In today’s Gospel we see John basically doubting who Jesus was. He wasn’t sure and wanted to be convinced. Some suggest that his incarceration was taking its toll. Lack of light, lack of sleep, and lack of food and water soon break even the strongest of men. Also, Jesus was confounding the Jews’ expectation of […]
Message for the 3rd Sunday of Advent Read More »
Perhaps people of every age have struggled with the stern and somewhat harsh message of John the Baptist. Living and preaching in the wilderness, dressed in rough clothing woven from camel hair, and eating locusts and wild honey was pretty strange and outlandish even then! Most people would run a mile from John the Baptist
Message for the Second Sunday of Advent Read More »
Advent is a season of light. It is a time in which the light of Christ shines forth into our lives and onto our world, and we receive a great gift: ‘to us a child is born, to us a Son is given.‘ In John’s Gospel, Christ says of himself: ‘I have come as light
Message for the 1st Sunday of Advent Read More »
The idea of kingship is one, which was better understood by the ancient and medieval world than it is today. Monarchies are less prevalent today, although of course Elizabeth II has served the British people as their queen for over fifty years. Her role as sovereign has decreased politically over the years but her regal
Message for the Solemnity of Christ the King Read More »
In Jesus’ day there were two dominant groups within Jewish society – the Pharisees and the Sadducees. Jesus crossed swords with both of them. Today it is the Sadducees who confront the Lord. The Sadducees were an elite aristocratic group – a kind of club of socially aspirational and religiously conservative men. They rejected most
Message for the 32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time Read More »
Every generation has their pariahs. Consider, if you will, how you would react if your bishop or parish priest was reported to have dined with a local drug baron or was reaching out to ex-prisoners, especially those convicted of sexual crimes. We would be scandalized! We might not like to think so, but we would
Message for the 31st Sunday in Ordinary Time Read More »
Perhaps one of the problems with the Pharisees was their overly simplistic approach to their religion. They fasted, they prayed, they gave to good causes and this made them pleasing to God – or so they thought. The state of their heart didn’t appear to matter. As a case in point, the Pharisee in today’s
Message for the 30th Sunday in Ordinary Time Read More »
Today’s Gospel contains perhaps some of the most disturbing words in the entire Bible: ‘When the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?’ Imagine, if you will, how terrible, how awful it would be if, when the Bridegroom comes for his bride, there were in fact no believers on earth, not a
Message for the 29th Sunday in Ordinary Time Read More »
A recurring theme in Luke’s Gospel is the dangers of wealth. The rich man wasn’t in apart from God simply because he was wealthy but because of his selfish attitude towards the good things he had. He simply didn’t care about the poor — he cared only about himself. It was his selfishness, which set
Message for the 26th Sunday in Ordinary Time Read More »
The heroes of the parable are clear: the wandering, wastrel son and the kind, compassionate father. The parable could almost have finished at verse 24 with the words, ‘So they began to celebrate.‘ Except it doesn’t end there, does it? The remaining eight verses explore the anti-hero of the parable: the crotchety, cantankerous and rather
Message for the 24th Sunday in Ordinary Time Read More »