Word on Fire Reflection

Bishop Robert Barron Friends, in today’s Gospel, Jesus predicts his being handed over to men—that is, his crucifixion. Here is the point I want to make: we are meant to see on that cross our own ugliness. What brings Jesus to the cross? Stupidity, anger, mistrust, institutional injustice, betrayal, denial, unspeakable cruelty, fear. St. Peter … Read moreSaturday, September 24, 2022

Bishop Robert Barron Friends, the Gospel for today is incomparably rich and mysterious. First, we notice that peculiar question, “Who do the crowds say that I am?” No other religious figure or founder would ask such a question. This is the primordial and peculiar question of the Christian faith. It has to do with Jesus … Read moreFriday, September 23, 2022

Bishop Robert Barron Friends, in today’s Gospel, we see Herod interested in and perplexed by Jesus. Political rulers don’t come across well in the New Testament. In Luke’s Christmas account, Caesar Augustus is compared very unfavorably to the Christ child. And in Matthew’s account that child is hunted down by the desperate Herod. Later, Herod’s … Read moreThursday, September 22, 2022

Bishop Robert Barron Friends, today we celebrate the feast of St. Matthew, and our Gospel tells of his conversion. Matthew’s laconic account details what the transition from spiritual death to spiritual life is like. First, we notice the look of Jesus. If there is one theme clearly stated in the New Testament it is that … Read moreWednesday, September 21, 2022

Bishop Robert Barron Friends, in today’s Gospel, Jesus identifies his disciples as his family. I want to say something about our becoming disciples in his family. Once we make the decision to follow Jesus, then every other claimant to supremacy must fall away. As I’ve argued many times before, every one of us has something … Read moreTuesday, September 20, 2022

Bishop Robert Barron Friends, today’s Gospel is the parable of the lamp that, placed on a lampstand, gives light to all. Light obviously isn’t for itself; rather, we see things by it. It illuminates things upon which it shines.  We are light by which people around us come to see what is worth seeing. By … Read moreMonday, September 19, 2022

Bishop Robert Barron Friends, today’s Gospel focuses on prudence. Luke gives us the parable of the dishonest steward, who seeks the favor of his master’s debtors by reducing what they owed him. And the master even “commended that dishonest steward for acting prudently.” In the Middle Ages, prudence was called “the queen of the virtues” … Read moreSunday, September 18, 2022

Bishop Robert Barron Friends, in today’s Gospel, Jesus explains the purpose of the parables: “Knowledge of the mysteries of the Kingdom of God has been granted to you; but to the rest, they are made known through parables so that they may look but not see, and hear but not understand.” The parables, in their … Read moreSaturday, September 17, 2022

Bishop Robert Barron Friends, our Gospel today celebrates the female disciples of Jesus. One of the principal marks of Jesus’ teaching is the overturning of social conventions. In service of what he calls the kingdom of God, God’s way of ordering the world, he says and does all sorts of outrageous things.  And one of … Read moreFriday, September 16, 2022

Bishop Robert Barron Friends, 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, “Behold, your mother.” We are told that “from that hour the disciple took her … Read moreThursday, September 15, 2022