“The angels will go out and separate the wicked from the righteous
and throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.” Stern words from our Blessed Lord, who for the second time in a row speaks of the value of the kingdom of heaven. Those who are wise, like King Solomon, and lead a life of faith by keeping the commandments are welcomed into the kingdom, while those who lead a life of wickedness and sin are cast out. What Jesus is describing in the latter…
The Book of Wisdom shows that the One True God does not have to justify or prove his justice. It says, “For your might is the source of justice…But though you are master of might, you judge with clemency…And you taught your people…that those who are just must be kind.” The mighty deeds of God are known to us all, beginning with Creation itself, and extending throughout Salvation History as the Lord entrusted dominion of the earth to man, commanding us to be fertile and multiply. He…
“But the seed sown on rich soil is the one who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and yields a hundred or sixty or thirtyfold,” words taken from today’s Gospel direct us to the importance of understanding the Word of God and allowing it to bear fruit in our life. One of the primary ways in which the Word bears fruit in our life is by the work we do—particularly the work we do for God. The Catholic Church is no stranger to hard work. I am reminded of one of the prayers for…
St. Paul says, “For if you live according to the flesh, you will die,
but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.” And as Jesus says the night of the Last Supper, “The Spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” St. Paul elaborates this notion further in his Letter to the Galatians, saying, “For the flesh has desires against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; these are opposed to each other, so that you may not do what you want. But if you are guided by…
