FRESHImage Ministries

In this reflection @anthonycrescio discusses the first of the great "O" Antiphons of Advent. As Tony explains, this first of the “O Antiphons” of Advent sets the tone for all those to come after by calling out attention to both the purpose for the Messiah’s arrival and the manner in which He will accomplish that purpose. Check us out at freshimage.org and become a subscriber to receive updates directly to your inbox. Follow us on: Facebook: @FRIMAGE Twitter: @FImage354 Instagram: freshimage354

On this Gaudete Sunday, the Third Sunday of Advent, the Church calls us to rejoice! As last Sunday, we are presented with the figure of St. John the Baptist in our Gospel. Tony Crescio (@anthonycrescio) suggests that this is entirely appropriate, for St. John the Baptist is not only the forerunner and herald of the long-awaited Messiah, he is also the perfect exemplar of Christian Joy. Music by Bjorn Lynne Check us out at freshimage.org and become a subscriber to receive updates directly to your inbox. Follow us on: Facebook: @FRIMAGE Twitter: @FImage354 Instagram: freshimage354 Rumble: FRESHImage Ministries Locals: freshimage.locals.com You can also listen to our Sunday Gospel Reflections wherever you listen to podcasts, including Spotify, Apple podcasts, Google podcasts, and iHeart Radio. Just search for FRESHImage Sunday Gospel Reflections and follow.

On this Second Sunday of Advent, we hear a shocking message and meet a no less shocking figure. The first is made by St. Mark the Evangelist and the second is St. John the Baptist. As Tony Crescio (@anthonycrescio) explains, when taken together, the two teach us what the Season of Advent is all about, and how we are to live this Season as it is meant to be lived. Music by Bjorn Lynne Check us out at freshimage.org and become a subscriber to receive updates directly to your inbox. Follow us on: Facebook: @FRIMAGE Twitter: @FImage354 Instagram: freshimage354 Rumble: FRESHImage Ministries Locals: freshimage.locals.com You can also listen to our Sunday Gospel Reflections wherever you listen to podcasts, including Spotify, Apple podcasts, Google podcasts, and iHeart Radio. Just search for FRESHImage Sunday Gospel Reflections and follow.

In this episode, Tony Crescio (@anthonycrescio), discusses how an overemphasis on the capabilities of modern science has led to a misremembering of our creatureliness as humans, and more specifically, as creatures “created in the image and likeness of God.” This has led to the usurpation of the role of Creator by human persons, leading to countless societal problems. Tony suggests that both a proper catechesis of creation and the cultivation of four key virtues with the aid of the gifts of the Holy Spirit are central to recapturing a proper sense of creatureliness that leads to authentic human flourishing. Music written and performed by Stephanie Wise Now you can listen to our Sunday Gospel Reflections wherever you listen to podcasts, including Spotify, Apple podcasts, Google podcasts, and iHeart Radio. Just search for FRESHImage Sunday Gospel Reflections and follow. And be sure to check out the FRESHImage Catechetical School where you can find free resources for educating those entrusted to your care in the faith: https://freshimageschool.org/

This Sunday marks the beginning of a new liturgical year in the life of the Church, and the First Sunday of Advent. And today, Jesus has a stark warning for us, "Watch!" But what exactly is Jesus telling us to watch for? As Tony Crescio ( @anthonycrescio ) explains, Jesus is teaching us to be on the watch for His Advent, His arrival, which can be understood in three discrete ways. The rest of the readings, then, explain to us how it is that we ought to remain watchful and prepare for Jesus' arrival. Music by Bjorn Lynne Check us out at freshimage.org and become a subscriber to receive updates directly to your inbox. Follow us on: Facebook: @FRIMAGE Twitter: @FImage354 Instagram: freshimage354 Rumble: FRESHImage Ministries Locals: freshimage.locals.com You can also listen to our Sunday Gospel Reflections wherever you listen to podcasts, including Spotify, Apple podcasts, Google podcasts, and iHeart Radio. Just search for FRESHImage Sunday Gospel Reflections and follow.

On this 33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time, Jesus teaches us a key spiritual lesson concerning our love for Christ through the parable of the talents. In effect, this parable poses a question to us, have we worked diligently to provide a good return to God on His investment of love in us? Are we eager to show Him the results? As Tony Crescio ( @anthonycrescio ) explains, our answer to this question tells us a great deal about where we stand in the spiritual life, are we working hard to ascend the mountain of the Lord, or are we just going through the motions? Music by Bjorn Lynne Check us out at freshimage.org and become a subscriber to receive updates directly to your inbox. Follow us on: Facebook: @FRIMAGE Twitter: @FImage354 Instagram: freshimage354 Rumble: FRESHImage Ministries Locals: freshimage.locals.com You can also listen to our Sunday Gospel Reflections wherever you listen to podcasts, including Spotify, Apple podcasts, Google podcasts, and iHeart Radio. Just search for FRESHImage Sunday Gospel Reflections and follow.

