Crucifixion, Resurrection, and Our View of this World

I recently read the book Things Worth Dying For: Thoughts on a Life Worth Living by Archbishop Emeritus Charles J. Chaput, OFM Cap. (New York: Henry Holt and Company. 2021). Reading it has led me to share some thoughts about how view death affects the way we view life. Referring to the ancient philosopher Socrates, …

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4th Sunday of Easter, Year B – Homily

4th Sunday of Easter, Year BActs 4:8-12Psalm 118:1, 8-9, 21-23, 26, 28, 29 (22)1 John 3:1-2John 10:11-18April 25, 2021 Who is our shepherd? Who is it that we expect to help us?  Do we trust in man, meaning do expect other people to provide what we really need?  Do we trust in princes, do we …

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Reflecting on the Act of Contrition

After we confessing our sins in the Sacrament of Reconciliation and receiving a penance, we say an Act of Contrition. This expresses our sorrow for our sins. We say the Act of Contrition as part of the ritual of the Sacrament. Do you just say the words or do you truly pray them, reflecting on …

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3rd Sunday of Easter, Year B – Homily

3rd Sunday of Easter, Year BActs 3:13-15, 17-19Psalm 4:2, 4, 7-8, 9 (7a)1 John 2:1-5aLuke 24:35-48April 18, 2021 Easter is a season of resurrection.  The Resurrection of Jesus is pivotal in our Christian faith.  Thus, Jesus doesn’t want us to just know about his Resurrection.  He wants us to understand what it means to be …

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Some Thoughts on Dealing with Difficult People

Difficult people…we probably have all dealt with difficult people in our lives. It isn’t easy or we won’t call them “difficult” people. There is no one single way to deal with all difficult people. It takes patience. It takes understanding. It also means understanding ourselves. Ourselves? It’s the other person who is the difficult one, …

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Treating Life with Dignity and Love Part IV

Last night I offered the fourth and final webinar in my series, Treating Life with Dignity and Love, covering Catholic Pro-Life teaching. You can view the video and see the slides at www.renewaloffaith.org/prolife4. For the next couple of days, you can complete an online evaluation of the webinar at https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfl8V98K4fn1mDqt1Rm1ip7uVwqwo_hGXx8BieKaCRQRvXKnQ/viewform?usp=sf_link. On May 19th, I will do a …

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Open and Honest Dialogue

As I have said before, many people today have some knowledge of what the Catholic Church teaches on various topics without knowing why the Church teaches it. Helping people understand not just what the Church teaches but why is at the heart of what I feel called to do in my ministry, especially here on …

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2nd Sunday of Easter, Year B – Homily

2nd Sunday of Easter, Year BActs 4:32-35Psalm 118:2-4, 13-15, 22-24 (1)1 John 5:1-6John 20:19-31April 11, 2021 On this Second Sunday of Easter we celebrate Divine Mercy Sunday.  In today’s gospel Jesus gives the power to forgive sins to the disciples when He says, “Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain …

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