Blog of the Archdiocese of Washington
In the Mass for Thursday of the 25th week of the year, we read from the book of the prophet Haggai, who wrote at the time of the return of the Jews from the Babylonian exile, which had begun in 587 B.C. The Jewish people were permitted to return to the Promised Land beginning in about …
In this Sunday’s Gospel, the Lord Jesus gives a penetrating analysis of the state of the sinner and some very sobering advice to us would-be saints. Let’s look at the Gospel in two stages: I. ANALYSIS OF THE SINNER – In the opening lines of the Gospel, Jesus describes a sinful steward. DELUSION (of the …
Most of us have sentimental notions about angels in general and guardian angels in particular, yet the Bible depicts then as powerful, fierce, and almost warlike. They are holy and good, but their glory overwhelms. In Scripture, people encountering angels are often disconcerted and filled with fear. Many of us think of the angels as …
Continue reading “A Guardian Angel Unlike Any You’ve Ever Seen!”
The three parables in this Sunday’s lengthy Gospel challenge conventional thinking. They describe people doing things that we most likely would not do. All three of them – especially the first two – seem crazy. Who would ever do what the shepherd of the lost sheep does or what the woman with the lost coin …
Continue reading “Crazy! A Homily for the 24th Sunday of the Year”
A very common word in the New Testament is “deceived.” In English we tend to think of this word as referring to someone who has been tricked or fooled. And thus the emphasis is on intellectual terms. The Greek and Latin roots, however, have an almost physical dimension to them. The Latin roots for “deceived” …
Continue reading “Do Not be Deceived! A Meditation on a Constant Theme of Scripture”
Once again it is necessary to reiterate the true, Catholic, and biblical teaching on Satan and demons. Contrary to what Superior General of the Society of Jesus Fr. Arturo Sosa stated in a recent interview, the Church does not teach that Satan is merely a symbol or an idea. He is not the “personification of …
In the readings this Sunday, the Lord describes a danger: our tendency to make light of judgment and not be sober that one day we must account for our actions. In the first reading (from Isaiah), the Lord sets forth His desire to save us, but we must understand that our will, our assent, is …
Continue reading “Sober and Serious about Salvation—Homily Notes for the 21st Sunday of the Year”
I am often approached by widows and widowers after the death of a spouse with a question similar to this one, which was submitted to me at my “Question and Answer” column in Our Sunday Visitor. I recently lost my husband of 46 years and long to be reunited with him one day. But some …
Continue reading “Will Marriages Be Acknowledged in Heaven?”