Author Archive for Kevin M. Tierney

Why Confess Sins to a Priest?
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Why Confess Sins to a Priest?

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by on Apr 18, 2013 in Apologetics, Catechesis, Featured, Live in Christ, MyChurchParish.com
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I would like to look at the matter from a different angle. I don’t really want to focus on a biblical rationale for every aspect of the sacrament of confession, not yet at least. Instead, I’d like for us to ponder why it is fitting that God chooses to use priests in the forgiveness of sins through the confessional.

Why is There a Crisis in the Confessional?
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Why is There a Crisis in the Confessional?

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by on Apr 11, 2013 in Apologetics, Catechesis, Featured, MyChurchParish.com, Uncategorized
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In my last column, we began covering the sacrament of confession by stating that modern Catholicism suffers from a crisis of the confessional.  Here on this site, on social media and in emails, readers have shared their thoughts with me on why this is so.  According to the wisdom of the crowds, the biggest problem […]

The Crisis of the Confessional
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The Crisis of the Confessional

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by on Apr 05, 2013 in Catechesis, Featured, Live in Christ, MyChurchParish.com
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Why did future saints like Blessed John Paul II go to confession on a weekly basis, sometimes even more frequently? Why did Archbishop Fulton Sheen recall with delight how the nuns whose confessions he heard did not spare their venial sins in the confessional, even though Church law only requires the confession of mortal sins?

The Royal Calling of Baptism
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The Royal Calling of Baptism

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by on Mar 26, 2013 in Apologetics, Catechesis, Featured, MyChurchParish.com
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When the sacrament of baptism is discussed, much attention is placed upon the fact that we share in Christ’s offices of Priest and Prophet.  Little attention is paid (especially here in the land of democracy) to the third office we are enrolled in:  that of King.  This truth should be a source of great shame […]

Being Faithful in Small Things
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Being Faithful in Small Things

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by on Mar 25, 2013 in Catechesis, Featured, Live in Christ, MyChurchParish.com
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Yet if the impulse is noble, then that means there’s a hint of truth to this. So why the emphasis on the smallest bits of liturgical discipline? Why nitpick? In short, we are trying to be like the just servants in the parable of the talents.

Baptism and Prophecy
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Baptism and Prophecy

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by on Mar 20, 2013 in Apologetics, Catechesis, Featured, MyChurchParish.com
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In addition to sharing in Christ’s priesthood in baptism, the Catechism also tells us that we share in Christ’s prophetic office.  The purpose of a Prophet (and hence Christ’s Office of Prophet) is something that is frequently misunderstood within Christianity today.  The average answer will be that a prophet is essentially a divine fortune teller […]

The Baptismal Priesthood
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The Baptismal Priesthood

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by on Mar 14, 2013 in Apologetics, Catechesis, Featured, MyChurchParish.com
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A very wise priest is fond of starting all his discussions on the sacraments with the following fundamental truth.  When teaching on the sacraments, we must remember that nobody encounters God without being fundamentally changed.  In the Old Testament the names of individuals were changed.  Moses’ face became as bright as the sun, and Elijah […]

A New Day is Here
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A New Day is Here

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by on Mar 13, 2013 in Featured, Live in Christ, MyChurchParish.com
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If there is one thing about the Holy Spirit, he loves to throw a curveball. When white smoke appeared, Fox News’ Megyn Kelly and some wannabe pundit (whose name escapes me) were spending their time talking about how we were going to get a pope who was younger to help appeal to the masses.  Or […]

The Baptism Betrothal
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The Baptism Betrothal

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by on Mar 04, 2013 in Apologetics, Catechesis, Featured, MyChurchParish.com
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When we consider the Sacrament of Baptism, two things become readily apparent. The first is how important baptism is in the Scriptures. Out of all the sacraments, none are foretold more than the sacrament of Baptism. (See Gen 1:2, Ez 36:25, 2 Kings 5:10-15, Is 1:16 to name but a few examples.) The other is […]

Signs and Sacraments
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Signs and Sacraments

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by on Feb 21, 2013 in Apologetics, Catechesis, Featured, MyChurchParish.com
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We understand the sacraments as “visible signs of an invisible reality.” While this is true, it really doesn’t tell us much about the sacraments. A visible sign of what? What is the reality? The questions (and answers!) contemporary Catholicism provides are clearly not satisfying.

Theology of the Wounded
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Theology of the Wounded

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by on Feb 15, 2013 in Apologetics, Catechesis, Featured, MyChurchParish.com
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I am of the opinion that we cannot develop a proper evangelization and theology centered around the sacraments because of the way we currently practice our faith. Any proper evangelization begins at home, and we need to take a better look at some realities of our faith.

The Sacraments And Union With God
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The Sacraments And Union With God

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by on Feb 12, 2013 in Apologetics, Catechesis, Featured, MyChurchParish.com
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True as they all are, their answers are incomplete. They are means, not the end. Why does God wish to “marry us?” What is the purpose of God providing peace? As always, the answer may be found within the Scriptures

Beyond Booster Shots: A Different Approach to the Sacraments
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Beyond Booster Shots: A Different Approach to the Sacraments

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by on Feb 07, 2013 in Apologetics, Catechesis, Featured, MyChurchParish.com
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I think we Catholics approach the sacraments from a flawed analysis. We view them as mere “booster shots” for the already holy. So long as we are without mortal sin, we go to the sacraments, get our booster shot of infused grace, and we become holier. While there is certainly this aspect to the sacraments, there needs to be a lot more to the sacraments if we are taking the Biblical, historical, and magisterial evidence seriously.

CL8 -heidibratton notxt
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A Second Look at Confession

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by on Jan 18, 2013 in Featured, Live in Christ, Men, MyChurchParish.com
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If you ask any priest, he will tell you that one of the biggest dangers attacking healthy marriages in the Church today comes from pornography.  When you consider that kids from healthy Catholic marriages are a lot likelier to develop a strong faith, this is a problem that affects more than just the individual couple; it impacts […]

Did Christ Make the Apostles Priests?
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Did Christ Make the Apostles Priests?

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by on Nov 02, 2011 in Apologetics, Featured
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When discussing the Catholic priesthood, many questions need to be considered. First and foremost, we must ask ourselves where the idea of the priesthood comes from in the Scriptures. Contrary to the ideas of our Protestant brethren, the idea of the ministerial priesthood is clearly enunciated within the New Testament. Indeed, if there is no […]