The Better Part

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 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

John 1:29-34   Listen here to the Gospel and Reflectio n Once again, this Sunday, we hear about John the Baptist. We might remember that John the Baptist is a cousin to Jesus. Jesus' mother, Mary, and John the Baptist's mother, Elizabeth, are cousins (Luke 1:36). That means their children are cousins, too. In the Gospel for this Sunday, Jesus and John the Baptist are both grown-up men. Jesus comes to John to get baptized. The next day, when John the Baptist sees Jesus again,

John 1:29-34   Listen here to the Gospel and Reflectio n After weeks of preparing and celebrating the feast of the Light coming in the world, we now return to Ordinary Time. The church changes the colour to green. In many parts of the world, snow covers the ground; there is no green. When we finally see green poking though the snow and green beginning to cover the bare branches of trees, we know spring comes. Things grow. Ordinary Time is a good time for growing—growing in Go

Matthew 3.13-17 Click here to listen here to the Gospel and Reflectio n This Sunday is the last of the three Sundays celebrating the feast of Christmas—the feast of Jesus, the Great Light, coming into the world. In the Gospel readings for the first two Sundays of Christmas, Jesus is just a baby, but in the Gospel for this Sunday, Jesus is a grown-up man. He comes to get baptized in the river Jordan. Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan, to be baptized by him. Wh

Matthew 3.13-17 Click here to listen here to the Gospel and Reflectio n We are coming to the end of the Christmas season. Most people think Christmas ends on December 26th, or that maybe the season lasts for twelve days, but the Church celebrates God becoming human like us  for three Sundays. The Baptism of the Lord is the last of the three Sundays of the feast of Christmas. After hearing about Jesus as a baby for two Sundays, now we hear about Jesus as a grown man. He comes

Matthew 3.13-17 Click here to listen here to the Gospel and Reflectio n At the close of the Christmas season, we leave the secret years of Jesus' childhood behind and join the grown-up Jesus in the waters of the Jordan river. The feast of Christmas that celebrates God becoming human like us comes to an end with a particular look at Jesus' baptism. We have to ask ourselves, why does Jesus need to get baptized? John the Baptist sees a problem with this. Surely Jesus does not h

Luke 23.35-43 Listen here to the Gospel and Reflectio n This Sunday is the last Sunday of the Church year. The year ends with a feast—Christ the King. The Gospel reading for this Sunday takes us to the moment of the crucifixion. It seems a little strange that the celebration of Christ the King should include scripture about Jesus dying on the cross. Would it not make more sense to celebrate the Resurrection? Why proclaim his death? And the people stood by, watching; but the l

Luke 16.19-31 Listen here to the Gospel and Reflectio n (Adults, the parable in this Sunday's Gospel presents us with two very different...

Luke 16.19-31 Listen here to the Gospel and Reflectio n In the Gospel for this Sunday, Jesus tells another parable. This is his best way...

Luke 1 6:10-13 (full reading: Luke 16 .1-13 ) Listen here to the Gospel and Reflectio n In the Gospel for this Sunday, Jesus tells the...

John 3.1 3-17   Listen here to the Gospel and Reflectio n This Sunday we celebrate the feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross. To...

Luke 12:49-53 Listen here to the Gospel and Reflectio n (Adults, this reflection considers simply the first verse of the Gospel reading,...

Matthew 16.13- 19 Listen here to the Gospel and Reflectio n Jesus and the disciples travel together for a long time. They spend so much...

Luke 24.44-53   Listen to the Gospel and Reflection This Sunday is the seventh Sunday of the Easter season. For seven weeks, we celebrate...

Luke 24.44-53   Listen to the Gospel and Reflection This Sunday we celebrate the last Sunday of the Easter season. For forty days...

Luke 24.44-53   Listen to the Gospel and Reflection Soon we will reach the end of the forty-nine days of the Easter season and soon we...

