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...

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...

Do not lead us into temptation Lent is a Pilgrimage, a Journey, and it begins with Jesus being led into the wilderness of the desert by the Holy Spirit. The desert for the Jewish People is a very scared and symbolic place. It was in the desert that the Israelites encountered and experienced God. It...

An eye for and eye? There is the old military that says the best form of defence is attack. Meaning, do to someone before they do it to you! Jesus begins the gospel by quoting the Jewish Law; ‘You have learnt how it was said: an eye for eye and tooth for a tooth.’  This...

The Heart of the Matter  The Scribes and Pharisees never missed an opportunity to attack and criticise Jesus. They just didn’t like the people with whom he ate, drank and befriended; the poor, the sick, the outcast, those they considered to be sinners. But Jesus in return was never in shy in challenging them for...

We’re almost there – but not just yet! Waiting for Christmas can be so hard and not just for children! For the last number of weeks, we have been surrounded by all the signs, sounds, symbols of Christmas; lights, decorations, carols, trees, gifts and presents. These are all very important parts of our festivities and...

Let us walk in the Light of the Lord As the seasons change, so too does the liturgical life of the church. This Sunday as we begin the Sacred Season of Advent, we also begin a new liturgical for the year ahead. Hopefully we will notice these changes around us, especially in our churches. The...

Jesus proclaims the Word of God and is rejected Whenever Jesus speaks in the gospels, he does so with courage and confidence. He does not change or alter his message for anyone. He comes with a radically new message, which for some is very hard to hear never mind accept or believe. In John’s gospels...

All you need is love… Whenever Valentine’s Day comes around, we are surrounded by an endless stream of love songs, poetry, films about love, chocolates and of course Valentine Day cards. There is absolutely nothing wrong in enjoying and celebrating romantic love. But sometimes, just sometimes it can seem to be a little too nice,...