Prayer is one of the three ancient ways of penance which are important in this time of Lent to renew our Christian life: prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. In the Sermon on the Monte, Jesus proposes a...
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Friar Reflection
Be Holy
In today’s first reading the Lord commands the Israelites: “Be holy, for I, the Lord, your God, am holy.” This phrase is translated differently by Matthew and Luke in their respective Gospels:...
Fasting
Today’s readings focus on fasting. What is the meaning and purpose of fasting? When should we fast? What is a fast acceptable to God? In the Gospel on Ash Wednesday Jesus taught us, “When you...
The Cross
In today’s Gospel Jesus teaches his disciples the way of the cross. Jesus truly is the Son of God and the Son of Man and yet his way is one of humility, service, and sacrifice. “The Son of Man...
The Joy of Anticipation
There were two dieticians who lived very strict lives of diet and exercise. They would eat a healthy diet, watch blood pressure and cholesterol, get exercise and absolutely eat incredibly...
Giving Up Everything
In today’s Gospel we see the disciple’s reaction to Jesus’ encounter and dialog with the rich young man. The young man proclaims that he has good faith and a good practice of that faith. After Jesus...
Who then can be saved?
Today’s gospel asks: “Who then can be saved?” The answer is found in the first reading, words from the Book of Sirach, a passage that speaks to both the reality of human sin and the infinite mercy...
Christian Marriage
The scribes and pharisees taught based on the authority of their teachers, tracing the tradition of their teaching all the way back to Moses. Today the scribes come to Jesus with what they...
Salt: Living True to Our Vocation
Personal conversion is central in today’s readings. All of the injunctions against sins, against leading others astray, against centering our lives on material goods and power, against continuance...
Tuft Battle
In today’s Gospel one of Jesus’ disciples, John, wants to protect his “tuft” and restrict where and how God can work: “Teacher, we saw someone driving out demons in your name, and we tried to...
Endurance
Here in the Northern Virginia area many of our parishioners are under a considerable amount of anxiety and uncertainty due to the efforts of the current administration’s efforts on “government...
Wisdom
Today we begin reading from the Book of Sirach also called Ecclesiasticus. The Jewish author, Jesus ben Sira, was a scribe living in Jerusalem around 117 B.C. His grandson wrote a forward to his...