Archives for 2022

Homilies for September 2022

For September 4, September 11, September 18, and September 25 Twenty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time – September 4, 2022 Readings: Wis 9:13–18b • Ps 90:3–4, 5–6, 12–13, 14 and 17 • Phmn 9–10, 12–17 • Lk 14:25–33    bible.usccb.org/bible/r … [Read more...]

The New Staff of HPR

Taking effect September 1, 2022, a new team will assume leadership of Homiletic & Pastoral Review. HPR welcomes Rev. John P. Cush, STD, as Editor-in-Chief, with Sister Mary Micaela Hoffman, RSM, S.S.L., as Associate Editor. At the same … [Read more...]

Response to Peter Kwasniewski

On the solemnity of Corpus Christi this year (June 19), the U.S. bishops launched the “Eucharistic Revival,” a three-year endeavor aimed at rekindling Eucharistic faith and devotion among Catholics. Almost simultaneously, on June 29, Pope Fr … [Read more...]

The Importance of Recognizing Satan’s Existence

This essay is a sequel to my article, “Disbelief in the Existence of Personified Evil” in the August 2020 issue of this same publication. In that article, I explained Satan’s identity, his motives, his ways, the times in which he attacks, an … [Read more...]

It’s All Just a Mathematical Equation

The devil wants to divide us. It’s as simple as that. As simple as a mathematical equation, but one that has devastating consequences. As Catholic Christians, who have been taught that evil spirits flee “in the name of Jesus,” we should k … [Read more...]

Questions Answered – September 2022

Truly Believing in the Real Presence Question: I am 73 and a lifelong Catholic. I struggle with the doctrine of the real presence. I say this partially because if Catholics really believed this, the churches and adoration chapels would be … [Read more...]

Book Reviews – September 2022

The Light Entrusted to You: Keeping the Flame of Faith Alive. By John R. Wood. Reviewed by Aaron Martin. (skip to review) The Education of a Historian: A Strange and Wonderful Story. By John W. O’Malley. Reviewed by Christopher Siuzdak. ( … [Read more...]

Homilies for August 2022

For August 7, August 14, August 15 (Solemnity of the Assumption), August 21, and August 28 Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time – August 7, 2022 Readings: Wis 18:6–9 • Ps 33:1, 12, 18–19, 20–22 • Heb 11:1–2, 8–19 or Heb 11:1–2, 8–12 • Lk 1 … [Read more...]

Overview of Desiderio Desideravi

On the Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul, June 29, 2022, Pope Francis promulgated the Apostolic Letter Desiderio Desideravi.[1. Francis, Desiderio Desideravi (Rome: Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 2022), … [Read more...]

The Universal Call to Evangelization

Nothing Can Disqualify You From This Urgent Mission

As we do our work at Saint Paul Street Evangelization, there are so many different evangelization-related topics to address. What exactly is evangelization? Why do we need to do it? How do we evangelize effectively? What is the Kerygma and … [Read more...]

St. John Vianney and the Meaning of the Priesthood

Homily preached by the Reverend Peter M. J. Stravinskas, Ph.D., S.T.D., at Holy Innocents Church in New York City for the memorial of St. John Vianney (4/8 August 202/OF & EF calendars). In this month of August, we celebrate the … [Read more...]

Prejudices Against Mercy: Is Mercy a Relaxation of Justice?

An Inquiry Guided by St. Thomas Aquinas

Contemporary Concerns about Mercy The fact that the Jubilee Year of Mercy called for by Pope Francis in 2016–17 coincided with mass encounters of Middle Eastern refugees in Europe, challenging immigration policy disputes in the United S … [Read more...]

Questions Answered – August 2022

Mixing Unconsecrated Hosts Question: Is it a sin for a priest to mix unconsecrated hosts with the consecrated Precious Blood in intinction when distributing communion? Answer: The Eucharist is the source and summit of the Catholic … [Read more...]

Book Reviews – August 2022

Configured to Christ: On Spiritual Direction and Clergy Formation. By Deacon James Keating. Reviewed by Rev. John P. Cush, STD. (skip to review) Married Priests in the Catholic Church. Ed. by Adam A.J. DeVille. Reviewed by John A. … [Read more...]

Roe v. Wade Overturned

On the morning of Friday, June 24, in a 6–3 ruling, the Supreme Court issued a historic verdict. In a decision titled Dobbs vs. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, the court overturned Roe vs. Wade. After nearly fifty years, abortion is no … [Read more...]