King

Son of Man King

24 November 2024

Solemnity, Year C

Understanding True Kingship: Reflections on Jesus as the “Son of Man” and the “Crucified Messiah” There is a compelling contrast between the traditional view of monarchy, as exemplified by King Charles of the British royal family, and the biblical understanding of Jesus Christ as the “Son of Man” and the “crucified Messiah.” This exploration invites…

Giving God all

22 October 2023

Year A

Surrendering to God’s Will: A Personal Reflection on Giving All to Him The Tax System in First Century Israel and the Background to the Gospel In the first century in Israel, the tax system was a significant aspect of daily life. Taxes were imposed by the Roman Empire, and the collection process was often met…

The strange way of wisdom

30 July 2023

Year A

One of the things that I kind of find myself struggling with as I grow older is some of the stories that I heard and learned when I was a child, and particularly in church circles. Some of those stories about the Saints and heroes of the faith. Like the only thing that I really…

Co-workers in the kingdom

22 November 2015

Season of Growth, Solemnity, Year A

The Feast of Christ the King is a relatively new feast day in the Catholic scheme of things. This is the ninetieth time that it has been celebrated, since Pope Pius XI instituted the feast day through an encyclical letter called Quas primas (In the first) which was published on 11 December 1925. Initially the feast…

Mary and Gabriel

21 December 2014

Advent, Seasons

The scene that is presented in the Gospel today is one of my favourites. We read from the Gospel of Luke, chapter 1, verses 26-38. The angel Gabriel appears to announce the birth of a child and follows the pattern established in the Hebrew Scriptures: the angel says, ‘do not be afraid’; the recipient is…

Every nation may come and worship

5 January 2014

Christmas, Epiphany, Seasons

In the Gospel of Luke, it is the lowly and outcast shepherds who are the first to visit the child Jesus in the stable in Bethlehem; in the Gospel of Matthew, it is foreign magi who have journeyed for weeks, if not months, to come and seek the new-born king of the Jews. What is…

The Choice to Rejoice

15 December 2013

Advent, Seasons

Pillar of Fire by night, by James Murnane (which I purchased last week) If you took a poll among first century Jews about their expectations of what the Messiah would be like, and what he (a female Messiah would not feature) would do – there would be many and varied replies….

The King is Coming

7 December 2013

Advent, Seasons

The King is coming. Make way for the King! So it’s time to get ready – for God is the king and he’s on his way back. The trouble then – and the trouble now – is that the people weren’t at all ready for the king to come back. If you knew that the…

Christ the King on a Cross

23 November 2013

Bible, Season of Growth, Solemnity, Teaching, Year C

Today we come to the end of the year – the final day in what is called the liturgical year – as we celebrate the great feast of Christ the King. But the Gospel today helps us to keep our eyes focused very sharply on what Jesus as King is really going to mean and…

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