With fewer and fewer people coming to church even before the Coronavirus, one asks the question, “Why don’t more people come to Jesus?” Jesus offers us something wonderful. Do people understand what Jesus offers us, namely, salvation? I just finished reading Clear and Simple: How to Have Conversations That Lead to Conversion by Andre Regnier …
Continue reading ‘Do People Understand What Jesus Does for Us?’ »
Today I would like to continue the discussion of morality by offering two contrasting perspectives on what might be our principal guide in our moral choices. The first one may be held by Christians and non-Christians alike but I see it as falling well short of Jesus’ commandment to love our neighbor. These people might …
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, …
Continue reading ‘Choosing a Moral, Immoral, or an Amoral Life’ »
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 …
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 …
Continue reading ‘27th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A – Homily’ »
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 …
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 …
Last week I wrote an article here, “The Easy Path or the Hard Path”, discussing morality. I said that I plan to offer more on morality but that I am unsure what form it will take or when. I remain uncertain of that but since posting that article, God gave me the idea for this …
If you are reading this, then you are probably trying to live a Christian life. What does that entail? It includes prayer. It means that we believe that Jesus was crucified on the Cross and rose on the third day, revealing the Resurrection. It means giving praise and worship to God. It means trying to …
After we have confessed our sins in the Sacrament of Reconciliation, we receive a “penance.” We are not just “given” or “assigned” a penance as punishment for our sins. We must receive the penance. By “receive” I mean we willing accept the penance as an admission of our sins and our desire to change. If …
