Jesus Christ, the Universal King

The Sunday Gospel This is the last Sunday of the liturgical year when we celebrate Jesus Christ, the Universal King. The end of the year anticipates the end of time when “the Kingdom of God will come in all its fullness. Then the just will reign with Jesus Christ for ever, glorified in body and soul,…

Purgatory: Therapy of divine love

The Sunday Gospel November is the month when we remember those who have died and we pray for the souls in purgatory. Purgatory is not specifically mentioned in the Bible but the doctrine of purgatory is a beautiful development which holds in unity two ideas that might appear to be contradictory. The doctrine of God’s…

She gave all she had…

The Sunday Gospel The first reading and Gospel today (Mark 12:38-44) feature poor widows who gave all they had. The evangelist Mark had a habit of following the teaching of Jesus with the example of some person who embodies or exemplifies that lesson. Last Sunday we heard the answer of Jesus to the question of what was…

The Jesus Prayer

The Sunday Gospel The prayer of the blind man, Bartimaeus, is a model of prayer. It is full of reverence, simplicity, trust and perseverance. It is the basis of what is known as the Jesus Prayer. This has always been popular in the Orthodox tradition but forgotten in the West until recent times. The prayer…

The sanctity of marriage

The Sunday Gospel Today’s Gospel (Mark 10: 2-16) is first of all about the sanctity of marriage between husband and wife, and then about the touch of God on their children. The background is a trick question about divorce in an attempt to trap Jesus. “Is it against the law for a man to divorce…

Christian by name and in deed

The Sunday Gospel The Sunday Gospels these weeks are about Jesus on the way to Calvary and how his followers are to take up their crosses also. Today’s reading (Mark 9:38-43, 45, 47-48) is a challenge to be Christian not only in name but also in the way we live. Do I belong to Christ…

I have come to serve

The Sunday Gospel Last Sunday we completed the first half of the ministry of Jesus and moved into the second stage.  “Who do you say I am?”  The first half of Mark is complete when Peter recognises him as the Christ, the Anointed One.  Jesus is his personal name and Christ is his career name,…