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 [...]
Jesus speaks with the Jews at the Temple In reflecting on this descriptive passage from John (10:22-30), Fr Paul reminds us that Jesus is very different from what the Jews expected the promised Messiah to be. It is worth remembering, he says, that not too long after this these same Jews were [...]
Jesus the Good Shepherd Traditionally, today’s Gospel replicates the one used yesterday for Good Shepherd Sunday so Fr Paul opts to use the alternate Gospel of the day (John 10: 11-18), which continues the theme of ‘Jesus, the Good Shepherd’. As always, Fr Paul sets the scene with his vivid description of [...]
Feast of St Athanasius Today we remember St Athanasius (295-373) who assisted at Council of Nicea and fought against arianism (the belief that the son was created by the Father but is in no way equal to him). He was a staunch defender of the faith. In John’s Gospel (6: 60-69) Jesus [...]
John’s Gospel (6: 52-59) today sees Jesus teaching in the synagogue at Capernaum. He causes a stir among the Jews there who say ‘How can this man give us his flesh to eat?’ Fr Paul explains how this Gospel connects to what we’ve heard over the last couple of days and how [...]
Today Fr Paul focuses his reflection on John’s Gospel (6: 44-51) in which Jesus says ‘No-one can come to me unless he is drawn by the Father who sent me’. In explaining what this means, Fr Paul shares his own experience of being drawn by the Father and responding to the call [...]
Feast of Catherine of Siena In John’s Gospel (6: 35-40) today we see and hear Jesus make some amazing promises – he says that he will never drive us away and that God will always love us. Jesus explains just what the bread of life is and what he says maybe helpful [...]
Feast of St Peter Chanel In John’s Gospel (6: 30-35) today the people are still with Jesus, looking for a sign that will help them believe that Jesus is ‘the One’. Jesus proclaims in this Gospel for the first time that he is ‘the Bread of Life’. Mindful of this declaration, Fr [...]
Today’s Gospel (John 6: 22-29) sees people searching for Jesus after he fed them on the hillside near the Sea of Galilee. In reflecting on two key points from this Gospel, Fr Paul ask us to call to mind the 1980’s British sitcom ‘Allo ‘Allo!, and in doing so, he shares some [...]