Missionaries to the Slavs
Cyril and Methodius were brothers from Macedonia in Greece who in the ninth century preached the gospel in Moravia, modern day Czech Republic, Slovakia and parts of Hungary…
Paradise Lost and Found.
One might take the first reading as describing paradise lost, while the gospel tells of of paradise regained. In the “paradise lost” story , the man and woman now feel shame at their nakedness, while up to the time of their sin in the garden they had felt no unease in each other’s company, but felt their whole selves as created to the image of God and as very good….
Generosity between the Sexes
Women are centre-stage in today’s readings. In Genesis the first woman heals the loneliness of man, measures up to him in a way that no other creature could, and the two are united as equals, “in one flesh.” While the woman brings joy and stability into the life of the first man, pagan women are also held responsible, at least in part, for apostasy in Israel. Then in the gospel a pagan woman surprises Jesus with her faith and humble perseverance.
Our Lady of Lourdes
Today is the feast of Our Lady of Lourdes. Lourdes is one of the great places of pilgrimage in the Christian world. It is above all a place of pilgrimage for the sick. It has been said that the sick are the royalty of Lourdes. People are drawn there because we believe that it is one of those places where heaven once touched earth.
Not too tied to traditions
The church needs to be always alert to ensure that its own traditions conform to God’s word to us, especially as spoken by Jesus. Every so often our church has to renew itself, with the help of the Holy Spirit, to purify its traditions so that they
God’s world and ours
The Genesis reading gives a wide-angle view of the universe as the sanctuary or throne for God’s majestic presence. All religious ceremonies — whether in the Jerusalem temple or on the altars of our churches — must retain contact with the physical world of earth and sky, if they are to be reminders of God’s redemptive acts for us, mortal, earthbound creatures…
As we come together for worship, each of us brings worries, anxieties and fears. We gather them all together and entrust them to the one who heals his suffering people.
Signs of God’s Healing
There is a debate about whether the people whom Jesus healed were really possessed by the devil or were just mentally disturbed. That debate is utterly besides the point. These individuals were deeply troubled and Jesus healed them. His intent was to heal people both in body and soul…
What are bishops for?
For almost forty years now, bishops have been chosen directly by the Holy See, with little or no input from the clergy or laity of the diocese they are to serve. While this process may have succeeded in promoting a semblance of uniformity of doctrine and practice, it seriously impinges on the sense of co-responsibility…
Two banquets
This gospel scene is one that has inspired artists and playwrights throughout the centuries. The sumptuous banquet in Herod’s palace for his birthday turns out to be a banquet of death. Mark follows this scene with the feeding by Jesus of the multitude in the wilderness. It is as if the evangelist wants to set Herod banquet of death over against Jesus’ banquet of life..
Twelve Messengers of Heaven
Jesus chose twelve men (their names are listed several times, though with some inconsistencies in the names listed (Mt 10:2-4; Mk 3:16-19-19; Lk 6:14-16; Ac 1:13). Mark tells us that he named them “apostles” (Mk 3:13) and it is clear that special significance was seen in the number twelve, since they are often referred to later as simply “the twelve”..
Who listens to prophets, anyway?
The response Jesus got when he stood up to speak in his own home town was not encouraging. Who would take him for a prophet, anyway, since he’s someone they’ve known for years? What could he have to say that they did not already know?.
The questions he asks
Jesus asks many questions in the four gospels. It can sometimes be worthwhile to notice the questions he asks and to sit with them. Today the gospel has one of those questions, “Who touched me?” The disciples found this a very strange thing to ask…
Predicting His Future
Mary and Joseph must have pondered the words of Simeon and Anna, wondering what they meant for their child. They, like most new parents, probably had dreams for him but the prophetic words of of Simeon and Anna sounded ominous as well as promising
We come together to listen to God’s word and share the bread of life together. As God’s family here, we praise the one who has rescued us from sin and darkness, and brought us the hope of heaven.
Forces of good and of evil
In the days of Jesus on earth, people called different evil forces ‘demons’. Jesus himself recognised one super-force behind them all. He named it ‘the EVIL ONE’ – also known in his day as ‘the Devil’, ‘Lucifer’, and ‘Beelzebub’…
Don’t you even care?
What a contrast between the calm of Jesus and the alarm of his disciples when that storm breaks out! He was lying in the stern of the boat, asleep, with his head on a cushion. The disciples were panicking and in their panic they woke and rebuked him, “Master, do you not care?…
The mystery of growth
The seed growing secretly suggests the mystery of growth. The farmer works hard to sow the seed, but then he has to wait. In a way he does not fully understand, the seed grows of his own accord…
Passing through the veil
The life-path Jesus leads us on goes via the cross and on to the heavenly sanctuary. Behind this Hebrews text lies the Old Testament ritual of Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, when once a year the high priest entered behind the veil into the Holy of Holies. There, amid a smoking cloud of incense, he
The parable of the sower
The religious leaders have accused Jesus and his disciples of breaking the Sabbath, and claimed that Jesus heals by the power of Satan. Jesus’ own relatives have tried to take him in hand because of the general impression that he has lost the run of himself. In that context Jesus draws the attention of the disciples to the farmer sowing seed in Galilee…
