Today in the liturgy, we read St. Johns account of the passion, we pray for the needs of the Church and the world, we venerate the Cross and we receive the blessed Eucharist. As we reflect on the events of Good Friday we are invited to examine our own lives and attitudes. When we think of the death of Jesus on the cross, we realise that his death was a result of the courage of his convictions. He lived his life with a message of compassion, and love, Jesus was often critical of those who lorded it over those who were less well off or who had little or even nothing at all. The cross of Good Friday is a sign and a symbol that all of us recognise, it is a sign of the completeness of the love that God has for each one of us faults and failings included.
We need to show the love of God to all those whose lives are loveless to all who have nobody to care for them we must show them that ours is an all loving and caring God. In reaching out to others, especially those who feel isolated or abandoned, we embody the spirit of Christ and become instruments of his love in the world. Today when we go up to venerate the cross, we should allow the cross to move us to be better people. Consoling, and comforting the people we meet with the values of Jesus and the Cross.
On this day we celebrate the Sacraments of Priesthood and Eucharist. In every diocese the priests who have given their lives in generous service of the people of God gather with the Bishop for the Chrism Mass and then in front of their brothers and sisters they renew their commitment to priestly service. Also, at this Mass the oils of Chrism, Catechumens and the Oil of the Sick are blessed by the bishop, these holy oils will be used in the Baptisms, Confirmations and anointing of the sick in the local parishes over the next 12 months. The theme running throughout this day is one of service, service to God and his people. The theme running throughout this day is one of service, service to God and one another.
The Evening Mass on Holy Thursday commemorates the Last Supper it has as its theme, service and sacrifice which are aspects of the same mystery. In the washing of the feet in this mass we see Jesus as one who serves, who gives himself. Just as he freely gives himself in washing the feet of his disciples, so too he gives himself in the bread and wine he takes, blesses and hands to them as he does through the priests down through the generations to us, And in the same way he will give himself on the cross tomorrow. All these acts of self-giving are the same act – that of the Son of Man who came ‘not to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.’The gospel of the evening mass clearly indicates a life of love, serving the community and helping out those who are in any need. On Holy Thursday we commemorate the first Eucharist when Jesus gave us the gift of himself to be with us in the here and now of today and for all time.
The action of the Church is our action as the body of Christ on this night we also witness the Church’s respect for Christ’s Body present in the consecrated Host in the Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, carried in solemn procession to the Altar of Repose. No Mass will be celebrated again in the Church throughout the world until the Easter Vigil on Saturday evening proclaims the Resurrection that is the light of Christ.
As people who are Christians that is followers of Christ We should embrace all those who are in need of any kind as Christ did. We should be leading lives of generous service to all those who need our help wherever they are and there are many people around who may need our help and care. Each of us is called to show that we are a caring people showing the love of God to all those whose lives are loveless to all who have nobody to care for them we have to show them that ours is an all loving and caring God. When we serve our brothers and sisters in whatever way we are called showing them that our God is an all-loving and caring father in heaven then the Eucharist whenever we partake of this great sacrament will bring us joy and peace. In the words of the liturgy let us go forth to meet the Lord in peace and thanksgiving as we celebrate the three days of the Easter Triduum
On Ash Wednesday we placed the ashes on our foreheads as a sign of our humility as we began our Journey for Lent. Today on Palm Sunday, we remember Jesus entrance into Jerusalem on a donkey as the people raised their voices in joyful acclamation as they sang hosanna to the Son of David. We stop and reflect for a moment on how we began our journey on Ash Wednesday and where we are now as we approach the life changing and life-giving events of Holy Week. The first reading from Isaiah, speaks of a courageous and obedient messiah-figure, who says, “I have set my face like flint” against the beatings and scourging that lie ahead, “knowing that I shall not be put to shame.” The second reading from Philippians reminds us of Jesus’ total emptying of His divinity in order that He might identify Himself with the lowest criminal being led to His execution, “obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.” And the reading continues but God raised him high and gave him the name above all other names.
