Videos

Br. Joe Trout, OP ponders the meaning of not celebrating the Eucharist on Good Friday, a day in which the Church "pauses" from celebrating this sacrament so that we can ponder better the sacrifice that made it possible.

Br. Joe Trout, OP confronts the reality of suffering, reminding us that we can never know the totality of God's plan, we can never fully understand the challenges and difficulties we face. But we can trust that the world is in the hands of a God who loves us, and that, in the end, all will be well.

Br. Joe Trout, OP comments on why God wants love from us, rather than sacrifice. One reason is that God wants us to live our day approaching everyone we meet with the love that God has for them—the love God has shown to us.

Br. Joe Trout, OP breaks open the readings for the Second Sunday of Lent, including the Transfiguration, pointing out the many ways God speaks to us and wondering if we will listen and experience the fullness of the Resurrection come Easter.

Br. Joe Trout, OP, commenting on the story of Cain and Abel, says that God does not treat us all the same or give us all the same gifts because God sees each of us in our uniqueness.

Br. Joe Trout, OP looks at the way that Jesus expands the Law with "You have heard it said...but I say...," noting that he is showing what it is like when you internalize the law and apply it to everything in your life.

Br. Joe Trout, OP breaks open the readings for the Second Sunday of Ordinary Time, challenging us to see more deeply the many layers of meaning in scripture, and how we constantly need to struggle to reinterpret our faith through Christ. As examples of the struggle to understand, he asks how it is that Israel is to be a light to all the nations (from Isaiah); how it is that Christ is light to all the nations (from John), and how it is that John the Baptist, Jesus' cousin, claims that he does not know Jesus (from Mark)?

Br. Joe Trout, OP reminds us that if we only know the works of God, and not the ways of God, we really don't know God.

Br. Joe Trout, OP points out that, in the incarnation, Jesus became dependent on others. As we look at our own life, can we embrace our own dependency on others? On God?

Br. Joe Trout, OP reminds us to work at ordering our life around being loving in everything we do.

Br. Joe Trout, OP reminds us that in heaven, we just need to love God... so let's try that here, rather that feeling we need to be "useful".