Your good news and your Sunday sermon remarks

Do you have any good news to share with the readership?

And is there some good point from your Sunday sermon you can pass along?

About Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

Fr. Z is the guy who runs this blog. o{]:¬)
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35 Comments

  1. Phillip says:

    Lost a bit of weight while on a short holiday last week. I’m going to keep it up by starting a (long overdue) new diet and workout plan tomorrow.

    My best friend ships out to Navy boot camp in a week. I have mixed feelings about the whole thing, but he’s happy, so I’m happy for him.

  2. Supertradmum says:

    Excellent sermon from a Franciscan priest, who stated quite clearly, that if we are Catholics and not hypocrites, we shall be persecuted, as the Church has been for centuries. He spoke of the riots in Rome, which I noted on another comment, were much worse than the British or American media covered.

    Father stated that the Church and the People of God should expect such violence in a pagan world, and that we need to evangelize in the workplace, now.

    Music to my ears, albeit makes be a bit tense and needing great Faith.However, I do and will count it all joy.

  3. JonPatrick says:

    Father gave his annual sermon on Halloween, now one of the major feast days of secular America, exploring its pagan origins and illuminating how much of its present day traditions are pagan and occult. With regard to the latter he had the memorable line “wake up and smell the sulfur”. The first time I heard this sermon, I told my wife, she was so intrigued by it, she started attending the Extraordinary Form and has never stopped.

    I also noticed an interesting sermon by Fr. Rutler at Church of Our Savior NYC, on his web site, about the editing of the lectionary, how the shorter form of the reading often leaves out key points, sometimes uncomfortable aspects of Jesus’ teachings. Short and to the point as always.

  4. Art says:

    The homilies and presentations are being given at my parish delving into the roots of the mass as well as preparing for the changes to be made in the ordinary form.

  5. asperges says:

    18th after Pentecost, Dom old rite: Ep. Cor (1) and Gosp. Man sick of the Palsy cured (Matt 9). How we are just as blessed as the Corinthians, “made rich in Him in utterance and knowledge” with our access to the means of grace through Christ in the sacraments. In the gospel, Christ cured the paralytic – a symbol of the paralysis sin brings to the soul – and also publicly absolved his sins, which caused scandal. “.. and the multitude seeing it feared and glorified God who had given such power to men.” Never before had there been the means of forgiving sins, only the hope of having then forgiven. The importance of the sacraments but particularly Confession. The “power to men” applied to the Priesthood through whom sins are forgiven with God’s power.

  6. Inigo says:

    Father gave a spectacular sermon about sin, forgiveness, and the miracle at Peter’s house. His conclusion: “The notion that “God forgives everyone” is wrong, outright heretical. God does not forgive everyone, God forgives the sinner who repents and asks for forgivness! If somebody does not ask for forgiveness, God won’t obtrude his mercy.”

  7. Gregg the Obscure says:

    OF Mass with the “render unto Caesar” Gospel. Was delighted to hear our parochial vicar expound at some length on the duty of all Catholics to stand up for the right to life.

  8. flyfree432 says:

    Went to a Byzantine divine liturgy with our youth. We had lunch with their parishioners afterwards and they deemed it odd that there would be a ‘left / right split’ in the Roman church. The idea of disobeying liturgical norms or being a heretic and a Catholic in good standing doesn’t register in their worldview of the churches.

  9. Arrived at Mass to see cards in the pews outlining the upcoming changes. Father gave his homily about it and how we are going to be preparing for the first Sunday of Advent. He then walked us through the first two items on the cards and as I had my 5 year old on my lap reading along with me and showing her how to put her hand in a little fist and gently strike her chest – not the first tarzan like movement she tried initially – but gently, three times to say “sorry” to God. It was precious. Father had us recite it another time and she did it on her own. I’m very excited to be learning about all of this myself and having the opportunity to teach my children at the same time. It’s refreshing how adaptable children are… she didn’t complain, she didn’t huff and puff and question a million times why it had to be so. She just followed mine and Father’s directions and did it and moved on. Yay!

  10. JoyfulMom7 says:

    Our two youngest sons were altar boys yesterday at a beautiful nearby parish. Our third son had two trumpet solos in an afternoon concert at his college which his three living grandparents were able to attend with our family. Had a sweet visit with second son and his fiance afterward. All in all, a lovely, lovely day.

  11. ddeavy says:

    OF – Excellent homily from our permanent deacon about St. Thomas More and how to live out duty to King (Caesar), but duty to God first!

  12. david s says:

    Good news: Got to meet some friends’ newborn son (Oct 7) for the first time!

