The poor widow in today’s Gospel is often held up as the model of generosity and church giving. But there might be more than meets the eye in today’s Gospel passage. The Gospel is more a warning...
Friar Reflection
Faith to Action
Today when Jesus enters the temple, he encounters the marketplace for selling authorized animals for thanksgiving and penance sacrifices. The marketplace was located just inside the main entrance....
We Give Thanks
Today is a day to recognize our many blessings and to give thanks to God. In today’s second reading Paul leads us in a pray of thanksgiving: “I give thanks to my God always on your account for the...
A Monument of Faith and Hope: A Mother’s Transmission of Her Faith to Her Children
We live close to the capital of our nation. The city of Washington, DC is full of monuments and memorials. It would take weeks to visit all the different monuments spread throughout the whole city....
Standing Still
The gospel for today tells the story of Jesus and Zacchaeus from the Gospel of Luke. St. Luke is a pretty good story teller. Luke chapter 15 is a wonderful collection of parables about things lost...
The Kingdom of God is Among You
The folks in Jesus’ time wanted to know a specific sign to recognize the beginning of the reign of God. They were always asking when and where it would start. What would be its characteristics?...
We Give Thanks
The simple lesson in today’s Gospel is to give thanks for our many blessings. This message is certainly appropriate as we prepare to celebrate Thanksgiving next week. The Gospel story begins with...
Worlds in Contrast
The first reading for today is from the Book of Wisdom (2:23-3:9), which provides a profound reflection on the contrast of world views between the foolish and the wise. The foolish people are...
Your choice of wisdom
The first reading for today is taken from the opening of the Book of Wisdom. These simple verses set the tone for the entire book, urging readers to prioritize the search for wisdom, followed by...
The Small Things
The gospel for today is the story of the “Dishonest Steward” (Luke 16:1-8). These verses are the parable itself but it is good to note that the application of the parable continues in vv.9-13. The...
Being Temple
First a bit of history & tradition – St John Lateran, mother church of the world: “To dedicate or consecrate” a place to God is a ritual that is found in every religion. To “reserve” a place to...
After the Banquet
In this day and age, we receive all manner of evites: to meetings, parties, events and more. Upon receiving the evite are we excited? Were we just hoping for a day or evening off? Does this seem...