On Passion Sunday each year we have what people refer to as the long Gospel, properly called The Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ. This year we have St Luke’s version. The four evangelists basically write about the same event but each one has his own particular interests as well as his immediate readership in view. There…
The Sunday Gospel Our Sunday Gospels this year are taken from Luke, but today’s story of the woman accused of adultery is found in John’s Gospel 8:1-11. But it is very likely that it was originally a portion of Luke that somehow found its way into the manuscripts of John. Its present location breaks the continuity of…
The Sunday Gospel If all of Scripture were to be destroyed with the exception of one passage, my choice to be preserved would be today’s Gospel (Luke 15: 1-3, 11-32), the parable of the Prodigal Son. This is the essence of salvation history, the story of sin and God’s offer of forgiveness. It describes three steps…
The Sunday Gospel Lent is a season of preparation for Easter when we will renew our baptismal promises to reject the wiles of Satan and to commit ourselves afresh to being a follower of Jesus Christ. Today’s Gospel (Luke 13: 1-9) is an encouragement to improve our lives with the help of God’s grace. Remember…
Last Sunday we were with Jesus on the Mount of Temptation. Today we see him on the Mount of Transfiguration (Luke 9:28-36). It’s such a contrast of experiences, from temptation to the vision of divine glory. He took with him Peter, John and James and went up the mountain to pray. Climbing the mountain is…
When I take a passage of scripture for reflection, I begin with my pencil to underline words that strike me. For the First Sunday of Lent, we have Luke’s account of the temptations of Jesus (Luke 4:1-13). First, I underlined Holy Spirit. Luke is the evangelists of the Holy Spirit so it comes as no surprise…
The Sunday Gospel On this Sunday we have the third extract from the great sermon on the plain where Jesus sets out the ideals of Christian life. Last Sunday we reflected on the ideal of being forgiving and compassionate like our Father in heaven. The ideal is beyond human nature unaided, but with the supernatural…
The Sunday Gospel This Sunday our Gospel (Luke 6:27-38) picks up from last Sunday when we were introduced to the Sermon on the Mount which is the charter of Christian living. This charter is inspired by a new revelation of God’s relationship with us. God is revealed as our Father in a way never previously…
The Sunday Gospel If you want to know what to believe, study the Creed: if you want to know how to pray, study the Our Father; and if you want to know how to behave, study the Sermon on the Mount. In today’s Mass we have Luke’s version of the Beatitudes at the beginning of…
The Sunday Gospel The days are lengthening, daffodils are here and there is encouraging news about control of the Covid-19 pandemic. Is there any possibility that the virus of sin might be stamped out? Sadly, following the news any night, the evidence is depressing. The readings at Mass today are about two people, Isaiah (Isaiah…