Blog of the Archdiocese of Washington
We in the West live in a place and at a time in which almost every burden of manual labor has been eliminated. Not only that, but creature comforts abound. Everything from air conditioning to hair conditioning, from fast food to high speed internet, from to indoor plumbing to outdoor grilling, from instant computer downloads …
Continue reading “Stop Yoking Around – A Homily for the 14th Sunday of the Year”
The Catholic approach to the end times is different from that in certain (but not all) Protestant circles, especially the Evangelicals, who have a strong and often vivid preoccupation with signs of the Second Coming of Christ. Many of the notions that are expressed there are either erroneous or extreme. Some of these notions are …
Continue reading “Are These the End Times? What the Catechism Says”
In Friday’s post, we reflected on some of the historical problems related to catechesis and how they have negatively impacted us in the aftermath of the cultural revolution that swept through beginning in the late 1960s. Even prior to that time, some of the strategies and pedagogical philosophies common were problematic in that they tended …
Continue reading “A Response to Past Problems in Catechesis”
St. Paul speaks of the longing of creation to be set free. He almost personifies creation: For indeed, creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed. For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope …
Continue reading “On the Longing of Creation To Be Set Free”
After Christ rose from the dead, He appeared to His disciples at certain places and times, but did not seem to stay with them continuously. On the first Easter Sunday, He appeared six times in rather rapid succession: first to Mary Magdalene, then to the women at the tomb, third as the women left the …
Continue reading “Why Did Christ Not Stay Continually With His Disciples After the Resurrection?”
The teachings of the Lord on Hell are difficult, especially in today’s climate. The most difficult questions that arise relate to its eternal nature and how to square its existence with a God who is loving and rich in mercy. 1. Does God love the souls in Hell? Yes. How could they continue to exist …
Continue reading “Seven Teachings on Hell From St. Thomas Aquinas”
In the Gospel today the Lord describes metaphorically what a Christian is and what He expects of us. Note five things about what God says: I. The Definitiveness of His Proclamation– The text says, You are the Salt of the earth. … You are the light of the World. … But if salt goes flat …
Continue reading “Pass the Salt and Turn on the Lights – A Homily for the Fifth Sunday of the Year”
There is a line from the Letter to the Hebrews. In it was an important admonition, especially appropriate for our times: Encourage yourselves daily while it is still today, so that none of you may grow hardened by the deceit of sin (Heb 3:12). Collectively speaking, we been hardened by the deceit of sin. Many …
Continue reading “The Hardening of Hearts Caused by the Deceit of Sin”