Reflections

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…

Pray continually and never lose heart The message of today’s Gospel (Luke 18: 1-8) is clearly expressed in the opening line. Pray continually and never lose heart.  We are prepared for this lesson by the First Reading which gives us a picture of Moses at prayer.  A battle was being fought and as long as…

Gratitude is the heart of prayer Luke, more than the other writers, is the evangelist of prayer. This Sunday’s Gospel (Luke 17:11-19), the story of the healing of ten lepers, instructs us on having trust in our prayer of petition and returning to God in thanksgiving.  Asking and thanking. “Jesus! Master! Take pity on us.”…

  The Unadorned Table There are ten meals in Luke’s Gospel and each one is not only a table of food but also a table of the word … just as we have in the liturgy of the Eucharist.  Each meal is the setting for some important teaching.  We are familiar with the Last Supper,…