VEYM LEAGUE OF CHAPTERS
Bishop Robert Barron Friends, today we celebrate the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary. In 1854, Pope Pius IX declared the dogma of the Immaculate Conception—the truth that Mary, through a special grace, was preserved free from original sin from the first moment of her conception. Were this not the case, … Read moreFriday, December 8, 2023
Bishop Robert Barron Friends, today’s Gospel challenges us to act on the Good News. On what precisely is the whole of your life built? Your heart or soul is the center of you, the place where you are most authentically and deeply yourself. That is your point of contact with God. There you will find … Read moreThursday, December 7, 2023
Bishop Robert Barron Friends, in today’s Gospel, Jesus multiplies the loaves and the fishes. There is no better exemplification in the Scriptures of what I have called the loop of grace. God offers, as a sheer grace, the gift of being, but if we try to cling to that gift and make it our own, … Read moreWednesday, December 6, 2023
Bishop Robert Barron Friends, today in the Gospel, we hear Jesus in intimate conversation with his Father. The passage invites us into very deep mysteries. Jesus addresses his Father and thereby reveals his own deepest identity within the Holy Trinity. He says, “I give you praise, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, for although you … Read moreTuesday, December 5, 2023
Bishop Robert Barron Friends, in our Gospel today, a Roman centurion comes to Jesus and says, “Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, suffering dreadfully. . . . I am not worthy to have you enter under my roof; only say the word and my servant will be healed.” Any objective observer would say, … Read moreMonday, December 4, 2023
Bishop Robert Barron Friends, in today’s Gospel, the Lord exhorts us to vigilance as we await the day of his Second Coming: “Be watchful! Be alert! You do not know when the time will come.” We have come to the end of the liturgical year and are coming to the end of the calendar year. … Read moreSunday, December 3, 2023
Bishop Robert Barron Friends, in today’s Gospel, Jesus directs us to be vigilant about his coming again. But his words also warn us to prepare for the day of our coming before him in death. On that day, our world will end. How are we going to deal with that day? Most of our interests, … Read moreSaturday, December 2, 2023
Bishop Robert Barron Friends, in today’s Gospel, Jesus alerts us to consider the signs of the passing of all things. All of the joys, goods, pleasures, and accomplishments of this world will one day be taken from us. And this futility extends to all of culture, all of nature, and even to the cosmos itself. … Read moreFriday, December 1, 2023
Bishop Robert Barron Friends, in today’s Gospel, Jesus calls his first disciples. What is it about this scene that is so peaceful and right? Somehow it gets at the very heart of Jesus’ life and work, revealing what he is about. He comes into the world as the second person of the Blessed Trinity, a … Read moreThursday, November 30, 2023
Bishop Robert Barron Friends, in today’s Gospel, the Lord cautions us to expect persecution until the end of time: “They will seize and persecute you, they will hand you over to the synagogues and to prisons, and they will have you led before kings and governors.” When will the Church stop being persecuted? When the … Read moreWednesday, November 29, 2023