Father Timothy Hepner
By Father Timothy Hepner Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time/Oct. 25 Exodus 22:20-26; Psalm 18:2-3,3-4,47,51; 1 Thessalonians 1:5c-10; Matthew 22:34-40 “I have made this letter longer than usual because I have not had time to make it shorter,” wrote Blaise Pascal. Real simplicity requires genius. The holy grail of physics is the “theory of everything” that will […]
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By Father Timothy Hepner Twenty-Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time/Oct. 11 Isaiah 25:6-10a; Psalm 23:1-3a,3b-4,5,6; Philippians 4:12-14,19-20; Matthew 22:1-14 Sitting with a group of high school boys, I introduced myself: “I’m the vocation director.” They seemed apprehensive. “When I say ‘vocation,’ do you think, ‘priesthood’?” They responded with anxious head nods. “And does that scare you?” The […]
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Father R. Michael Schaab
By Father R. Michael Schaab Twenty-Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time/Sept. 27 Ezekiel 18:25-28; Psalm 25:4-5,6-7,8-9; Philippians 2:1-11; Matthew 21:28-32 Our bodies convert nutrients into tissue. Football teams often attempt a 2-point conversion in close games. Builders convert single family homes into duplexes. This Sunday’s Scripture readings are all about conversion and those who convert, although the […]
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By Father R. Michael Schaab Twenty-Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time/Sept. 13 Sirach 27:30 — 28:7; Psalm 103:1-2,3-4,9-10,11-12; Romans 14:7-9; Matthew 18:21-35 Those who study comparative religions often ask what is unique about Christian morality. They point out that the world’s great faiths agree to a large degree on ethical issues, to the extent that the teachings […]
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By Father R. Michael Schaab Twenty-Second Sunday in Ordinary Time/Aug. 30 Jeremiah 20:7-9; Psalm 63:2,3-4,5-6,8-9; Romans 12:1-2; Matthew 16:21-27 Three words help us understand the readings for this Sunday — contrast, contradiction and paradox. Contrast means one thing is strikingly different from another. Today’s Gospel stands in contrast to last week’s Gospel, Peter’s profession of […]
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Tim Irwin
By Tim Irwin Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time/Aug. 16 Isaiah 56:1,6-7; Psalm 67:2-3,5,6,8; Romans 11:13-15,29-32; Matthew 15:21-28 A subtle tension permeates the Gospel according to St. Matthew concerning to whom the invitation to enter the Kingdom of God is directed. The Children of Israel certainly top the list of invitees, but since the 11th chapter of […]
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By Tim Irwin 18th Sunday in Ordinary Time/Aug. 2 Isaiah 55:1-3; Psalm 145:8-9,15-16,17-18; Romans 8:35,37-39; Matthew 14:13-21 All creatures great and small eat in order to live. Long before we learn how to speak, read, write, or even use the porcelain facilities, we learn how to feed ourselves. No surprise, then, that dining serves as a […]
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Shawn Reeves
By Shawn Reeves 16th Sunday in Ordinary Time/July 19 Wisdom 12:13,16-19; Psalm 86:5-6,9-10,15-16; Romans 8:26-27; Matthew 13:24-43 My children span the ages of 19 to newborn. I’ve had a lot of time to think about what it means to be a good father. Lenience toward your children’s mistakes is certainly key, a feature I have not […]
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By Shawn Reeves 14th Sunday in Ordinary Time/July 5 Zechariah 9:9-10; Psalm 145:1-2,8-9,10-11,13-14; Romans 8:9,11-13; Matthew 11:25-30 I have bouts with insomnia. Often my mind can find no rest. Problems, planning, tasks, and obligations weigh it down and push sleep away. It is a frustrating and fatiguing phenomenon. In our first reading, God announces a message […]
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By Shawn Reeves Twelfth Sunday in Ordinary Time/June 21 Jeremiah 20:10-13; Psalm 69:8-10,14,17,33-35; Romans 5:12-15; Matthew 10:26-33 My wife and I have been married for more than 20 years, and we are not the same people we were when we said our vows. St. John Henry Cardinal Newman once famously wrote, “Growth is the only evidence […]
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