questions to…
Read MoreAs I have begun to write articles explicitly on morality, I acknowledge that discussion on the morality of specific behaviors can be difficult. I pray that nothing I will write be interpreted as judgment on anyone. My goal is always…
Read More24th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year ASirach 27:30-28:7Psalm 103:1-2, 3-4, 9-10, 11-12 (8)Romans 14:7-9Matthew 18:21-35September 13, 2020 It can be hard to forgive. It can be even harder to forgive the same person over and over for the same thing. …
Read More23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year AEzekiel 33:7-9Psalm 95:1-2, 6-7, 8-9 (8)Romans 13:8-10Matthew 18:15-20September 6, 2020 Today we hear about how God calls us to respond to sin. The first reading is sometimes known as the Parable of the Watchman. …
Read MoreDoes God change? God is eternal, without beginning or end. Does He ever change? I ask the question because recently I was asked about God’s vengeance. There is some tendency to see God in the Old Testament as a punishing…
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 MoreThe Coronavirus shutdown continues. Some states are beginning to lift restrictions. New York State, where I live, continues under shutdown. We are now around the six week mark. Of course, the challenges caused by the pandemic started before we actually…
Read MoreI was scheduled to do the next presentation in my series on the Sacraments on March 25th. Like so many other things, because of the Coronavirus, that in-person has been cancelled. Because of the uncertainty of how long it will…
Read More2nd Sunday of Advent, Year A Isaiah 11:1-10Psalm 72:1-2, 7-8, 12-13, 17 (3)Romans 15:4-9Matthew 3:1-12 December 8, 2019 Advent is a time to reflect on the coming of Jesus. Last week’s gospel spoke of the Second Coming. The birth of…
Read More31st Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year CWisdom 11:22-12:2Psalm 145:1-2, 8-9, 10-11, 13, 14 (see 1)2 Thessalonians 1:11-2:2Luke 19:1-10November 3, 2019 A few years ago, I was ministering in a parish that had a school. One of the things we would…
Read More24th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year CExodus 32:7-11, 13-14Psalm 51:3-4, 12-13, 17, 19 (Luke 15:18)1 Timothy 1:12-17Luke 15:1-32September 15, 2019 Today’s readings should be familiar to us. Our Sunday readings are on a three-year cycle so if you have been…
Read More5th Sunday of Lent, Year CIsaiah 43:16-21Psalm 126:1-2, 2-3, 4-5, 6(3)Philippians 3:8-14John 8:1-11April 7, 2019 As Paul writes to the Philippians he tells them, “I consider everything as a loss because of the supreme good of knowing Christ Jesus my…
Read More4th Sunday of Lent, Year CJoshua 5:9a, 10-12Psalm 34:2-3, 4-5, 6-7 (9a)2 Corinthians 5:17-21Luke 15:1-3, 11-32March 31, 2019 Sometimes I hear parents lamenting that they feel like all they are to their children is a chauffeur and/or a source of…
Read More30th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B Jeremiah 31:7-9 Psalm 126:1-2, 2-3, 4-5, 6 (3) Hebrews 5:1-6 Mark 10:46-52 October 28, 2018 The Bible is the story of God’s people. It is not just history. It does not just tell…
Read MoreHomily for October 2018 Holy Hour Ezekiel 34:1-6, 11-12a Psalm 51:3-4, 5-6, 12-13, 17 1 John 1:5-2:2 Luke 15:1-3, 11-32 In the days of Ezekiel many shepherds were more concerned about their own wants than taking care of the flock…
Read MoreI just finished uploading my latest presentation. This one is on forgiveness. Here’s the description: We know we need forgiveness, yet it can be hard to think that God will forgive us. We think we are not worthy. We might…
Read MoreAs Christians we are called to be people of forgiveness. Every time we pray the Lord’s Prayer we say, “forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.” We acknowledge our need to be forgiven and we…
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