Sunday Sermon, November 10th -- The Maccabees, with pre-sermon note on the Sunday Obligation (Father Ryan Erlenbush, Corpus Christi Parish)

[Pre-sermon note on the Sunday obligation, both to attend Mass as well as to rest from labor -- What circumstances excuse us from the obligation to attend Mass and what sorts of "work" violate the day of rest.]

The age of the Maccabees was a time of most intense persecution of the Jewish people by Antiochus Epiphanes, which foreshadows the great persecution of the Church at the end of time.

2 Maccabees contains many important Catholic Doctrines, including the intercession of the saints and praying for the souls in purgatory.  Martin Luther rejected this book, but there is no justification for excluding it from Scripture.

November 5th, Adult Ed Series on St Augustine's City of God, Session 13 of 16, The Book of Revelation (Father Ryan Erlenbush, Corpus Christi Parish)

In this series which has extended over several months, we are discussing the City of God by St Augustine - certainly, one of the most important book in the history of Western Civilization.

In this session, we look to St Augustine's commentary on the Book of Revelation, with special focus on the following themes: The Beast and his Mark, the Whore of Babylon, the Thousand Years of peace, the First and Second Resurrection, etc.

Sunday Sermon, November 3rd -- Zacchaeus and the Lord, Lover of Souls (Father Ryan Erlenbush, Corpus Christi Parish)

The story of the wee little Zacchaeus captures the Christian imagination as our Lord calls him down from the tree to reconciliation. This event is found only in St Luke's Gospel, and fits well with a number of other events and parables that are related only by St Luke (the lost coin, the lost sheep, the lost prodigal son, the good samaritan, the conversion of St Mary Magdalene, etc). We consider the deeper meaning of the many details of this story, and especially the significance of this being the last personal encounter related in St Luke's Gospel prior to the beginning of Holy Week with Palm Sunday.

Zacchaeus climb the sycamore tree, but the Lord Jesus would climb the wood of the Cross to saved us all.

October 29th -- Adult Ed Series on the City of God, Session 12 of 16 - The Final Judgement (Father Ryan Erlenbush, Corpus Christi Parish)

In this series, we are discussing The City of God by St Augustine, one of the most important and influential books in Western Civilization and in the theological vision of history and of the Church.

In this session, we begin our discussion of the final four books of the work, in which St Augustine discusses the end of time, the day of judgment, hell, and heaven.

October 22nd -- Adult Ed Series on the City of God, Session 11 of 16, From Moses to Christ (Father Ryan Erlenbush, Corpus Christi Parish)

In this series, we are discussing the City of God by St Augustine. In books XV to XVIII, St Augustine gives a commentary on the Old Testament, tracing the history of the City of God from the Creation of the world to the coming of Jesus.

We follow St Augustine's commentary on the Biblical History from Samuel and David through to the end of the Prophets.

Sunday Sermon, October 20th -- Life Issues, Organ Donation and Assisted Suicide (Father Ryan Erlenbush, Corpus Christi Parish)

In the month of October, we are preaching on Life Issues. Having discussed beginning of life issues in our first two sermons, we now turn to the end of life. We consider the moral dangers of organ donation, due to the fact that the organs are harvested from patients who (to any normal judgment) are still alive.

Further we consider proper care for end of life, the difference between ordinary and extraordinary medical care, and why physician assisted suicide is evil.

October 15th - Adult Ed Series on the City of God, Session 10 of 16, Abraham to Moses (Father Ryan Erlenbush, Corpus Christi Parish)

In this series, which has extended several months, we are working through the classic City of God by St Augustine. This is one of the most influential books of all time, and sets forth an Historical Theology of the progress of the City of God from Creation to the end of time.


Session 10: We focus on the story of Abraham, and conclude with a brief discussion of the remaining chapters of Genesis.