Gospel Reflection for Sunday October 1st 2023 | 26th Sunday in Ordinary Time An eight-year-old, I think, could quite easily understand the message of today’s Gospel story. It is so crystal clear as to need no explanation or interpretation. ‘Practise what you preach’, ‘don’t say one thing and do something else’, ‘think before you commit...

Gospel Reflection for Sunday September 24th 2023 | 25th Sunday in Ordinary Time I am reminded this week of the saying that “history is written by the victors.” When reading the Gospel of today, particularly the last sentence, “…the last shall be first, and the first, last.”, I felt very strongly that it had to...

Gospel Reflection for Sunday September 17th 2023 | 24th Sunday in Ordinary Time In his adventure/survivor novel, ‘Lord of the Flies’, William Golding introduces us to a group of teenage boys (in fact, a school choir) stranded on a desert island when their plane crashes. They quickly discover that they are the only survivors and...

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...