Friar Daily Reflection
Follow Me
Jesus challenges us in today’s Gospel to follow him: “Whoever serves me must follow me.” We may well ask Jesus, “Follow you where?” He will give us the answer at the Last Supper as he washes the feet of his disciples. He will give us the answer when he is “lifted...
Constance: The Strong Faith of a Mother and The Strong Hope of Two Young People
Today we have two stories of incredible faith that challenge us and call us to bear strong witness with our own lives. In the first reading, in the time after the Exodus, Israel arrives at the border of the Promised Land and sends a group of young men to explore the...
Little Faith
In today’s Gospel Jesus upbraids Peter: “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” Peter, like most of the disciples in the Gospels, moves from moments of great faith to moments of little or no faith. Peter shows great faith when he gets out of the boat and walks...
At Wit’s End
If you have been following along with the daily readings at Mass, you know that the first readings have been following the 12 tribes of Jacob as they escaped slavery in Egypt, received the Ten Commandments, fashioned a golden calf, and spent a lot of time complaining,...
Assumptions
The gospel passage Matthew 13:54-58 offers a profound reflection on the nature of assumptions and the limitations they impose on our understanding and beliefs. In this passage, Jesus returns to his hometown, and the people there are astonished by his wisdom and...
The Conversion
The Word of God constantly calls us to conversion and to renew our lives and the public witness of faith. Jesus uses parables to perplex us and call us to deepen our relationship with God and our neighbor. Once again Jesus insists that an inescapable moment of...
The Light of Your Face
Today’s first reading from the book of Exodus describes the appearance of Moses as he comes down from the presence of God on Mount Sinai: “…the skin of his face had become radiant while he conversed with the Lord.” Moses had been on Mount Sinai receiving the two...
Living in the Midst of Tares – Evil
Jesus uses the parable of the good wheat and the tares to explain the Kingdom of God and the presence of evil. Today we hear the explanation of the parable. The parable is a bit disturbing. In fact, it is so disturbing and unexpected that the disciples insisted that...
Forgetting God
Today’s reading is from the “golden calf” incident recorded in the Book of Exodus. You know the story: Moses comes down from the mountain top carrying the 10 Commandments carved into stone tablets. He comes upon the scene of people dancing wildly around a statue of a...
Your feet in the soil
Today’s gospel was part of the Gospel for the 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time but it is noteworthy that there was a shorter and a longer option. The shorter included the parable only, while the longer version included our gospel for today - an explanation of the parable....