If you have been following along with the daily readings at Mass, you know that the first readings have been following the 12 tribes of Jacob as they escaped slavery in Egypt, received the Ten...
At Wit’s End
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Friar Reflection
Assumptions
The gospel passage Matthew 13:54-58 offers a profound reflection on the nature of assumptions and the limitations they impose on our understanding and beliefs. In this passage, Jesus returns to his...
The Conversion
The Word of God constantly calls us to conversion and to renew our lives and the public witness of faith. Jesus uses parables to perplex us and call us to deepen our relationship with God and our...
The Light of Your Face
Today’s first reading from the book of Exodus describes the appearance of Moses as he comes down from the presence of God on Mount Sinai: “…the skin of his face had become radiant while he conversed...
Living in the Midst of Tares – Evil
Jesus uses the parable of the good wheat and the tares to explain the Kingdom of God and the presence of evil. Today we hear the explanation of the parable. The parable is a bit disturbing. In fact,...
Forgetting God
Today’s reading is from the “golden calf” incident recorded in the Book of Exodus. You know the story: Moses comes down from the mountain top carrying the 10 Commandments carved into stone tablets....
Your feet in the soil
Today’s gospel was part of the Gospel for the 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time but it is noteworthy that there was a shorter and a longer option. The shorter included the parable only, while the longer...
Mysteries
In today’s Gospel Jesus addresses the first disciples and all of us disciples: “But blessed are your eyes, because they see, and your ears, because they hear.” What is it that we see and hear? We...
Jesus the Farmer
In today’s Gospel Jesus tells the story of a farmer who goes out to sow. He sows here, there, and everywhere. Jesus, of course, was not a farmer but a carpenter, “Is he not the carpenter, the son...
Jars of clay
Today’s first reading is one of my favorite passages from St. Paul: “We hold this treasure in earthen vessels” (2 Cor 4:7) - also as "jars of clay". It points out one of the great paradoxes of this...
Signs
It is a natural human desire to see signs, signs of God’s presence, signs of God’s power, of God’s goodness, of God’s love. Some of the scribes and Pharisees in today’s Gospel respond to that human...
Passover and Sabbath
In today’s Gospel Jesus once again cites the prophet Hosea, “I desire mercy, not sacrifice” (Hosea 6:6; Matthew 9:13; 12:7). Neither the prophet Hosea nor Jesus wants to do away with the cult, the...