The Gospel Through a Franciscan Lens – 20th Sunday in Ordinary Time – Fr. Christopher
The casting of fire releases the Spirit, purifying, empowering, animating and enlightening life to love God and love our neighbor.
The Gospel Through a Franciscan Lens – 19th Sunday in Ordinary Time – Fr. Christopher
The present is open to the future, step by step, and one day it will become the present. The overarching theme in today’s Scripture invites us--all of us--to be faithful and watchful, active, confident and hopeful.
The Gospel Through a Franciscan Lens – 18th Sunday in Ordinary Time – Fr. Christopher
The rich man’s fault was not that he was greedy or selfish, but that he was blind, not seeing the poor and the struggling, not giving life to those who have none, not giving them a new future.
The Gospel Through a Franciscan Lens – 17th Sunday in Ordinary Time – Fr. Christopher
When we pray let us attend to God with trust, with confidence. Knowing that God is our Father. And if we must ask, ask for the Spirit that binds us all as one.
The Gospel Through a Franciscan Lens – 16th Sunday in Ordinary Time – Fr. Christopher
As Franciscans, we learn to “pray without ceasing,” to maintain a continuous, conscious connection with God throughout the day.
The Gospel Through a Franciscan Lens – 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time – Fr. Christopher
“Go and do likewise.”
The Gospel Through a Franciscan Lens – 14th Sunday in Ordinary Time – Fr. Christopher
“May the Lord give you peace.” We are minstrels of the Lord, singing joy into joyless hearts. We listen to the voice of the Lord; we discern His life-giving Word; we go forth to be imitations of what is coming—the reign of God’s peace with abiding justice for all.
The Gospel Through a Franciscan Lens – Sts. Peter and Paul – Fr. Christopher
In confessing Jesus’ identity, Peter confessed his own. The Lord wanted nothing less from Peter than perfect conformity with Himself: “Another will bind you (as they did Me) and take you where you would not go.”
The Gospel Through a Franciscan Lens – Solemnity of Corpus Christi – Fr. Christopher
For Francis, the Eucharist is the primary way in which he sees Christ’s continuing Incarnation in the world, the complete self-emptying of Christ.
All Creation Sings – Canticle of the Creatures Reflections
The first time I was introduced to the “Canticle of the Creatures,” I was easily captivated by its seemingly all-encompassing spirit of joy and praise of our good God. Without knowing Francis’ story well nor the context of this canticle’s writing, I imagined him frolicking through a vast field of flowers on a bright summer’s day, without a care in the world. Yes, a moment when the true blessings of the Lord can be so obvious, even to the most tepid of believers. What was this setting of inspiration? What treasure could so captivate St. Francis?