Year B

Finding Solitude in the Midst of Chaos: A Reflection on Compassion and Spiritual Nourishment Watch the Mass In our fast-paced world, finding moments of solitude can seem like an impossible task. Yet, as Fr Richard Healey reflects in his homily, these moments are not just beneficial but essential for our spiritual well-being. Drawing from the…

Embracing the Mission: Sharing God’s Love with the World Today, I want to delve into a theme that is both timeless and profoundly relevant to our lives as followers of Christ: the mission to share the message of salvation with others. This reflection is inspired by the experiences of biblical figures such as Amos and…

Embracing the Transformative Power of God’s Grace: A Reflection on Home, Vulnerability, and Faith Welcome to this reflection on the concept of home and the transformative power of God’s grace. Today, I want to share with you some personal experiences and biblical insights that have shaped my understanding of home and the profound impact of…

Embracing Healing and Restoration: A Reflection on Faith and Community In this week’s homily, I found myself deeply moved by the Gospel of Mark, particularly the stories of the woman healed by touching the hem of Jesus’ garment and the subsequent healing of Jairus’ daughter. These narratives are rich with themes of healing, restoration, and…

Finding Peace in Life’s Storms: A Reflection on the Gospel of Jesus Calming the Storm Today, I want to share with you a reflection that is inspired by the Gospel story of Jesus calming the storm. This story is a powerful reminder of the peace and strength we can find in God’s presence during the…

Embracing Growth and Grace Establishing Solid Foundations One of the key points I discussed was the importance of establishing solid foundations before delving into any subject matter. This principle is not only crucial in our spiritual lives but also in our everyday learning processes. The Frustration of Learning Something New We all know the frustration…

Embracing God’s Mercy: Reflections on Guilt, Shame, and Redemption In this episode, I delve into the profound biblical story of Adam and Eve from the book of Genesis. This narrative is not just an ancient tale but a mirror reflecting our own experiences of guilt, shame, and the transformative power of God’s mercy. Let’s explore…

The Lifesaving Grace of Giving: Blood Donation and the Eucharist As I stood before my congregation, I found myself reflecting on the profound significance of blood in our lives—both physically and spiritually. It’s a topic that resonates deeply with me, not only as a priest but also as someone who has experienced the life-giving act…

Embracing the Journey of Discipleship: A Reflection on the Gospel of Matthew The Significance of Commencement Greetings to all of you, my dear brothers and sisters in Christ. I am Fr Richard Healey, and today I want to share with you a reflection that has been on my heart. As we gather together in our…

Four years ago, if we’d read that gospel and tried to kind of get into the mindset of this leper, this person who was declared to be unclean, who had to say that out loud when he’d walk around the community, he would have to keep this long distance from everybody else – ringing a…

Unveiling the Layers of Scripture: A Journey Through Context and Wisdom Fr Richard Healey shared invaluable insights into the art of interpreting scripture, particularly focusing on the Gospel of Mark. I am excited to share with you the essence of this episode, transforming the spoken word into written wisdom, and invite you to join me…

Embracing Wisdom in the Age of Artificial Intelligence: A Reflection on Interpretation and Authority The Quest for True Intelligence Greetings, dear readers. In a recent sermon I delivered to my congregation, I found myself grappling with the extraordinary developments in artificial intelligence that have characterized our current decade. As a religious leader, I’ve always been…

Finding My Way Back: A Journey of Repentance and Restoration Lost in the Wilderness It was a day like any other when I decided to explore a national park, seeking solace in a less crowded area. Little did I know, this adventure would turn into a lesson about life’s path and the concept of repentance….

Encountering the Divine: A Journey from Distance to Presence A Reflection on Divine Intimacy and Community Today, I want to take you on a personal journey—a journey that delves into the essence of spiritual connection and the profound impact of community in our lives. This is not just a recount of an episode; it’s a…

Sunday 26 in Year C First Reading ‡ Amos 6:1.4-7You who give yourself to licentiousness and revelry will be exiled.Responsorial ‡ Psalm 145:6-10Praise the Lord, my soul!Second Reading ‡ 1 Timothy 6:11-16Obey the commandments until the coming of the Lord.Gospel ‡ Luke 16:19-31During your life good things came your way just as bad things came…

