The Friar Podcasts - preaching prayer and spiritual reflections

Readings for Today

This is how it is with the Kingdom of God; it is as if a man were to scatter seed on the land and would sleep and rise night and day and the seed would sprout and grow, he knows not how.

I remember being at a religious conference once and hearing the speaker mock the idea that when it came to something we could not fully explain, it was a cop out to suggest that was because it was a mystery. One example of this cop out was the way in which the Church could not explain the Trinity.

In the west, we tend to view mysteries in the same way, as things to be solved. Who wants to read a mystery and get to the end of the book only to discover that nothing was made clear? In the east, however, the sense of mystery is something that is to be entered into.

The sense of mystery that comes with God is an example of the type of mystery we simply seek to enter into in our lives. It is not at all possible to explain God, as if with more effort a finite being could fully understand an infinite one. In this life, we cannot fully understand God. We can only seek to enter more and more into the mystery that is God.

How is it that you would do that today? In what ways will you enter into the mystery of God? For while there certainly are moments where God comes crashing into our lives, usually it is the case with the mystery of God that we have to demonstrate our openness to receiving God.

Both images in today's gospel are farming images or growing images. The farmer does not know how the crop grows, really, only that it does grow. The mustard seed starts ever so small only to become a large tree. In so many ways, this is what our faith is like. Find some way today to enter into the mystery of your faith, which grows in a way you do not understand, and becomes bigger and deeper than you could ever imagine.

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.

For this reason, I remind you to stir into flame the gift of God . . .

How is the flame of your gift from God? Today we celebrate the great companions of Paul, Saints Timothy and Titus. At first glance, they might not have appeared to be the bold proclaimers of the word. But with the help of Saint Paul, and more importantly with the grace of God and the actions of the Holy Spirit, they were able to become great preachers of the gospel, and more importantly, saints.

The question, of course, is what about us? Can we do the same? We live in an age and a time where this is so necessary. Why does your faith matter to you? Tell others. Why do you believe all should accept Jesus? Share your answer. So much depends upon what it is we are called to do and our response to do it.

Readings for Today

For this reason, I remind you to stir into flame the gift of God that you have through the imposition of my hands. For God did not give us a spirit of cowardice but rather of power and love and self-control. So do not be ashamed of your testimony to our Lord,

As a teacher, there is a certain joy that comes when a former student becomes successful. There is a double pride when a former student becomes successful doing what the teacher did. On some level, Saint Paul had to feel happy that his students, Saint Timothy and Saint Titus followed so faithfully in his footsteps.

Saint Paul, Saint Timothy and Saint Titus all remind us of the importance of thinking about how it is that each one of us is called to hand on or to pass on, the faith. This is the meaning of the word tradition. As has been noted, "God has no grandchildren." It is up to us to secure the next generation of the faith. And as Saint Paul so eloquently puts it in his Letter to the Romans, if there are not people who are sent to preach the good news, it becomes much more difficult to help others to become believers.

In western culture, particularly in Europe and North America, this is the topic of the day. How is it that Catholics will be inspired to share their faith with others in a way that is compelling? How is it we will be open to sharing with others the ways in which Jesus has changed our lives?

Put even more specifically, how will you, how will I, make the compelling case that it matters whether or not we believe in Jesus? For I think for so many, the challenge is to understand why faith matters. That is because I think for too many it does not. And of those for whom it does not, life seems to be okay.

I hear from students that they do not see this need in their own lives. And yet, at the same time there is the reality that mental illness is on the rise. There is the deeper divisions and polarizations that have the effect of paralyzing us and rendering us ineffective in solving even the smallest of problems.

So how is it in your life that the work of Saint Paul, Saint Timothy and Saint Titus can be your work? In what way is it that you are being called to share with others the reasons faith is important to you? Are you willing to develop the type of relationship with Jesus that will inspire others to seek the same? How is it you will "stir into flame" the gift God has given you?

On that day, there broke out a severe persecution of the church in Jerusalem, and all were scattered throughout the countryside of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles. Devout men buried Stephen and made a loud lament over him. Saul, meanwhile, was trying to destroy the church; entering house after house and dragging out men and women, he handed them over for imprisonment. (Acts 8:1-3)

There is no doubt that as a Jew, Saint Paul was zealous. He was a Pharisee, one dedicated to the strict following of the Jewish Law, seeing in its observance the pathway to salvation by God. He even tells us his observance of the Law went far beyond his contemporaries. "For you heard of my former way of life in Judaism, how I persecuted the church of God beyond measure and tried to destroy it, and progressed in Judaism beyond many of my contemporaries among my race, since I was even more a zealot for my ancestral traditions." (Galatians 1:13-14)

Why was Saint Paul trying to destroy the Church? And what lead to his conversion, which we celebrate today? How is it the hardest of hearts was softened to worship Jesus? For in the answers to these questions are the reasons we celebrate his conversion.

