How much time do you spend trying to make other people happy? Now, there are clearly some people that we should want to make happy. Certainly, a married person should want their spouse to be happy. We should want our family to be happy along with our friends. In fact, in loving our neighbor as …
12th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year AJeremiah 20:10-13Psalm 69:8-10, 14, 17, 33-35 (14c)Romans 5:12-15Matthew 10:26-33June 25, 2023 Jeremiah faced danger. He heard “the whisperings of many” who sought to “denounce him.” Why did they want to denounce him? Because he was pointing out their sins. He was telling them that they needed to change but …
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You might be surprised by the title of this article, “The Importance of Hell.” Is Hell important? It is important for us to know that Hell exist and that people can actually end up there. Now, while our Catholic Church recognizes all those who are canonized as saints to be in Heaven, our Church does …
Last week I began my reflection on The Old Evangelization: How to Spread the Faith Like Jesus Did by Eric Sammons (El Cajon, CA: Catholic Answers Press. 2017) with my article “Discipleship Necessitates Evangelization.” In that article, I presented Sammons’ discussion of how our “fear of rejection” can keep us from sharing the faith with our …
I recently read The Old Evangelization: How to Spread the Faith Like Jesus Did by Eric Sammons (El Cajon, CA: Catholic Answers Press. 2017). When I saw the title, I ordered it based on my continuing desire to evangelize. As I read it, I found it as much about discipleship, if not more, than evangelization. …
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At the risk of sounding like a broken record, I would like to talk about something I have spoken about before. Why do we go to Mass? I write this in the midst of Holy Week. In the events we celebrate this week, we see what the Mass offers us. For some people, attendance at …
In the midst of the Babylonian Exile God offers Ezekiel a vision that points to the Resurrection and new life (first reading – read all of chapter 37 for the whole story). The Lord promises that He will open our graves and have us rise from them. He offers this promise having just offered a …
October 9th is the feastday of Cardinal John Henry Newman. This year it fell on a Sunday. Sundays take precedence over the feastdays of saints (unless it is a solemnity). So, his feast was not celebrated this year. However, I when I realized it was his feastday, it made me think about how strong the …
In our gospel reading today, Jesus frees people from illnesses. On the Cross, Jesus frees us from our sins. In the United States of America, today we celebrate another time of freedom. Today is July 4th. It is the anniversary of when the colonists declared their independence from England. Why did they declare their independence? …
Today a letter I wrote, with comments and suggestions from staff, will be going out to all our parishioners in the two parishes I serve. While it is with St. Mary’s of the Lake and St. Benedict’s in mind, I think much of what it says is relevant for everyone. So, click here to read …
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