Let us anchor this year’s celebration of South Africa’s Patronal Feast in some words from the Preface of today’s Mass. ” The Virgin Mother of God was assumed into heaven as the beginning and image of your Church’s coming to perfection and a sign of sure hope and comfort to your pilgrim people.“ Now recall what […]
NINETEENTH SUNDAY – August, 13
TODAY’S GOSPEL EXTRACT [MATTHEW 14: 22 – 33] ends with the words “and those in the boat worshipped him, saying, ‘truly you are the Son of God’.“ What does it really and basically mean to worship someone or something? As soon as this answer is clearly formulated let me ask myself whether I am a true and real worshipper of God-in-Christ? […]
TRANSFIGURATION OF THE LORD – August, 06
The feast of the Lord’s Transfiguration does not often occur on a Sunday. However, when it does then the feast itself takes precedence over the ‘ordinary’ Sunday of the Liturgical Year. The importance of this event in the life and ministry of Jesus is emphasised by the fact that it is recorded in all the Synoptic versions of […]
SEVENTEENTH SUNDAY – July, 30
TODAY’S GOSPEL [MATTHEW 13: 44 – 52] continues one of the especially significant elements of Matthew’s version of the Good News – the so-called Parables of the Kingdom. This Sunday’s verses bring Matthew’s record of these parables to an end. These parables, taken together, confirm the fact recorded in our reflection for the Fifteenth Sunday – […]
SIXTEENTH SUNDAY – July, 23
Last weeks’ reflection ended with the observation that “the unidentified rocks and thorns are the barriers of our own making.” It takes a real sense of purpose, honesty and self-evaluation to identify those areas of our discipleship which stand in need of change and upgrade. The prophet Jeremiah once said “break up your fallow ground, […]
FIFTEENTH SUNDAY – July, 16
In general the scriptures have many examples of apparent paradoxes and enigmas. TODAY’S OLD TESTAMENT READING [ISAIAH 55: 10 – 11] tells us that “so shall my word that goes forth from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty.” Yet, TODAY’S GOSPEL [MATTHEW 13: 1 – 23] teaches clearly that God’s word(the seed that is sown) does not always produce what was […]
