The Gospel Through a Franciscan Lens – 4th Sunday in Lent – Fr. Christopher
Whether we gaze with longing into the garden, or with fear and trembling into the desert, of this we can be sure—God walked there first.
The Gospel Through a Franciscan Lens – 3rd Sunday in Lent – Fr. Christopher
The suffering of Christ on Calvary is at the heart of our faith. Why did Jesus suffer? How can I “proclaim Christ crucified” in ways that give hope? — that we have been redeemed through the passion of Christ.
The Gospel Through a Franciscan Lens – 2nd Sunday in Lent – Fr. Christopher
May God strengthen us inwardly, that with the joy of the Holy Spirit, we may offer God something above the measure required of us. Amen.
The Gospel Through a Franciscan Lens – 1st Sunday in Lent – Fr. Christopher
May God strengthen us inwardly, that with the joy of the Holy Spirit, we may offer God something above the measure required of us. Amen.
The Gospel Through a Franciscan Lens – 6th Sunday in Ordinary Time – Fr. Christopher
Jesus knows this law as well as any other rabbi of His day. But He chooses to break the law in a most deliberate and decisive way—He actually stretches out His hand and touches the leper who came for a cure. Touches him. Inexcusable! Irresponsible! But it works! Jesus’ tender touch makes the leper clean.
The Gospel Through a Franciscan Lens – 5th Sunday in Ordinary Time, 2024
"Care of the sick and infirm reminds us most visibly of how God deals with us graciously in our weakness. There is the tendency in all of us to stand tall and proud, attractive in strength and talent. We even rely on those things and think of those things as important to our relationships with others. . . . And so, we need a reminder that God does not glory in our accomplishments. God loves us for who we are—fragile and failing human beings—bent for another kind of glory where the accomplishment is God’s and ours is the gratitude."
What Way are You Going?
Abraham Lincoln had it right. We should not claim God’s blessing and endorsement for national policies and practices. We should not proclaim that God is on our side. Rather, said Lincoln, we should pray whether we are on God’s side. Martin Luther King Jr reminded us of God’s purposes for peace, for justice, for the building of the “beloved community,” where everyone is welcomed, everyone is included, and no one felt left out of the conversation. By the working of the Holy Spirit in human hearts, unity is forged in diversity. ...
The Gospel Through a Franciscan Lens
On May 3rd, 2020, Fr. Christopher Panagoplos recorded his first Sunday homily to be shared with the Secular Franciscan Order. Since then, faithfully, he has prepared and delivered a homily each week, reflecting on the scriptures from a Franciscan perspective. As we approach the beginning of a fourth year of these treasures, Fr. Christopher shares in his most recent homily for Sunday, January 28th, 2024, the 4th Sunday in Ordinary Time, some insights about how our following in the footsteps of our Seraphic Father, Francis, we are following in the footsteps of Christ himself.
CNSA Workshop – Intentional Choices: The Life and Ministry of a Spiritual Assistant
On Thursday, January 18th, the Conference of National Spiritual Assistants (CNSA) gave a workshop for 12 local and regional spiritual assistants and formation directors from St. Francis, St. Junipero Serra and St. Thomas More regions at Mary and Joseph Retreat Center in Rancho Palos Verdes, California.
What Way Are You Going?
... I have spent the better part of the past two months trying to think of how to write about the polarization we all encounter in our nation and in the Church. ...