    Sermon notes: Gospel of Caesar’s tribute coin. The Lord told us to return Caesar’s image to Caesar, and to render to God what is God’s. We made in the image and likeness of God, so we should return that image to Him. When we look at other people, do we see the image of God? When we look in the mirror do we see His image? Yet our souls and bodies are connected, so what we do with our bodies affects our souls. Do we use our senses (taste, sight, hearing, touch, smell) in ways that are pleasing to God? (With a specific exhortation to observe the Friday abstinence all year, or making another penance outside Lent).

  13. APX says:

    As of 1:06 am on Sunday I hit the submit button for one of my doozy 14 page reports, and I was able to finish my Women’s Studies midterm in the morning just in time to make it to High Mass (wasn’t sure if I’d make it so I went to Mass the night prior). Now I just have five more classes to get caught up in. Perhaps none of my clients will show up for their appointments with me again, and I’ll have a full day to work on them at the office.

    As for the sermon, it was on the power of the Priesthood and Mass. Father informed us that Mass isn’t about us, nor is it primarily offered for us. We the congregation aren’t necessary in order for the Mass to take place. Only the priest is. (He doesn’t beat around the bush with his sermons.) Also, the “Ite missa est” has be incorrectly translated to, “Go, the Mass is ended” and that “missa” isn’t actually from the word dismissal. It’s more closely translated to “Go, it has been said.”

  14. Peggy R says:

    Sunday gospel was about rendering to Ceasar. I thought it would be a great opportunity to discuss the threats to our religious liberty in the US. But, no, we heard something about using our religion to bully others???

  15. Served at the first public TLM our diocese has had in over forty years.

  16. Jack Hughes says:

    I’ve managed to obtain an interview for a new job tomorow, could I please ask for prayers

  17. Led the practicing of our new Mass parts, then sang them (plus others not practiced by the congregation). It went okay, albeit people were a little gunky-grunky from allergies and colds and sinus.

    Father talked about giving back to God the image of God in ourselves, shiny and bright and undefaced. (In comparison to putting pennies on the railroad tracks as a kid, and making Lincoln’s face go all silly-putty, which is more or less what we do to the image of God in our souls when we do evil instead of following Christ.)

  18. Philangelus says:

    Good news: I wrote and submitted a short funny story, submitted a sidebar to a Catholic pregnancy book, and it looks like some of my writing-related prowess is going to be able to help a friend of mine.

    Sunday homily: we got the priest who’s old enough that he just ignores the Gospel reading and preaches about whatever he feels like. Yesterday he told us how much he loves the rosary and why we should too. :#)

  19. JohnE says:

    Render unto God sermon. Our priest explained that Jesus did not rebuke the Pharisees for their question — it is good to ask questions about the faith. Rather, He rebuked them for their motivation for answering the question, for they really didn’t care about the answer and truly understanding, but were only seeking to entrap him. Reminded me of the media with their “gotcha” questions that aren’t really interested in the truth, but in flustering people. The priest then went into how sin blinds us to the truth and used the example of the unmarried couple where everyone sees that they aren’t good for each other except the couple themselves because they’re sleeping together. He also used the example of abortion and invited those who consider themselves “pro-choice” to reconsider whether pride or some other sin is blinding them to the truth. After his homily, the congregation was extraordinarily quiet. This from a parish that occasionally applauds after some homilies.

  20. Supertradmum says:

    Silly good news–I have been feeding Basil for two days scrumptious, virtual treats and he has, still, a really clean cage–
    Thanks, Father, for putting him there for “us ones” who miss our previous pets.

  21. Antioch_2013 says:

    On Saturday afternoon I popped into a local used/rare/out of print bookshop I’d been meaning to visit ever since I moved into town and to my great joy discovered a few wonderful volumes that were remarkably inexpensive, only a few dollars each. Such remarkable finds were a 1933 copy of the English Hymnal “with tunes”, a beautiful 1955 edition of the Ordo Hebdomadae Sanctae published by the Vatican Polyglot Press, and two (yes two!) different editions of the “Missae Defunctorum ex Missali Romano Desumptae” by Pustet. One from 1923, and the other from 1903 in perfect condition! As a seminarian, these will come in very handy in a few years. Glory to God for all things!

    As for Sunday’s sermon, well, I gave it, so I’ll let our parishioners decide how it went…

  22. tealady24 says:

    Recently found out me and my husband are to be first-time grandparents in 2012!
    Praise be to God!

    Sermon notes were of giving to Caesar what is Caesar’s. And remembering we are to give ourselves totally to God himself. A little or a dab, won’t do. Totally, all, always.

  23. Denita says:

    The gospel was about the paralyzed man on the pallet, and Jesus forgiving his sins. Father did an excellent sermon on offering ones intentions at the Offertory.

  24. Sam Schmitt says:

    My pastor did a walk-through of the people’s parts of the new translation, with a lot of perceptive comments about the changes. This was coupled with an excellent article along the same lines that he wrote for the bulletin.

