The gospel reading for today is Jesus’ teaching on the familiar passage “an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth” (Exodus 21:23-24). People often use this passage from Exodus to justify punishment, especially the death penalty. John J. McDermoot in “Weekday Homily Helps” (St. Anthony Messenger Press) for June 14, 2010 says that the passage was not …
I maintain this blog to help educate people about our Catholic faith. My desire is to always have constructive and polite dialogue. I have been writing for this blog since late January 2010 and for over a year before that on a parish blog. In that time I have allowed comments from people who disagree …
This week I was talking to a couple and they said they had read that an annulment is a “Catholic divorce.” This is not true. A divorce is a civil (government) process that ends a legal relationship. It views marriage as a contract formed when the couple make their vows to each other. The divorce …
I attended the ordination in Rochester of nine men to the diaconate today; eight as permanent deacons and one as a transitional diaconate. It is always a moving event. This year I knew three of the men. One from the parish where I served on my pastoral year, one from the parish where I am …
With the celebration of Memorial Day a few days ago summer has “unofficially” begun. Summer vacations are beginning. Most colleges have already begun their summer vacations and the elementary and high schools will begin their vacations by the end of the month. With the summer season people will be travelling or staying at their summer …
Today we celebrate Memorial Day. It has taken on various meanings. For many it marks the unofficial beginning of the summer season. In New York State it is the time when people plant most of their gardens, assured that there will be no more frosts after Memorial Day. Corresponding to the “no more frost” theory, …
When did you receive your sacraments? Most of us in the United States were baptized as babies. We then receive the Sacraments of Reconciliation and our First Eucharist around the age of reason (7). Then, the next sacrament we receive would be Confirmation. In the United States Confirmation is typically done sometime between the ages of seven …
Sometimes there doesn’t seem to be a lot of love in the world. Sad considering that Jesus told us that the greatest commandment is to love God and the second is to love our neighbor. I believe we have an infinite capacity to love but in our humanness other emotions or misdirected love keep us …
On June 30th of this year I will celebrate the third anniversary of my ordination to the priesthood. It has been a good three years and I truly enjoy serving as a priest. There have been difficult moments both professionally and personally but I know that God has been with me through all of it. So …
For some people the only time they pray is on Sunday at Church. For others, they might say they pray the rosary everyday or we say grace before meals. Some pray regularly for their family and friends. If you read the gospels you will see that Jesus frequently went off to pray. Jesus is one …
