Tag Archive for ‘Jesus’
Wednesday 4 September
Colossians 1:1-8; Psalm 52; Luke 4:38-44 Giving and receiving In this Gospel passage we see Jesus giving of himself to the point of exhaustion. Perhaps his early morning retreat to a deserted place was not only to pray but also to replenish his physical strength. Each of us is called to announce the Good News […]
Saturday 24 August
St Bartholomew, Apostle (f) Apocalypse 21:9-14; Psalm 145; John 1:45-51 Prejudices Jews despised Nazareth because it had a Roman garrison. Bartholomew (Nathaniel) asks what good could come from Nazareth. Despite this, he kept an open mind and went to see Jesus for himself. Prejudice involves preconceived ideas, embraced uncritically as our own. Bartholomew proves to […]
Friday 23 August
Ruth 1:1, 3-6, 14-16, 22; Psalm 146; Matthew 22:34-40 Love produces freedom Ruth, a Gentile woman, abandoned her country to provide for her mother-in-law. We may assume Ruth and her husband loved each other deeply. Ruth’s beautiful response after his death is to sacrifice everything for love. As we abandon ourselves to the love of […]
Monday 19 August
Judges 2:11-19; Psalm 106; Matthew 19:16-22 The Lord has pity In the Book of Judges, people are making appalling choices, yet the Lord has pity on them. God’s insistence on our freedom amazes and confuses me, yet gives me hope when I fail, and hope for others who make destructive life choices. The Lord has […]
Saturday 17 August
Joshua 24:14-29, Psalm 16, Matthew 19: 13-15 Excluding some people? The disciples try to exclude bothersome children. They had not understood Jesus’ teaching on becoming “as little children” (Matt 18:1ff). In Jesus’ time children had no status or power. Jesus gives the disciples an object lesson in humility. To such as these…the kingdom of heaven […]
Monday 12 August
Deuteronomy 10:12-22; Psalm147; Matthew 17:22-27 The power of preconceived ideas Both before and after the Transfiguration, Jesus predicts his death and resurrection. The disciples hear only the death, and are discouraged. They still expect Jesus to be an earthly king. Jesus uses the tax question to emphasise his true kingship. Kings pay no tax and […]
Wednesday 7 August
Numbers 13:1-2, 25-14:1, 26-29, 34-35; Psalm106; Matthew 15:21-28 Love and faith beyond boundaries The Canaanite woman recognised Jesus’ power. Love, mingled with fear for her daughter, gave her courage to persist to the point of annoyance in asking for help. She portrays a powerful witness of intercession and faith that doesn’t give up. Love and […]
Friday 2 August
St Peter Julian Eymard (OM) Leviticus 23:1, 4-11, 15-16, 27, 34-37; Psalm 81; Matthew 13:54-58 Attentive to God among us St Peter Julian Eymard (1811-1868) was a member of the Society of Mary before founding congregations of men, women and lay apostolates for worship of the Eucharist. The Eucharistic framework is drawn from Judaism. We […]
A School for Prayer (24) – Spiritual Guidance (3 of 3)
The ancient tradition of the spiritual life By Fr Craig Larkin SM, 1943 – 2015 What does the disciple need to do? 1. The disciple should search carefully for a spiritual father St Symeon the New Theologian says that there are two ways of finding the energy of the Spirit that we received in Baptism: […]
Thursday 1 August
St Alphonsus Liguori (M) Exodus 40:16-21, 34-38; Psalm 84; Matthew 13:47-53 God’s revelation as treasure Today’s readings reveal the investment God wants in our everyday lives. Moses follows instructions to build the tabernacle. God’s glory is so immense that none could enter the tent of meeting, yet the same God had a ‘mercy’ seat built […]
Entries(RSS)