You and I received an invitation and a challenge on Ash Wednesday: “Repent and believe in the Gospel.” These words of Jesus can also be translated: “Turn to God and put all your trust in God.” ...
The Annunciation
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Friar Reflection
Finger of God
“Repent and believe in the Gospel.” We heard these words as we received ashes on Ash Wednesday. These words are taken from the first words of Jesus’ public ministry: “This is the time of...
It’s About the Law
The Jews used the expression ‘The Law’ in four different ways. They used it to man the 10 commandments; they used it to describe the first five books of the bible, called the Pentateuch. They...
How often…
“How often must I forgive?” Jesus’ answer is “not seven times but seventy-seven times.” This means there is no limit to the number of times we must forgive. He tells a parable about forgiveness,...
A Prophet
A prophetic moment last week in Washington, D.C.: The famed cellist Yo Yo Ma was on his way to the Kennedy Center to rehearse for a performance later that evening. As his car approached the Russian...
What “owns” us?
Once upon a time, two families came to a rabbi wanting him to settle a dispute about the boundaries of their land. He listened as the first family recounted how they had received the land as their...
Rich and Poor
In today’s Gospel Jesus tells the well-known story of the rich man and Lazarus. The rich man is not condemned for having possessions but because he does not hear the cry of the poor. Specifically,...
It’s About Service!
James and John are discussing who will be on Jesus’ right and who will be on His left in the Kingdom. What they and their mother do not understand is that standing on either side of Jesus can be...
Fixing Things
Recently I was teaching grade school children at our parish school. The topic was regarding the 40 Hour Devotion that was coming up in the parish. The children would be participating and so I was...
Covenant
Today’s morning Mass marks the beginning of the parish’s 40 Hour Devotion - and as such today’s readings are taken from the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ. There are lots of odd...
Jesus doesn’t have a good memory
In 2000, Cardinal Thuan, who was a prisoner of war in Vietnam for thirteen years, nine of which were solitary confinement, preached the Lenten Retreat to the Curia in Rome. During this retreat he...
Being Ready
The Jews wanted Jesus to do something sensational to prove that He really was the anointed one of God. In the year 45 A.D. a man named Theudas arose claiming to be the Messiah. He persuaded people...