St. James speaks today about temptation in a way that is both honest and disarming. He does not begin with dramatic sins or shocking failures. Instead, he speaks about desire; how temptation works...
The Lure of Temptation
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Friar Reflection
Signs
Give me just one more sign, just one more proof of God’s presence. In today’s Gospel some of the Pharisees are “seeking from Jesus a sign from heaven to test him.” While Jesus performed many...
Ephphatha
In today’s Gospel we have this strange word “Ephphatha.” Mark helpfully translates this Aramaic word: “Be opened!” Aramaic was Jesus’ native language although he could also read the Scripture in...
The Dogs
In today’s Gospel Jesus is in the Gentile territory of Tyre. He encounters a non-Jewish woman, “a Greek, a Syrophoenician woman.” She begs Jesus to heal her daughter who is possessed by a demon. ...
Impression or Conversion
In the gospel Jesus tells the crowd that what truly defiles a person is not what comes from the outside, but what comes from within. What comes out is likely an indicator of the conversion happening...
Tension as old as Faith
The readings today place us inside a tension that is as old as faith itself: the tension between tradition and obedience, between familiar worship and a living relationship with God. In the first...
The Temple
Today’s first reading describes the dedication of the First Temple in Jerusalem. This Temple was destroyed by the King of Babylon who also exiled the Jewish king and many of the political and...
Life and Legacy
Today’s readings invite us to consider what remains of a life once the moment has passed. What kind of legacy is left behind? We are also asked how that legacy is shaped by the way a person listens...
The Twelve
In today’s Gospel Jesus sends out the Twelve to continue his mission. The Twelve were a select group of disciples. Jesus had previously chosen this group to preach and heal as we hear earlier in...
Jesus the Carpenter
In today’s Gospel we hear how Jesus offends the people in his hometown. What offended or scandalized the people of his native place? It does not seem to be his teaching in the synagogue since we...
Two Loves
Today’s readings place before us two parents, two children, and two very different outcomes of love. In the first reading, we hear David’s cry — raw, unfiltered, and devastating: “O my son Absalom!...
Into the Quiet
The Feast of the Presentation is, at first glance, a quiet scene. There is no miracle, no crowd, no proclamation from heaven. Like faithful, observant parents, another young couple brings a child to...