Greg Friedman, OFM

In our faith communities we’re challenged to find ways to discover the gifts each person has and to discover how to put them at the service of the Kingdom.

Being prepared for the Lord is the basic Christian challenge. His final coming–as well as his daily presence in our lives–is something we need to be ready to welcome.

The marvelous thing about the Beatitudes is that they are perhaps the most realistic description of human living that we can find.

God’s law is full of the compassion of God. It tells me that my conduct toward people who are vulnerable because of any human need must be tempered by recalling my own human condition.

Christians have an obligation to be good citizens. But God can and will call on us for a response to our duty to him, which comes first.

Today’s Gospel reading provides a definite warning for Christians of any age. We must take the Kingdom–and our participation in it–very seriously.