Friar Daily Reflection
The Kingdom of Heaven
In today’s Gospel Jesus commissions the Apostles to preach his message: “The Kingdom of heaven is at hand.” (Matthew 10:6). This is the same message that both Jesus (4:17) and John the Baptist preached (3:2). The Kingdom of Heaven or the Kingdom of God is at hand…
Chosen and Sent
Jesus chooses his apostles from a diverse range of ages, trades, personalities and faith experiences. Peter was outspoken and insightful. But he was often off track. John was apparently very young. There are two sets of brothers. Many were common fishermen. Matthew…
What God Sees
Today’s readings for Mass again pair Hosea and Matthew. Both are rich with themes and topics, but one that came to mind was the way in which God views the world. When we view the world and all it contains we easily see what is on the surface and perhaps, from time to…
Speaking to the Heart
Today’s readings for Mass pair Hosea and Matthew. At first glance, they seem unrelated. The Book of Hosea speaks of God courting Israel like a faithful bridegroom. The Gospel of Matthew recounts two healing miracles: the raising of a synagogue official’s…
Blessed are those…
Today is the Feast of St. Thomas the Apostles. The readings include the well known account from John 20:24-29 when Thomas, in response to the testimony of the other apostles, says: “Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands and put my finger into the nailmarks…
Outsiders
In today’s readings we have two outsiders, Amos the prophet and Jesus the Son of Man. Amos was from the southern Kingdom of Judah but God sent him to the northern Kingdom of Israel. Amos condemned King Jeroboam and Israel for their social injustice and apostasy:…
The Sleeping Lord
Our reactions to terrifying events and difficulties in life tend to show what kind of faith and relationship we have with God. People who live in natural religiosity will approach life with all its difficulties through constant fear. Every day is an encounter with…
Finishing the Race
“I have competed well; I have finished the race; I have kept the faith” (2 Tm 4:7) So wrote St. Paul in his letter to Timothy. Eric Liddle understood that. He was China-born in 1902, the son of Scot Presbyterian missionaries, who, as was the custom, sent Eric and his…
Healing Touch of Mercy
Leprosy was a particularly frightful disease in the first century. Even today the word is a bit scarry. Physically it was a slow degeneration of the body but it also produced an end to all social and family contact. At the time disease and disabilities were seen as a…
Jesus is Lord!
As Jesus is nearing the end of his Sermon on the Mount (5:1-7:28) he warns religious leaders to practice what they preach and exhorts all his disciples to practice what they profess. The key phrase in today’s Gospel calls us as his disciples not only to hear his…