The Friar Podcasts - preaching prayer and spiritual reflections

I mentioned the importance of context, which is part of what we're going to learn as we explore the Vatican II document of divine revelation, is that we can't read the Scriptures only in one way. I can say that my experience in high school when kids encounter something from another culture or another time, I'm thinking Shakespeare for example, they don't think it has much value because they don't understand the culture. It's written differently, the language is differently.

Full transcript at https://thefriar.org/2024/01/28/importance-of-context-homily-for-sun-jan28/

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.

There was a period of time, I think, where we cast aside any mention of sin. It made us feel bad, maybe. I don't know. It led to books, Whatever became of sin?. Because it seemed like we weren't sinning anymore. Confession went by the wayside. There was not an acknowledgement that we're broken human beings.

Full transcript at https://thefriar.org/2024/02/14/whatever-happened-to-sin-ash-wed-feb14/

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.

Consider it all joy, brothers and sisters, when you encounter various trials. Now, I don't know about you. I don't like trials. I don't like when things don't go my way. I certainly don't consider it all joy that I have difficulty in suffering.

Full transcript at https://thefriar.org/2024/02/12/pure-joy-homily-for-mon-february-4/

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.

This encounter that we see today was a critical part of our own baptism. There was a period of time in the right, or not a period of time, but a moment in the celebration of our baptism where the priest who baptized us, or a deacon I suppose, or maybe even a layperson in a hospital if we had some kind of emergency, touched our ears and our mouth and said the same thing, "Be opened."

Full transcript at https://thefriar.org/2024/02/09/be-opened-homily-for-friday-february-9-24/

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.

Today, I would suggest that the gospel is the gospel of contemplation. We encounter two people in their lives who are at a stage and time in their life where activity takes the back seat, where they, in fact, are in the temple day and night praying.

https://thefriar.org/2024/02/02/a-gospel-of-contemplation-homily-fri-feb2/

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.

It's very common when someone gets to the end of their life to do what is known as a life review. In other words, you begin to reflect on the various moments of your life, and you begin to seek gratitude for those things which were blessings in your life.

Full transcript at https://thefriar.org/2024/02/01/the-life-review-homily-thurs-feb1/

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.

Seeking God. David is a good example in another way, because even though he was not a good father, even though he was difficult in certain moral decisions that were sinful, he never lost sight of his relationship with God.

See full transcript at https://thefriar.org/2024/01/29/seeking-god-homily-for-monday-january-29/

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.

The kingdom of God is a mysterious thing. How God acts and how God chooses to act is not always clear to us. In fact, there may be instances we look at certain situations in the world and we say, "Why doesn't God inspire somebody to do something about this or that?"

Full transcript at https://thefriar.org/2024/01/26/the-mystery-of-the-kingdom-of-god-jan26/

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.

We need to understand the world of Saint Paul. Or probably more specifically, the world of Paul, just in terms of what his faith life was like before he encountered Jesus, and then how he interpreted that call in terms of what he was supposed to do.

Full transcript at https://thefriar.org/2024/01/25/understanding-saint-paul-thurs-jan25/

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.

David is recognizing the reason this whole thing is important to him. He's recognizing the reason this whole thing is important to him is that one of the things that David never loses sight of, even when he sins, is his relationship with God.

Full transcript at https://thefriar.org/2024/01/23/david-and-elizabeth-homily-tuesday-jan23/

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.