Blog of the Archdiocese of Washington
The Gospel today amounts to a summons to faith by Jesus. In particular he is summoning us faith in himself, and the truth he proclaims about his presence in the Holy Eucharist. Last week’s Gospel ended with Jesus declaring that he was the bread that has come down from heaven. Today’s Gospel opens with his …
Continue reading “Faith or Famished. A Meditation on the Gospel for the 19th Sunday of the Year”
All the readings in today’s Mass speak of the fact of human desire. The Israelites in the desert are hungry, so are the people by the lakeside, with Jesus. And in the Epistle St. Paul warns of corrupted desires. In all the readings, God teaches us that our desires are ultimately directed to Him, who …
We have today the very familiar miracle of the loaves and fishes. One is tempted to say, “Oh that one…and tune out.” But, if we allow it, the gospel today contains a very personal appeal from the Lord’s lips to your (my) ears: “Where can we buy enough food for them to eat?” Immediately all …
In the recent killing at the Batman movie the alleged perpetrator James Holmes said eerily, “I am the Joker.” Let me state right away, I do not pretend to understand what set this alleged mad man off, but his self-identifying with the Joker, the featured nemesis of Batman in the last “Dark Knight” movie, resonates …
The Gospel today speaks to us of the Priority of Personal Prayer. You may recall that in last week’s gospel Jesus had sent them out two by two to proclaim the Kingdom. Now they return and want to eagerly report the progress and the graces they encountered. But Jesus as he listens, urges them, perhaps …
One of the great losses to Western Culture is the increasing refusal to accept that there is a Natural Law to which we may commonly refer. This is especially problematic in pluralistic and secularist societies like the post-Christian West where reference to the sacred text of Scripture is not considered authoritative by many. Hence, it …
Continue reading “A Lament at the Secular World’s Rejection of Natural Law”
Like many of you I often use Google Alerts to stay in touch with what’s going out out there. One of my search parameters is “Catholic” as you might expect. But what I get back from Google would really be described more as “anti-Catholic.” Well over 80% of the articles and posts that are highlighted …
One of the great obstacles to effectively evangelizing is that most Christians lack the requisite freedom and simplicity of life to carry forth the task consistently and coherently. In today’s Gospel the Lord offers some counsel on what is required to effectively evangelize. As we read a gospel like this, it is tempting to think …