Sunday Reflections
The Baptism of the Lord
Today’s extract from Isaiah was written at the time of the Babylonian captivity of the Jews. It is a message full of hope, looking forward to a leader who will rescue his people and bring them…
Second Sunday of Christmas
Before Vatican II, the prologue to John’s gospel was read at the end of mass, presumably to stress its centrality to our core beliefs. Professor Raymond Brown describes it as “a hymn, a poetic…
Feast of the Holy Family
The liturgy of the feast of the Holy Family reflects on the values of family life. The first two readings speak to us of respect for parents, relationship between spouses and care of children.…
Fourth Sunday of Advent
Today’s gospel tells of the Annunciation to Joseph. He is the main figure in the narrative. Though he remains a silent figure, with no words attributed to him, we have a clear picture of an…
Third Sunday of Advent
The prophet Isaiah lived in troubled times, with Babylon growing in power and eventually conquering Judah. However, today’s extract is full of hope, using the image of the desert blooming with…
Second Sunday of Advent
John the Baptist was one of a number of children born to parents like Sarah and Abraham and Hannah and Elkanah, who had given up hope of having a child and who were promised one through an angelic…
First Sunday of Advent
Advent invites us to reflect on the coming Christ, both on his first coming in Bethlehem and his second at the end of time. Of course there is the third coming, which is his presence with us every…
Our Lord Jesus Christ, Universal King
The Jewish people looked back to the reign of David as a golden age, and he was revered as their ideal king. However, the reason for their admiration was that David was a ruler who conquered…
Thirty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time
The Book of Malachi was written after the Babylonian captivity of the Jews, probably between 440 and 400 BC. It is the last book of the Old Testament and consists of dialogues between God and…
All Souls Day
Christ’s Church consists of both the living and the dead. The living form the Pilgrim Church, which travels along the path towards the eternal home for which God created us, struggling against…