Gospel (Page 8)

“They took offence at him”. A more literal translation is:” They were scandalized by him”. The original Greek word is “scandalum” meaning a ‘stumbling block’. What is one person’s stumbling block can be another’s stepping stone. St Mark tells us that Jesus “could do no good deed of power there”.Read More →

You may not know that, elementally, coal and diamonds are the same – made from carbon. As unlikely a pairing as you might imagine yet both known for their light – a light that shines in different ways. Their expression of light is different but it is light – lightRead More →

Life as a fisherman at sea, perhaps more than in other occupations, must lead I think to a deep appreciation of the fragility and uncertainty of existence, and must develop a strong sense of the dependency of daily living on the forces of nature and the mercy of God. CertainlyRead More →

Interestingly, mustard seeds are generally planted as an annual harvest. Jesus’ expectation that his ‘seedlings’ would be enough to thwart the traditions that had held so many captive. And that, like seedlings, it is the striving for light, for life, for transformation, that should sustain them allowing them to growRead More →

Is there an unforgivable sin? Jesus says that it is blasphemous and unforgivable to call the work of God evil and to accuse God’s representative as an agent of Satan. But in truth, all sin is forgivable as long as the sinner is sincerely repentant. But sometimes people may becomeRead More →

Today we hear a passage that hearkens back to Holy Thursday. It is Mark’s version of the Last Supper and the institution of the Body and Blood of Christ. What a wonderful gift Christ has given us! He not only gave his life for us, he remains alive and presentRead More →

You can barely scroll through a few internet pages without getting ‘7 steps to success’ or ‘5 ways of winning’ or ‘Tips to the top’ – all intended to create a desire for a life, lifestyle, relationships or career that is all about the better us. Something the disciples mayRead More →

Jesus clearly finds it hard to leave us and for this reason he promises the Holy Spirit to act as our guide. The Spirit, the Essence of Life, is breathed into us many times during our journey of faith; we are energised by the sacraments and particularly the Sacrament ofRead More →

This chapter of John’s gospel presents Jesus as the giver of divine life. He possesses the fullness of Godly life. This is what he leaves to us in his flesh and blood, the Eucharist. Prayer unites us to the sacrifice of Jesus who, all through his life, not just atRead More →