Friar Daily Reflection
Living or Judging
Today’s parable shows us a way of looking at our lives and the world that has not really penetrated well into our Christian culture. The fishing nets collects all kinds of fish that eventually have to be separated into those that are edible and non-edible. Jesus said...
Woe to Me
Jeremiah was to say the least, a reluctant prophet as we heard in the story of his call: “The word of the Lord came to me: Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born, I dedicate you, a prophet to the nations I appointed you. ‘Ah, Lord God’ I...
Weeds and Wheat
In today’s Gospel Jesus explains to his disciples the meaning of the parable of the weeds and the wheat that he previously told (Matthew 13:24-29). In the parable the Master of the household ordered his servants to allow the weeds and the wheat to grow together until...
The Messiah and Son of God
Today is the memorial of Saints Martha, Mary, and Lazarus. As we hear in today’s Gospel Mary comes to full faith in Jesus: “Yes, Lord. I have come to believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one who is coming into the world.” The only other figure in...
Joachim and Anne
In the Scriptures, Matthew and Luke furnish a legal family history of Jesus, tracing ancestry to show that Jesus is the culmination of great promises. Not only is his mother’s family neglected, we also know nothing factual about them except that they existed. Even the...
Service and Sacrifice
Today is the feast of the apostle James, often known as St. James the Greater perhaps because he was older or perhaps taller than the other apostle named James. In today’s Gospel Jesus teaches James and the other apostles that the way to true greatness is through...
Too Young
Today’s first reading describes the call of the prophet Jeremiah. The Lord God tells Jeremiah that he has been predestined to be his prophet: “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born, I dedicated you, a prophet to the nations I appointed...
Spouses, Mothers, and Brothers
Just a few Sundays ago, the gospel reading from Mark recounted a moment from early in the public ministry of Jesus. He and the disciples had been to many towns and villages in Galilee and in the neighboring Decapolis region. There Jesus had cured many, cast out...
Apostle to the Apostles
Did you know that Mary Magdalene is mentioned 12 times in the gospels, more than most of the Apostles? She was present at the crucifixion and was the first witness to the Resurrection (John 20 and Mark 16:9). She was the "Apostle to the Apostles", an honorific that...
Mercy not Sacrifice
God “desires mercy, not sacrifice.” Jesus teaches this message in today’s Gospel. In fact, he is quoting the prophet Hosea. Jesus quotes this same passage of Hosea elsewhere in this Gospel when he is having a meal with Matthew the tax collector: “While he was at...