Friar Daily Reflection
For Many, A Missed Encounter and For One, Healing and Mission
The man from the tombs was so sick and disorientated that he had no relationship or understanding with other people nor with himself. He could only live among the dead in the cemetery doing injury to himself…and probably to others, too. When Jesus arrives, the man...
Light: A Service for Others
Jesus emphasizes his teachings today with these comments: “Anyone who has ears to hear ought to hear.” and “Take care what you hear”. So obviously he wanted to place special importance on these parables about light and service within the Christian vocation. No one...
The Conversion of St. Paul
Today the Church celebrates the Feast of the Conversion of St. Paul the Apostle. It is an event which we associate with the expression “knocked off your high horse.” It is an association cemented in our consciousness by the great Italian artist, Caravaggio who created...
The New Sacrifice: Behold, I Come to Do Your Will, O God
In the first reading Paul proclaims that God does not want burnt offerings and sacrifices from us. This statement would have been shocking to many in Israel who based their faith on keeping the laws of sacrifices. In some ways such external sacrifices tended to take...
A House Divided
In today’s gospel Jesus proclaims, “...if a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand.” (Mark 3:25). The gospel says it I believe it, my experience reveals it to be true, it makes sense - and ultimately such divided houses do indeed fall....
Shepherds and Kings
January 20th Children's Mass | Ezekiel 34:11-16 and Luke 15:1-7 This coming Sunday is Word of God Sunday when the Catholic Church celebrates the great gift of the Bible. We celebrate the stories from the Old Testament like the one this morning from the Prophet Ezekiel...
Jesus Our High Priest
Today’s first reading presents Jesus as our heavenly high priest: “The main point of what has been said is this: we have such a high priest, who has taken his seat at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven.” The Jewish high priest in the time of Jesus...
Morning or Night
Late one night the Teacher sat around a blazing fire with a small number of disciples. Their conversation was broken by periods of silence when they gazed at the stars or stared into the glowing embers. Suddenly the Teacher posed a question: “How can we know when...
Anchor of the Soul
The first reading is taken from Hebrews chapter 6:10 and following, but the larger context for the writer’s thought begins at Hebrews 5:11 where a metaphor is employed, one familiar then and now: that of milk and solid food, little children and adults. The basic...
New Wine
“Why do your disciples not fast?” This is the questioning challenge that the disciples of John and the disciples of the Pharisees put to Jesus. Fasting was a part of Jewish piety and religious life. It was a part, but not the most important part, of their life with...