“At the resurrection, whose wife will she be?” The woman who had successively married seven husbands is only a story that was told and repeated, probably to the embarrassment of women. Jesus wrong-foots his questioners by answering their question in an unexpected way, to reflect on the nature of life after death and the form human bodies will take at the resurrection…

Most Marian celebrations are based on some key Gospel texts. But of course the Evangelists tells us nothing about Mary’s early life. The inspired Word has no mention of the event celebrated on November 21st, her Presentation in the Temple, but ….

Tested, to serve our God: John, caught up in ecstasy on the island of Patmos, was saddened at the bloodied appearance of Jesus, bearing the wounds of his passion…

Foretaste of the Hereafter: When our world seems to be falling apart through severe trial or disappointment, we can recall those moments when the world seemed full of joy — precious moments when we taste the reality of the living God.

Let’s dine in your house: To be found by Jesus, Zacchaeus had to give up and lose much of himself. Maybe Jesus too had to lose some of his dignity as a “holy man,” by going to dine at the home of the unclean sinner…

What might conversion cost? Wanting the normal life that sight would allow him, the blind man at the Jericho gate begged for this gift, “Lord, that I may see!” But getting his sight back would involve new pressures, altering his relationships to family and friends, responsibilities, his whole way of life. He was willing and eager to accept these challenges..

Faithful and persistent: In a crisis, most of us will go the extra mile (Mt 5:41) – sometimes – but today’s Gospel asks for fidelity over the long haul, not the single heroic act but the persistence to stay with the daily routine of duty…

Distracted From God: It can happen that the good gifts of nature distract us from God. Or closer to home, once the good meal is on the table, we seldom remember to thank the cook…

Refreshed by Love: The bond of love goes far beyond the letter of the law. In the introduction, Paul calls Philemon a beloved friend and fellow worker, and he expresses his joy and comfort in his rich friend’s love. We too are called to a love that refreshes and unites

Why be ungrateful? The nine men missed a golden chance, when they failed to say thanks. Jesus tells the one man who did come back to thank him, “Your faith has saved you.” We need a faith like this, to recognise our dependency on God for life and its blessings, including the help we get from others towards eternal life…

Applying doctrine to practice: In his advice to Titus, Paul respects the limits of the church’s local culture, yet also sets our human life within a divine framework. He begins with an appeal that our speech be “consistent with sound doctrine” and explains that the core of this sound doctrine is about…

Planted in the real world: The Scriptures for today show the interaction of ideals with hard-nosed common sense. This is evident in the Epistle to Titus, which reads like a manual for clergy, less enthusiastic than Paul’s earlier letters and focussed on practical aspects of church governance.

Just as yesterday Jesus reproached idle disciples for not showing enterprise and initiative, today Paul commends his active co-workers in the service of the gospel and stresses how he himself can cope in all circumstances, whether eating well or going hungry.

What spurs us to action in our daily lives? Some seem to lack motivation while others are workaholics, swept on by drive and ambition and wanting to drive other people hard as well. A good example of the activist temperament is Paul, apostle of the gentiles..

The feast echoes the theme of “the island of saints and scholars” which was so strong in Ireland up to the middle of the twentieth century, but which might be somewhat harder to illustrate in 2014…