You are sympathetic to a charity and would like to help, but money is tight right now (which actually it isn’t). Should I write a check or not? You can make a case that you were not responsible, but...
Wrestling with God
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Friar Reflection
Jesus the Healer
Jesus was both a teacher and healer who showed by His words and actions that God is with us in times of joy but especially when our burdens are heavy. In today’s Gospel we have two healing stories,...
The Art of Following
Today’s passage for Matthew provides useful material for reflection upon the nature of ministry of Jesus and of the church as well. Jesus calls Matthew to follow Him, yet Jesus follows Matthew and...
Temptations and Trials
“God put Abraham to the test.” Would a loving and merciful God really put someone to the test by asking them to sacrifice their beloved child and then tell them, “Only testing”? What about poor...
Go or Stay
Following along in Matthew’s gospel, we recall the previous narrative was about the calming of the storm that beset the apostles while they and Jesus were crossing the lake. They arrive at their...
Peter the Rocky Apostle
Peter is given many different names in the New Testament. Jesus calls him “Rock” (Cephas) after Peter confesses that Jesus is the Messiah, the Christ. In the very next scene Jesus calls him Satan...
The Memorial of St. Irenaeus of Lyon
Righteous Father, the world also does not know you, but I know you, and they know that you sent me. I made known to them your name and I will make it known, that the love with which you loved me may...
Jesus Welcomes Outcasts
What is God’s Will? Jesus shows us God’s Will through his words and actions. The leper in today’s Gospel challenges Jesus: “Lord, if you wish (will), you can make me clean.” In Jesus’ day people...
Solemnity of the Nativity of Saint John the Baptist
John and Jesus are similar and yet so different. Today we celebrate the birth of John the Baptist. The Gospels picture John as the forerunner of Jesus, sent to prepare the way. In today’s second...
The Fruit We Bear
“…every good tree bears good fruit, and a rotten tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a rotten tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit will be cut...
Whose we are
Today is the Memorial of Saints John Fisher and Thomas More, the latter of the two who is more popularly known as he was the central character of the movie, “A Man for All Seasons.” The film depicts...
Faults
When Jesus preached, He would often use words that were very familiar to the Jewish people. Many times, the Rabbis would warn against judging other people. They laid down that there were six works...