TWENTY-SEVENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME (C): FAITH CALLS US TO BE PROACTIVE WHEN IT THREATENS THOSE IN NEED WITH SOCIAL JUSTICE ISSUES. RESPECT LIFE SUNDAY by Deacon Jim Merle

Today is Respect Life Sunday based on Pope St. John Paul II’s 1995 encyclical “Evangelium Vitae” (The Gospel of Life) held every October to reaffirm the value and inviolability of every human life and to appeal to all people to respect, protect, love and serve every human life. 

TWENTY-SIXTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME (C): JESUS CALLS US TO BE SELFLESS IN TAKING CARE OF THE NEEDY OR FACE POSSIBLE CONDEMNATION by Deacon Jim Merle

For those who live in urban areas, seeing a poor person like Lazarus in St. Luke’s Gospel is a normal scenario. Exit ramps from highways, expressways and freeways are filled with people begging for help due to being homeless or hungry. Whether it is a lone figure or a family, the cardboard signs with dark writing cannot help but catch the eye of those passing by. And most do just pass by without an offer to help.

TWENTY-FIFTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME (C): DISCIPLES OF JESUS ARE ASKED TO SHARE IN JUSTICE AND FAIRNESS THE GIFTS GOD HAS GIVEN US WITH THOSE IN NEED. by Deacon Jim Merle

Have you ever heard the saying: I would rather be clever than smart? I even used it myself when I was much younger. It was a trait that peaked my imagination to allow me to be creative. People were more responsive when I said or did something either because it made sense or it made me look like I knew something they did not.

Ecumenism - Article 2 by Father Glenn Baaten

Throughout its history, the Christian faith has experienced significant internal divisions that have shaped the structure, theology, and global influence of the Church. Two pivotal events mark major splits within the Christian tradition: the Great Schism of 1054 and the Protestant Reformation of the 16th century. These events not only transformed religious practice but also influenced political, cultural, and social developments across centuries.

THE EXALTATION OF THE HOLY CROSS (C): “MAY I NEVER BOAST OF ANYTHING BUT THE CROSS OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST”! by Deacon Jim Merle

“In the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.”

 

We either say these words aloud or mouth them silently as we make the Sign of the Cross when we enter a church or at the beginning and end of a prayer. It is our way of recognizing that we are one in faith with the Holy Trinity. The physical gesture with our right hand to our head, to our heart, to our left shoulder and then our right shoulder as a Roman Catholic Christian is the reminder that we acknowledge what Jesus, the Son of God the Father, did to cement this relationship by suffering crucifixion so we can be forgiven of our sins and be allowed to enter into the everlasting salvific joy, peace and love of heaven.

TWENTY-THIRD SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME (C): BEING TRUE AND FAITHFUL TO JESUS REQUIRES MUCH WORLDLY SACRIFICE by Deacon Jim Merle

 Our world is into self-preservation.  It is a mantra for almost every culture.  In and of itself, it is not wrong.  How we go about self-preservation is the crux of most people’s lives.  That is what our readings and Gospel are bringing into light if we espouse Christian discipleship as the mainstay of our lives. 

TWENTY-SECOND SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME (C): JESUS CALLS US TO BE HUMBLE TO SERVE THOSE IN NEED! by Deacon Jim Merle

Like Jesus’ parables on honor, respect and humility in St. Luke’s Gospel today, it is interesting to note that regular church goers often have favorite seats in which they sit. Others like to sit at the ends of a pew rather than move toward the center when other people enter so they must step over them to be in “their” pew. I have been to some churches that have a plaque with someone’s name where they sit and in others where initials are carved in certain pews to mark a place where someone sits.

Twenty-First Sunday in Ordinary Time: Jesus Invites Us To Enter The Narrow Gate To Save All Souls By Introducing Them To Joy, Peace And Everlasting Life by Deacon Jim Merle

Last week’s readings and St. Luke’s Gospel reminded us that we are called to bring God’s love and peace to all we meet.  Our Baptism brings the fire of the Holy Spirit into our being so that we can spread God’s word toward purification of sinfulness and acceptance of God’s Kingdom.  Today, we add another dimension in which we reach out to the whole world even in times of great difficulty because no one is to be excluded from the Kingdom of God.  Salvation is offered to everyone.

TWENTIETH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME (C): Baptized With The Fire Of The Holy Spirit, We Are Called To Bring Of God’s Love And Peace To All We Meet by Deacon Jim Merle

 In the realm of relationships each one is unique even though there are identifying traits that psychologist, psychiatrists and scientists have data that often proves the outcomes are consistent no matter the person involved.  The uniqueness comes when we interact with one another and the outcome produces or provides an avenue of action to change something for better or worse.

Ecumenism Part I: Christ’s Prayer and the Call to Unity by Father Glenn Baaten

Dear Friends in Christ,

I would like to present a three-part article concerning Ecumenism—the promotion of the visible unity of the Church.

In this first part, we will reflect on Christ’s call for unity in His high priestly prayer recorded in the Gospel of John. In the second part, we will examine the history of division within the Church, focusing on the Great Schism and the Protestant Reformation. Lastly, we will explore the development of the modern Ecumenical movement throughout the 20th and 21st centuries.