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God Our Help and Our Hope – Homily for October 2018 Holy Hour

By Fr. Jeff | 10/17/2018

Homily 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…

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22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B – Homily

By Fr. Jeff | 09/02/2018

22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B Deuteronomy 4:1-2, 6-8 Psalm 15:2-3, 3-4, 4-5 (1a) James 1:17-18, 21b-22, 27 Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23 September 2, 2018 Beginning today and for the next few weeks our second reading comes from the…

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The Parkland Shooting and the 1st Sunday of Lent, Year B – Homily

By Fr. Jeff | 02/18/2018

1st Sunday of Lent, Year B Genesis 9:8-15 Psalm 25:4-5, 6-7, 8-9 (10) 1 Peter 3:18-22 Mark 1:12-15 February 18, 2018 Our readings today begin by taking us back to the time of Noah.  The world had given into sin. …

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Another School Shooting

By Fr. Jeff | 02/15/2018

Today’s first reading begins “Moses said to the people: “Today I have set before you life and prosperity, death and doom.”  We each have a choice.  We can choose “life and prosperity” or “death and gloom“.  We would think everyone would want…

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27th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A – Homily

By Fr. Jeff | 10/08/2017

27th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A Isaiah 5:1-7 Psalm 80:9, 12, 13-14, 15-16, 19-20 Philippians 4:6-9 Matthew 21:33-43 For the Israelites, the use of the image of the vineyard in relation to God was a familiar one.  Isaiah speaks…

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20th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A – Homily

By Fr. Jeff | 08/20/2017

20th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A Isaiah 56:1, 6-7 Psalm 67:2-3, 5, 6, 8 Romans 11:13-15, 29-32 Matthew 15:21-28 Jesus moved on to the region of Tyre and Sidon.  This might have seemed surprising to the Jews.  Tyre and…

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A Voice Crying Out in the Desert

By Fr. Jeff | 08/18/2017

Last week it was the situation in North Korea that was the headlines on the news.  Then came the white nationalist activity in Charlottesville, VA.  Yesterday brought a car driving through a crowd of people in Barcelona Spain.  Today (August…

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Korea & the 19th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A – Homily

By Fr. Jeff | 08/13/2017

19th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A 1 Kings 19:9a, 11-13a Psalm 85:9, 10, 11-12, 13-14 Romans 9:1-5 Matthew 14:22-33 Jesus’ disciples found themselves a few miles offshore “being tossed about by the waves, for the wind was against it.” …

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Conflict and the “Joy of the Gospel”

By Fr. Jeff | 08/08/2017

I have been reading Evangelii Gaudium (The Joy of the Gospel) for the last couple of weeks (I read slowly as I reflect over the text).  I just read paragraph 227 and was deeply struck by it.  I think it…

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The Fourth of July and Our Faith

By Fr. Jeff | 07/04/2017

Back on June 22nd I wrote about St. John Fisher, St. Thomas More and the “Fortnight for Freedom.”  That “Fortnight for Freedom” began on June 21st.  It ends today on July 4th, the day we, in the United States, celebrate…

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12th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A – Homily

By Fr. Jeff | 06/25/2017

12th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A Jeremiah 20:10-13 Psalm 69:8-10, 14, 17, 33-35 Romans 5:12-15 Matthew 10:26-33 Jesus says “Fear no one.” What do you fear?  For our new graduates, they can be happy and excited to have graduated…

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St. John Fisher and the Fortnight For Freedom

By Fr. Jeff | 06/22/2017

Today, June 22nd, is the Optional Memorial of St. John Fisher and St. Thomas More.  In the Diocese of Rochester (United States), St. John Fisher is the patron saint of our diocese.  That means for our diocese today is a…

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Assisted Suicide & the 5th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A – Homily

By Fr. Jeff | 02/04/2017

This is our diocesan public policy weekend.  This year’s issue reflected below is speaking against a bill introduced in the NYS Legislative recently to allow assisted suicide.  For more on this issue, check out the USCCB “To Live Each Day…

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A Day of Prayer for the Legal Protection of Unborn Life

By Fr. Jeff | 01/23/2017

The title I have given this article, “A Day of Prayer for the Legal Protection of Unborn Life” is not my own line.  It is the name given to this day by our United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Yesterday…

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Standing Up For Life

By Fr. Jeff | 01/22/2016

Today is January 22. 2016 and that means the March for Life is going on in Washington, DC today.  In recognition of our call to prayer and action, we celebrated a Vigil Mass for Life last night.  Below is the homily…

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2nd Sunday of Advent, Year C – Homily

By Fr. Jeff | 12/06/2015

2nd Sunday of Advent, Year C Baruch 5:1-9 Psalm 126:1-6 Philippians 1:4-6, 8-11 Luke 3:1-6 December 6, 2015 Baruch writes to the people “Jerusalem, take off your robe of mourning and misery, put on the splendor of glory from God…

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The Church’s Teaching on Marriage

By Fr. Jeff | 07/04/2015

On June 26th, the Supreme Court of the United States declared that two people of the same gender have the right to marry in our entire country.  Archbishop Kurtz, President of the United States Catholic Conference of Bishop (USCCB) immediately…

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Celebrating the Gift of Life on January 22nd

By Fr. Jeff | 01/22/2015

Today is January 22nd.  That means people have gathered for the March for Life in Washington, DC.  I heard on the radio this morning that they are expecting 650,000 people, a massive display for the gift of life.  The March…

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Changing Bishops

By Fr. Jeff | 09/26/2012

If you live in the Diocese of Rochester in New York State, you probably have heard that Pope Benedict XVI has accepted the resignation for retirement of Bishop Matthew Clark and named Bishop Robert J. Cunningham of the Diocese of…

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The Role of the Government

By Fr. Jeff | 06/04/2012

It should be quite obvious to anyone who regularly follows the national news that this is a presidential election year.  While we believe in the separation of church and state, this does not mean we ignore our faith in issues…

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Dignity in Dying

By Fr. Jeff | 06/16/2011

People are living longer.  At the same time, many people face great suffering from illness (physical and mental) and aging.  Seeing other people dying or facing death themselves has led many people to argue for the right to die at…

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Natural Disasters

By Fr. Jeff | 03/12/2011

It seems to me that the number of natural disasters and the size of the disasters has been rising, floods, volcanoes, and earthquakes. The latest, of course, is the earthquake in Japan this week.  There is massive damage from the…

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Standing Up For What Is Right

By Fr. Jeff | 02/11/2011

Today I would like to talk about a topic that I generally avoid – politics, specifically the situation in Egypt.  With the resignation of President Mubarak certainly Egypt has changed in a profound way.  Perhaps the most amazing thing to…

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