3 Video Reflections
9 Audio Reflections
Unless You Change and Become Like a Little Child
By Bishop Robert Barron
September 21, 2003
Children are like plants, rocks, and flowers in this sense: they don’t know how to be something that they are not. They haven’t yet learned to lie, dissemble, pretend, or to seek to be someone they are not meant to be. We are all, right now, being created by God for God’s purposes. Childlike joy returns to us the moment we put aside all our games of self-promotion and self-deception and live in accord with...
The Lesson of the Prodigal Son
By Bishop Robert Barron
March 21, 2004
Jesus’ parable of the Prodigal Son is one of the most memorable, carefully crafted, and inspiring stories ever told. In some ways, the whole of the Christian “thing” is summed up in this narrative. We have a God who invites us into the dynamism of his own life, and who relentlessly pursues us even when, in our stupidity and sin, we refuse to respond to the invitation.
The Father and the Sons
By Bishop Robert Barron
March 14, 2010
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 the disposition of the soul in estrangement from God.
The Prodigal Son
By Bishop Robert Barron
March 10, 2013
In this week’s Gospel reading we hear the story of the Prodigal Son. Here, Christ provides a reflection on the nature of love and our relationship with God. God gives us gifts; we must receive them and give them back. Only when we accept grace freely and give it away will we live in a proper relationship with God.
Real Spiritual Power
By Bishop Robert Barron
October 18, 2015
When the ego grabs power and honor for itself, things get dangerous and dysfunctional very quickly. The ego will want to use power, not for God’s purposes, but for its own exaltation & defense. In today’s gospel reading, Jesus confronts a misguided desire for power within both James and John so as to direct them to real spiritual power, which offers them — and us — the greatest freedom.
The Prodigal Son Returns
By Bishop Robert Barron
March 6, 2016
Today we hear the greatest of Jesus’ parable, indeed what many people call the greatest story ever told: the Parable of the Prodigal Son. Even after hearing it 1,000 times, it continues to beguile us and draw us in. What’s the main spiritual lesson? We’re meant to receive the divine life as a gift, but then give it back.
The Undoing of Original Sin
By Bishop Robert Barron
September 23, 2018
One of the most important doctrines of the Church is the doctrine of original sin, which asserts that something it off with us. We see the effects of it everywhere, and we also see many attempts to solve the problem of sin o
Hear, O Israel
By Bishop Robert Barron
November 4, 2018
Our first reading for Mass this week contains the defining prayer of the Jewish tradition: the “Sh’ma.” In the Gospel, when asked which commandment is the greatest, Jesus, a pious Jew, recites this prayer from the book of Deuteronomy. We Christians too claim—or better, are claimed by—this great prayer. But what does it mean?
Do You Really Want What God Wants?
By Bishop Robert Barron
October 17, 2021
Friends, power and honor, in and of themselves, are not a bad thing, but we wreak havoc when we ask for them in the wrong spirit. When we beseech the Lord with our desires, let us ask for what God wants for us rather than what our egos have determined to be good.
3 Written Reflections
Be His Instrument
By Joseph LaCombe
October 21, 2018
There is so much talk in the Church about family today. Marriages. Husbands. Wives. Children. There is so much focus on the family unit – or lack thereof – and how we as married couples can and need to change and live the Sacrament. And while the family unit is so important, and is a major player, it is not the only player.
"Our family is everyone. Our greatness lies in how we treat them, and the sacrifices we make for others, and the service we provide for them – every day. Our greatness lies in how we listen to Jesus’ calling, and how we let Him use us as His instrument to help others in our lives. This is why He came to us, as one of us. To show us how to achieve this."
Now, Fight!
By Joseph LaCombe
September 23, 2018
I saw a post on social media a while back from a friend who had just finished reading Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince. They mentioned a quote from the end of the book that goes like this:
Childlike but not Childish
By Fr. John Patrick Kenrick
September 13, 2021
Today’s reading from the book of Wisdom is very appropriate for the times we live in when adherence to faith and to Christian values is often mocked by the secular world and even some Christians can be found apologizing for what many people see as unenlightened attitudes. The mistake made by ‘the godless’ in this reading is all too clear – they think that they have all the necessary evidence to make an informed judgment....
Bible Verse Reflections
Romans 2:3
God Judges, Not I
Are we judging others for their sins and forgetting our own?
Luke 11:16
Demanding God
Are we ignoring the signs in our lives God is showing us?
Luke 10:40
Do Not Burden God
Are we letting our problems overcome how we approach Jesus in prayer?
Baruch 1:22
Sinning in Front of God
Are we aware that by keeping our hearts away from God we begin to offend God?
Matthew 1:20
Changing for God’s Plan
Are we able to change our life plans for God’s plan for us?
Mark 9:5
Jesus is Right Here
When God is being revealed in our everyday lives, are we making it about ourselves?
Psalm 81:13
Choosing God
God gives us the choice to follow Jesus or our desires. Where does our heart lead us?
2 Corinthians 5:15
Love As We Are Loved
How much does Jesus' Sacrifice on the Cross drive our daily lives?
Genesis 50:19
Reserved for God
Are we able to relinquish our power and leave the judgement to God?
Psalm 33:10
God’s Will, Not Mine
Are we resisting the will of God with our own intentions and desires?
Ephesians 3:19
Knowing the Fullness of God
Are we seeking God or seeking knowledge in our lives?