Ezekiel 47:1-9,12John 5:1-3, 5-16 Along the river, on either bank, will grow every kind of fruit tree with leaves that never wither and fruit that never fails; they will bear new fruit every month, because this water comes from the sanctuary. And their fruit will be good to eat and the leaves medicinal. This passage …
Monthly Archives: March 2023
St Joseph
2 Sam 7:4-5, 12-14,16Matthew 1:16, 18-21,24 We step off the Lenten path to celebrate the Feast of St Joseph. Unlike other saints in our calendar, we have no dates of his birth or death, whether from history or folklore. But what we do have is his silent belief in God’s promise. The first reading from …
Fourth Sunday in Lent
1 Samuel 16:1,6-7,10-13John 9:1-41 Today’s Gospel of the man born blind had me searching for an article by liturgist Maxwell E. Johnson, entitled, Back Home to the Font: Eight Implications of a Baptismal Spirituality. He explores the liturgical year through the theology of Baptism and sees Lent as a time when we can imagine ourselves …
Saturday in the Third Week of Lent
Hosea 5:15-6:6Luke 18:9-14 The prophets were all called to deliver challenging messages to people who found themselves in crisis. It was largely a crisis of faith. One question occupied the hearts and minds of the people: Has God abandoned us? As political alliances failed and the prospect of exile loomed, Hosea speaks to the injustices …
Friday in the Third Week of Lent
Hosea 14: 2-10Mark 12:28-34 ‘One of the scribes came up to Jesus and put this question to him, ‘Which is the first of all the commandments?’ Jesus replied, ‘This is the first: Listen, Israel. the Lord our God is the one Lord, and you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with …
Thursday in the Third Week of Lent
Jeremiah 7:23-28Luke 11:14-23 ‘Every kingdom divided against itself is heading for ruin, and a household divided against itself collapses.’ The onlookers in today’s Gospel challenge the very nature of Jesus’ power to work miracles. Jesus has cast out a devil and rather than accepting this as a miracle, the onlookers set up a polarity: Jesus …
Wednesday in the Third Week of Lent
Deuteronomy 4:1, 5-9Matthew 5:17-19 Moses said to the people; Now, Israel, take notice of the laws and customs that I teach you today, and observe them, that you may have life and may enter and take possession of the land that the Lord God of your Fathers is giving you. Scripture scholar, Walter Brueggemann, sees …
Tuesday in the Third Week of Lent
Daniel 3:25, 34-43Matthew 18:21-35 In the reading from the prophet Daniel today we hear the lament of the people of Israel. Their spiritual and physical worlds have been shaken. They are bereft without Temple worship and strong leadership. As they look back over their journey they make appeal to the faithfulness of Abraham and Isaac. …
Monday in the Third Week of Lent
2 Kings 5:1-15 Luke 4:24-30 Jesus starts his preaching ministry in his home town of Nazareth. He doesn’t start gently with an engaging story, but boldly he unrolls the Isaiah scroll and announces that these prophecies are being fulfilled. A huge leap of faith is required on the part of the people in the synagogue. The …
Third Sunday in Lent (A)
Exodus 17:3-7John 4:5-42 In the next three weeks as we journey towards Easter, our biblical imaginations are invited to explore three major baptismal themes: water, light and life. We have made the journey from desert to the mountain top. This week we find ourselves by a well. We enter a different world when we listen …