Category Archives: From the Friars

Friar News – Goodbye Br. Jimmy!

We are sorry to inform the Shrine community that Br. Jimmy has discerned that God is calling him elsewhere and will not be returning. His time with us was a great blessing and we wish him well as he goes forward in his life. Please keep Br. Jimmy in your prayers. Thank you.

From the Friars: Our Father in Faith

From the Friars: Our Father in Faith If a man came to me and said that God had told him to take his only son and kill him with a knife and then burn him as a sacrifice to God, I would first doubt the man’s sanity and then try to convince him that that…

Misleading News

Another part of the strong reaction to the overturning of Roe vs. Wade has been many news stories that try to exaggerate the danger to women when abortion is outlawed. For example, the claim is made that it will be illegal for mothers to obtain treatment for ectopic pregnancies. This is not true. The states…

From the Friars: The Danger of Riches

From the Friars: The Danger of Riches In today’s Gospel, in response to the dispute between two brothers over their inheritance, Jesus warns us to beware of all greed, “because ‘the life of man does not depend on the abundance of the goods they possess’“. With these words the question arises: “Is it bad to…

From the Friars: The Danger of Riches

From the Friars: The Danger of Riches In today’s Gospel, in response to the dispute between two brothers over their inheritance, Jesus warns us to beware of all greed, “because ‘the life of man does not depend on the abundance of the goods they possess’“. With these words the question arises: “Is it bad to…

From the Friars: Ask and You Will Receive

From the Friars: Ask and You Will Receive Walking down Essex Street I passed through a group of kids playing and riding their scooter boards, or whatever those skate boards with handles are called. “Hey God,” one little boy says to me. “No, I only work for Him.” He and an even younger girl come…

From the Friars: Martha, Martha

From the Friars: Martha, Martha When I was a kid my older sister, for some strange reason, used to like to clean the house. Of course, this made my mother happy and made me look like a lazy slob, which I was. Mom used to call my sister “Martha, Martha“, especially when she was busy…

From the Friars: Identity of Christ

From the Friars: Identity of Christ One of my favorite classes in the seminary was Christology. The identity of Christ has always been a source of discussion and debate, even from the beginning. “Who do people say that I am?” These were Christ’s words to His closest followers. And then the kicker, “But who do…

From the Friars: True Freedom

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

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…