Saturday of Week 16 in Ordinary Time Jer 7:1-11Mt 13:24-30 “While everybody was asleep his enemy came…” We may be sowing good seed in the field, doing what we think is helping to build God’s kingdom. But if we don’t stay alert or close to the Lord, the ‘enemy’ will come in secret, quietly sowing... Continue Reading →
21 July, Sunday — It is lonely and dangerous to be a shepherd
16th Sunday in Ordinary Time Jer 23:1-6Eph 2:13-18Mk 6:30-34 The Lord is my shepherd, there is nothing I shall want. Have you met a real life shepherd before? I have! In 2014, I was in the West Bank region of Israel. Under nominal Palestinian Authority control, the population lived in very difficult economic circumstances. With... Continue Reading →
19 July, Friday — Spirit of the Law
Friday of Week 15 in Ordinary Time Isa 38:1-6,21-22,7-8Mt 12:1-8 The Pharisees noticed it and said to him: "Look, your disciples are doing something that is forbidden on the sabbath. But he said to them: "Have you not read what David did when he and his followers were hungry...?" The times we are living in... Continue Reading →
18 July, Thursday — Lay your weary head to rest
Thursday of Week 15 in Ordinary Time Isa 26:7-9,12,16-19Mt 11: 28-30 "Come to me, all you who labour and are overburdened, and I will give you rest." I have always read this verse from Matthew's gospel as being about death. The line "I will give you rest" also appears in the hymn, 'Be not afraid', which... Continue Reading →
17 July, Wednesday — Another element of being child-like
Wednesday of Week 15 in Ordinary Time Is 10:5-7,13–16Mt 11:25-27 “… for hiding these things from the learned and the clever and revealing them to mere children.” I have always been interested in learning about what it means to be ‘childlike’, since it can easily be confused with the term ‘childish’. Childlike-ness could refer to... Continue Reading →
14 July, Sunday — Trusting in God’s Providence
15th Sunday in Ordinary TimeAmo 7:12-15Eph 1:3-14Mk 6:7-13 …take nothing for the journey… In today’s Gospel, Jesus sends His twelve disciples out in pairs on mission, giving them authority over unclean spirits. He instructs them to take nothing for the journey except a staff—no bread, no bag, no money in their belts—not even a spare... Continue Reading →
12 July, Friday — Sheep And Doves
Friday of Week 14 in Ordinary Time Hos 14:2-10Mt 10:16-23 “…I am sending you out like sheep among wolves...” Ever imagined yourself as a sheep and there were hungry wolves staring and grinning at you? That can really be scary. Jesus already foretold to the apostles that they would be facing a very challenging life.... Continue Reading →
10 July, Wednesday — We Are Called
Wednesday of Week 14 in Ordinary Time Hos 10:1-3,7-8,12Mt 10:1-7 …proclaim that the kingdom of heaven is close at hand… Would you agree that calling us by our name is very pleasant to our ears? When a person calls me bymy name, I feel something special. How much more if it were Jesus Christ who... Continue Reading →
8 July, Monday — In Faith through Courage
Monday of Week 14 in Ordinary Time Hos 2:16,17-18,21-22Mt 9:18-26 “Courage…your faith has restored you to health.” Today’s gospel speaks of the healing of two women – one who was cured of haemorrhage and the other who was brought back to life from the dead. To the woman whom Jesus cured of haemorrhage, the words... Continue Reading →
7 July, Sunday — Not Weak But Strong
14th Sunday in Ordinary Time Eze 2:2-52 Cor 12:7-10Mk 6:1-6 For it is when I am weak that I am strong. This sounds like an oxymoron – a figure of speech with opposing meaning. So how can one be weak yet strong at the same time? It is only possible through God, of course. In... Continue Reading →
OXYGEN 