The Nativity of John the Baptist – Br. David Vryhof

davidv150x150Today marks the Feast of the Nativity of Saint John the Baptist.  We have made it a solemn feast, the highest category of feast days in the Church’s year, suggesting that this day and its focus is of utmost importance to us.  The Gospel of Luke, from which we read this evening, spends more time describing the annunciation and birth of John the Baptist than it does describing the annunciation and birth of Jesus himself: John gets 24 verses; Jesus gets 21.  So what’s so important about John?  Why does he warrant this kind of attention?  And what do we have to learn from him and his story?

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Chosen to be an Apostle – Br. David Vryhof

The Feast of St. Matthias

Readings: Acts 1:15-26 – Phil. 3:13b-21 – John 15: 1, 6-16

Can you remember what it feels like to be chosen?  Perhaps you can recall what it was like to be chosen as a very young child – to be first in line or to help the teacher.  Or perhaps you can remember being chosen to be part of a team, or to play a role in the school play, or to become a member of an organization. Read More