God gave his people commandments as a gift. The Ten Commandments are given to us to help us live a good life (cf. “God’s Commandments”). However, that does not mean they are easy to follow. Good, God-loving people struggle at times to keep the Commandments. The Law can seem like a burden at times. Thus, …
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The first reading in yesterday’s (28th Sunday in Ordinary Time) Office of Readings in the Liturgy of the Hours led me to think about where we are at as a Church with regards to the number of people who practice the faith. The reading was from Haggai 1:1-2:10. To provide the setting, it comes after …
28th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year AIsaiah 25:6-10aPsalm 23:1-3a, 3b-4, 5, 6 (6cd)Philippians 4:12-14, 19-20Matthew 22:1-14October 11, 2020 Isaiah speaks of “a feast of rich food and choice wines.” The Lord will provide a great banquet to which He invites his people. It will be greater than any banquet you can imagine. This banquet will …
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Jesus underwent great suffering for us during his Passion. The gospel readings on both Palm (Passion) Sunday and Good Friday tell the story of Jesus’ suffering from his entry into Jerusalem at the start of his final days through his Crucifixion. Knowing of Jesus’ suffering is key to us understanding his love for us and …
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October 4th is the feast day for St. Francis of Assisi. He is one of the most popular saints and is known as the patron saint of animals. So, it is a custom for some parishes to offer a pet blessing at this time of year. We concluded our pet blessing this year by reciting …
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27th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year AIsaiah 5:1-7Psalm 80:9, 12, 13-14, 15-16, 19-20 (Isaiah 5:7a)Philippians 4:6-9Matthew 21:33-43October 4, 2020 Is the Lord with us in our struggles? The Lord is always with us. Everything that is good comes from the Lord. The Lord is like the vineyard owner described by Isaiah. The Lord established a …
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The Eighth Commandment is “You Shall Not Bear False Witness Against Your Neighbor.” How is society to function if we cannot trust others to tell the truth? Likewise, we need to be able to trust others not to steal, commit adultery, or covet what is ours. Each of us likely know some people we trust …
I find myself doing something I have never done before. I am “re-posting” a homily I posted here on this blog from the Feast of the Archangels on September 29th in 2017. Why am I “re-posting” an old post? There are two reasons. Honestly, the first one is that I don’t currently have any ideas …
26th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year AEzekiel 18:25-28Psalm 25:4-5, 6-7, 8-9 (6a)Philippians 2:1-11Matthew 21:28-32September 27, 2020 Today Jesus poses a question to the chief priests and the elders. They have been asking him questions. They often asked Jesus questions to try to trap him to get rid of him. Jesus has a different motive in …
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As I have begun to write articles explicitly on morality, I acknowledge that discussion on the morality of specific behaviors can be difficult. I pray that nothing I will write be interpreted as judgment on anyone. My goal is always to lead people to Christ. With this in mind, I have titled this article, “Never …
