Bishop Barron’s Sunday Sermons - Catholic Preaching and Homilies

Seek Ye First

27 Feb 2011

Contributed by Lukas

"Seek first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness, and the rest will be given to you." Make God the center of your life, and you will be spirituall...

Be Perfect

20 Feb 2011

Contributed by Lukas

Jesus calls us to love. But few consider the radical nature of this calling. It entails loving the other, even our enemies, regardless of the response...

Preaching the Radical Word

13 Feb 2011

Contributed by Lukas

Like a good healer, Jesus has not come simply to behaviorally modify us; he has come to heal us at the root of our being, eradicating all dysfunction ...

Blessed Are We

30 Jan 2011

Contributed by Lukas

The Beatitudes reveal the true path of joy is found not in grasping at power but in the willing surrender to God's mysterious grace.

Following the Lord

23 Jan 2011

Contributed by Lukas

All of us want to live to the fullest. However, most of us never find the one thing that will inspire us to dedicate our whole lives to it. It is amaz...

Paul's Opening Words to the Corinthians

16 Jan 2011

Contributed by Lukas

In Paul's first letter to the Corinthians, he highlights the beauty of baptism and how it sweeps the baptized person into God's great theo-drama. God ...

Ahaz, Isaiah, and Joseph

19 Dec 2010

Contributed by Lukas

The problem with our world is that most people do not dream big. In experiencing hardship, we have a tendency to assume the worst, thinking narrowly. ...

The Virtue of Hope

12 Dec 2010

Contributed by Lukas

Hope is not this-worldly optimism. In fact, from a purely natural perspective, pessimism is the right attitude. Hope is that supernatural virtue which...

The Bracing Figure of John the Baptist

05 Dec 2010

Contributed by Lukas

The first step in the spiritual life is simple: you must see your life not as your own project but as a vehicle for God's purposes. However, we are al...

God's Holy Mountain

28 Nov 2010

Contributed by Lukas

Thomas Merton once wrote, "Man is not at peace with his fellow man because he is not at peace with himself. And he is not at peace with himself becaus...

Christ the King

21 Nov 2010

Contributed by Lukas

Our first reading for Mass this Sunday is taken from the opening chapter of Paul's letter to the Colossians. There is no stronger statement of the abs...

What Remains?

14 Nov 2010

Contributed by Lukas

All things pass away. Political and religious institutions, the family, bodily health; nothing lasts. Everything dies. So often we seek our fulfillmen...

Eternal Life

07 Nov 2010

Contributed by Lukas

Today's Gospel reading tells us about the Sadducees trying to lead Jesus into a ridiculous conclusion. To them the Jewish teaching on marriage seems i...

Salvation Has Come to This House

31 Oct 2010

Contributed by Lukas

Zacchaeus is a man who has wandered far from God. But, often enough, people like Zacchaeus come back, again and again, to God because they cannot elim...

Finding Justification

24 Oct 2010

Contributed by Lukas

Religion serves a unitive purpose. In uniting the person to God, religion unites people together. However, many religious people forget religion's pur...

Moses and Amalek

17 Oct 2010

Contributed by Lukas

The church militant is the church at war with all the destructive powers that want to undermine its unity. The Israelites battle the people of Amalek,...

Naaman the Syrian

10 Oct 2010

Contributed by Lukas

From the worldly perspective, the worst thing a powerful person can do is admit his/her weaknesses to others. If done so, the person loses his/her pos...

Rich Man, Poor Man

26 Sep 2010

Contributed by Lukas

Most of us find the homeless to be unnerving and annoying, telling ourselves not to give them money because they might use it for drinks or drugs. But...

A Warning Bell in the Night

19 Sep 2010

Contributed by Lukas

Most of us spur into action when we believe that our financial state is in dire straits. Why don't we act in the same way in regards to our spiritual ...

Logic of Justice, Logic of Grace

12 Sep 2010

Contributed by Lukas

The God Jesus describes does not operate according to the same logic we do. In fact, He seems to be crazy. If God is supposed to be like the Shepherd ...

