Fr Paul reads from the Gospel of John (11: 45-56) in which the Chief Priests and Pharisees meet to decide what to do about Jesus. Fr Paul says the Gospel reading takes us to the aftermath of the raising of Lazarus. It is typical of John’s contrasts that the gift of life given to [...]
Fr Paul reads from the Gospel of John (10: 31-42) in which the Jewish opponents of Jesus pick up stones to stone him saying “We are not stoning you for any good work but for blasphemy, because you, a mere man, claim to be God.”Fr Paul says this scene of confrontation between Jesus [...]
Fr Paul reads from the Gospel of John (8: 51-59) in which Jesus says to the Jews ‘If I were to seek my own glory that would be no glory at all. My glory is conferred by the Father, by the one of whom you say He is our God’. Fr Paul this Gospel [...]
Fr Paul reads from the Gospel of John (8: 31-42) in which Jesus says to those who believed in him, “If you make my word your home, you will indeed be my disciples. You will learn the truth, and the truth will make you free.”Fr Paul says this Gospel passage continues the confrontation [...]
Fr Paul reads from the Gospel of John (8: 21-30) in which Jesus tells the people about the Father but they fail to understand what he is telling them. Fr Paul says scene in the Temple we’ve heard today is full of questions: ‘Where is your Father?’, ‘Is he going to kill himself?’, ‘Who [...]
Fr Paul reads from the Gospel of John (8: 1-11) in which Jesus says to the accusers of the woman caught in the act of adultery, ‘If there is one of you who has not sinned let him to be first to throw a stone at her’. Fr Paul says this story does not [...]
Fr Paul reads from the Gospel of Luke (1: 26-38) in which the Angel Gabriel visits Mary, telling her that God’s favour rests on her, and foretelling the birth of Jesus. Fr Paul says the Annunciation, which is also called Annunciation to the Blessed Virgin Mary or Annunciation of the Lord, is the announcement [...]
Fr Paul reads from the Gospel of John (7: 1-2, 10, 25-30) in which Jesus goes up to Jerusalem for the annual Festival of Tabernacles or Sukkoth.Fr Paul says on this festival the custom was, and still is, to spend the time not in the house but in a leafy booth probably attached [...]
Fr Paul reads from the Gospel of John (5: 31-47) which continues the confrontation between Jesus and the Jewish leaders of the Temple.Fr Paul says in the Gospel Jesus cites the testimonies which bear witness to him.First the testimony of John the Baptist (v 31-35). This was especially important because in the synoptic [...]
Fr Paul reads from the Gospel of John (5: 17-30) in which Jesus tells the Jews ‘My Father goes on working and so do I’. In the passage just before this Gospel, Fr Paul notes, Jesus was being attacked by ‘the Jews’ for working on the Sabbath. They were especially upset at Jesus claiming [...]