The first thing to note is that in whatever Saint Paul did, he was likely the person that went at it with everything he had. Schooled in the Law, and likely very bright, if Saint Paul was going to be a Jew, he was going to be the most serious of Jews. And as a Jew, seeing the way of life spelled out by the Law, Saint Paul would feel compelled to follow it completely.

What is also important is the need to note that when Jesus appeared as the Messiah, he was not the type of Messiah that was expected. He did not free the Jews from Roman rule. He was not a military general. He possessed few of the qualities of the Messiah that were expected at the time.

And yet, his followers were proclaiming boldly Jesus was the Messiah. And they were convincing. People were become followers of the Way, the new type of religion. And this worried Saint Paul on a whole number of levels. Most importantly, if this new Way were allowed to grow, in Saint Paul's view, it would be the case that people would not be following the Jewish Law, and hence their very salvation was at risk.

There was probably also the fear about what this new Way would mean for the practice of Judaism in the eyes of the Romans. Would this new Way cause a division that could threaten the ability of the Jews to practice their religion freely? Would the Romans feel the division provided an excuse to stop the Jews from openly practicing their faith? (The destruction of the Temple could seem to indicate this would not have been an unfounded fear.

But Jesus shows us that as God, he can change even the hardest of hearts. Saint Paul directly encounters the risen Christ, and it changes his heart. He is now "on fire" for Jesus, and we know as we read the New Testament he travelled all over the known world proclaiming the Good News.

Hopefully what we gain from this is the belief that God can change any heart, even our hearts. We can be brought into a deeper relationship with Jesus simply by allowing Jesus to change our hearts. And he can. Today might be a good day to ask Saint Paul to pray for your conversion, as I will do today asking Saint Paul to help me to more fully convert and turn my heart to be more and more like the heart of Christ.

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.

At first glance, the reaction of Jesus to the news that his family is outside can seem a little rude. After all, his mother is outside. Mary, the one who never sinned. Would not Jesus want to make time for her, and his other relatives?

Yes, unless there is a bigger point at play here. Jesus is seeking to highlight the primacy of a relationship with him that is authentic by doing the will of God. Such is the important point. So, the goal is not to be part of the "in" crowd, but rather to do the will of God.

Readings for Today

Since the law has only a shadow of the good things to come, and not the very image of them, it can never make perfect those who come to worship by the same sacrifices that they offer continually each year. Otherwise, would not the sacrifices have ceased to be offered, since the worshipers, once cleansed, would no longer have had any consciousness of sins? But in those sacrifices there is only a yearly remembrance of sins, for it is impossible that the blood of bulls and goats take away sins.

I remember in math class when I first heard that there was no such thing on this earth as a perfect circle. Every circle had imperfections, and that the circles we saw on this earth were just representations of the perfect. Little did I know that I was having my first lesson in Plato, the ancient Greek philosopher.

In the thought of Plato, the material item we see here on earth is merely a shadow of the real item in its ideal form. This was true with every material thing. The material thing was never the "real" thing, but only a shadow of the real thing, the perfect form. This thinking can help us to understand very abstract concepts such as love, or beauty, or affection.

And in today's first reading, we see that this idea of a shadow can help us to understand how it is that Jesus is the fulfillment of the Old Testament sacrifices. The blood of bulls and goats helped the ancient people to understand the idea of sacrifice, but these types of sacrifices were insufficient.

It was only when Jesus comes, the divine Son of God, who, as we have said before not only sacrifices on our behalf, but is himself the real sacrifice. Jesus enters the real Temple in heaven, not merely a representation of the heavenly Temple. While the sacrifices of animals can represent an atonement for sin, it is the total sacrifice of the Son of God that is the true representation of all sacrifices, and moreover, is able to forgive our sins.

This idea of the shadow and the real occurs every single time we go to Mass. At every Mass, we recall the True Sacrifice of Jesus that forgives sin. At every Mass, we get a glimpse of the heavenly Jerusalem, the true Temple where we encounter the true sacrifice of 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.

Readings for Today 

The LORD called me from birth, from my mother's womb he gave me my name.

I absolutely understand the topic of the unborn, the question of abortion, and discussions around it are rarely civil. That is most unfortunate. Because the right to be born is the fundamental right from which all other rights are derived. That said, no progress can be made if we focus only on the right to be born.

For those who support legal abortion, the right to choose to terminate a pregnancy is focused on the belief generally that there is no right to be born. Rather, this right, if it is acknowledged at all, is superseded by the much more important rights of the pregnant woman.

For too many who do not believe abortion is moral and thus should not be legal, the problem can be that no other rights are acknowledged as important. The right to life is the fundamental right, but at the same time, there is the right to food, clothing, shelter and healthcare. There is the right to have the opportunity, the real opportunity to obtain these rights as well.

