The Better Part

John 9.1, 6-9, 13-17, 34-38 (full reading: John 9.1-41 ) Listen to the Gospel and Reflection   We know things about Jesus. We know that he is the Light of the World. He says, I am the Light of the World (John 8:12, 9:5) We know that he is the Good Shepherd. He says, I am the Good Shepherd (John 10:11) We know these things because Jesus says so. But we also know these things because of what Jesus does . Jesus does so. In the Gospel reading for this Sunday, the fourth Sunda

John 9.1, 6-9, 13-17, 34-38 (full reading: John 9.1-41 ) Listen to the Gospel and Reflection   In the Gospel reading for this Sunday, Jesus gives sight to a man who has never been able to see. He heals him. This is a miracle and it is marvellous, and it is one of many examples of Jesus healing people. Healing and faith go hand in hand. There seems to be a certain order to faith and healing. Look at these three other accounts of healing and faith: 1. Jesus turned, and seei

John 9.1, 6-9, 13-17, 34-38 (full reading: John 9.1-41 ) Listen to the Gospel and Reflection   In the Gospel reading for this Sunday, Jesus performs a miracle. We know that miracles reveal to us something of the Plan of God. They are signs of what the Kingdom of God is like. In fact, in the Gospel for the fourth Sunday of Lent, Jesus seems determined to give the disciples a sign. When he sees a man who has never been able to see, he says, he was born blind so that God’s wo

John 4.5-15 (full reading: John 4.5-42 ) Listen to the Gospel and Reflection   We have had two Sundays of Lent; now we come to the third one. On this Sunday, we hear about Jesus taking a break after walking from one town to another on a very hot day. We know what happens when we walk or work or play in the hot sun. We get tired and thirsty. We need rest and water. Does this happen to Jesus, too? So Jesus came to a Samaritan city called Sychar... Jacob’s well was there, and Je

John 4.5-15 (full reading: John 4.5-42 ) Listen to the Gospel and Reflection   On the third Sunday of Lent, we hear a conversation Jesus has as he takes a break from walking from town to town. His disciples have gone into a city to buy food. Meanwhile, Jesus waits by a well in the hot sun. He does not have a way to get the water that lies in the well. A Samaritan woman came to draw water, and Jesus said to her, “Give me a drink.” This is a strange thing for Jesus to do. It is

John 4.5-15 , 19-26 , 39-42 (full reading: John 4.5-42 ) Listen to the Gospel and Reflection   (full reading: John 4.5-42 ) Listen to the Gospel and Reflection When we read the Bible, we can ask ourselves, "What is God doing?" In the reading for this Sunday, the 3rd Sunday of Lent, at first it does not appear that Jesus does much at all. He sits by a well and has a conversation with a woman from Samaria. No miracles. No parables. Jesus came to a Samaritan city called Sychar,

Matthew 17.1-9 Listen to the Gospel and Reflection In the Gospel this Sunday, we hear Jesus take three of his best friends away by themselves. At first it seems like an ordinary day, an ordinary hike up a mountain. But, while they are there, Jesus suddenly looks different: And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became dazzling white. Jesus is still Jesus, but his face shines just like the sun! How bright that must be! We know th

Matthew 17.1-9 Listen to the Gospel and Reflection In the Gospel for the second Sunday of Lent, Jesus takes three of his best friends, Peter, James, and his brother John, away by themselves for what seems at first to be an ordinary hike up a mountain. But in the Bible, when we hear about people going up a mountain, that is a sign for us. There is going to be an encounter with God. People who live near the Rocky Mountains in Canada or the United States, people who have seen p

Matthew 17.1-9 Listen to the Gospel and Reflection The Gospel for the second Sunday of Lent always features the Transfiguration. This strange event occurs in Jesus' life not long before he leaves Galilee, turning his face toward Jerusalem—toward the cross, toward his death and resurrection. Jesus took with him Peter and James and his brother John and led them up a high mountain, by themselves. St. Matthew makes a point of telling us that the four of them go away "by themselv

Matthew 4.1-11 Listen to the Gospel and Reflection We will notice at church this week that the colour changes! Instead of green, the priest wears purple . We arrive in the season of Lent, a time of preparation for the great feast of Easter. At Easter, we will celebrate Jesus dying and rising to new life, never to die again! But before we celebrate, we prepare . There will be six purple Sundays to prepare for the feast. This first Sunday of Lent , we hear about what happen

Matthew 4.1-11 Listen to the Gospel and Reflection We enter a new season in the church called Lent , a time of preparation   for the great feast of Easter. At Easter, we celebrate Jesus dying and rising to new life—so full of the life of God that he can never die again! But before we celebrate, we prepare . There will be six purple   Sundays to prepare for the feast. On the first Sunday of Lent , we hear what happens right after Jesus gets baptized. Jesus goes into the deser

Matthew 4.1-11 Listen to the Gospel and Reflection On Wednesday, the church entered a new season called Lent , the time of preparation   for the great feast of Easter. At Easter, we will celebrate Jesus dying and rising to the full life of God that begins to spread to all people throughout all of creation. But before we celebrate, we prepare . There will be six purple Sundays of Lent to prepare for the feast. Each year, on the first Sunday of Lent , we listen to what happens

