“Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.” We hear the same expression at every Mass, but do we hear the words in the same way as John the Baptist would have understood them? For...
The Lamb of God
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Friar Reflection
Family and Faith
After the death of the first twelve apostles, the Church entered the patristic stage, a time of guidance by the early fathers. Basil and Gregory come from that period. Basil lived from 329AD to...
Abba
In today’s Gospel Mary, the Mother of God, serves as a model for how we are invited to hear the Word of God. The Evangelist Luke tells us that Mary, after she had heard all the amazing things being...
Maybe in my lifetime
Today’s gospel from St. Luke is the narration of the Presentation in the Temple. The presentation that was required 40 days after Jesus’ nativity to complete Mary's ritual purification after...
Holy Innocents
“A voice was heard in Ramah, sobbing and loud lamentation; Rachel weeping for her children, and she would not be consoled, since they were no more.” Sadly, this passage is all too real today as we...
Seeing is Believing
Today’s readings reflect on the relationship between “seeing” and “believing.” In today’s Gospel passage from John, we hear that both Simon Peter and the “other disciple” went into the empty tomb...
It is as He Said
Today’s readings have always struck me as oddly placed only one day after Christmas. It is the story of the protomartyr of the Christian faith - St. Stephen. While I know that the feast day is...
The Promise of Mercy
Today’s gospel is Mary’s prayer immediately following her encounter with her cousin Elizabeth in a scene known as the Visitation. It is part of a larger prayer known as the Magnificat and forms part...
Joy and Service
In these last days of Advent, we hear how God prepared everything for Jesus’ birth. Mary surrendered herself to the will of God and her part in the history of salvation. Her openness to life went...
To Whom the Word Came
Today’s gospel is a familiar part of the Christmas story - the Angel Gabriel inviting Mary into the plans of God for redemption and salvation of the world. Given our proximity to Christmas, I...
Pray and Waiting – In Faith or in Doubt
Advent is a time of waiting, time to renew our lifestyle and our form of waiting. Advent waiting is a form of life, not just a passing season. Advent is living in hope and joy. Some people wait...
Emmanuel
In today’s Gospel the great promise or vision of Isaiah the prophet is fulfilled: “Behold, the virgin shall be with child and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel…” (Matthew 2:23; Isaiah...