Today, the day after Christmas, we move quickly from the joy of the birth of Jesus to the story of the first Christian martyr, St. Stephen. Out 1st reading today from the Acts of the Apostles tells...
The First Martyr
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Friar Reflection
The Canticle of Zechariah – Hope
Zechariah was the father of John the Baptist. He was born into the clan of temple priests who served in the temple in Jerusalem according to shifts. He and his wife, Elizabeth, did not have a son....
A question as old as the ages
In the midst of all the wonder and excitement of the birth of a child, it is a natural question to ask: “What will this child be?” Tinker, tailor, soldier, sailor? Loving, kind, gentle, brave? …....
The Annunciation – Living in The Protecting Shadow
I don’t know if any of you have had the opportunity to live in a desert. When I was 25, I went to live in the friars’ Navajo mission along the New Mexico and Arizona border for two consecutive...
The Annunciation
In today’s Gospel we hear an Annunciation Story. It is not the Annunciation Story to Mary of the birth of Jesus but the Annunciation Story to the priest Zechariah of the birth of John the Baptist. ...
St. Joseph: Righteousness, Trust and Obedience
This season of Advent is a time of preparation to receive the Prince of Peace in our hearts and family. It is a season that is full of joy and many preparations: cards, food, decorations, buying...
Genealogy of Hope
The gospel for today is St. Matthew’s genealogy of Jesus. It is Matthew's way of showing how Jesus fulfills the Old Testament storyline and takes up the first 17 verses of the gospel - and since...
Authority
Who does he think he is? Some of the Jewish religious leaders, some chief priests and elders, irritated by Jesus put this question to him in today’s Gospel: “By what authority are you doing these...
Children
In today’s Gospel Jesus compares his generation to children in the marketplace. These children refuse to respond: “We played the flute for you, but you did not dance, we sang a dirge, but you did...
Evangelization With a Mother’s Caring Love
As we all learned in grade school in the USA the Spaniards arrived in the new world in 1492. They attempted to establish settlements and colonies throughout the Caribbean Islands, Santo Domingo, and...
Invitations
We all like to receive invitations. During this Advent season we receive many invitations to parties and open houses. The most important invitation that we can receive this Advent is Jesus’...
Such is Our God
"Comfort, give comfort to my people, says your God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and proclaim to her that her service is at an end, her guilt is expiated..." (Isaiah 40:1-2) The Prophet Isaiah is...