Before Jesus ascended into heaven, he descended onto the earth. He came seeking out Adam and Eve who had fallen from heaven, and all their children. To find them, He descended into death and the underworld to rescue all who would accept Him. So, when He ascended back to heaven,...
If something new eventually gets old, then it’s not the sort of new thing which is proper to God. Anything new God does or creates will remain new forever. From our side, we can get used to the new things God does. We can start thinking of them as old....
Pope Leo’s first words were those of the Risen Christ: Peace be with you! And at Mass with the cardinals the next day, he said: “Jesus showed us a model of human holiness that we can all imitate, together with the promise of an eternal destiny that transcends all our...
“Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?” With this question, Jesus expresses the deepest want of every human heart, including His own which was also divine. We all want love, even God, especially God. What is life worth without love? Without love, life is a living...
As might be expected, the commentaries and analysis concerning Pope Francis himself and his pontificate have been being churned out fast and furious in recent days, almost before the wax seal on his coffin has had a chance to dry. I used to think that experts were rare, but in...
Before there was anything, there was nothing, but God. Then, God spoke and there was everything, created by God and created in God. The only thing He did not create was sin and its offspring death. These came from his angelic and human creatures, Satan and Adam. So, God entered...
It was convenient and pragmatic for Caiaphas and Pilate to put Jesus to death. But it was also gravely immoral. They worked it so that religious and political expediency prevailed, so that the status quo could be preserved. It’s true that, at one point, Pilate genuinely seemed to want to...
“Jesus knew that the Father had given all things into his hands.” But Jesus did not just somehow come to know that at the Last Supper. He already knew it before time began when the Father set in motion the creation of the whole universe. For the Father created all...
From the family eulogy, it’s obvious that Bob Traynor had a very full life and lived it to the full. Between family, work and sport, he engaged with all the good life had to offer. He lived it as a gift and literally ran with it. What struck me most...
This Gospel gives us a series of facts. Jesus knew before it happened that Lazarus would be terminally ill. He knew that Lazarus had died before anyone told him. He knew that the Father had planned things in this way so that it would lead to the glory to God....
