Reflections
2024
Twenty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time
Today we finish our series of readings from Chapter 6 of John’s Gospel, in which he sets out the centrality of the Eucharist in our relationship with Jesus (Jn 6:60-69). Next week we return to Mark’s Gospel.…
Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time
In the readings of the last few weeks, John has been gradually building his story of what it means for Jesus to be the source of eternal life and how this is linked with his feeding us. Jesus has already told…
Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
This week Jesus doubles down on his claim to be the bread from heaven (Jn 6:41-51). Better than the manna that provided a meal for hungry Israelites in the desert, his food provides eternal life. The people…
Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
We heard how Jesus was sorry for the crowd because “they were like sheep without a shepherd”, and he taught them. They continued following him around (like sheep?) and he fed them. So of course they keep…
Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
We all need food. It is one of our most basic needs. But it’s not just an individual need, it’s also something we need as as a society, as a community. A society that is short of food can collapse into chaos…
Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Jesus and the disciples are starting to suffer the challenges of fame: you are followed everywhere; you never get a moment’s peace; no time even to eat (Mk 6:30-34). Some people seek fame, most would prefer to…
Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
The directions Jesus gives his disciples as he sends them out seem pretty strange: “He instructed them to take nothing for the journey but a walking stick — no food, no sack, no money in their belts. They…
Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Continuing with Mark’s stories about faith, today we seem to head in a different direction (Mk 6:1-6). Unlike previous stories which told of faith and healing, we are now faced with absence of faith, and no…
Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
In today’s Gospel reading (Mk 5:21-43) we have more stories about faith. Last week it was the disciples on the boat in the storm. Today there are two very different stories. And Mark chooses not to put them…
Twelfth Sunday in Ordinary Time
“Why are you terrified?” Reading the story of the apostles in the boat during the storm, with Jesus fast asleep (I guess he was really tired!), I found myself wondering - what were they terrified about? (Mk…
Eleventh Sunday in Ordinary Time
Mark often describes Jesus explaining “the kingdom of God” in parables. Rather than be direct, Jesus uses analogies to try to get through to people who were not on his wavelength (Mk 4:26-34). We may also have…
Tenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Easter finished two weeks ago. Eventually we do have to come down the mountain, back to “ordinary” time. And what do we find when we get here? Ordinary life, with its ordinary challenges - relationships…
The Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ
“This is my body, this is my blood”. We are used to thinking about this extraordinary statement from the perspective of a meal. That was the context in which Jesus spoke these words. John in his gospel…
Feast of the Holy Trinity
The Feast of the Holy Trinity is, in a way, a recapitulation of our Easter journey. It summarizes what the last six weeks have told us about God and what he expects of us. This is a God of relationships. His…
Pentecost Sunday
Through the weeks of Eastertide we have followed the growing understanding of what it meant for Jesus to remain with us after his resurrection. Starting from the confusion immediately following the empty tomb;…
Ascension of the Lord
It’s natural to think that the Feast of Ascension is about what happened to Jesus at the end of his time on earth. But that isn’t really where the focus lies. The Feast of the Ascension isn’t so much about…
Sixth Sunday of Easter
What kind of a relationship do we have with Jesus? Or, perhaps a better question, what kind of relationship does he have with us? During the Easter season we’ve followed the gradual unveiling of the answer to…
Fifth Sunday of Easter
Our gospel readings for the first two weeks of Eastertime spoke of the various ways in which the early church recognized and understood the presence of Jesus in the world after his resurrection. Last week the…
Fourth Sunday of Easter
We are used to thinking of shepherds as guides, herding their sheep, leading them to pasture. This image is powerfully portrayed in that most famous psalm - The Lord is My Shepherd (Ps 23). Insofar as we have…
Third Sunday of Easter
This week we get to Luke’s account of events after the resurrection. It is similarly brief as was John’s that we heard last week, and completely different in content. Like John, Luke has two endings for his…