On Non-Catholics Receiving Communion

In the third video presentation in my series, Sacraments: Channels of God’s Grace, on the Eucharist, I addressed the question of “Who Can Receive the Eucharist” in slides 36-38. I began with the general question speaking about the need to be baptized in the Catholic Church and what it means to be in communion in …

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Jesus, Human and Divine

Last week I posted an article, “Do People Understand What Jesus Does for Us?” In that article, I discussed Jesus’ action to save us from our sins. My inspiration for that article came from Clear and Simple: How to Have Conversations That Lead to Conversion by Andre Regnier (Ottawa, Canada: Catholic Christian Outreach. 2018). Now, I …

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30th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A – Homily

30th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year AExodus 22:20-26Psalm 18:2-3, 3-4, 47, 51 (2)1 Thessalonians 1:5c-10Matthew 22:34-40October 25, 2020 Last week we heard how the Pharisees were trying to “entrap Jesus in speech.”  As they did this, Jesus responded “knowing their malice.” Today, the Pharisees continue their efforts against Jesus.  “One of them, a scholar of …

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2020: What a Year!

Dear Lord, It has been a challenging year and we still have two months to go.  The challenges have come in various ways. Perhaps the one most obvious to all is the Coronavirus Pandemic.  Our greatest concern is for those who have actually gotten sick.  We pray for them.  We pray for those who have …

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Do People Understand What Jesus Does for Us?

With fewer and fewer people coming to church even before the Coronavirus, one asks the question, “Why don’t more people come to Jesus?” Jesus offers us something wonderful. Do people understand what Jesus offers us, namely, salvation? I just finished reading Clear and Simple: How to Have Conversations That Lead to Conversion by Andre Regnier …

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The Serenity Prayer

In the 1930’s, Reinhold Neibuhr (1892-1971) developed the Serenity Prayer. The first four lines have become well-known. God grant me the serenityto accept the things I cannot change; courage to change the things I can; and wisdom to know the difference. It seems harder and harder to me to find “serenity” in the world today. There is …

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29th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A – Homily

29th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year AIsaiah 45:1, 4-6Psalm 96:1, 3, 4-5, 7-8, 9-10 (7b)1 Thessalonians 1:1-5bMatthew 22:15-21October 18, 2020 We gather on this 29th Sunday in Ordinary Time.  Today is also October 18th.  This is the feast of St. Luke, the patron saint of our parish.  We should pray regularly for his intercession for …

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What Guides Your Morality?

Today I would like to continue the discussion of morality by offering two contrasting perspectives on what might be our principal guide in our moral choices. The first one may be held by Christians and non-Christians alike but I see it as falling well short of Jesus’ commandment to love our neighbor. These people might …

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Choosing a Moral, Immoral, or an Amoral Life

God gave his people commandments as a gift. The Ten Commandments are given to us to help us live a good life (cf. “God’s Commandments”). However, that does not mean they are easy to follow. Good, God-loving people struggle at times to keep the Commandments. The Law can seem like a burden at times. Thus, …

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