Jesus promises to send the Spirit Fr Paul says, this week, starting with today’s Gospel from John (15:26 -16:4), we are pilgrims on the journey to the Ascension next Sunday. Jesus is talking to his disciples, preparing them for the fact that he is leaving them that he is going to return to [...]
The world loves its own In this passage from John’s Gospel (15: 18-21), Jesus talks about persecution, his and those who choose to follow him. Fr Paul says that, after cleansing the temple at the beginning of his ministry, the temple authorities in Jerusalem were wary of Jesus. From then on, his life [...]
Feast of St Matthias Matthias is elected to the twelve For today’s Feast of St Matthias Fr Paul reads from the Acts of the Apostles (1: 15-26) about Matthias’ election to the twelve, which is the only time he is mentioned in the scriptures. Fr Paul draws our attention to some interesting [...]
I am the vine, you are the branches In today’s Gospel (John 15: 1-8) we experience a part of the Last Supper discourse that Jesus shares with his disciples in which He is the vine and the Father is the vinedresser. Fr Paul tells us that Jesus takes a familiar image, that [...]
Jesus: Peace I leave with you Today’s Gospel from John (14:27-31) opens with Jesus giving a greeting of peace to his disciples. Fr Paul explains that the type of peace Jesus means is not just the absence of war. Peace, here, means peace within ourselves: Do we have a clear conscience type [...]
To love Jesus is to keep his commandments Fr Paul in reflecting on last week’s gospels says we should be able to identify a pattern in today’s Gospel (John 14: 21-26) - Jesus gives a teaching, one of the disciples questions that teaching and then Jesus teaches again. This Gospel shows the [...]
Jesus explains how he is the way to the Father This Gospel from John (14: 7-14) follows on from yesterday’s Gospel and we see the same pattern – Jesus teaching his disciples, one of them expresses doubt and Jesus continues his teaching. In this Gospel, Jesus explains how he is the way [...]
Jesus says trust in God and trust in me Today’s Gospel passage – John 14: 1-6 – is one of the most popular pieces of scripture chosen by families when preparing for the funeral of a loved one. This discourse of Jesus begins after the Last Supper and is very much the speech [...]
Jesus calls us to mission, ministry and service In John’s Gospel (13: 16-20) today, Fr Paul says we are listening to a part of the Last Supper that follows on from the Holy Thursday reading (where Jesus washes the feet of his disciples), which we don’t ordinarily hear. This Gospel is the [...]
John’s Gospel can be divided into two books - the book of Signs and the book of Glory. Today’s reading (John 12: 44-50), Fr Paul tells us comes from the end of the books of Signs and is a summary of Jesus’ teachings. Fr Paul highlights three themes that run through John’s [...]