The Friar Podcasts - preaching prayer and spiritual reflections

Readings for Today

One thing that is part of our world is that there is division. Things are not always peaceful and harmonious. Sometimes this can mean that even the simplest things can become so misinterpreted or misunderstood that there becomes a deep area of division among us.

At first glance, today's gospel can seem like that. Like so many others in the readings, the woman asks for a miracle from Jesus. The response that Jesus provides can seem that he is unkind or maybe even mean. Food to the dogs?

But the truth here serves as a reminder of the primacy of faith. Jesus is not some carnival clown who does circus tricks for money. Almost always, the miracle, and whether it is given is predicated on the faith shown by the one who asks. When the woman has an answer about how it is she fits in the with the chosen people, for Jesus it is a sign of her faith.

She believes in Jesus, and rather than a sign or an action of division, the action of Jesus leads her into deeper trust not only that he can perform this miracle, but more that he will. The woman who is seeking this miracle from Jesus knows she has nowhere else to turn. It is only Jesus who can heal the brokenness of the woman's daughter.

In our own lives, we can find that unexpected answer we receive from Jesus to our prayers to be startling. We can even think of it as a division between Jesus and us. But like the woman in today's gospel, we are called to have faith. When the answer of Jesus to our prayer is not what we expect, we must see the response for what it is: a greater call to increase faith.

On the friar, you can listen to our homilies (based on the readings of the day) and reflections. You can also ask us to pray for you or to pray for others. You can subscribe to our website to be informed whenever we publish an update.

Readings for Today

“But what comes out of the man, that is what defiles him. From within the man, from his heart, come evil thoughts, unchastity, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, licentiousness, envy, blasphemy, arrogance, folly. All these evils come from within and they defile.”

It can be quite difficult to admit, but for me, the external actions are much easier than internal conversion. Focusing on external actions, as I said yesterday, can be accomplished with willpower. Internal conversion, on the other hand, demands surrender to God's will, acceptance of his grace, and the admission we cannot do this alone.

Paying attention to my attitudes, my internal thoughts, my desires, those things that often only God knows, those are the areas that pose the real challenge. But more than that, the belief I hold too often that I can do all of these things on my own, that is the fundamental problem. Much more helpful is when I can be like the apostle Peter when he recognizes the state in life when he says to Jesus, "Depart from me for I am a sinful man."

Admitting our sin, accepting our powerlessness without God's grace, these are not the things modern society holds up as values. These are signs of our weakness, not of the rugged individualism upon which this country was built. But this acceptance, this humility to allow God to be God is what leads to the quality relationship Jesus wants us to have.

And yet developing a trust in God, and fostering our dependance upon God for everything, even our existence, is the most important thing.

On the friar, you can listen to our homilies (based on the readings of the day) and reflections. You can also ask us to pray for you or to pray for others. You can subscribe to our website to be informed whenever we publish an update.

Given at Christian Brothers College High School, Town and Country, Missouri. Readings for Today. Listen to our other homilies.

Today's first reading is one that we have probably heard more than once. It is the account of creation from the first chapter of the book of Genesis. While the primary focus is on the creation of the world, the more important focus is the theological points that are being made. First, God is the creator, and when he creates, it is always about order.

Sin causes things to be disordered. We certainly can experience the personal brokenness our sins bring about. But sin also causes a disorder in our world. There is never a sin that is purely between God and myself. All sin impacts me and others. When my relationship with God and others is broken, the world around me is impacted for the worse.

They scurried about the surrounding country and began to bring in the sick on mats to wherever they heard he was. Whatever villages or towns or countryside he entered, they laid the sick in the marketplaces and begged him that they might touch only the tassel on his cloak; and as many as touched it were healed.

Oh my. Today's gospel continues where we left off. The apostles are excited for all they have done. Jesus rightly wants them to reflect on the power of God in their lives, to rest and contemplate. But the people are needy. They are desperate. They long for the fullness of Jesus.

I think today we too live in such a world. There is so much emptiness. There is so much sadness and loss. People long for more, but they are not sure from where it will come. The are lost. It moved (and moves) Jesus with pity. And too often we Christians and Catholics are not providing the compelling witness to true fulfillment.

We know people are needy, but too often we do not fill their needs. We encounter people who are needy but we can be tempted to turn away. We can focus on the wrong things, fail to make a compelling case for faith, become wrong in our approach to calling people to a deep relationship with the one who can really fill the needy.

And so what will we do today? How is it we will help to fill the needy with all the things the good news can provide? How will we facilitate, by our witness, example and prayer, the encounter people really need to have with Jesus?

On the friar, you can listen to our homilies (based on the readings of the day) and reflections. You can also ask us to pray for you or to pray for others. You can subscribe to our website to be informed whenever we publish an update.

"Well did Isaiah prophesy about you hypocrites, as it is written: This people honors me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me; in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines human precepts. You disregard God's commandment but cling to human tradition." He went on to say, "How well you have set aside the commandment of God in order to uphold your tradition!

What is the point of having rules? Why are rules important to our way of life? And why does Jesus come down so hard on the Pharisees for wanting to uphold the rules? Their concern was being ritually pure for worship, which was the purpose of washing hands.

The problem of course is selectivity with the rules. There is a clear priority when it comes to following religious law. There are some things that are listed as a rule, that allow one really to skirt the rule. Don't want to care for your parents? Reserve your resources for the Temple.

Even deeper is the sense that the external rules are not as important as the internal ones. It is often easier to focus on the external rules because addressing the internal ones is much more difficult. Changing my internal attitudes, which lead to external sins requires a much greater reliance on God's grace.

Why? Because external observance can often be accomplished by willpower. Internal conversion is an action of the grace of God. We become more able to be internally observant when we can accept the grace of God to convert. Today, don't get stuck only on the external, but seek the internal conversion that God can bring about in our life.

