As I have noted here on other occasions, one of the ministries that we Franciscan Friars have is to support families during their interment at Quantico National Cemetery. We often have several interments each week and in the course of the ministry we have met many amazing and wonderful families. Today was no exception. Continue reading
Today is the Feast of St. James and the first reading is one of my favorite passages from St. Paul: “We hold this treasure in earthen vessels” (2 Cor 4:7). It points out one of the great paradoxes of this life of discipleship: it leads to glory, but entails suffering along the way. What is this treasure? The context of Paul’s writing suggests three possibilities: Continue reading
This coming Sunday is the 17th Sunday in Ordinary Time. “The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure buried in a field, which a person finds and hides again, and out of joy goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.” Buried treasure is the stuff of popular stories in every age and while out “pirates” no longer sail the Seven Seas we seem content with stories of lottery winners. Given Israel’s location at the crossroads of major powers to the north and east and to the south (Egypt) there is a long history of wars and rumors of war playing out upon the promised land. Continue reading
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