Archdiocese of Johannesburg, South Africa (78)
2023 (2)
Today’s readings talk about three things. We hear talk of prophesy in the first reading, a righteous spirit in the second reading, and death and resurrection in the Gospel, or in Lazarus’ case, resuscitation, from the dead. In a nutshell, we are witnesses to the promise of …
6 min (1,015 words)
Read more...Good evening everyone,
First, please let me say what a pleasure it is has been to accompany the young men and young women on their retreat today.
We have considered the Gifts of the Holy Spirit, and reflected on their own giftedness and call to be ministers in the Church, …
8 min (1,571 words)
Read more...2020 (8)
Today our readings are short, and they are basically inviting us to listen to God, and to notice that God has not abandoned us, but is always with us. We are simply called to respond to God’s presence and call in our lives.
I’m not sure if you remember the Gospel from last …
8 min (1,431 words)
Read more...We’ve been making this journey during Lent where we’ve been asked to travel with Jesus into parched deserts and climb-up and down mountain-tops – and today our first reading is again in a desert where the Israelites, having escaped slavery in Egypt, are grumbling, so Moses …
12 min (2,437 words)
Read more...Today I want to talk about the readings but I also want to say a few words about the past week in South Africa and how the readings have resonated with my experience of them. Today’s readings talk about three things. We hear talk of prophesy in the first reading, a righteous …
7 min (1,517 words)
Read more...Dear Friends,
This is the day that the LORD has made;
Rejoice and be glad. Hallelujah, Hallelujah.
Happy Easter everyone.
We have been celebrating Lent since the 26th of February, and this has been a Lent like no other we have known. We have had to sacrifice so much: our …
10 min (1,858 words)
Read more...Before Jesus Ascends, he needs to explain to the apostles that they will not be left alone. That he will send his spirit to be with them.
In the first reading we see Philip fulfilling a prophecy of Jesus that the Good News would be preached in Samaria. Samaria was home to …
5 min (999 words)
Read more...Today’s first reading contains a word that has taken on new dimensions and has been felt more often in these days than in the past. “Terror is on every side!” We currently are continuing to face the terror of a pandemic. And that’s been enough to make us all anxious and …
5 min (1,087 words)
Read more...Today we are asked to contemplate authority and to pray for those in authority. Authority is legitimate power, and in our readings today we see how certain individuals are legitimized, and what power is given to them by the ultimate authority, the one whom Peter calls the …
6 min (1,034 words)
Read more...All our readings are taken from near the end of their books, and so are summaries in a way of their main and most important messages. This is not surprising as we come to the end of the Church’s Liturgical Year next week. I want to briefly examine each of the readings and …
6 min (1,115 words)
Read more...2019 (18)
Our readings this morning all talk about an encounter with God that carried with it an invitation or a call to spread God’s word, to accept God’s grace, and to do God’s will.
I’m sure we all recognised these calls. They all broadly follow a similar pattern. There is usually …
3 min (717 words)
Read more...Today’s readings are about restoration and healing, and today, I hope, you have had some time to be restored and to at least begin to recognize areas where you might need God’s healing. After journeying with Moses up the mountain and seeing the burning bush and entering into …
7 min (1,315 words)
Read more...On Wednesday this week we all gathered to receive ashes and were told to ‘repent and believe in the Gospel’ or to ‘remember that we are dust, and to dust we shall return’. Repent, Believe, Remember. These are good things to do during Lent as we prepare ourselves to celebrate …
8 min (1,545 words)
Read more...Our readings this Sunday, the fourth Sunday of Lent, speak of coming home. St Paul in our second reading speaks of Jesus appealing to us to be reconciled with God. The Jews, after their wanderings in the desert after leaving Egypt and being sustained through the manna from …
11 min (2,151 words)
Read more...My brothers and sisters, tonight we gather to celebrate the Mass of the Lord’s Supper and we are asked to remember and recall the great gifts that God has given us. We celebrate tonight together, a Mass that marks the beginning of our Sacred Paschal Triduum – the holiest …
9 min (1,827 words)
Read more...Our readings today are bound together with two overarching questions. The first question we might reflect on is who do we listen to? The second is do we know what time it is?
