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In today’s Gospel [Matthew 5:38-48] we see Jesus continuing his sermon on the mount.  Following on from last week’s Gospel [Matthew 5:17-37] Jesus expands on the demands set down in the Beatitudes [Matthew 5:1-12].  In this case, as it was with last week’s teaching, he expands on the last four statements: Blessed are the merciful, for they shall be shown mercy;…

Last week’s Gospel [Matthew 5:13-16] was the beginning of a new section in the Sermon on the Mount, for here Jesus brings the elements of the Law into realistic and everyday situations.  In being salt and light, our actions challenge people to take on the mission of Christ.  In today’s Gospel [Matthew 5:17-37] Jesus challenges us to evaluate our…

Matthew’s Gospel has always been referred to as a teaching Gospel. In fact, his Gospel contains five sermons or discourses – the Sermon on the Mount [Chs 5-7]; the sermon on Missionary activity [Ch 10]; the sermon on the Kingdom of heaven [Ch 13]; the sermon on the aspects of Community living, especially in the area of forgiveness [Ch 18] and…

It is a custom that at the beginning of a new political leader – at least in those countries who elect legitimate leaders through a democratic process – people expect them to place before them their intentions, methods and goals which they hope will be the hallmark of their leadership.  In the Gospel we hear…

There is hardly a commodity which we buy that does not come with some form of guarantee. From products that allow us to control our weight through to materials that can easily make our way of living more enjoyable and attractive. Whenever we buy any food products we look at the nutritional guarantees that each…

Dear Friends, With this Sunday’s liturgy we begin the Ordinary cycle of the Church’s year. It is a time when we can reflect on the reality of the Kingdom of God as shown to us through the life and ministry of Jesus. It is a time when we too can contemplate our part in the…

Dear Friends, Our reaction or response to any news that is given can vary according to the recipient.  We can either be gladdened by the news and its contents or its contents may unsettle us, especially if it bad news. Or we can be indifferent to its contents altogether. In this familiar scene of the…

Dear Friends, As we come to the end of the Christmas octave, one would expect that the liturgical focus to still be on the Christ Child.  The Church, however, has us focusing rather on the person of Mary, the Mother of God. There is wisdom in this celebration and change of focus. In considering the…

Dear Friends, I would like to present to you two extracts which can allow us to focus on the centrality of Christ this Christmas.  The first is from St Bonaventure’s (d.1274) Life of St Francis of Assisi. It is a well-known fact that Francis was the one who initiated this great symbol of the Christmas…