Friar Daily Reflection
The Joy of Anticipation
There were two dieticians who lived very strict lives of diet and exercise. They would eat a healthy diet, watch blood pressure and cholesterol, get exercise and absolutely eat incredibly intentionally and purposefully. Perhaps the great symbol of all of this was the...
Giving Up Everything
In today’s Gospel we see the disciple’s reaction to Jesus’ encounter and dialog with the rich young man. The young man proclaims that he has good faith and a good practice of that faith. After Jesus calls him to give up his material goods and give them to the poor as...
Who then can be saved?
Today’s gospel asks: “Who then can be saved?” The answer is found in the first reading, words from the Book of Sirach, a passage that speaks to both the reality of human sin and the infinite mercy of God. Sirach 17:20-24 reminds us that though we may fall into sin,...
Christian Marriage
The scribes and pharisees taught based on the authority of their teachers, tracing the tradition of their teaching all the way back to Moses. Today the scribes come to Jesus with what they considered a trick question. They wanted to trip him up publicly so that they...
Salt: Living True to Our Vocation
Personal conversion is central in today’s readings. All of the injunctions against sins, against leading others astray, against centering our lives on material goods and power, against continuance in sinful lives while presuming the forgiveness of God are all summed...
Tuft Battle
In today’s Gospel one of Jesus’ disciples, John, wants to protect his “tuft” and restrict where and how God can work: “Teacher, we saw someone driving out demons in your name, and we tried to prevent him because he does not follow us.” Acting like he is protecting...
Endurance
Here in the Northern Virginia area many of our parishioners are under a considerable amount of anxiety and uncertainty due to the efforts of the current administration’s efforts on “government efficiency” (DOGE). This vale of worry affects federal sector employees,...
Wisdom
Today we begin reading from the Book of Sirach also called Ecclesiasticus. The Jewish author, Jesus ben Sira, was a scribe living in Jerusalem around 117 B.C. His grandson wrote a forward to his work when he translated it from Hebrew into Greek and explained the...
The Greatest
A choice is put before us in today’s Gospel: the way of the cross or the way of earthly honor and glory. Jesus continues in today’s Gospel to teach his disciples that he is to be a suffering Messiah. In yesterday’s Gospel Peter rebuked Jesus for this teaching and...
The Messiah
Beware when you hear someone say: “I have it all figured out, I understand it completely.” I always find that right after I have “mastered” a subject I realize there is much more that I do not know or understand. Peter shows his understanding and his lack of...