Was there a good point from the sermon you heard for your Sunday Mass? Tell us what it was!
Good points… good… right?
Fr. Z’s Podcasts RSS Feed
About this blog…
“This blog is like a fusion of the Baroque ‘salon’ with its well-tuned harpsichord around which polite society gathered for entertainment and edification and, on the other hand, a Wild West “saloon” with its out-of-tune piano and swinging doors, where everyone has a gun and something to say. Nevertheless, we try to point our discussions back to what it is to be Catholic in this increasingly difficult age, to love God, and how to get to heaven.” – Fr. Z
Coat of Arms by D Burkart
YOUR RECENT COMMENTS
- on WDTPRS: 2nd Sunday after Epiphany (N.O.: 2nd Ordinary): a “liturgical unicorn”: ““With bent knees and with foreheads to the ground, bodies and wills both bent in supplication, beg His graces and…”
- on WDTPRS: 2nd Sunday after Epiphany (N.O.: 2nd Ordinary): a “liturgical unicorn”: “It’s posts like this that make me so happy I check in everyday. Very encouraging and uplifting.”
- on Motus in finem velocior – Daily Rome Shot 1224: “What does the “P XRO” above the rest of the inscription mean? Is it related to XR or is the…”
- on WDTPRS: 2nd Sunday after Epiphany (N.O.: 2nd Ordinary): a “liturgical unicorn”: ““Time called “Ordinary”, which is “ordered” not “unexceptional”. We might say also, “sequential”.” Interesting.”
- on Daily Rome Shot 1223 – “Sluggish schizophrenia”: “Pope Francis’ derogatory statements against “rigid” traditional Catholics are very hard to bear. He should just be open and say,…”
- on Daily Rome Shot 1223 – “Sluggish schizophrenia”: “This problem with Pope Frances and his friends goes back to Genesis. The ideal is also the judge. _ When…”
- on YOUR URGENT PRAYER REQUESTS: “I know I already asked for prayers previously but I have an urgent request. I fell on Tuesday walking up…”
- on Motus in finem velocior – Daily Rome Shot 1224: “Freeze the Queen with 1. Bc6 forcing QxB 2. Qe7#”
- on Daily Rome Shot 1223 – “Sluggish schizophrenia”: “One other possibility, Rh6 (or h1 … or h5), … … , Rf8+ Pxf8Q# … , (any other move) Rh8#”
- on Daily Rome Shot 1223 – “Sluggish schizophrenia”: “The good Father wrote: “Seminary in the 1980’s. That’s the old technique, isn’t it? Anyone who was conservative was labeled…”
- on Motus in finem velocior – Daily Rome Shot 1224: “White to move and mate in two. Time yourself. Ready… set… CLICK! [NB: I’ll hold comments with solutions ’till the…”
- on Daily Rome Shot 1223 – “Sluggish schizophrenia”: “The dishonesty of the description of the traditional Mass is breathtaking: “…a taste for …clerical ostentation, which is none other…”
- on Daily Rome Shot 1223 – “Sluggish schizophrenia”: “Nothing in the world is going to make me buy, let alone read, ‘Hope.’ There is, however, an excellent book…”
ABORTION PILL RESCUE NETWORK
Everyone, work to get this into your parish bulletins and diocesan papers.
Federated Computer… your safe and private alternative to big biz corporations that hate us while taking our money and mining our data. Have an online presence large or small? Catholic DIOCESE? Cottage industry? See what Federated has to offer. Save money and gain peace of mind.
I am an affiliate. Click and join or at least explore! If you join, I’ll get credit.
Polls
Loading ...Donate using VENMO
GREAT BEER from Traditional Benedictine Monks in Italy
CLICK and say your daily offerings!
A Daily Prayer for Priests
NEW OPPORTUNITY – 10% off with code: FATHERZ10
Fr. Z’s VOICEMAIL
Nota bene: I do not answer these numbers or this Skype address. You won't get me "live". I check for messages regularly.
WDTPRS
020 8133 4535
651-447-6265
Good coffee and tea. Help monks.
I use this when I travel both in these USA and abroad. Very useful. Fast enough for Zoom. I connect my DMR (ham radio) through it. If you use my link, they give me more data. A GREAT back up.
Help support Fr. Z’s Gospel of Life work at no cost to you. Do you need a Real Estate Agent? Calling these people is the FIRST thing you should do!
They find you a pro-life agent in your area who commits to giving a portion of the fee to a pro-life group!
This blog has to earn its keep!
PLEASE subscribe via PayPal if it is useful. Zelle and Wise are better, but PayPal is convenient.
A monthly subscription donation means I have steady income I can plan on. I put you my list of benefactors for whom I pray and for whom I often say Holy Mass.
In view of the rapidly changing challenges I now face, I would like to add more $10/month subscribers. Will you please help?
For a one time donation...
To donate monthly I prefer Zelle because it doesn't extract fees. Use
frz AT wdtprs DOT comPLEASE RESPOND. Pretty pleeeease?
Loading ...WDTPRS POLL
Loading ...Great WINE USE COUPON CODE: fatherz10
Use my code for a discount
Loading ...
Mainly focused on the first and third readings, and the relationship between listening and loving. We’re focusing on the Apostles’ Creed in these early weeks of the YOF, so some comparison to the Sh’ma as a creedal statement of sorts. Noted how the scribe listened to Jesus, and how that opened the door to faith for the scribe. Listening as the essence of obedience, the law as a gift, true freedom from listening to the law as inscribed on our hearts.
