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 esse...
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 ...
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 ...
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, c...
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, re...
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 mys...
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 ...
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...
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 haunte...
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...
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 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 ...
Transfigured Prayer
28 Feb 2010
Contributed by Lukas
The startling event of the Transfiguration displays a model of prayer. The mountain represents the p...
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 e...
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 t...
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 offe...
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 Israe...
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...
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...
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 ...
Be Ready!
06 Dec 2009
Contributed by Lukas
The prophecy of Baruch finds its fulfillment in the revelation of Christ, who brings the troubled hi...
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 al...
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...
The Last Battle
15 Nov 2009
Contributed by Lukas
The scriptures for this Sunday represent a biblical genre called "apocalyptic", which means "unveili...
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. Holine...
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 s...
The Suffering Servant
18 Oct 2009
Contributed by Lukas
This Sunday's readings highlight the idea of redemptive suffering. The revelation of Christ changes ...
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 ...
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 ...
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,...
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...
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 ...
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 ...
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 prom...
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 tha...
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...
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 nation...
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 t...
Resurrection and Metanoia
26 Apr 2009
Contributed by Lukas
The readings for today effect a correlation between the resurrection of Jesus and conversion. The bi...
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-fulfill...
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 resur...
Dealing With the Mess
05 Apr 2009
Contributed by Lukas
Life is grim. It is marked by conflict, division, inextricably difficult situations. And brooding ov...
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...
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, s...
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 cent...
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...
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 tal...
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...
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 fro...
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 woul...
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....
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 ...
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 bi...
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 understand...
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 recommendat...
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 Babylonia...
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...
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 b...
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 eterna...
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, an...
Render to Caesar
19 Oct 2008
Contributed by Lukas
The Gospel for today raises the famously complex question of the relationship between "religion" and...
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 banq...
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 ...
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 descri...
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 ...
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...
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 enjoi...
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. Stoi...
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 ekkles...
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...
The Sower
13 Jul 2008
Contributed by Lukas
We have the special privilege of hearing Jesus himself interpret one of his parables. He tells us th...
Take My Yoke Upon You
06 Jul 2008
Contributed by Lukas
The Gospel for today allows us to overhear a conversation between the Father and the Son. We learn t...
Old Adam, New Adam
22 Jun 2008
Contributed by Lukas
In his letter to the Romans, Paul tells us that Jesus is the new Adam or the second Adam. He means t...
Election
15 Jun 2008
Contributed by Lukas
One of the key themes of the Bible is the divine election, the fact that God chooses. But God choose...
Getting Straightened Out
08 Jun 2008
Contributed by Lukas
Paul's letter to the Romans explores the great theme of justification, the process by which we becom...
Rock or Sand?
01 Jun 2008
Contributed by Lukas
What is the foundation of your life? How goes it with your heart? Are you building your spiritual ho...
Panis Angelicus
25 May 2008
Contributed by Lukas
In 1264, Pope Urban IV asked Thomas Aquinas to compose the office for the newly established feast of...
Why the Trinity Matters
18 May 2008
Contributed by Lukas
There is no question more important than this one: who is God? The doctrine of the Trinity is the Ch...
One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic
11 May 2008
Contributed by Lukas
The feast of Pentecost is the birthday of the church. Our readings show us the four major features o...
The Dangerous Spirit
04 May 2008
Contributed by Lukas
Jesus assures his disciples that, if they pray for it, the Holy Spirit will definitely come upon the...
Five Signs of the Spirit
27 Apr 2008
Contributed by Lukas
As Pentecost approaches, the church gives us readings redolent of the Holy Spirit. Our passages for ...
The Priesthood of the Church
20 Apr 2008
Contributed by Lukas
All the readings for today are, directly or indirectly, about the priesthood, that office that all o...
Peter Proclaims Jesus is Lord
13 Apr 2008
Contributed by Lukas
Peter's sermon on Pentecost morning is the model for all evangelical proclamation. He declares that ...
Emmaus and the Pattern of Redemption
06 Apr 2008
Contributed by Lukas
The story of the two disciples on the road to Emmaus teaches us how to see. When we listen to Christ...
The Mission of Easter
30 Mar 2008
Contributed by Lukas
Essential to the Easter message is mission: we are sent by the risen Jesus to do his work in the wor...
Back to Basics
10 Feb 2008
Contributed by Lukas
For the first Sunday of Lent, the church brings us back to spiritual training camp and encourages us...
How to Be Happy
03 Feb 2008
Contributed by Lukas
In the beatitudes, the Son of God tells us what every one of us, deep down, wants to know: how to be...
The Work of the Messiah
27 Jan 2008
Contributed by Lukas
Our Gospel passage from the 4th chapter of Matthew's Gospel tells us, in very short compass, what th...
Behold the Lamb of God
20 Jan 2008
Contributed by Lukas
John the Baptist's designation of Jesus as Lamb of God is, I submit, largely misunderstood. It has l...
The Bending Low of the Son of God
13 Jan 2008
Contributed by Lukas
The feast of the Baptism of the Lord is a celebration of God's great humility. In order to rescue us...
Faith, the Friend of Reason
06 Jan 2008
Contributed by Lukas
One of the truths that is manifested on Epiphany (that's what the word "epiphania" means) is the com...
Holy Family Values
30 Dec 2007
Contributed by Lukas
Paul lays out for the Colossians (and us) the virtues that make a family healthy. They include compa...
Ahaz and Joseph
23 Dec 2007
Contributed by Lukas
Both Ahaz and Joseph are being summoned out of a narrow perspective and encouraged to dream big, to ...
Repent!
09 Dec 2007
Contributed by Lukas
John the Baptist sums up the Advent season. He lives in the desert, the place of no distraction, and...
Incoming!
02 Dec 2007
Contributed by Lukas
Advent is from the latin word adventus, which means coming or arrival. Some arrivals are positive; o...
David and Jesus
25 Nov 2007
Contributed by Lukas
Along with Moses and Abraham, David is the most important figure in the Old Testament. The first Chr...
The Birth Pangs of the Messiah
18 Nov 2007
Contributed by Lukas
Our readings for today are apocalyptic, which means that they describe the end of an old world and t...
Resurrection of the Body
11 Nov 2007
Contributed by Lukas
Both our first reading and Gospel for today present the distinctively Biblical view of what happens ...
Zacchaeus
04 Nov 2007
Contributed by Lukas
The story of Zacchaeus in the Gospel of Luke is a kind of spiritual itinerary. If we attend to it ca...
Paul’s Farewell Discourse
28 Oct 2007
Contributed by Lukas
The second letter to Timothy is Paul's parting advice to his young colleague and spiritual son. He s...