3rd Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C Nehemiah 8:2-4a, 5-6, 8-10 1 Corinthians 12:12-30 Luke 1:1-4, 4:14-21 January 27, 2013 The first verses of our gospel today are the very first verses of the Gospel of Luke. Here Luke tells us why he writes the gospel, “to provide an orderly sequence for you, most excellent …
Recently, I have had a couple of people ask me questions about some of the words in the “new” translations of the prayers for Mass. I put “new” in quotations because we have been using the new translations for fourteen months now but fourteen months is still pretty new considering we used the previous translations …
Yesterday I attended workshop in our diocese entitled “The Challenge of Catechesis Today” given by Bishop Frank Caggiano (Auxillary Bishop of Brooklyn). Last fall the New York State Catholic Bishops released a new document called “The Catechetical Leader in the Third Millennium.” I just want to share a couple of highlights with you. Catechesis is the education …
This week marks the 40th Anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion. On Friday, January 25th, many will unite to march in Washington. There will speakers and Masses said in support of life. There are many people who argue abortion is about a woman’s right to choose what to do with her …
2nd Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C Isaiah 62:1-5 1 Corinthians 12:4-11 John 2:1-11 January 20, 2013 Jesus changes water into wine. No small thing and it isn’t meant to be. This is first of seven great signs in John’s Gospel meant to show us who Jesus is as the Son of God with the …
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Before Christmas our Parish Evangelization Team was brainstorming on ideas to reach out to the people who come to Mass on Christmas and those who may not come to church at all. It was decided that I would do a presentation on my own story of going up Catholic, my years of not going to …
Around Christmas Time I had a person ask me if I supported social justice. I said yes to which she responded that the previous pastor did too but she doesn’t. I don’t remember exactly what her next comment was and I don’t want to put words into her mouth. Whatever she said, my response was, …
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Baptism of the Lord, Year C Isaiah 40:1-5, 9-11 Titus 2:11-1, 3:4-7 Luke 3:15-16, 21-2 January 13, 2013 Today we celebrate the Baptism of Jesus. Baptisms are always something to celebrate. Baptisms are occasions of great joy. As I say this, somebody might be thinking, “Why?” Why should baptisms always be joyful? Well, let’s …
Epiphany, Year C Isaiah 60:1-6 Ephesians 3:2-3a, 5-6 Matthew 2:1-12 January 6, 2013 Christmas is a season to be very aware of Jesus’ presence in the world. Today we celebrate The Epiphany of the Lord but Christmas is really a season of epiphanies. The word epiphany primary meaning is “appearance” or “manifestation.” As we celebrate …
Our Parish Pastoral Council meeting this week included a discussion on what are signs of a vibrant parish. The list ranged from a line for Confessions to people feeling at home. Today, I would like to talk about feeling at home in church. I think a lot of people feel and/or act like guests in …
