Word on Fire Reflection

Bishop Robert Barron Friends, our Gospel today gives us one of the great scenes of Jesus healing a leper. And as is usually the case, it becomes an icon of the spiritual life in general. Once in the Lord’s presence, the leper kneels down and begs him. The suffering man realizes who Jesus is: not … Read moreThursday, January 12, 2023

Bishop Robert Barron Friends, in today’s Gospel, Jesus heals many of the townspeople of Capernaum. His healing of physical ailments points to his spiritual healing—to his being the doctor of the soul. The Gospels are filled with accounts of Jesus’ healing encounters with those whose spiritual energies are unable to flow. Much of Jesus’ ministry … Read moreWednesday, January 11, 2023

Bishop Robert Barron Friends, in today’s Gospel, Jesus drives out an unclean spirit from a man in the Capernaum synagogue. And he wants to perform the same cleansing operation in our lives. What God intended from the beginning is that our hearts be temples of his presence. So Christ comes into our world. What does … Read moreTuesday, January 10, 2023

Bishop Robert Barron Friends, Matthew’s account of Jesus’ baptism points to the significance of this foundational sacrament. Listen to the great theologian Gregory of Nazianzen: “Baptism is God’s most beautiful and magnificent gift. . . . It is called ‘gift’ because it is conferred on those who bring nothing of their own; ‘grace’ since it is given even to … Read moreMonday, January 9, 2023

Bishop Robert Barron Friends, the story of the Magi told in today’s Gospel is a summary of the principal dynamics of the spiritual life. Watching the night sky with scrupulous attention for signs of God’s purpose, the Magi evoke the importance of alertness in the spiritual order. We must keep our eyes open to see … Read moreSunday, January 8, 2023

Bishop Robert Barron Friends, in today’s Gospel, we read about the wedding at Cana. Jesus’ mother is the first to speak, as John tells the story: “They have no wine.” On the surface level, she is indeed commenting on a social disaster, running out of wine at a party, and she is asking Jesus to … Read moreSaturday, January 7, 2023

Bishop Robert Barron Friends, today’s Gospel tells the story of the baptism of Jesus. The first thing we must keep in mind about the baptism of Jesus was that it was embarrassing. Here is the one that the first Christians maintained was the Son of God, the sinless lamb who takes away the sins of … Read moreFriday, January 6, 2023

Bishop Robert Barron Friends, in today’s Gospel, Nathaniel recognizes Jesus as the Son of God and King of Israel. Like Nathaniel, once we make the decision for Jesus, once we determine that he is the supreme good, then every other claimant to supremacy must fall away. As I’ve argued many times before, every one of … Read moreThursday, January 5, 2023

Bishop Robert Barron Friends, in today’s Gospel, two of John the Baptist’s disciples follow Jesus and encounter him. Jesus’ question to the two young men—“What are you looking for?”—is an indispensably important one. Many people go through life not really knowing what they most fundamentally want, and accordingly, they drift. The correct answer to Jesus’ … Read moreWednesday, January 4, 2023

Bishop Robert Barron Friends, today’s Gospel reports John the Baptist’s testimony about Jesus. One of the earliest descriptions of Baptism is vitae spiritualis ianua, which means “the door to the spiritual life.” To grasp the full meaning of this is to understand something really decisive about Christianity.  For Christianity is not primarily about “becoming a … Read moreTuesday, January 3, 2023