Reflections

Christ, the Keystone of Life (Matt 21:3-43) In today’s Gospel, Jesus addressed the Jewish leaders with the familiar imagery of the vineyard.  He was well aware that they were scheming and plotting against him.  So, he confronted them with a parable about evil tenants who killed not only the servants of the owner but his…

  Actions speak more loudly than words There’s more trouble down the farm today.  In last Sunday’s Gospel it was grumbling over wages in the vineyard.  This Sunday (Matt 21:28-31), it’s a father’s confrontation with a son who said he would do the job but he didn’t.   Conversely, the other son stamped out in blunt…

God’s Generosity (Matt 20:1-6) The parable of the workers in the vineyard is about God’s magnanimous generosity in contrast to human envy (Matt 20:1-16).  Every worker got the agreed payment but those who worked all day thought they should get more than those who worked no more than an hour. “Why be envious because I…

The Grace of Forgiveness When somebody has suffered a big injustice or hurt, forgiveness is very difficult.  In fact, human nature on its own cannot find full forgiveness.  But with the help of the Holy Spirit a new way of looking at the injustice emerges.  Today’s parable (Matt 18:21-35) is about a man who received…

Am I my brother’s keeper? According to the deep wisdom of the early pages of the bible, the first sin of the human race was the attempt of Adam and Eve to usurp the moral authority of God regarding the knowledge of good and evil.  The second sin was when Cain killed his brother and…

New Names, New Missions In the bible a new name meant a new mission.  Jesus asked the disciples, “Who do people say I am?” Names of former heroes were recalled.  “But who do you say I am?”  Simon, son of Jonah spoke up.  “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”  This was…

Today’s Gospel about the Apostles’ boat on a stormy sea (Matt 14:22-33) is timely.   The logo chosen by Pope Benedict XVI for the Year of Faith in 2013 pictured a boat tossed high on waves.  We all recognise that this is a difficult time for the Church.  Persecution of Christians is as bad now as…

Loneliness, Hunger of the Heart   Today’s Gospel (Matt 14:13-21) throws light on loneliness which is another name for the hunger of the heart.  A popular film years ago was called “The Heart is a Lonely Hunter.” One form of loneliness is the grief experienced after the death of a loved one.   On hearing of…

Seeds of Wisdom   “The reason that I talk to them in parables is that they look without seeing and listen without hearing or understanding.”  Jesus knew that people would listen to stories and remember them.  Parable sounds like parallel.  A parable is a story that runs parallel to life, like a mirror that travels…