Word on Fire Reflection

Bishop Robert Barron Friends, in today’s Gospel, Jesus affirms a scholar’s identification of the greatest commandment: “You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your being, with all your strength, and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.” All of religion is finally about awakening the deepest desire … Read moreMonday, October 9, 2023

Bishop Robert Barron Friends, just before his Passion and death, Jesus tells this striking story of the landowner who planted a vineyard. The fertile vineyard stands for Israel, his chosen people. But it could be broadened out to include the world. What do we learn from this beautiful image? That God has made for his … Read moreSunday, October 8, 2023

Bishop Robert Barron Friends, in today’s Gospel, Jesus equips his disciples for defeating the devil. And the Lord continues to empower them for spiritual warfare. We are reminded that the battle is not simply with flesh and blood, and not merely on the psychological or political stage, when Jesus says to the chief of his … Read moreSaturday, October 7, 2023

Bishop Robert Barron Friends, in today’s Gospel, Jesus passes judgment on towns who have failed to believe in him and his signs: “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty deeds done in your midst had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would long ago have repented, sitting in sackcloth … Read moreFriday, October 6, 2023

Bishop Robert Barron Friends, our Gospel, taken from the magnificent tenth chapter of Luke’s Gospel, is a portrait of the Church. It shows us what Jesus wants his followers to be doing and how to do it. Listen to how the passage begins: “Jesus appointed seventy-two other disciples whom he sent ahead of him in … Read moreThursday, October 5, 2023

Bishop Robert Barron Friends, today’s Gospel invites us to follow Jesus above all. The heart of the message is the claim that he is everything, the one for whom a totalizing decision has to be made. I want to consider in detail how one man in our Gospel responded to the Lord’s call to discipleship. … Read moreWednesday, October 4, 2023

Bishop Robert Barron Friends, in today’s Gospel, Jesus rebukes James and John for their desire for vengeance. We are walking with Jesus and his disciples as they make their way to Jerusalem. As they pass through Samaria, they are refused hospitality, for their destination is Jerusalem and this annoys the Samaritans. Bothersome? Stupid? Racist? Sure, … Read moreTuesday, October 3, 2023

Bishop Robert Barron Friends, today we celebrate the Memorial of the Holy Guardian Angels. Well, is it reasonable to believe in angels? Look at the wild variety in the visible universe—the millions of species of animals, the billions of galaxies, the myriad shells that wash up on the seashore, the incalculable number of cells in … Read moreMonday, October 2, 2023

Bishop Robert Barron Friends, today’s Gospel is the parable of the two sons, a story about obedience to God. To live the good life is not finally a matter of autonomy but of obeying commandments. The obedience that Jesus desires is a surrender to the one who wants what is best for the surrenderer. The … Read moreSunday, October 1, 2023

Bishop Robert Barron Friends, today for the second time in Luke’s Gospel, Jesus foretells his imminent death. Jesus spoke frequently of his “hour,” the culmination of his life’s work, and this hour coincides with his cross. In what is perhaps the most disturbing mystery of the New Testament, this macabre glorification through crucifixion is not … Read moreSaturday, September 30, 2023