Relativists say you can believe whatever you want as long as you don’t hurt anyone. For relativists, the truth is what you want it to be. For them, it seems, it’s all about me. We pray for them to know God’s Truth. “Jesus then said to those Jews who believed in him, “If you remain …
It is no secret that 2020 was a difficult year. A number of my blog articles in the last year reflect that. In particular, there were the articles, “2020: What a Year!” and “2020 is Over!”. Now, we try to look forward and develop a plan. With vaccines for the Coronavirus now being distributed, we …
In our opening prayer at Mass today (Monday, January 18th, 2nd Week in Ordinary Time), we pray asking God to bestow his “peace on our times.” We live in a world with division and hatred. Today we celebrate the Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday. He was a civil rights activist assassinated in 1968. In the …
“Tolerance” has become a frequently used word. We do well to ask ourselves what does it mean to “tolerate.” Why? Because I think it is being used beyond its actual meaning. It seems to me that it is being used more in the sense of “relativism” than its actual meaning. Relativism says that you are …
I have finished my fourth and final article in my series, Our Relationships With Others, reflecting on Pope Francis’ encyclical, Fratelli Tutti. As I complete this series, please note that the four articles do not cover the entirety of the encyclical. I selected the four topics for my articles based questions people have asked me …
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I just completed the third article, “Seeking Real Dialogue”, in my series, “Our Relationships With Others”. In the first two articles I took an instructive approach. In this third article, I continue to seek to help readers understand what Pope Francis wrote while encouraging us to think about it in our own actions. Once again, …
33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year AProverbs 31:10-13, 19-20, 30-31Psalm 128:1-2, 3, 4-5 (1a)1 Thessalonians 5:1-6Matthew 25:14-30November 15, 2020 Proverbs speaks of the “worthy wife, her value is far beyond pearls.” She is praised for the good she does as a God-fearing woman. What we hear today is the short version. If you read the …
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I just posted to my website the second article, “The Right to Private Property and Loving Our Neighbor” in my series, “Our Relationships With Others” reflecting on Pope Francis’ new encyclical, Fratelli Tutti. I hope it is helpful for you. Peace, Fr. Jeff
I recently finished reading Pope Francis’ new encyclical, Fratelli Tutti On Fraternity and Social Friendship. I read it in book form (Cottbus, Germany: HijezGlobal Press. 2020). You can also find it online on the Vatican website at http://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/encyclicals/documents/papa-francesco_20201003_enciclica-fratelli-tutti.html. I found several interesting discussions in it and expect to write three or four blog articles from …
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Dear Lord, It has been a challenging year and we still have two months to go. The challenges have come in various ways. Perhaps the one most obvious to all is the Coronavirus Pandemic. Our greatest concern is for those who have actually gotten sick. We pray for them. We pray for those who have …
