Fr. Tom Lynch, OP

On this Feast of St. Francis of Assisi, we hear a reading about how God sees everything and we do not. But Francis had a talent for seeing the inner goodness of a person, even when the exterior was a little gruf. Can we grow in our ability to do this?

Jesus was asked by the rich young man, "What must I do to inherit eternal life?" His response showed that cherishing one another here on earth leads to cherishing them in heaven, because God's kingdom is on earth and it is in heaven.

The Trinity—three persons, one God—is a mystery far beyond our comprehension. But rather than trying to grasp it, Jesus tells his followers to go out and make disciples from all the nations on earth in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. In that encounter with a diverse group of others, all made in the image of God, we will learn more about God than we will by pondering the mystery.

Jesus is the vine and we the branches. But to produce much fruit the branches need to be pruned. What in our lives needs to be pruned so that we can produce much fruit?

Philip asked Jesus to "show us the Father, and then we will be satisfied." Jesus replied that to see him is to see the Father, which Philip did not yet understand but will come to see over time.. Can we still be amazed at what Jesus has to teach us so that we can learn to proclaim him as boldly as did the apostles?