Category Archives: Franciscan

Instruction for the Community

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This coming Sunday is the 23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time. The previous two Sundays have focused on the gospel narrative that is set at the site of Peter’s great confession of faith: Caesarea Philippi.  This is also the place where Jesus’ first passion prediction occurs which leads to Peter’s exclamation: “God forbid, Lord! No such thing shall ever happen to you” (16:22) – in effect denying the revealed nature and role of the messiah. Jesus corrects Peter in v.24: “Get behind me, Satan! You are an obstacle to me. You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do.” Despite his confession of faith and the blessing in response to it, Peter initially rejects the possibility that Jesus’ messiahship could involve suffering.  This leads to Jesus’ instruction to the disciples about the true nature of the cross and the willingness to carry it in accordance with the will of God. Continue reading →

The Passing of a Friend and Brother

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Friday we received word that one our Franciscan Brothers, Fr. Salim Joseph OFM unexpectedly died from a heart attack at the age of 58. Salim was a wonderful soul who taught me all the ins and outs of Cricket in the India Premier League (Go Chennai Super Kings!). He will be missed.

Here is a tribute to his life and mission prepared by the India Province of the OFMs. May he rest in peace.

Discipleship and Its Consequences

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This coming Sunday is the 22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time, Lectionary Cycle A. “Then Jesus said to his disciples” With these words the scene moves from the personal debate with Peter to a general pronouncement about discipleship, the first part of it echoing what Jesus has already said to his disciples in 10:38–39: “whoever does not take up his cross and follow after me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.” The disciples’ first reaction was not the softened “self-denial” or “take up one’s burden.” They understood the cross as the sign of Roman torture and death: “Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me.” (16:24) These words are about literal death, following the condemned man on his way to execution. Continue reading →

Peter’s Response, Jesus’ Rebuke

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This coming Sunday is the 22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time, Lectionary Cycle A. Then Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, “God forbid, Lord! No such thing shall ever happen to you.” Peter’s typically direct and immediate response is not likely his alone. Just as he spoke for the other disciples in proclaiming Jesus to be the “Son of the living God,” the Messiah, now he gives voice to the horror they all share upon hearing Jesus’ description of the messianic mission. Given his confession (v.16), Peter may well feel particularly let down by the idea that his Messiah should prove to be anything less than a success. Continue reading →

Christology: Three Questions

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This coming Sunday is the 21st Sunday in Ordinary Time. The Gospel according to Matthew accepts and uses the main Christological titles found already in the Gospel according to Mark, including Christ/Messiah, Son of God, Son of Man, Rabbi, and Teacher. But in contrast to Mark, Matthew adds several new titles and emphasizes certain aspects of Jesus’ identity. Matthew’s Gospel begins by identifying Jesus as “the son of David, the son of Abraham” (1:1), showing Jesus’ Davidic/royal and Abrahamic/Jewish heritage, respectively.  Throughout Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus is presented as “the New Moses” for the people of Israel, and is given a variety of other titles, including Emmanuel, Savior, Prophet, and King of the Jews. It is in this light that our pericope asks its two questions. Continue reading →

Rhymes with Orange

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When I am inspired to offer a really bad joke, I ask, “What’s the only word in the English language that rhymes with ‘orange.'” People quickly move through their internal cache of words and come up empty. That is when, in a terribly fake Cockney accent, I offer: “door’inge.”  I did say that it would be a really bad joke. But did you know there is also a nationally syndicated comic strip named “Rhymes with Orange”?

The daily, nationally syndicated cartoon, often has a wry view of the world. Today’s edition was particularly good. You can view the cartoon here ( Aug 16 only).  The single panel scene depicts a young girl’s bedroom with a doll house – each room of which is brimming with furniture. The doll house is located right next to a 3-unit toy self-storage facility…. also brimming with furniture and stuff.  Just saying…

Push eventually comes to shove

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In today’s first reading rebellious Israel finally crosses the point of no return… so to speak. If you have been following the first readings for daily Mass, you have seen the long brewing balance of Israel’ rebellion being met with God’s faithfulness. While still at the foot of Mt. Sinai they rebelled and wanted to know why God/Moses had brought them out into the dessert to die of hunger – plus there was the incident of the golden calf. God provided manna and quail. Continue reading →

The City of Angels

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I think most people know that the expression, “City of Angels”, refers to Los Angeles, CA. But did you know that the name is only the shortened form of the original city name, which grew up around one of the Franciscan missions? The original name of the pioneer town was, “El Pueblo de Nuestra Señora la Reina de los Ángeles de Porciúncula,” (in English, “City of Our Lady the Queen of Angels of the little Portion”). Both “Our Lady Queen of the Angels” and “the little Portion” are steeped in the earliest history of the Franciscan Order. For that we return to the 13th century and the life of St. Francis of Assisi. Continue reading →

Two Parables

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This coming Sunday is the 17th Sunday in Ordinary Time. “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant searching for fine pearls. When he finds a pearl of great price, he goes and sells all that he has and buys it. Matthew apparently intends the parable of the treasure to be interpreted together with the parable of the pearl, which immediately follows. The two parables do have common features: (I) In each case only a brief vignette of a crucial situation is given, without enough details to evaluate them as realistic stories. The interpreter should, therefore, be wary of filling in the gaps from pious imagination, but concentrate on what the parable does, in fact, portray. Continue reading →

A Pearl of Great Price

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This coming Sunday is the 17th Sunday in Ordinary Time. Pearls were as highly valued in the ancient world as they are today, and were a conspicuous way of displaying wealth (1 Tim 2:9; Rev 17:4; 18:12, 16). Huge pearls are the gates in the symbolic new Jerusalem (Rev 21:21). But there is a subtle difference between this and the preceding parable. Continue reading →