6th Sunday in Ordinary Time: In the Book of Job, the main character, Job, says “….relentlessly I fret till twilight falls.” He lies on his bed and ponders his life and probably remembers the better days he’d enjoyed.  Job (pronounced Jobe) was a man whose faith in God was tested to the very limit.  He wasn’t always in this situation.  Far from it.  Job was a wealthy man who was happily married, had lots of children, enjoyed the finer things of life and was blessed with good health, livestock, land and property – that is until all of this was systematically taken away from him and he was tested over many years.  He was stripped down to the basics and only his faith in God remained. There are times in our lives when our faith is tested to the very limit because of the many hurtful and destructive things we encounter.  Faith can be an anchor of strength but it can also be lost if painful circumstances overwhelm and crush the vulnerable spirit inside. The good news is that God is close to the broken hearted as we read in Psalm 146.  Faith can be rediscovered again and allowed to grow if the hurt person chooses to seek God with all their heart.  They are never turned away for our loving Lord does not snap us in two if we are a broken reed or snuff us out if our flame is a smouldering ember.   Essentially, at the heart of the gospel message is the person of Jesus.  We strive to follow a person, not a set of rules and our Lord knows how we feel all too well.  During the whole of His life, Jesus suffered much which hurt Him, broke His heart as He endured the difficulties of life and the…

Fifth Sunday of the Year in Ordinary Time  Jesus said to Simon (Peter) “Put out into deep water and pay out your nets for a catch.” Luke 5:4 This weekend we are in the Fifth Sunday of the Year in Ordinary Time. At this time of year we are encouraged to focus on how our lives are going as we look towards Lent which will begin with Ash Wednesday on 6th March.  In this Sunday’s Gospel reading, we hear Jesus asking Simon Peter to cast out his nets again in the daytime for a catch. This would be a totally foolish thing to do, as fishermen would only ever fish at night so the fish would be caught more easily as they feed near to the surface of the water. Peter caught nothing the previous night and is hard pressed to believe that he will catch anything.  Jesus isn’t a fisherman but Peter listens to Jesus because Peter may well have heard about Jesus and he believes that the Man standing before him is much more special than he could ever imagine. The result of Peter trusting in Jesus, who is the Holy Son of God in human flesh, is that the catch is so huge it takes another boat to help him haul in the fish.  Peter will now be catching people for Jesus not fish and we too are called to do this every day of our lives as we live out our faith.  We are to be putting out into the deep of the lives of those around us.  We can only do this with the Lord’s help. As we reflect on our lives and prepare over the next few weeks as we approach the holy Season of Lent, let us think about how we can grow…

Feast of the Presentation of the Lord: Candlemas 2nd February Some 40 days after Jesus was born, He was presented in the Temple.  As a Jewish first-born male Child, He was to be dedicated, consecrated, set apart for the Lord, made holy and acceptable to Him.  Jesus didn’t need to be made holy, for He was and is the Eternal Son of the Father, our Messiah, the Second Person of the Most Holy and Blessed Trinity.  Everything that happened to Jesus during His short life here on earth was to set us an example and be for our encouragement.  This ceremony in the Temple completed Mary’s ritual purification after having given birth also according to Jewish Religious Law, the Law of Moses which was given by the Lord on Mount Sinai. It was a special time to thank God for His blessings and the gift of new life He had bestowed upon the mother and father of the child in presenting him to the Temple. The Catholic Church blesses new candles for use on the Altar and in Church on this Feast. As part of the celebration of Mass, we give thanks for the gift of light and the use of candles in worship of God and we remember that Jesus is the Light of the World.  In His Birth, the Glory of the Lord was revealed.  As the Magi visited Him, He was presented to the world, not just to the Jewish nation and peoples.  In His Presentation in the Temple, Simeon foretells the reason for Jesus’ Coming to earth – that He will be a sign that is rejected and a sword of pain will pierce Mary’s soul too.  These chilling words point towards the ultimate sacrifice that Jesus will make as the Lamb of God as He…

