Author Archives: Friar Musings

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About Friar Musings

Franciscan friar and Catholic priest at St. Francis of Assisi in Triangle, VA

The Passion of the Christ

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The Conspiracy Against Jesus

This series of posts considers, in detail, the gospel reading from Mark for Palm Sunday of the Lord’s Passion. This is the first post in the series.

There is much that occurs between the entry gospel on Palm Sunday and the gospel proclaimed during the Mass. If one wanted to give a moniker to what falls between it may be best described as a “conflict between the kingdoms.” The passages (11:12 – 13:37) between include:

  • Arguments surrounding the authority of Jesus, taxes to Caesar, the Resurrection, the greatest commandment, and the nature of the Messiah
  • The parable of the vineyard and the widow’s mite
  • The Markan discourse of the things to come and the end time.

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Footlocker Letters

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As we come to the end of our Lenten journey we begin to hear the echoes of Holy Week and the Passion of the Christ: “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. Amen, amen, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains just a grain of wheat; but if it dies, it produces much fruit.” It is hard to hear those words and not think of the coming passion, death and resurrection of Jesus. The One who came that we might have life and have it to the fullest. The One who even now, just like on the cross, has arms wide open to welcome and embrace us. The One whose heart is filled with love for us. The One who is love itself. Continue reading →

Palm Sunday of the Lord’s Passion – at the Procession with Palms

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In Lectionary Cycle B, this passage is the gospel read at the start of the Palm Sunday celebration before the procession with the palms. There is another gospel proclaimed that day: the Passion of the Lord, also taken from the Gospel of Mark (the long version: 14:1—15:47). But this reading is the account of Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem and in Mark’s narrative it is another “hinge moment” on which the gospel pivots – just as the Transfiguration (9:2-8) served as the pivot towards Jerusalem. So too, the moment pivots our attention from the ministry of Jesus to the final events of Holy Week.

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A Final Reflection

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The Biblical scholar Gail O’Day offer some final thoughts:

John 12:20–36 is the most concentrated collection of sayings on the death of Jesus in the Gospel of John and, therefore, provides the interpreter with an appropriate place to reflect on the meaning of the death of Jesus in this Gospel. Theological inquiry about Jesus’ death and its soteriological [things relating to salvation] efficacy is most frequently identified as “atonement theology.” Before looking at the Johannine understanding of the death of Jesus, it will be helpful to review the theologies of atonement that have shaped and continue to shape the life of the church. Continue reading →

Palm Sunday and the Passion Gospels

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Starting tomorrow and up until Wednesday, March 27th, there will be a series of posts that offer a gospel commentary of the two gospels proclaimed on Palm Sunday of the Lord’s Passion. The full commentary runs 27 pages in length – so, I thought it best to provide in smaller posts with some natural breaks in the narrative providing some guidance. That being said, some of the posts are long. There’s a lot going on in the readings. May the commentaries help you prepare for Holy Week!

For the Sake of the World

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This coming Sunday is the 5th Sunday of Lent.  31 Now is the time of judgment on this world; now the ruler of this world will be driven out. 32 And when I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw everyone to myself.” 33 He said this indicating the kind of death he would die. 

This unusual mixture of dialogue and monologue seems to come to its point and purpose: “Now is the time of judgment..”  It should echo the words spoken at the end of the dialogue/monologue with Nicodemus in John 3: Continue reading →

The Gaza Pier

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As part of the State of the Union address, it was announced that the United States was going to “build a pier” to provide a port of entry for emergency relief supplies. Gaza has no maritime port capable of supporting more than fishing boats – in other words, there is a single marina. Gaza has relied on true merchant shipping ports in Egypt and Israel. Those options are not and have not been available since the start of the war in Gaza. Continue reading →

Working things out

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Today’s first reading is taken mid-scene from a key part of the Book of Exodus. We quickly pick up that the infamous “golden calf” incident has occurred and the Lord is not happy as he tells Moses: “I see how stiff-necked this people is. Let me alone, then, that my wrath may blaze up against them to consume them.” Can we blame God? Ever since our expulsion from the Garden of Eden the arc of humanity’s story has been one on increasing and spreading evil with God keeping things in check (e.g. scattering the people of Babel) while looking for a “few good men” – Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Joseph and now Moses. Looking for someone with whom to establish human leadership that could lead humanity back into the presence of God. Continue reading →

The Glory of God

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This coming Sunday is the 5th Sunday of Lent. 27 “I am troubled now. Yet what should I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? But it was for this purpose that I came to this hour. 28 Father, glorify your name.” With the word “now” the focus returns to Jesus’ hour and St. John portrays a different Jesus than the one we encounter in Gethsemane as portrayed by the other gospel writers. Continue reading →