Homily, 2-19-24; Monday of the 1st Week of Lent: “Be holy, for I, the LORD, your God, am holy.” Through Moses, God tells the people that He expects them to be holy. They are to be sanctified by keeping the Commandments, by loving God and loving their neighbor. In the next chapter of Leviticus, God… Continue reading Don’t be a Goat
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Do Not Babble
Bulletin Q&A Article; Published 2-18-24: In the Sermon on the Mount, Matthew 6:7, Jesus talks about not praying many words like the heathens, that God knows what we need, so pray the Our Father. As Catholics we have hundreds of prayers recommended for this or that, novena, etc. How does this scripture coincide with these… Continue reading Do Not Babble
Trials lead to Perseverance
Homily, 2-12-24; Monday of the 6th Week in Ordinary Time: Somebody asked me what I was going to do anything special for Valentine’s Day this year. I said: “I am going to rub ashes on people’s face and remind them that they are going to die.” Yes, Ash Wednesday falls on Valentine’s Day this year.… Continue reading Trials lead to Perseverance
Date of Easter
Bulletin Q&A Article; Published 2-11-24: Why to the Orthodox Churches celebrate Easter on a different date than Catholics? Ash Wednesday is this week, and of course the date for Ash Wednesday is back-calculated from the date of Easter which is the key for determining other moveable feasts. So we can start our discussion by explaining… Continue reading Date of Easter
St. Agatha
Homily, 2-5-24; Feast of St. Agatha: Today we celebrate the memorial of St. Agatha, a virgin and martyr, who lived way back in the 3rd century. I chose to use the optional readings for her feast because they fit so well with her life and help to inspire us to be courageous and willing to… Continue reading St. Agatha
Blessing of Rosaries
Bulletin Q&A article; Published 2-4-24: If you pray with a rosary that is not blessed, do the prayers still “count”? When items, such as rosaries, are blessed, they become sacramentals. The Baltimore Catechism states: “A sacramental is anything set apart or blessed by the Church to excite good thoughts and to increase devotion” (Question 1052).… Continue reading Blessing of Rosaries
Receiving Benefits for Accepting Curses
Homily, 1-29-24; Monday of the 4th Week in Ordinary Time: King David committed adultery. And then, when the woman became pregnant, he tried to cover things up by having her husband killed and then bringing her into his own house as his wife. The great David was also a great sinner. God told him; “Now,… Continue reading Receiving Benefits for Accepting Curses
Reading Non-Canonical Texts
Bulletin Q&A Article; Published 1-28-24: What are your thoughts on reading non-canonical texts such as the Book of Enoch? With so many options, and so little time, it is important for us to make wise choices about what we should select to read. I think there are two basic questions we can ask ourselves. First,… Continue reading Reading Non-Canonical Texts
Word of God Sunday
Homily, 1-21-24; Sunday of the 3rd Week in Ordinary Time, Cycle B: I’m pretty sure most of you are aware of the little Magnificat booklets. The website describes it this way: “Magnificat is a spiritual guide to help you develop your prayer life, grow in your spiritual life, find a way to a more profound… Continue reading Word of God Sunday
Christmas on January 7th
Bulletin Q&A Article; Published 1-21-24: My friend belongs to the Serbian Orthodox Church and they celebrated Christmas on January 7th. Can you explain? Well actually, the Orthodox Churches do celebrate Christmas on December 25th, but some of them use a different calendar. Most of the world uses the Gregorian calendar, but some of the Orthodox… Continue reading Christmas on January 7th