Sunday Reflections
Easter Sunday
“If there is no Resurrection from the dead, then Christ has not been raised, and if Christ has not been raised then our proclamation has been in vain and your faith has been in vain.” (1 Cor 15:13…
Fifth Sunday of Lent; St Patrick, Patron of Ireland
Today we celebrate both the fifth Sunday of Lent and Ireland's patron saint Patrick.
Jesus talks about a grain of wheat falling to the ground, dying and yielding a rich harvest. It is a…
Fourth Sunday of Lent
God seems to send unexpected people to give leadership in times of crisis: Amos, King David, Francis of Assisi and Joan of Arc spring to mind. Cyrus, King of Persia, is another example. He seems…
Third Sunday of Lent
John’s account of the cleansing of the temple is placed at the beginning of Jesus’ ministry, unlike the synoptic gospels which place it near his passion. There are many explanations for this. It…
Second Sunday of Lent
The first reading is shocking, especially for parents. Who in their right mind would worship a God who demanded the blood sacrifice of the longed-for and promised child? That was a demand that the…
First Sunday of Lent
Mark tells us very little about Jesus’ time in the wilderness. All we know is that he was there for forty days with wild beasts, was tempted by Satan and looked after by angels. Jesus prepared for…
Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time
The disease of leprosy can be traced by to at least 2,000 BC and it was very much feared, as there was no remedy till the 1940s. The first reading tells how lepers were to be treated. While it was…
Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time
God revealed himself to the Chosen People but their understanding of him could be very simplistic. Virtue was rewarded with prosperity, evil punished with adversity. Miriam got leprosy because she…
Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time
God makes himself known in many ways. To Samuel it was a voice in the night (1 Sam. 3:1-15), to St Paul it was a brilliant light which caused him to fall to the ground (Acts 9:3-7) and to Moses it…
The Baptism of the Lord
When St Ignatius Loyola was recovering from his wounds from the battle of Pamplona, he asked for light reading to pass the time, such as the romances of chivalry which told of heroes, ladies in…