Reflections
2026
Thirty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time
We are familiar with waiting - waiting in line, waiting in traffic, waiting to see a doctor, waiting in an airport. Waiting is often coupled with frustration, irritation, anxiety, maybe even feelings of anger…
Solemnity of All Saints
We all have our objectives or goals in life. For a few it may be to run a company, or win an election, or get to the Olympics. For most of us it’s something more limited: to support our family, to pass an…
Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Many animals migrate regularly - birds, butterflies, the caribou and the wildebeest are famous. Humans have also migrated from the earliest days, first out of Africa and then over the whole earth. In more…
Twenty-ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time
We have spoken many times of how Isaiah’s prophecies emphasize the inclusiveness of God’s love. By the time of Jesus this was a message that his people had again lost track of. Jesus once more reemphasized it,…
Twenty-eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Today our readings once again speak of the inclusive nature of God’s love. Isaiah, as so often, prophesies how God will feed all people, destroying the veil that separates them (Isaiah 25:6-10a). Jesus picks…
Twenty-seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time
There seems to be an extreme contrast between the readings this week. The first reading (Isaiah 5:1-7) and the gospel (Matthew 21:33-43) seem all doom and gloom and devastation. And then Paul blithely says…
Twenty-sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time
“It’s not fair” is something we hear children say almost as soon as they are able to speak. From the beginning it seems we have an inbuilt sense of what is fair and unfair. As we get older we learn to say…
Twenty-fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Would you rather have a boss who was fair, or generous? I think many of us, given that choice, might opt for fair. Generosity is great, and we like generous people, but when it comes down to it that’s all a…
Twenty-fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Forgiveness. Yes, but how much? Peter asks the question for all of us (Matthew 18:21-35). Eventually it's got to run out hasn't it? Can someone really go on hurting me and I just have to take it without end?…
Twenty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time
“Am I my brother’s keeper?” - one the most ancient questions asked in the Hebrew Scriptures. Despite the clear and unambiguous answer given in scripture, from the prophets to Jesus to Paul, we still struggle…
Twenty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time
The days of thinking of God as a white man with a white beard on a white cloud, staring down at us judgmentally, are gone, I hope. The gospel message that Jesus connected with God not just as a father, but as…
Twenty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time
We are used to the idea that someone should be appointed to a job because they have the capability to do it. And if you want to progress, then you need to show the competence to succeed at the next level. We…
Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time
All our readings this week share the message about the inclusiveness of God. The recognition that God calls all people, all races, all nations, to his holy mountain can sometimes be one of the most difficult…
Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
We heard last week how, after Jesus’ cousin John was murdered, he attempted to go off by himself but was followed by crowds who wouldn’t leave him be. Taking pity on their neediness he cures and feeds them.…
Eighteenth Sunday In Ordinary Time
Over the last few weeks Matthew has led us through Jesus’ teaching about the kingdom - how are we to understand this extraordinary relationship that God has formed with his people. Now Matthew takes us a…
Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
This week Matthew continues his account of how Jesus describes the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 13:44-52). But these descriptions are a rather different. Those we heard previously were like a country, a perfect…
Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
This week we hear Jesus giving three accounts of the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 13:24-43), following another that we heard last week. The Jews had a very mixed experience of kingdoms. In their tradition there…
Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
We may not be as familiar with the harvest and sowing as the people of Jesus’ time or before, but we can still relate to God watering the ground and giving us food (Isaiah 55:10-11) - we repeat the sentiment…
Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
So we’re going to have a life of ease, living at peace. Isn’t that what today’s readings promise? Well if they do, why would you believe them. It clearly hasn’t and doesn’t work out that way. So either we…
Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
We are used to having two readings in our liturgy where the first from the Hebrew Scriptures may be harsh or even violent, reflecting what we may think to be a more primitive or less developed understanding of…