On this 32nd Sunday of Ordinary Time Jesus teaches us through the parable of the ten virgins. As Tony Crescio ( @anthonycrescio ) explains, through this imagery, Jesus is teaching us the importance of keeping our lives lit with His Divine Life as we make our way through this life in the valley of the shadow of death. In this, Jesus is calling us to participatory imitating in His Life, Who alone is the True Light which shines in the darkness. Music by Bjorn Lynne Check us out at freshimage.org and become a subscriber to receive updates directly to your inbox. Follow us on: Facebook: @FRIMAGE Twitter: @FImage354 Instagram: freshimage354 Rumble: FRESHImage Ministries Locals: freshimage.locals.com You can also listen to our Sunday Gospel Reflections wherever you listen to podcasts, including Spotify, Apple podcasts, Google podcasts, and iHeart Radio. Just search for FRESHImage Sunday Gospel Reflections and follow.

On this 31st Sunday of Ordinary Time, we hear Jesus denouncing the scribes and Pharisees and warning His disciples about following their example. As Tony Crescio ( @anthonycrescio ) explains, Jesus' criticism isn't so much about the conduct of the scribes and Pharisees as it is about their motivation. At bottom, Jesus is teaching us that we have been made to be glorified by glorifying God, and that the way to do so is enabled by the virtue of humility. Music by Bjorn Lynne Check us out at freshimage.org and become a subscriber to receive updates directly to your inbox. Follow us on: Facebook: @FRIMAGE Twitter: @FImage354 Instagram: freshimage354 Rumble: FRESHImage Ministries Locals: freshimage.locals.com You can also listen to our Sunday Gospel Reflections wherever you listen to podcasts, including Spotify, Apple podcasts, Google podcasts, and iHeart Radio. Just search for FRESHImage Sunday Gospel Reflections and follow.

On this 30th Sunday of Ordinary Time, we hear Jesus proclaim the greatest commandment, that we are to love God with our whole heart, soul and mind. This is something we hear often, and the fact that we do can tend to undermine its radicality. As Tony Crescio ( @anthonycrescio ) explains, in the greatest commandment, Jesus is teaching us the greatest lesson on human life, one that gives unspeakable and irrevocable dignity to the human creature. Music by Bjorn Lynne Check us out at freshimage.org and become a subscriber to receive updates directly to your inbox. Follow us on: Facebook: @FRIMAGE Twitter: @FImage354 Instagram: freshimage354 Rumble: FRESHImage Ministries Locals: freshimage.locals.com You can also listen to our Sunday Gospel Reflections wherever you listen to podcasts, including Spotify, Apple podcasts, Google podcasts, and iHeart Radio. Just search for FRESHImage Sunday Gospel Reflections and follow.

In this FRESHImage Presents, Tony Crescio ( @anthonycrescio ) discusses what it means for the Church to teach that the Christian family is the "domestic church." He begins by examining the sociological findings of Christian Smith and Amy Adamczyk in Handing Down the Faith, which reveals several obstacles in our own time and place to truly understanding and living these teachings of the Church. Tony then goes on to discuss how the family can rightly be understood as the "domestic church" and how when it is, parenting becomes a clear path to holiness for all parents, traveled above all by practicing the works of mercy within the home. Music written and performed by Stephanie Wise Now you can listen to our Sunday Gospel Reflections wherever you listen to podcasts, including Spotify, Apple podcasts, Google podcasts, and iHeart Radio. Just search for FRESHImage Sunday Gospel Reflections and follow. And be sure to check out the FRESHImage Catechetical School where you can find free resources for educating those entrusted to your care in the faith: https://freshimageschool.org/

This weekend, Jesus turns a would-be trap by those who oppose Him into a deep spiritual lesson on the nature of human life. Taking a look at a denarius which bore the image of the Roman Emperor, Jesus says, "repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar, and to God what belongs to God." As Tony Crescio ( @anthonycrescio ) explains, with this simple line Jesus teaches us what has always been, but is especially so in our own time and place, the most radical teaching of Christianity. Namely, all that we are and have as human creatures is owed to God. Music by Bjorn Lynne Check us out at freshimage.org and become a subscriber to receive updates directly to your inbox. Follow us on: Facebook: @FRIMAGE Twitter: @FImage354 Instagram: freshimage354 Rumble: FRESHImage Ministries Locals: freshimage.locals.com You can also listen to our Sunday Gospel Reflections wherever you listen to podcasts, including Spotify, Apple podcasts, Google podcasts, and iHeart Radio. Just search for FRESHImage Sunday Gospel Reflections and follow.

