Today’s first reading presents Jesus as our heavenly high priest: “The main point of what has been said is this: we have such a high priest, who has taken his seat at the right hand of the throne of...
Jesus Our High Priest
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Friar Reflection
Morning or Night
Late one night the Teacher sat around a blazing fire with a small number of disciples. Their conversation was broken by periods of silence when they gazed at the stars or stared into the glowing...
Anchor of the Soul
The first reading is taken from Hebrews chapter 6:10 and following, but the larger context for the writer’s thought begins at Hebrews 5:11 where a metaphor is employed, one familiar then and now:...
New Wine
“Why do your disciples not fast?” This is the questioning challenge that the disciples of John and the disciples of the Pharisees put to Jesus. Fasting was a part of Jewish piety and religious...
Through the Roof: The Community of Faith and the Person of Christ
The healings and marvelous deeds of Jesus, which we have been listening to this first week of Ordinary Time, demonstrate to us who he is. These deeds go hand in hand with his preaching and actions...
Curing the Leper
The leper was a person who was already dead though still alive. He had to wear a black garment that all might recognize, and he had to live in a leper house. He could not come into a church...
Both And
The first readings for this week are taken from the Letter to the Hebrews. The psalms are ones that speak of the covenant of God with his people. The gospels are taken from the earliest days of...
Our Pioneer of Salvation
This week we begin reading from the “Letter to the Hebrews.” This work is not exactly a letter but is more a homily or theological treatise. It reflects on the full humanity and full divinity of...
Being a Covenant People
Today marks the end of the Liturgical season of Christmas as we celebrate the beginning of the public ministry of Jesus of Nazareth. Throughout the Christmas season we have heard the titles and...
Faith and Hope in Mission
Today we celebrate the feast of St. John Henry Newman. When I was studying biology in college, the Catholic communities on secular universities were called the Newman Clubs after John Henry Newman....
Creative Service
Today we celebrate the feast of Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton, first person born in the USA to be recognized as a saint. She was a wife, mother, widow, convert, founder of a religious order, and founder...
The Lamb of God
In today’s Gospel John the Baptist continues bearing witness to Jesus: “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.” These words are familiar since they are the words the priests...