Blog of the Archdiocese of Washington
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”
The readings today on this Feast of Christ the King evoke three images of Christ as King. All of them are to some extent paradoxical, for they emphasize things about a king that we don’t usually think of in relation to a king. They also tell us that we have already met King Jesus, even …
Continue reading “The Strangest of Kings! A Homily for the Feast of Christ the King”
This is a post that Satan apparently did not like. When I posted it last Thursday, the Server of the Archdiocese (literally) burnt up within an hour or two of posting. And while things are slowly coming back online, the post you are about to read could not be found in the archive file, anywhere. …
Continue reading “In These Dark Days, the Church Needs Her Men to be Men”
Jesus affirms the truth that we have guardian angels: See that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that their angels in heaven always look upon the face of my heavenly Father (Mat 18:10). On the Feast of the Guardian Angels, we consider the beautiful truth that God assigns each of us …
Continue reading “Some Basic Facts and Clarifications about the Angels”
In recent years, homosexuality has frequently been in the news. An increasingly nationwide effort to make homosexual acts something to celebrate has gained great ground and sowed serious confusion even among those who describe themselves as Christian and Catholic. Hence, it is necessary once again to instruct on this matter and to reassert what Scripture …
Continue reading “Homosexual Acts Cannot be Approved or Celebrated by the Church – Here’s Why”
It is critical for us who would preach the Gospel to ponder what sorts of presuppositions our listeners bring to the conversation. Today, sadly, there are many trends that have poisoned the culture and make our task much more difficult. But difficult does not mean impossible. It helps to describe modern mindsets not to despair of …
Continue reading “Six Presuppositions that Challenge the Modern Evangelist”
The World Cup captured a lot of attention these past few weeks. I puzzle a bit as to the popularity of soccer since it seems that almost no one ever scores. A fan corrected me, saying that I sounded like a typical American who cares only about results. He said that most soccer fans appreciate the game …
Every now and then, a word just catches your ear and several times in the space of a day it jumps out at you and you’re tempted to say, “There it is again!” Yesterday it was the word “consider,” an ordinary, everyday word…or is it? Why did it suddenly strike me so? With my knowledge of …
Continue reading “Just an Ordinary Word…or is it? On the Mystical Root of the word”consider.””