What has appeared repeatedly in our Easter readings is the story of the Church’s universal mission. …
9 min (1,698 words)
Read more...In today’s readings I think there are two verbs we should take special notice of. The first is ‘encourage’ from our first reading. The selection from the Acts of the Apostles describes the conclusion of St Paul’s first missionary journey where he took the good news of Jesus. …
7 min (1,254 words)
Read more...In our first reading today we hear the opening lines from the Acts of the Apostles. Our Gospel is also taken from the end of Luke’s Gospel. Both the Acts of the Apostles and the Gospel of Luke were, we believe, written by the same person and both the Gospel and first reading …
6 min (1,198 words)
Read more...Last week we celebrated the solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity. A feast that reminded us that “Within God there is distinction but no difference. And that within God there is love without distance or diminishment.” [because, as Fr Terence Klein recently noted in his …
9 min (1,658 words)
Read more...Ecclesiastes is a book in the Bible that forms part of the wisdom tradition and is named after the assembly, the church ecclesia, to whom the preacher Qoheleth is speaking. A previous wisdom book, the Book of Proverbs, made an argument that hard work and careful planning …
11 min (2,014 words)
Read more...The readings in our Mass today asks us, I think, to focus on God’s victory over evil and God’s power at work in Mary, and whether we allow it to work in ours lives as well.
When Pope Pius XII proclaimed Mary’s Assumption in 1950, he called his document Munificentissimus …
8 min (1,483 words)
Read more...Our readings today address a disappointed people but they offer a universal hope of salvation – not a guarantee, but a promise that all are welcome.
We know that 200 years after the text of Isaiah was written, there was great disappointment among the Jews after their exile, …
7 min (1,351 words)
Read more...Pope Francis recently declared September 1 as the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation, as the Orthodox Church has done since 1989. You can read the full letter here. According to Pope Francis, “The annual World Day of prayer for the Care of Creation offers to …
9 min (1,746 words)
Read more...In our readings today we are once again reminded of the humility we need in our relationship with God, and with creation, and with each other. This humility – we can recall – was a key feature of last week’s readings where we realized how humility was a truthful attitude and …
17 min (3,265 words)
Read more...There are so many stories in today’s readings but I think they share the chorus of ‘Rejoice with me, for what was lost is now found’. The gospel for this Sunday includes the story of the prodigal son, and our first reading from the book of Exodus has been selected to make …
13 min (2,515 words)
Read more...Our first reading this morning from the second book of Kings refers to a time about 850 years before Christ when Elisha the prophet took over from Elijah. That story is in the 19th Chapter of the first Book of Kings. At that time the northern kingdom of the Jews was in …
9 min (1,658 words)
Read more...At the heart of today’s readings is, I think, the distinction between a gift and a reward. God is always gifting us, blessing us, and bestowing grace upon us. It is not something we can ever earn or take for granted, rather we can only say how unworthy we are of it and thank …
10 min (1,943 words)
Read more...On the face of it – our readings today talk about a key aspect of our faith, the importance of life and our belief in the resurrection from the dead. In both the first reading and the Gospel we hear two stories about seven brothers.
In the first reading we hear the heroic …
8 min (1,455 words)
Read more...2018 (5)
Today we celebrate Ash Wednesday, the day that around the world marks the beginning of Lent, the start of our long journey towards the resurrection at Easter. The prophet Joel says today, “Blow the trumpet in Zion; sanctify a fast; call a solemn assembly; gather the people. …
3 min (519 words)
Read more...Tonight we hear about the healing miracles of Jesus. I suppose Jesus could have healed the rich and famous but instead he heals the people who are on the margins of Society.
Jesus heals a physically impaired person, a man who is both deaf and suffers from a speech …
6 min (1,136 words)
Read more...Good morning everyone. It’s good to be here again with you all. Our readings offer three insights to us this morning. The first is that if we are serious about being Christians, we need to reverse our thinking; the second is that we should beware ambition; and the third is …
7 min (1,302 words)
Read more...Our readings this morning talk of prophecy, God’s faithfulness and the importance of our faith.
