The Beatitudes Many will be familiar with today’s Gospel from Matthew (5:1-12): the Beatitudes from the Sermon on the Mount is one of best-known teachings of Jesus. The first word of the first discourse from the Sermon on the Mount (which we hear over the next three weeks) is ‘blessed’ or ‘happy’. [...]
The widow gave all she had In Mark’s Gospel (12:38-44) today we hear of the contrast between the scribes and the widow and their offerings at the temple. In her reflection, Anne tells us the scribes were well-educated men, who took the best seats at banquets and in the synagogue and flaunted their wealth. [...]
Feast of St Boniface Today Anne O’Brien shares the Gospel from the liturgy for the Feast of St Boniface (675-754AD) who was a bishop remembered for major reforms in the church in Germany and for his fidelity to the Pope of the time. In this Gospel from John (10: 11-16) Jesus tells us [...]
What is the greatest commandment? Today’s Gospel (Mark 12:28-34) follows on from what we have heard the last couple of days and concludes a theme of ‘confrontation’ between the Jewish authorities and Jesus. This time, though, it is more of a questioning by one of the scribes who asks Jesus, ‘Which is the first of all the [...]
Feast of St Charles Lwanga & Companions Today, while we reflect on the Gospel of Mark (12:18-27), Tony asks us also to remember St Charles Lwanga and his twenty-one young companions (the first martyrs in Uganda), who were killed for their faith in 1886. In this Gospel passage, we hear of a [...]
Give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar Today, Tony reads from the Gospel of Mark (12: 13-17), which documents a confrontation between Jesus and the Jewish leadership of the time. This one of several such confrontations mentioned in Mark’s Gospel, of which Tony says a better understanding can be gained by looking [...]
Feast of Mary Mother of the Church: ‘Here is your mother’ The celebration of Mary Mother of the Church falls perfectly in line with our Gospel reading from last week where Fr Paul mentions the four appearances of the ‘beloved disciple’ in John’s Gospel. In this Gospel (John 19: 25-27) the [...]
Who is the beloved disciple? Today is the last of our Easter season – it is a time of change – from next week we are back in Ordinary Time in the Church’s liturgical calendar. If we were in the church, we would see our colours change from white/gold to green. The [...]
Jesus tells Peter ‘Feed my sheep’ Over the next couple of days, with our Easter season coming to an end and Pentecost just around the corner, Fr Paul will read from the end of John’s Gospel. In today’s reading (John 21:15-19) we hear Simon Peter given a command summed up in Jesus’ [...]
Jesus prays for unity to be a sign of God’s love Today in John (17: 20-26), Fr Paul says we hear the third and final part of Jesus’ prayer for the church, after which Jesus and the disciples leave the Mount of Olives and head back to Jerusalem. Jesus having prayed to [...]