Reflections
2024
Second Sunday of Easter
The end of John’s gospel is unusual in many ways. Firstly there are two clearly distinct endings (in Chapters 20 and 21) which must have been brought together from separate materials at some early point in the…
Easter Sunday
After the silence of Holy Saturday, the silence of the tomb, comes … the silence of … the Resurrection. No evangelist attempts to give an account of the Resurrection. There are no angelic choirs, no trumpet…
Good Friday of the Lord’s Passion
On Good Friday our first reading from Isaiah (Is 52:13—53:12) starts: "See, my servant shall prosper, he shall be raised high and greatly exalted." He is about to be tortured and killed, and he shall prosper!…
Holy Thursday
I’m always intrigued by the fact that John did not include any account of the Eucharist during the Last Supper. How could he miss it out? The Eucharist was clearly central in the life of the church from the…
Palm Sunday
We arrive at Palm Sunday, and I confess I’ve never been entirely sure whether this is part of Lent, the end of Lent, or whatever. The beginning at Ash Wednesday is very clear and simple, the end not so much.…
Fifth Sunday of Lent
We started our Lent with reflections on the humanity and divinity of Jesus. As we come towards the end we find ourselves returning to these themes, drawn together now as the climax of Easter approaches. From…
Fourth Sunday of Lent
Last week we had commandments, this week condemnation (Jn 3:16). “Whoever believes in him will not be condemned, but whoever does not believe has already been condemned”. Couple that with the angry God of the…
Third Sunday of Lent
We seem to be a society obsessed with laws. To judge by news coverage of court proceedings and so many attempts to create laws to control how other people behave, one might imagine the majority of the…
Second Sunday of Lent
Last week we heard how Jesus was tempted, something in his life which brings out the reality of his humanity, and can make us feel closer to him, as another human being. Today we hear a story (Mk 9:2-10) which…
First Sunday of Lent
After his baptism in the River Jordan, Jesus goes into the desert (Mk 1:12-15). Mark tells the story in two sentences; none of the elaborate discussion with Satan that we find in Matthew and Luke. But the…
Ash Wednesday
Our Gospel for Ash Wednesday emphasizes a very private form of penance (Mt 6:1-6, 16-18). This is something that we feel comfortable with. We are unlikely to be amongst those who want to make an exhibition of…
Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Lepers are the classic example of social outcasts. Today’s first reading (Lv 13:1-2, 44-46) sets it out very clearly, in stern legal language. That approach, in a world where disease was a complete mystery,…
Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Following on from last week’s reading, where we heard about Jesus in his public persona, teaching in the local synagogue, this week we move to a very domestic situation (Mk 1:29-39). Jesus is heading home with…
Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Jesus clearly made an impression. So much so that many important and powerful people decided it was necessary to kill him. But that’s still in the future. For now we’ve heard how the impression he made on his…
Third Sunday in Ordinary Time
This week we hear Mark’s version of the story of Jesus calling his first disciples (Mk 1:14-20). This includes the familiar line “I will make you fishers of men”. But it has the same sense of immediacy as we…
Second Sunday in Ordinary Time
One of the striking things about the story of Jesus calling his disciples is that there is no discussion, no questioning, they simply up and follow. In John’s version (Jn 1:35-42) it isn’t even Jesus who…
The Epiphany of the Lord
Today we finish our celebration of Christmas with the Feast of the Epiphany. We started with the comfort and closeness of Mary and Elizabeth, we have hopefully spent time with family and friends, focused on…
2023
Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph
The image we may have from the nativity stories of the Holy Family may feel comfortably familiar to us. An isolated couple with a single child in a strange place, with just a few friendly strangers around…
The Nativity of the Lord
We’ve spent four weeks anticipating this day, maybe a little longer if you are younger, or less if you’ve been busy at work or otherwise. Maybe you’ve got the sleigh before the reindeer, so to speak, by…
Fourth Sunday of Advent
We arrive at the fourth week of Advent, and Christmas is close. This year, given the vagaries of the calendar, only one day away. Our readings now change character and emphasize that closeness, not so much as…