In the first reading, Jacob, having fled from his brother Esau’s wrath, finds himself at a shrine, where he rests for the night, using a stone for a pillow. It is here that a divine revelation comes...
Repurposing
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Friar Reflection
Mercy, Not Sacrifice
What is your favorite book of the Bible? What is your favorite Bible verse? If we asked Jesus this question, he might well answer that Hosea is his favorite book of the Bible and Hosea 6:6 is his...
Healing Encounter and Rejection
You probably have noticed a dramatic shift in the Matthew’s Gospel over the last week. We have passed a turning point in Matthew’s Gospel. We have moved from the proclamation of the Sermon on the...
Justice and Freedom
Throughout the Bible, we see a consistent call for justice and the promotion of freedom, both in relation to our relationship with God and our interactions with one another. The pairing of Justice...
Doubting Thomas
Today is the Feast of St. Thomas the Apostle. Thomas is popularly known as “Doubting Thomas.” Why? Because he questioned and doubted as we hear in today’s Gospel: “Unless I see the mark of the...
The Power of Testimony
In today’s gospel we have a simple story of an encounter between Jesus and a leper. The leper did him homage and said: “Lord, if you wish, you can make me clean.” Jesus indeed desired to cure the...
Peter and Paul
Peter and Paul were both apostles and saints, but they were by no means perfect! As we hear in today’s Gospel Jesus gives Simon the name Cephas or Rock (Peter) after he confesses, “You are the...
Discernment and Right Judgment
In today’s gospel Jesus admonished us, “Stop judging, that you may not be judged. For as you judge, so will you be judged, and the measure with which you measure will be measured out to you.” There...
What is there to fear?
Just this past Sunday, our gospel was Jesus’ commissioning of the Twelve Apostles to begin their first mission in Galilee. As Jesus had done, “he gave them authority over unclean spirits to drive...
The Christian Prayer
What a marvelous event we see in today’s Gospel. We continue listening to the Sermon on the Mount. There are many beautiful and deep prayers in the Old Testament: SHEMA Israel (Deut 6:4-9), the Ten...
True Conversion and the Mask of Hypocrisy
Jesus’s Sermon on the Mount is a great source of joy for all. It puts us right inside the vision and thinking of God. Through Jesus’s preaching, we know our mission. Prayer, fasting, and almsgiving...
Love Your Enemies
“So be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect.” Today’s Gospel continues Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:1-7:28). Jesus’ teaching in today’s Gospel is the most challenging of all...