Franciscan Spirit

statue of jesus | Photo by Ilona Frey on Unsplash

Through the Eyes of Jesus

Father Roger Karban May 13, 2020

Was Jesus’ public ministry prompted solely by his desire to get all of us into heaven—or did he have something more in mind for his followers?

Hear Them Roar: In Awe of Strong Women

Christopher Heffron May 13, 2020

We should encourage youth, especially girls, to focus on true role models. Let’s embolden them to retweet human-rights trailblazer Malala Yousafzai (1.6m followers) over reality television’s Kim Kardashian (64.8 million followers).

Kids, Meet Mary

Susan Hines-Brigger May 13, 2020

Last May, as my family sat in church, I noticed my then-five-year-old son, Alex, carefully eyeing the statue of Mary in the front of church. It had been decorated in honor of the month of May—the month of Mary. When ...

man in a tree | Photo by Lukas Rodriguez

Meet Zacchaeus, the Man with No Friends

Jim Van Vurst, OFM May 13, 2020

One of the most endearing Gospel moments is when Zacchaeus, a tax collector for the Romans, spotted Jesus entering Jericho from his perch in a tree (Lk 19:1-10). If sinners were ranked by the Jews, tax collectors would be right ...

Easter Triduum: Holy Thursday

Greg Friedman, OFM May 12, 2020

“I received from the Lord what I also handed on to you.” —1 Corinthians 11:23

The Poverty Mentality

Heather King May 12, 2020

We can leave ourselves with too little money to share by overspending, over-sharing, over-giving. Compulsive generosity can result in its own kind of poverty.