New Video – Why Go to Confession?

Last night I offered a new presentation, Why Should I Go to Confession?. The recording of the video and the slides are now available on my website at http://www.renewaloffaith.org/whyconfession. If you view the video in the next few days, you can complete an online evaluation at https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfbK1iUzZZyaWRclzdeu_ocoU0Lowo9aBvbusvStjLLdDQ2yA/viewform?usp=sf_link. My next presentation Why Should I Go to …

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20th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A – Homily

20th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year AIsaiah 56:1, 6-7Psalm 67:2-3, 5, 6, 8 (4)Romans 11:13-15, 29-32Matthew 15:21-28August 16, 2020 A Canaanite woman came to Jesus seeking help for her daughter who was “tormented by a demon.” Many people came to Jesus for healing and exorcising demons.  What’s one more?  What was Jesus’ response?  “Jesus did …

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Advent Penance Homily 2019

Advent Penance Service 2019Isaiah 57:14-21Psalm 63Matthew 3:1-12December 19, 2019 Christmas is coming but it is not yet here. We get excited for Christmas.  Psalm 63, our responsorial psalm today, is one of my favorite psalms because it expresses our desire to know God with versus like: “My soul is thirsting for you, O Lord my …

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Advent Penance Service – Homily

Advent Penance Service 2018Colossians 1:12-13Psalm 51Luke 15:1-7December 15, 2018 We are here today to celebrate a Sacrament.  We begin with this Penance Service as a way to pray together before we celebrate the Sacrament individually.  Some call this sacrament Confession. Others call it Penance.  I like the name Sacrament of Reconciliation for that is its …

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24th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C – Homily

24th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C Exodus 32:7-11, 13-14 Psalm 51:3-4, 12-13, 17, 19 1 Timothy 1:12-17 Luke 15:1-32 Some of you may be old enough to remember the days when people went to confession at least monthly if not weekly.  It didn’t matter if you were conscious of mortal sin.  You must have …

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Do You Let Jesus Forgive You?

Here is my homily for today. 7th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B Isaiah 43:18-19, 21-22, 24b-25 2 Corinthians 1:18-22 Mark 2:1-12 February 19, 2012 Isaiah is speaking in the first reading to the people who have been held in exile for 50 years in Babylon.  Israel had once a great nation.  It was God …

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The Forgotten Sacrament

I have been teaching our RCIA Catechumens and Candidates about the Sacraments.  There are seven sacraments that we can separate into three categories.  Under the category of Initiation are Baptism, Confirmation, and Eucharist.  Marriage and Holy Orders are categorized as Sacraments of Service.  Lastly, Reconciliation and Anointing are Sacraments of Healing.  We seek the Anointing …

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Penance

What comes to mind when you hear the word penance?  We often think of penance as the “punishment” we receive when we go to Confession.  That would be true but that definition of penance needs to go a little deeper.  The purpose of penance is not simply punishment.  To understand this, let’s look at the …

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