Friar Daily Reflection
The Dogs
In today’s Gospel Jesus is in the Gentile territory of Tyre. He encounters a non-Jewish woman, “a Greek, a Syrophoenician woman.” She begs Jesus to heal her daughter who is possessed by a demon. Jesus first reaction is uncharacteristically off-putting: “Let the...
Impression or Conversion
In the gospel Jesus tells the crowd that what truly defiles a person is not what comes from the outside, but what comes from within. What comes out is likely an indicator of the conversion happening within. Take someone’s intentions, attitudes, choices, words - what...
Tension as old as Faith
The readings today place us inside a tension that is as old as faith itself: the tension between tradition and obedience, between familiar worship and a living relationship with God. In the first reading, Solomon stands before the newly built Temple and prays with...
The Temple
Today’s first reading describes the dedication of the First Temple in Jerusalem. This Temple was destroyed by the King of Babylon who also exiled the Jewish king and many of the political and religious leader to Babylon. After the return from the exile a Second...
Life and Legacy
Today’s readings invite us to consider what remains of a life once the moment has passed. What kind of legacy is left behind? We are also asked how that legacy is shaped by the way a person listens to their conscience. Sirach remembers King David with generosity. He...
The Twelve
In today’s Gospel Jesus sends out the Twelve to continue his mission. The Twelve were a select group of disciples. Jesus had previously chosen this group to preach and heal as we hear earlier in Mark’s Gospel: “Jesus went up the mountain and summoned those whom he...
Jesus the Carpenter
In today’s Gospel we hear how Jesus offends the people in his hometown. What offended or scandalized the people of his native place? It does not seem to be his teaching in the synagogue since we hear that “many who heard him were astonished.” They acknowledge that...
Two Loves
Today’s readings place before us two parents, two children, and two very different outcomes of love. In the first reading, we hear David’s cry — raw, unfiltered, and devastating: “O my son Absalom! My son, my son!” This is love stripped of dignity and defense. David’s...
Into the Quiet
The Feast of the Presentation is, at first glance, a quiet scene. There is no miracle, no crowd, no proclamation from heaven. Like faithful, observant parents, another young couple brings a child to the Temple, offers the sacrifice of the poor, and blends into the...
Was Jesus a Failure?
In today’s Gospel Jesus tells stories or parables. The first one is the Parable of the Sower, and the second one is the Parable of the Mustard Seed. Jesus begins by telling us that these two parables describe the Kingdom of God. Jesus has already announced this...