Acts 16:1-10 Jn 15:18-21 John’s gospel speaks about God’s love for the world. God so loved the world that he sent his only Son. In this morning’s gospel reading Jesus speaks about the world’s hatred for him and for his followers. In Luke’s gospel Jesus calls on his disciples to love their enemies and to do good to those who hate them. The gospels suggest that Jesus was realistic about the hostility that would come his own way and the way of his followers. Yet, he wanted his followers to relate to the world not on the basis of how…

Readings Acts 15:22-31 Jn 15:12-17 In this morning’s gospel reading, Jesus uses the language of friendship to describe his relationship with us. He declares that he befriends us by laying down his life for us. During the second world war in a Nazi concentration camp, Maximilian Kolbe, a Polish priest, gave his life so that a fellow prisoner, a married man, might live. He befriended that man in the most radical way possible. His act of friendship is a living sign of how Jesus befriends us. Jesus died so that we might live with the life of God, eternal life.…

After Judas had betrayed Jesus, the twelve apostles that Jesus chose had been reduced to eleven. It was important to preserve the number twelve because that number had great significance. There were twelve tribes of Israel and the twelve whom Jesus selected were the nucleus of the new Israel, the new people of God that would consist of Jews and non-Jews. Matthias was the one chosen to replace Judas and to maintain the integrity of the original twelve. Whereas Jesus chose the original twelve, it was up to the first disciples, the very early church, to choose a replacement for…

Readings Acts 15:1-6 Jn 15:1-8 There is always a temptation to put limits on God, to say, in effect, that God cannot do this or that unless this or that happens. We find such a scenario in today’s first reading. Some Jewish Christians from Jerusalem came down to the church in Antioch and told converts to the faith from paganism, Gentile Christians, ‘Unless you have yourselves circumcised in the tradition of Moses, you cannot be saved’. They were saying in effect, ‘Much as God would like to include you among those who will inherit eternal life, he is powerless unless…

A very SAD day for a 100 years old industry of AVIATION Virgin fires more than 3,000 people including 600 Pilots. Virgin Australia files for Bankruptcy. Air Mauritius goes into Administration. South African Airways Bankrupt. Finnair returns 12 planes and lays off 2,400 people. YOUR grounds 22 planes and fires 4,100 people. Ryanair grounds 113 planes and gets rid of 900 pilots for the moment, 450 more in the coming months. Norwegian completely stops its long-haul activity!!! The 787s are returned to the lessors. SAS returns 14 planes and fires 520 pilots… The Scandinavian states are studying a plan to…

R Acts 13:44-52 Jn 14:7-14 Perhaps we can easily identify with Philip’s request to Jesus at the beginning of this morning’s gospel reading, ‘Let us see the Father and then we shall be satisfied’. Philip speaks out of the awareness that ultimate satisfaction is to be found in seeing God, in being in communion with God. We often live with a sense of dissatisfaction. We are aware of desires and longings in us that are not fully satisfied. There are moments when we can feel wonderfully happy, happier than we could ever have imagined, when, like Peter on the mount…