Friar Daily Reflection
Sent On Mission
God tells Jeremiah in the first reading today that before he was born, God had chosen him for the mission proclaiming God Word and presence to everyone else. God also promises to protect Jeremiah during that mission. In a similar way in the Gospel, Jesus sends his...
Perplexed
Herod the Great ruler in Jerusalem around the time of Jesus’ birth was known for the construction of the great temple in Jerusalem and the slaughter of the innocents in Bethlehem at the time of Jesus’ birth. Herod the Great was also ruthless in his dealing with...
The Kingdom of God
In today’s Gospel Jesus sends the Twelve Apostles to continue his mission and announce his message of the healing love and mercy of God. “Jesus summoned the Twelve and gave them power and authority over all demons and to cure diseases, and he sent them to proclaim the...
Yom Kippur
Today our Jewish brothers and sisters observe Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. On this day they confess their sins and experience the great mercy of God as they sing in the Psalm 103: “The Lord is kind and merciful, slow to anger, and rich in compassion.” (Psalm...
What if?
Note: this homily is for the parish elementary school Mass using Is 46:6 and Matthew 6:25-33 There are two words that have more power than you imagine. These two words can make you nervous, keep you awake at night, and turn a perfectly good day into a day filled with...
Living the Cross
Today we remember and celebrate the day that St Francis of Assisi was marked physically by the wounds of the cross in his body in the final years before his death. We call that the stigmata. Francis had a vision of a six-winged fiery seraph angel that transformed into...
All You Need Is Love
In today’s first reading Paul teaches that “all you need is love” but love in a Christian sense. He closes his reflection on the virtue of love with the statement: “So, faith, hope, love remain…but the greatest is love.” This hymn is often used as one of the...
Our Lady of Sorrows
The readings today are from the Memorial of Our Lady of Sorrows which commemorates the Virgin Mary’s suffering during the crucifixion and death of Jesus. Its origins trace back to the 11th–12th centuries, with the Servite Order (founded in 1233) playing a key role in...
A Humble God
Today we celebrate the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross. The cross proclaims to us Jesus’ humility and sacrifice. The second reading from Philippians brings out the way of exaltation through humility. First the hymn proclaims the humility or self-emptying...
Stop Judging
In today’s Gospel Jesus instructs us to look at our own faults instead of focusing on the faults of another: “Why do you notice the splinter in your brother's eye, but do not perceive the wooden beam in your own?” (Luke 6:42). This saying is part of the so-called...