The Hopeful Vision of Mass

29 Aug 2010

Contributed by Lukas

The Letter to the Hebrews is a sustained reflection on the Mass as the source and summit of the Christian life and the pivot around which history turn...

The Narrow Gate

22 Aug 2010

Contributed by Lukas

To gain eternal life is to participate to the fullest degree possible in the very life of God. It is to walk the path of love, surrendering to grace a...

Mary the Warrior

15 Aug 2010

Contributed by Lukas

In contrast to our conventional view of the Virgin Mary as a shrinking violet, the book of Revelation presents her as a warrior who has brought into t...

Giving and Receiving

08 Aug 2010

Contributed by Lukas

In the twelfth chapter of the Gospel of Luke, Christ assures us not to be afraid. Fear is a spiritual state that causes us not to trust in the lordshi...

To Have and To Be

01 Aug 2010

Contributed by Lukas

Maturity comes in facing the reality of death and the transient nature of the world. In this regard, the Book of Ecclesiastes is full of wisdom: "Vani...

Martha, Mary, and the Attitude of Discipleship

18 Jul 2010

Contributed by Lukas

Although the little story of Martha and Mary has been interpreted throughout the centuries as a parable dealing with the "active" and "contemplative" ...

Hearing the Voice of God

11 Jul 2010

Contributed by Lukas

During the 20th century, moral relativism was in vogue in elite cultural circles, but now it is the dominant moral outlook of the broader culture. Aga...

Being American, Being Catholic

04 Jul 2010

Contributed by Lukas

We Americans embrace freedom. However, a proper understanding of freedom must inform our celebration of it. In both classical philosophy and the Bible...

Elisha and the Nature of True Freedom

27 Jun 2010

Contributed by Lukas

Freedom is not self-determination, but finding and doing what God wants you to do. Biblical figures did not choose their God-given role; God chose it ...

Sin and Grace

13 Jun 2010

Contributed by Lukas

The Gospel present two tales of sin and grace, Christ's encounter with a repentant woman and the parable of the two debtors. Both illuminate for us no...

The Sacrifice that Makes Saints

06 Jun 2010

Contributed by Lukas

The Church comes from the Eucharist for it is the sacrifice that makes saints. The Eucharist is essentially the fullest act of gratitude prefigured in...

God Has Spoken

30 May 2010

Contributed by Lukas

Karl Barth said, "The central claim of Christianity is that God has spoken." The uniqueness of this claim has lead Christians to refer to God as a Tri...

The Guidance of the Holy Spirit

09 May 2010

Contributed by Lukas

The first reading for this Sunday, taken from the fifteenth chapter of the Acts of the Apostles, is about the Council of Jerusalem that allowed Gentil...

A New Heaven and a New Earth

02 May 2010

Contributed by Lukas

The second reading for this Sunday, taken from the twenty-first chapter of the Book of Revelation, completes the Biblical story. The Bible tells us th...

The Lordship of Jesus

25 Apr 2010

Contributed by Lukas

The first reading for this Sunday, taken from the thirteenth chapter of the Acts of the Apostles, recounts the expulsion of Paul and Barnabas from Ant...

The Structure of Discipleship

18 Apr 2010

Contributed by Lukas

Our Gospel for today, taken from the wonderful 21st chapter of St. John's Gospel, is filled with mystical and symbolic allusions. The disciples in the...

My Lord and My God

11 Apr 2010

Contributed by Lukas

Despite the locked doors, the risen Jesus stands in the midst of the disciples. This is a beautiful icon of the Church, the community gathered around ...

The Impossibly Good News of Easter

04 Apr 2010

Contributed by Lukas

The Church's Easter proclamation is the strangest message ever delivered: Jesus Christ is risen from the dead. His resurrection is not merely a symbol...

Which King? Whose Kingdom?

28 Mar 2010

Contributed by Lukas

Today the Church proclaims the Passion of Christ. The story of the Lord's suffering and death haunted the minds of the first Christians. All the Gospe...

