Friar Daily Reflection
We have even more…
A starting note about language. “Woe to you.” We are conditioned to understand the phrase “Woe to you” as one of condemnation, or at least as a warning of the coming condemnation. The phrase calls to mind the evangelical preacher admonishing the backsliding,...
Not Just a Love Story
The Old Testament is a source of lots of bible stories for children: Adam and Eve, Noah’s Ark, Jonah and the Whale, and the list goes on. So, yes, you can read books of the Old Testament in search of a great children’s tale, suitable for bedtime stories. If this is...
The Open Invitation, Bad and Good
This parable is directed to the chief priests and the elders after Jesus’ formal entry into Jerusalem. He is in the temple teaching. We can imagine that after such a triumphal entry in Jerusalem, that large crowds formed in the temple to listen to his teaching. The...
A Parable of Ambition
The first reading today is from the Book of Judges and contains the Parable of the Trees (Judges 9:8-15). It speaks to a period of Israel's history after the people had entered the Promised Land under the leadership of Joshua but before the establishment of the...
A Christian Heart
Being rich is an economic state but it is also an attitude of the heart and soul. Being rich means centering your life on your own economic power whether it be high or low. Being rich means trusting in your own power to manage your life; being self-sufficient. Being...
Walking Away
“Teacher, what good must I do to gain eternal life?” On its own, the question reveals a fundamental human concern: the pursuit of eternal life or spiritual salvation asked in earnest by someone who is genuinely seeking to understand the path to salvation. But in the...
The Race
In the second reading today from the Letter to the Hebrews, the author tells us “persevere in running the race that lies before us.” It is an apt sports metaphor for life. Perseverance in life - the needed persistence in doing something despite difficulty or delay in...
Eyes fixed on our destination
Much of our religious consciousness is affected by art; we have inherited specific images that are more artistic than biblical. For example, we always imagine St. Paul being knocked from a horse on the Damascus Road. There is no mention of the horse in scripture. ...
Christian Forgiveness
Once again, the disciples come to Jesus with a question of faith and once again Peter is the spokesperson for the group. You and I come from a background of many centuries of Christian culture and listening to the Gospel. I am not saying that the Gospel has really...
What we are called to do
You can reduce today’s gospel to simply be a guide for settling disputes, but it is more than that. It is a guide for living together as His disciples. The goal is to guard the unity of the Church through truth, love, and mercy so that the Church remains an...