The Sacrifice of the Mass

In the articles I have written during the Coronavirus crisis, my discussion about the Eucharist has so far focused on the Real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist. It is his Body and Blood that give us spiritual nourishment. Now, I would like to talk about the Eucharist as a sacrifice. The notion of the …

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Our Desire for the Eucharist

When I posted my homily last week, I included a link to an Act of Spiritual Communion and some information about it. It was the first week after Masses were suspended because of the Coronavirus in the Diocese of Rochester where I serve as a priest. We continue to deal with the Coronavirus so this …

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5th Sunday of Lent, Year A – Homily

A reminder that you can find a list of Masses online at https://catholiccourier.com/articles/list-of-parishes-with-livestreams-available 5th Sunday of Lent, Year AEzekiel 37:12-14 Psalm 130:1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 7-8 (7)Romans 8:8-11John 11:1-45March 29, 2020 Last week we hear the story of Jesus opening the eyes of the man born blind.  This is the sixth of seven signs in the …

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Being “Church”

We continue to be separated to do our part to prevent the spread of the Coronavirus. I miss seeing the people. I miss gathering together to celebrate the Eucharist. Celebrating the Eucharist is the most important thing we can do. In our celebration at Mass, God makes present the sacrifice of Jesus on the Cross …

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4th Sunday of Lent, Year A – Homily

For those unable to attend Mass this Sunday, here are some helpful links before sharing my homily: Catholic Courier list of TV and Online Masses Readings for this Sunday, March 22, 2020 Act of Spiritual Communion 4th Sunday of Lent, Year A1 Samuel 16:1b, 6-7, 10-13aPsalm 23:1-3a, 3b-4, 5, 6 (1)Ephesians 5:8-14John 9:1-41March 22, 2020 …

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Presentation on the Sacraments of Healing

I was scheduled to do the next presentation in my series on the Sacraments on March 25th. Like so many other things, because of the Coronavirus, that in-person has been cancelled. Because of the uncertainty of how long it will be before we can gather for presentations, I decided to go ahead and make a …

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Facing the Coronavirus With Prayer

On Tuesday I wrote an article, “What are We to do Without the Mass” on how we can stay connected to God. There I spoke of the importance of the Eucharist in our lives and pointed to the new “Prayer Resources” page on our parish website. This time of distress continues. As it does, we …

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What are We to do Without the Mass?

The way in which we live out our faith has changed drastically in the last two weeks. We first heard of the Coronavirus in China back in December. It has been spreading since then. Other countries like Italy began to take precautions, including canceling Masses. On March 12th, Bishop Matano issued new precautions for Mass. …

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