In Mark’s gospel this week, Jesus answers a controversy about spiritual discipline such as fasting. John’s followers and the Pharisees fasted in anticipation of the Messiah. The lack of this […]
In the passages from Mark this week, Jesus begins to choose His followers. The text implies they left their parochial interests at the moment of their call for the greater […]
The story of the Magi has been a favourite for generations. Foreign dignitaries came to honour the newly born King of the Jews. For Matthew, however, the story had highly […]
In celebrating the birth of our Saviour, we were full of joy and expectation. But suddenly on Boxing (St Stephen’s) Day the atmosphere has turned sombre. According to the Acts […]
Mary’s pregnancy presented Joseph with few options; as a “righteous” Jew he wished to follow the Law, save personal face and still have compassion on his betrothed. But a dream […]
This week’s readings recall when Jesus arrived in Jerusalem, entered the Temple and began to teach. Jesus’ authority to do this was questioned by the chief priests and elders and […]
Do the answers to this question which you learned as you grew up still satisfy you? St. Paul’s eloquence in his letter to the Ephesians (1:3-6) on this subject is […]
As well as hosting the feast day of St. Andrew, this week we read in Matthew’s gospel about Jesus’ travels into Capernaum and then Galilee, teaching, preaching and healing. A […]
This week Jesus begins His discourse on the end times – the rise of false Messiahs, international conflicts and upheavals of nature on a vast scale. Sounds familiar? In the […]
It’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking that the really holy people are only religious celibates. After all, this month especially, we recognise most of the canonised saints […]