42 A poor widow also came and put in two small coins worth a few cents.
Widows. Lurking in the background of our reading is the first-century Jewish system of levirate marriages (Gen 38 and Deut 25:5-10). In short if a man dies without leaving a son, his widow is forbidden to marry outside his family. One of her deceased husband’s brothers must assume the duty of the levir, taking her as his wife. The first male of this second union is considered the son of the deceased brother. Continue reading
What is the old expression? “Good things come to those who wait.” A little more than 18 months ago there was a chance discussion with one of our parishioners, Francesca Bacci, an art history professor at the University of Tampa. She wanted to be more active in the parish and wondered what opportunities there might be. Given her expertise in medieval art, specifically Italian and in the era of St. Francis, I thought there could be some great opportunities for presentations on the art of Giotto and the art that adorns the basilica of St Francis in Assisi. 
What kind of leaders do we want? Certainly, a good question here with the mid-term elections upon us. It is always a good question for the Church. I have lived during the pontificates of seven popes and in my lifetime, we have certainly had a wide variety of types and styles of leaders. In our history, we have had 266 popes. We have had some spectacularly amazing leaders, saints in the making, and we have had some spectacularly horrific leaders, who would have been quite at home in Game of Thrones (so I hear, I actually haven’t seen it…). All took up the Keys of Peter, with the same job description given Peter: Feed my sheep; tend my lambs. The Pope is the most visible of leaders in the Church, but not the only ones with that same job description. The simple mandate, “feed my sheep; tend my lambs” applies to priests, pastors, parents, principals, police, and anyone who would lead – anyone who would answer the call to minister in the Holy Name of Jesus. 
friarmusings 