On this Twenty-Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Jesus continues to teach us about the Kingdom of God through parables, this time through the parable of the wedding feast. As Tony Crescio ( @anthonycrescio ) explains, through the analogical imagery of food and marriage, Jesus reveals to us that from the very first moment of salvation history, God desired to reunite Himself to the human family through the Son. This reunion is likened to a wedding feast because just as a marriage requires two sharing one life, so too does our salvation require sharing in and living the life of the Lamb. Music by Bjorn Lynne Check us out at freshimage.org and become a subscriber to receive updates directly to your inbox. Follow us on: Facebook: @FRIMAGE Twitter: @FImage354 Instagram: freshimage354 Rumble: FRESHImage Ministries Locals: freshimage.locals.com You can also listen to our Sunday Gospel Reflections wherever you listen to podcasts, including Spotify, Apple podcasts, Google podcasts, and iHeart Radio. Just search for FRESHImage Sunday Gospel Reflections and follow.

On this 27th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Jesus teaches us through the parable of the tenants from the 21st chapter of Matthew's Gospel. As Tony Crescio ( @anthonycrescio ) explains, in doing so, Jesus gets right to the heart of a profound mystery regarding our relationship with God. While we, as creatures, do not have it within our power to choose God for ourselves we do have the ability to reject Him, and sometimes in terrifying ways, as Dostoyevsky's Grand Inquisitor makes plain to us. Music by Bjorn Lynne Check us out at freshimage.org and become a subscriber to receive updates directly to your inbox. Follow us on: Facebook: @FRIMAGE Twitter: @FImage354 Instagram: freshimage354 Rumble: FRESHImage Ministries Locals: freshimage.locals.com You can also listen to our Sunday Gospel Reflections wherever you listen to podcasts, including Spotify, Apple podcasts, Google podcasts, and iHeart Radio. Just search for FRESHImage Sunday Gospel Reflections and follow.

This Sunday, Jesus impresses upon us the importance of living out our faith through the parable of the two sons. As Tony Crescio ( @anthonycrescio ) discusses in light of the Gospel and our first reading from the Book of Ezekiel, this means that we must be continually converted away from the mentality of the age and toward that of Christ. The question then becomes, how to we live with the mentality of Christ. To get at this, Tony examines the second reading from St. Paul's Letter to the Philippians, which includes the ancient and beautiful Christ Hymn. Music by Bjorn Lynne Check us out at freshimage.org and become a subscriber to receive updates directly to your inbox. Follow us on: Facebook: @FRIMAGE Twitter: @FImage354 Instagram: freshimage354 Rumble: FRESHImage Ministries Locals: freshimage.locals.com You can also listen to our Sunday Gospel Reflections wherever you listen to podcasts, including Spotify, Apple podcasts, Google podcasts, and iHeart Radio. Just search for FRESHImage Sunday Gospel Reflections and follow.

On this 25th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Jesus teaches us the parable of the landowner calling laborers into his vineyard to work. As Tony Crescio ( @anthonycrescio ) explains in his reflection, with this parable, Jesus reveals something to us both about our God and our cooperation in His salvation of us. We are taught that our God relentlessly pursues the human creature in love, and that it is never too late to go to work with God's grace in our lives. Music by Bjorn Lynne Check us out at freshimage.org and become a subscriber to receive updates directly to your inbox. Follow us on: Facebook: @FRIMAGE Twitter: @FImage354 Instagram: freshimage354 Rumble: FRESHImage Ministries Locals: freshimage.locals.com You can also listen to our Sunday Gospel Reflections wherever you listen to podcasts, including Spotify, Apple podcasts, Google podcasts, and iHeart Radio. Just search for FRESHImage Sunday Gospel Reflections and follow.

