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Today we have our Advent Penance Service that includes First Penance for some of our children. Below I share my homily with you to encourage you to think about what the Sacrament of Reconciliation means. You will find a link…
Read More2nd Sunday in Advent, Year A Isaiah 11:1-10 Psalm 72:1-2, 7-8, 12-13, 17 Romans 15:4-9 Matthew 3:1-12 December 4, 2016 Christmas is now just three weeks away. So, our gospel readings shift from the Second Coming to the time just…
Read MoreI just sent out a letter to all our parishioners at St. Michael’s with our Christmas Mass schedule. In what follows, I share with you the first part of the letter for your reflection as we prepare for Christmas. We…
Read More1st Sunday in Advent, Year A Isaiah 2:1-5 Psalm 122:1-2, 3-4, 4-5, 6-7, 8-9 Romans 13:11-14 Matthew 24:37-44 November 27, 2016 It should be apparent that the seasons are changing. Outside it is evident from the snow we got this past…
Read MoreToday we celebrate a national holiday. There should be no surprise there as we have several national holidays. Most of them get us a day off from work or school. How much do we really do anything to celebrate some…
Read MoreRecently I received the following question, “How does a Catholic man survive in a sexless marriage? I love my wife very much.” This can be a very challenging situation. I commend the man for asking this because it tells me…
Read MoreChrist the King, Year C 2 Samuel 5:1-3 Psalm 122:1-2, 3-4, 4-5 Colossians 1:12-20 Luke 23:35-43 November 20, 2016 Until the days when Saul became king, Israel had not had a king. There were leaders known as “judges” who lead…
Read MoreToday, November 15th, we celebrate the Memorial of St. Albert the Great, Bishop and Doctor of the Church. He lived in the 13th century. He joined the Order of Preachers (Dominicans) and became a teacher. His most famous student was…
Read More33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C Malachi 3:19-20a Psalm 98:5-6, 7-8, 9 2 Thessalonians 3:7-12 Luke 21:5-19 November 13, 2016 Our readings this week continue on the theme of what the End Times will be like. The question presented…
Read MoreIn mid-October, I went on retreat for a week. I was at a place in Pennsylvania on a quiet road surrounded by woods. It was very peaceful and I was able to do a lot of spiritual reading and fruitful…
Read More32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C 2 Maccabees 7:1-2, 9-14 Psalm 17:1, 5-6, 15 2 Thessalonians 2:16-3:5 Luke 20:27-38 November 6, 2016 When I arrived here just four months ago, we were all hot. That was summer. Now, summer…
Read More31st Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C Wisdom 11:22-12:2 Psalm 145:1-2, 8-9, 10-11, 13, 14 2 Thessalonians 1:11-2:2 Luke 19:1-10 October 30, 2016 Zacchaeus is described as being “short in stature.” He was short enough that he couldn’t see Jesus…
Read More30th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C Sirach 35:12-14, 16-18 Psalm 34:2-3, 17-18, 19, 23 2 Timothy 4:6-8, 16-18 Luke 18:9-14 October 23, 2016 Today Jesus tells us about two people praying, a Pharisee and a tax collector. One becomes…
Read More29th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C Exodus 17:8-13 Psalm 121:1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 7-8 2 Timothy 3:14-4:2 Luke 18:1-8 October 16, 2016 The Israelites had to defend themselves from an attack by Amalek. Joshua leads the battle but Moses is…
Read MoreI 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…
Read More28th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C 2 Kings 5:14-7 Psalm 98:1, 2-3, 3-4 2 Timothy 2:8-13 Luke 17:11-19 October 9, 2016 Both our first reading today and our gospel tell of people who was thankful for being healed of…
Read MoreToday, October 4th, we celebrate the Memorial of St. Francis of Assisi. He is among the more popular saints. I myself have read biographies about him and have a picture of him sitting on a table in my sitting room.…
Read MoreThis evening we celebrated a special Mass followed by a dish to pass supper to celebrate our parish feast day. We were blessed to have about 100 people join us. Thank you to all who helped, especially the Altar &…
Read More26th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C Amos 6:1a, 4-7 Psalm 146:7, 8-9, 9-10 1 Timothy 6:11-16 Luke 16:19-31 Today Jesus speaks about the rich man who wore fine garments and dined sumptuously each day. This in and of itself…
Read MoreLast week I did my first presentation at St. Michael’s Church in Newark. It is called “What Comes After the Jubilee Year of Mercy?” It largely contains pieces of what I did in my three presentations at Immaculate Conception Church…
Read More25th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C Amos 8:4-7 Psalm 113:1-2, 4-6, 7-8 1 Timothy 2:1-8 Luke 16:1-13 Jesus tells the parable of the steward who was fired for squandering his master’s property. The very purpose of a “steward” is…
Read More24th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C Exodus 32:7-11, 13-14 Psalm 51:3-4, 12-13, 17, 19 1 Timothy 1:12-17 Luke 15:1-32 Some of you may be old enough to remember the days when people went to confession at least monthly if…
Read More23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C Wisdom 9:13-18b Psalm 90:3-4, 5-6, 12-13, 14, 17 Philemon 9-10, 12-17 Luke 14:25-33 Is Jesus really telling us to hate people? This doesn’t match with what Jesus says the two greatest commandments are,…
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