One afternoon in the synagogue, a rabbi was overcome with rapture and threw himself to the ground proclaiming, “Lord, I am nothing!” Not to be bested, the cantor prostrated himself and exclaimed,...
Humility: vice or virtue?
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Friar Reflection
What can we do?
So they said to him, "What can we do to accomplish the works of God?" Jesus answered and said to them, "This is the work of God, that you believe in the one he sent." (John 6:28-29) Accomplishing...
Mary Magdalene’s Call into the Resurrection
Today we are celebrating mass with our grade school children. That is why the Gospel we are using is different from the one scheduled in the Roman lectionary. If I were planning the resurrection, I...
Obeying God
Today’s first reading from Acts teaches that God’s authority comes first before human authorities, be they political or religious. When Peter is ordered by the Jewish religious authorities, the...
Living the Light
Pamela Addison never expected to be a widow at 36. Just two years ago, she held her six-month -old son and two-year old daughter and watched helplessly as paramedics rushed her husband Martin to the...
The Ideal Community
Luke, in today’s first reading from the Acts of the Apostles, gives us a summary description of the life of the first Christian community in Jerusalem: “The community of believers was of one heart...
It’s About Courage
Despite the warning of the Sanhedrin to speak no more, the disciples continued to preach the Gospel message. They had the conviction of the power of God. Once the papal envoy threatened Martin...
Where is the Risen Christ?
This first week of Easter we have been listening to how the first disciples experienced the risen Christ in their lives. It is amazing to see how the risen Christ is in all aspects of their lives –...
Man Proposes, God Disposes
In today’s first reading from the Acts of the Apostles Peter addresses the Jewish people in the Temple area after the healing of a crippled man. His message is summarized well in the work The...
The Breaking of the Bread
Today’s Gospel is the story of the two disciples on the road to Emmaus and how they came to recognize Jesus in the “Breaking of the Bread.” The phrase “Breaking of the Bread” was an early Christian...
Mary Magdalene’s Tears
Pope Francis pointed out a while ago that Mary Magdalene’s reality was changed after she washed Jesus’ feet with her tears. Looking at her life and reality through the prism of tears of regret for...
It’s About Easter Joy
The story today in the Gospel tells us of the experience of the two Mary’s, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary, as they encounter the risen Lord. As we hear this story three things stand out, They...