The entrance into Jerusalem is one of the very few events in Jesus’ life which is mentioned in all four gospels. It is the only time that Jesus accepts and encourages public acclaim as Messiah. He even goes as far as organising his entrance by telling the disciples to go and fetch the donkey. The key moment in God’s plan of salvation is about to begin, and Jesus knows exactly how it will unfold as he understood what the will of the father would mean for him. The full drama of the Gospel begins with the crowd’s fickle acclamation of Jesus as King. It reminds us of our own fickle responses and our lack of courage as we respond to His love and truth. Palm Sunday is about Jesus’s suffering for our inadequacies and our own sins. Our journey during Holy Week is a journey about god’s love for all of us that is manifest in the cross of Good Friday. In just three years of his public ministry, Jesus set in motion a change in the hearts of many people. Just three years of walking around healing the broken, freeing person’s enslaved spirits, bringing hope, purpose, and meaning to the poor. Those “poor” included people with wealth, with power, with influence. As we enter Holy Week, let us pause from the rush of daily life and open our hearts to the transformative power of Christ’s example. In doing so, we honour the journey Jesus made for us on the first Good Friday and allow ourselves to be renewed in faith, hope, and love. The Church leaves us in no doubt on Palm Sunday that we have now set out on the solemn journey of Holy Week.
How will we mark this journey in the coming days? Will we let it pass by with little interruption to our normal routines? Or will we walk prayerfully with Jesus through Holy Thursday to the cross of Good Friday and then to the Feast of the resurrection at Easter. We move towards the heavenly Jerusalem because Christ himself made the journey to the Cross for us and now he offers to make it with us here and now in 2026. May the passion story inspire all of us to try to imitate in some small way the all loving all forgiving Jesus who went through betrayal to the cross and finally came to the resurrection for us so that we will have life and have it to the full. Over the next few days let us prepare well as we walk through Holy Thursday, Good Friday and Holy Saturday and then we will really be able to enjoy the Easter feast which we have been preparing for since Ash Wednesday.
As we gather this weekend to celebrate the Third Sunday of Lent, all of us are troubled by the news of the conflict in Iran. The United States and Israel initiated military action against Iran, resulting in the deaths of that nation’s leadership and many other people mostly civilians. This operation, called Operation Epic Fury, has drawn widespread criticism from the international community, as many nations have condemned the lack of proper consultation and authorisation for this act of war. In these uncertain times, we unite in prayer for peace not only in the Middle East, Ukraine, and all places afflicted by violence, but also within our own hearts that we may be people of peace as we journey towards Holy Week and Easter. In the First Reading we hear about the Israelites, thirsty and doubting God’s presence, quarrel with Moses. God instructs Moses to strike a rock at Horeb, miraculously providing water, and the place is named “Massah” and “Meribah.” In the Second Reading – we are told that Through faith, we are made right with God, gaining peace and the hope of sharing His glory. God’s love, given through the Holy Spirit, affirms this hope, shown in Christ dying forus.
The gospel reading from Johns Gospel tells us about the Samaritan woman. One of the responses for the Easter Vigil is with joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation, and this sums up what this reading from john’s gospel is about. Jesus breaks the law to speak to a Samaritan woman who had come to Jacob’s well to draw water. What a surprise it must have been to her, when Jesus, tired, hungry and thirsty, asks her for a drink of water! He broke all the rules in speaking to her. Now, he keeps on talking, ignoring her hostility, aware that, in this unexpected encounter, the Father has provided Him with an opportunity for piercing the heart of this sinful woman with his love leaving an example for all those who thirst. Jesus suggests that He can give her living water that is far superior to anything she had ever tasted. We know that she had tried cheap love, and we presume she was no stranger to intoxication, power, and money! This isn’t a gentle lady who comes to draw water from the well, but a toughened cynic. Cynical with the world around her in her time as so many are cynical in our modern world for many different reasons. Jesus forgets His own needs and offers this woman living water that is spiritual grace. Finding her heart curious and open to this miraculous water, He proceeds to raise her vision. He asks her to go back and bring her husband to the well with her. Of course, this is the turning point of the story. When He confronts her with the truth, she could have flounced off in righteous indignation and denial as many people do when confronted with the truth, but she doesn’t. In true humility, she accepts the reality of her life. Because of her humility, Jesus floods her soul with grace. Dropping the bucket, she runs back to spread the good news. “I’ve found the Messiah!” And she had!
