Musings of a One-eared Catholic Priest

Year C; January 9, 2022 God is Love. Since we are created in the image and likeness of God, we are created for relationship, especially a relationship with God. Because of our Baptism, we share in the Baptism of Jesus, we share in Jesus' Sonship. Thus, we are sons and daughters of God.

Year C; January 2, 2022 Things are clearer in the light. Come into and remain in the light of Christ.

Year C; December 26, 2021 From the last line of the homily: Pope John Paul II said, “As the family goes, so goes the nation and so goes the whole world in which we live.” - if we want a great nation, a great society, pray for the grace to be a great family

Year C; December 25, 2021 God loves us. Right after Adam and Eve commit the Original Sin, God begins a plan to win humanity back to Himself while respecting our free will. Jesus' incarnation was the near pinnacle of this plan.

Year C; December 12, 2021 Slow down, pray, change, and become more holy.

Year C

Year B Homily for the last Sunday of Ordinary Time, The Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe.

Year I Homily given at St. Thomas More Newman Center at Minnesota State University.

November 10, 2021 We explore how artificial contraception harms the relationship between men and women; how people who experience same-sex attraction are to be loved, treated with dignity, and encouraged to live a life of celibacy; and how IVF is actually unethical based on the principles we have discussed in early classes.

Year B; November 7, 2021 Just like the widows in the first reading and the Gospel, we need to radically trust that God will provide for our needs. When we do, then we are free to radically give like the two widows do.

November 3, 2021 We explore WHY the Catholic Church teaches that abortion and euthanasia is murder of an innocent person.

Year B; October 31, 2021 The two greatest commandments are loving God and loving neighbor. It is important that we love God first. It is only in loving God that we can truly and properly love our neighbor.

Year B; October 24, 2021 Bartimaeus knew that Jesus passing by was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to be healed of his blindness. May we expect great things from God and do great things for God and others.

October 13, 2021 We discuss false common ideas about how to evaluate the morality of our actions such as the Fundamental Option Theory.

Year I Father Vogel reminds the students of St. Thomas More Newman Center that they do not earn salvation by our works. Yes, we need to be saved. We are fallen human beings. And so we rely on the grace Jesus won on the Cross. We are saved by grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8-9). God loves us prior to what we do. In some ways all we have to do is become more receptive to God’s love. The more we ar...

Year I; October 7, 2021 Father Vogel challenges the students at the St. Thomas More Newman Center (Minnesota State University) to be generous, especially with the love of Christ. It is easy to be selfish in our culture, but we are called to give of ourselves.

Year B; October 10, 2021 Fr. Vogel talks about being willing to give up anything (material) that stand in the way of our relationship with Jesus. Intelligence is good and is about knowing things. Wisdom is being willing to follow Jesus Christ.

October 6, 2021 There are basic moral principles that we can use to evaluate situations in which a moral decision must be made. This includes the basic do good; avoid evil to the Principle of Double Effect.

Year B; October 3, 2021 Fr. Vogel talks about marriage, divorce, and annulments. Free will is necessary for love. Because spouses have free will, love even more a choice than a feeling. Thus spouses must choose each other every day.

September 29, 2021 Fr. Vogel talks about the correct human anthropology. We are not just bodies. We are not just souls trapped in a body. We are a body-soul entity. This has huge implications for our understanding of human ethics and morals.

Year B; September 26, 2021 Fr. Vogel asks what are we willing to sacrifice to make God number one in our lives? How about the lives of our children? What are we willing to sacrifice to avoid sin and choose God?