Friar Daily Reflection
House of God
Today we begin reading from the Book of Ezra. The books of Ezra and Nehemiah describe the return of Israel from the Babylonian exile and the rebuilding of the Temple or the House of God in Jerusalem. The First Temple, built by King Solomon, was destroyed by the...
Obsessions
In today’s first reading we are warned against “a morbid disposition for arguments and verbal disputes. From these come envy, rivalry, insults, evil suspicions, and mutual friction among people with corrupted minds.” (1 Tim 6:4-5) When you hear those words again, what...
Evangelist
Today we celebrate the feast of St. Matthew, the evangelist. As we hear in today’s first reading each of us has been given a “measure of Christ’s gifts.” These gifts are given for the common good and for building up the Body of Christ: “And he gave some as Apostles,...
Like Children
Jesus likes to use the example of children in his teaching. When his disciples tried to prevent people from bringing their children to him Jesus rebuked his disciples: “Let the children come to me; do not prevent them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these....
Walking and Living in the Way of Compassion of Jesus
Over and over again we see Jesus breaking into a someone’s life shockingly, gratuitously, unexpectedly, and uninvited. In the time of Jesus, women lived dependent on their husbands or in the case of widows, their eldest son. Today’s Gospel is about the burial...
Authority and the Kingdom
The gospel for today tells the Lucan story of Jesus’ encounter with the Roman centurion whose servant “was ill and about to die.” When the centurion hears, that Jesus is coming to his house, he sends another servant with a message: “Lord, do not trouble yourself, for...
Suffering, Joy, and Service
Sequence — Stabat Mater At the cross her station keeping, Stood the mournful Mother weeping, Close to Jesus to the last. Through her heart, his sorrow sharing, All his bitter anguish bearing, Now at length the sword had passed. Oh, how sad and sore distressed Was that...
Exaltation of the Cross
Today we celebrate the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross. We hear in today’s second reading that Jesus “humbled himself, becoming obedient to death, even death on a cross.” The Romans used crucifixion not only as an instrument of torture but also of...
The Image of a True Human Being
Luke’s version of Jesus’ first central sermon takes place on a plain rather than a mount as in Matthew’s Gospel. Luke remembers it a bit shorter, but substantially the same. Rather than continue with an emphasis on an external law and individual happiness and...
Mature Faith
Sometimes it is good to know the “big picture” in order to more deeply appreciate the details. Let me suggest that the “big picture” of St. Paul’s Letter to the Colossians is his hopes and prayers for a maturing faith community founded on the life, death and...