2 Tm 3:10-17 Mk 12: 35-37 This morning’s gospel reading is short but it may sound a little confusing on first hearing. Many Jews expected the coming Messiah to be a son of David, a descendant of David. Jesus suggests that the title, ‘Son of David’, is not adequate for God’s Messiah, for himself, Jesus. In the manner of a discussion among Rabbis, Jesus argues his case on the basis of a verse of Scripture, a verse from the Psalms. It was generally understood in the time of Jesus that King David was the author of the psalms. In one…

2 Tm 1:1-3, 6-12 Mk 12:18-27 In the time of Jesus there was more than one understanding of death within the Jewish tradition. One group, the Sadducees, did not believe in life after death in any real sense; they dismissed any notion of resurrection from the dead. In today’s gospel reading they try to ridicule Jesus’ belief in the resurrection of the dead. According to the Jewish Law, if the husband of a woman died, his brother should marry her to ensure the deceased brother lived on through his wife’s children. The Sadducees put before Jesus the preposterous scenario of…

2 Pt 3:12-15a, 17-18 Mk 12:13-17 Today’s first reading from the second letter of Peter says, ‘Think of our Lord’s patience as your opportunity to be saved’. The Lord’s patience is our opportunity. When I was young, I used to hear a little jingle, ‘Patience is a virtue, keep it if you can, always in a woman, never in a man’. Perhaps there is some truth in that little saying! Patience is certainly a virtue and one we appreciate when we are shown it. Patience is the ability to wait on people. Jesus once spoke a parable about a barren…

In the twenty-first chapter of St. John’s Gospel, we find a gut-wrenching encounter between Jesus and Peter that defines the essence of Peter’s mission. To make this encounter unforgettable, Jesus takes Peter to the point of deep distress as he asks him not once, but three times, “Do you love me?” It is hard to imagine what this must have been like for Peter. I have a natural expectation that if your wife looked intently at you and asked, “Do you love me?”, you would answer, and all would be fine. But if she looked at you again and asked…

Acts 20:28-38 Jn 17:11b-19 In this morning’s gospel, we have an extract from the prayer of Jesus for his disciples, set in the context of the last supper. In that prayer, Jesus declares that since first calling his disciples to himself he has watched over them and kept them true to God’s name. Now in prayer, he calls on his Father to keep them true to God’s name. His prayer to the Father on their behalf is a further expression of the commitment he has shown to his disciples since first calling them. His intercessory prayer is an extension of…

Acts 19:1-8 Jn 16:29-33 I have always been struck by the reply of some disciples in Ephesus to Paul’s question, ‘Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you became believers?’ With great honesty, they said, ‘No, we were never even told there was such a thing as a Holy Spirit’. Paul went on to give them further instruction, and then, laying his hands on them, they received the Holy Spirit. Their answer to Paul’s question speaks for many in our world today, perhaps even for many who have been baptized, ‘We were never even told there was such a thing…