Our first reading is trying to remind us that our leaders should never lack the gift of prophecy. Whether they exercise it or not is the real question. The reading tries to show …
7 min (1,236 words)
Read more...Today we remember All the Saints. This feast started out as the Feast for All Martyrs and was celebrated on 13 May in Rome. The Eastern Church adopted this as early as the year 359. It was so popular at the time it was celebrated during the Roman harvest so that enough food …
7 min (1,580 words)
Read more...2017 (33)
Last week I spoke about Christmas and I used Star Wars as an example. But in case I confused you all – today I want to speak about Peace; because today I think we are being asked to remember three things, a blessing of peace, a call to non-violence and unity, and the mother …
6 min (1,165 words)
Read more...In our first reading today the Prophet Zephaniah, writing some 600 years before Christ, writes of the people he calls the anawim, which means a remnant, the leftovers, a tiny band of God’s poor and forgotten. The characteristic feature of these humble and lowly people is …
7 min (1,218 words)
Read more...Taken together today’s readings talk to us about three things: true Piety, true Preaching and true Presence.
True piety, the prophet Isaiah declares in today’s First Reading, does not consist in ritual acts of fasting, but in responding to the practical demands of justice: …
8 min (1,471 words)
Read more...In today’s first reading, Sirach tells us how we have been given a choice, to keep God’s commandments, if only we will to do so. We are told that we are to choose between fire and water, life and death, good and evil. Our great gift of free will requires the even greater …
7 min (1,353 words)
Read more...You are all welcome to this Church of the Holy Trinity. We are all gathered here in this Church, from I think, places all over the globe, to share in this joyous occasion together and to celebrate the love that Megan and Peter both share for each other.
The readings you have …
8 min (1,501 words)
Read more...In today’s Gospel Jesus uses three images to capture the new justice he is proposing to his followers. It is a creative, healing, and restorative justice that focuses on relationships. The old justice found in the Bible was designed to prevent revenge running away with …
8 min (1,401 words)
Read more...Well we’ve almost reached the end of Jesus’ sermon on the mount. Today’s installment, following on from the last few weeks – which began with ‘Blessed are the poor in Spirit’ – now talks about how we cannot serve two masters… we cannot serve God and mammon.
Mammon is a Greek …
9 min (1,684 words)
Read more...Today we celebrate Ash Wednesday, the day that around the world marks the beginning of Lent. Although Lent is often thought of as a time for repentance and penance – and it is certainly that – it is also a happy time because it is the way we prepare as Christians for Easter, …
4 min (644 words)
Read more...I think today in the readings we are being asked not to forget. This past Wednesday we all came together to receive ashes and mark the beginning of Lent. The Church offered two statements as the ashes were imposed. The first was ‘Repent, and believe in the Gospel’, which I …
7 min (1,399 words)
Read more...Today I want to talk about the readings but I also want to say a few words about the past week in South Africa and how the readings have resonated with me experiencing this. Today’s readings talk about three things. We hear talk of prophesy in the first reading, a righteous …
8 min (1,564 words)
Read more...In Matthew’s Gospel which we have just heard and which really needs no explanation, the passion, death, and resurrection of Jesus is a world-ending event. We are told of the violent shaking of the earth that was expected to announce the arrival of the end time. The whole …
4 min (623 words)
Read more...We must never forget that what we have just heard happened for us. That God so loved us all, that he allowed his Son to come into the world, to die so as to take away our sins. This is why we call this day ‘Good’ Friday. Because it is the day that death and sin were …
5 min (842 words)
Read more...So in this evening’s Gospel we hear the familiar story of the Risen Christ appearing to the disciples in the Upper Room.
