Word on Fire Reflection

Bishop Robert Barron Friends, one feature of today’s Gospel passage is the craziness of the shepherd: “What man among you having a hundred sheep and losing one of them would not leave the ninety-nine in the desert and go after the lost one until he finds it?” Well, the implied answer is “No one.” Who … Read moreThursday, November 3, 2022

Bishop Robert Barron Friends, in today’s Gospel, Jesus talks about raising us on the last day. Our faith is that God will clothe the soul in a new and higher body, what Paul calls a “spiritual body.” Here we might rely on the musings of John Polkinghorne, the Christian physicist, who appreciates the soul as … Read moreWednesday, November 2, 2022

Bishop Robert Barron Friends, our Gospel for today is one of the most beautiful and important in the New Testament: the beginning of the Sermon on the Mount, the eight Beatitudes. Why is it so important? Because it is the Son of God telling us how to be happy. It is the one who can’t … Read moreTuesday, November 1, 2022

Bishop Robert Barron Friends, in today’s Gospel, Jesus gives us this extraordinary command to consider the weakest and most vulnerable in our society: “When you hold a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind.” This is one of his central concerns throughout the Gospels. Aliens, strangers, foreigners, widows, orphans, the poor—if these … Read moreMonday, October 31, 2022

Bishop Robert Barron Friends, today’s Gospel declares in the story of Zacchaeus how quickly God responds to any sign of faith. Zacchaeus’ climbing the sycamore tree shows he had more than a passing interest in seeing Jesus. He had a deep hunger of the spirit. His principal virtue was his willingness to go to great … Read moreSunday, October 30, 2022

Bishop Robert Barron Friends, in today’s Gospel, Jesus notices people jockeying for the highest place at a banquet. So do you see what Jesus does? He notices how this game interrupts God’s intention for his people and so he endeavors to interrupt the interruption. What he is urging in his parable is that we have … Read moreSaturday, October 29, 2022

Bishop Robert Barron Friends, today’s Gospel recounts Jesus selecting and appointing the Apostles. Bible scholar and theologian N.T. Wright has explained why Jesus commissioned twelve disciples as Apostles. Wright tells us that when a first-century Jew spoke of the arrival of God’s kingdom, he was taken to mean something very specific. He was announcing that … Read moreFriday, October 28, 2022

Bishop Robert Barron Friends, in today’s Gospel, Jesus compares himself to a mother hen who longs to gather her chicks under her wing. As the theologian N.T. Wright points out, this is much more than a sentimental image. It refers to the gesture of a hen when fire is sweeping through the barn. In order … Read moreThursday, October 27, 2022

Bishop Robert Barron Friends, our Gospel for today features a question that people have been asking from time immemorial and that they still ask today: “Lord, will only a few people be saved?” Heaven, hell, salvation, damnation, who will be in and who will be out? We have remained fascinated with these questions for a … Read moreWednesday, October 26, 2022

Bishop Robert Barron Friends, today’s Gospel compares the kingdom of heaven to a mustard seed. It seems to be a law of the spiritual life that God wants good things to start small and grow over time. We’re tempted to say, “You’re God. Just get on with it. Do it.” But why would God work … Read moreTuesday, October 25, 2022