On the friar, you can listen to our homilies (based on the readings of the day) and reflections. You can also ask us to pray for you or to pray for others. You can subscribe to our website to be informed whenever we publish an update.

Given at Our Lady of Lourdes, University City, Missouri. Readings for Today. Listen to our other homilies.

You are the salt of the earth. But if salt loses its taste, with what can it be seasoned? It is no longer good for anything but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot. You are the light of the world.

There are those who do not like to be noticed. They like to hide in the background, hoping that they can stay undetected. But today's gospel challenges us to resist a temptation to be hidden, and to be noticed. Salt and light mean that people see who it is we are. And today's first reading shows us examples of the types of things that get's people's attention in the world today.

On the friar, you can listen to our homilies (based on the readings of the day) and reflections. You can also ask us to pray for you or to pray for others. You can subscribe to our website to be informed whenever we publish an update.

They scurried about the surrounding country and began to bring in the sick on mats to wherever they heard he was. Whatever villages or towns or countryside he entered, they laid the sick in the marketplaces and begged him that they might touch only the tassel on his cloak; and as many as touched it were healed.

Oh my. Today's gospel continues where we left off. The apostles are excited for all they have done. Jesus rightly wants them to reflect on the power of God in their lives, to rest and contemplate. But the people are needy. They are desperate. They long for the fullness of Jesus.

I think today we too live in such a world. There is so much emptiness. There is so much sadness and loss. People long for more, but they are not sure from where it will come. The are lost. It moved (and moves) Jesus with pity. And too often we Christians and Catholics are not providing the compelling witness to true fulfillment.

We know people are needy, but too often we do not fill their needs. We encounter people who are needy but we can be tempted to turn away. We can focus on the wrong things, fail to make a compelling case for faith, become wrong in our approach to calling people to a deep relationship with the one who can really fill the needy.

And so what will we do today? How is it we will help to fill the needy with all the things the good news can provide? How will we facilitate, by our witness, example and prayer, the encounter people really need to have with Jesus?

On the friar, you can listen to our homilies (based on the readings of the day) and reflections. You can also ask us to pray for you or to pray for others. You can subscribe to our website to be informed whenever we publish an update.

I came to you in weakness and fear and much trembling, and my message and my proclamation were not with persuasive words of wisdom, but with a demonstration of Spirit and power, so that your faith might rest not on human wisdom but on the power of God.

I do not like group work. When I was in school, taking classes, I preferred to work by myself. Relying on what I did and did not do seemed better than to have to trust that others would do their part.

Unfortunately, this can also be true for me in the spiritual life. Rather than trusting in God (who has never let me down) I can too often try to rely on my own efforts. I can want what I do to rely on human wisdom. But the challenge, of course, is to know that in all things God knows best. (The old television show was correct. Father knows best.)

Fortunately, I am not alone in my need to grow in trust in God. "Then the boy’s father cried out, “I do believe, help my unbelief!”" The disciples to Jesus: "And the apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith.”" I too need to say these things often to the Lord. But if I pray them sincerely, Jesus reminds me, "Everything is possible to one who has faith."

On the friar, you can listen to our homilies (based on the readings of the day) and reflections. You can also ask us to pray for you or to pray for others. You can subscribe to our website to be informed whenever we publish an update.

Southwest Airlines, a number of years ago had a tag line that was a question: "Wanna get away?" The situation usually involved someone in a difficult or embarrassing situation that needed to get away fast, and the implication was that Southwest Airlines could get you somewhere nicer.

After a couple of cold days, the thought of getting away for a few days in a nice warm climate seems pretty nice. But more important than a short vacation is what Jesus invites the disciples to do today. "Come away by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while."

It can be the case that we focus too much on the activity and not enough on the relationship. Even when I am doing good things, if I do not work to strengthen my relationship with Jesus, then I can quickly burn out. Or I can begin to think that what I do is most important, and not what Jesus does in my life.

The real lesson for us is that it is not the case that everything depends upon us. The apostles were excited about the great things that God accomplished through them. But Jesus reminded them that it was important to know who the shepherd was. It was important to know from whom and by whom great things were happening.

And so today, if things are getting crazy, even in a good way, be sure to spend time with Jesus to recharge, and to seek out the ways he wants to guide you to holiness.

On the friar, you can listen to our homilies (based on the readings of the day) and reflections. You can also ask us to pray for you or to pray for others. You can subscribe to our website to be informed whenever we publish an update.

King Herod heard about Jesus, for his fame had become widespread...

This question is at the heart of the faith. Who is Jesus? How we answer this question tells us so much about what we need to know about our faith. It tells us whether or not we are going to take it seriously.

This question has also been asked often. It has been asked in terms of whether we admire the Christ, or whether we follow Christ. It has been asked in terms of whether or not we know about God or know God. Do we find ourselves challenged by Jesus or see Christ just as someone who makes us feel better when things are not going as planned.

Herod learned about Jesus, and was attracted to the words of John, but he was not willing to allow himself to be changed by John or Christ. He was not willing to allow the attraction of John's words lead him to a deeper faith in God. He preferred to watch from the sidelines instead of entering into the action.

Of course the question that arises from this is, "What about us?" What is our relationship with Jesus like? Do we really allow him to change our hearts? Do we see the world like he did? Are we able to remain faithful even if a "sword of sorrow" pierces our heart?

Perhaps most important in developing a deeper faith in Jesus is to ask him to come into your heart. And we also need to pray for each other.

On the friar, you can listen to our homilies (based on the readings of the day) and reflections. You can also ask us to pray for you or to pray for others. You can subscribe to our website to be informed whenever we publish an update.