From the Friars: True Freedom This 4th of July, as we fire up the grills and gather to celebrate the birth of our nation, let us call to mind the words of Thomas Jefferson which continue to inform and inspire us today, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal,…
From the Friars: Fire From Heaven When the Samaritans would not receive Jesus, James and John say to him, “Lord, do you want us to call down fire from heaven to consume them?” No wonder Jesus called them the Sons of Thunder. This sounds extremely harsh to us but, as always, it is important to…
From the Friars: An Extraordinary Young Man When the famous philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche proclaimed that “God is dead“, the Lord raised up a little French girl, Saint Therese of Lisieux, who reminded us all of the Father’s unconditional love for us. It is possible that the Little Flower and Nietzsche may have even met as…
From the Friars: One Plus One Equals Three Let us consider some basic things that we experience frequently that have a unity but also three aspects: Space: height, width, depth; Time: past, present, future; Matter: solid, liquid, gas; Fire: flame, light, heat; Plant: root, stem, leaf; Body: heart, brain, lungs; Soul: memory, intellect, will; Family:…
From the Friars: Pentecost It’s harvest time! Today we celebrate the Solemnity of Pentecost. Pentecost comes from a Greek word meaning fifty. The Jewish Festival of Pentecost (called Shavuot or “weeks” in Hebrew) fell on the fiftieth day (“a week of weeks”) after the Passover. Shavuot was the celebration of the early wheat harvest, which…
From the Friars: Mary in the Upper Room The mystery of motherhood is a marvelous gift! Mary is Mother of Christ and Mother of the Church. After my own mother’s visit to the Shrine to celebrate my one-year anniversary to the Priesthood, I have a renewed understanding of how this marvelous gift—motherhood—is something for us…
From the Friars: Homesick At the end of June, I will be making my annual visit to my family in Michigan where I grew up. It is always a joy to see loved ones and to go back to the place that for me will always be home. At the same time there is a…
From the Friars: A New Saint We find in today’s Gospel, Judas filled with the very darkness into which he fled and Jesus preparing His apostles for His ultimate sacrifice. He affectionately addresses these grown men as ‘children’ and commands them to “love one another; even as I have loved you.” John 13:34, the new…
From the Friars: Mother of the Good Shepherd Years ago I was in the hospital room when my sister was in labor with her first son. She was complaining loudly to my mother for not having warned her about how painful giving birth actually was. It was a difficult situation, so like the Apostles, I…
From the Friars: Follow the Leader Alexander the Great was a bold warrior who, unlike most generals, literally led the charge into battle. His courage and skill inspired great loyalty in his followers. Once his army was slow to take a well defended enemy fortress. So he personally grabbed a ladder and climbed up and…