FRIDAY Fifth Week of Lent John 10:31-42 As we get closer to Holy Week there is a sense of growing tension in every encounter that Jesus has. He is challenged on every level and his responses only add to the confusion of his hearers. Today he makes a very simple appeal: if you don’t believe …
Category Archives: Monastic
Wednesday, Fifth Week of Lent
JOHN 8:31-42 In much of John’s Gospel Jesus speaks to people who struggle to understand him. He speaks figuratively and his hearers assume he is being concrete. We are so used to quotations from the Gospels and usually can grasp their meaning. ‘If you make my word your homeyou will indeed be my disciples,you will …
Tuesday, Fifth Week of Lent
It’s not always easy to think yourself into the mindset of those who set themselves against Jesus in the Gospels. We’ve heard the texts for years and through our baptism we are fully committed to Jesus. We have no other frame of reference. The Pharisees are studiers of the Law in all its beauty and …
Monday, Fifth Week of Lent
JOHN 8:12-20 As we move towards Holy Week there is a sense of growing tension in our Gospel texts. Jesus’ actions are being watched very closely and every word of his teaching is being scrutinised. Vigorous debate and cross questioning were an important part of the faith world of Jesus. It’s easy to forget this …
22nd Dec
1 Samuel 1:24-28 I don’t think I could imagine a more poignant scene if I tried than that of Hannah leaving her child Samuel in the Temple at Shiloh. Everything about the story raises a huge question. Hannah had longed for a child and saw the birth of Samuel as the greatest blessing. And yet, …
21st Dec
Song of Songs 2:8-14Luke 1:39-45 There’s an air of joy and urgency that weaves through the readings and prayers of our liturgy today. The first reading today comes from the Song of Songs. It’s not used very often in the lectionary, though is an option for Weddings and Religious Professions. The writer imagines their Beloved …
20th Dec
Isaiah 7:1014 As Christmas draws closers our readings focus on the key figures in God’s plan for humanity. The text from Isaiah 7 in the first reading provides the background to Gospel story of the Annunciation. Isaiah’s words speak directly to the political situation of 736 BC. In the face of the growing power of …
Advent, Sunday 4
Micah 5:1-4Luke 1:39-45 We’ve become so familiar with the elements of the Christmas story that they can lose a little of their impact. We sing ‘O little town of Bethlehem’ perhaps without realizing just how insignificant this little town was. It was a small hilltop town, just 5 miles south of Jerusalem. In today’s first …
18th Dec
Jeremiah 23:5-8 Matthew 1:18-24 The theme of kingship looms large in the story of our salvation. The transition from the people of Israel living as 12 tribes to their anointing of a king involved twists and turns. They were influenced by what they saw around them and began to long for a king: “We want …
17th Dec
The Church now silently selects its top liturgical gear as we move towards Christmas Eve. At Vespers we will sing the first of the Great O Antiphons, O Sapientia. At Mass the prayers and readings are tightly focused. Today our text is from Genesis 49. Jacob in his old age asks his twelve sons to …