Lent is a time for us to let Jesus satisfy our thirst for the truth and life. Like that woman, we too have tried the wrong kinds of water to quench our thirst for happiness, satisfaction, and peace of mind without really finding it. The psalm in the Easter Vigil tells us that with joy we will draw water from the wells of salvation, and this is the time for us to find real joy and satisfaction of letting the Lord fill us with the grace during the season of Lent so that we will be able to enjoy the season of Easter. We will find that our joy is greatest when we share the gift of salvation with others by really listening to them, praying from the heart in a quiet place, reflecting on the Word privately or at Mass, and letting the Eucharist change us into the Body of Christ. The Samaritan woman reminds those who doubt, or struggle with faith that we are asked to stay in a conversation with Christ. It’s all about shunning the type of thirst-quencher that doesn’t really satisfy and actively seek the Living Water that wells up to salvation that Jesus gives us.
We begin our annual observance of Lent with the Ashes of Ash Wednesday and once again we take up our annual campaign of spiritual renewal. The cry of today is repent and believe the Good News as we prepare for Holy Week and Easter. As we place the ashes on our foreheads and listen to the words repent and believe in the good news, we remember that the Church teaches that prayer, fasting, and almsgiving are significant ways to become closer to God. In the First Reading the Lord urges a heartfelt return with fasting and repentance, highlighting his gracious and compassionate nature. A communal fast is called, involving all, with priests pleading for mercy, leading to God’s compassionate response to His people. in the Responsorial Psalm acknowledging our sins, we implore God’s mercy and cleansing. We seek a renewed heart and spirit, and then we will find God’s presence and the restoration of the joy found in His salvation.
In the Second Reading St Paul tells us We implore you on Christ’s behalf to reconcile with God. Christ bore our sins to make us righteous. Embrace God’s grace, for now is the time of salvation. In the reading from Matthews Gospel Jesus emphasizes the importance of sincerity in faith practices. He advises against performing acts of charity, prayer, and fasting for public admiration, as such actions lack true spiritual value. Instead, he encourages discreet and private expressions of faith, assuring that God, who sees what we do in secret, will duly reward genuine devotion. The question for each of us on Ash Wednesday is how we will celebrate Lent this year as individuals and as members of the local community. Over the next six weeks there will be a packed programme of activities providing many opportunities for spiritual renewal coupled with fasting and alms giving and I encourage you wherever you are reading this to try and take up some of the opportunities provided in your area for Lent. May God give us the grace to make a good Lent as we begin our journey on the road to Holy Week and Easter.
The readings for this Sunday remind us to follow God’s commandments with our heart’s minds and our souls. In the First Reading we are told that You can choose to keep the commandments and trust in God. God sees everything and gives you the choice between life and death, good and evil. In the Second Reading We share God’s hidden wisdom, planned for our glory, which the rulers did not understand. God’s prepared blessings for those who love him are revealed to us through the Spirit who knows everything. The gospel shows Jesus explaining the law. He does not remove it but calls us to live it fully. It is not enough to follow rules on the outside. We must also have love and goodness in our hearts. When he introduced the New Law of the Kingdom of God Jesus said something that was absolutely shocking to those heard what he told them that the holiness of the people had to surpass that of the scribes and the Pharisees.
