EMMANUELIsaiah’s words speak directly to the political situation of 736 BC. In the face of the growing power of Babylon, Judah is tempted to make an alliance with Assyria. Isaiah warns against this and when King Ahaz requests a sign this is what he hears: ‘The Lord himself, therefore,will give you a sign.It is this: …
Author Archives: Turvey Nuns
Advent Alphabet (F)
FLOCK He is like a shepherd feeding his FLOCK, gathering lambs in his arms, holding them against his breast and leading to their rest the mother ewes. Fluffy, clean sheep can be found on many of our Christmas cards. They look cute and comforting. For the people of Israel the image had different connotations; shepherding …
Advent Alphabet (D)
DAVID ‘Joseph, son of DAVID, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife…’ As the biblical story of salvation unfolds we see Israel watching and waiting in times of darkness, faith-filled and courageous as the way head becomes clear, and jubilant as God’s promise unfolds. Each part of the journey has depended …
Advent Alphabet (C)
‘COMFORT my people, comfort them.’ says your God The prophecies of the Books of Isaiah are integral to our prayer and worship in Advent. It’s almost impossible to hear the opening of Isaiah 40 without also hearing the plaintive tones of Handel’s Messiah. This is a God who is invested in our lives. This is …
Advent Alphabet (B)
BLESSED BLESSED is she who believed that the promise made her by the Lord would be fulfilled. Over the course of Advent we’ll trace the story of our salvation with all its twists and turns. It’s a story of promise and blessing, of anguish and exile. Through eyes of the prophets and biblical characters we …
Advent Alphabet (A)
AWAKE As Advent begins the message is loud and clear: stay awake. Advent calls us to be awake and attentive to the many ways in which the Word made Flesh is already present in our lives. It calls us too to hope that all that weighs heavy in our personal lives, and the world, will …
Christ the King
Ezekiel 34:11-12,15-17Matthew 25:31-46 Today our liturgy opens with Ezekiel’s well-known image of God as a shepherd. God promises to tend his people as a shepherd would his flock. Shepherd imagery is often used when the Biblical writers talk about kingship, indeed, David, the most famous king of all, is called from the sheepfold to be …
Thirty Third Sunday in Ordinary Time
Matthew 25:14-30 In his book The Parables of the Kingdom, C.H. Dodd refers to today’s parable as the parable of Money in Trust. I found this a helpful starting place. What the parable describes was a very normal way for the wealthy to do business in the ancient world. When property was entrusted there was …
Thirty Second Sunday in Ordinary Time
Matthew 25:1-13 I have always loved this parable. It’s easy to picture the scene and to feel the excitement as the bridegroom is awaited. Commentators don’t seem to be able to agree as to whether the women were carrying lamps or torches. Either way their job to be ready and to light the path. As …
Thirty-First Sunday in Ordinary Time
Matthew 23:1-12 The scribes and the Pharisees occupy the chair of Moses. You must therefore do what they tell you and listen to what they say; but do not be guided by what they do: since they do not practise what they preach. We’ve probably both given and been this advice ourselves in the course …