Lenten Penance Service Homily

Penance Service for LentGenesis 3:1-11Psalm 51Matthew 27:27-31March 24, 2021 Next week we celebrate Holy Week.  On Sunday we will bless the palms and hear the story of Jesus’ Passion as told in Mark’s Gospel.  On Holy Thursday we celebrate the Last Supper.  Then on Good Friday we will hear the story of Jesus’ Passion as …

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Our Weapons Against Evil

In two recent blog articles (“Does Evil Exist?” and “The People of the Lie”), I reflected upon Fr. Dwight Longenecker’s Immortal Combat: Confronting the Heart of Darkness (Manchester, NH: Sophia Institute Press. 2020) and what he says about our battle against evil. Now I would like to conclude my discussion on his book by reflecting on …

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“The People of the Lie”

On Tuesday, I posted an article, “Does Evil Exist?” based on my thoughts from reading Immortal Combat: Confronting the Heart of Darkness by Fr. Dwight Longenecker (Manchester, NH: Sophia Institute Press. 2020).  As I ended that article I referenced Fr. Longenecker’s discussion of how Satan distorts our desires (30-31) such that we make ourselves the center …

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Is Heaven a Crowded Place?

Is Heaven a crowded place? I ask the question with mixed feelings. I am an introvert and do not like crowded places. On the other hand, as a Christian and knowing how great a place Heaven is, I desire that everyone ends up in Heaven. God desires everyone to be in Heaven. If God desires …

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What About Accountability?

My recent blog articles on forgiveness as well as my article, “Remembering the Past and Building a Better Future,” have led to discussions with people on the subject of accountability. The question at hand is “does forgiving someone mean they are not accountable for their actions?”. The question of accountability comes up in discussion of …

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My Fourth and Final Article on “Fratelli Tutti”

I have finished my fourth and final article in my series, Our Relationships With Others, reflecting on Pope Francis’ encyclical, Fratelli Tutti.  As I complete this series, please note that the four articles do not cover the entirety of the encyclical.  I selected the four topics for my articles based questions people have asked me …

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Can Failing to Do Something Be a Sin?

Earlier this week, I wrote an article, “Why Do We Choose to Sin”. Following that article, a person asked me to write about “sins of omission.” Most often, when we talk about sin, we talk about what we have done that is wrong. These would be “sins of commission“. We commit these type of sins …

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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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