How could anyone be holier than the Pharisees who were supposed to be holy men”! They dressed well; they fasted said their prayers loudly for all to hear. But Jesus said that his followers had to be holier than the Pharisees. How could that be possible as they were the people that everyone held up as being good. Jesus explains, our external actions must reflect what we are really like. If what we do is not a reflection of who we are, then we are hypocrites. Hypocrite is the word that Jesus uses to describe the Pharisees. They were considered the righteous and holy ones who in truth were neither righteous nor holy in so many ways. Jesus’ challenge was not only to his followers, but to the Pharisees and scribes as well. Their religious faith was to go deeper than exterior works the right motives were supposed to support right behaviour. His demands are high indeed! They seem impossible to achieve. The Pharisee spent a lot of time and energy fulfilling the Law like so many people today the law was more important than compassion. They were of the middle class and unlike the desperately poor, who were most of Jesus’s followers, the Pharisees had the education and leisure to pursue purity of observance. What chance did the illiterate, overworked and burdened poor followers of Jesus have? For that matter, what chance do we have in fulfilling these teachings? And yet, Jesus calls for a holiness that surpasses those people who stuck by the letter of the law instead of the compassion of God! Jesus’ demands are more radical; his vision sharper; his expectations greater.
When we set our own record of doing good against the demands of Jesus in the Gospel, we can all come away feeling helpless. Our own efforts look so shabby against the clear unambiguous demands of the larger vision. May we be courageous in taking up the challenge that Jesus gives each one of us today that is the call to holiness living our lives so that people will see that we are faith filled people who live our lives with the compassion of God in our hearts. As we prepare for Lent, let us remember that God’s grace is always available to help us rise above our limitations. Through prayer, self-examination, and acts of charity, we are given the opportunity to draw closer to God and to one another. Let us approach this season of renewal with openness and humility, trusting that, with God’s help, we can grow in holiness and compassion, becoming true witnesses to his love in our world.
This weekend we pray for the sick as we celebrate the World Day of the Sick next Wednesday, we also pray for all those who care for the sick in our hospitals and care facilities, Doctors, Nurses, Care assistants and Chaplains. We also pray in a particular way for the families who care for our Sick friends that God will bless all of them. In the First Reading from Issiah, we are told share our bread with the hungry and shelter the homeless poor that means that by sharing with the hungry, sheltering the oppressed, and clothing the naked, one finds healing and God’s presence. Helping others brings light in darkness. In the Second Reading from St Pauls letter to the Corinthians, St. Paul tells us I came to you with fear and weakness, focusing only on Jesus Christ. My message showed the Spirit’s power, so your faith would be in God’s power, not human wisdom.
In our gospel reading this Sunday Jesus tells his disciples that they are the salt of the earth and the light of the world. He adds, “your light must shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your heavenly father.” If we were to witness the events of this passage being acted on stage, I think we would find them humorous: Jesus telling a motley group of puzzled followers, many illiterate, that they are the light of the world and when we hear the gospel passage in church on Sunday, we assume that Jesus is talking to those first disciples, surely not to us. But Jesus is talking to us in the same way he spoke the Disciples long ago. Jesus used salt as a metaphor to describe who his disciples are and how they are to be in the world. Just as salt draws out the flavour of food, so we as Jesus’ disciples we are asked to draw out goodness in the world. As salt of the earth, we may even have to upset the way things are and how life is ordinarily carried on – the usual “salty taste” of daily life in the world these days can be so topsy turvy as recent events have shown in America and other places. Jesus tells his disciples, “You are the light of the world.” They are to be seen; not hidden away they are called to be the light overcoming the darkness of our world and its peoples. We in our own time are called to be the “light of the world,” each one of us a ray of light, dispelling darkness, living in charity toward all, including persecutors. This light is an inner light the light of faith. Its source is divine grace that becomes visible to others by our kind words, our gracious acts, our personal refusal to resort to oppression, false accusation or malicious speech that so many in the political world seem to be doing these days.
