Last week we reflected on how we are “an Easter people” and what that means. Now as we enter into our 50 day long celebration of Easter we might ask an even more basic question – what is Easter? This might seem a strange question – isn’t the answer obvious? It’s the celebration of Christ’s […]
Second Sunday of Easter Read More »
“We are an Easter People”. This idea can be traced to St Augustine, but was brought into modern consciousness when Pope John Paul II used it in an address on a visit to Australia in 1986. There is also a deep theology around the idea that the defining characteristic of the early church was an
As we move into Holy Week we celebrate the slightly schizophrenic Feast of Palm or Passion Sunday. The palms and celebration of Jesus’s triumphal entry into Jerusalem is short lived (Luke 19:28-40), quickly followed by a long reading of his passion and death (Luke 22:14-23:56). Head snapping though this may be, and probably was for
Palm Sunday of the Lord’s Passion Read More »
Another week, another altercation between Jesus and the scribes and Pharisees (John 8:1-11). But this one is a little different. In some cases Jesus takes the fight to them, as in: “you brood of vipers” (Mt 12:34). In others he engages with a friendly questioner: “You are not far from the kingdom of God” (Mk
Fifth Sunday of Lent Read More »