In today’s Gospel we hear Mary’s great song of praise, the Magnificat. The title is taken from the opening Latin words of this hymn: “My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord” (magnificat anima...
Lowly Servants
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Friar Reflection
God comes from within
From the article, ‘God Comes from Within’ by Kathy Coffey After a long, tiring trip, the young woman arrives at the home of her cousin, who is several years older. She’s come to care for her, who...
Joseph’s Song
We are more and more close to celebrate the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ. As part of this season, we listen to “Holidays Songs.” Most of them are upbeat, joyous, and get us excited. I listen to...
Ram, son of who?
The gospel for today is the genealogy from Matthew. I have proclaimed this gospel for many years, and truth be told, I can see eyes glaze over a bit, people yawn, shift in their seats. It is...
On mission
We are familiar with the story of John the Baptist as the herald of the coming Messiah – it is the story that introduces and highlights the Advent season. But Advent’s proclamation of Christmas is...
Seems unfair, don’t you think?
We often forget that the season of Advent speaks to the betwixt and between of the Birth of Jesus and his Second Coming. So, we shouldn’t be surprised that our first reading is from the firebrand,...
Even if I’m not asking
Today’s psalm refrain asks: Teach me your ways, O Lord. Did you know that the psalm is chosen as a response to the first reading? In today’s first reading we hear about the pagan prophet Balaam....
Being Reluctant
In today's readings for Mass, the refrain of the Psalm is "The Lord is gracious and merciful; slow to anger, and of great kindness." And that is a great thing to know and recall when we have sinned...
Discipleship
To take on the responsibility of discipleship is to take on one another’s burden. To bear the yoke of Christ is to give ourselves to His work of healing and reconciliation. Let us in this Advent...
How God works
Sometimes we “religious people,” like the scribes and the Pharisees in today’s Gospel, are quick to judge and to condemn. We think we have God all figured out and we know exactly where and how God...
Needing to see
Let us contemplate for a moment the two blind men in today’s Gospel. Let’s imagine they go with their sticks on the road. They are running with difficulty and shouting: “Son of David, have pity on...
Listening and Doing
Daily Reflection by Fr. John O'Connor OFM There are two important teachings in this passage: Jesus demanded that individuals should listen. One of the challenges today is communication. During my...