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For the third week in a row, I find myself beginning a blog article by mentioning the conflict between Israel and Hamas (see “Escalating Conflict,” 10/10/23 and “The Importance of Building Relationships,” 10/17/23). The situation in Israel is important in…
Read MoreThe number of Christian disciples in many parts of the world is shrinking. Fewer people identify as Christians. Some because they formally reject God while others have not been taught that God exists and loves them. Add to this the…
Read MoreThe Collect (Opening Prayer) After the Gloria comes the Collect, often called the opening prayer. The priest begins, “Let us pray” and then there is silence. The silence is intentional as a moment to collect our thoughts to bring together…
Read MoreLast week I wrote about the escalating conflict between Hamas and Israel. Since then, the fighting has continued with many people injured or killed. It looks like Israel is preparing to go into Gaza with ground troops. Clearly the situation…
Read More28th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year AIsaiah 25:6-10aPsalm 23:1-3a, 3b-4, 5, 6, (6cd)Philippians 4:12-14, 19-20Matthew 22:1-14October 15, 2023 We say we are disciples of Christ but what does this mean? In secular terms a disciple is a student of a…
Read MoreThe Penitential ActAfter the greeting, the priest may offer a few words on the readings or recalling why we come to Mass. Following that, he says, “Let us acknowledge our sins so as to prepare ourselves to celebrate these sacred…
Read MoreIn our first reading today Isaiah writes of his friend who “had a vineyard on a fertile hillside; he spaded it, cleared it of stones, and planted the choicest vines; within it he built a watchtower, and hew out a…
Read MoreThe Greeting After the Sign of the Cross, the priest offers the greeting. There are three options for the greeting by the priest. The first one is “The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion…
Read MoreDo you pray for the church? There are two ways we can look at this question. First, if we consider the transcendent church, meaning the church that is beyond human institution, one might say why would I pray for the…
Read More26th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year AEzekiel 18:25-28Psalm 25:4-5, 6-7, 8-9 (6a)Philippians 2:1-11Matthew 21:28-32October 1, 2023 – Respect Life Sunday Through the prophet Ezekiel the Lord is speaking with his people. They say, “The Lord’s way is not fair!” They…
Read MoreThe Sign of the Cross The two main parts of the Mass are the Liturgy of the Word and the Liturgy of the Eucharist. Before we begin the Liturgy of the Word, we have the Introductory Rites. They begin with…
Read MoreIn today’s parable Jesus talks about “how much” the landowner pays his servants. As the sun rises he “went out at dawn to hire laborers for his vineyard.” He agreed to pay the “usual daily wage.” All is as it…
Read MoreI am happy to say I will be beginning a new series of presentations in October exploring what it means to be a disciple of Christ. The series is called Made for Discipleship. Honestly, I am a little behind on my…
Read MoreThose of you who are regular readers of my blog know that I am passionate about helping people understand Catholic teaching. With that in mind, I have just finished the largest paper I have ever written and put it on…
Read MoreThe Importance of Music Music has long been part of how people give thanks and praise to God. We hear of how the people sang in thankful response to God’s action in their lives in Exodus 15, Numbers 21:17, Judges…
Read More24th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year ASirach 27:30-28:7Psalm 103:1-2, 3-4, 9-10, 11-12 (8)Romans 14:7-9Matthew 18:21-35September 17, 2023 Last week we heard Jesus give us instructions on what to do when our brother sins against us. Deacon Tom talked about our…
Read MoreThe ProcessionAs each person arrives for Mass, they find a seat in the pews. It is a good time to pray in silence as you wait for the Mass to begin. When it is time for Mass to begin, the altar…
Read MoreLast Saturday I read a news story (Sarah Maddox, “Why thousands of U.S. congregations are leaving the United Methodist Church.” September 9, 2023. CBSnews.com.). You may remember that in 2019, the United Methodist Church held a conference that discussed same-sex…
Read MoreIn the Lord’s Prayer we pray, “lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil.” In the Act of Contrition we “firmly resolve to sin no more and to avoid whatever leads us to sin.” Avoiding temptation is not…
Read MoreThe Hidden Depths of the Mass #5Gestures Before we enter our pew we genuflect. When we come up for Communion we bow before we receive Communion. Why? Because our gestures mean something. In this case, they signify our reverence for…
Read MoreSome people love change. I’m not one of them but I do believe some change is natural and not necessarily something to be feared. Change can be good. There is change we seek. It might starting a new job that…
Read More22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year AJeremiah 20:7-9Psalm 63:2, 3-4, 5-6, 8-9 (2b)Romans 12:1-2Matthew 16:21-27September 3, 2023 Last week we heard Peter proclaim to Jesus, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Peter got that right. Jesus…
Read MoreThe Hidden Depths of the Mass #4Preparation for Mass What do we mean by preparation? It should include taking a few minutes before Mass to quiet our thoughts and to center ourselves on the Lord. This is often best done by spending…
Read MorePope Francis recently encouraged a group of young Russians to be “bridge builders.” I think this is something we all need to think about. Before I entered seminary, I literally helped build bridges. I worked for the New York State…
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