Gospel Reflection for Sunday July 7th 2024, 14th Sunday in Ordinary Time | Mark 6:1-6 It would seem that Jesus did not go home very often. There are only two accounts in the Gospels of this happening, one in Mark (the story we read today) and one in Luke. The story in Luke is more...

Gospel Reflection for Sunday June 3oth 2024, 13th Sunday in Ordinary Time | Matthew 16:13-19 This week I spent a good deal of time thinking about Peter and Paul. Two very different men who would never, in the normal run of things, have even met, let alone become colleagues, friends and occasionally adversaries. Both of...

Gospel Reflection for Sunday June 23rd 2024, 12th Sunday in Ordinary Time | Mark 4:35-41 Anyone who has ever done an ‘individually guided retreat’ (IGR) in the Ignatian tradition will almost certainly have spent time in prayer with this week’s Gospel. The ‘Storm at Sea’ is one of those Gospel stories which is so rich...

Gospel Reflection for Sunday June 16th 2024, 11th Sunday in Ordinary Time | Mark 4:26-34 “Que sera, sera…” the well-known song goes, “whatever will be, will be…” At first glance this week’s Gospel seems to call for this rather fatalistic and pessimistic response. It is almost as if Jesus is saying to us, “Once the...

Gospel Reflection for Sunday June 9th 2024, 10th Sunday in Ordinary Time | Mark 3:20-35 After all the ‘heavy’ mysteries we have been reflecting upon in recent weeks (Eucharist, Blessed Trinity, Death and Resurrection, Pentecost, etc), it is a relief to return to the ‘simpler’ Jesus who travelled the roads of Israel, preaching, healing and...

Gospel Reflection for Sunday June 2nd 2024, Feast of the Body and Blood of Christ (Corpus Christi) | Mark 14:12-16,22-26 Since we celebrated Easter, we have reflected on all of the central mysteries of our faith. With the exception of creation and the Incarnation (Christmas) we have celebrated the death and resurrection of Jesus, his...

Gospel Reflection for Sunday May 26th 2024 | Trinity Sunday, Matthew 28:16-20 Most people are turned off by the very mention of ‘the Trinity’. They scream “mystery” and decry anyone who talks about the Trinity as filled with pride and too arrogant to accept the fact that we can never know God and must simply...

Gospel Reflection for Sunday May 19th 2024 | Pentecost Sunday, John 15:26-27,16:12-1 In Luke’s Gospel, after the Resurrection, we read the beautiful story of the two disciples walking the road to Emmaus and meeting who they thought was a stranger. Later, when he joined them for a meal they recognised him as the Risen Jesus....

Gospel Reflection for Sunday May 12th 2024 |7th Sunday of Easter (Ascension Sunday in Ireland) John 17:11-19 Have you ever had the experience of reading a piece of Scripture you have read many times before, and hearing in it a word or phrase or sentence that suddenly takes on an importance that wasn’t there before?...

Gospel Reflection for Sunday May 5th 2024 | Sixth Sunday of Easter Our Gospel today is a direct continuation from last week’s reading. Jesus has shown himself to be the ‘good shepherd’ (two weeks ago) and the ‘vine of Israel’ (last week), and in doing so he has described an intimacy with the Father which...