Blog of the Archdiocese of Washington
In several places, St. Paul used the image of an athlete to describe the Christian life. Consider this one: Do you not know that the runners in the stadium all run in the race, but only one wins the prize? Run so as to win. Every athlete exercises discipline in every way. They do it …
Though he lived in the Southern Kingdom of Judah, the prophet Amos was sent north by God to preach to the Northern Kingdom of Israel. Perhaps no other prophet was as searing in his condemnation and as demanding in his call as was Amos. His prophecies of doom largely came true in the form of …
Today’s Gospel sets forth some parameters for picturing Christ. Sadly, just as in the time of Jesus, many today worship a “designer Messiah.” It is not the real, revealed Christ whom they acknowledge and worship. Rather, it is a Christ of their own fashioning, whom they “carve” in the form of an idol and then …
In the Gospel for Mass yesterday (Wednesday after Ascension), the Lord said that the world would hate and persecute the disciples and He thus prayed that we would be consecrated in the truth. In the first reading, St. Paul warned the presbyters that after his departure “savage wolves” would seek to mislead the faithful. We …
Continue reading “Mind your Mind! A Reflection on the Battleground of the Mind”
I recently prepared a talk to present to a group of lawyers on the relationship between justice and mercy. The following is a summary of the basic points: I. Distinctions – From our perspective as humans, we tend to distinguish sharply between justice and mercy. For us, justice is the rendering to each person what …
I would like to develop something more concerning the Feast of the Ascension, which was celebrated on Thursday (or Sunday in some dioceses). I wonder if many of us have pondered the great glory of this feast for humanity. For indeed, as Jesus enters into the highest heavens and into the Holy of Holies, unto …
Continue reading “Your Love Is Lifting Me Higher, Than I’ve Ever Been Lifted Before!”
At the bottom of this post is a 2010 CBS news story reporting hat anything you’ve copied on a digital copier going back years is stored on a hard drive inside the copier. These drives are evidently so large that they can store more than 20,000 documents and hundreds of thousands of pages. Hence if …
Continue reading “Some Thoughts on Privacy – God Is Watching (And so Are Many Others)”
At every funeral I celebrate, I spend a good portion of the sermon urging everyone, including myself, to be more intent on preparing for death and judgement. I remind the assembled of Jesus’ numerous parables on this theme. I remind them that no one loves them more than does Jesus, and yet no one issued …
Continue reading “On the Need to Be More Urgent in Preparing for Final Judgment”