Thoughts and Reflections

Acts 10:34a, 37-43/ Psalm 118(117):1-2. 16-17. 22-23/ Colossians 3:1-4/ John 20:1-9 Imagine running to the tomb on that first Easter morning, heart pounding with grief and confusion. You arrive and see the stone rolled away, the tomb empty except for the grave clothes. That same empty tomb is calling to us today with the greatest news in history. Today is not just a remembrance of a past event, it is a living reality. Jesus is risen. In the Gospel today, we hear about the oth

Matthew 21:1-11/ Isaiah 50:4-7/ Ps 22(21)/ Philippians 2:6-11/ Matthew 26:14-27:66 People today come to public notice for all sorts of reasons, politicians, athletes, celebrities, are subject to viral videos and become popular heroes overnight. Millions praise them, their images appear everywhere. Then, just as quickly, they can be demonised, rejected, the same people who praised them one day will decry them the next. Praise turns to hatred, the crowd demands the person be ca

Ezekiel 37:12-14/ Ps 130(129)/ Romans 8:8-11/ John 11:1-45 Among the passengers onboard the Titanic when it met its fate after striking an iceberg was Father Thomas Byles, a catholic priest. Refusing places on the lifeboats Father Byles stayed on deck, hearing confessions, leading the Rosary, and praying with those facing death. Father Byles displayed an extraordinary calm, steady presence as he awaited his inevitable death. What gave this man the courage to remain on a sinki

1 Samuel 16:1b, 6-7, 10-13/ Ps 23(22)/ Ephesians 5:8-14/ John 9:1-41 There is an old saying, ‘there are none so blind as those who will not see’. That saying could be the thread that runs through the readings of this Fourth Sunday of Lent. God said to Samuel, "Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees. Man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart." In those few words, w

Exodus 17:3-7/ Ps 95(94)/ Romans 5:1-2, 5-8/ John 4:5-42 In the first reading today, we find the Israelites in the desert. They have escaped slavery, seen miracles, watched the sea part before them. Now they are thirsty, weary and frightened, and they turn on Moses for leading them out into the desert to die. This is not a complaint from a faithless people, it is the cry of a people who are exhausted, who expected the journey to be easier, who were wondering why God felt so f