Sunday Reflections
Pentecost Sunday
The feast of Pentecost was so named as it occurred fifty days after the Passover. It was a pilgrimage feast, when many Jews came from their homes to the temple. It was an agricultural feast,…
The Ascension of the Lord
Jesus had made his real farewell to his disciples at the Last Supper, as recorded in the discourses of St John (John 13:31, 14-17). When Jesus left them after forty days, they were not full of…
Sixth Sunday of Easter
It is easy to forget that, in the early church, its members were all Jews and they still attended the temple as their place of worship. At the beginning they probably didn’t expect the…
Fifth Sunday of Easter
In the readings from the Apocalypse and the Gospel we encounter two thresholds. In the Apocalypse, there is a new world where suffering is no more and God lives with his people. In the Gospel,…
Fourth Sunday of Easter
It is interesting that Jesus chose to describe himself as a shepherd. In his day shepherds were often ranked as low as tax collectors. In the time of the patriarchs they were highly regarded but…
Third Sunday of Easter
The beautiful chapter 21 of John’s gospel is somewhat mysterious, because chapter 20 seems to have already drawn the gospel to a conclusion. There could be many reasons why there is an additional…
Second Sunday of Easter
The second reading, from the Apocalypse, reminds us that we have a rich Jewish heritage and share so much with the Jewish people. The author of the last book of the New Testament was a Jewish…
Easter Sunday
"...And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is our faith." (1 Cor. 14-15)
This quotation from St Paul makes clear that our whole faith rests on Jesus rising from…
Palm Sunday
The feast of Passover is approaching. The Roman prefect Pontius Pilate enters Jerusalem in full regalia, either riding a war-horse or carried in a litter, accompanied by a procession of soldiers.…
Fifth Sunday of Lent
Last week, we read the familiar story of the Prodigal Son, which Jesus told to emphasize God’s extraordinary love and forgiveness. This week we have another story of forgiveness. Jesus was…