Sunday Reflections
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…
Fourth Sunday of Lent
The evangelist Luke was a very gifted storyteller. He was the only one of the four gospel writers to relate the parables both of the Prodigal Son and of the Good Samaritan. He also was the only…
Third Sunday of Lent
Moses had been brought up at the Egyptian court. He was obviously singled out for a special destiny, having been rescued from the river by Pharaoh’s daughter. Exodus does not recount anything of…
Second Sunday of Lent
The scene recounted by Luke in today’s gospel is a picture of God’s plan of salvation in miniature. Jesus and his disciples went up a mountain, an image of nearness to God. Elijah entered a cave…
First Sunday of Lent
It is difficult to imagine what Jesus experienced in the desert. How did Satan appear to him? Was it as an actual person or maybe just as a series of dark thoughts? Jesus was very vulnerable,…
Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time
This Sunday’s readings contain sayings from the Book of Ecclesiasticus and from Jesus’ Sermon on the Level. The Book of Ecclesiasticus was written in Hebrew, probably between 196 and 175 BC, by…