For the third week in a row, I find myself beginning a blog article by mentioning the conflict between Israel and Hamas (see “Escalating Conflict,” 10/10/23 and “The Importance of Building Relationships,” 10/17/23). The situation in Israel is important in and of itself but my referring to it three weeks in a row is more …
The number of Christian disciples in many parts of the world is shrinking. Fewer people identify as Christians. Some because they formally reject God while others have not been taught that God exists and loves them. Add to this the people who might identify as Christian but do not practice their faith. Who does this …
The Collect (Opening Prayer) After the Gloria comes the Collect, often called the opening prayer. The priest begins, “Let us pray” and then there is silence. The silence is intentional as a moment to collect our thoughts to bring together our hearts in prayer. It is “usually addressed to God the Father through Christ, in …
Last week I wrote about the escalating conflict between Hamas and Israel. Since then, the fighting has continued with many people injured or killed. It looks like Israel is preparing to go into Gaza with ground troops. Clearly the situation is not good. Clearly, Israel and Hamas do not have a working relationship. It is …
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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 15, 2023 We say we are disciples of Christ but what does this mean? In secular terms a disciple is a student of a master. Jesus is the teacher we are his students. As disciples of Christ, we place …
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The Penitential ActAfter the greeting, the priest may offer a few words on the readings or recalling why we come to Mass. Following that, he says, “Let us acknowledge our sins so as to prepare ourselves to celebrate these sacred mysteries. This begins the Penitential Act. This does not take the place of the Sacrament …
There is more fighting in the world than there was last week. The conflict between Israel and the Hamas is nothing new but the level of fighting escalated a few days ago. I heard one report said that the attacks in the last few days are the worst fighting there in 50 years. Lord, we …
In our first reading today Isaiah writes of his friend who “had a vineyard on a fertile hillside; he spaded it, cleared it of stones, and planted the choicest vines; within it he built a watchtower, and hew out a wine press.” He did all the right things from choosing the land and the choicest …
The Greeting After the Sign of the Cross, the priest offers the greeting. There are three options for the greeting by the priest. The first one is “The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit.” This greeting is not arbitrarily made up. It comes from 2 Corinthians …
Do you pray for the church? There are two ways we can look at this question. First, if we consider the transcendent church, meaning the church that is beyond human institution, one might say why would I pray for the church. It is of God and beyond the need for our prayers. I think that …
