Sunday Reflections
The Transfiguration of the Lord
Richard Dawkins, and many atheists like him, demand physical evidence for anything to be accepted as fact. Spiritual experiences however, by their very nature, go beyond the empirical to something…
Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
“The Kingdom of Heaven” is a phrase used only by Matthew; the other evangelists use the expression “Kingdom of Heaven.” It seems to mean the presence or rule of God, and Matthew uses many parables…
Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Darnel is a noxious weed which closely resembles wheat. Its seeds are poisonous, and eating them can be fatal. The fact that wheat and darnel grow together is symbolic of our own individual make-…
Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
The parable of the sower is timeless in that every generation can understand its imagery. People from the west of Ireland can particularly understand rocky ground! When St Paul preached to the…
Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
St Paul made the cross the central part of his teaching. When he had preached to the Athenians, he found that they were more interested in hearing something novel rather than exploring the mystery…
Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Often the words of Jesus seem puzzling. He himself lived in a family for thirty years, which was his main education in life and where he loved and was loved. Is he telling us to abandon our…
Twelfth Sunday in Ordinary Time
One of the main themes of today’s readings is God’s love for us. Jesus used the image of a sparrow to describe this love. A sparrow is a very unremarkable bird with its drab brown colouring. The…
Corpus Christi
"If you do not eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood you will have no life in you."
In chapter 6, St John gives an extensive teaching on the Eucharist which many of Jesus’…
Trinity Sunday
The modern world wants rational explanations for everything; yet the doctrine of the Trinity is something that we will never begin to understand. If we try to, it is as though we are floundering…
Pentecost Sunday
Luke uses powerful images of tongues of fire and a loud wind to describe the coming of he Holy Spirit. He wants to convey to his readers the drama of the occasion and the gift that has been given…