He said, “Then I beg you, father, send him to my father's house, for I have five brothers, so that he may warn them, lest they too come to this place of torment.” But Abraham replied, “They have Moses and the prophets. Let them listen to them.” He said, “Oh no, father Abraham, but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.” Then Abraham said, “If they will not listen to Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded if someone should rise from the dead.” (Lk 16:27-31) What is faith? How do we get it, and where does it come from? St. Thomas classically defined faith as: “the act of the intellect assenting to a Divine truth owing to the movement of the will, which is itself moved by the grace of God.” But sometimes things are made easier by looking at examples. … [Read more...]

“No servant can serve two masters. He will either hate one and love the other, or be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and mammon.” (Lk 16:13) There’s an old expression, “no man on his deathbed ever wished he had spent more time at the office.” It’s a way of reinforcing the advice that Jesus gives us today. The question boils down to this: what is the most important thing in our lives? Most of us wouldn’t have a hard time saying that two things in our lives are incredibly important: our families and our friends. These are the people that we can count on. And to them we devote a lot of time. And when it comes to money? Well, that’s one of those necessary evils of life. We need it to survive, but I don’t think any of us would consider it our “god.” But … [Read more...]

“This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.” (Lk 15:2b) Jesus was often criticized during His earthly ministry. He was criticized for breaking Mosaic law (curing on the Sabbath). He was criticized for fraternizing with a woman (the woman at the well). He was criticized for being a glutton and a drunkard (contra John the Baptist). And He was criticized for blasphemy (for forgiving sins). But one of the most frequent criticisms of Jesus was that He ate and drank with sinners. Sometimes, we can use that criticism to justify our own conduct. So what’s the big deal if I hang out with sinners? Jesus did the same thing! There is a different reality: God came to save His people from their sins. The name “Jesus” means “God saves.” God sent us His Son to save us from the darkness of sin and … [Read more...]

“If anyone comes to me without hating his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple.” (Lk 14:26-27). What does it mean to be a Christian? The word was first used by St. Luke in Acts 11:26, where he recounts that: “it was at Antioch that the disciples [of Jesus] were called ‘Christians’ for the first time.” So being a Christian means being a disciple (from the Greek word for “pupil”) of Christ. If you read the Scriptural quote above, then Jesus has some pretty high standards for those who would choose to be His disciple. A disciple must “hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters and even his own life” and he must … [Read more...]

For every one who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted. (Lk 14:11). What is humility? The word origin comes from the Latin word “humus,” which means “dirt.” It can have negative connotations as being “lowly” or “abased,” but Catholics tend to see humility as a virtue. And the reason for that? It’s because Our Savior, Jesus Christ, is the epitome, the essence of humility. He came from the highest station possible: He is the Lord, the Creator of the Universe, the Word made Flesh, the Alpha and the Omega. And from the highest station, He chose the lowliest station on Earth. He was born in a stable. He grew up in one of the smallest backwaters of the Middle East. He became an “itinerant” preacher, and had nowhere to lay his head. He owned nothing … [Read more...]