If Mark’s Gospel were a newspaper it would have a red top like The Sun or the Daily Mirror — meaning that the syntax is short and punchy, to the point and direct. Mark, and indeed his fellow Evangelists, have one clear goal and purpose, which is to lead their readers to understand that Jesus […]
Message for the 14th Sunday in Ordinary Time Read More »
The highest form of prayer is praise. The most common form of prayer is intercession. The spirit is willing to praise God and give him glory; the flesh always has more immediate needs to address. The truth is, the easiest and most natural person to pray for is ourselves. The most common exception to this
Message for the 13th Sunday in Ordinary Time Read More »
This week we celebrate the birth of one of our greatest sons. John the Baptist, the forerunner of the Lord, who could rightly be called the last of the Old Testament prophets, was outstanding in so many ways. He was a prophet. He was a preacher. He was a disciple. He was a martyr. As
Message for the Nativity of St. John the Baptist Read More »
Jesus lived most of his life in a predominantly rural setting. At that time the vast majority of human beings lived in the country, in villages or small hamlets. It is no surprise then that he drew heavily on his observation and reflection of nature and farming as well as the cycle of life, to
Message of the 11th Sunday in Ordinary Time – 2012 Read More »
What is the source and summit of the Christian life? Is it feeding the poor and alleviating world poverty? Is it a holy life or the witness of a saint? Is it a life dedicated to self-sacrifice and service of others? The Christian life is many things and it is certainly all of these. However,
Message for Sunday in the Octave of Corpus Christi Read More »
Spare a thought today for your bishop, parish priest, or deacon especially if they are called upon to preach today’s homily. Truth be told, many of our preachers dread being called upon to preach on this central mystery of our faith. Why is this? Their defense is: ‘The Trinity is a mystery and so let’s
Message for the Solemnity of the Holy Trinity Read More »
It was not a mighty wind or tongues of fire in that house where Mary and the apostles were gathered. Luke says that it was like a wind and tongues of fire: the reality was the Holy Spirit. It was He who filled them and gave them utterance. On that day the Holy Spirit entered
Message for Pentecost Read More »
The forty days between the resurrection and the Ascension were filled with incident and rich symbolism. The feelings of that first community must have been very mixed. During this time Jesus was pointing towards the time when he would no longer be on earth. In these days before his ascension into heaven, while he was
Message for the Solemnity of the Ascension Read More »
Today’s Gospel passage shows Christ glorifying His Father several times. In doing so Jesus shows the source of love, the source of joy and the source of all that we receive. Jesus has revealed the Father’s love by keeping the Father’s commandments faithfully and submitting with perfect humility to service of the Father. This requires
Message for the Sixth Sunday of Easter Read More »
‘I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser….you are the branches.‘ Today’s reading from the Gospel of St John strongly implies mutual friendship between God and us. It is our friendship with him that causes us to produce good fruit and make good wine. We are bound together in mutual friendship and
Message for the Fifth Sunday of Easter Read More »