All Is Loss

21 Mar 2010

Contributed by Lukas

In our second reading for this Sunday, St. Paul lays out his resumé. In terms of the Judaism of his time, Paul was about as accomplished as one could...

The Father and the Sons

14 Mar 2010

Contributed by Lukas

The parable of the prodigal son is a portrait of God's gracious love and two negative responses to that love. Both sons, in their own ways, indicate t...

A Tale of Two Trees

07 Mar 2010

Contributed by Lukas

Today's scriptures present stories of two trees: the burning bush, that represents the reality of a soul that is receptive to God's presence, and the ...

Transfigured Prayer

28 Feb 2010

Contributed by Lukas

The startling event of the Transfiguration displays a model of prayer. The mountain represents the place of Divine encounter, the radiance of the Lord...

The True and False Messiah

21 Feb 2010

Contributed by Lukas

Today's Gospel presents the dramatic scene of the Lord Jesus' confrontation with the evil one. The evil one attempts to frustrate the Lord's mission b...

Whom Will You Trust?

14 Feb 2010

Contributed by Lukas

Our life takes shape in relation to that which we are willing to trust. What then is worthy of our trust? Worldly powers can disappoint and will all u...

Shaking the Foundations

07 Feb 2010

Contributed by Lukas

Grace shakes us to the foundations, provoking in us a keen awareness of our own sinfulness, and offering us the liberating power of the forgiveness of...

A Messiah for All the Nations

31 Jan 2010

Contributed by Lukas

Today's scriptures clarify that the mission of the Messiah will not just be for the benefit of Israel, but for all the nations. Through the Jesus the ...

Christ and World Religions

10 Jan 2010

Contributed by Lukas

Although Christianity is the fullness of Truth, other religions, to a certain degree, participate in that Truth. The Magi, coming from Gentile culture...

Religion, Science, and the Journey of the Magi

03 Jan 2010

Contributed by Lukas

The story of the Magi illuminates important dynamics in the relationship of religious conviction and scientific investigation. There need not be any n...

Joy Before the Ark of God

20 Dec 2009

Contributed by Lukas

The image of John the Baptist leaping in joy in the womb of his mother at the sound of the greeting of the Blessed Virgin Mary hearkens back to the Ol...

Be Ready!

06 Dec 2009

Contributed by Lukas

The prophecy of Baruch finds its fulfillment in the revelation of Christ, who brings the troubled history of God's people to its fulfillment and revea...

The End of the World as We Know It

29 Nov 2009

Contributed by Lukas

The apocalyptic imagery of this Sunday's scriptures directs us to appreciate the finite nature of all worldly things and the truth that the only reali...

There's a New King in Town

22 Nov 2009

Contributed by Lukas

Christ's kingship cannot be properly understood outside Israel's expectations for the Messiah. Jesus of Nazareth fulfills these expectations, yet in s...

The Last Battle

15 Nov 2009

Contributed by Lukas

The scriptures for this Sunday represent a biblical genre called "apocalyptic", which means "unveiling" or "revelation." The extraordinary revelation ...

The Communion of Saints

01 Nov 2009

Contributed by Lukas

The magnificent diversity of the Saints indicates to us that we have been called to holiness. Holiness is about more than a kind of humanisn, but a de...

Called From Darkness Into His Light

25 Oct 2009

Contributed by Lukas

The story of Bartimeaus is a model of the spiritual journey. The desire for Christ engenders in us spiritual healing, which is delivered in a profound...

The Suffering Servant

18 Oct 2009

Contributed by Lukas

This Sunday's readings highlight the idea of redemptive suffering. The revelation of Christ changes our disposition towards the difficulties of life, ...

The Necessity of Spiritual Heroism

11 Oct 2009

Contributed by Lukas

Today's Gospel identifies the spiritual itinerary of discipleship, the movement from living out the Faith in accord with merely what is basic and the ...

The Theology of Marriage

04 Oct 2009

Contributed by Lukas

Marriage is not just some secular act or social arrangement. Rather, it is brought about by God for God's purposes. Marriage is properly understood, f...

