(This can also be celebrated as the feast of St Francis de Sales, with a different set of readings) Hebrews 9:15ff. Jesus offered himself as a sacrifice once for all, and so puts an end to the many sacrifices in the temple. Mark 3:22-30. Jesus does not cast out devils by the power of satan….
Is 9:1-3. Isaiah foretells the coming of a Saviour to Galilee of the nations, to the people who walked in darkness. This is perfect background for Jesus’ ministry in Galilee. 1 Cor 1:10-13,13. Even in the early Church there was disunity and the dangers of rivalry and schism. Paul appeals to his Christians to stay…
Hebrews 9:2ff. Jesus enters the true Holy of Holies, not of human making, to cleanse our conscience to serve the living God. Mark 3:20ff. Jesus and the disciples return home, and is mobbed. His relatives fear that he is out of his mind. God Caters for our Human Needs We see Jesus retire, either into…
Hebrews 8:6ff. Jesus, our high priest is mediator of a new and better covenant between God and us, as was announced by the prophet Jeremiah. Mark 3:13ff. Going up a mountain, Jesus commissions the twelve to preach the good news and to expel all evil spirits from the hearts of those who turn to him….
Hebrews 7:25ff. In Jesus we have the supreme high priest, who serves in the true tabernacle of heaven. This was a great source of confidence in the author’s time (late first century), when Christians had been excluded from both the temple and the synagogues; indeed, it remains a supportive Christian conviction to the present day….
Hebrews 7:1-3ff. The priesthood of Jesus is of mysterious origin, like Melchisedek’s, which lasts forever. Just as Melchisedek blessed Abraham, so the priestly influence of Jesus is above and beyond that of the Jewish temple priests, and has worldwide power to save. Mark 3:1ff. Jesus asks if it is permitted on the sabbath to do…
Hebrews 6:10ff. After waiting patiently Abraham obtained the long-delayed promise of a son. We too must learn patience from the example of Jesus. Mark 2:23ff. Jesus defends his disciples for eating on the holy day, since “the sabbath was made for us, not we for the sabbath.” Am I a Minister of Life? The Scriptures…
Hebrews 5:1ff. Jesus shares our human weakness yet shows deep obedience to the will of God, and so he became perfect, and the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him. Mark 2:18ff. Jesus’ disciples do not fast as long as the bridegroom is with them. No one puts new wine into old wine…
Is 49:3, 5-6. During the Exile, the prophet prepares his oppressed neighbours for the coming of a liberator whom God would send to save them, and to be a light for all nations. 1 Cor 1:1-3. Paul’s opening greeting to his Christian converts in Corinth. They are sanctified in Christ Jesus and called to be…
Hebrews 4:12ff. God’s word is a two-edged sword, penetrating soul and spirit; our compassionate high priest sympathises with our weakness. Mark 2:13ff. Jesus calls a tax collector to join him as a disciple, and then proceeds to dine with Matthew/Levi and his friends. Both by word and action he calls sinners, not the self-righteous. Qualities…
Hebrews 4:1ff. Through obedient faith, directed especially towards Jesus, we enter into our “rest” – a state of fulfilment that echoes God’s celebration of creation, on the seventh day. Mark 2:1ff. A crowd gathers round Jesus, at his lakeside home in Capernaum; he heals a paralytic after first forgiving his sins. Getting the balance right…
Hebrews 3:7ff. Our hearts are to be open, with confidence towards God today, not hardened, doubting and complaining. Mark 1:40ff. Jesus touches and cures the leper; the man ignores his instructions and proceeds to tell everyone about it. Discerning true from false religiosity The Scripture today invites us to evaluate our reliance on externals, whether…
Hebrews 2:14ff. Jesus shared our flesh and blood, our temptations and death, and so is able to help us in our trials. Mark 1:29ff. Jesus cures Peter’s mother-in-law, drives out demons, withdraws to a lonely spot to pray, and preaches the good news. Called to Commitment We are consoled by the intimate presence of God…
Hebrews 2:5ff. Everything is subject to Jesus who is totally one with us. He was crowned with glory, after being perfected through suffering. Mark 1:21ff. People are spellbound that Jesus teaches with such authority and even gives orders to unclean spirits. Power to make us new Our Scriptures reach into the deep roots of life…
Hebrews 1:1ff. In times past God spoke to us in many and varied ways, but in this final age, through his eternal and creative Son. Mark 1:14ff. Jesus begins his mission, proclaiming the reign of God and calling his first disciples to work with him in bringing the Good News to others. Affection and Spirituality…
First Sunday in Ordinary Time Is 42:1-4, 6-7. A servant of God, a chosen one, will courageously serve God and help others to salvation – like Jesus, this servant “fulfils all righteousness.” Acts 10:34-38. The baptism of Jesus in the Jordan was an “anointing with the Holy Spirit” after which he went about doing good….
“Noblesse Oblige” Today’s first reading, surely, is among the finest moral exhortations in the whole Bible. Human beings are called and graced into the image of God; and since God’s essence is love, God’s children must be characterised by their spirit of love. The quality is also how we “live through him” that is, through…
His Baptism and Ours
As one community contracts, another expands In spite of its fervent adherence to the person of Jesus and its high ideals of community purity and fraternal love, it is clear from the letters that the Johannine community suffered from grave internal tensions, which eventually led to its break-up, amid reproaches and recrimination. The beginnings of…
Is 60:1-6. In the age to come, the Messiah, the Saviour King, will reveal his glory to all the nations. To work for this is now the mission of the Church. Eph 3:2-3, 5-6. The salvation revealed in Christ is for everyone. In his Church, there can be no exclusivness or racial distinction. Mt 2:1-12….
