Trinity Sunday, 30 June 2021: Deuteronomy 4:32-34, 39-40; Romans 8:14-17; Matthew 28:16-20      Most solemnities commemorate an event—we may sing “This is the day Christ is born” or “Christ the Lord is risen today.” But today’s Solemnity celebrates the reality we encounter throughout the Liturgical Year: the revelation of the Triune God existent through eternity, […]

FIFTH SUNDAY of Easter, YR B, 2 May, 2021: Acts 9:26-31; 1 John 3:18-24; John 15:1-8     In ancient Jewish thought, wellbeing in the Promised Land was represented by every family living on their plot of land sheltered by the proverbial fig tree and vine. We find the fig tree and vine mentioned again and […]

Anyone who loves dogs may well have watched with fascination and admiration the amazing skill and effectiveness of well-trained Sheep Dogs as they expertly herd and guide sheep at the direction of their master. But as fascinating and entertaining as this display of skill is, it is surely a very different image of the shepherd […]

Third Sunday of Easter, YR B: Acts 3:13-15, 17-19; 1 John 2:1-5; Luke 24:35-48      In recent years, whether in preaching, books or spiritual direction, many people have taught us valuable pointers in owning and working with our doubts. We can appropriate them as positive forces in our spiritual growth. But the unexpected confirmation of […]

Easter Sunday, 4 April, 2021: Acts 10:34a, 37-43; Colossians 3:1-4; John 20:1-9      How can I imagine what the resurrection-life is? Scripture doesn’t systematically describe it and theological reflection can only be logical, not experiential. We have yet to live it. It is our hope, not another specimen under a microscope.      It is easier […]

Variety-show entertainers generally prefer to end their productions with a spectacular and climactic final act that leaves their audience cheering for an encore. Jesus obviously wasn’t an entertainer; nevertheless, when one considers the impressive miracles, healings, and other outstanding feats that characterized his years of active ministry, one would perhaps expect that his final act […]

25 March, Solemnity of the Annunciation: Isaiah 7:10-14; 8:10; Hebrews 10: 4-10; Luke 1:26-38     I can easily believe that by human reason or observation of the world around us, any of us could arrive at a concept of God. I’m not so convinced that I can conceive a vibrant relationship with the living God […]

Our struggle to understand the relation between the divine and human natures of Christ and how these interact can sometimes create problematic solutions to perplexing questions. Thus, for example, we have the notion (held by some) that the infant Jesus only pretended to be helpless and unable to speak, whereas, because of his divine nature, […]

Saint Joseph, 19 March, 2021: 2 Sam 7:4-5a, 12-14a, 16; Rom 4:13, 16-18, 22; Matt 1:16, 18-21, 24a      According to the Gospels, Saint Joseph is descended from a fallen royal house, replaced by a monarchy that is only nominally Jewish, struggling to flex its muscle within the Roman Empire.      Although aware of his […]