Sunday Reflections
Third Sunday of Lent
John skilfully imparts some of the most profound teachings of Jesus through two very different people. The Pharisee Nicodemus, a member of the Sanhedrin, was a learned, wealthy and well-respected…
Second Sunday of Lent
The word 'Lent' means Spring. It is the time when nature renews itself. In the reading from Genesis, Abraham and Sarah are told by God to leave their own country and family and travel to a…
First Sunday of Lent
The desert seems to be a place where people find a closeness to God because, in the barren surroundings, there is nothing to distract them. John the Baptist lived in the wilderness on a sparse…
Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time
The Lex Talionis is an ancient law, and is referred to in Exodus 21:23-27. It was meant to redress wrongdoing and to allow the victim of a crime to exact punishment equal to that of the injury…
Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Today’s gospel comes from the Sermon on the Mount, which is a collection of the teachings of Jesus, grouped by Matthew as though they were given on one occasion. We must never forget that Jesus…
Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Last Sunday we read Matthew’s account of the Beatitudes, which describe the qualities of those who follow Jesus, who demonstrated them in his own life. In today’s gospel he singles out two things…
Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time
The Jewish people had been given the Ten Commandments and all the other precepts which made up the Law. That was what bound them together as the chosen people and gave them a road-map for living.…
Third Sunday in Ordinary Time
Zebulun and Nephtali were sons of Jacob and were allotted land in what became the kingdom of Israel. They were in an unfortunate position as they were frequently overrun by invading armies and…
Second Sunday in Ordinary Time
John the Baptist acted a signpost pointing to Jesus. He had a clear sense of his mission and, when questioned, resisted the temptation to assume any other identity than that of the prophesy of…
The Baptism of the Lord
During the Christmas period we have read how the infant Jesus was made known firstly to the Jewish shepherds and secondly to the gentile Magi. The scene is now set for the appearance of Jesus at…