Jesus says that some of His followers are fruit bearing branches of Himself; others are useless because they bear no fruit. So, who was Jesus thinking of when He spoke of fruitless branches? First,...
Being Part of the Body
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Friar Reflection
Talking in circles
If you are following the daily gospels for Mass, you will have noticed that we are relying on Jesus’ Farewell Discourse presented in Chapters 13 through 17. The context is the eve of the...
Easter Joy from Indwelling of God
Much of what Jesus said in his long farewell address during the Last Supper, part of which we hear in today’s Gospel, must have been hard for the disciples to understand at first. His disciples were...
The Path or The Way
In his last discourse to the disciples Jesus says he is going in order to prepare a place for all in his Father’s house where there are many rooms. This is the desire of God: that all of us arrive...
Servant and Apostle
In today’s Gospel Jesus tells us that he is a servant and an apostle: “Amen, amen, I say to you, no servant (doulos) is greater than his master nor any messenger (apostolos) greater than the one who...
It’s About Sharing
The plane taxied to the edge of the runway – and stopped. Then the captain made the announcement every passenger dreads: A storm had shut down all major airports. Because other aircraft had...
The Voice of God
Today’s Gospel is a longer version of this past Sunday’s Gospel, Jesus the Good Shepherd. As today’s Gospel begins Jesus is walking in the Temple in Jerusalem during the feast of Dedication,...
…and they follow me
The people heard that parishioners from St. Francis in Triangle had gone to St. Fulani to celebrate a Tridentine Rite Mass. And so when they returned they were confronted and asked, “You went to a...
Call and Conversion
The first reading today is from the Acts of the Apostles. It is usually called the conversion of St. Paul. Paul himself, however, describes his Damascus’ experience not as a conversion but as a...
Guided By the Spirit to Evangelize
During this Easter season we have been listening to the first experiences of the disciples with the risen Christ. The Easter season is a time of renewal of our own personal connection to the risen...
Moving On
Were it not for the Feast of Sts. Philip and James, the first reading for this week-so-far would have recounted the public ministry of St. Stephen. He had been publicly debating with members of a...
Doing God’s Work
Today we celebrate two of the Twelve members of Jesus’ circle. Philip, a friend of Andrew’s from Bethsaida, is invited by Jesus himself to join his company. In the Fourth Gospel, Philip often says...