Father used the readings to talk about how there can be no disconnect between what we do at Mass and what happens once we leave the church doors to go back out into the world. He “connected the dots” by talking about how this pertains to the upcoming election and how there can be no compromise on the protection of human life from conception to natural death and the defense of marriage as God intended – a sacramental bond between one man and one woman.
In our great parish staffed by the Dominican friars of the Province of St. Joseph, our pastor preached about the qualities of a good leader, in particular how a good leader practices the virtue of prudence. He reminded us that in regard to moral action, the virtue of prudence allows one to take general principles, apply them to specific cases, and to use one’s intelligence not for evil but for good. And which is the most important moral principle? It is that the direct and intentional killing of innocent human life is always wrong. A leader who concludes that abortion and euthanasia are morally acceptable does not possess the virtue of prudence, and so lacks what is necessary to be a good leader. Simple, direct, understandable.
Fr Mark, the associate chaplain here at Christendom (On a visit this weekend!), gave an awesome homily on love, obedience, law, and the wandering in the desert. It was beautiful. He and Padre Planty (the head chaplain) are both wonderful priests.
Follow our conscience in voting.
Follow your Catholic conscience.
He quoted Pope Benedict XVI address to to Bishops of the U.S. on January 2012.
To support/defend Religious Liberty.
He also posted this in the Sunday bulletin.
Our pastor blessed us with a most fantastic sermon which began describing the Shema Yisrael and used that commandment of love as a bridge to talk about time management. He gave us the old story about the professor who fills a jar with tennis balls, then rocks, then small pebbles, then sand, then water, continually filling the container to the brim. Father told us that the moral is that if you fill your time with the unimportant things first you will have a hard time doing what really matters. And what really mattered during the past week? Our holy sacred obligation to attend Mass for All Saints Day. He said how important it is to fulfill our obligation, and that conversation with his brother priest revealed that several parishioners did not show up at all for the holy day. He said that if we missed Mass then we had better not receive Holy Communion. He said we should avail ourselves of Confession as soon as possible. Now, this is a parish which holds dual-priest Confessions four times a week. Father said he would process right out into the confessional and be available for anyone who wanted to come right away. Confessional attendance was slim (I didn’t watch anyone during Communion, I had to sing) but there was a family of three, of whom two went in to confess. And I spoke to the father who didn’t want to confess, he said he wasn’t prepared, I assured him that was OK, and that both priests are great confessors, with easy penances. He wasn’t convinced. So I will pray for him and a change of heart about this great Sacrament. Thank you, Father Z, for your evangelization, and may God Bless all three of you priests for your tireless efforts in saving souls.
Preached at one of New Orleans’ historically African-American parishes, Our Lady Star of the Sea.
I drew out what it means for us to love God with our heart, mind, and strength. Spent some time with what it means to understand God; i.e. “stand under” His loving authority.
http://hancaquam.blogspot.com/2012/11/heart-mind-strength.html
Fr. Philip Neri, OP
That during the month of November especially, we are to pray daily for the poor souls in purgatory.
“Difficultly now, reward later, or reward now or extremely difficult later. Which one are you going to choose? […] It’s a no brainer, really.”
The former door-to-door saleswoman in me applauds his use of the phrase, “it’s a no brainer” as this phrase has never let me down with a sale. People don’t want to be thought of as being dumb.
Very good point: all priests in the diocese were to read a letter from the PA Council of Bishops.
Bad point, by the time it was finished (longer than 15 minutes, read by an English as a second language priest) I could not recall a single sentence from it.
To make an impact, it needs to be shorter, and more clear. Now I understand why catholicvote.org “boiled it down” to three paragraphs rather than present it in entirety.
Regardless, I am delighted that they made the effort, whether or not it changes a single vote.
Christ promises forgiveness for penitents; He does not promise tomorrow to sinners.
Our pastor set up a single sermon by one of our priests at all our Masses this weekend. Bishop Olmsted’s booklet “Catholics in the Public Square” became the basis and the sermon covered voting. Very good presentation of the topic. “Non-negotiable” / intrinsically evil topics were covered. Other topics, about implementation of which we can disagree were also discussed. Great presentation by our young Father.
One of our priests said that our election is important because it also affects the rest of the world. He quoted what the cardinals says individually as they cast ballots for a new Pope and used this as an example of how voting can be sacred. There was a lot of good stuff in there too but I don’t have my notes!
Not in sermon, but in bulletin: The Last Supper began with John’s embrace of Christ, and His betrayal was complete with Judas’ kiss. What kind of embrace will you offer Our Lord?
From sermon: How does Paul dare to say “be imitators of ME”? He does so because Paul is imitating Christ. (I half expected Father to develop this into a discussion of tradition, but that didn’t happen.)
Our newly ordained Parochial Vicar told a funny story about how he was recently at Sam’s Club, wearing his cassock (as always) & a guy came up to him & said “Hey!…you Catholic?” (duh) “Yeeeah.” “Well I’M apostolic!” (LOL) “Me too!”…from there he launched into a series of “so why do you Catholics…” questions, one of which was “why do you keep Jesus on the cross?” So Father explained to him that a crucifix is a reminder to us that Jesus gave everything on the cross to pay for our sins & that we are called to do the same, to “make up what is lacking in the sufferings of Christ” (not that Christ himself lacks anything, but that since He is the head & we are the body, we must participate by offering *our* everything as well.) He said this is what we are all *supposed* to be doing at Mass…participating in the sacrifice.
He also said that since we are pretty much “on the buckle of the Bible belt” here, that we should be prepared to answer these types of questions too. He has started a Wed. night apologetics class (after the weekly Low Mass he now celebrates!!) for the high schoolers to give them the tools to do just that. He’s pretty awesome. ;o)