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The Eucharistic Prayer – The Concluding Doxology The Eucharistic Prayer ends with the priest saying, “Through him, and with him, and in him, O God, almighty Father, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, all glory and honor is yours,…
Read MoreAfter three months of much work, my website has a new look. Those of you who know me, know that I normally update my website myself. The change started when my old blog crashed in November. It didn’t work for three days.…
Read MoreLast Tuesday, I read Daniel Payne’s article, “Alabama Supreme Court rules that embryos are children under state law,” (2/20/24. Catholic News Agency. Accessed online on 2/27/24 at https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/256891/alabama-supreme-court-rules-that-frozen-embryos-are-children-under-state-law). In the very first line he reported, “The Alabama Supreme Court has…
Read More“God put Abraham to the test.” How would you fair with the same test? Last week I spoke about our struggles to resist temptation. Who you do any better with the test that Abraham faced when God told him, “Take…
Read MoreLast night I offered a new presentation, Why Should I Go to Confession?. The recording of the video and the slides are now available on my website at https://www.renewaloffaith.org/whyconfession. If you view the video in the next few days, you can complete…
Read MoreThe Eucharistic Prayer – Intercessions As we conclude the Liturgy of the Word, we offer the Prayers of the Faithful. Here, we offer explicit intercessions in prayer. In the Liturgy of the Eucharist, the Eucharistic Prayers also include intercessory prayer…
Read MoreAs I have said before, there are many people who choose not to watch the news because it is full of negativity. I myself watch the news less than I used to because of the negativity along with seeing a…
Read More1st Sunday of Lent, Year BGenesis 9:8-15Psalm 25:4-5, 6-7, 8-9, (10)1 Peter 3:18-22Mark 1:12-15February 18, 2024 “Repent and believe in the gospel.” These are the words that were said as ashes were placed on the foreheads of people as we…
Read MoreThe Eucharistic Prayer – The Oblation The greatest sacrifice ever offered is the sacrifice of Jesus freely giving his life for us on the Cross. As Jesus says in John 15:13, “No one has greater love than this, to lay down…
Read MoreLent starts tomorrow (February 14, 2024). What comes to mind when you hear the word “Lent”? Do you have feelings of dread or joy? Why? Is Lent just something “necessary to get to Easter and the Resurrection”? We all want…
Read MoreJesus had been healing many people. In today’s gospel, “A leper came to Jesus.” Given the number of people that were coming to Jesus one might think of the man with leprosy as one of many. He knelt before Jesus and…
Read MoreThe Eucharistic Prayer – Memorial Acclamation & Anamnesis Following the words of Jesus that transubstantiate bread and wine into his Body and Blood, comes the Memorial Acclamation and Anamnesis. At this point in the Mass, we recall the paschal mystery…
Read MoreHow much time do you spend trying to make other people happy? Now, there are clearly some people that we should want to make happy. Certainly, a married person should want their spouse to be happy. We should want our…
Read More5th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B – HomilyJob 7:1-4, 6-7Psalm 147:1-2, 3-4, 5-6 (3a)1 Corinthians 9:16-19, 22-3Mark 1:29-39February 4, 2024 “Job spoke saying: Is not man’s life on earth a drudgery?…I shall not see happiness again.” These are the words…
Read MoreThe Eucharistic Prayer – The Institution Narrative cont’d Last week we discussed the Institution Narrative where Jesus instituted the Eucharist as he said, ‘this is my Body…this is my Blood.” We believe in the Real Presence because Jesus says so. …
Read MoreSome Christians will ask, “when were you saved?”. Generally, the people who ask this question have experienced a time in their lives when they felt a profound conversion in their lives and gave their lives over to Christ. This is…
Read MoreIn today’s second reading Paul writes, “I should like you to be free of anxieties.” I’m glad to hear that because I want to be free of anxiety. Who wants to be anxious? Yet, at times we are. Sometimes the concerns are…
Read MoreThe Eucharistic Prayer – The Institution Narrative After the Epiclesis comes the Institution Narrative. The Institution Narratives are Jesus’ own words at the Last Supper. The Catholic Church did not make up its teaching on the Eucharist. Our belief in…
Read More3rd Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B – HomilyJonah 3:1-5, 10Psalm 25:4-5, 6-7, 8-9 (4a)1 Corinthians 7:29-31Mark 1:14-20January 21, 2024 You can see near the end of this homily, I did something different to help people understanding the Bible shapes…
Read MoreThe Eucharistic Prayer – The Epiclesis Within the Eucharistic Prayer, the Epiclesis is the portion where we ask the Holy Spirit to transubstantiate the bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Jesus. In Eucharistic Prayer II, the explicit…
Read MoreAs today’s first reading begins, “Samuel was sleeping in the temple.” Why? His mother prayed fervently for a child. When God gave her Samuel, she was so appreciative of the gift of a child that she gave Samuel back to the Lord…
Read MoreThe Eucharistic Prayer – Preface The Eucharistic Prayer starts with a preface. The preface begins with the priest saying, “The Lord be with you” and the people responding, “and with your Spirit.” The preface ends with the “Holy, Holy, Holy.”…
Read MoreIn 1973 the United States Supreme Court issued its landmark Roe v. Wade decision that ensured a woman’s right to abortion. This was based on somehow seeing abortion as part of a woman’s right to privacy. From this, they said…
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