Synopsis
We need to learn more about our Catholic Faith, and so here I have provided a means to discuss the faith intelligently and to study the rich tradition found in the Catholic Church.
Episodes
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HOMILY: The Difficult Virtue of Hope
08/11/2020 Duration: 13minAlthough the term "hope" gives us the impression it is a gift that offers us rest, it actually doesn't. According to St. Thomas Aquinas it is one of the challenging passions whereby we strain towards something good. We endure, therefore the restlessness of spirit that remains unsatisfied in the absence of some good. The theological virtue of hope strains towards the Divine-Good - God Himself. This theological virtue leads to placing natural hopes into their proper context. The sins against Hope: despair and presumption are "easy" passions according to Aquinas. They are not necessary enjoyable, but they are comforting in the sense of "giving-up" is comforting. We choose to rest is letting go of a good. Sometimes we have to do this with natural goods, but when it comes to the Divine Good, despairing is a sin against despair. Presumption is the death of our relationship with a God of grace, rather than approaching him with entitlement. How do we navigate these challenging times where we are exhauste
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HOMILY: Simple and Incarnational Love
25/10/2020 Duration: 12minChrist speaks to his audience, he knows exactly how to correct each group. To the Pharisees they struggled with integrating love into the law, with the lawless, law into the disposition of love. To which does Christ emphasize to you? This integration is why the Church teaches the "theology of the Body" rather than the "theology of Love." For laws do "hang" from Love, and they are specific.
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HOMILY: We Hunger for Obedience
02/08/2020 Duration: 15minThe theme of bread is used in various ways. Jesus teaches us that "Man does not live by bread alone" but hungers for the "Word that comes from the Father's mouth." Jesus is that Word. Jesus also teaches us, after addressing the Samaritan woman's thirst, that He has Bread that others do not know about. But this bread is "doing the will of the Father." When Jesus feeds us Himself, He is feeding us the Spirit of Obedience to His Father that lives in Him. We can tap into this through faith, in a way that makes such obedience appetizing. Without faith, it is merely servile fear or aimless practices that lead our life. But to make ourselves into a self-offering to God we sacrifice our will, by surrendering to His with full trust, flinging ourselves into the loving arms of God's will.
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HOMILY: Discerning as Kings
26/07/2020 Duration: 12minWE are called to discern God's will through faith and reason as King's who share in Christ's Mission to extend grace and the Gospel.
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Theology 101 - Ep1 - Why Study Theology
23/05/2020 Duration: 05minHere is an Audio Version of a new series on Studying Theology taking place in our Parish. If you would like to watch it on Youtube, please subscribe to our page AVON-THAMES CATHOLIC FAMILY OF PARISHES. https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLUuRFDOf6FNSorVwCfThPHbMLFObHm6t_
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MUSIC: Jesus Fill My Heart
26/04/2020 Duration: 01minVocals: Karen Tigani Piano/Organ: Ron MacDonald
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MUSIC: Prayer of St. Teresa of Avila
26/04/2020 Duration: 04minVocals: Karen Tigani Piano/Organ: Ron MacDonald
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Easter Homily: The Resurrection of the Domestic Church
11/04/2020 Duration: 12minAccording to St. Thomas Aquinas, and Sacred Scripture, "life" is not merely in the body, but also carries a spiritual connotation. That said, a resurrection not only speaks of a bodily resurrection, but also the reviving of a soul that has died due to sin. In some ways this has happened to our families as well, and God is using this time to Visit our families and to breath new life into them.
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MUSIC: Medley, Holy Thursday
09/04/2020 Duration: 04minMusic by Ron MacDonald (1) Jesus Remember Me (2) Lift High the Cross (3) Pange, Lingua, Glorios
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MUSIC: Medley, Good Friday
09/04/2020 Duration: 03minMusic by Ron MacDonald (1) When I Behold the Wondrous Cross (2) The Lord is Now Exalted (3) Were You There
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MUSIC: Medley
09/04/2020 Duration: 05minMusic by Ron MacDonald (1) Alleluia Give Thanks to Risen Lord (2) Jesus Christ is Risen Today (3) Jesus Messiah
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MUSIC: What the Lord Has Done in Me
04/04/2020 Duration: 02minThanks to Ron MacDonald for recording this music for our parish communities.
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MUSIC: In Christ Alone
04/04/2020 Duration: 03minThanks to Ron MacDonald for recording this music for our parish communities.
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MUSIC: Canticle of Turning
04/04/2020 Duration: 02minThanks to Ron MacDonald for recording this music for our parish communities.
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HOMILY: Why Does the Crucifixion Heal Us?
31/03/2020 Duration: 14minOften we here hallmarks in our faith but rarely do we explain the inner-logic of them. For instance, we know that a Bronze Serpent was raised in the wilderness, and this healed the Israelites. But why did God choose this image to be a vehicle of healing? Why does the prophet teach us that by Christ's wounds we are healed? What type of healing are we discussing?
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HOMILY: Hope for New-Life
26/03/2020 Duration: 08minThis week, Fr. Bester, the Pastor of Holy Name of Mary, St. Joseph, and Immaculate Conception Parishes was gracious enough to record his homily for our parish community. I'm grateful for his words of wisdom on this week's readings, which offer us great Hope.