Blog of the Archdiocese of Washington
One of the bigger mistakes one can make is to read Scripture as a spectator, treating it as merely a collection of stories and events that took place thousands of years ago. While these are historical accounts, they are much more than that. Truth be told, these ancient stories are our stories. We are in …
Continue reading “100 Questions Jesus Asked and You Should Answer”
In the ancient Church and up until rather recently, one genuflected at the two references to the Incarnation during the Mass: during the Creed and in the Last Gospel (John 1). Why was this done? It was explained to me that the mystery of the Incarnation is so deep, one can only fall in silent …
The Christmas Gospel from Luke provides us with many teachings. One thing that surely stands out, however, is the permeating theme of humility. Throughout the account, God confounds our prideful expectations and insists on being found in the lowest of places. The newborn Christ is not found where we expect Him to be nor does …
Continue reading “Humility Lessons from the Nativity – A Homily for Christmas”
For my money, the best Advent hymn ever is Veni Redemptor Gentium (Come Redeemer of the Nations), written by St. Ambrose in the 4th century. It is more widely known by the title “Come Thou Redeemer of the Earth.” Sadly, it is not often sung in Catholic parishes today. Most Catholics I’ve asked have never …
Continue reading “Best Advent Hymn! I Wonder If You’ve Ever Heard of It”
As Catholics, we open Advent with the New Testament. We read its earliest pages, and the light shows brighter than ever as one covenant passes on and the New Covenant begins. The Groom has found his Bride. Catholics reverence the whole of the Scriptures and refuse Marcionism, a heresy that (among other things) rejected the …
Continue reading “Pondering the Approaching Feast of the Word Made Flesh”
It is good and necessary to ponder more of the Gospel of yesterday’s Solemnity of Christ the King. It remains a profound teaching that Christ was crucified between two thieves. Why? St. Thomas Aquinas proposes three answers to the question. Let’s consider them, with particular emphasis on the third. I. To Identify with Fallen Sinners …
Continue reading “Why Was Christ Crucified Between Two Thieves?”
In Monday’s post, I discussed some of the more common problems with funerals; it provides background for the homily I summarize in today’s post. In it, I tried to teach on what I think are the central themes that should be emphasized in Christian funerals. I do not necessarily preach every word you see here …
Continue reading “A Funeral Sermon Designed to Teach on the Last Things and Inspire Prayer”
It is critical for us who would preach the Gospel to ponder what sorts of presuppositions our listeners bring to the conversation. Today, sadly, there are many trends that have poisoned the culture and thus make our task much more difficult. But difficult does not mean impossible. It helps to describe modern mindsets, not to despair …
Continue reading “Six Cultural Trends that Challenge the Modern Evangelizer”