The Feast of “Christ the King” is relatively new in Catholic terms, being established by Pope Pius XI only in 1925. That it was during the political battle for the sovereignty of the Papal States and the fight against modernism colours the nature of the celebration. Originally celebrated on the last Sunday in October (still…

Sunday 33, Year B.Daniel 12:1-3; Mark 13:24-32Play MP3Watch video Our final reading from the Gospel of Mark for the year (next week – John 18).Mark 13 is challenging. Filled with references from the Hebrew Bible. If you don’t get those, you will be confused and probably get the meaning wrong. In our culture ‘apocalyptic’ means…

1 Kings 17:10-16 The widow made a little scone from her flour meal and brought it to Elijah.Mark 12:38-44 This poor widow has put more in than all who contributed.Play MP3Watch video Generated Transcript So we are in November and this is the 32nd Sunday in the year, so we’re definitely getting towards the pointy end of…

When you are caught in an emergency situation and you have to evacuate your house – what would you grab in the 60 seconds that you have available to you? Would it be a photo album, a piece of jewellery, device or memento? Sometimes it is good to be forced to boil things down to…

We have emerged from extraordinary period. After the relative freedom which we enjoyed for about a year after our first lock-down, to be plunged back into a serious lockdown crisis was jarring. Our period of isolation from the worst effects of Covid-19 also came to an end, with the disease not only affecting people in…

Once again we meet foolish disciples who screw up the simple and easy job of being faithful disciples. What unfolds is even more terrible when you read the section of Mark’s gospel that comes immediately before the section we read this Sunday (Mark 10:35-45).  32 They were on the road, going up to Jerusalem. Jesus was…

The man in today’s gospel is eager – he runs to Jesus full of desire – yet also caught up in self-centredness. He wants ‘eternal life’ — that is a life that knows no bounds, a life that is not limited by space and time, but that keeps on filling his heart from the fount…

Divorce is one of the sad realities of our world. There are very few families that have not been touched by the heartache of separation and divorce. I suspect that my immediate family where my parents and my four siblings are all in multi-decade first marriages makes us rather unusual. The reality is that making…

Oh hell!  This passage is the only one where Mark mentions ‘hell’ – 3 times in total.  Luke only mentions it once (Luke 12:5); Matthew 7 times. Never in John’s gospel or the writings of Paul. Once in James 3 and once in 2 Peter 2. Total of 13 mentions – always the word ‘Gehenna’ …

Sunday 25, Year B. Mark 9:30-37 Play MP3Watch video Generated Transcript As I have grown older, my fondness for the gospel of Mark has also grown, and one of the things I really like about this gospel is the humanity of Jesus, but especially the humanity of the disciples. Yeah, they are in so many…

The story so far. Mark begins with a simple introduction: The beginning of the Good News about Jesus, the Messiah, the Son of God. We’re then told a little about John the baptiser, the baptism of Jesus and then the temptation in the wilderness with angels and wild beasts. Jesus begins his ministry in Galilee….

One of the (many) cruel outcomes of Christian history is the unwarranted neglect of the Gospel of Mark. It was not until the sixth century that the first known commentary on the Gospel was written. It seems that the fact that it was the first of the gospels to be written was unknown, and so…

Mark 7:1-23 (Sunday 22, Year B) – full NRSV Gospel, not the strange shorter/edited form as in the lectionary. Play MP3Watch videoRead Gospel (red-letter / colour-coded edition)Read Social Justice Statement 2021-2022 An Englishman, an Irishman and an Australian go into a bar and they notice, sitting over at one of the tables, a pastor, a priest…

Sunday 21B (Joshua 24:1-2,15-18 & John 6:60-69) Joshua today invites the people to renew the covenant. He gathers the people in the very centre of the promised land, at Shechem, and retells the story of salvation so far. He reminds the people of all that God has accomplished within their history. He reminds them of…

Sunday 18, Year B. First Reading ‡ Exodus 16:2-4.12-15 I will rain bread from heaven upon you.Responsorial ‡ Psalm 77:3-4.23-25.54 The Lord gave them bread from heaven.Second Reading ‡ Ephesians 4:17.20-24 Put on the new person that has been created in God’s image.Gospel ‡ John 6:24-35 Whoever comes to me will never be hungry; whoever believes in me will never thirst.Play MP3Watch video…