Sundays two and three of Advent always focus on John the Baptist. Why? Because it was John who recognised Jesus for who and what he was, and it was he who announced him to the world. During the Season of Advent we wait for Jesus to be born into the world, his birth on that...

Have you ever looked at any of the great works of art depicting the coming of the Kingdom of God? If you have, you will have noticed that most of them are pictured as apocalyptic events, with imagery taken from the Book of Revelation. In them you will find armies of angels with swords and...

Sunday November 13th 2022, the 33rd Sunday of the Year, Year C TO PROPERLY understand today’s Gospel would require a History and Theology lesson on how the people reading Luke’s Gospel understood ‘Temple’ and ‘covenant’, the ‘Ark of the Covenant’ (not the Harrison Ford version!) and even something about the Chosen People’s wanderings in the...

As Jesus moved from town to town, village to village, there were always groups waiting to harass and ridicule him. Some were well meaning, good living, honest Jews who feared the Law of Moses, so vital to their understanding of God, was in some way being eroded or subverted by Jesus. Others, however, were religious...

INTRODUCTION: The story of Jesus stopping to call the ‘small’ Zacchaeus from the tree in order to dine with him is one of the most likeable stories in the Gospels. It is often used in children’s liturgies because of its drama and pictorial qualities. For children it can be a pleasant and edifying parable about...

INTRODUCTION: Can I earn my place in Heaven? Can anything I do give me a right to be with God? These are the questions Jesus unambiguously answers in today’s Gospel of the “Pharisee and the Tax Collector.” And the answer is a resounding ‘NO’ to both. So, why bother living a good life, and trying...

INTRODUCTION: The God of theology and philosophy is complex and complicated. Anyone who has ever had the opportunity to study them will know the hair pulling and desk thumping associated with every word, phrase, and concept explored. Yet, somehow, behind the words and concepts, lies a reality which is stunningly simple; Love! There are countless...

Introduction: Today’s Gospel is maybe more important than we might think at first glance. If I were preparing a homily for this this Gospel, I would probably base it around ‘thankfulness’ and ‘gratitude’. Ten were cured of leprosy; only one came back to say thanks. As children, probably one of the first lessons we learned...

It is always wise, I think, when reading a particular Gospel or any small section of the Bible, to pause and think of it in the context of the entire life of Jesus – his miracles, his words, his interaction with people, his death and resurrection. In my own mind, I go back to imagining...

If you felt that Luke, in his Gospel, seems to have a strong dislike for wealth and ‘rich men’, you would not be too far wrong! For the second week in a row Luke begins with, “…there was a rich man who…” and for the second week in a row the ‘rich man’ is presented...