We don’t hear what happened to the woman in the Gospel after her encounter with Jesus. I think it likely that her life would never be the same again. Whatever the reason for the way she had been living before, her reason for living from then on was Jesus. He...

In this most beloved of the parables of Jesus, great spiritual benefit can be had from looking more closely at the figure of the father. We are usually inclined to focus on the two sons and ask ourselves where we might fit in with them. That is surely also very...

God always takes the first step. Look at creation. Look at his appearance to Moses in the first reading. Look at the coming of Jesus in the flesh. God is always motivated by love, especially when we are in difficulty. He appears to Moses to tell him that He is...

Jesus had just told his apostles that he would be going to Jerusalem to be killed and to rise again on the third day. The Gospel tells us that they were saddened at his words about death and did not understand his words about rising again. Jesus knew it and,...

A relative of mine was very good to my father in the last years of his life. I was abroad during those years and my siblings all lived at quote a distance from him with their families and commitments. My relative would keep an eye out for dad who was...

The darkness that covered the earth at the time of the Lord’s passing seems to have been covering the Church for the past generation or more, at least when it comes to the question of abuse. And as we open our newspapers, phones or tablets each day, it seems that...

There is something sacred about the pain you witness at a funeral. It is not only severe in its affliction but powerfully expresses a depth of love. The loss of a loved one to death seems to be a living death as well for the one left behind. And we...

David has to be one of the most attractive personalities of the whole Bible. When the prophet Samuel was sent to anoint a new king of Israel, David was not even considered a possibility by his father Jesse. He was the youngest, a shepherd. But Samuel insisted that Jesse call...

  Well, I had a lovely break in Alicante with some priest friends. Plenty of sunshine and good food, although in the shade it could be chilly! Alicante has a lot of history and much of it is centred around St. Barbara’s castle and fortress, parts of which go back...

The people of Nazareth thought of themselves as faithful Jews. But when Jesus tells them that their faith is lacking they get so angry that they want to lynch him. Why would Jesus appear to provoke them so? We perhaps get a clue from the remark made by one of...