And thus, as Isaiah promised, the gloom of sin and death shall be overcome, and the psalmist declares, justice and mercy of the upright will be a light shining through the darkness. This Sunday we are invited to utilise our own special gifts and talents to inform our role of being a disciple who is the salt of the earth and the light for the world. Jesus tells us to be like salt and light. These are simple images, but they help us understand what it means to live as His followers. So let us turn to Jesus the light of life, let us pray that we might share in his life, so that we might be the salt of the earth, and light in the darkness for all the people in our world and there are many people still looking around for light in the darkness of their lives. Let us strive to be salt of the earth and beacons of light, shining brightly for those who walk in darkness, and may our faith inspire others to do the same.
in the gospel we hear Jesus taught his disciples, on the mountain, outlining the Beatitudes. He declared blessings on the spiritually humble, mourners, the gentle, those yearning for righteousness, the merciful, the pure in heart, peacemakers, and those persecuted for righteousness. He encouraged joy amidst persecution for his sake, promising heavenly reward. The first Beatitude strikes the keynote also for the seven Beatitudes that follow. The decisive word in this first Beatitude is the word, poor The first recipients of the Beatitudes are, in fact, the ‘poor in spirit’, an expression that indicates those who have their hearts and consciences directed intimately to Our Lord. They are the expression of the just who are tried by moments of suffering and difficulties. However, they are called ‘blessed’ and ‘happy’ because God’s merciful and compassionate gaze rests on them. These are the poor that the Bible text really refers to. The poor in the Bible are the humble people who bear a burden on their shoulders. They are given God’s favour and because of this the Word identifies them as just, meek and humble. All kinds of attitudes are included in the eight beatitudes. This way the true significance of the ones who don’t confide mainly in themselves but in God.
The poor are those who detach themselves concretely and interiorly from the possession of people and things and above all of themselves. The poor don’t find security in the gods of this world like success, power or pride but the true Lord God in Heaven. Those who are called “blessed” or “happy” in these beatitudes can hardly be described as fortunate or lucky people in the eyes of the world: the lowly, the mourners, those deprived of justice, those who are persecuted and abused. In structuring the beatitudes in the way he does, Matthew is not offering an unusual programme to happiness; rather, he is describing what happens to Christian discipleship when the kingdom breaks into this broken world. The beatitudes speak of a variety of experiences that disciples undergo because of their involvement in living the Gospel. The result of this involvement might appear to the world as senseless suffering, but Jesus heaps blessings on those who struggle to love the truth of the Gospel. Discipleship is centred on Jesus. Because of who he is, others will change. Jesus alone is the source of discipleship. Without the person of Jesus, discipleship is meaningless. All of us have some experience of the cost of discipleship. Some will know what it is like to be counted as a nobody because of our fidelity to Jesus.
As Christians we are pledged to share the wisdom of Jesus who was counted a nobody himself. In doing that we will continue “to shame the wise” by declaring the foolishness of God, as we remember that gods foolishness is wiser than human wisdom.
This week as we celebrate the week of prayer for Christian Unity we continue our prayer for peace. The world seems to be in complete turmoil now however we know things really are in the hands of God and we place our trust in him. The Sundays of Ordinary Time lead us through the three years of Christ’s public ministry. We began last week with his identification as the Lamb of God by John the Baptist and this week we hear how he called the Apostles to follow him. The readings for the third Sunday of ordinary time remind us that God brings light into darkness and hope to those who are hopeless. He is near, even in hard times and these days many things are beyond our control and are hard to think about but god is still with us.
