Weekly Reflection

St. John brings to life the discourse between Jesus and Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor of Judea. The passage forms part of the Gospel account of Christ’s passion. Arrested and now standing before Pilate, Jesus is questioned about His kingship. What kind of king is He? What sort of kingdom does He rule? The replies […]

Around the time of Christ’s birth, the expectation of the Messiah was that He was going to come as a military leader, a worldly king, who would get rid of the Romans and instate a true and just Jewish leadership to show God’s favor towards the people of Israel. Christ’s mission on earth was not

Sitting beside the Temple treasury today, Jesus catches sight of a widow. It can be quite fascinating to see the variety of human beings passing by, and their differing styles. Religious officials in long robes make an impressive sight. People bow and make way for them. They are important people. Then the widow comes along.

You might say that saints are the Church’s success stories; but they are very different from what passes as a success in our celebrity culture, where you can become famous, even for 15 minutes, just by appearing on television. Jesus tells us in the Gospel today how we can become a success, that is, how

Today’s Gospel provides an insight into Jesus the celebrity, complete with self-appointed bodyguards, who try to take charge when Bartimeus dares to attract His attention. Bartimeus knowing that his savior is at hand, he summons the courage to break through the barrier of people’s palpable disapproval. When Jesus stops in his tracks and turns to

In today’s Gospel, James and John are unwise in what they wish for. Jesus gives them every chance to get themselves out of trouble and tells them directly, “You do not know what you are asking.” James and John imagine a kingdom of earthly power where they will be rulers. Here James and John reveal

On the second Sunday of October each year our Holy Church celebrates the Solemnity of the Christian Family to commemorate the great meaning of the family in society and in the Church of Christ. Today, sad to say, we see the family taking a lesser and lesser role in the rearing of our children. The

There is another debate going on in the Gospel today between Jesus and the Pharisees, on a subject that is still a matter for debate in our world today – that is, marriage and divorce. The Pharisees wanted to see if Jesus could be portrayed either as a rigid rule teacher, or as a lax

In today’s Gospel one phrase is repeated twice: “not one of us”. The apostle John is indignant that a man outside of their circle is casting out devils. “Because he was not one of us we tried to stop him,” John tells Jesus. But Jesus stuns the disciples by telling them that they have no

Today’s Gospel gives us hope that we are not the only ones who get it wrong and misunderstand the Good News of Jesus. In this account, the disciples show us that there is “nothing new under the sun”. Jesus, calling Himself “the Son of Man”, is trying to prepare the disciples for the ordeal that