Jesus disturbs the peace If you ‘Google’ the name Jesus and search images, there are countless pictures and paintings of Jesus; some old, some very modern. He is often presented as the kind and peaceful Messiah. A popular image of Jesus is him as the Good Shepherd carrying a sheep on his shoulders. These are...

On the mountain with Jesus We often use the phrase ‘peak moments’ to talk about and describe important or significant experiences. The gospel today is one of those ‘peak moments’ for Jesus and those who are with him. Jesus takes his three of his friends, Peter, James and John away from the market place and...

Jesus is tempted and tested Having started our Lenten journey on Ash Wednesday, we now find ourselves in the desert with Jesus as he is tempted and tested. Mark’s account of Jesus in the desert is short, sharp and very direct; Jesus is in the desert with the wild beasts. This is as real and...

Our journey towards Easter begins My brother Stephen is a marathon runner. Obviously he doesn’t just wake up and decide to run a marathon that day! Running a marathon takes preparation, patience and perseverance. It also takes a lot of time, training and discipline. He has to make sacrifices as he trains and prepares. He...

Jesus heals the leper The message of healing that we heard about in the gospel last Sunday continues today when a leper comes to Jesus and asks to be healed. The Jewish regulations and laws regarding leprosy are clearly outlined in the first reading from the Book of Leviticus. Those who are lepers are to...

Jesus heals those who are sick Today, even with the help of medical staff, chemists and modern medicine, we all still get sick and suffer from pain of one sort another. A small matter of a toothache can cause many a sleepless night! Things were very different and far worse at the time of Jesus....

The authority, words and action of Jesus In the gospel today the impact of the words of Jesus are seen in real concrete action. He heals a man who is sick and who has neither control nor authority over his own body. Not so with Jesus. When Jesus speaks he orders the evil spirits to...

God is still calling us! In last Sunday’s readings we heard how God called Samuel and how both John the Baptist and Andrew introduced others to Jesus. Today this theme and message continues in our readings. In the first reading we hear about Jonah. ‘The Lord said to Jonah, get up, go and proclaim the...

We are called by our name personally by God Over recent years, we have all gotten so used to emails and Skype and there are very few of us who don’t have a mobile phone. Over the last year we have all figured out how to use Zoom as a way of calling others as...

Having celebrated the Epiphany of the Lord, we now mark and honour his Baptism. The word ‘Epiphany’ means to show or reveal. Jesus was shown and revealed as the Saviour and light for the whole world and all peoples for all time. Tradition suggests to us that after his baptism in the River Jordan by...