Blog of the Archdiocese of Washington
In the Sunday Gospel, the Lord Jesus speaks of crosses and crowns. The apostles have only crowns in mind, but Jesus knows the price of the crown. So, He must teach them and us that crowns—the things we value most—come only through the cross. It may help to review the context of this Gospel. Jesus …
Continue reading “No Cross, No Crown – A Homily for the the 29th Sunday of the Year”
In daily Mass we have been reading from second chapter of the Letter to the Galatians. In it, St. Paul recounts his personal history and describes his authority. St. Paul’s story is interesting for three reasons: It shows that St. Paul did not ascend to the office of apostle (bishop) overly quickly but rather was …
God most often works through His angels; He mediates His presence through them. Why is this? He is of course all-powerful and therefore does not need the mediation of the angels, but He does seem to will it. It is common in both Scripture and doctrinal traditions to ascribe to the angels the work of …
Continue reading “Of the Angels and of the Mysterious Providence of God”
Recently I wrote about the need to recover a vocabulary of sin and posted an example related to lying. A good number of readers asked for the other lists I have been compiling. I include them here along with introductory material similar to that in the first post. These lists are always a work in …
Continue reading “Learning to Name Sins Is to Have More Power Over Them – Part Two”
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 …
Continue reading “Of Friends and Foes: A Homily for the 26th Sunday of the Year”
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 …
Continue reading “A Meditation on the Poverty of Riches, as Seen in a Video”
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. …
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 …
Continue reading “Learning to Name Sins Is to Have More Power Over Them”