Paul begins his 2nd letter to the Thessalonians with a prayer of thanks to God for this Christian community: “We ought to thank God always for you, brothers and sisters…”. We also give thanks to God...
Thanks to God
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Friar Reflection
Dem bones, dem dry bones
Today’s first reading is from the Prophet Ezekiel chapter 37, the famous “dry bones vision.” Ezekiel has been the source of all the first readings for this week. It has been a week in which the Word...
Invited to the Wedding Feast
Today’s Gospel parable is proclaimed to the elders and chief priests, in a formal sense the most religious people of Israel’s society, the ones who had dedicated their lives to study the Old...
Justice – Care – Compassion
Both readings today speak of justice: our conception of justice and God’s conception of justice. The shepherds in the first reading were acting as many of us. It is hard to criticize them. Sheep are...
A Camel
In last week’s Gospel Jesus told a “fish story” and in today’s Gospel Jesus tells a “camel story.” Today’s Gospel is the story of a camel trying to pass through the eye of a needle. A sort of...
Walking the Journey of Discipleship Together
Sometimes it seems that the concept of neighbors and neighborhoods has been lost. In years past homes would have front porches that would enable neighbors to interact with each other on a regular...
The Prophet Ezekiel
Beginning this Monday just past and continuing until August 21st, with the exception of some solemnities, feast days and memorial celebrations, our first reading is from the Prophet Ezekiel. It is a...
The Feast of St. Clare of Assisi
To understand Clare and also Francis, we must look at the Middle Ages – from the fall of the Roman Empire in 476 to the 1300s. During the Middle Ages, along with most of the rest of society, the...
Being witness
Today is the Feast of St. Lawrence of Rome, one of the early martyrs of the Church who died during the persecution of the Emperor Valerian in 258 AD. Lawrence was one of the seven deacons of Rome,...
A Childlike Attitude
In the gospel, the disciples ask Jesus, “Who is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven?” Jesus uses the example of a child. Why a child? Jesus sees three qualities in a child that a disciple...
Fish Story
Today’s Gospel sounds like an incredible fish story. Peter drops a hook into the sea and catches a fish with a coin worth twice the temple tax. Just enough for Jesus and Peter to pay the temple...
It’s About Looking Beyond Oneself
The Gospel today contains three powerful challenges. The followers of Jesus must deny themselves. When we think of denying oneself, we think of giving up something we like doing without some...