By Tim Irwin First Sunday of Lent/March 1 Genesis 2:7-9; 3:1-7; Psalm 51:3-4,5-6,12-13,17; Romans 5:12-19; Matthew 4:1-11 Lent invites us to seek a deeper understanding about our lives. This brings us to a brief discussion of context frames. When someone shares information with us, we understand it by putting it into context. If you said to […]
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Father Timothy Hepner
By Father Timothy Hepner Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time/Feb. 16 Sirach 15:15-20; Psalm 119:1-2,4-5,17-18,33-34; 1 Corinthians 2:6-10; Matthew 5:17-37 The summer after my sophomore year of college seminary I went to Mexico for an intensive language program. One weekend all of the students in my cohort went to Acapulco, while I visited an orphanage. I learned […]
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By Father Timothy Hepner Presentation of the Lord / Feb. 2 Malachi 3:1-4; Psalm 24:7,8,9,10; Hebrews 2:14-18; Luke 2:22-40 “What would become of the world if there were no religious?” asked St. Teresa of Avila. To which I add, “What would become of the Diocese of Peoria if there were no religious?” We would not have […]
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By Father Timothy Hepner Second Sunday in Ordinary Time/Jan. 19 Isaiah 49:3,5-6; Psalm 40:2,4,7-8,8-9,10; 1 Corinthians 1:1-3; John 1:29-34 Do you know what an earworm is? It’s a catchy song that “worms” its way into your ear and seems to lodge itself in your brain, playing over and over again. “Don’t Stop Believing.” “Bohemian Rhapsody.” “Call […]
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By Father Timothy Hepner Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord/Jan. 5 Isaiah 60:1-6; Psalm 72:1-2,7-8,10-11,12-13; Ephesians 3:2-3a,5-6; Matthew 2:1-12 What were the magi following? What shiny things do you and I follow out of the comfort of our own familiar surroundings? It is very important to ask what attracts and distracts us because that will […]
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Shawn Reeves
By Shawn Reeves Nativity of the Lord/Dec. 25 At the Vigil Mass: Isaiah 62:1-5; Psalm 89:4-5,16-17,27,29; Acts 13:16-17,22-25; Matthew 1:1-25 Mass During the Night: Isaiah 9:1-6; Psalm 96:1-2,2-3,11-12,13; Titus 2:11-14; Luke 2:1-14 Mass at Dawn: Isaiah 62:11-12; Psalm 97:1,6,11-12; Titus 3:4-7; Luke 2:15-20 Mass During the Day: Isaiah 52:7-10; Psalm 98:1,2-3,3-4,5-6; Hebrews 1:1-6; John 1:1-18 Darkness spills over the world as autumn comes to a close and winter looms, crowding […]
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By Shawn Reeves Fourth Sunday of Advent/Dec. 22 Isaiah 7:10-14; Psalm 24:1-2,3-4,5-6; Romans 1:1-7; Matthew 1:18-24 There is a saying — “death is inconvenient.” It comes suddenly and alters all the patterns of our experience. But life, also, is often inconvenient. Doctor visits need to be scheduled. The home needs to be prepared. Car seats need […]
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By Shawn Reeves Second Sunday of Advent/Dec. 8 Isaiah 11:1-10; Psalm 72:1-2,7-8,12-13,17; Romans 15:4-9; Matthew 3:1-12 The practice of balance is often associated with Eastern mysticism. The principle of the body and mind poised in disciplined equilibrium pervades our culture’s impression of an Eastern approach to life, tethered to images of meditating Buddhist monks and resolute […]
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By Shawn Reeves Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe/Nov. 24 2 Samuel 5:1-3; Psalm 122:1-2,3-4,4-5; Colossians 1:12-20; Luke 23:35-43 In a time and place forged by the egalitarian ideals of our nation’s founders, it can be hard to see why we should celebrate Christ as King. At the same time, many modern […]
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Shawn Reeves
By Shawn Reeves Thirty-Second Sunday in Ordinary Time/Nov. 10 2 Maccabees 7:1-2,9-14; Psalm 17:1,5-6,8,15; 2 Thessalonians 2:16 — 3:5; Luke 20:27-38 Rarely does someone grow in understanding without asking questions, but not all questions are honest ones. In today’s Gospel, Jesus is encountered with a rather insincere question about a hypothetical situation. The question is insincere […]
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