Category: site

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quick update

I wanted to put out a quick note, since I haven’t been able to post much on here lately.

I do still plan to start updating my site with more resources and helpful materials, and I also plan to continue posting homilies. My intention is for this material to come from the texts I write for these various things. For example: If I were to write a homily, it would get posted after some minor editing. If I were to give a talk on the Eucharist, I would have an outline of the talk. When I get a chance to fill in the outline, I would post it here.

This has all had to take a bit of a back seat. Due to circumstances beyond my control, ministerial demands have required me to focus on in-person things more than online things. Hopefully, as things stabilize, I will be able to start updating my site a little more regularly.

In the meantime, the one thing I’m going to try very hard to keep up to date is the homily podcast.

Thanks.

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A few updates

So. COVID. Not fun. I don’t recommend getting COVID. I do recommend getting the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines. They have a few ethical issues, but these are mitigated in many ways. For a really great write-up on the vaccines regarding their moral & ethical considerations, The Pillar has an excellent article on exactly that: The ultimate Catholic coronavirus vaccine morality explainer

I finally have gotten caught up on the homily podcast. I haven’t posted the videos of my homilies on YouTube yet, but plan to work on that next.

If you’re wondering why I’m not posting the text of my homilies, it is because there isn’t a text to post. While I have been preparing my homilies over the last few weeks, various circumstances have prevented me from preparing a manuscript.

Since I haven’t posted a homily in a while, here are some updates on what’s been going on.

The remains of Servant of God Fr. Emil Kapaun have been identified. This is amazing news. It was announced by Sen. Jerry Moran last week.

The Diocese of Wichita’s article about it can be found by clicking here. For Fr. Kapaun’s story and information about his cause for canonization, check out http://www.frkapaun.org/

Finally, Pope Francis is in Iraq right now, and he is doing some amazing things. All of his speeches and his travels can be found on the Vatican website: http://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/travels/2021/outside/documents/papa-francesco-iraq-2021.html

While I haven’t fully read his homily at St. Joseph’s Chaldean Cathedral in Baghdad (the Chaldean Church is one of the many Eastern Churches in union with the Holy Father), I will be doing so later. He ends this homily with these moving words

Today I thank God with you and for you, because here, where wisdom arose in ancient times, so many witnesses have arisen in our own time, often overlooked by the news, yet precious in God’s eyes. Witnesses who, by living the Beatitudes, are helping God to fulfill his promises of peace.

I normally wouldn’t post so many tweets here, but that seems to be where to find the most recent news on his historic trip.

Perhaps most impactful is that Pope Francis visited Mosul, where the Islamic caliphate was declared who swore to conquer Rome. Today, we see that the wisdom of God has won out.

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Updates – July 2020

I wanted to post a quick update, since I haven’t posted the full text of my homilies in a few weeks. (My apologies! I haven’t had a chance to write a full text version out for the last few weeks.) I am still posting the audio of my homilies to my podcast. You can find the homilies to the right, or you can subscribe to them in your podcast app:

Apple Podcasts Apple Podcasts
Google Podcasts Google Podcasts
Spotify Podcasts on Spotify
Player FM PlayerFM
RSS RSS Feed

Fr. Matt triumphs over the video streaming hardware!

Some more fun and exciting news: I got our new streaming computer setup in the Church, so I have my laptop back. Yay! This means I have my video editing computer back, which means I can get working on those again.

Have a great day!

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Online Examen Prayer Retreat now posted!

Since the coronavirus has stopped most (all?) public gatherings, it forced my parish into cancelling my in-person Examen Prayer Retreat that was supposed to be today. I wasn’t going to let a little thing like being in-person get in the way of the retreat, though! I’ve recorded my retreat talks and put together a page for the retreat. It includes a schedule for watching the videos, reflection, and prayer. It also includes information on other resources where you can go deeper into the Examen Prayer.

The retreat takes about two hours long, and is available by clicking here.

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Holy Land Edition

My second semester of third theology just started, and I will be spending 9 weeks on pilgrimage in the Holy Land, seeing all the holy sites. I will do my best to continue updating the site while here, but cannot guarantee it!

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New assignment

I begin my summer work assignment today, and as a result, I will not be able to post as often. I will still try to post several times a week, but I ask for your patience as I settle in to the new schedule for the next few weeks.

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about the frequency of posts

I would like to have a new reflection posted every day, but due to various circumstances this has proven very difficult for the last few weeks. I continue to strive toward daily postings, and I will be devoting a little more time per day to try to make sure that happens.

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Away for a bit

I have a retreat and a workshop over the next week and a half, so there will not be any new posts for a while. Sorry!

In the mean time, here are a couple other places to check out:

Word on Fire – Started by Bishop Robert Barron, Word on Fire has great content and is frequently updated. It focuses on the New Evangelization.

FORMED – This has many great videos and resources. It is kind of like a Catholic Netflix. Many parishes have a code for parishioners to get free access! (¡Y también tienen programas en español!)

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life update

In December, my Knights of Columbus council elected me Grand Knight. Since then, life has been a little crazier than usual.

I still plan to finish the “Love” article series, but haven’t had a chance to get the rest of it out. While browsing my local Catholic book store, I found Pope Benedict’s encyclical Deus Caritas Est (God is Love) and want to read that before continuing with that series.

My weight loss plan is not gone, and I have not gone up. I just haven’t dropped as much as I’d have liked. I’m at 229.8lbs as of today. By the end of May I plan to drop to 225lbs or lower–the final goal being between 190lbs and 200lbs. It seems that it is getting harder to drop weight as I get lighter and lighter. My workout has also changed a few times–I’m due for a workout update soon.

I have also retried my gardening attempts this year–last year was not a good year to try it out. Something about setting a record for most days over 100 in recorded history.

I have several other interesting articles planned; hopefully, I will be able to get those written (or at least started) this summer!