Reflections

The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world This Sunday’s Gospel (John 1:29-34) begins with John the Baptist pointing towards Jesus and saying, “Look, there is the lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world.”  His words are repeated at Mass in order to alert us to the…

Mary, Mother of God and Mother of the Church  The liturgical celebration of Mary, the Holy Mother of God, has been ascribed to several different dates down through the ages.  The liturgical reform which prepared the way for the Second Vatican Council prompted the restoration of the feast to January 1st, the completion of the…

The Reason for the Season is Jesus Have we forgotten why we celebrate Christmas?  A friend told me she got a card wishing her a very merry Winter Festival?  Could you beat that!  People tell me they have to search in shops for cards that portray the Nativity but there is no shortage of snowy…

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 the unveiling and proclamation of God’s presence in dark and difficult times. Prophets…

Advent is the season of Hope Dark November will soon be past, and in the Church’s calendar, today is the First Sunday of Advent, the beginning of the new liturgical year.  Advent means coming and it has three dimensions: the past coming of Christ at the first Christmas; the future coming of Christ at the…

Jesus Christ, the Universal King Today, the last Sunday of the liturgical year, is when we celebrate Jesus Christ, the Universal King.  The end of the liturgical year anticipates the end of time when “the Kingdom of God will come in all its fulness.  Then the just will reign with Jesus Christ for ever, glorified…

Therapy of Divine Love Purgation is a process of purification.  Purgatory is not specifically mentioned in the bible but the doctrine of purgatory is a beautiful development which holds in unity two ideas which might seem to be contradictory.  Firstly, the doctrine of God’s holiness reminds us of God’s unique otherness, glory and blinding light,…

  Normally, our weekly reflection is based on the Gospel of Sunday, but this week we will concentrate on November which commenced last Tuesday, the Feast of All Saints. In the northern hemisphere, November is the darkest month.  The poet, Thomas Hood, captured the mood. “No shade, no shine, no butterflies, no bees, No fruits,…

Humble Prayer will pierce the clouds The parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector (Luke 18:9-14) was addressed to people who prided themselves on being virtuous and despised everyone else. In the traditional list of the roots of sin, known as the seven capital sins, the first in the list is pride, and rightly…