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
A disciple of Peter, Mark writes in simple words how, with Jesus, came the time of salvation and repentance. He shows Jesus as both the Son of God and the Son of Man, whose life led to his death but who revealed himself fully in the resurrection. The disciple must follow his master. Opening Prayer
“Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?” This is the question of Jesus the Lord when he lets Saul, the persecutor, encounter him on the way to Damascus. Jesus identifies himself with his persecuted disciples. From that moment on, Saul will serve the Lord, whose life he will live. It is an encounter that radically
Luke presents the conversion of the treasurer of the queen of Ethiopia in very close parallel with that of the disciples of Emmaus. The latter had listened to Christ’s explanation of the Scriptures about himself, and then recognised and really encountered the living, Risen Lord in the breaking of bread, in the Eucharist. The Ethiopian
The fervour of the young Church is so contagious that even in persecution, Christians use the occasion of the persecution itself to preach the risen Christ. Indeed, God does not abandon the Church, even in moments of trial. The reading from Acts says that there was even great joy over the signs of the Lord’s
