Tag Archive for ‘fear’
Thursday 2 July
Genesis 22: 1-19, Psalm 115, Matthew 9: 1-8 The voices of love and fear When we follow Jesus in the gospels, we see an emerging pattern: his acts of healing get two reactions from the crowd – rejoicing and criticism. Once, I would have judged these reactions as “good” and “evil”. But Jesus, spoke truth […]
Wednesday 1 July
Genesis 21:5, 8-20, Psalm 34, Matthew 8:28-34 The healing power of love Ill health was not understood in Jesus’ time. It was the common belief that all misfortune was the result of sin, and people with mental or physical illness were judged accordingly. We can assume that the two people living in empty tombs, had […]
Saturday 18 April
Acts 6:1-7; Ps 33; John 6:16-21 Do not be afraid After all that has happened the disciples are still afraid when Jesus walks on the water. You would think nothing would surprise them now. But that isn’t the case. It is consoling because seldom do we have it all together. We want certainty in our […]
Monday 6 April
Acts 2:14,22-23; Ps 16; Matthew 28:8-15 Set us free Jesus tells the two Marys not to be afraid but to go and tell the disciples what has happened. You can imagine why they might be afraid, wondering what all this is going to mean for them, trying to put human reasons on what has happened. […]
Sunday 15th March
4th Sunday of Lent 2 Chronicles 36:14-16, 19-23, Ps 137, Ephesians 2:4-10, John 3:14-21 We are God’s work of art. When you look in the mirror do you remember those words? Try repeating them often this week. Do you recognise the one who angers or frustrates you as God’s work of art also? ‘Jesus did […]
Heaven
Developments in medical science in recent years have made it possible to bring to life many thousands of people who are clinically dead – sometimes a few hours after death. Many of these people, possibly as high as 20 per cent, report vivid experiences of heaven. Their stories are remarkably similar. They leave their own […]
Saturday 31 January
St John Bosco Hebrews 11:1-2,8-19, Luke 1:69-75, Mark 4:35-41 He’s Not Asleep We have all experienced times of anxiety, fear, pain or distress, when, despite all our prayers and entreaties, Jesus just seems to be “asleep” to our need. From such experiences, however, I have learned a wonderful truth: Jesus is always there. Jesus is […]
Thursday 11 December
SAINT DAMASUS Isaiah 41:13-20, Psalm 145, Matt. 11:11-15 Hope Christmas draws nearer. The words of Isaiah are creating an increasingly clear picture of God. Not a fearful, distant, omnipotent being. But a father, holding our hand. Assuring us, ‘don’t be afraid.’ A helper. Giving drink to the thirsty. Greening the earth. Flattening mountains. The mountains […]
Wednesday 29 October
Ephesians 6:1-9; Ps 145; Luke 13:22-30 Eyes on the Lord We need have no fear of the ‘weeping and grinding of teeth’ as long as we fix our eyes and hearts on the Lord, who is ‘faithful in all his words and loving in all his deeds’. When and if we sin, we need to […]
Saturday 27 September
St Vincent de Paul Eccles 11: 9-12: 8; Psalm 90; Luke 9: 43-45 Fraidy cats Since, as John tells us in his first letter that perfect love casts out all fear, we can presume that on this occasion, when the Lord predicted his passion, the disciples did not yet love Jesus wholeheartedly. But they did […]
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