Friar Daily Reflection
The God of the Living
In today’s Gospel Jesus teaches us that God is a living God: “He is not God of the dead but of the living.” Jews, Christians, and Moslems all believe in the same God, the God revealed to Moses: “I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” “The...
Like a Refiner’s Fire
“The heavens will be dissolved in flames and the elements melted by fire” (2 Peter 3:12). Yikes! That was a hard start to our first reading. To modern ears, the language sounds catastrophic, end of the world kind of stuff. “Frightening” would be a bit of an...
The Cornerstone
In today’s Gospel Jesus retells the parable of the vineyard from Isaiah 5 and then quotes Psalm 118 to interpret his rejection by some of the Jewish leaders. Jesus teaches that he is the rejected stone that has become the cornerstone: “The stone that the builders...
Finding your way
As you may or may not know, in days long past, I served aboard U.S. nuclear submarines. There are lots of sea stories that I can tell. There are lots of questions I am asked about life aboard a submarine: how a submarine operates, if I did this one thing or another,...
Belonging To God – The Royal Priesthood
St. Peter makes some dramatic and profound statements in today’ first reading. Israel had a special covenant relationship with God. They were God’s chosen people. Their mission as a nation was to be a sign of God’s presence in the world. Their relationship with God...
Born Again
In today’s first reading from 1 Peter the author reflects on the meaning of our baptism, the meaning of being born again or born anew. It is the Word of God that gives us this new life: “You have been born anew, not from perishable but from imperishable seed, through...
Holy Living
Our first reading today, 1 Peter 1:10–16, comes near the beginning of the letter and follows Peter’s reflection on the living hope Christians have through the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. It has some expressions that might strike the modern listener as odd and so I...
Mary, Mother of the Church
Today we celebrate both Memorial Day and the Memorial of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church. Following on the Feast of Pentecost yesterday we continue to reflect today on the mystery of the church. In today’s Gospel Mary is interpreted symbolically as the...
One in Christ
As Christians we live in communion with God. Our baptism makes us part of God’s life. We are grafted into the life of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, just as a gardener grafts a new branch onto a rose bush. Many people see God as being separate and far away...
Pharisees
In today’s first reading from the Acts of the Apostles Paul defends himself before the Jewish Sanhedrin. He claims he is on trial for his belief in the resurrection: “My brothers, I am a Pharisee, the son of Pharisees; I am on trial for hope in the resurrection of...