In this episode of FRESHImage Presents, Tony Crescio, takes a deep dive into the thought of 19th century philosopher who famously coined the phrase, “God is dead,” Friedrich Nietzsche. By overviewing some of Nietzsche’s works, such asThe Gay Science,Thus Spoke Zarathustra, Beyond Good and EvilandOn the Genealogy of Morality, Tony demonstrates how Nietzsche’s thought has greatly influenced our postmodern mentality. In the end, we are challenged not only to reflect upon Nietzsche’s impact on our society, but our own personal worldviews as well. Now you can listen to our Sunday Gospel Reflections wherever you listen to podcasts, including Spotify, Apple podcasts, Google podcasts, and iHeart Radio. Just search for FRESHImage Sunday Gospel Reflections and follow. And be sure to check out the FRESHImage Catechetical School where you can find free resources for educating those entrusted to your care in the faith: https://freshimageschool.org/

Tolerance is a word we hear regularly thrown about in the public square, and often elevated as a supreme virtue. But we hardly ever hear about what tolerance is, and ironically, the would-be champions of tolerance are often some of the most exclusionary people of society. In today's Gospel for the Twenty-Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Jesus teaches us what authentic tolerance looks like. And, as Tony Crescio ( @anthonycrescio ) explains if we attend carefully to what Jesus says to us today, we find that authentic tolerance is ultimately imitation of Divine Love carried out by the virtues of humility, patience, and justice. Music by Bjorn Lynne Check us out at freshimage.org and become a subscriber to receive updates directly to your inbox. Follow us on: Facebook: @FRIMAGE Twitter: @FImage354 Instagram: freshimage354 Rumble: FRESHImage Ministries Locals: freshimage.locals.com And now you can listen to our Sunday Gospel Reflections wherever you listen to podcasts, including Spotify, Apple podcasts, Google podcasts, and iHeart Radio. Just search for FRESHImage Sunday Gospel Reflections and follow.

On this Twenty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time, Jesus teaches us a very difficult spiritual lesson in his rebuke of St. Peter. The only way to grow in holiness is to die to our false selves, the selves that we have created, so that we might rise as the unique image of God our loving Creator has created each of us to be. As Tony Crescio ( @anthonycrescio ) explains, above all, this means doing away with the vice of pride, and cultivating the virtue of humility with the help of God's grace. By doing so, we leverage our ability to change for the good and become ever more perfect reflections of the life of God here and now. You can also read this Sunday's Gospel Reflection in Spanish here: https://freshimage.org/restaurando-la... Music by Bjorn Lynne Check us out at freshimage.org and become a subscriber to receive updates directly to your inbox. Follow us on: Facebook: @FRIMAGE Twitter: @FImage354 Instagram: freshimage354 Rumble: FRESHImage Ministries Locals: freshimage.locals.com And now you can listen to our Sunday Gospel Reflections wherever you listen to podcasts, including Spotify, Apple podcasts, Google podcasts, and iHeart Radio. Just search for FRESHImage Sunday Gospel Reflections and follow.

Among the spiritual works of mercy is the admonishing of sinners. Though not a work of mercy many of us would choose to carry out, it is precisely the work Jesus calls us to in the Gospel this Sunday. As Tony Crescio ( @anthonycrescio ) explains, in addition to providing us with step by step instruction as to how to go about this work of mercy, the readings for this weekend teach us what virtues are necessary to develop if we are to carry out this work in harmony with God's will. Music by Bjorn Lynne Check us out at freshimage.org and become a subscriber to receive updates directly to your inbox. Follow us on: Facebook: @FRIMAGE Twitter: @FImage354 Instagram: freshimage354 Rumble: FRESHImage Ministries Locals: freshimage.locals.com And now you can listen to our Sunday Gospel Reflections wherever you listen to podcasts, including Spotify, Apple podcasts, Google podcasts, and iHeart Radio. Just search for FRESHImage Sunday Gospel Reflections and follow.

This Sunday we witness St. Peter's confession of Jesus as the Christ, the Son of the Living God. This famous passage is often at the heart of interdenominational debates surrounding papal primacy. However, as Tony Crescio ( @anthonycrescio ) explains in his reflection for this weekend, there is also something more fundamental about human identity being revealed to us in this scene. That ultimately, the identity of the human creature is only found in unity with its loving Creator. You can also read this Sunday's Gospel Reflection in Spanish here: https://freshimage.org/restaurando-la-unidad/ Music by Bjorn Lynne Check us out at freshimage.org and become a subscriber to receive updates directly to your inbox. Follow us on: Facebook: @FRIMAGE Twitter: @FImage354 Instagram: freshimage354 Rumble: FRESHImage Ministries Locals: freshimage.locals.com And now you can listen to our Sunday Gospel Reflections wherever you listen to podcasts, including Spotify, Apple podcasts, Google podcasts, and iHeart Radio. Just search for FRESHImage Sunday Gospel Reflections and follow.