I’ve just come back from a retreat with all the Parish Catechists where we watched the movie, Risen, which starred Ralph Joseph 1 Fiennes as the Roman …
6 min (1,178 words)
Read more...This Sunday’s Gospel reading from Saint Luke is the familiar story of the Disciples on the Road to Emmaus. This story of the journey to Emmaus is both a literal and a spiritual journey. On the one hand, it recounts the story of two disciples who, after the crucifixion, death …
5 min (992 words)
Read more...Last week we heard about the story of the two disciples on the road to Emmaus and how Jesus went after these two ‘lost sheep’ and found them. Today we hear a lot about Shepherds and Sheep, and so consequently we call today Good Shepherd Sunday. With the exception of last …
6 min (1,022 words)
Read more...In today’s first reading we hear how, as a result of the evangelization of the apostles, the number of disciples grew. But as the number of disciples grew, we are told, so did the complaints. In ways that we can identify with today, the complaints ran along the lines of …
7 min (1,396 words)
Read more...I’d like today to talk about three things: firstly, the Holy Spirit, secondly, a sign of that Spirit present in our country this week. And thirdly, I’d like to briefly say something about Catholic schools which you may have noticed from some of the children wearing their …
9 min (1,776 words)
Read more...My brothers and sisters, on this the last day of Easter, on this our Feast of Pentecost, our readings tell us the story of the descent of the Holy Spirit.
We remember that in the Bible, God the Father and God the Son have featured very prominently – but God the Holy Spirit …
8 min (1,409 words)
Read more...Today we celebrate the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity. This feast asks us to grapple with the very identity of God. To ask, not only who God is, and what God is, but how he communicates to us because we can only be in relationship with someone who discloses themselves to …
7 min (1,209 words)
Read more...In today’s Gospel we hear what is in fact one of the most repeated commands in the Bible. It is not ‘thou shalt not be corrupt’ – though in this country the Church must never tire of saying that. It is, instead, the much simpler, and yet, much more important, “do not be …
8 min (1,553 words)
Read more...As I read today’s readings I was struck by one of the many qualities of God, his loving kindness, and the hospitality and love Jesus is calling us to.
In today’s Gospel though, at least on a first reading of it, you might be forgiven for wondering where is the kindness in …
5 min (1,110 words)
Read more...We just heard that God has hidden things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to infants. When I hear that line I think of a story when a young dad who had a young son were walking back from Church one day after Mass and the father said to his son, “who do you …
5 min (1,100 words)
Read more...Last week we heard about a farming metaphor to do with ploughing – we heard Jesus explain that with Him, the yoke is easy and the burden is light. And I tried to explain how this is so because we do not bear our burdens alone, or end up being yoked by ourselves – Jesus is …
8 min (1,442 words)
Read more...This past week I found myself asking God why things happen the way they do? If God is all powerful, could he not prevent tragedy or evil? Inherent in this question, is a deeper underlying question as to how exactly does God act in the world in the first place? God rarely …
9 min (1,807 words)
Read more...Today we celebrate in the parish, the feast of Saint Ignatius, the founder of the Jesuits, and the inspiration of a spirituality that I know many of you, young and old, lay and religious, value and esteem. There’s so much I could tell you about St Ignatius, but let me try …
10 min (1,839 words)
Read more...I have three small thoughts about today’s readings and they concern Revelation, dialogue and prayer.
Today we celebrate an important Feast – the Feast of the Transfiguration, a Feast that is mentioned in all three of the synoptic Gospels, and which symbolically links the …
6 min (1,220 words)
Read more...Today Jesus continues to reveal aspects of his divinity when he walks on water and commands the winds and the waves. Just like last week he is revealing his divinity in order to strengthen his disciples’ faith, and we see in Peter someone who is like us – someone who has …
8 min (1,468 words)
Read more...I’d like to thank the children and the catechists in our parish who teach our children every week. They take great care in preparing the children for the sacraments and as a parish we are very grateful to them.
Quite often in Jesus’ parables there is a hidden meaning – but …
4 min (636 words)
Read more...Last week we heard the parable of how the servant was forgiven his debts. The Lord was generous with his mercy and expected us to be generous in return. The Church also celebrated the Feast of the Apostle Matthew during the week and we read of how Jesus came and called …
6 min (1,146 words)
Read more...Today we celebrate two things. The first is all of you who have been doing this Alpha Course and who I think have been learning more and more about their faith in god the Father who created us, and in Jesus Christ his Son who came to save us, and in the Holy Spirit that has …
7 min (1,216 words)
Read more...Today’s readings talk to us of conversion, the importance of what we do rather than what we say, and of the primacy of individual responsibility over communal responsibility.
