The Friar Podcasts - preaching prayer and spiritual reflections

Grand God or puny God? The homily focuses on the prayer of Solomon who recognizes the puny nature even of a magnificent Temple as compared with the immensity and grandeur of God. The gospel shows how in the selective following of the Law, the Scribes and the Pharisees make God small and puny.

Broken and Sinful. One of the most challenging aspects of being a priest giving a homily is the ever-present reality that despite my best intentions I do not always do what I tell others to do. I sin. I One of the most challenging aspects of being a priest giving a homily is the ever-present reality that despite my best intentions I do not always do what I tell others to do. I sin. I fall short. I...

Broken and Sinful. One of the most challenging aspects of being a priest giving a homily is the ever-present reality that despite my best intentions I do not always do what I tell others to do. I sin. I fall short. I reject God. So how can I be a preacher?

The dangerous delight of sin. Why do I sin? Even when we decide to sin, it can be the case that I know it is a bad idea even as I sin. These chapters from Saint Augustine provide a reflection on a sin of his youth, namely the stealing of pears.

We live in a world of brokenness. We know it in ourselves. We know it with even a quick look at other people. There is a lot of brokenness. It is no secret that even before the pandemic, mental health was a problem. It is even more so today. Consider these sobering facts.

Confidential. I am going to tell you a big secret. God loves you. Ok, it is not really a secret, because you have probably heard it at least once before, and likely a lot more. So why do we act as if God's love for us is confidential?

God's Generosity. David presumed he would be the one to build God a house, but God made an even greater promise to David to build him a house. And that is a promise that impacts us in a major way.

Adolescence and Spiritual Life. The introduction Book 2 of the Confessions starts with a summary that could be helpful. "He concentrates here on his sixteenth year, a year of idleness, lust, and adolescent mischief. The memory of stealing some pears prompts a deep probing of the motives and aims of sinful acts. “I became to myself a wasteland.” Even those who are only slightly familiar with Saint...

Change and Conversion. It can easily be the case that we think that if we are a "pretty good person" than life will be ok. And perhaps on some level that is true. But in reality, we need to focus on something that is much more true, since it really is the first message of the gospel. We need to repent. Change. Turn your hearts closer to the Lord.

How to persuade. We do not know how to persuade. Just how is it that we learn how to persuade others that the life of the gospel is worth living? For that is something that more than ever before, especially here in the United States, is needed. We must recognize the call to evangelization. 

Crushed. I prayed and prayed and prayed and God did not answer my prayers. Grandpa died anyway. My friend is still sick. I didn't get that job. These all seemed like very good things? Wouldn't God want these things to happen? Saint Thomas Aquinas said that the problem of evil is the most difficult challenge to believing in God. It is however, the case, that praying for something that seems quite g...

Crushed. I prayed and prayed and prayed and God did not answer my prayers. Grandpa died anyway. My friend is still sick. I didn't get that job. These all seemed like very good things? Wouldn't God want these things to happen?

Discernment. In a world of noise, listening is harder than ever. How do you make opportunities to hear God's word? This commentary will be posted tomorrow. https://thefriar.org/2022/01/12/discernment-cranking-up-your-hearing011222/ #thefriar #homily #goingbehindtheword

The Friar Book Club: The Confessions of Saint Augustine Book 2, Chapters 1-4 This is the text of this section of The Confessions of Saint Augustine, read aloud.

Commentary on The Confessions of Saint Augustine, Book 2, Chapters 1-4 The introduction Book 2 of the Confessions starts with a summary that could be helpful. "He concentrates here on his sixteenth year, a year of idleness, lust, and adolescent mischief. The memory of stealing some pears prompts a deep probing of the motives and aims of sinful acts. “I became to myself a wasteland.” Even those who...

Today's story of Hannah praying for the birth of her son Samuel is really a tender story. How can it be the case that it is not wonderful when a woman who so desperately wants a child is able to have one. But the story of the birth of Samuel is not an ordinary story about a woman giving birth later in life. Rather, it is a story about devotion to God.

Seeking the Sacraments Part 2 In our last "Spend 5 with Jesus , we focused upon the sacrament of confession as a way to enter into a proven relationship with God. One reason for starting with the Sacrament of Confession is because preparing ourselves for Mass is important. And, if we are aware of having committed a mortal sin, we should go to confession before receiving the Eucharist. Today we are...

Going Behind the Word What does baptism mean? What do Catholics believe about baptism? These are important questions for us to consider as background to the homily given today. There are so many questions that arise from the readings today, but especially about what it means to say we are baptized. "Baptism is God's most beautiful and magnificent gift....We call it gift, grace, anointing, enlighte...

God loves you more than you can ever know. So much that God makes you an adopted son or daughter. As we celebrate the Baptism of Jesus by John the Baptist, we can see just how important our own baptism is. 

Seeking the Sacraments. The wisdom of the spiritual life is not the wisdom of Wall Street. In order to find yourself, you have to lose yourself. It is in giving that you receive. In order to be successful you must sacrifice. To be first, you must be last. And to have power, you must surrender.

Hidden Treasures Yesterday was the traditional day where the Church celebrates the Epiphany, a day where the magi brought treasures to the baby Jesus, namely Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh. These gifts were symbolic of the role of Jesus. Why did the Magi bring gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh? (aleteia.org) The gold represents Christ’s kingship; frankincense, a sweet-smelling resin used in wors...

Sometimes when we think about how to become holy, we think it is a challenging endeavor. We need to to dramatic things. We need to go to foreign countries and be missionaries who risk their lives for the faith. While it may be that some will be called to live holiness in this way, the real truth is more simple. Today's readings give the more important observation. The secret to holiness is to love...

There is such a grace to listen to the Word of God. Because it is done as a podcast, I can listen when I am driving or exercising. Most Catholics do not have the experience of listening to the entire bible over the course of a year. While I have not always been able to listen to the podcast each day, it does not matter. I can listen as I am able.

Give them some food yourselves. What a daunting command from Jesus. How can the apostles possibly do this? Well the truth is that they cannot. There is an important lesson for us as we consider the spiritual life. We can do little. But God can do a lot.

The Epic Trek to Success You probably noticed I took a little break for Christmas. But now that the new year has started, it is back to writing daily reflections. Why do I call today's reflection "The Epic Trek to Success"? It is because it is important to recognize that regardless of where we are, we can always focus on how to improve our lives, especially when we have the assistance of God's gra...