You may have heard there are changes coming to the Sacrament of Reconciliation. The changes will be mandatory as of Divine Mercy Sunday, which falls on April 16th this year (2023). (The changes were optional as of Ash Wednesday this year so some of you may have already experienced the changes). When one hears of …
This is the tenth and final article in my series based on my reading of the Introduction to the Devout Life by St. Francis De Sales. Written 400 years ago, it is available in various translations. I am reading the 2015 version published by Ignatius Press (San Francisco) and the Augustine Institute (Greenwood Village, CO) The first …
Continue reading ‘St. Francis De Sales on the Battle Against Temptation’ »
Last week I began a series of articles inspired by my present reading of St. Francis De Sales, Introduction to the Devout Life. The first article was “What Does It Mean to be Devout?”. I ended that article with a brief mention of “pruning and cutting” by St. Francis De Sales (8). Jesus says, “I …
Many people tend to see the portrayal of God in the Old Testament as of a God is punishing, bestowing his wrath upon all who break his commandments. Our first reading today from Exodus begins with a God who is anger and punishing. He had been speaking with Moses on the mountain. What do the …
This is my fifth article offering reflections based on my reading of Judith Valente’s book, How to Live: What the Rule of St. Benedict Teaches Us About Happiness, Meaning, and Community (Charlottesville, VA: Hampton Roads Publishing. 2018). You can see the four previous articles as follows: “Being Spiritual in the World Today”, “Striving to be Disciples of Christ.”, “Overcoming …
Continue reading ‘Living Simply as Instruments of God’s Mercy’ »
Divine Mercy Sunday (2nd Second of Easter), Year CActs 5:12-16Psalm 118:2-4, 13-15, 22-24 (1) Revelation 1:9-11a, 12-13, 17-19John 20:19-31April 24, 2022 It is not always easy to follow God. We see this with the prophets in the Old Testament. For example, in 1 Kings 19, Elijah flees and hides in a cave when Jezebel, the …
We need God’s mercy. Our world is in need of God’s mercy and we need it as individuals. We are human beings who are not perfect. At times we fall short of doing good and we need forgiveness. As look ahead to Good Friday this week, God’s forgiving mercy as at the heart of what …
I completed my series, Finding Peace and Healing in a Troubled World, with Part III last night. The slides and video are now available online at www.renewaloffaith.org/healing3. If you watch video in the next few days, you can complete an online evaluation at https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdbvrN3TSImjEc5270S0sYQ8LaU2VeUCxTuGcgKBeFE84X-Wg/viewform?usp=sf_link At this point in time I do not have any more …
Continue reading ‘Video – Finding Peace and Healing in a Troubled World Part III’ »
There are numerous stories in the Bible. I would consider today’s (Fifth Sunday of Lent, Year C) gospel of the woman caught in adultery as one that many people remember. You may remember it but how much do you reflect on what our Lord is telling us in this story? The scribes and the Pharisees …
4th Sunday of Lent, Year CJoshua 5:9a, 10-12Psalm 34:2-3, 4-5, 6-7 (8a)2 Corinthians 5:17-21Luke 15:1-3, 11-32March 27, 2022 The Israelites had been through much. Now under the leadership of Joshua, they have crossed the Jordan into the land in which the Lord had given them. They had been slaves in Egypt until the Lord set …
