Persecution
The stories of the martyrs have always fascinated me. They have always made me question my own resolve and whether I would have had the same strength in the face of persecution that they demonstrated. I am "linked" to two extraordinary martyrs. I was given the name Lawrence when my parents brought me to the baptismal font. I was born on the feast day of St. Cecilia. As I...
Fr. Lawrence Jagdfeld, O.F.M., Administrator
One cannot help but be impressed once again by the parallelism between the Gospel of St. Luke and his second volume, the Acts of the Apostles. In telling the story of the martyrdom of St. Stephen, St. Luke places the same words on his lips that Jesus uttered as he hung on the cross on Calvary. There is more here than simple...
Fr. Lawrence Jagdfeld, O.F.M., Administrator
Chapter six of St. John's Gospel, much of which is called the Discourse on the Bread of Life, is surely one of the most beloved texts of the Scriptures among Catholics. In this discourse, St. John reveals what has become the Church's teaching about the Eucharist, that the bread and wine used at during the celebration of the Eucharist actually...
Fr. Lawrence Jagdfeld, O.F.M., Administrator
Today, we begin to read from the sixth chapter of St. John's Gospel, the chapter which relates two different signs and offers what has been popularly called "The Discourse on the Bread of Life." Today's opening verses present us with the story that is included in all four of the Gospels, "The Feeding of the Multitude." In addition to this...