In the Gospel for this Sunday, the third week of advent, we hear about the powerful proclamation of John the Baptist the last and greatest of the Old Testament prophets. “I baptise you with water, but someone is coming, someone who is more powerful than I am, and I am not fit to undo the …
“A voice cries in the wilderness: Prepare a way for the Lord, make his paths straight. Every valley will be filled in, every mountain and hill be made low.” These words from Isaiah are part of this Sunday’s Gospel and describe the mission of John the Baptist, the last and greatest of the Old Testament …
Advent comes from the Latin word Adventus meaning coming or arrival. The arrival of a Saviour has been predicted over millennia. Much can be found in the Old Testament especially in the book of Isaiah (7.14). Fantastic, unbelievable. This is the story of Christmas; that God our Creator sent to earth a Saviour Jesus who …
Who or what is king in your life – what is most important to you; money, power, a person, entertainment idol? For Christians, Jesus is King. This is what Catholics celebrated this Sunday and what the readings at Mass were about. Pilate asks Jesus, “Are you the king of the Jews?” Jesus replies, “Yes I …
Will the world last forever or will it come to an end and if so, when? Jesus speaks of the end of the world in the gospel this Sunday and in doing so, his second coming; “They will see the son of Man coming in the clouds with great power and glory; then too he …
In this Sunday’s Gospel we hear; “This poor widow has put more in than all who have contributed to the treasury; for they have put in money they had over, but she from the little she had has put in everything she possessed.”(Mark 12: 43 -44) Jesus had been watching those contributing the Temple treasury …
What do we live by? In the gospel reading for this Sunday, (Mark 12: 28 – 34) one of the Jewish leaders, a scribe, asks Jesus which is the most important commandment that we should live by. Jesus replies with the answer the scribe knew well. “Listen, Israel, the Lord our God is the one …
It’s so easy not to notice or listen to people calling out for help, especially those on the margins of what might be thought of as “normal” living. Parents of children in poverty and those forced to use food banks, the homeless, those suffering domestic abuse, prisoners crammed into tiny cells with no chance of …
In the Gospel for this Sunday which is also “World Mission Day in the Catholic Church, we hear something quite startling. James and John who along with Peter were the inner circle among Jesus’ apostles, ask Jesus for a favour. They ask if they can sit on either side of him in his glory. Jesus …
How can we have eternal life? For those who believe in God, this is the key question. We cannot earn eternal life by good deeds as a right. We cannot achieve that state of life or righteousness which is necessary to be acceptable to God. We are just not good enough and never will be. …