Today we celebrate the Feast of Mary Magdalene. She has been called “the Apostle to the Apostles;” a title started by Saint Augustine because she was the first one to bring news of the Resurrection...
…whom my heart loves
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Friar Reflection
Where you are planted
The parable’s focus on the seeds is an allegory for those who hear the word of the kingdom proclaimed. The parables describe the varying receptiveness to what they hear; all hear the same word. Yet...
Who are my mother and brothers?
If you have been following the daily Gospel readings, you have read about the growing opposition to Jesus. He has been performing miracles, casting out demons, curing the sick, and yet people are...
Signs of God’s Presence
“Teacher, we wish to see a sign from you.” Some of the scribes and Pharisees in today’s Gospel ask to see a sign. What they are really asking for is another sign. Jesus has been healing and...
Mercy
Once again, we see a new confrontation between Jesus and the Pharisees. The Pharisees were the strictest observers of the Law in the time of Jesus. One of the most important precepts was to respect...
Taking on Jesus’ Yoke
L’Amerique is novelist Thierry Sagnier’s story of a Parisian family’s fight to survive the devastation of World War II. Sagnier’s novel includes this moment: “They reminisced about the war. Cecile...
The Face of God
In the Gospel today Jesus is speaking out of experience, His experience that the Rabbis and the wise men rejected Him but the simple people accepted Him. The intellectuals had no use for Him, the...
Directing the Gospel
Several weeks ago, on my blog I published “Your Script”. I am borrowing from that post for today’s homily. In the gospel Jesus says, “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida”. Previously I noted...
The Things We Give Up
“Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and whoever does not take up his cross and follow after me is...
The Pep Talk
In today’s Gospel, Jesus gives a “pep talk” to the twelve disciples He is sending out on mission. It has to be the worst pep talk ever - realistic, but grim. 16 “Behold, I am sending you like sheep...
Good Out of Evil: God is in Control
We often hear of tragedies with innocent victims suffering. The times we were and are still living with the Pandemic has not been an exception. The usual reaction is to question why God allows these...
Knowing the Mission
I have two thoughts for you today. The first concerns “the twelve” while the second involves Jesus’ instructions: “Do not go into pagan territory or enter a Samaritan town. Go rather to the lost...