Friar Daily Reflection
Behold, your mother
Today’s is the memorial of Mary, the Mother of the Church. This title and/or understanding of Mary is based on today’s Gospel. At the foot of the cross Jesus sees his mother and the Beloved Disciple. This leads to the following exchange: Jesus to his mother:...
Love in Action
We can express love in words but even more powerful is love in action. In today’s Gospel Jesus asks Peter three times, “Peter, do you love me?” This same Peter had three times denied Jesus: “Then the maid who was the gatekeeper said to Peter, “You are not one of...
Jesus Prays
In today’s Gospel Jesus prays for us: “I pray not only for these [disciples], but also for those who will believe in me through their word…” We are the ones who have come to believe in Jesus through the word of the Gospel. The disciples went out to all the nations...
Living the Truth in the Midst of the World
We continue to listen to Jesus’ prayer at the end of the night of the Last Supper. These are his last words, recommendations, and prayers before his death, passion, and resurrection at the table of the Last Supper. Today we hear a central point in our mission as...
The Lord Praying for Us: Communion
This week we see Jesus and his disciples at the Last Supper - specifically after the meal, after the washing of the feet – Jesus’ prayer for his disciples. At the Last Supper, Jesus gives us the eucharist and the challenge of service as ways of living as true...
Holy Spirit
We are between the Feast of the Ascension and the Feast of Pentecost. The first Pentecost empowered the Apostles to be witnesses: “But you will receive power when the holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, throughout Judea and Samaria,...
Light of the World
We have come to the end of the school year once again. A year of learning and sharing with new friends and classmates. You are all part of our Catholic school. Our parish and the whole Catholic Church invest a large amount of time, money, buildings, teachers, sisters,...
Evangelization
In today’s first reading from Acts we meet a very interesting couple, a Jew named Aquila and his wife Priscilla. They were Jewish Christians originally from Pontus but had moved to Rome to ply their trade and evangelize. Luke tells us they had recently arrived at...
Proclaiming God in the Local Culture
It is very surprising to see how focused the first disciples were on proclaiming their faith, that experience of the risen Christ in their lives. First, we see that they were so bursting with joy and desires to share their faith that many took off on missionary trips....
Faith that Frees
In today’s first reading from the Acts of the Apostles, Paul and Silas are stripped, beaten, and thrown into prison. Their only “crime” was setting a slave girl free from possession by a spirit - and interfering with the men who profited by her oracles. But what...