In the first reading for today we encountered one of the passages that, the first time I read it, I had to blink, shake my head to remove possible cobwebs, and then re-read. Did they just find “the...
A Call to Action
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Friar Reflection
The Narrow Gate
In today’s Gospel Jesus exhorts us to “enter through the narrow gate.” As Jesus comes to the end of his Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:1-7:28) he gives us a summary of his teachings and an...
Stop Judging
Jesus’ command in today’s Gospel is simple and direct: “Stop judging.” Notice Jesus does not say, “Do not judge,” but “Stop judging.” He knows that “religious” people have a tendency to judge and...
Idols and Faith
In the Old Testament today we see how Israel returned to the Lord after a time of service to a foreign idol. Repeatedly through the Old Testament Israel is called back to the Lord after many detours...
Thy Will Be Done
How should we pray? There have been numerous books that have been written on prayer. Some of these books provide descriptions of the various types of prayer (e.g., praise, petition, contemplative...
The Challenge of Stargazing
In her best-selling book Learning to Walk in the Dark, Barbara Brown Taylor reflects on the many ways God reveals himself in the dark, that we can discover God in the moonlight as well as the...
The Whirlwind
Every now and again, someone in the Sacrament of Confession will mention a sin, and comment, “I know it's wrong, but no one is hurt except me.” In yesterday’s first reading we heard the first part...
St. Anthony of Padua
Most people know St. Anthony of Padua as the patron saint of lost and stolen articles, but have you ever wondered why he is that particular patron saint? The Patron Saint of Lost Things. The reason...
The Voice of God
“Where is God?” “What is God doing?” I am sure that some of us have asked these questions as we face what seems to be one tragedy after another in our world and in our county. Or perhaps we have...
Making the Right Choice
Amanda Gorman is the young writer and activist who delivered her acclaimed poem “The Hill We Climb” at President Biden’s inaugural. Last week [May 28, 2022], The New York Times published her latest...
Elijah and Jesus: Building on and Fulfilling Tradition
In the reading today from the Old Testament the people of Israel had strayed far from a communal relationship with the God of the faith tradition. Many families had opted to recognize and worship...
Miracles in plain sight
The first reading today often focused on the miraculous: “For the LORD, the God of Israel, says, ‘The jar of flour shall not go empty, nor the jug of oil run dry, until the day when the LORD sends...