Category Archives: Fundamental Theology

What do YOU attribute to God?

Posted on March 27, 2014 by Deacon Bob

In my homily for the early morning Mass today, in response to the Gospel in which Jesus is accused of casting out demons in the name of Beelzebub, I asked those present why it is so common for us to … Continue reading →

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Why a Pope? Here’s the Answer.

Posted on March 15, 2014 by Deacon Bob

I ‘d like to share with all of you a video produced by my diocese featuring the Director of Evangelization for the Diocese of Winona, Raymond DeSouza. As he always does with such clarity and eloquence, Mr. DeSouza speaks to … Continue reading →

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Love God means Love Brother

Posted on January 9, 2014 by Deacon Bob

The first reading at Mass today from John’s first epistle begins with the rather blunt statement, “Anyone who says they love God but hates his brother is a liar.” What a wonderful, I could say, expression of the reality of … Continue reading →

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The Politics of Muddy Thinking

Posted on December 24, 2013 by Deacon Bob

One of my fellow bloggers, Deacon Scott Dodge in Salt Lake City, has written a wonderful post www.scottdodge.blogspot.com on the same-sex marriage issue that is threatening to engulf us all. I encourage you to link over and read it. Deacon Dodge … Continue reading →

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The Kingdom of God is Among You

Posted on November 14, 2013 by Deacon Bob

In today’s Gospel reading from Luke we hear Jesus proclaiming that the Kingdom of God is among us. He says that there will be men who will shout out, “He is here!” or “He is there!” but we are not … Continue reading →

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“There is a Baptism with which I must be baptized…”

Posted on October 24, 2013 by Deacon Bob

Today’s Gospel from Luke has Jesus declaring, “I have come to set the earth on fire, and how I wish it were already blazing! There is a baptism with which I must be baptized, and how great is my anguish … Continue reading →

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Pope Francis and the Devil

Posted on October 17, 2013 by Deacon Bob

One of the things many people have noticed about Pope Francis right from the start is his reference to Satan. Many commentators have said this is a reflection of his Jesuit spirituality, and the charism of discernment often seen with … Continue reading →

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“And he kept trying to see him.”

Posted on September 26, 2013 by Deacon Bob

Today’s Gospel passage from Luke is about how perplexed Herod became about the identity of Jesus. We hear of people telling him that Elijah has arisen, or the great prophet has come back. He immediately thought about John the Baptist, … Continue reading →

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Quote for the Day

Posted on July 19, 2013 by Deacon Bob

“… Apart from this body, outside this unity of the Church in Christ, outside this Church… faith loses its ‘measure’; it no longer finds its equilibrium, the space needed to sustain itself.” — Pope Francis, Lumen Fidei, #22

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What’s piety got to do with it, got to do with it (sanctity)?

Posted on April 25, 2013 by Deacon Bob

Tuesday evening I did something I swore in 2004 I would never do again: I watched Mel Gibson’s movie, The Passion of the Christ. All of it except for the scourging scene (it’s too graphic). When the movie came out, I, like … Continue reading →

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Jesus and the Church are Inseparable

Posted on April 23, 2013 by Deacon Bob

In follow up to my last post regarding salvation through Jesus Christ and the Church, I read this morning excerpts from Pope Francis’ homily for today, the memorial of St. George, the pope’s name day (Jorge translates George in English). … Continue reading →

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The Trivialization of Evil and the Denial of a Good God

Posted on April 21, 2013 by Deacon Bob

Benedict XVI wrote in his book, Jesus of Nazareth,    “The idea that God allowed the forgiveness of guilt, the healing of man from within, to cost him the death of his Son has come to seem quite alien to us … Continue reading →

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“It is Right and Just”

Posted on April 6, 2013 by Deacon Bob

In the new translation of the Mass, one of our responses is, “It is right and just.” Many people find it a bit awkward to recite, clumsy, and not readily understood as to its meaning. What does “right and just” … Continue reading →

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Quote for the Day

Posted on March 22, 2013 by Deacon Bob

” But there is no true peace without truth! There cannot be true peace if everyone is his own criterion, if everyone can always claim exclusively his own rights, without at the same time caring for the good of others, of … Continue reading →

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Spiritual Blindness

Posted on March 7, 2013 by Deacon Bob

It seems to me that in many ways, the Church and those who give witness to her teachings on important issues such as abortion, euthanasia, the dignity of marriage as the union of a man and a woman, the injustice … Continue reading →

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