Reflections

The Ascension of the Lord Some of the doors that have kept people locked in have been opened in recent days.  But there is still a long wait until all doors will be opened.   Religion has a huge role to play in sustaining hope by remembering the bigger picture of life. We are celebrating the…

Greater days ahead Our Gospel today, John 15:9-17, is a continuation of the statement of Jesus, “I am the vine, you are the branches.”   The context is the discourse of Jesus with the disciples at the Last Supper.   He has been telling them that his days among them in a physical presence are numbered.  However,…

Vocation of all Christians The Fourth Sunday of Easter each year is known as known as Vocations Sunday.  The Gospel is about Jesus, the Good Shepherd, calling his flock, leading them to pasture and protecting them.  We are encouraged to pray for vocations this Sunday. I have to admit that in more than fifty years…

The Risen Lord is with us Have you ever wondered what it would be like to enter a Time Machine and go back to Galilee or Jerusalem and spend a day in the company of Jesus?  To see his face, to hear his voice, to touch his garment, maybe to see a miracle to cap…

Encountering the Risen Lord As we noted at the start of Lent, the number forty is usually associated with a period of preparation.  Following the forty days of Lent, there are forty days between the Resurrection and the Ascension.  My very young grand-nephew asked me a deep question one day.  “Where was Jesus in the…

Jesus the Wounded Healer It is the time of year when Christians remember the death and resurrection of Jesus, the most important days in human history.   Keep your eyes fixed on Jesus.  You may have a crucifix at home, perhaps a small one on rosary beads.  Maybe you can download the picture.  The one you…

Dying and Rising with Christ “When I am lifted up from the earth, I shall draw all people to myself”. Lent is advancing rapidly and we are coming close to the celebration of the death and resurrection of Jesus.  When I entered religious life more than sixty years ago, there was great emphasis on meditating…

A Time of Cleansing Today we have John’s version of the cleansing of the temple, anticipating the replacement of temple worship by the worship of God through the risen Lord (John 2:13-25). Herod the Great, a man of mixed racial lineage, desiring to ingratiate himself with the Jews decided to build a magnificent temple with…

Repent and Believe You may have missed out on the ashes this year but the message of Lent is unchanged: repent and believe in the gospel.  To repent literally means to think again, to take an honest look at your life.  To believe in the gospel means to be guided by the following questions: what…