Friar Daily Reflection
Prayer and Hope and Trust and Confidence
Today we see a captain of the Roman army pleading with Jesus for a healing of his servant. Israel had been conquered by the Roman army which was seen as a foreign occupying force. So, we can easily say that members of the Roman army were not well liked in Israel....
Spiritual Warfare
Today’s first reading describes what is sometimes called spiritual warfare. Our weapons or armor are spiritual not physical. Paul calls it the “armor of God.” This armor is “truth,” “righteousness,” and the “Gospel of peace.” Paul is a prisoner but also calls...
Growth in Marriage
Today we hear Paul’s councils to married couples in Ephesus. It is one of the recommended readings for marriage ceremonies. Yet now a days it is not chosen very often. A first glance to anyone from our modern culture, the vision seems overly harsh towards women. A...
Keep Holy the Sabbath
In today’s Gospel Jesus debates with some Jewish teaches about what is Lawful on the Sabbath. What does it mean to keep holy the Sabbath? “Remember the sabbath day—keep it holy. Six days you may labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a sabbath of the...
Signs of the Times
In today’s Gospel Jesus speaks about discerning the “signs of the times” be it the signs of the weather or the signs of God at work in the present time: “Jesus also said to the crowds, “When you see a cloud rising in the west you say immediately that it is going to...
Fire and Conversion
What a disturbing saying from Jesus today! This is especially so if we are tied to that false concept that Christianity is about peace in the sense of doing nothing. Jesus himself directly rebukes that image by saying that he has not come to establish peace on the...
How Far
It has been my experience that people just beginning serious study of Sacred Scriptures follow a pattern: the Gospels/Acts, selected Old Testament books, and then the letters of St. Paul. One of the challenges in reading and understanding Paul is that you are often...
Strangers No Longer
When visiting someone’s home, we are often invited in, offered a place to sit, a refreshment, and when the purpose of the visit is complete, we are thanked and escorted to the door. There is something wonderfully different in being welcomed into someone’s home; truly...
Rich in Mercy
What is your image of God? Is God Santa Claus or the Bogeyman? While the true God is neither he is more the giver of good gifts than someone out to scare us. In today’s first reading Paul describes God as “rich in mercy.” “But God, who is rich in mercy, because of...
Express Love At All Costs
Today we see Jesus invited to dinner with one of the town’s Pharisees or religious leaders and other important neighbors. While they were dining, a woman appears and washes Jesus’ feet. The whole story and event is centered around washing of the feet. This may seem...