Friar Daily Reflection
In the Shadows
The gospel reading for the Wednesday of Holy week is always about Judas and his betrayal of Jesus. The day has the unofficial title of “Spy Wednesday.” The story is well known. Judas accepts 30 pieces of silver from the religious leadership of Jerusalem to inform...
Embracing Betrayal
Remembering important events during the Last Supper, John records some long discourses during that meal. Today we look at an outstanding moment from that night. This time the words and actions are short, but very powerful. Where is the glory of God? The answer is...
Martha, Mary, Lazarus
In today’s Gospel we once again hear about Martha, Mary, and Lazarus. We already heard about these three family members in chapter 11, the story of the “Raising of Lazarus.” That chapter began by introducing those two sisters and their brother: “Now a man was ill,...
Signs
In John’s Gospel Jesus performed healings or miracles which the Evangelist called signs or good works. Today’s Gospel reading concludes with the people recalling the testimony of John the Baptist: “John performed no sign, but everything John said about this man was...
Never See Death
In John’s Gospel we are nearing the end of Jesus’ ministry, and he is speaking ever more clearly about who he is and his mission. Jesus’ communion with God gives him the confidence of the son of God, the God of life. His declarations in today’s Gospel would have been...
The Annunciation
The announcement of a coming birth is an occasion of great joy and hope. In today’s Gospel the angel Gabriel announces to Mary the coming birth of Jesus who “will be great and will be called Son of the Most High.” The angel proclaims the holiness of Mary: “Hair,...
United to the Father
Most of us organize our lives in such a way that we are occasionally united to God’s will. If we were to draw a graph of our lives, God’s will would be a straight line down the middle of the page, and our will or life would be a line that zigzags along, intersecting...
New Possibilities
The scene in today’s gospel (a woman caught in adultery) is a mixture of zealous righteousness that seeks to enact the law without pardon or quarter, the leadership who want to trap Jesus between mercy and the Law, and a woman caught in sin, fearing for her life. ...
This is the Way
In today’s first reading we read from the Book of Wisdom which was written about fifty years before the coming of Christ, likely in Alexandria. That places the author in a deeply Hellenistic environment, where Jewish communities were immersed in Greek language,...
Righteousness
St. Joseph does not appear much in the Gospel. But the moments when he is present leave us very clear examples of a life centered on God, hope, obedience, and faith. Those virtues lead to be a righteous mas as he is described in today’s Gospel. In Paul’s letter we see...