Friar Daily Reflection
Presentation
Today is the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord in the Temple. As we hear in today’s Gospel Mary and Joseph bring the baby Jesus up to the Temple in Jerusalem “to present him to the Lord.” Jesus is welcomed by Simeon and Anna into the people of God. In a similar...
Twelve Apostles
In today’s Gospel Jesus commissioned the Twelve to be “apostles.” The word “apostle” comes from the Greek word that means “to send.” So, as we hear in today’s Gospel, Jesus “summoned the Twelve and began to send them out” to continue his mission of preaching and...
Amazement
Today’s gospel is, in its own way, part of a thread in Mark’s gospel in which the nature of the family of God is slowly revealed. In Mark 3:7-12, Jesus is calling and appointing 12 as apostles, the foundation of the family of the Church In v.21, Jesus’ biological...
Fear and Trust
In today’s gospel we encounter the well-known stories of the Daughter of Jairus and the hemorrhaging woman. In the Gospel of Mark Jesus is closely involved with women nine times. Today’s gospel captures two of those interactions. with two of Jesus’ more moving...
Legion
In today’s Gospel we have a classic battle between good and evil, Jesus against an unclean spirit who calls himself “Legion…there are many of us.” This unclean spirit tries to do battle with Jesus, even claiming to have power over him because he knows who he is:...
Anxiety and Trust
This week, in our second reading, Paul simply writes: “I should like you to be free of anxieties.” (1 Cor 7:32). Seriously, can I get an “Amen” to that? Wouldn’t that be awesome, to have a life without anxieties? In Matthew 6, Jesus tells us not to have anxiety about...
A Mustard Seed
A tiny, tiny mustard seed…that is what the Kingdom of God is like! In today’s Gospel Jesus teaches us about the Kingdom of God. He uses two images to describe the Kingdom, a Sower and a mustard seed: “This is how it is with the Kingdom of God; it is as if a man were...
Conversion: Profound Change of Way
A deeply devout and highly educated in the Word of God and the religious traditions of Israel, Pablo dedicated his life to eliminating the Christian Way because it was initially seen as a heretical sect within the Jewish faith. Pablo underwent a profound...
St. Francis de Sales
Today is the Memorial of St. Francis de Sales, a priest known for his spirit of optimism, hope, freedom and confidence in God's love both in his life and his writings. The gospel for the memorial is well chosen for its emphasis on remaining in the love of God, the joy...
Being Part of Jesus’ Life/Family
One of the shocking novelties, the Good News, that Jesus brings to us is that Christians through our baptism live inside the communion of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The communion of the Garden of Eden is reestablished in us through Christ and our baptism: a...