In their particularism, the Jews of Antioch in Pisidia wanted to monopolise salvation, perhaps allowing pagans to share in it later through them. For this reason, they reject Christ, his Gospel and his missionaries. But no particularistic group can monopolise Christ. He came as the light of the whole world. By coming among us, Christ
St. Athanasius (295-273), patriarch of Alexandria, was a bishop living in a time of great crisis for the Church just after the Roman persecutions. He defended the divinity of Christ against Arianism, which said that Christ was no more than a man. He suffered much for his faith. “The future of the Church will depend
To the people of Nazareth, Jesus was known as the son of a labourer, the son of the carpenter. Yes, God’s Son was born in a workman’s family, and like the young people of his time, presumably helping his father in the carpentry workshop. The readings of today also present human work as a cooperation
In the synagogue, Paul proclaims the risen Christ. That Christ is risen is not merely an important event of the past: it is, as Paul says, “a message of salvation meant for you. We have come here to tell you the Good News.” It is meant for us today. What is our task and the
In his preaching, Paul presents Christ as the one who is coming, which the whole Old Testament was leading to, and John the Baptist as the immediate announcer of Jesus’ appearance of that fulfilment. Jesus had told his disciples quite insistently and emphatically that neither power nor rank was to be the mark of the
“I came not to judge the world but to save the world,” says Jesus to us today. What he came to bring us is life, life without end, eternal life. He comes as light in our world. If we believe in him, we come to see in his light where we lack love that moves
What a rich personality, this valiant woman became a doctor of the Church. A Dominican Tertiary, she was the leader in Siena of a kind of “charismatic movement” with an evangelical lifestyle. Though very pleasant and joyful, she was very sad to see the Church suffering because Pope Gregory XI with his cardinals had moved
The Christians of Antioch, the first to be called “Christians” as disciples of Christ, were of two kinds: those Greek-speaking of Jewish origin, who had fled to Antioch from the persecuted Church in Jerusalem. They communicated their faith to their fellow Jews, but they must also have spoken of their faith in Christ to some
“I have come that they may have life–life in abundance,” says Jesus, the Good Shepherd. He is the door to all. In the first reading, Peter defends his action of baptising the pagan Cornelius on the same grounds: also, pagans are called to accept the Gospel and the Holy Spirit comes down on them too,
Greeting (See Second Reading) By the wounds of Jesus we have been healed. We had gone astray like sheep, but now we have come back to the shepherd and guardian of our souls. May Jesus our Good Shepherd be always with you. R/ And also with you. Introduction by the Celebrant Hear the Shepherd’s Voice
