Reflections

Prepare a Way for the Lord (Mark 1:1-8) Two great prophets, Isaiah and John the Baptist, stride into our liturgical readings for the Second Sunday of Advent.  We usually think of prophets as people who foretell the future but that is only partially true.  The real meaning of prophecy is unveiling and proclaiming God’s presence…

Advent, the Season of Hope (Mark 13:33-37) The First Sunday of Advent is the beginning of the new liturgical year.  Advent means coming: the past coming of Jesus Christ at the first Christmas; the future coming of Christ at the end of life; and the everyday coming of Christ in a daily relationship. In preparation…

A Kingdom of Justice, Love and Peace  (Matt 25:31-46) On the last Sunday of the liturgical year, we celebrate Jesus Christ, the Universal King. Today’s gospel depicts the end of time when the Lord will take his seat on the throne of glory.  A hugely important criterion for entry into heaven is the way we…

  Well done good and faithful servant (Matt 25:14-30) The parable of the talents is a contrast between the productive life and the unproductive life.  The productive person is faithful in the little things of everyday life … keeps on going …doesn’t look for notice … doesn’t wait around for the big event to get…

Keep your Oil topped up (Matt 25:1-13) Some people get a bit sore about this parable of the sensible and foolish bridesmaids.  They feel it was very selfish of the ones who had oil in their lamps not to share it with others.  But that is to miss a very important part of the lesson. …

Towards a humble Church (Matt 23:21) “Anyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and anyone who humbles himself will be exalted.” Jesus was very merciful regarding sins of weakness but he could not stand religious hypocrisy. He specifically highlighted three temptations likely to affect religious leaders. They do not practise what they preach. They tie…

The Greatest Commandment (Matt 22:34-40) Trying to start an argument with Jesus, one of the Pharisees asked for his opinion on the greatest commandment.  Jesus cut through all their commentaries and debates with a simple and challenging answer.  “You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with…

Religion and Politics (Matt 22:15-21) Today’s Readings open up the contentious relationship between religion and politics, between the sacred and secular dimensions of life.  In the First Reading the political decision of the Babylonian King, Cyrus, unwittingly served the plan of God for the release of the Jewish captives.  In today’s Gospel, the enemies of…

God’s Invitation to us (Matt 22:1-4) Today’s Gospel is a parable about being invited to a wedding, not just any wedding, but the royal wedding of the king’s son. This parable of invitation and rejection was originally addressed to the chief priests and elders of the Jews. In Michelangelo’s famous fresco on the ceiling of…