Gospel Reflections

Body Building: Scott Hahn Reflects on The Feast of the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica in Rome Why commemorate a church dedication that happened in fourth-century Rome? First, because St. John Lateran is no ordinary church—it’s the cathedral church of the Pope and still known as “the mother of all…

All Souls: Scott Hahn on The Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed When St. Paul talked about the resurrection of the dead with the philosophers at Athens, many laughed and mocked him (Acts17:32). The Gospel, he would later write, is “foolishness” to the wise of this world (1 Corinthians 1:18).…

No Favorites: Scott Hahn on the 30th Sunday Jesus draws a blunt picture in today’s Gospel. The Pharisee’s prayer is almost a parody of the thanksgiving psalms (see for example Psalms 30, 118). Instead of praising God for His mighty works, the Pharisee congratulates himself for his own deeds, which he…

Hope from on High: Scott Hahn on the 29th Sunday The Lord is our guardian, beside us at our right hand, interceding for us in all our spiritual battles. In today’s Psalm we’re told to lift our eyes to the mountains, that our help will come from Mount Zion and…

Returning Thanks: Scott Hahn on the 28th Sunday A foreign leper is cleansed and in thanksgiving returns to offer homage to the God of Israel. We hear this same story in both the First Reading and Gospel today. There were many lepers in Israel in Elisha’s time, but only Naaman…

A Great Chasm: Scott Hahn on the 26th Sunday The rich and powerful are visited with woe and exile in today’s Liturgy—not for their wealth but for their refusal to share it; not for their power but for their indifference to the suffering at their door. The complacent leaders in…

Prudent Stewards: Scott Hahn on the 25th Sunday The steward in today’s Gospel confronts the reality that he can’t go on living the way he has been. He is under judgment. He must give account for what he has done. The exploiters of the poor in today’s First Reading are…

The Promised Land: Scott Hahn on the Exaltation of the Holy Cross Today’s feast embodies a great mystery. Like the people of Israel in the first reading, we are called to a long journey to the Promised Land of heaven. Like them, we can lose patience and fall into sin,…

To Go up Higher: Scott Hahn on the 22nd Sunday We come to the wedding banquet of heaven by way of humility and charity. This is the fatherly instruction we hear in today’s First Reading, and the message of today’s Gospel. Jesus is not talking simply about good table manners.…