    Maybe he’s a regular reader of WDTPRS?

  25. Mr. P says:

    Yesterday was my 26th birthday…as for the sermon, nothing rememberable, render unto Ceasar…

  26. Peggy R says:

    OMIGOSH! How could I forget the good news that the Cardinals made it to the World Series!

    Fr. you must surely see that they are God’s team. The One True Church’s One True Team.

    [The TBS announcer noted that the Cardinals outscored the hapless Rams, who were also in Wisconsin, losing to GB. Ouch!]

    Ok, and on the new translations, I missed our parish’s education presentation as I was teaching PSR. I am prepping to teach the kids after we finish a morality segment the parish wanted us to do this month.

  27. St. Peter Canisius says:

    My second grandson was born yesterday, Liam Friedrich Witte (some Irish and German there). He is doing well and so is mother. He will share the October 16th with his three year old brother Logan (this was not planned.)

    All praise to our Father , Son and Holy Spirit.

    Riley Kinney

  28. Charivari Rob says:

    My dad’s been making some progress since recent surgery.

    Father’s homily started from render unto Ceaser, using the tax metaphor. Mentioning the old saying about nothing being certain in life but death and taxes, he spoke about how we do have duties and responsibilities in life, especially considering how our actions in life help to shape the circumstances we find after death.

  29. benedetta says:

    I was surprised to discover via the sermon we heard that two political factions (not only the Pharisees) were competing to “entrap” Jesus with the question about paying of the tax. Aware of their motives, in which both sides equally intended to entrap Him into ostensibly answering in such a way as to constitute the state accusation of treason or enemy of the state and the penalty of death, our Lord completely shifts the question to that of their consciences before God. Also, that render does not merely mean “to pay” or “to give”.

  30. bookworm says:

    “You must surely see that they (the STL Cardinals) are… the One True Church’s One True Team.”

    Well, don’t tell my brother! We were both born and raised Cubs fans and ever since I entered a “mixed marriage” with a Cards fan, he admonishes me against any temptation to apostasize from the One True Baseball Faith (and you have to admit, being a Cubs fan does require a lot of faith :-)

  31. bookworm says:

    Oh I almost forgot… excellent Sunday sermon by our Bp. Paprocki on the life and accomplishments of Blessed Pope John Paul II, since it was the anniversary of his election as pope.

  32. adeoamata says:

    Our happy news is a first child, expected in the Summer!

  33. James Joseph says:

    Ordinary Form.

    Moralistic homily about doing good things for God.
    I was hoping to hear a homily on how the Gospel passage is the Revelation that God is Man, and that Mankind is in His Image, and how this relates to how Jesus allows us to have icons and crucifixes and statues.

    The good father seemed worn out; so, I can’t hold it against him, nor would I want to anyway.

  34. tmitchell says:

    Went to the next parish over from my usual one on a whim. The Gospel was “render unto God,” and the priest’s homily was simply a three sentence segue into the report delivered by the Parish Finance Chairwoman. Then we got to give a “communal blessing” to a couple who was celebrating their 40th wedding anniversary, which amounted to nothing but a few nice words and Nazi salutes. I had to dodge about sixty EMHCs to get to the priest, who looked only slightly miffed at the fact that I knelt and received on the tongue. Maybe I have bad breath. The best part, though, was when we got to listen to the children’s choir work their way through “Eagles Wings.” Thankfully, these shenanigans did not extend to the consecration.

    Luckily, this Mass served as a wake-up call for me. I haven’t been taking advantage of all of the wonderful opportunities to practice my faith as of late (Wonderfully Orthdox Daily Masses, with the Extraordinary Form on Fridays!), and now I appreciate them all the more. Several people who were at that Sunday Mass with me have expressed similar feelings. God is good. He’ll make us shine like the sun. ;)

  35. lux_perpetua says:

    my good news is that my talk to high school students about eugenics went very well. giving the same 45 minute talk three times immediately back to back was quite exhausting! i then had the pleasure of assisting at Mass celebrated by the wonderful Abp. Chaput. The Mass was in the seminary chapel, so the students were sitting in choir–i guess that’s the right term. Abp. Chaput, during his homily, asked the students questions, held them to account about what they did, and did not, and should know about the Catholic faith. Humble, approachable, beautiful. He gave a talk about the word hypocrite, and where that word came from, and why it’s important that we understand words and their meanings. Later, an IHM nun, clad in full habit, gave her keynote address, wherein she also stressed resisting the relativistic notion that words can mean whatever we want them to mean. she talked about being the salt of the Earth, and referenced the EF form of baptism and its salt exorcism, going so far as to say that this is such a rhichly symbolic tradition that it is a travesty that it was taken from the current baptism and shold be reclaimed. made my little traddie heart flutter with joy!

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