Category Archives: Catholicism

Feast of the Chair of Saint Peter, apostle

Today’s readings Today we celebrate the feast of the Chair of St. Peter the apostle. This is a feast that commemorates Jesus giving the servant authority of the Church to St. Peter, as we heard in today’s Gospel. This is … Continue reading

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Monday of the Second Week of Ordinary Time: Christian Unity

Today’s readings In today’s Gospel, Jesus is challenging some age-old practices.  He is not saying that fasting is a bad thing, but instead he is saying that something new is going on.  He has come to usher in a new … Continue reading

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CREEDS Retreat Conference II: The Eucharist and the Church

Scriptures: Matthew 26:14-30 Godspell: “Beautiful City” and “On the Willows” The Eucharist is an amazingly complex event.  Ordinary food – bread and wine – become the very body and blood of our Lord and God.  Through the Eucharist we mere … Continue reading

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The Dedication of Saint John Lateran

Today’s readings I’m often amazed by the flurry of activity that goes on around this place.  I’d only been here a couple of months, and I became convinced that if I strolled over to church at three in the morning, … Continue reading

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St. Alphonsus Liguori, priest and doctor of the Church

Today’s readings Today we have a kind of celebration of moral theology. In today’s first reading, Jeremiah receives word from the Lord that he is to crank up his preaching to have Israel turn from their sinful ways. “Perhaps they … Continue reading

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Fifteenth Sunday: Rite of Acceptance into the Order of Catechumens

This was the alternate homily that I gave at 10:45 Mass, during which we accepted a young man into the Order of Catechumens.   In the ancient Church, there were several so-called orders within the assembly.  The main group or … Continue reading

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Feast of the Chair of St. Peter, apostle

Today’s readings | Today’s feast Today we celebrate the feast of the Chair of St. Peter the apostle. This is a feast that commemorates Jesus giving the servant authority of the Church to St. Peter, as we heard in today’s … Continue reading

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Twentieth Sunday of Ordinary Time

Today’s readings The Church’s Catechism tells us that “Fortitude is the moral virtue that ensures firmness in difficulties and constancy in the pursuit of the good. It strengthens the resolve to resist temptations and to overcome obstacles in the moral … Continue reading

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The Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ

Today's readings During World War II, the officers of the Third Reich's secret service forcefully recruited many 12- and 13-year-old boys into the Junior Gestapo. The harshly treated boys were given only inhumane jobs that they were to perform without … Continue reading

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