Friar Daily Reflection
In the beginning
The first reading today is taken from St. Paul’s Letter to the Ephesians. Ephesians is a letter about the church - not necessarily just the congregation in the city of Ephesus but rather with the worldwide church. While in other letters Paul describes the church as...
Sent
Today we celebrate the feast of St Luke who wrote one of the four Gospels. Each of the writers gives their Gospel a specific tone or emphasis. Luke’s Gospel is very human and very concerned for the poor and common folks. Our first reading from the letter of Paul to...
Prayer of Blessing
In today’s first reading Paul opens with a prayer of blessing: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavens.” This prayer of blessing gives us our identity as Christians. This...
Law vs. Fruits
The change in the apostle Paul’s life was really quite dramatic. He had been a strict, zealous pharisee who dedicated his life to strict observance of the law in order to maintain a good relationship with God. As we know from his own letters, he even dedicated himself...
Grace and Freedom
As mentioned in reflection on last Friday’s first reading, the epistle to the Galatians, the apostles make clear that justification does not come by works of the law: “For all who depend on works of the law are under a curse.” The Church has, from its earliest times,...
Signs
It is natural and human to seek signs. We always want assurances or proofs that God is indeed with us. In the book of Isaiah King Ahaz is instructed to seek a sign: “Again the Lord spoke to Ahaz: Ask for a sign from the Lord, your God; let it be deep as Sheol, or...
Not without us
In today’s first reading, the epistle to the Galatians, the apostles make clear that justification does come by works of the law: “For all who depend on works of the law are under a curse.” The Church has, from its earliest times, condemned “works of salvation” as...
Stupid Galatians
Paul continues some of his harsh language from yesterday. Yesterday Paul confronted Cephas and other Jewish Christians and accused them of hypocrisy. Today he turns his harsh language to the Galatians, the recipients of this letter: “O stupid Galatians! Who has...
Hypocrisy
Paul has some harsh words for Peter (Cephas) in today’s first reading. Paul states: “And when Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face because he clearly was wrong.” Paul accuses all of hypocrisy, Cephas, the rest of the Jewish-Christians, and even his...
Lessons from Martha
In this gospel story I think poor Martha is given a bit of a hard time. After all, Jesus says that Mary has chosen the better part and it will not be denied her. And what do we then conclude about the part that Martha has chosen? Another way to look at this is to put...