In the First Reading God transformed the fortunes of Zebulun and Naphtali, bringing light to their darkness, joy like a harvest, and breaking the bonds of oppression, reminiscent of Midian’s defeat. In our Second Reading St. Paul says I urge unity and no divisions among you, to avoid factions that claim allegiance to different leaders. Christ alone should be our focus, not human leaders. In our Gospel story we hear about Jesus calling Andrew, Simon, Peter, James son of Zebedee and his brother John to follow him. As Jesus travelled around Galilee, he actively built a following. Biblical scholars speculate that the Galileans would network and form groups around social, economic, or religious issues. Even though the Romans put down revolts with brutal efficiency, large Jewish protests did sway official decisions, especially at the local level. There was strength in numbers. Part-time fishermen like Peter and Andrew, like James and John would easily leave their daily tasks, if the group they joined promised to protect and enhance their way of life. Proclaiming the Kingdom was a message with political undertones for Jews and Jesus quickly amassed an audience. This gospel story is about the call of Jesus to the first apostles to be his followers. This gospel is not just an echo from the past it is very much for us today as Christ and his message are the same yesterday today and will be the same forever. Are we listening to Jesus as he says to us today, “Come follow me and I will make you fishers of men?”
This Gospel also asks us to remember that our own vocation is an absolutely free gift from God. This means that we are totally free to accept or deny the invitation for us to take up the vocation that is there for us. Some are called to the Priesthood, or Consecrated Life, others to marriage, others are called to a single life there are many other vocations in life all of them are different. May we experience the beauty of accepting the vocation call we have in our lives. In this way we will become like the first apostles who quickly responded, continued to learn during their three years walking with Jesus and then in the years afterwards with the power of the Holy Spirit, they did what they probably never imagined they would do when first called; they travelled to the ends of the earth bringing the message of Jesus with them.
This Sunday we celebrate the second Sunday in ordinary time. As we gather wherever we are there are many things to occupy our minds with many things to talk and pray about. When we look at the world around us, and we see so much war and destruction it is hard to know where we should start in our prayer for peace. We pray for those countries who are at war and those who may go to war. We pray for the leaders of the countries in the world that they will be peacemakers instead of war mongers. We pray for those stubborn people that they will move away from words and actions that may lead to war and promote the peace of the world. We also pray for ourselves that we will be people of peace with peace in our hearts. May god enable us to be people of peace bringing peace into our world.
In our first reading for this Sunday Isaiah speaks about the task of the Messiah. He calls him a ‘servant’ of the people who will bring light and salvation not only to the tribes of Israel, but to the ends of the earth. In The Gospel reading we hear the words of John the Baptist the man who went before the Lord as his herald “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” We know these words, so well for we hear them in Church when we are just about to receive the Body and Blood of Christ during the eucharistic celebration. The first Christian communities saw a clear difference between John’s baptism that immersed people in the river Jordan and Jesus’ baptism that communicated his own Spirit, to cleanse, renew and transform the hearts of his followers. Without that Spirit, the Church would simply close up and die, but that spirit of Jesus has been the guiding light throughout the intervening years right up to this present moment. Only the Spirit of Jesus can put truth and life into today’s Christianity and lead us to recover our identity, leaving the paths that lead us further away from the Gospel and what it teaches behind. Only that Spirit of Jesus can give us light and energy to light up the fire of renewal within ourselves and the people around us so that we can also become Christ’s authoritative witnesses in the world.
Our baptism links us to Jesus as well as the long line of his followers throughout the ages who believe in Jesus as the Lamb of God and that his death and resurrection is the source of new life for all people. This is our inheritance born of them and we are called to be, “a light to the nations” like God’s servant in this Sundays first reading from Isaiah. The Love of God is made real to us through Jesus his Son, let us share our belief in Jesus and what he teaches with everyone we meet. Let us consider how we can bring Christ’s spirit of peace and reconciliation into our own communities especially these days with so much global conflict going on. Through small acts of kindness and gentle words, we contribute to building a world where peace may flourish despite the challenges, we see around us and during these uncertain times. As we remember our baptismal call, may we carry the light of Christ into all that we do, trusting that even the smallest gesture can make a difference in the world. May our prayers inspire us to be peacemakers, ever mindful of God’s presence with us and his love guiding us forward. Then we will be able to say with John the Baptist that Jesus is the lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world, the Chosen One of God.’ Let us follow him.
Fullerton T 