In today’s Gospel we not only see Jesus at prayer but we hear the words of his prayer: “I give you praise, Father, Lord of heaven and earth…” Jesus, the Son of God, gives praise to his heavenly...
Jesus Prays
read more
Friar Reflection
Branch and Fruit
In today’s first reading, the Prophet Isaiah is speaking to the people of Israel in the 8th century before Christ. In earlier verses, he has reminded them of their responsibilities as the qahal...
The Last Thing and the Center: Reigning in the Lamb of God
We have arrived at the second to the last day – tomorrow is the very last day of the liturgical year. John’s vision in the first reading speaks of the second-to-last-things that will happen. We tend...
Thanksgiving – Be Careful What You Wish For
Be careful what you wish for There was once a stonecutter who was very happy with his life and work. He had a wonderful family whom he loved; he made a good living cutting and preparing stone for...
Remaining Faithful
Yesterday’s gospel, when combined with the gospel for today, forms the gospel reading from the recent 33rd Sunday of Ordinary Time when Jesus and the disciples stand before the awesome sight of the...
Teacher, when…
A common question of Christians throughout the ages is when? So, the question in today’s Gospel: “Teacher, when will this happen? And what sign will there be when all these things are about to...
Sign of the Cross
“I, John, looked and there was the Lamb standing on Mount Zion, and with him a hundred and forty-four thousand who had his name and his Father’s name written on their foreheads.” In today’s first...
The Word of God and Visitation
There is a lot of weeping in today’s readings. John weeps in his vision because there is no one to open the scrolls of the Word of God. It must have been deeply disturbing for John to see the Word...
Us of Our Faith, Time, and Life
This is the last week of the Church’s liturgical year. This coming Sunday we celebrate the last Sunday of the year with the feast of Christ the King. Over this week and into the first weeks of...
Laodicea
In today’s first reading we again read from the Revelation. It is an early section in the scripture referred to as Letters to the Churches of Asia (1:4–3:22). Part of today’s text is the Letter to...
Divine Mercy and Compassion
The gospel today is Luke’s account of the blind man on the roadside who cries out: “Jesus, son of David, have pity on me.” The underlying word is eléos – I don’t know why they translate it as “pity”...
The Antichrist
In our first reading today, the Presbyter warns again the “antichrist.” The antichrist or “deceiver” is one or more who have left the community and gone out into the world. They deny “Jesus Christ...