Reflections

Advent, Season of Hope Advent has been devoured by the commercial side of Christmas.  This is a pity because the spirituality of Advent is most needed today.   It is appropriate that we celebrate Advent in winter because the spiritual message of Advent brings hope to our experiences of the winter of the spirit.  It is…

Jesus Christ, King of the Universe Luke 23:35-43 Jesus announced at the beginning of his public ministry that his mission would be to establish the kingdom of God in the world. His preaching and way of life set out the ideals of what the world would be like if we all lived up to his…

Thirty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time – Luke 20:27-38 Persevere in Faith 1. We are coming close to the end of the liturgical year and today’s readings are about the end of life. When Luke was writing his Gospel the magnificent Temple in Jerusalem had been razed to the ground. It was an awesome structure. A…

Reflection 1: Is there life after death? Jesus was very clear that there is.  Not just life as we know it, but so much greater.  Life is changed, not ended.  Just as the tree or flower or vegetable is greater than the seed which died in the earth.  Nowadays there are many theories about life…

Jesus and Zacchaeus The meeting of Zacchaeus and Jesus is a story of up and down.  Zacchaeus was a small man but he had climbed up a sycamore tree.  He had also climbed up to top of the financial ladder.  He was a senior tax collector and a wealthy man.  But it is one of…

Luke 18:9-14 Prayer that pierces the Clouds Today’s parable highlights the contrast between the self-righteous religious man, a Pharisee, and the humble tax-collector, regarded as a sinner. Pride is first in the list of the seven deadly roots of sin. In the story of Adam and Eve the original temptation was “You will be like…

Sunday 20th October 2019 … Luke 18:1-8 1. Today’s parable about the persistent widow has a very clear message: don’t give up, continue praying, persevere. Perseverance isn’t always easy because there are times when God is delaying the answer. “Will not God see justice done to his children who cry to him day and night…

28th Sunday in Ordinary time:  Luke 17:11-19   “Finding himself cured”.  Notice how the gospel doesn’t simply say that the leper was cured.  The emphasis was on finding himself cured.  Gratitude, the heart of prayer, begins in finding our gifts and blessings.  Then we are moved to turn back in praise of the giver and…