Word on Fire Reflection

Bishop Robert Barron Friends, in today’s Gospel, Jesus heals a blind man. Physical blindness is an evocative symbol of the terrible blindness of the soul that all of us sinners experience. When the pusilla anima (small soul) reigns, when the imago Dei (image of God) is covered over, we see within the narrow spectrum of … Read moreThursday, June 1, 2023

Bishop Robert Barron Friends, today’s Gospel tells of Mary’s visit to Elizabeth. I’ve always been fascinated by Mary’s “haste” in this story of the Visitation. Upon hearing the message of Gabriel concerning her own pregnancy and that of her cousin, Mary “traveled to the hill country in haste to a town of Judah” to see … Read moreWednesday, May 31, 2023

Bishop Robert Barron Friends, today’s Gospel exhorts us to see the radicality and rewards of Jesus’ call to discipleship, which cuts through so many of the social conventions of his time and ours. Jesus urges us to see that everyone—rich and poor, men and women, those on the inside and those on the outs—is summoned … Read moreTuesday, May 30, 2023

Bishop Robert Barron Friends, today we celebrate the Memorial of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church. We hear in today’s Gospel that, as he was dying on the cross, Jesus looked to his mother and the disciple whom he loved, and he said to Mary, “Woman, behold, your son,” and then to John, … Read moreMonday, May 29, 2023

Bishop Robert Barron Friends, in today’s Gospel, on the evening after his Resurrection, the Lord appears to his disciples and greets them, saying, “Peace be with you.” According to the Gospel accounts, the risen Jesus typically did two things: he showed his wounds and he pronounced a word of peace. The wounds of Jesus are … Read moreSunday, May 28, 2023

Bishop Robert Barron Friends, in today’s Gospel, when Peter asks about the destiny of the beloved disciple, Jesus says: “What if I want him to remain until I come? What concern is it of yours? You follow me.” Here at the close of John’s Gospel, we can take this command to heart. What does following … Read moreSaturday, May 27, 2023

Bishop Robert Barron Friends, today’s Gospel tells of the great engagement between the risen Jesus and Peter. Peter knows his sin—he betrayed Jesus three times. But Jesus brings him through the process of repentance and gives him the key to transformation. Three times Peter denied the Lord, and so three times Jesus asks him to … Read moreFriday, May 26, 2023

Bishop Robert Barron Friends, in today’s Gospel, Jesus prays for our unity with him and with each other. The Church is one because its founder is one. Jesus compels a choice precisely because he claims to speak and act in the very person of God. Jesus simply cannot be one teacher among many, and therefore … Read moreThursday, May 25, 2023

Bishop Robert Barron Friends, today’s Gospel is the high-priestly prayer of Jesus the night of the Last Supper. Here are the first words of the Lord: “Holy Father, keep them in your name that you have given me, so that they may be one just as we are one.” God is, in his innermost nature, … Read moreWednesday, May 24, 2023

Bishop Robert Barron Friends, Jesus’ prayer in today’s Gospel sums up his wonderful work as he is about to return to his Father. Jesus was, in his very person, the meeting of heaven and earth. God and humanity came together in him, and his entire ministry was the outward expression of that inward identity. By … Read moreTuesday, May 23, 2023