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October is Respect Life Month. Life is a precious gift from God. Life must be cherished from the moment it begins at conception and continues until it ends naturally and at every point in between. Today is October 31st, the…
Read MoreAt times we may feel like no one is listening, that no one cares about us. We might feel like we do not matter. We feel small and insignificant. How can little old me matter to God. After all, “Before…
Read MoreLast night I presented Part II in my new series of presentations, Being Church in Today’s World. The video recording and slides are available at https://www.renewaloffaith.org/beingchurch2022part2 . If you watch the video in the next couple of days, you can complete an online evaluation…
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 More30th 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 23, 2022 Once again Jesus tells a parable, this time “to those who were convinced of their own righteousness and despised everyone…
Read MoreAs I write this, I am almost done with some time off. When I write “time off” I suspect the word “vacation” probably comes to mind for many of you. What is the purpose of a vacation? When I think…
Read MoreIt is necessary for us “to pray always without become weary.” Today Jesus tells a parable of a woman who persists in her request. She is awaiting a decision from a judge. The judge, “who neither feared God nor respected…
Read MoreOctober 9th is the feastday of Cardinal John Henry Newman. This year it fell on a Sunday. Sundays take precedence over the feastdays of saints (unless it is a solemnity). So, his feast was not celebrated this year. However, I…
Read More28th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C2 Kings 5:14-17Psalm 98:1, 2-3, 3-4 (see 2b)2 Timothy 2:8-13Luke 17:11-19October 9, 2022 Naaman was a great soldier, serving as commander in his king’s army. He was also a leper. He had sought a…
Read MoreI recently read Mark Shea’s By What Authority? An Evangelical Discovers Catholic Tradition Revised and Expanded Edition (San Francisco: Ignatius Press. 2013). Shea began his Christian life in the Evangelical Church. This book tells his story of moving from sola…
Read More“The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith.“ These are the words that begin our gospel reading today. The apostles had seen Jesus do many miracles as He cured people and drove out demons. Through the power Jesus gave…
Read MoreSome people don’t want to hear about money at Mass. That’s okay. I don’t want to talk about money at Mass. Then why did I talk about money in my homily this past weekend? I certainly didn’t do it because…
Read More26th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year CAmos 6:1a, 4-7Psalm 146:7, 8-9, 9-10 (1b)1 Timothy 6:11-16Luke 16:19-31September 25, 2022 Jesus offers us a parable today contrasting two men. The first is “a rich man who dressed in purple garments and fine…
Read MoreLast night I began my new series of presentations, Being Church in Today’s World. The video recording and slides are available at https://www.renewaloffaith.org/beingchurch2022part1 . Here is a description of the series – “For centuries western civilization was rooted in Christianity.…
Read MoreWe like to know what the weather will be. Will it be warm and dry, not too hot and not too cold, so that we can enjoy some time outdoors? Predicting the weather is not that simple. It does not…
Read More25th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year CAmos 8:4-7Psalm 113:1-2, 4-6, 7-8, (see 1a, 7b)1 Timothy 2:1-8Luke 16:1-13September 18, 2022 The role of a steward is to manage the property and finances of the owner. Thus, in squandering the rich’s man…
Read MoreHow much stuff do you have? How much stuff do you have that you don’t need? Why? Sometimes it is simply that we accumulate stuff over time and, if we aren’t forced to go through it, we forget about it…
Read MoreMany people tend to see the portrayal of God in the Old Testament as of a God is punishing, bestowing his wrath upon all who break his commandments. Our first reading today from Exodus begins with a God who is…
Read More“Great crowds were traveling with Jesus.” Maybe they had seen him cure people. Maybe they saw him drive out demons. Maybe they had heard him preach and wanted to hear more. What does it mean to truly follow Jesus? How…
Read MoreIn the past I have written about the importance of following the news to know what is going on in the world. I have also written about how the news can be discouraging (see the articles under the category “In…
Read More22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year CSirach 3:17-18, 20, 28-29Psalm 68:4-5, 6-7, 10-11 (see 11b)Hebrews 12:18-19, 22-24aLuke 14:1, 7-14August 28, 2022 “Jesus went to dine at the home of one of the leading Pharisees.” We are told that some of…
Read MoreWe have Ten Commandments. It isn’t easy to follow all ten. Sometimes we struggle with just one. Imagine what it would be like to follow 613 commandments. Why 613? Because that is how many the Jews were taught in the…
Read MoreSomeone asked Jesus, “Lord, will only a few people be saved?” What we all really want to know is how hard is it to be saved? Will my family and friends be saved? Will I will saved? Speaking through the…
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