Blog of the Archdiocese of Washington
As we begin Lent, we do well to recall that we are engaged in a great and dramatic battle for our souls. The opening prayer for Ash Wednesday Mass makes use of the image of a military “campaign” and mentions weapons and battle: Grant, O Lord, that we may begin with holy fasting this campaign …
Continue reading “An Early Lenten Meditation on Spiritual Warfare”
Are these the last days? In some sense the planets are aligning. But hold your horses; let’s speak carefully of these matters. Last week in the Breviary we read First and Second Thessalonians, which are important source texts for such considerations. I’d like to look at a critical passage from Second Thessalonians, which lays out …
Continue reading “Are These the Last Days? Pondering a Text of St. Paul’s”
There is a phrase in the Scriptures that, while speaking of mystery, is itself a bit mysterious and is debated among scholars: the “mystery of iniquity.” St. Paul mentions it in Second Thessalonians and ties it to an equally mysterious “man of iniquity” who will appear before the Second Coming of Jesus. Many modern translations …
Continue reading “The Mystery of Iniquity – A Meditation on the Mystery of Rebelliousness”
Recently one of my readers sent me a collection of sayings or proverbs on the topic of ministry. The collection is entitled Defining Ministry. The reader, who apparently does not think I follow modern trends very well, scolded me for being out-of-touch and recommended that I review the list. That reader apparently believes that those …
Continue reading “Defining Ministry or Muddling It? A Reflection on an Article “Assigned” to Me”
There is much lore about the antichrist, especially among certain Evangelicals that is often out of proportion to the attention scripture pays to the concept, and more importantly is at possible variance from what is actually and certainly taught. It easily becomes the stuff of movies and novels wherein the antichrist figure steps on the …
Continue reading “Who or What is the Antichrist? A reflection on the Biblical teaching.”
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 …
Continue reading “Paradoxes and Mysteries of the Incarnation”
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 known more widely by the title “Come Thou Redeemer of the Earth.” Sadly, it is not widely sung in Catholic parishes. Most Catholics I’ve asked have never even …
Continue reading “Best Advent Hymn! I Wonder If You’ve Ever Heard of It”
Jesus asked a lot of questions. And rightly so, for he was a supreme teacher. And as any good teacher knows, simply supplying information is not enough. A good teacher wants to teach students to think and go probe more deeply not just the answers, but why they are true. A good teacher also wants …
Continue reading “100 Questions that Jesus asked and YOU should answer”