Article – Grumpy G The brothers and priests in my community will tell you that I can be difficult to live with. I tend to get irritable and impatient, especially if I am tired or hungry. A nearby restaurant, that we walk by almost every day, is called “Grumpy G.” Since my last name begins…
From the Friars: The Complaint Department The initial chapters of the Acts of the Apostles paint an idyllic picture of the early Church. “Now the company of those who believed were of one heart and soul, …There was not a needy person among them, …and distribution was made to each as any had need.” (Acts…
This week the month of May begins as the year moves along swiftly, at least from the perspective of those of us who are on the down slope of life. “Make us know the shortness of our life that we may gain wisdom of heart.” (Psalm 90:12) And May is the month of Mary, the…
From the Friars: Fear No Evil The Fourth Sunday of Easter is Good Shepherd Sunday when we read from Chapter 10 of St. John’s Gospel. This year we also pray the beloved Psalm 23 which begins: “The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want…” Verse four reads as follows: “Even though I walk through…
From the Friars: Sneaky Jesus In today’s gospel St. Luke masterfully describes one of the more memorable scenes from the resurrection accounts of Jesus. Two downtrodden disciples are leaving Jerusalem with little hope in their hearts for the future. Then Jesus draws near but unrecognized. These two disciples have lost their faith in the Messiah,…
From the Friars: The Sacrament of Mercy G. K. Chesterton was asked by some of his friends why he became a Catholic. His reply was, “to get my sins forgiven.” The first thing Jesus did when He appeared to His apostles on the day of His Resurrection was to give them the power to forgive…
From the Friars: Life is in the Blood The Lord is truly risen. Alleluia! The Easter Vigil is the most solemn and important Liturgy of the year. It is full of striking sensible signs of the invisible works of Almighty God. Darkness and light, fire and water, and the sounds of bells and triumphant alleluias…
From the Friars: Holy Week On Palm Sunday each year, my punning pastor was fond of preaching to the parish, “Remember, what Our Lord Jesus did during Holy Week, because we are all wholly weak.” It was an important reminder that this is the holiest week of the year, and that we are all sinners…
From the Friars: De Profundis In today’s Mass we pray Psalm 130 which is known as the “De Profundis”, the Latin translation of the first line: “Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord.” It can be seen as the cry of the human race, cut off from God by sin and doomed…
From the Friars: The Sword of Sarcasm Sarcasm is usually sinful because in reality it is almost always a barely disguised insult and unnecessarily hurtful. However, in the case of the man born blind of today’s Gospel, we can easily understand his use of sarcastic language given the circumstances. Suddenly, unexpectedly, this man was able…