Blog of the Archdiocese of Washington
In the Gospel this Sunday, Jesus gives a number of practical principles for those who would proclaim the Kingdom. Let’s look at each of them in turn. I. Serious – The text says, At that time the Lord appointed seventy-two others whom he sent ahead of him in pairs to every town and place he …
Continue reading “Practical Principles for Proclaiming the Kingdom”
This Sunday’s Gospel portrays through the life of Jesus some important disciplines for disciples. Let’s look at them and see how to apply them to our lives today. I. Purposefulness – The text says, When the days for Jesus’ being taken up were fulfilled, he resolutely determined to journey to Jerusalem, and he sent messengers …
Continue reading “Five Disciplines of Discipleship – A Homily for the 13th Sunday of the Year”
There is a Christian hymn, written in the 1940s during World War II, that says, “In times like these, you need a Savior. In times like these, you need an anchor. Be very sure, be very sure, your anchor holds and grips the Solid Rock.” There are very few faithful Catholics who are not shocked …
Continue reading “A Scriptural Guide for Living and Evangelizing in Troubled, Confused Times”
The readings toward the end of the week in daily Mass come from St. Paul’s Second Letter to the Corinthians. In it, he spends substantial time developing the fact that Moses wore a veil to cover the afterglow of God radiating from his face. In most traditional Catholic settings, we think of the veil as …
Continue reading “What Is the Significance of the Veil Moses Wore?”
There is a line from scripture that says, Woe to the solitary man. If he falls he has no one to lift him up (Ecclesiastes 4:10). Scripture also says, And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, …
Continue reading “The Importance of the Communal Life As Seen in Two Cartoons”
In polling friends as to what they think is the deepest root of all sin, I got three main answers. One was a shrug indicating no answer at all (i.e., “I dunno”). Another was to refer to Scripture: For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils (1 Tim 6:10). I’ll …
The Acts of the Apostles sets forth an event that amounts to a tale of one Church in two cities or regions. It illustrates well a couple of points: that the Church is always in need of reform and that our lives are not merely about us and what we want. Let’s look at the …
Continue reading “Your Life is Not About You, As Illustrated in a Biblical Story”
The Gospel from Saturday’s daily Mass (Saturday of the 2nd Week of Easter) describes troubles rising and demonstrates how to endure them: When it was evening, the disciples of Jesus went down to the sea, embarked in a boat, and went across the sea to Capernaum. It had already grown dark, and Jesus had not …
Continue reading “Overcoming Fear on a Stormy Night in Galilee”