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...
Standing Still
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Friar Reflection
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...
The Kingdom of God – Today at the Table Feast
Jesus often participated in table fellowship feasts and often uses the image of a feast to describe life with God. Today one of the people who was with Jesus at a dinner celebration exclaims:...
Glory to God
Can we trust God or is God fickle? St. Paul tells us in today’s first reading that “… the gifts and the call of God are irrevocable.” In this section of Romans (chapters 9-11), Paul has been...
Love and Law
In the Old Testament the sabbath was the Lord’s Day, a day of resting in the Lord. It was a day centered on renewing one’s relationship with God. Work was specifically not allowed. There are 39...
All Souls
In today’s first reading we hear the comforting words, “The souls of the just are in the hand of God, and no torment shall touch them. Death is a great mystery that each of us must face. When...