Third Sunday on Ordinary Time: Jesus said; “This text is being fulfilled today even as you listen.” Luke 4:22 ‘The Spirit of the Lord has been given to me, for He has anointed me. He has sent me to bring the good news to the poor, To proclaim liberty to captives and to the blind new sight, to set downtrodden free, to proclaim the Lord’s year of favour. ‘ Lk 4:18,19   At Mass this coming weekend we will hear these words being read as they are being proclaimed by Jesus in the Synagogue in Nazareth, His home town. St Luke mentions that Jesus was a regular worshipper in the Synagogue on the Sabbath Day and was in there praying and serving as He usually was. It was His turn to read from the Scroll of the Prophet Isaiah.  He read these words of which He is the fulfilment. (c.f. Isaiah 61:1-3).   Throughout the whole of His life on earth, Jesus sets us an example.  Jesus, the All-Holy One, the Just One, the Son of God Incarnate in human flesh, goes to weekly worship, prays and reads Holy Scripture.  He does not need to do any of these things for He is the Author of all life and faith, but He chooses to submit to the Will and obedience of His Father, our Loving, Eternal and True God.  We too should imitate Jesus by our regular prayer, worship and study of scripture so we can take His word to others and bring about the Kingdom of God on earth by our actions. Jesus comes to fulfil the Law and the Prophets by His Incarnation, His becoming flesh as Man.  He is the living embodiment of the prophecy for Jesus’ whole life, work and ministry will be bringing about the promised…

Peace Sunday 20th January 2019 Jesus said “Peace I leave you, My Peace I give you.”  John 14:27 This weekend will be the Second Sunday in Ordinary Time and will also be Peace Sunday. Pope Francis continually asks all people to come together and pray for peace in our world. We hear these words every time we come to Mass as they are spoken just before we offer one another the sign of peace and friendship which is represented as a handshake. Jesus’ Peace is not as the world gives, for peace which comes from people can often only last a short time and it is conditional, that is, ‘if you do this then I’ll do that.’ Jesus’ peace is so much more and is unconditional.   Our Heavenly Father freely gives us His peace especially through the death and Resurrection of Jesus.  Through the Cross, God has reconciled us to Himself and all that stood between us and God has been destroyed through Jesus’ perfect sacrifice of Himself.  Through Jesus, the Prince of Peace, we can have peace with God and with each other. Our world needs God’s peace in all the places of conflict, hatred and division.  As we think and pray this through over the next week, may we remember to pray each day for peace to come into our world in a new way. Our prayer this week comes from part of Pope Francis’ prayer for peace: http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-francis-a-prayer-for-peace Now, Lord, come to our aid!  Grant us peace, teach us peace; guide our steps in the way of peace.  Open our eyes and our hearts, and give us the courage to say: “Never again war!”; “With war everything is lost”.  Instil in our hearts the courage to take concrete steps to achieve peace.   Lord, God of Abraham,…

The Baptism of the Lord Jesus Christ Now when all the people had been baptised and while Jesus after His own Baptism was at prayer, heaven opened and the Holy Spirit descended on Him in bodily shape, like a dove.  And a voice came from Heaven, ‘You are My Son, the Beloved; My favour rests on You.’   Luke 3:22 We have now come to the end of the Christmas season which closes with the final ‘epiphanal’ or ‘showing’ of Christ to the world. This weekend we will celebrate the Solemnity of the Baptism of Our Lord Jesus.  This marks the beginning of Ordinary Time once again. Over the past few weeks the Church has concentrated upon the Coming and the Birth of Jesus and the visit to the Infant Jesus by the Magi with their three symbolic gifts.  Now, we fast forward to when Jesus is a thirty-year old man.   Following His hidden years in Nazareth as a humble carpenter, we come to the moment in His life when Jesus is about to begin His public ministry which will culminate in His Death, Resurrection and Ascension. Before He begins His ministry and the work that His Father has given Him to do, Jesus comes to be baptised.  He comes to John, His cousin, and presents Himself to be baptised by him.  In choosing to be Baptised, Jesus becomes our role model once again and sets out the path He asks us to follow.  We too share in Jesus’ Baptism when we are baptised either as infants or children perhaps even later on as an adult seeking to be received into the Church.  Through our Baptism, we become adopted into God’s Family, we become children of God.  We become like Jesus. Jesus’ Baptism is one of the last epiphanial moments in…