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 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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]