Over and above the central teaching of the parable of Jesus in today’s Gospel, which is to forgive as we have been forgiven, it contains another important lesson. If we look closely at the wicked servant, it is obvious that he is a wasteful man. He is a waster....
Yesterday, I was watching how both the ferry to Cumbrae and the sailor of a small yacht were going with the flow. They adapted themselves skilfully to both wind and water. In part, they were respecting the power of the elements, and in part they were using it to their...
On the four previous Sundays of August we have considered the power of Jesus. That power is his love. We have seen how he exercises it over our hungers (feeding of the thousands, curing the sick, compassion for the harassed and dejected), fears (rescuing Peter from sinking into the...
Today’s is a Gospel of great reassurance, a morale booster of the first degree. For though the Church may seem to be in endless turmoil, She is still the handiwork of the Son of God. As He himself says, “I will build my Church.” The Church is not Peter’s...
We are roughly half way between Easter and Christmas, and the Assumption of Our Lady into heaven is the second feast this month (the other being the Transfiguration) which lifts our gaze upwards, towards our final goal. Christ does not only want to exercise his power of love to help...
On these Sundays of August, we are seeing Jesus display his divine power for our lasting good – not just for some material good, but above all to stir in us the gift and courage of faith by exposing us to the signs of his divinity. Last Sunday, he used...
It is said that absolute power corrupts absolutely. Certainly, earthly power can be the envy of the ambitious and the terror of the poor and humble. Power is so often associated with greed, violence and injustice. Few are those who wield political power solely to serve. It’s understandable why people...
The Holy Spirit, the Lord and Giver of Life, was poured out upon all creation by Jesus in the act of his death, the supreme act of supreme love. In chapter 8 of his Letter to the Romans, we have been considering in recent weeks how St. Paul explains...
We have been reading or hearing from the beautiful chapter 8 of St. Paul’s Letter to the Romans during this month of July. In it, St. Paul teaches us about the spiritual life of the Christian who is living in the grace of God. But Paul makes it clear that...
The earth is the better part of 4.5 billion years older than humanity. It took just about that amount of time for her to get ready for us and to give birth to us. Since our bodies are made of various elements of the earth, no wonder we call...
