Of Friends and Foes: A Homily for the 26th Sunday of the Year
In this Sunday’s Gospel there is a certain tension between legitimate freedom and truths we must insist upon. We also have a lot to learn in sorting out friends and foes. I. Foe or Friend? – The text begins, John said to Jesus, “Teacher, we saw someone driving out demons in your name, and we […]
Our Common Threat, as Seen in a Commercial
The commercial below is humorous, albeit preposterous. Here is the scenario: the earth has stopped rotating on its axis and “scientists” say that if everyone runs in the same direction we can restart the rotation, much like hamsters running in an exercise wheel. Of course, as the standard disaster movie format requires, the news anchor […]
A Proverb about the Glory and Safety of God’s Word
There is always much to ponder in the Book of Proverbs, from which we have been reading at daily Mass this week (25th Week of the Year). Consider the following proverb, which speaks to the glory of the Word of God and of our need to preserve its purity. Every word of God is tested; […]
A Meditation on the Poverty of Riches, as Seen in a Video
At Mass for Wednesday of the 25th Week of the Year, we read this passage: Give me neither poverty nor riches; Feed me [only] with food that I need for today: Lest I be full, and deny you, and say, Who is the LORD? or lest I be poor, and steal, and take the name […]
Pondering Some Proverbs
In daily Mass this week we are reading from the Book of Proverbs, in which a common theme is the contrast between the wise man and the fool. Let’s examine a few passages from the Proverbs. They go a long way toward explaining the ultimate destiny of the wise and the destruction wrought by foolishness […]
“This Is All I Can Do Now” – Applying a Practice of St. Catherine of Siena to Our Current Crisis
Many Catholics have struggled to find a voice that has been nearly washed out of us by our training. We remember a time when it was unthinkable to criticize a priest; those who did were quickly rebuked, with little opportunity for explanation. Bishops and especially the Pope were not to be questioned let alone criticized. […]
Learning to Name Sins Is to Have More Power Over Them
Over the years we have steadily been losing the vocabulary of sin. Saying “I have sinned” is often replaced by “I made a mistake,” or “I made a poor decision,” or “I’m sorry if my behavior was hurtful in some way.” Not only are we slow to say we have sinned, we are also ignorant […]
Asking a Crucial Question: A Homily for the 25th Sunday of the Year
In the Sunday Gospel, the Lord Jesus is asking a crucial question. The word crucial here is selected carefully; it comes from the Latin cruces, meaning “cross.” Indeed, looming over this entire gospel reading is the cross. In it, Jesus makes the second prediction of His passion, death, and resurrection. It is in the context […]
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