Catholic Latte

Reflecting on the Parable of the Sheep and the Goats (Mt 25:31-46), Fr. Eric expounds upon how we are called to love Christ through the poor; and embrace Christ’s own spiritual poverty as important prerequisites to becoming an authentic child of God and a true heir to the Kingdom of Heaven. 
To illustrate how Christ is present to us in a special way through the poor, Fr. Eric uses an example inspired by the life of St. Mother Teresa of Calcutta.  A further example is drawn from Fr. Eric’s own life involving the Sacrament of Confession to show how the priority within the scope of Divine Providence should always be on prayer and penance, as opposed to any sort of activism.
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Given that the universal call to holiness can be sometimes intimidating when we’re somewhat unclear about God’s expectations, Fr. Eric expounds upon the Parable of the Talents (Mt 25:14-30) to clarify that God’s expectations for our lives are actually quite reasonable.  Topics discussed include how we are called to make something of ourselves given the gratuitous gift of the crucified Christ; and the importance of trusting that the grace that God has given us to become the persons He is calling us to be is stronger than our weaknesses, frailties and sins.
Fr. Eric also speaks about how the Lord’s expectations for our lives correspond directly to what He has given to us, but also what He has not; the Lord’s invitation to live fruitful and generative lives; and the necessity to share in God’s salvific mission as an important prerequisite to sharing in His joy.
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Reflecting on the Parable of the Ten Virgins (Mt 25:1-13), Fr. Eric speaks about how our relationship with Christ is the product of what we choose personally to invest of ourselves; while clarifying that the priority is on doing the will of God, as opposed to engaging in a sort of activism.
Fr. Eric uses an example from the film “Fast and Furious 7” (2015) to make the distinction between our particular vocation in this world, and our ultimate vocation in Christ; as well as how we might appropriate our ultimate vocation through the choices we make. 
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Reflecting on the Beatitudes (Mt 5:1-12), Fr. Eric speaks about Christ’s identity as the New Moses; the one, true Mediator between humanity and divinity; and the perfect Teacher.  Additional topics include spiritual poverty, mourning with hope, living the purposeful life, and the pursuit of a rightly ordered society.
Fr. Eric also reflects on how we are called to find life by extending outwards, as opposed to turning inwards; the need to be set apart for God’s purposes as a prerequisite for divine intimacy; the role of suffering in God’s plan; and the importance of seeking our joy in the sharing of God’s own life. 
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Check out Fr. Eric’s extended reflection on the film “Fatima” (2020), which dramatizes the various Marian apparitions to three children in Fatima, Portugal in 1917. Fr. Eric discusses the importance of living the spiritual life with faith, simplicity and conviction; practicing our faith with an eye towards our relationship with Christ, as opposed to simply various thoughts, ideas and principles; and the primacy of doing God’s will with a sense of holy indifference, as opposed to clinging to our preconceived plans.
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Reflecting on Matthew 22:34-40, Fr. Eric expounds upon the interplay between the exhortation to love God above all things, and to love our neighbour as ourselves.  Topics include the scope of these two great commandments, and how these commandments complement each other in practice.
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On October 21, 2020, Fr. Eric gave a live-streamed talk to the Catholic Mom’s Group at St. Leo’s in Brooklin, Ontario about the subject of how to pray with the Bible. Fr. Eric reviewed various practical tips with regards to how to read the Bible, engage in fruitful meditation, and enter a proper spirit of contemplation.
The structure of Fr. Eric’s talk was based on an outline from a book entitled Fire of Mercy, Heart of the Word: Meditations on the Gospel According to Matthew (Vol. 1) by Erasmo Leiva-Merikakis (San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 1996). 
Other works cited include Inside the Bible: An Introduction to Each Book of the Bible (San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 1998) by Kenneth Baker; and Catholic Bible Dictionary (New York: Doubleday Religion, 2009) by Scott Hahn. 
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Reflecting on Matthew 22:15-21, in which Jesus is asked whether it is lawful or not to pay taxes to the emperor (Mt 22:17), Fr. Eric speaks about how our identity as persons made in the image and likeness of God (cf. Gen 1:27) means that we belong ultimately to God, such that we are called to offer our entire lives back onto Him from which we find our origin and being.
Fr. Eric also discusses the role of economics, politics and various other secular disciplines in helping to serve God’s purposes and bring about a right ordering of this world; as well as the proper role of the Church when it comes to political affairs.
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Reflecting on the Parable of the Wedding Feast (Mt 22:1-14), Fr. Eric speaks about how we cannot continue to love God while having our hearts set on any form of idolatry. Topics discussed include the worldly perspective of finding our value and self-worth through our various efficiencies and productivities, in contrast to the divine invitation to rest in a deep sense of gratuitous intimacy with Christ our Lord.
Fr. Eric also talks about how the prerequisite to real intimacy with Christ is a willingness to embrace our weakness in the sense of trusting that we will loved apart from our ability to produce that which the world finds to be important and valuable.
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Fr. Eric expounds upon the Parable of the Wicked Tenants (Mt 21:33-43) to articulate how it is possible to love the external practice of religion while hating or even despising God. Topics discussed include the prophet Isaiah’s prophecy about the destruction of the city of Jerusalem (Isa 5:1-7), as well as Christ as the living cornerstone from which will emerge a New Jerusalem (Ps 118).
Fr. Eric also speaks about how the reality of our salvation brought about through the suffering Messiah can be a beacon of hope for us as we wrestle with our human frailty and brokenness.
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