Blog of the Archdiocese of Washington
The themes of early Lent are pretty basic. The ashes of Ash Wednesday announce the simple truth that we are going to die and thereafter face judgment. Hence, we need to repent and come to believe the good news that only Jesus can save us. Another early reading from Thursday after Ash Wednesday featured Moses laying out the basic …
The Gospel for today’s Mass shocks most modern readers and perhaps a few ancient ones as well. It is the story of the Syrophoenician woman who begs Jesus to heal her daughter. But Jesus ignores and then rebuffs her. Our shock says perhaps more about our poor understanding of love than about Jesus’ terse response. For review, here is …
Continue reading “Stern Love – A Meditation on a Moment When Jesus Was Unkind”
There are four aspects of powerful preaching displayed by Jesus in this passage. Jesus is not just a powerful preacher Himself, but also models what it means to be a powerful and effective preacher. In using the word “preacher” here we ought to be careful not to reduce preaching merely to what takes place in …
Continue reading “A Portrait of Powerful Preaching – A Homily for the 4th Sunday of the Year”
The first reading today speaks to us of the call of Samuel. In examining it, we can see what it is that makes a great prophet. Put more theologically, we can see the ways in which God’s graces form a great prophet. Samuel was surely one of the most significant prophets of the Old Testament …
Continue reading “The Formation of a Great Prophet – A Homily for the Second Sunday of the Year”
The mysteries of Christmas are many. Among them is the mystery of the music heard that night. The angels shouted the great declaration, “Glory to God in the Highest,” and creation takes it up as a song. But why this music? Is it merely window dressing, or does it disclose a mystery to us? Is it merely …
Continue reading “I Hear Music in the Air! – A Homily for Christmas”
A little over a year ago, I wrote an article asking and answering this question: What Does the Catholic Church Offer for those with Same-Sex Attraction? And the answer is, “the truth.” It is the same gift we offer anyone who will give us the gift of attention and presence. The truth, as revealed by God, …
In moral decline, both personal and cultural, the problem is that not only do we desire what is evil, we also stop desiring that which is good and holy. At the heart of desiring what is evil (or what is good, but to excess), are pride, greed, lust, and gluttony. Sloth and envy are more involved in …
What is temptation? Temptation is the work of Satan to drag you to Hell. And Satan can read you like a book and play you like piano. Do not exaggerate his power, but do not underestimate it either. Some of his subtlest work is done in the area of religious observance. There, he can cloak …
Continue reading “Satan at His Most Subtle: A Reflection on the Temptations and Traps of the Pious”