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The Liturgy of the Eucharist – The Offertory Part 2 After the gifts of bread and wine have been brought to the altar, the priest holds up first the bread and then the wine and says (silently if music is…
Read MoreAntisemitism has been a problem for a long time. It is hostility and/or prejudice against Jews. With the present fighting between Israel and Hamas, the news reports that antisemitism is rising across the world. The increase is likely a reaction…
Read More2nd Sunday of Advent, Year BIsaiah 40:1-5, 9-11Psalm 85:9-10, 11-12, 13-14 (8)2 Peter 3:8-14Mark 1:1-8 December 10, 2023 Isaiah the prophet speaks of a voice that cries out. Today’s gospel speaks of a voice crying out in the desert. Isaiah…
Read MoreToday we celebrate the Solemnity of the the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary. You will not find a story of the Immaculate Conception of Mary in the Bible. The Bible does not tell us much about Mary. What…
Read MoreYesterday I completed my series, Made for Discipleship. My website is presently undergoing an overhaul, leaving me unable to update it for a few days. So, here is a link to watch the video recording of yesterday’s webinar on my…
Read MoreThe Liturgy of the Eucharist – The Offertory The first part of the Liturgy of the Eucharist is the Offertory. At a Sunday Mass, two things happen concurrently while the offertory hymn is song. The altar is set and a…
Read MoreIf you hear a homily that speaks about spending more time in prayer, do you immediately dismiss it because you are too busy? If you read in the bulletin that your parish is looking for more volunteers, do you immediately…
Read MoreDefeated by their enemies, their nation and temple destroyed, many scattered in exile, the Israelites cry out to God, “Why do you let us wander, O LORD, from your ways, and harden our hearts so that we fear you not?”…
Read MoreThe Liturgy of the EucharistLast week we ended our discussion of the Liturgy of the Word with the Prayers of the Faithful. Now, we turn to the second half of the Mass, the Liturgy of the Eucharist. After Jesus’ Resurrection,…
Read MoreWith the new year just five days away, have you made plans for how you will celebrate the beginning of the new year? Will you make any new year’s resolutions? The new year begins on Sunday, December 3rd. I will…
Read MoreOur Lord Jesus Christ King of the Universe, Year AEzekiel 34:11-12, 15-17Psalm 23:1-2, 2-3, 5-6 (1)1 Corinthians 15:20-26, 28Matthew 25:31-46 November 26, 2023 The Lord speaks through the prophet Ezekiel in a time when those who had been appointed shepherds…
Read MoreAfter setting up for Mass this morning, I glanced at a Catholic news headline that said, “Dublin archbishop responds to stabbing of 3 children that sparked violent riots”. Ugh! Stabbing children? Why? Why? I clicked on the headline. Reading the…
Read MoreThe Liturgy of the Word – The Prayers of the FaithfulFollowing the Creed, we conclude the Liturgy of the Word with the Prayers of the Faithful. They are also commonly called the General Intercessions or Universal Prayer. The priest introduces…
Read MoreToday we celebrate our national holiday of Thanksgiving. It is a secular holiday but the practice of giving thanks is very much in keeping with our faith. In fact, the word “Eucharist” means thanksgiving. We give thanks to God for…
Read MoreWhy am I Catholic? Traditionally, the answer to the question why are you Catholic was, “Because my parents and grandparents are Catholic.” Being Catholic was part of our identity. One went to church for Christmas and Easter because that’s what…
Read MorePsalm 128 begins, “Blessed are you who fear the LORD, who walk in his ways.” Today’s gospel speaks of the third servant who acts out of fear of his Lord. Are these two passages in conflict? The psalm speaks of…
Read MoreThe Liturgy of the Word – The Homily & CreedAfter the readings are finished, the congregation sits while an ordained person offers the homily. The homily is to help break open the readings and help people apply them to life…
Read MoreI hope I am not sounding like a broken record that keeps repeating itself. Last week I wrote, “What’s It Going to Take to End the Violence.” There I said the answer laid in tears that came from the depths…
Read More32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year AWisdom 6:12-16Psalm 63:2, 3-4, 5-6, 7-8 (2b)1 Thessalonians 4:13-18Matthew 25:1-13November 12, 2023 Jesus presents us with this parable of “ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Five of…
Read MoreYesterday I offered Part II in my series, Made for Discipleship. You can now view the slides and video at https://www.renewaloffaith.org/madefordiscipleshippart2. If you watch it in the next few days, you can complete an online evaluation afterwards at https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeXAxnQnVoeUvYBRr1b_DAiFWrmh2IWtAExxBGeUsicdtPnSw/viewform?usp=sf_link. Part…
Read MoreThe Liturgy of the Word – Daily Mass ReadingsJust as on Sunday, during the seasons of Advent, Christmas, Lent, and Easter the readings for daily Mass are selected to correspond to the themes of the season. At daily Mass there…
Read MoreThere is a lot of violence in the world today. We see the wars between Israel and Hamas, and the Ukraine and Russia. How many mass shootings have there been recently in our Untied States? Maine, Cincinnati… What’s it going…
Read MoreJesus says, “Call no one on earth your father.” His words are pure, simple, and clear. So, why do Catholics call priests “father”? Doesn’t this go against what Jesus said? Taken at face value, it would. We need to look…
Read MoreThe Liturgy of the Word – How the Readings Are Selected Last week, we read about the importance of the Word of God. Today we take a look at how the Sunday readings are chosen. Every Latin Rite Catholic Church…
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