In today’s Gospel we listen to the ongoing conversation of Jesus with the Pharisees. In yesterday’s reflection I asked, “what will you see?” Today we see part of the answer on the part of the...
What will you see? Part 2
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Friar Reflection
What will you see?
In today’s gospel we see Jesus in an encounter with the Pharisees as time rapidly approaches the events we know as Holy Week. The Pharisees and other religious leaders have had about three years of...
Judging
If there is a persistent fault or sin of us “religious people” it is our tendency not only to judge but to condemn, to marginalize, and to exclude. We see this fault in both of today’s readings and...
Silence
Saint Joseph, in tune with Lent, transmits sobriety and depth, simplicity and silence, prayer and austerity. Years ago, Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI said, “Let us be invaded by the silence of Saint...
Witnesses
How many signs do you need? How many witnesses will it take to convince you? Sometimes no matter how many signs or witnesses we refuse to accept the truth; we refuse to accept what is right before...
Your Response
Today is the Feast of St. Patrick which has optional readings you can find here. The scene in the Gospel is familiar – “oh sure, I’ve heard this before, Jesus is calling His disciples to be fishers...
Hope and Healing
Today’s readings are a combination of the well-known (the Gospel) and the “what’s-going-on” (Ezekiel). The former is the familiar story of the man, afflicted for 38 years, who encounters Jesus, is...
Time
In her book Loud and Clear, Pulitzer Prize-winning New York Times columnist Anna Quindlen shares this observation: “The biggest mistake I made [as a parent] is the one that most of us make… I did...
What God Gives
In Judaism there was a double tendency. There was a tendency to expand the law into hundreds and thousands of rules and regulations. But there was also the tendency to gather up the law in one...
“I’m with You. Let’s go!”
On some youth retreats, a football and hula hoop are used to demonstrate our journey of faith. The purpose of our life is similar to throwing a football through the hula hoop. If we face the hula...
What we teach
“...whoever obeys and teaches these commandments will be called greatest in the Kingdom of heaven.” (Mt 5:19) About twenty years ago now, the US Supreme Court directed Judge Roy Moore, the Chief...
Forgiveness
Peter’s question in today’s Gospel is a question all of us have asked: “How often must I forgive?” Forgiveness is difficult, sometimes it might even seem to be impossible. There are people who...