In the Gospel for this 20th Sunday in Ordinary Time, we hear of Jesus' encounter with a Canaanite woman, who comes to plead with Jesus on behalf of her daughter who is possessed by a demon. In his reflection, Tony Crescio ( @anthonycrescio ) explains that there is a twofold lesson in this episode, one having to do with the life of prayer and the other dealing with authentic inclusivity. In the end, what we discover is that both prayer and inclusivity must be based on the virtues of humility and justice, which deal with reality as it is in all of its messiness. Music by Bjorn Lynne Check us out at freshimage.org and become a subscriber to receive updates directly to your inbox. Follow us on: Facebook: @FRIMAGE Twitter: @FImage354 Instagram: freshimage354 Rumble: FRESHImage Ministries Locals: freshimage.locals.com And now you can listen to our Sunday Gospel Reflections wherever you listen to podcasts, including Spotify, Apple podcasts, Google podcasts, and iHeart Radio. Just search for FRESHImage Sunday Gospel Reflections and follow.

In his reflection for this 19th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Tony Crescio ( @anthonycrescio ) discusses the episode of Jesus walking on water to the disciples in the middle of the stormy sea in light of the Prophet Elijah's encounter with God on Mount Horeb. As Tony explains, when we read these episodes in light of one another, the message God speaks to us today is one of His attentive and relentless love for the human creature. Music by Bjorn Lynne Check us out at freshimage.org and become a subscriber to receive updates directly to your inbox. Follow us on: Facebook: @FRIMAGE Twitter: @FImage354 Instagram: freshimage354 Rumble: FRESHImage Ministries Locals: freshimage.locals.com And now you can listen to our Sunday Gospel Reflections wherever you listen to podcasts, including Spotify, Apple podcasts, Google podcasts, and iHeart Radio. Just search for FRESHImage Sunday Gospel Reflections and follow.

This Sunday we celebrate the Transfiguration of the Lord. As Tony Crescio ( @anthonycrescio ) explains, what we see taking place in the life of Christ on the mountain of the Transfiguration is what God intends for each of us to experience as members of Christ's Body, the Church. But how do we know if this transfiguration is taking place? Tony suggests that reflecting upon one's life in light of the Beatitudes is a good place to start. Music by Bjorn Lynne Check us out at freshimage.org and become a subscriber to receive updates directly to your inbox. Follow us on: Facebook: @FRIMAGE Twitter: @FImage354 Instagram: freshimage354 Rumble: FRESHImage Ministries Locals: freshimage.locals.com And now you can listen to our Sunday Gospel Reflections wherever you listen to podcasts, including Spotify, Apple podcasts, Google podcasts, and iHeart Radio. Just search for FRESHImage Sunday Gospel Reflections and follow.

In the Gospel for the Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Jesus teaches us once again about the Kingdom of Heaven through parables. As Tony Crescio (@anthonycrescio) explains, three parables we hear this Sunday speak to the absolute priority God must have in our lives and how to live daily life accordingly. Far from living a life of flight from the world, today's parables call us to live a life of virtue in loving service to God by loving our neighbor. Music by Bjorn Lynne Check us out at freshimage.org and become a subscriber to receive updates directly to your inbox. Follow us on: Facebook: @FRIMAGE Twitter: @FImage354 Instagram: freshimage354 Rumble: FRESHImage Ministries Locals: freshimage.locals.com And now you can listen to our Sunday Gospel Reflections wherever you listen to podcasts, including Spotify, Apple podcasts, Google podcasts, and iHeart Radio. Just search for FRESHImage Sunday Gospel Reflections and follow.

On this Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, we hear Jesus' parable of the sower and the seeds. As Tony Crescio (@anthonycrescio) explains, each of Jesus' parables teaches us something about the nature of the reality in which we live through the use of images. And this image in particular both speaks to us of the great mercy of God, and that if we are to live life to its fullest, we must be receptive to His Word. Music by Bjorn Lynne Check us out at freshimage.org and become a subscriber to receive updates directly to your inbox. Follow us on: Facebook: @FRIMAGE Twitter: @FImage354 Instagram: freshimage354 Rumble: FRESHImage Ministries Locals: freshimage.locals.com And now you can listen to our Sunday Gospel Reflections wherever you listen to podcasts, including Spotify, Apple podcasts, Google podcasts, and iHeart Radio. Just search for FRESHImage Sunday Gospel Reflections and follow.