The Sunday Gospel Ez 17:22-24 Ps 92:2-3, 13-14, 15-16 2 Cor 5:6-10 Mk 4:26-34 To walk by faith, and not by sight, is one of the challenges and joys of the spiritual journey. This is the invitation extended to all in God’s word this Sunday. As the Church returns to ordinary time, God’s word invites…
Our own complexity can be befuddling. We are better than we think and worse than we imagine, too hard and too easy on ourselves all at the same time. We are a curious mix. On the one hand, we are good. All of us are made in the image and likeness of God and are,…
The Sunday Gospel Gn 3:9-15 Ps 130:1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 7-8 2 Cor 4:13—5:1 Mk 3:20-35 You’re in good company. The Scriptures this Sunday show what Jesus went through in his hometown – and they offer us a valuable perspective. In Mark’s Gospel, Jesus hears some criticism and name-calling that is downright blasphemous, with relatives claiming…
The Sunday Gospel Ex 24:3-8 Ps 116:12-13, 15-16, 17-18 Heb 9:11-15 Mk 14:12-16, 22-26 “Be what you see, become what you receive!” With these words, the saintly bishop Augustine urged his flock to deepen their understanding of the gift and mystery of the Eucharist. The good bishop reminded the faithful that the Eucharist transforms them…
In much of the secularised world today, we live in a climate that’s somewhat anti-Christian and anti-Church (as contradictory as this may sound in a culture that still considers itself Christian). But the truth is that in many circles today it is fashionable to bash Christianity, especially its churches, be they Roman Catholic, Protestant, or…
The Sunday Gospel Dt 4:32-34, 39-40 Ps 33:4-5, 6, 9, 18-19, 20, 22 Rom 8:14-17 Mt 28:16-20 Periodically, people ask me, “What is your favourite part of being a deacon?” Near the top of my list would have to be the opportunity to celebrate the sacrament of baptism. There’s just nothing like it. There is…
What is the Ascension? The Ascension is an event in the life of Jesus and his original disciples, a feast day for Christians, a theology, and a spirituality, all woven together into one amorphous mystery that we too seldom try to unpackage and sort out. What does the Ascension mean? Among other things, it is…
The Sunday Gospel Acts 2:1-11 Ps 104:1, 24, 29-30, 31, 34 1 Cor 12:3b-7, 12-13 or Gal 5:16-25 Jn 20:19-23 or Jn 15:26-27; 16:12-15 When St John Paul II was elected to the papacy in 1978 among his first words to the world, spoken during his inaugural homily, were, “Be not afraid! Open wide the…
We are all priests from our baptism, and with that comes an invitation, namely, to pray for the world as a priest through the prayer of Christ and the Church. What does that mean exactly? Everyone who is baptised as a Christian is baptised into the priesthood of Jesus Christ. The priesthood is given to…
This is a Sunday of beginnings and endings. We hear the very first words of the Acts of the Apostles – and then, moments later, the last words of the Gospel according to Mark. Both focus on The Ascension – a moment that ties together two remarkable parts of our salvation, marking the end of…
Fr Ronald Rolheiser