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I just finished making a 20 minute video giving a tour of the church. We may know what the names of items in the church are but how often do we think about why we have them in church. Together…
Read MoreIn 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…
Read More3rd Sunday of Easter Year AActs 2:14, 22-33Psalm 16:1-2, 5, 7-8, 9-10, 11 (11a)1 Peter 1:17-21Luke 24:13-35 With the gift of the Holy Spirit, Peter spoke boldly to the Israelites. He spoke of how they saw Jesus’ “mighty deeds, wonders,…
Read MoreDuring 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…
Read MoreAs we began to implement precautions against the Coronavirus before the suspension of public Masses, one of the precautions was to cease exchanging the Sign of Peace. It is ingrained in us to shake hands and to say “peace be…
Read MoreDuring this time of the Coronavirus I have been posting articles here on the blog every two to three days. I have very much enjoyed being able to do this. I started this blog about ten years ago (see “Why…
Read More2nd Sunday of Easter – Divine Mercy SundayActs 2:42-47Psalm 118:2-4, 13-15, 22-24 (1)1 Peter 1:3-9John 20:19-31 The disciples are in distress. A lot has happened in the last few days for them. They had come to believe that Jesus was…
Read MoreIn late February through early March, I wrote a series of blog articles on the question, “How do you evangelize a culture that used to be Christian?”. (Here’s a link to the final article in the series that in turn…
Read MoreI just created a new video for my website called “The Liturgical Books for Mass.” It’s about eleven minutes long but it has been a longtime coming. Three years ago I created a seven minute video, “So What’s on the…
Read MoreI am writing this blog to provide an extended answer to a question asked in a comment under my most recent blog article, “Whom Are You Looking For?” In case you haven’t seen the question, I include it here: My…
Read MoreThe gospel for tomorrow, Tuesday of Holy Week (April 14, 2020), John 20:11-18, is the passage that follows the gospel we heard on Easter morning (John 20:1-9). On Easter we heard that Mary of Magdala went to Jesus’ tomb “and…
Read MoreEaster VigilGenesis 1:1-2:2Exodus 14:15-15:1Isaiah 55:1-11Romans 6:3-11Matthew 28:1-10April 11, 2020 Tonight we celebrate our Easter Vigil. It is the highest liturgy of our liturgical year. We started our Easter Triduum Thursday evening with the Mass of the Lord’s Supper with the…
Read MoreIf you read this the same day I write it, Good Friday, the answer to the question in the title, “Who is Our Savior?” might seem obvious. However, there are people who don’t go for the Christian answer. There are…
Read MoreHoly ThursdayExodus 12:1-8, 11-14Psalm 116:12-13, 15-16bc, 17-181 Corinthians 11:23-26John 13:1-15April 9, 2020 As we begin our Easter Triduum tonight, I note that the Jewish people just began their Passover last night. Our first reading tonight is the story of the…
Read MoreWhat 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…
Read MorePalm Sunday of the Passion of the LordGospel for the Procession Matthew 21:1-11Isaiah 50:4-7Psalm 22:8-9, 17-18, 19-20, 23-24 (2a)Philippians 2:6-11Matthew 26:14-27:66April 5, 2020 The appointed time draws near so Jesus goes to Jerusalem. As He nears Jerusalem, He receives a…
Read MoreI write this on Saturday morning just before we celebrate Palm Sunday. Palm Sunday begins Holy Week with our celebration of the Easter Triduum culminating in the Resurrection of Jesus. This year Holy Week will be like no other Holy…
Read MoreIn my most recent blog article, “The Sacrifice of the Mass,” I wrote on how in our celebration of the Eucharist, God makes present for us the sacrifice of Jesus on the Cross. Now, I want to talk about our…
Read MoreIn the articles I have written during the Coronavirus crisis, my discussion about the Eucharist has so far focused on the Real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist. It is his Body and Blood that give us spiritual nourishment. Now,…
Read MoreWhen I posted my homily last week, I included a link to an Act of Spiritual Communion and some information about it. It was the first week after Masses were suspended because of the Coronavirus in the Diocese of Rochester…
Read MoreA reminder that you can find a list of Masses online at https://catholiccourier.com/articles/list-of-parishes-with-livestreams-available 5th Sunday of Lent, Year AEzekiel 37:12-14 Psalm 130:1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 7-8 (7)Romans 8:8-11John 11:1-45March 29, 2020 Last week we hear the story of Jesus opening the…
Read MoreWe continue to be separated to do our part to prevent the spread of the Coronavirus. I miss seeing the people. I miss gathering together to celebrate the Eucharist. Celebrating the Eucharist is the most important thing we can do.…
Read MoreWe 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…
Read MoreDifficult times can bring out the best and the worst in us. It is in our response to difficult times that we witness to the world what we really believe. It is in difficult times that we can find out…
Read MoreFor those unable to attend Mass this Sunday, here are some helpful links before sharing my homily: Catholic Courier list of TV and Online Masses Readings for this Sunday, March 22, 2020 Act of Spiritual Communion 4th Sunday of Lent,…
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