Morality

We Need to See as God Sees

By Fr. Jeff | 03/16/2021

If we are going to understand and appreciate what our faith teaches we must see as God sees, not as human beings see (see 1 Samuel 16:7). For instance, I recently wrote an article, “Chastity and Sexuality”, to help people…

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Third Webinar in Series “Treating Life with Dignity and Love”

By Fr. Jeff | 03/11/2021

Last night I hosted the third webinar in my series, “Treating Life with Dignity and Love.” The recording of the webinar and the slides are now available online at www.renewaloffaith.org/prolife3. You can now register for Part IV on April 14th,…

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Chastity and Sexuality

By Fr. Jeff | 03/05/2021

We talk about chastity. What does it really mean? We use the term “sexuality” but what is our Catholic understanding of sexuality? What does sex have to do with religion anyway? Sexuality has a lot to do with living our…

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Our Weapons Against Evil

By Fr. Jeff | 03/01/2021

In two recent blog articles (“Does Evil Exist?” and “The People of the Lie”), I reflected upon Fr. Dwight Longenecker’s Immortal Combat: Confronting the Heart of Darkness (Manchester, NH: Sophia Institute Press. 2020) and what he says about our battle against…

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“The People of the Lie”

By Fr. Jeff | 02/26/2021

On Tuesday, I posted an article, “Does Evil Exist?” based on my thoughts from reading Immortal Combat: Confronting the Heart of Darkness by Fr. Dwight Longenecker (Manchester, NH: Sophia Institute Press. 2020).  As I ended that article I referenced Fr. Longenecker’s…

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Does Evil Exist?

By Fr. Jeff | 02/23/2021

Does “evil” exist? There should be no question that bad things happen. One does not need to watch the news for long to hear` of violence and wars. There is theft and division. Yet, if one listens to the relativists…

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Video Recording of “Treating Life with Dignity and Love: Part II”

By Fr. Jeff | 02/11/2021

Hello, Last night I offered the second webinar in my series, Treating Life with Dignity and Love. In this webinar, we built upon what I said in part I to discuss Catholic teaching about abortion and the death penalty. Part…

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The Question of Progress and Families

By Fr. Jeff | 02/09/2021

Our society is becoming more individualistic. As Hahn and McGinley quote in their book, It is Right and Just: Why the Future of Civilization Depends on True Religion, “Liberalism puts the rights and liberties of the individual at the center…

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Do We Shape Our Own World?

By Fr. Jeff | 02/02/2021

Last week I shared an article called “If It’s All About Me…” where I talked “me-centered” people. In that article, I included the following quote from Justice Anthony Kennedy,  “at the heart of liberty is the right to define one’s…

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4th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B – Homily

By Fr. Jeff | 01/30/2021

4th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year BDeuteronomy 18:15-20Psalm 95:1-2, 6-7, 7-9 (8)1 Corinthians 7:32-35Mark 1:21-28January 31, 2021 What is Jesus remembered for? “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in…

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If It’s All About Me…

By Fr. Jeff | 01/29/2021

Relativists say you can believe whatever you want as long as you don’t hurt anyone. For relativists, the truth is what you want it to be. For them, it seems, it’s all about me. We pray for them to know…

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“For I Know Well the Plans”

By Fr. Jeff | 01/26/2021

It 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…

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Many Voices: Who Should We Listen To?

By Fr. Jeff | 01/23/2021

Yesterday I started writing a new blog article, continuing the ongoing articles on the topic of morality. The article applies biblical tests for a prophet to our contemporary problem of hearing many different voices telling us different ways of living…

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Does Hell Really Exist?

By Fr. Jeff | 01/19/2021

I recently wrote an article, “Is Heaven a Crowded Place?”, regarding who gets into Heaven and how we know Satan exists. This followed articles I wrote last summer, “What Will Heaven Be Like?” and “Purgatory as a Gift That Gets…

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Moral, Immoral, or Amoral

By Fr. Jeff | 01/15/2021

On Tuesday I wrote an article called “Tolerance, Hate Speech, and Dialogue.” The material covered in that article spoke about the meaning of tolerance and the restrictions people want to put on our church in general, but especially on us…

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Tolerance, Hate Speech, and Dialogue

By Fr. Jeff | 01/12/2021

“Tolerance” has become a frequently used word.  We do well to ask ourselves what does it mean to “tolerate.”  Why?  Because I think it is being used beyond its actual meaning.  It seems to me that it is being used…

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Is Heaven a Crowded Place?

By Fr. Jeff | 01/08/2021

Is Heaven a crowded place? I ask the question with mixed feelings. I am an introvert and do not like crowded places. On the other hand, as a Christian and knowing how great a place Heaven is, I desire that…

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What About Accountability?

By Fr. Jeff | 12/07/2020

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…

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Can Failing to Do Something Be a Sin?

By Fr. Jeff | 11/05/2020

Earlier 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…

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Why Do We Choose to Sin?

By Fr. Jeff | 11/03/2020

When 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…

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Do People Understand What Jesus Does for Us?

By Fr. Jeff | 10/22/2020

With 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…

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What Guides Your Morality?

By Fr. Jeff | 10/16/2020

Today I would like to continue the discussion of morality by offering two contrasting perspectives on what might be our principal guide in our moral choices. The first one may be held by Christians and non-Christians alike but I see…

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Choosing a Moral, Immoral, or an Amoral Life

By Fr. Jeff | 10/14/2020

God gave his people commandments as a gift. The Ten Commandments are given to us to help us live a good life (cf. “God’s Commandments”). However, that does not mean they are easy to follow. Good, God-loving people struggle at…

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Moving Forward

By Fr. Jeff | 10/12/2020

The 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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27th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A – Homily

By Fr. Jeff | 10/04/2020

27th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year AIsaiah 5:1-7Psalm 80:9, 12, 13-14, 15-16, 19-20 (Isaiah 5:7a)Philippians 4:6-9Matthew 21:33-43October 4, 2020 Is the Lord with us in our struggles?  The Lord is always with us.  Everything that is good comes from the…

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