230430 - 4th Sunday of Easter - Today is known as ‘Good Shepherd Sunday’ when the words of Jesus reassure those who come to know him that they “will go freely in and out and be sure of finding pasture”. If they listen to his voice as he calls each by name he will lead them out where no fear or terror can affect them and not one person will be lost that has been given to him. He tells us “I am the door”, the only way through which subsequent shepherds must pass in order to take up the mantle of ministering to Christ’s flock in each generation. 230604 - Trinity Sunday - The description of God in today’s Feast is one of “tenderness and compassion, rich in kindness and faithfulness”, a God who stands with Moses and answers his plea to “Come with us, adopt us”. 230618 - 11th Sunday - Today Paul tells us how we are called into a special relationship with God without us having done anything to deserve it. Such reconciliation with God has come about because “while we still were sinners Christ died for us”. He spells out for us that Christ’s death is a real expression of that love. Such love, he tells us, is poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit. It is not something we can achieve on our own. 230625 - 12th Sunday - Crumbs from the Table of the Word - In these unstable times, fear is an understandable reaction. This can be true in society in general— the economy, politics, climate change. It can also be true within the community of faith. As we go through a time of intense pressure and overt opposition, it would be easy to lose heart. The spirit of today’s society, the example of our contemporaries, and the irreligious mood of much of the media do not always foster God-fearing attitudes or encourage sound moral standards. 230709.14th Sunday.Breadcrumbs - The three Readings for this Sunday have one thing in common – they all show a certain frustration on the part of each speaker at the people being addressed, who either don’t understand or don’t want to take on board the message that is being offered to them. Zechariah presents his listeners with the image of a leader who comes riding on a donkey (not a war horse) and wishes to do away with weapons so that “He will command peace to the nations”. St. Paul wants to open his listeners eyes to the fact that we are already redeemed, transformed by the Spirit of God dwelling in us, and therefore not victims of our own chaotic wilfulness but always capable of personal growth into “the fullness of Life lived with Christ”. And Jesus, in the face of rejection from some of his followers, thanks God that it does not depend on the wise and learned to grasp what he is saying, but to those who have not forgotten how it feels to be as open and trusting as when they were little children. Such a perspective requires a change of attitude for each one to arrive at the wisdom being presented, not as an intellectual truth or a burdensome command, but as a spiritual transformation since “The Spirit of God has made his home in you”, and that makes all the difference. If we really believe that, then no amount of burdens placed upon our shoulders will be too heavy, because the grace and love promised by Jesus will be there to help us carry them, so as to make our yoke easy and our burden light. 230716 - 15th Sunday - Crumbs from the Table of The Word - Jesus uses parables to make people think about their own responses to his message. As you read this parable you may recognise that at different times you have been like each of the different types of soil. As you recall times when you presented fertile soil for the word of God, what helped you create that receptive atmosphere? 230723 - Crumbs from the Table of the Lord - The usual way of interpreting the story of the landowner who sows good seed in his field suggests that in the world there are good people (the wheat) who will go to heaven and bad people (the weeds) who are destined for the bonfire. Even John the Baptist expected Jesus to separate the cream from the skim, the wheat from the chaff, to have only holy people around him. 230730 Crumbs from the Table of the Word - In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus says: For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. (Matthew 6:21) The best way to know “where my treasure is” is not to contemplate my ideals, usually unassailably noble, but to examine my practical use of time and energy. To what do I actually devote my best self? That’s where my treasure is. Crumbs from the Table of the Word - The Hebrew language has no word for ‘body’ so ‘flesh’ is the nearest approximation to the words Jesus would use. It is also the nearest approximation of how closely Jesus wants to share his life with us. He promised “I will be with you all days even to the end of the earth”, and the sign of that promise is the gift placed in our hands which the priest names as “The Body of Christ” each time we receive it. . Crumbs from the Table of the Word - The core of our Christian proclamation is “Christ is risen, he is truly risen!” In the Orthodox Church, this Easter greeting is exchanged during the liturgy and throughout the Easter season — sparking something of the excitement of the feast. Crumbs from the Table of the Word: 16 April 2023 - Our Gospel for this Sunday is remembered as the story of doubting Thomas — this in spite of the fact that Thomas makes the most resounding of all acts of faith in Jesus to be found in the whole Gospel of John. 230702.Crumbs from the Table of the Word: - Hospitality is the theme of today’s Readings starting with the welcome given to Elisha by a well-off married couple who decide “Let us build him a small room on the roof, and put a bed in it, and a table and chair and a lamp; whenever he comes to us he can rest there”. God is not to be outdone by this generosity and as a sign of appreciation for their care for the Prophet in twelve months’ time the gift of a child is bestowed upon them. Jesus has this event in mind when he proclaims “and anyone who welcomes a prophet because he is a prophet will have a prophet’s reward”. Crumbs from the Table of the Word: 3rd Sunday Easter - The Emmaus story speaks to people of all ages. We can see ourselves in these two weary travelers on their journey. The faith and hope they have lost mirrors our own disappointments, the future they had put their hope in has collapsed around them, which happens to us as well. . Calmly, without alarm, an unknown companion begins walking along the road with them, Crumbs from the Table of the Word: 5th Sunday in Lent - The message in today’s Gospel is expanded upon by St. Paul when he announces to us that “The Spirit of God has made his home in you” - in such a way that our whole being (bodies as well as soul) has been rejuvenated by the supreme gesture of God’s Spirit residing in us. Crumbs from the Table of the Word: Palm Sunday 2 April 2023 - On Palm Sunday we are presented with two Gospels. The chief one is the Passion according to Matthew but before that we have the Gospel of the Entry into Jerusalem. This Gospel of the Entry is an invitation to each one of us to make once again, our entry into the events of Holy Week. Gospel Reflection 4th Sunday of Lent - The Book of Samuel is all about the difficult task given this particular prophet who has to walk the fine line between trying not to upset King Saul but at the same time surreptitiously following God’s instructions to find a new king.