VEYM LEAGUE OF CHAPTERS
Bishop Robert Barron Friends, in today’s Gospel, Jesus declares that he is Lord of the sabbath. Again and again, Jesus is portrayed as violating the sacred command to rest on the seventh day. His disciples pick grain on the sabbath, and many times he cures on the sabbath, much to the dismay of the protectors … Read moreSaturday, September 9, 2023
Bishop Robert Barron Friends, today we celebrate the Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary. And our Gospel declares that she will be the Mother of Jesus, who would be “God with us.” Mary is a rich and multivalent symbolic figure in all of the Gospels. In Luke’s infancy narrative, she emerges as … Read moreFriday, September 8, 2023
Bishop Robert Barron Friends, in today’s Gospel, Jesus declares his mission: “I must proclaim the good news of the Kingdom of God, because for this purpose I have been sent.” And he continues to pursue his mission among us in our efforts to do the work of evangelization. Do we need evangelization? The statistics couldn’t … Read moreThursday, September 7, 2023
Bishop Robert Barron Friends, in today’s Gospel, Jesus declares his mission: “I must proclaim the good news of the Kingdom of God, because for this purpose I have been sent.” And he continues to pursue his mission among us in our efforts to do the work of evangelization. Do we need evangelization? The statistics couldn’t … Read moreWednesday, September 6, 2023
Bishop Robert Barron Friends, today’s Gospel reports that Jesus came to Capernaum, entered the synagogue on a sabbath, and began to teach. So far, so ordinary. Any bar-mitzvahed adult had the privilege of speaking in synagogue and commenting on the Scripture. But then it says that the people “were astonished at his teaching because he … Read moreTuesday, September 5, 2023
Bishop Robert Barron Friends, in today’s Gospel, Jesus begins his Galilean ministry with a prophetic message in the synagogue at Nazareth: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring glad tidings to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives and recovery of sight to … Read moreMonday, September 4, 2023
Bishop Robert Barron Friends, last week we heard the great Gospel describing Peter’s confession. Because he says correctly who Jesus is, he is declared rock, the firm ground upon which the Church shall be built. And just moments later—our Gospel for today—he is told that he is a Satan, a stumbling block, thinking not as … Read moreSunday, September 3, 2023
Bishop Robert Barron Friends, today’s Gospel gives us the challenging parable of the talents. A man goes on a journey, but before leaving he entrusts his money to three of his servants. To one he gives five talents, to a second, two, and to a third, one. The first man trades with the five … Read moreSaturday, September 2, 2023
Bishop Robert Barron Friends, in today’s Gospel, Jesus recognizes the prudence of the ten wise virgins. In the Middle Ages, prudence was called “the queen of the virtues,” because it enabled one to do the right thing in a particular situation. Prudence is a feel for the moral situation, something like the feel that a … Read moreFriday, September 1, 2023
Bishop Robert Barron Friends, in today’s Gospel, Jesus praises the faithful servant who served his master in a theo-drama. We are called to serve our Master in the same way. A theo-drama is written and directed by God. On the great stage that is the created universe and according to the prototype that is Christ, … Read moreThursday, August 31, 2023