Friar Daily Reflection
Doubting Thomas
Today is the Feast of St. Thomas the Apostle. Thomas is popularly known as “Doubting Thomas.” Why? Because he questioned and doubted as we hear in today’s Gospel: “Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands and put my finger into the nail marks and put my hand...
The Power of Testimony
In today’s gospel we have a simple story of an encounter between Jesus and a leper. The leper did him homage and said: “Lord, if you wish, you can make me clean.” Jesus indeed desired to cure the leper and the man was made clean. Then Jesus said: “See that you tell no...
Peter and Paul
Peter and Paul were both apostles and saints, but they were by no means perfect! As we hear in today’s Gospel Jesus gives Simon the name Cephas or Rock (Peter) after he confesses, “You are the Christ (Messiah), the Son of the living God.” Peter received this insight...
Discernment and Right Judgment
In today’s gospel Jesus admonished us, “Stop judging, that you may not be judged. For as you judge, so will you be judged, and the measure with which you measure will be measured out to you.” There is a strong biblical tradition of understanding that this is to be...
What is there to fear?
Just this past Sunday, our gospel was Jesus’ commissioning of the Twelve Apostles to begin their first mission in Galilee. As Jesus had done, “he gave them authority over unclean spirits to drive them out and to cure every disease and every illness.” (Mt 10:1) This...
The Christian Prayer
What a marvelous event we see in today’s Gospel. We continue listening to the Sermon on the Mount. There are many beautiful and deep prayers in the Old Testament: SHEMA Israel (Deut 6:4-9), the Ten Commandments, MAH TOUV (prayer of Baalam - Numbers 24:5), the Passover...
True Conversion and the Mask of Hypocrisy
Jesus’s Sermon on the Mount is a great source of joy for all. It puts us right inside the vision and thinking of God. Through Jesus’s preaching, we know our mission. Prayer, fasting, and almsgiving are ancient practices for helping us renounce sin and deepen our...
Love Your Enemies
“So be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect.” Today’s Gospel continues Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:1-7:28). Jesus’ teaching in today’s Gospel is the most challenging of all his teachings: “Love your enemy…Be perfect.” In this section of the...
Love of God
Today is the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. This feast celebrates the love of God. Today’s readings bring out that the “heart” of the Scriptures is God’s love for each one of us. God’s love for us comes first and then we in turn are called upon to love God...
Sermon on the Mount: Our Interpersonal Relationships and our God
Today’s reading from the Gospel comes from the Sermon on the Mount which is Jesus’ image of a true human being. It is sort of a basic plan for Christian life, an x-ray of the soul. In presenting his vision of what a true human being looks like, Jesus returns to God’s...