Gospel Reflection for Sunday September 10th 2023 | 23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time “Three strikes and you’re out..” seems to be the approach of the early Church to disputes and conflicts. Strike one: Negotiation…Try talking together. Strike two: Mediation…Third party facilitation. Strike three: Arbitration…Dispute goes to the governing body for decision. After that, you’re out!...

Gospel Reflection for Sunday September 3rd 2023 | 22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time It is well worth reflecting on the place of the cross in our lives. It is the central symbol of Christianity. We wear the cross around our necks, in our lapels and even in our ears. We use it as a blessing,...

Instead of starting on some dusty trail in northern Israel, amid the lush grasslands close to the small town of Caesarea Philippi, let me begin in Jerusalem, twenty-five years after the death of Jesus.   In a small house, like any other small house in the poorer areas of Jerusalem, a tiny group of maybe fifteen...

Gospel Reflection for Sunday August 20th 2023 | 20th Sunday in Ordinary Time Anyone who holds on to the idea that Jesus was a meek and mild, pale faced, soft spoken man who would never hurt a fly will be disappointed with today’s Gospel. Matthew makes no apologies for presenting a person of conviction, confident...

Gospel Reflection for Sunday August 6th 2023 | 18th Sunday in Ordinary Time I saw an article recently entitled, “Jesus had no friends.” The name intrigued me simply because it went against almost everything I believe about Jesus as a person. So, of course, I read it. Among other things, it argued that:  Friends do...

Gospel Reflection for Sunday August 6th 2023 | 18th Sunday in Ordinary Time It is so difficult to walk the roads of Israel with Jesus and meet him as he chats with his closest friends, tells stories to village groups who gather to hear him, and heal the sick who are brought to him. It...

Gospel Reflection for Sunday July 30th 2023 In my many years as a Secondary School teacher I often had the opportunity to discuss with parents their child’s future, both academically and socially. Overwhelmingly, their number one priority for their child was that he/she would be ‘happy’ in life. Their second priority was always that they...

Gospel Reflection for Sunday July 23rd 2023 Good people want to do good. It’s the most natural thing in the world. We educate our children not to be selfish or mean, not to be aggressive or rude, not to be proud or arrogant. As our children grow we gently but repeatedly reinforce the values and...

Gospel Reflection for Sunday July 16th 2023 “Hey, did you hear the one about…..” or “that reminds me of the two men going into a pub….”! All of us know people who have the knack of telling jokes so that when the punchline comes everyone laughs. Maybe you are one of those people? I’m not,...

Occasionally I read a Gospel that makes me uncomfortable. Sometimes the reason is obvious to me – a question Jesus asks, the response someone gives, how someone acts, a particular challenge Jesus sets before us. Other times the reason for my discomfort is not as clear – a kind of vague unease as if there...