Reflections for October 2021

In today’s gospel reading (Mk 12:28b-34) Jesus says to a scribe: “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” Just a few verses later Jesus says: “Beware of the scribes, … They will receive a very severe condemnation.” The “Scribes and Pharisees”, usually lumped together, are condemned frequently and vehemently by Jesus. So it […]

Jesus says to the blind man: “Go your way; your faith has saved you.” (Mk 10:46-52) So today our gospel is about faith. Or is it? Certainly the blind man has faith, he clearly believes that Jesus can help him. But his faith isn’t new, it didn’t suddenly start when Jesus showed up. Why did

James and John are certainly pushing their luck today! (Mk 10:35-45) Once again we are shown how far they are from understanding what Jesus is teaching them. The reaction of the other disciples is hardly surprising – we would feel the same, I’m sure – “who do they think they are!!”. Jesus however doesn’t get

So here we have Salvation 101, or “How to Lead a Good Life; in 4 Easy Steps” (Don’t lie, cheat, steal or kill!) Pretty much any religion, or even those without a religion, would agree on that. The young man in today’s gospel (Mk 10:17-30) knows that. He’d been brought up knowing it. But he

Last week’s readings were challenging – with hands and feet being cut off! This week we may also struggle – how do we reconcile Jesus’ apparently uncompromising words (Mk 10:2-10) with the reality of marriage and married life as many people experience it? As we seek to understand what Jesus may be saying to us,