Fr Paul reads from the Gospel of Mark (4: 26-34) where Jesus shares the parables of the growing seed and mustard seed.Fr Paul begins the reflection by sharing that Jesus was from the country, from the rich agricultural plains of Galilee, where wheat and fruit-trees were plentiful. It was natural for him to use such [...]
Fr Paul reads from the Gospel of Matthew (5: 1-12) where Jesus introduces the Sermon on the Mount.Fr Paul says, that the eight blessings from the Gospel today are at the beginning of the Sermon on the Mount which point out eight ways in which we can welcome God into our lives. They are ways [...]
Fr Paul reads from the Gospel of Mark (16: 15-18) where Jesus said to the eleven, “go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. He who believes and is baptised will be saved. He who does not believe will be condemned...”Today we celebrate the Feast of the conversion of St Paul. Fr [...]
Fr Paul reads from the Gospel of Mark (3: 31-35) where Jesus said ‘whoever does God’s will is my brother and sister and mother’.Fr Paul says today we celebrate the life of St Francis De Sales. Francis was born in Savoy. He studied law, and then despite the opposition of his father he was ordained to the [...]
Fr Paul reads from the Gospel of Mark (3: 22-30) in which scribes came down from Jerusalem and were saying about Jesus, that ‘Beelzebul is in him!’ and ‘It is by the prince of devils that he is driving out demons’. Fr Paul says, the fact that ‘scribes’ come down from Jerusalem indicates that [...]
Fr Paul reads from the Gospel of Mark (3: 13-19) in which Jesus went up on a mountainside and summoned those he wanted so they came to him and he appointed twelve. Fr Paul notes that the names of the Twelve vary in different accounts of the Gospels. For example, in the Gospel of [...]
Fr Paul reads from the Gospel of Mark (3: 7-12) in which large crowds from Galilee follow Jesus to the lake, where Jesus has to get into a boat to prevent being crushed by the crowd. Fr Paul says Jesus withdraws to the lakeside, where a great crowd gathers, which in Matthew’s [...]
Fr Paul reads from the Gospel of Mark (3: 1-6) in which Jesus heals the man with a withered hand, after asking the Pharisees, “Is it against the law on the Sabbath day to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?” Fr Paul says this is the last of a [...]
Fr Paul reads from the Gospel of Mark (2: 23-28) in which Jesus tells the Pharisees, ‘The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. So, the Son of Man is master even of the Sabbath.” Afterwards, Fr Paul will share a little about the life of St Anthony of Egypt [...]
Fr Paul reads from the Gospel of Mark (2: 18-22) in which the Pharisees question Jesus about fasting; ‘How is it that John’s disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees are fasting, but yours are not?’ they asked. Fr Paul says today’s reading comes from Mark’s collection of several confrontations between Jesus and [...]