The Way of the One

13 Sep 2009

Contributed by Lukas

Peter's magnificent confession of faith in the Lord Jesus illuminates, not only his divine identity, but it provides for us a great spiritual lesson i...

You Gotta Serve Somebody

23 Aug 2009

Contributed by Lukas

The Book of Joshua provokes us to consider one of the most important questions of the spiritual life- whom will you serve? Will it be the Lord or some...

Remaining Attentive to the Lord

09 Aug 2009

Contributed by Lukas

The first reading for this Sunday is taken from the Old Testament Book of Kings. In this reading we are introduced to the Prophet Elijah, who is neari...

A New Shepherd; A New Kingdom

19 Jul 2009

Contributed by Lukas

We should never seek our final security in the things that worldly rulers and kings can provide. It is only through the shepherding of Christ that we ...

The Way of the Prophet

12 Jul 2009

Contributed by Lukas

If you walk the path of the prophet, you will abandon your own "career" and learn to follow the promptings of the Spirit. Also, you will be opposed. O...

Corpus Christi

14 Jun 2009

Contributed by Lukas

The Eucharist is the holy meal that God wants to share with his people. It is also the sacrifice that makes that meal possible in the midst of a falle...

The Center of Our Faith

07 Jun 2009

Contributed by Lukas

The Trinity is not simply a theological connundrum for scholars to fuss about. It stands at the very heart of our faith, since it expresses the fact t...

Feast of the Ascension

24 May 2009

Contributed by Lukas

The Ascension of the Lord empowers the Church to fulfill its messianic mission: to gather the nations of the world into a relationship with the God of...

The Vine and the Branches

10 May 2009

Contributed by Lukas

The image of the vine and the branches indicates that our relationship with Christ is greater than that of merely a teacher to his students. Instead, ...

Resurrection and Metanoia

26 Apr 2009

Contributed by Lukas

The readings for today effect a correlation between the resurrection of Jesus and conversion. The biblical word for conversion is "metanoia" which has...

Resurrection and the Love of This World

19 Apr 2009

Contributed by Lukas

From the time of Marx, Feuerbach and Freud, we've heard the critique that religion is a wish-fulfilling fantasy, a game of "pie in the sky when you di...

The Resurrection of Jesus is Not a Myth

12 Apr 2009

Contributed by Lukas

There are some debunkers of religion around today who want us to believe that the story of the resurrection is just another iteration of the myth of t...

Dealing With the Mess

05 Apr 2009

Contributed by Lukas

Life is grim. It is marked by conflict, division, inextricably difficult situations. And brooding over all of it is the fact of death. How do we deal ...

Planting the Law Within Us

29 Mar 2009

Contributed by Lukas

Jeremiah 31:31contains the great prophecy that the Lord will one day place his law within our hearts. In the Old Testament, God's law was written on s...

Reading the Signs of the Times

22 Mar 2009

Contributed by Lukas

How do we know what's going on? How do we read the signs of the times? We could do so politically, sociologically, culturally, or economically. But th...

The Ten Commandments

15 Mar 2009

Contributed by Lukas

Scott Hahn refers to these famous laws as 'our declaration of dependence.' They teach us how to center our lives radically around God and his demands....

The Terrible Aqedah

08 Mar 2009

Contributed by Lukas

The story of the Aqedah, the Binding of Isaac, haunted the Israelite religious imagination. In it is contained one of the most important spiritual les...

Get on the Ark

01 Mar 2009

Contributed by Lukas

As Lent commences, we are given the great image of Noah's Ark. This story is not just a charming tale that we tell to the kids; in it is contained the...

God's Great Yes

22 Feb 2009

Contributed by Lukas

Paul tells us that with Jesus Christ it was never yes and no, but only yes. This means that in Jesus all the promises made to Israel have come true. I...

Becoming Fit for Worship

15 Feb 2009

Contributed by Lukas

In our Gospel for today, a leper comes to Jesus and asks to be healed. He is suffering, not only from a physical malady, but from ritual uncleanness, ...

A Prophet Like Moses

01 Feb 2009

Contributed by Lukas

Moses promised that a prophet like himself would one day arise among the Israelites and that he would have the very authority of God. It is precisely ...

