John the Baptist
Jesus said of John, there was no man born greater than John. John was the last Old Testament prophet, bridging the beginning of the New Testament. He was the one ‘crying out in the desert, prepare the way of the Lord’ for Jesus’ arrival. John would point to Jesus...
Feast of Christ the King
Today throughout the world, the feast of Christ the King is celebrated in the Catholic Church. There are still kings in this world, so many people can still relate to this, but Christ is given many titles. In today’s gospel, he is given the title “King of the Jews”,...
Faithful to the End
2 Maccabees 7. This is one of the best stories in the old testament showing the faithfulness of a family who freely gave their lives to follow God. It is staged around 169 B.C. As the story unfolds, this king, Antiochus IV, forces the Jews to choose between eating...
Grace Unmerited
Grace can be thought of as unmerited favor. God gives grace to everyone, everyday and at every moment reaching out to each of us, all the while calling us to repentance. In Revelations 3:20, we see God’s heart revealed, “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone...
What does God want?
Throughout my life, people have asked me, what does God want of me. I think the best scripture to reflect on comes from Micah 6:8 where God reveals the following. “You have been told, O mortal, what is good, and what the LORD requires of you: Only to do...
Suffering
Recently, I reviewed Bishop Barron’s reflection on St. Francis with my men’s group. Soon after my initial experience with God, St. Francis became my ideal saint to read and understand. Bishop Barron presented Francis in the light of being most like a radical Christian who wanted to follow Jesus...
Reflection by Fr. Larry Thorpe
Pentecost is my favorite religious celebration. It is often called the “Birthday of the Church” since absent the descent of the Holy Spirit on the Apostles, there would be no Church today. The Holy Spirit was present at creation referenced as the “Ruah Elohim” in Hebrew or the “Life ...
Pentecost
In just under a week, we celebrate the feast of Pentecost. The readings begin to focus on the coming of the Holy Spirit and during these nine days preceding Pentecost, we pray to grow closer to the third person of the trinity and to be filled with the gifts...
The Bread of Life
Today, we come to the end of John 6, the discourse on the bread of life, in the gospel readings in this Easter season. The last couple of weeks we have heard Jesus proclaim that he is the bread of life, the manna God the Father sent to all...
Abundant Grace
All of us are sinners and in this Easter season, we are reminded of the divine mercy of God, who came to redeem us. Recently I was praying before the blessed sacrament and heard that still small voice speak to me about areas of my life that need to...
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