Matthew 5.17, 20-24, 27-28, 33-34, 37++   full reading: Matthew 5.17-37 Listen here to the Gospel and Reflectio n (Adults, the Gospel reading this week speaks about how to live righteously. 3-6 year olds are at a stage of enjoying the gift of relationship with God, and we ought not to rush them into a moral reflection on what to do to remain in that relationship. This reflection, therefore, focuses on Jesus's voice as he speaks to the people—he who is the Word made flesh.) So

Matthew 5.17, 20-24, 27-28, 33-34, 37++   full reading: Matthew 5.17-37 Listen here to the Gospel and Reflectio n The Gospel reading for this Sunday is part of a long talk that Jesus gives while sitting on the hillside of a mountain, surrounded by so many people who gather to hear him. He says, Do not think that I have come to abolish  the law  or the prophets ; I have come not to abolish but to fulfill . Abolish  means to put an end to something, or to get rid of it. Jesus s

Matthew 5.17, 20-24, 27-28, 33-34, 37++   full reading: Matthew 5.17-37 Listen here to the Gospel and Reflectio n For several Sundays now, we listened to parts of a long section in St. Matthew's Gospel called, "The Sermon on the Mount." We call it this because Jesus preaches to people while sitting on the hillside of a mountain. People gather from all over Galilee to hear him. In the Gospel for this Sunday, we hear him say, Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or

Matthew 5:13 -16   Listen here to the Gospel and Reflectio n In the Gospel for this Sunday, Jesus speaks about light . We know a lot about light . The light  of a candle is beautiful. It catches our attention. We like to watch the flame. The light  helps us to see. What does Jesus want us to know about light ? Jesus says, You are the light  of the world. Who ? You  are the light  of the world. Us? How can we be light ? Do we catch people's attention? Do we help people to see?

Matthew 5:13 -16   Listen here to the Gospel and Reflectio n In the Gospel for this Sunday, Jesus sits on the mountain with his many disciples gathered around him, listening. He has told them how to be people of the Kingdom of God. He has shown them what pleases God. Then he looks right at each one of them and says, “You are the salt  of the earth; but if salt has lost its taste, how can its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything, but is thrown out and tramp

Matthew 5:13 -16   Listen here to the Gospel and Reflectio n In the Gospel for this Sunday, Jesus continues to teach his disciples. He sits on the mountain looking out at them all—all of them looking back at him, waiting, listening. They come from all over just to listen to him. They come from across the land; they come from across time— we are here, too. Does Jesus know that we are here, listening? He says, “ You  are the light  of the world . What do these words reveal? Ho

Matthew 5:1-12   Listen here to the Gospel and Reflectio n We know that in the Bible, Jesus walks from town to town teaching about the Kingdom of God . People follow him because they love to hear his voice. In the Gospel for this Sunday, Jesus takes a break from walking. He sits down. But Jesus does not stop teaching about the Kingdom of God . Oh no. The people still get to listen to his voice. When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain; and after he sat down, his dis

Matthew 5:1-12   Listen here to the Gospel and Reflectio n In the Bible, we often hear Jesus teaching people about the Kingdom of God. Jesus understands that we need to know about the Kingdom. He knows that when we set out to play a game with our friends, we first sit down to work out the rules. We want to know who can play. We want to know how to play well. Jesus understands that we need to know these things about the Kingdom of God. So he sits down and lets us look for a mo

Matthew 5:1-12   Listen here to the Gospel and Reflectio n The most incredible thing about Jesus is that, by dying on the cross, he defeats death. God fills him with abundant, eternal life—he can never die again. God turns everything we know upside-down. Life is stronger than death. Does Jesus spend his whole life waiting to die and rise again? Of course not. He spends his adult life telling all he knows about the Kingdom of God. Now Jesus enjoys the fullness of the life of G

Matthew 4:12-23   Listen here to the Gospel and Reflectio n This Sunday is called the Sunday of the Word of God. When we do not read words, we need someone's voice to speak them or sign them to us. Jesus writes down no words. He does not need us to read. He needs us to listen to his voice. In the Gospel, we hear Jesus use his voice to call to four people. We can count them: Simon, Andrew, James, John. One, two, three, four—four names. Simon and Andrew are brothers from one fa

Matthew 4:12-23   Listen here to the Gospel and Reflectio n This Sunday is called the Sunday of the Word of God. Sometimes Jesus is called the Word of God made flesh. God gives the Word a body and a voice, something we can see and hear. We can see the Word of God in our imagination, and we hear it speak to us in our heart. In the Gospel, we hear Jesus, the Word Made Flesh, calling four people to come follow him. There are two pairs of brothers: Andrew and Simon (who is also

Matthew 4:12-23   Listen here to the Gospel and Reflectio n This Sunday is the Sunday of the Word of God. The Word of God is a great gift to us. We enjoy our gifts. We play with them. So, each week, and in particular this week, we enjoy the Word. We play with it, turning it over and over, noticing how it touches our deepest needs, and delighting in the new aspects we discover. The Gospel begins with disturbing news. John the Baptist has been arrested. In the midst of reading