St. Agnes Catholic Church October 25/26, 2025 30th Sunday of Ordinary Time https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/102625.cfm The “Merchant of Death is Dead.” That was the newspaper headline in 1888 announcing the passing of the Swedish chemist and industrialist who invented dynamite and made a fortune in selling military arms. There was only one problem, the man, Alfred Nobel from Stockholm, was not actually dead. As you might imagine, Nobel was quite surprised to read his own obituary in the newspaper and he was absolutely appalled to be described as a “merchant of death.” That was not how he wanted to be remembered after he died. This mistake provided a jolt to him, and he responded by founding and funding the now world-famous Nobel Prizes that recognize contributions in science, literature, and especially peace. When we think about Nobel, it is worth asking ourselves, “if I died to today, what would my obituary say?” Would it say...
These posts are the collected homilies of Deacon Ned Berghausen, permanent deacon of the Catholic Archdiocese of Louisville, assigned to St. Agnes Catholic Church. The title "Foot Washer" refers to the Last Supper (John 13:1-20) in which Jesus washed the feet of the apostles and challenged them, "“Do you realize what I have done for you? If I, therefore, the master and teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash one another’s feet. I have given you a model to follow."