The mystery of the transfiguration is something I have always liked to meditate on. This episode in Jesus' life draws us into the secret life of Christ. Sometimes it is a privilege to be told a secret. We feel that we can be trusted and that we are in some way perhaps esteemed in that person's opinion. Here today in our gospel reading Jesus tells us a secret about himself. The transfiguration conveys to us two particular aspects of Christ's life, aspects that are integral t
Temptation works on us because there is truth in it. Temptation doesn't work for us because there is not enough truth in it. There is, in temptation, a lie which has been put alongside the truth, to make it plausible and desirable. We’ll accept the lie if we only see the truth it’s attached to. So, if we separate out the truth from the lie in any idea we have, then we shall discover the temptation and more often avoid sin. To see how this works in practice, we can take th
We can all recall passages where Jesus calls the Pharisees “hypocrites,” and he uses even stronger names such as “brood of vipers” and “whitened sepulchres.” In today’s Gospel, however, Jesus warns us against name-calling, You have heard how it was said, “Thou shalt not kill,” and anyone who does kill shall answer for it before the court. But I say this to you. Anyone who is angry with his brother shall answer for it before the court. Anyone who calls his brother fool will an
From the beginning, St Dominic’s friars have set about preaching with the mind of the Church. Our homilies are offered here for the good of their readers and the support of homilists everywhere.
