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A weekly homily podcast from Bishop Robert Barron, produced by Word on Fire Catholic Ministries.
Episodes
Sunday Oct 28, 2001
Sunday Oct 28, 2001
Irish writer Iris Murdoch says that the rarest and best moments in life occur when the web of our egotism and self-absorption is broken through. This can happen through great art and great compassion. It can also happen through authentic prayer, modelled by the publican in Jesus' famous parable.
Sunday Oct 21, 2001
Sunday Oct 21, 2001
The Old Testament story of the battle between Israel and the Amalekites is a symbolic presentation of the church. In the struggle against evil, there are fighters, pray-ers, and those who support the pray-ers. The Church is an amalgam of interdependent and mutually supporting missions.
Sunday Oct 07, 2001
Sunday Oct 07, 2001
For Jesus, faith is power. When we have linked ourselves to the God who fashions and governs the cosmos, we allow enormous power to flow through us for the transformation of the world. To have faith is to live in the "great soul." It is to expand the horizons of our consciousness and activity infinitely.
Sunday Sep 30, 2001
Sunday Sep 30, 2001
A concern for social justice runs from beginning to end of the Bible, reaching its fullest expression in the prophets and in Jesus himself. It can also be discerned in the writings and sermons of the Fathers, in the speculation of the great scholastics, and in the social teaching of the modern Popes. At bottom, we are summoned to use the gifts that God has given us for the full flourishing of our brothers and sisters. The commongood must come first.
Sunday Sep 23, 2001
Sunday Sep 23, 2001
In a puzzling parable, Jesus praises a man who is a self-absorbed cheat. What the Lord notices in the man's dubious behavior are three things of spiritual importance: he knows that he is in crisis; he makes an honest self-assessment; and, most importantly, he acts.
Sunday Sep 16, 2001
Sunday Sep 16, 2001
The attacks of September 11th have left us stunned and speechless. Yet our tradition brings the word of God to bear on even the darkest events. There are four mysteries that emerge from the tragedy: The mystery of wickedness; the mystery of the impermanence of the world; the mystery of salvation; and the mystery of forgiveness.
Sunday Sep 09, 2001
Sunday Sep 09, 2001
When Jesus tells us to hate mother, father, brothers, sisters, friends, he is not demonstrating a disturbing misanthropy. Rather, he is telling us not to treat those around us as our possessions. The spiritual life consists, not in controlling others for the sake of the ego, but in giving others the space to be.
Sunday Sep 02, 2001
Sunday Sep 02, 2001
One of the greatest obstacles to effective mission is the attachment to honors and fame. This shrinks the soul and distracts from the only thing that matters: walking with Jesus on the path of discipleship.
Sunday Aug 12, 2001
Sunday Aug 12, 2001
God, from a biblical perspective is a God of adventure and new possibilities. Faith is the response to this adventurous God, and therefore always involves risk. It is a willingness to trust that we are being led even when we cannot see clearly where we are going.
Sunday Aug 05, 2001
Sunday Aug 05, 2001
In the book of Ecclesiastes, Qoheleth tells us that nothing here below--money, sex, power, material things, fame--is ultimately valuable, for all of it passes away. This insight shouldn't depress us, it should allow us to live in the truth. Our lives must be directed to the Good that does not pass away, that does not come and go, but rather remains unto eternity.