Jesus emphasizes his teachings today with these comments: “Anyone who has ears to hear ought to hear.” and “Take care what you hear”. So obviously he wanted to place special importance on these...
Light: A Service for Others
read more
Friar Reflection
The Conversion of St. Paul
Today the Church celebrates the Feast of the Conversion of St. Paul the Apostle. It is an event which we associate with the expression “knocked off your high horse.” It is an association cemented in...
The New Sacrifice: Behold, I Come to Do Your Will, O God
In the first reading Paul proclaims that God does not want burnt offerings and sacrifices from us. This statement would have been shocking to many in Israel who based their faith on keeping the laws...
A House Divided
In today’s gospel Jesus proclaims, “...if a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand.” (Mark 3:25). The gospel says it I believe it, my experience reveals it to be true,...
Shepherds and Kings
January 20th Children's Mass | Ezekiel 34:11-16 and Luke 15:1-7 This coming Sunday is Word of God Sunday when the Catholic Church celebrates the great gift of the Bible. We celebrate the stories...
Jesus Our High Priest
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...
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...