Prayer

The Prayer of St. Michael

By Fr. Jeff | 12/01/2020

In October I wrote two separate blog articles reflecting on The Serenity Prayer and the Prayer of St. Francis. Two years ago, I shared a homily from a holy hour reflecting on the Lord’s Prayer. Today I would like to…

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Pray, Pay, and Obey

By Fr. Jeff | 11/24/2020

In the past, the understanding by many was that Catholics were supposed to “pray, pay, and obey” to be good Catholics. (A search on the Internet shows the order of the first two, pray and pay, are sometimes switched). The…

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Jesus, Human and Divine

By Fr. Jeff | 10/27/2020

Last week I posted an article, “Do People Understand What Jesus Does for Us?” In that article, I discussed Jesus’ action to save us from our sins. My inspiration for that article came from Clear and Simple: How to Have…

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2020: What a Year!

By Fr. Jeff | 10/23/2020

Dear Lord, It has been a challenging year and we still have two months to go.  The challenges have come in various ways. Perhaps the one most obvious to all is the Coronavirus Pandemic.  Our greatest concern is for those…

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The Serenity Prayer

By Fr. Jeff | 10/20/2020

In the 1930’s, Reinhold Neibuhr (1892-1971) developed the Serenity Prayer. The first four lines have become well-known. God grant me the serenityto accept the things I cannot change; courage to change the things I can; and wisdom to know the difference. It…

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Reflecting on the Prayer of St. Francis

By Fr. Jeff | 10/06/2020

October 4th is the feast day for St. Francis of Assisi.  He is one of the most popular saints and is known as the patron saint of animals.  So, it is a custom for some parishes to offer a pet…

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Feeling Powerless

By Fr. Jeff | 09/15/2020

Recently I was watching the news about the wildfires on the West Coast. They say that over 4 million acres have burned this year. California has already passed their record for the number of acres burned in a single year…

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The Liturgy of the Hours

By Fr. Jeff | 09/08/2020

One of the topics I have covered a few times during the Coronavirus is prayer (see https://blog.renewaloffaith.org/?cat=12 for those articles & homilies). Today I would like to cover a particular form of prayer required of clergy and religious but an…

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20th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A – Homily

By Fr. Jeff | 08/16/2020

20th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year AIsaiah 56:1, 6-7Psalm 67:2-3, 5, 6, 8 (4)Romans 11:13-15, 29-32Matthew 15:21-28August 16, 2020 A Canaanite woman came to Jesus seeking help for her daughter who was “tormented by a demon.” Many people came to…

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19th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A – Homily

By Fr. Jeff | 08/09/2020

19th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A1 Kings 19:9a, 11-13aPsalm 85:9, 10, 11-12, 13-14, (8)Romans 9:1-5Matthew 14:22-33August 9, 2020 After sending his disciples on their way, Jesus “went up on the mountain by himself to pray.”  There He encountered God…

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What Should We Pray For?

By Fr. Jeff | 07/20/2020

When we celebrate Mass we are praying together. What do you pray for on your own? How often do you pray? Today, I would like to talk about two of my daily prayer intentions. If you have come to daily…

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Techniques to Listen to God

By Fr. Jeff | 06/13/2020

I offer this article in response to a comment posted by Brennan to my article, “Is God Angry With Us?”.  I thank Brennan for his comment, which follows: “Well said! Like you have said in previous posts, you would think…

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Amen

By Fr. Jeff | 05/18/2020

Amen. How many times do we say “amen” when we pray? How many times do you say it on your own? How many times do we say “amen” together at Mass? I don’t know how many times you say “amen”…

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The Right Atmosphere

By Fr. Jeff | 05/02/2020

Earlier 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…

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Silence, How Much and When

By Fr. Jeff | 04/27/2020

In the midst of the Coronavirus you may find yourself alone or in small groups of just your family far more often than normal. Does that necessarily mean we have more “silence”? That depends on what you do with your…

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Perspectives on Prayer

By Fr. Jeff | 04/25/2020

During the Coronavirus shutdown I have been reading books that have been sitting on my shelf for a while. This week I read Rev. Evan Pilkington’s Paths to Personal Prayer (Twenty-Third Publications: Mystic, Connecticut. 1988. The edition I read is…

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What Will Your Life be Like After the Coronavirus?

By Fr. Jeff | 04/07/2020

What was your life like before the Coronavirus? Maybe you were very busy at work. Maybe you were very busy with your children’s (or grandchildren’s) activities. Maybe you are retired and you didn’t do much because it always seemed like…

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Staying Connected

By Fr. Jeff | 03/24/2020

We are not currently able to gather together to celebrate Mass because of the Coronavirus. The Eucharist is the source and summit of our faith (Lumen Gentium, 11). Thus, this time without public celebration of the Eucharist might seem a…

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30th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C – Homily

By Fr. Jeff | 10/27/2019

30th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year CSirach 35:12-14, 16-18Psalm 34:2-3, 17-18, 19, 23 (7a)2 Timothy 4:6-8, 16-18Luke 18:9-14October 27, 2019 We continue to hear about prayer in our readings this week.  Today, the question addressed start with whose prayer gets…

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29th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C – Homily

By Fr. Jeff | 10/20/2019

29th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year CExodus 17:8-13Psalm 121:1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 7-8 (see 2)2 Timothy 3:14-4:2Luke 18:1-8October 20, 2019 Jesus tells us to “pray always”.  Really?  How can anyone pray “always”?  We have to sleep or we will become “weary”. …

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27th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C – Homily

By Fr. Jeff | 10/06/2019

27th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year CHabakkuk 1:2-3; 2:2-4Psalm 95:1-2, 6-7, 8-9 (8)2 Timothy 1:6-8, 13-14Luke 17:5-10October 6, 2019 Habakkuk the prophet cried out, “How long, O LORD? I cry for help but you do not listen!” Have you ever…

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Praying For Those Who Lead – Holy Hour Homily

By Fr. Jeff | 01/16/2019

Homily for January 2019 Holy Hour1 Samuel 8:1-22Psalm 72:1-2, 7-8, 10-11, 12-13Romans 13:1-6Matthew 22:15-22 In much of the Old Testament period, people were led by “kings”.  Yet, before the time of Samuel, Israel did not have a king.  Ultimately God…

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The Lord’s Prayer – Homily for Holy Hour August 2018

By Fr. Jeff | 08/07/2018

Homily for August 2018 Holy Hour Isaiah 25:6a, 7-9 Psalm 23:1-3, 3-4, 5, 6 Romans 8:26-27 Matthew 6:7-15 We started our monthly holy hour last September as part of our diocesan Year of the Eucharist.  So, it was only logically…

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My Latest Presentation – “The Journey to Jesus”

By Fr. Jeff | 02/27/2018

I just did another presentation last night.  This one is called “The Journey to Jesus.”  I begin with talking about what “journey” means along with “desert” and “Lent” before discussing the necessity of silence.  You can view the video at https://www.renewaloffaith.org/video—the-journey-to-jesus.html…

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What is the Point of Prayer?

By Fr. Jeff | 10/11/2016

I don’t think many people would argue with the statement that prayer is important.  Well, actually they might without meaning to.  By this I simply acknowledge the fact that not everybody prays.  Maybe they mean to but it isn’t the most…

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