Frank Friar Fridays

Twenty-five years ago, I wanted revenge. Two months after the attacks of 9/11, my fellow novices and I were asked the impossible: to look at the men who flew those planes with the eyes of Jesus.

My cousins loved my dad and were also afraid of him...on who's selling us fear, and why we're called to something else.

Nobody sells a life all at once. Politicians promise it painless, Peter begs Jesus to skip the cross, and we edit the Gospel down to something comfortable — while the real trades happen in payments too small to notice.

A friend of forty years asked me over dinner what Fulton Sheen thought of Vatican II — and I could hear the worry underneath the question. Two thousand years of rough water, one shaky fisherman, and the question Jesus is still asking. "Who do YOU say that I am?"

A seventh-grader, a giardiniera sandwich, and the day he asked his mother to make him someone else. What a Canaanite woman shouting at Jesus has to say about who belongs at the table.

Peter didn't sink because he made a mistake. He sank because his math was correct - a man cannot walk on water. Being clever can make it harder to notice God standing right in front of us.

One little word - "of" - and Paul's most famous lines mean something entirely different. This podcast explores abundant love, the Greatest Generation, and what it actually costs us to love somebody without keeping a ledger.

A man finds treasure buried in a field and sells everything for it. We find a free moment — and reach for our phones. From an orphanage in Haiti to the screen in your pocket, a question about where our heart is really buried.

Weeds in the wheat, mustard on a hot dog, and a God who refuses to rush to judgment — the kingdom of heaven is closer and more patient than we think.

My assistant, Barb, planted tomatoes outside the windows of Calvert House, and this week they became my homily. In the Parable of the Sower, Jesus gives us two truths to hold together: the seed is always good — God never stops sowing in us — but the soil still has to be tended. Nobody drifts into holiness any more than tomatoes grow on a sidewalk. Join me for the Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time.

A special edition on Independence Day

Our laws start out well-meant, but.....

Sometimes the lesson Jesus wants us to learn is tough to hear, but that might make it all the important.

A reflection for and about our fathers.

Jesus tells his disciples to pray for laborers — and then sends them out as the answer to their own prayer. Today, I reflect on the baptismal call that belongs to every Christian: priest, prophet, and king. With so many new vocations in the Dominican order to be grateful for, this Sunday's readings are a reminder that the harvest was never meant to be gathered by priests and religious alone. It takes all of us.Jesus tells his disciples to pray for laborers — andthen sends them out as the answer to their own prayer. Fr. Patrick reflects onthe baptismal call that belongs to every Christian: priest, prophet, and king.With so many new vocations in the Dominican order to be grateful for, thisSunday's readings are a reminder that the harvest was never meant to begathered by priests and religious alone. It takes all of us.

A reflection on the Solemnity of Corpus Christi.

A reflection for Holy Trinity Sunday.

Something remarkable is happening in the Church — record numbers of people coming to faith or returning to it, all over the world. We keep looking for complicated explanations.

What the ascension looks like in our own lives.

On Mother's Day, I reflect on a man whose kindness transformed every stranger he met — and on what Jesus means when he promises he will not leave us orphans.

With the love of God, anything is possible.

The voice that fears us with fear, anger, and hatred, or the voice that brings us peace.

But we must have trust that the journey of faith will bring us to the place our Lord desires for us

n this special episode, we celebrate 75 incredible years of St. Tom's serving the Catholic student community at Purdue University. Drawing on decades of transformative mission trips to places like Cuba, Haiti, Bolivia, and Puerto Rico, we explore the often intimidating but beautiful call to discipleship. How do we encounter the living God in our brokenness? Join us as we reflect on the wisdom of Pope Francis and Henri Nouwen, celebrate a legacy of everyday witnessing, and ask the profound, simple question of a child: "Is Jesus here yet?"

What is blocking you from experiencing Jesus' joy in your life?

That is exactly what some in our culture count on.

This podcast is about the heartache of watching loved ones drift from the faith, the fears that bind us, and the hope found in Christ's healing love.

was blind, but now I see.

You cannot put God in a box pull him out to bless a war and put him away when his teachings become too difficult to follow. Today we have to talk about the atrocities in Iran, the hypocrisy of our leaders and why the blood is on our hands too.

In a world that can often feel dark, we are called to a profound transformation that goes far beyond our comfort zones. Join us as we explore how opening every part of our lives to God's grace allows the light of Christ to truly shine through us.

My parents weren't the type to take shortcuts. But if I'm being honest, it took me years to appreciate the sacrifices they made in those factories and steel mills. This Lent, we're looking at the temptation to seek out distractions and avoid the tough choices in life.

"If the Church stays silent on injustice, are we failing our mission? In this episode, we tackle the discomfort of 'political' homilies and distinguish between endorsing candidates and defending human dignity.

What do we do to shine before others so that they may see God alive in us?

This is a reflection on truth, trust, and the hunger for justice.

Do we see how Christ calls each of us to live out our lives as a light to others?

Do we live out our faith as a part-time job? We need to let the Holy Spirit in - all the time.

Would our Lord be pleased with us, as a nation?

...has it changed the path you took in life?

...and how do we relate that to our own family?

....and let it begin with each of us - today.

There's more to do than buy and wrap presents and send Christmas cards and bake cookies - much more.

and that means in every part of our lives.

"As I enter the season of Christ’s birth, the man [or woman] I want to be is one who...And, "The state of heart I desire is..."And finally: "I want my family or my community to see in me..."

THIS IS A BONUS EPISODE FOR THIS WEEK.

An important question for us.

Remember that when you leave this earth, you can take with you nothing that you have received… but only what you have given: a full heart, enriched by honest service, love, sacrifice and courage."

It's an important question for us.

but what we need to do today, for the people who groan with anxiety and hunger.

Some think our leadership in the United States might reflect the second coming. We can expect more.

A reflection on events and discussion of this week - we cannot confuse a revolution with a revival.