The Time of Fulfillment

25 Jan 2009

Contributed by Lukas

We hear in today's Gospel Jesus' inaugural address. He tells us that the time of fulfillment is now. This means that the whole of Israelite history is...

Epiphany

04 Jan 2009

Contributed by Lukas

The feast of Epiphany gives us the occasion to reflect on a distinction that is much in vogue today between spirituality on the one hand and faith on ...

What Makes a Family Holy?

28 Dec 2008

Contributed by Lukas

The Bible is not particularly sentimental about families. What makes a family holy, as far as the biblical writers are concerned, is its willingness t...

Reading the New Testament in Light of the Old

21 Dec 2008

Contributed by Lukas

The church fathers saw so clearly that we will never understand the New Testament without understanding the Old Testament. Our readings for this weeke...

Rejoice, Pray, Give Thanks

14 Dec 2008

Contributed by Lukas

In our second reading from Paul's first letter to the Thessalonians, we hear the strange recommendation to pray always, rejoice in every circumstance,...

Prepare the Way of the Lord

07 Dec 2008

Contributed by Lukas

The theme of preparing a highway for the Lord emerges from the time of the exile. When the Babylonian captivity was coming to a close, the prophet Isa...

The Potter and the Clay

30 Nov 2008

Contributed by Lukas

Our first reading for this first Sunday of Advent gives us the master image of God as the potter and we, his creatures, as clay. St. Irenaeus said tha...

Dedication of St. John Lateran

09 Nov 2008

Contributed by Lukas

We celebrate today the feast of the dedication of St. John Lateran, the Pope's cathedral church as bishop of Rome. This gives us the occasion to speak...

All Souls Day

02 Nov 2008

Contributed by Lukas

Why do we speak of the "soul?" We do so because there is something in us that links us to the eternal. Though the body fades away, the core of the per...

The Three Tasks of the Church

26 Oct 2008

Contributed by Lukas

Pope Benedict has said that the church has three basic jobs: to care for the poor, to evangelize, and to worship. These three are on clear display in ...

Render to Caesar

19 Oct 2008

Contributed by Lukas

The Gospel for today raises the famously complex question of the relationship between "religion" and "politics." Though there is a legitimate distinct...

The Sacred Banquet

12 Oct 2008

Contributed by Lukas

One of the most powerful and enduring symbols of God's intention toward the world is the sacred banquet. God wants his life to flow into us and throug...

Lessons from the Vineyard

05 Oct 2008

Contributed by Lukas

In both the prophet Isaiah and the Gospel of Matthew, we find the image of the vineyard as a symbol of Israel. As Jesus develops this image, we see bo...

Old Adam or New Adam

28 Sep 2008

Contributed by Lukas

Our second reading contains one of the most precious texts in the Christian tradition, Paul's description of the mind of Christ. While the old Adam cl...

As High as the Heavens

21 Sep 2008

Contributed by Lukas

The Biblical manner of dealing with the problem of evil is neither to deny the fact of evil nor the fact of God's existence. Rather, it is to stress t...

The Triumph of the Cross

14 Sep 2008

Contributed by Lukas

We will understand the power of this feast only when we grasp how very strange it is to speak of the cross as a triumph. Paul's great hymn in his lett...

Fraternal Correction

07 Sep 2008

Contributed by Lukas

The command to love compels us to engage in the difficult task of fraternal correction, but it enjoins us to do so carefully, always aware that it can...

The Problem of Suffering

31 Aug 2008

Contributed by Lukas

Most of the great religions and philosophies of the world center around the issue of suffering. Stoicism, Buddhism, Platonism all propose different pa...

Ekklesia

24 Aug 2008

Contributed by Lukas

Jesus tells Peter that he will build his ekklesia on the rock of Peter's confession. The word ekklesia means "called out from." To be a member of the ...

Christ, the Son of God

10 Aug 2008

Contributed by Lukas

The Church never tires of confessing the divinity of Jesus, for in that confession, the Church finds its whole identity. Over the centuries--and in th...