Friar Daily Reflection
The Bread of Life
All of us have probably used the expression “I am dying of hunger!” While we probably were not literally dying for lack of food, we probably were very hungry. In today’s Gospel Jesus states: “I am the bread of life.” In Jesus’ day if you didn’t have bread, you were...
The Testimony of Stephen
Stephen was brought before the Sanhedrin where, as we heard yesterday, the whole council recognized that he was like an angel. When Stephen spoke in his own defense against the false accusations, he used clear, direct, uncomplicated language. He did not mince words....
Stephen’s Action and Message
Stephen was a man filled with the fire of the Holy Spirit. He was so alive with the power of the Spirit that he was overwhelming and explosive. He was focused on one thing: sharing the experience of the risen Lord in his life with everyone else around him. His words...
Witnesses of the Resurrection
Mary Magdalen and the other disciples had experienced the death and burial of Jesus as a tragic moment in their lives. All their hopes and plans had been crushed in a most cruel way from one day to the next. One day they entered the city with Jesus as a new king...
Witnesses
In today’s first reading from the Acts of the Apostles Peter declares, “We are witnesses...as is the holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey him.” When the apostles were ordered not to teach in the name of Jesus, Peter and the others replied, “We must obey...
The Light of the World
This past Monday we experienced the movement from light to darkness to light as we experienced the solar eclipse. This experience can help us to understand today’s Gospel and the Easter Mysteries. Today’s Gospel proclaims: “And this is the verdict, that the light...
Confidence=Generosity=Encouragement>>Barnabas
The readings from the Acts of the Apostles which we hear during these weeks describes the life of the early church. The resurrection changed the lives of the first disciples in a profound way. The experience of the resurrection pushed them into a new style of life –...
Hail Mary
Today we celebrate the feast of the Annunciation of the Lord. As we hear in today’s Gospel the angel Gabriel greets Mary with the words “Hail Mary and then announces to her, “Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name him Jesus.” The...
Emmaus
In the gospel reading for today we share the story of the two disciples on that first Easter heading home discouraged by the events that had unfolded with the death of Jesus. By the time that Cleopas and his unnamed companion had walked with Jesus the seven miles from...
Lasting Joy
In the gospel reading today we encounter a well-known scene. It is Sunday morning in the first light of the day, the third day since the crucifixion. Mary Magdalene is there to complete the burial rituals to honor the corpse of Jesus - only to discover an empty tomb....