The Good Word

This Sunday is the 21st Sunday in Ordinary Time Fr Daniel Harrington writes about the notion of universalism which was often debated by the Jewish leaders of Jesus time As a theological doctrine universalism claims that all of us will be saved or restored to holiness and happiness The bib

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In today s gospel someone asks Jesus the question that we have all wondered about Will few or many be saved Jesus doesn t answer directly He says Try to squeeze through a narrow door He doesn t say how many will make it but he says clearly that some will not In the first reading f

21st Sunday Ordinary Time Today s readings present a certain tension On the one hand there are images of salvation reaching to all parts of the world the gathering of nations of every language to see God s glory Isa 66 18 the coming of peoples from the east and the west and from th

21st Sunday Ordinary Time Isa 66 18-21 is the conclusion of the book of Isaiah that began with God s condemnation of Zion a sacred name for Jerusalem as utterly corrupt 1 21-28 and his promise of a purifying visitation or judgment that would make it righteous This threatening passage howe

This Sunday is the 20th in Ordinary Time Fr Daniel Harrington writes that Luke s Gospel reading presents three initially puzzling sayings of Jesus He proclaims that he has come to light a fire on earth to undergo a baptism of death and to bring division rather than peace What happened to an

Twentieth Sunday of the Year Later in this Mass we will remember what Jesus told his disciples Peace I leave you my peace I give to you and we will then exchange a greeting of peace But in today s gospel reading Jesus says I have come not to establish peace on the earth I have come for

One of the traditional ways for Christians to understand the prophets of ancient Israel is to see the prophets as those who predicted the coming of the Messiah Such connections were made early on even in the New Testament itself making it is hard for Christians to hear a voice cries in the w

20th Sunday Jer 38 4-6 8-10 The vivid image of Jeremiah plopping ignominiously into the cistern of Prince Malchiah generates a pair of insights for me First the courage of the person who rescued him The man s name is not given and perhaps he was called Ebed-Melek which is Servant or sla

The verb assume has several meanings Its primary meaning is take up which is precisely the sense intended in today s celebration of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary As we pray in the Preface to the Eucharistic Prayer Today the virgin Mother of God was taken up into heaven We ce