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 [...]
Fr Paul reads from the Gospel of Mark (2: 13-17) in which Jesus calls Levi, the tax collector, to follow him, which draws the ire of the Pharisees. Fr Paul says the Gospel today starts with a piece of local lore and a puzzle. The piece of local lore is that Capernaum is [...]
Fr Paul reads from the Gospel of Mark (1: 40-45) in which, Jesus willingly reaches out to touch a leper and heal him. Fr Paul says, Mark shows the warmth of Jesus’ humanity and his concern for the leper. The leper has no right even to approach Jesus, but he must have felt [...]
Fr Paul reads from the Gospel of Mark (1: 29-39) in which, Jesus, after spending the previous day healing many, rises early, finds a lonely place and prays. Fr Paul says the snippets we hear of today’s gospel reading give us a sample of Jesus’ life at Capernaum, which is a little fishing village [...]