Saints
Angels are a common part of our faith but how much do we really know about them? Our belief in angels is rooted in the Bible. According to a search on www.biblegateway.com, the word “angel” appears in the New American…
Read MoreAll Saints DayRevelation 7:2-4, 9-14Psalm 24:1bc-2, 3-4ab, 5-6 (see 6)1 John 3:1-3Matthew 5:1-12aNovember 1, 2022 There are numerous people who have been canonized as saints in our Catholic Church. Each of them has their own feastday. For example. St. John…
Read MoreWhile I was on retreat last week two things happened that led me to think about some of the saints who inspire me. The first was that we celebrated the feastdays of some of them. Secondly, as I was reading…
Read MoreI was recently asked to write about how saints are made in the Catholic Church. The Catholic Church has a formal process for recognizing saints. Please notice that I said “recognizing saints,” not “making saints.” Why the distinction? Because the…
Read MoreToday, December 6th, is the Optional Memorial of St. Nicholas. We don’t know much about him. During our present season of Advent, the memorial of saints aren’t given as much attention. However, this year I feel inspired to use what…
Read MoreIn my last blog article, “In Struggles We Find Hope,” I reflected on my recent reading of St. Joseph and His World by Mike Aquilina (New York: Scepter Publishers. 2020). Continuing on the theme of the Year of St. Joseph called for…
Read MoreI recently read St. Joseph and His World by Mike Aquilina (New York: Scepter Publishers. 2020). I purchased this to read with the Year of St. Joseph called for by Pope Francis (Dec. 2020-December 2021) in mind. As indicated by…
Read MoreLast night I offered another webinar, Three Saints to Aid Us, covering St. Michael the Archangel, St. John Fisher, and St. Thomas More. The video recording of the webinar and slides are available on my website at www.renewaloffaith.org/threesaints. I will…
Read MoreSolemnity of St. Joseph, Husband of the Blessed Virgin Mary1 Samuel 7:4-5a, 12-14a, 16Psalm 89:2-3, 4-5, 27 and 29Romans 4:13, 16-18, 22Matthew 1:16, 18-21, 24aMarch 19, 2021 Today we celebrate this Solemnity of St. Joseph. I emphasize “solemnity” because it…
Read MoreOften when we celebrate the memorials of saints it is a person who lived centuries ago and/or in Europe or Asia. This week we break this pattern with three consecutive days venerating North American saints who lived in the last…
Read MoreThe Solemnity of All SaintsRevelation 7:2-4, 9-14Psalm 24:1bc-2, 3-4ab, 5-6 (6)1 John 3:1-3Matthew 5:1-12aNovember 1, 2020 We gather today for Sunday Mass. Normally we would be celebrating the 31st Sunday in Ordinary Time today. However, today is different. It is…
Read MoreOctober 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…
Read MoreI find myself doing something I have never done before. I am “re-posting” a homily I posted here on this blog from the Feast of the Archangels on September 29th in 2017. Why am I “re-posting” an old post? There…
Read MoreWe need heroes. Where we do we find them? The first question really is what is a hero? A hero as I see it is someone who does good deeds that we can look to as a role model. When…
Read MoreToday, June 22nd, is the Optional Memorial of St. John Fisher and St. Thomas More. St. Thomas More rose to be Chancellor of England, answering directly to King Henry VIII. St. John Fisher was the Bishop of the Diocese of…
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 just posted the video and handout from my latest presentation on my website. You can see them at www.renewaloffaith.org/saints2. Here’s a short description – In Part I of this series Fr. Jeff began by talking about the saints in…
Read MoreFor those who follow St. Luke’s on Facebook (the parish where I currently serve), we began posting images or quotes associated with particular saints this summer. We do this to help us better know the saints. This is also part…
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 More20th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year CJeremiah 38:4-6, 8-10Psalm 40:2, 3, 4, 18 (14b)Hebrews 12:1-4Luke 12:49-53August 18, 2019 Jesus’ words today may seem strange or even disheartening to us. We are more comfortable when Jesus tells us to love our…
Read MoreHomily for June 2018 Holy Hour Jeremiah 1:4-10 Psalm 91:1-2, 10-11, 12-13, 14-15 1 Peter 4:12-19 Matthew 10:34-39 On the general saints’ calendar, June 22nd, which is this Friday, is an optional memorial of Sts. John Fisher and Thomas More…
Read MoreToday is the Memorial of St. Isidore. Actually, it’s an optional memorial but I chose to use the opening prayer and antiphon for St. Isidore at Mass this morning for three reasons. First, because he is the patron saint of…
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