In our first reading today we hear how “when a wicked man turns away from the wickedness he has …
5 min (1,117 words)
Read more...During the week we celebrated World Teachers Day and I’d like to ask for your prayers for all of our teachers in Catholic Schools, and indeed, all our schools in our country. They deserve our thanks and our prayers for their dedication and work in preparing our future. Of …
6 min (1,008 words)
Read more...Today’s Gospel follows on from last week’s – the one about the wicked tenants. Now Jesus is becoming even blunter in the way he makes his point. If they did not understand last week’s parable, they have to, he thinks, understand this one. A marriage feast is a joyous …
8 min (1,443 words)
Read more...2016 (12)
Good morning everyone. There are three things I want to propose that we reflect on today after hearing these three readings. They are firstly, what are we to do with luxuries? Secondly, how can I be sensitive? And thirdly, the difficult business of respecting the whole …
7 min (1,241 words)
Read more...Good morning everyone. We see from the First Reading, that when we pray or talk to God, we can be honest with him. In fact it is best that we are. In today’s first reading we read from the Prophet Habakkuk “how long shall I cry for help” – a more honest remark we might not …
7 min (1,527 words)
Read more...Today’s readings present us with three rich images about perseverance in prayer and strength of faith. They show us three things, firstly, that we need help to pray, secondly, that we should not give up, and thirdly that God will answer our prayers if we have faith.
Last …
12 min (2,252 words)
Read more...At the heart of today’s readings is, I think, the distinction between a gift and a reward. God is always gifting us, blessing us, and bestowing grace upon us. It is not something we can ever earn or take for granted, rather we can only say how unworthy we are of it and thank …
9 min (1,731 words)
Read more...Technically we call today the “Commemoration of all the faithful departed” but it is popularly known as ‘All Souls’ as a play on words of yesterday’s ‘All Saints’. In yesterday’s feast of All Saints, the Church around the world honored the Church in Heaven (though in South …
5 min (904 words)
Read more...Some people believe the Feast of Christ the King is a feast dating back from the Middle Ages, when Monarchy was more common. It was in fact instituted in the last century and represents the concerns of our recent history. In 1925 Pope Pius XI understood that the old royal …
4 min (792 words)
Read more...Today is the First Sunday of Advent. It is the first day of the Church’s year and during this time the Church, in her liturgy, offers us images about the coming of the Lord. In the first part of Advent, the images are mostly about the second and glorious coming of the Lord …
7 min (1,372 words)
Read more...“…The voice of one crying in the wilderness”
In today’s readings we hear from three voices who bring messages of hope to us this Advent.
The first voice is from the prophet Isaiah, who lived in a time when Israel had some underwhelming and despicable kings. Isaiah is a …
5 min (1,057 words)
Read more...We might be forgiven this evening for being a little confused about today’s Gospel. It begins with John trying to ascertain what type of messiah Jesus was. Last week’s Gospel happened just before John baptized Jesus. So you would have thought that since he was present at the …
6 min (1,149 words)
Read more...Today I want to say something about dreams, and reflect on two people mentioned in today’s readings: Ahaz and Joseph.
Behind the innocent sounding text of our first reading is a saga that sounds like it is out of the popular TV show, Game of Thrones – by which I mean there …
8 min (1,558 words)
Read more...It is not often that we have such a coherent set of readings. The first reading comes at the end of Chapter 1 of the first book of Samuel. If one were to read the rest of the first chapter, one would learn that Hannah, the wife of Elkanah, was made fun of by Elkanah’s second …
2 min (550 words)
Read more...Let me say again Merry Christmas, and I hope everyone had a good night, and that Santa’s new built-in sleigh-GPS is working and that he managed to find all of your chimneys!
I would like to say a few words today about our readings – and how they convey the Good News of Jesus …
9 min (1,653 words)
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