If we are to convince people of the importance of the fundamental right of life, it is absolutely necessary that we work to rectify those elements in our society that make abortion seem like the only option, or at the least, a good option. How can we claim life is a fundamental right if we sentence poor women to poverty? How can we claim life is a fundamental right if we do not provide a single mother with the chance to have decent child care so that she can also support her family? How can we claim life is a fundamental right if we do not work to guarantee access to affordable health care for all?

What is important is that we recognize that the rights the Catholic Church articulates and works to make available for people are given by God. All humans, according to Church teaching have a right to food, clothing, shelter, health care and the means to attain them. If a mother cannot spend the important first days of her child's life with her child because she cannot afford to be off from work, then we must work harder for paid family and medical leave.

We cannot claim to be pro-life unless we are willing to recognize the absolute dignity of all life. All human life is made in God's image and likeness. The Imago Dei. And all this means we must cherish all human life in whatever circumstances we find it. It has never been Catholic Church teaching that our obligations to human life end at birth.

At the same time, how is it we can claim to be a civilized society when so many are opting for some of the most liberal abortion laws in the developed world? Remember when it was the claim that abortion would be rare? And how powerful would it be if the right to food were codified in state constitutions? How powerful would it be if the right to health care, and shelter were codified in state constitutions?

We begin the protection of this fundamental right with prayer. Civil laws are only just when they are grounded in the will of God. But as Saint James reminds us, faith without works is dead. We must work all the more to see to it that the choice to have an abortion is inconceivable. And this will only happen when we remove the barriers that keep people from having the fundamental rights God gives to all peoples.

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.

Follow Me? This is a question where the person asking makes a big difference. If, of course, as in today's gospel, it is Jesus who asks, then it means that if we say yes, we will go wherever he leads. But, if we are the ones who ask the question, then indeed it may be we expect Jesus to follow us.

When was the last time you discerned in your heart that Jesus wanted you to do something you did not want to do? When was the last time that your decision to follow Jesus was really hard? When was the last time we chose to follow Jesus, but were not at all sure where he was asking is to go?

For Peter, Andrew, James and John, today's call from Jesus meant they left what was familiar for the unknown. They were fisherman. This is what they did and this is what they knew. While they may or may not have made a lot of money, at least they knew they would have something.

By saying "yes" to the words of Jesus, "Follow me", they are embarking out on something unknown. In saying yes to Jesus and to the invitation to "follow me" they were in a situation where things were different indeed. Would they be able to eat? What security would they have? How would they adapt to the changes in their lives?

If we never experience those moments when we follow Jesus because he is Jesus, when we do what we would rather not, when we embark for the unknown, then are we following Jesus, or are we following ourselves? Do we reduce Jesus to the one made in our image, or do we trust in the God in whose image and likeness we are made?

Will you drop everything, as James and John, Peter and Andrew did, to follow Jesus wherever he leads? Will you believe and trust in Jesus by believing and trusting 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.

For it has been reported to me about you, my brothers and sisters, by Chloe’s people, that there are rivalries among you. I mean that each of you is saying, “I belong to Paul,” or “I belong to Apollos,” or “I belong to Cephas,” or “I belong to Christ.” Is Christ divided?

It is as if the apostle Paul was writing his letter to us today, and not to the Corinthians centuries ago. Increasingly we are divided. Increasingly we view ourselves first as on this team or that team, and not on the team of Jesus. Our political alliances can seem to be the way we view our faith, and not our relationship with Jesus and His Church.

Or, even in the Church, we can see ourselves on Team John Paul or Team Benedict or Team Francis, when the truth is we are all on Team Jesus. While there are truths worth fighting for, we do not do so first because we want our team to win. We do so because in working for the truth we are drawn closer to Jesus.

We can also see our parish as better than another, or this type of Catholic better than another type of Catholic. We can pit ourselves against each other in an attempt to gain superiority. But if in doing so we forget where it is our true allegiance should be, we fail. Whatever other teams we may think we are on, there is no team more superior than that of Team Christ.

Jesus came with his disciples into the house. Again the crowd gathered, making it impossible for them even to eat. When his relatives heard of this they set out to seize him, for they said, "He is out of his mind."

Oh my. What interesting days Jesus is having. He is the talk of the town but is also the center of controversy. The scribes and the Pharisees, perhaps moved by jealousy, are questioning every move of Jesus. Even Jesus' relatives have serious doubts about his sanity. They think he is out of his mind.

Moreover, one could think that Jesus too is not at all concerned with his relatives. When told they are outside, his mother and brothers, Jesus asks who they are. And then he makes an important point. It is faith in Jesus, and doing the will of God that are primary. Mary, his mother, for example is not great only because of her biological relationship with her son, but because of her faith in God.

And so it is with us, too. What really matters is our relationship with Jesus. In that sense, our worth comes from who we know and who he gives us the grace to become.

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.