John 13.1,31-33a, 34-35   Listen to the Gospel and Reflection This Sunday, we celebrate the fifth Sunday of Easter. In this time of...

Luke 9.28b-36   Click here to listen to the Gospel and Reflection In the Gospel for this Sunday, Jesus needs time to pray. He wants to...

Luke 1.1-4; 4.14-21   Click here to listen to the Gospel and Reflectio n Although we listen each week to the Word of God, this Sunday we...

Luke 3.15-16, 21-22   Click here to listen here to the Gospel and Reflectio n At the close of the Christmas season, we leave the secret...

Luke 3.10-18   Listen here to the Gospel and Reflectio n (Adults, in the Gospel for this Sunday the people ask John what they must do to...

Mark 9.30-37   Listen here to the Gospel and Reflectio n In the Gospel for this Sunday, the disciples start to fight! They are like...

Mark 8:27-35     Listen here to the Gospel and Reflectio n We know that people always feel curious about Jesus. They gather around him to...

Mark 8:27-35     Listen here to the Gospel and Reflectio n Jesus spends much time traveling around Galilee and the region across the...

Mark 7.31-37   Listen here to the Gospel and Reflectio n In the Gospel for this Sunday, Jesus has begun to travel again. Wherever he...

Mark 6.1-6 Listen here to the Gospel and Reflection After several Sundays of hearing Jesus teach and travel around Israel, this Sunday we...

Matthew 28.16-20 Listen to the Gospel and Reflection For fifty days, we celebrated the great feast of Easter—Jesus rising from the dead...

John 15.1-8 Listen to the Gospel and Reflection In the Gospel for this Sunday, Jesus sounds like he plays a game with us. I am the vine,...

Mark 14.1-9 (full reading: Mark 14.1 - 15.47) Listen here to the Gospel and Reflection This Sunday marks the beginning of Holy Week when,...

John 3.14-21 (for the 6-9 yr old, just verses 14-16) Listen here to the Gospel and Reflection In the Gospel for this Sunday, Jesus speaks...

Mark 9.2-10 Listen here to the Gospel and Reflection In the Gospel for this Sunday, Jesus and three of his closest friends go for a walk...

Mark 1.1-8 Listen here to the Gospel and Reflection We are in the season of Advent, the time when we prepare for the feast of...

Mark 1.1-8 Listen here to the Gospel and Reflection The reading for this Sunday comes from the very beginning of the Gospel of St. Mark....

Matthew 24.36; 25.14-30 Listen here to the Gospel and Reflection In the Gospel for this Sunday, Jesus tells us another parable. It is...

Matthew 22.15-21 Listen here to the Gospel and Reflection Often in the Gospel readings we hear about Pharisees. Many of them are good and...

Matthew 22.1-14 Listen here to the Gospel and Reflection (Another warning this week! The parable in the Gospel is another difficult one....

Matthew 16.13-20 Listen here to the Gospel and Reflection Jesus and the disciples travel together for a long time. They spend so much...

Matthew 16.13-20 Listen here to the Gospel and Reflection The Gospel for this Sunday occurs after the disciples travel with Jesus for...

Matthew 17.1-9 Listen to the Gospel and Reflection In the Gospel this Sunday, we hear Jesus taking three of his best friends away by...

Matthew 9.36 - 10.8 Listen to the Gospel and Reflection We know that Jesus has a group of twelve people close to him. Sometimes the...

Matthew 28.16-20 Listen to the Gospel and Reflection We know that after Jesus dies and rises to new life, never to die again, he spends...

John 14.15-21 Listen to the Gospel and Reflection Last Sunday we listened to Jesus remind the disciples that the Good Shepherd goes ahead...

John 10:1-10 Listen to the Gospel and Reflection Many of us are very familiar with the image of the Good Shepherd. The Gospel for this...

John 20:1-18 Listen to the Gospel and Reflection (Adults, begin by reading the Gospel aloud to the child, unless the child is a very...

John 11.3-7, 17, 20-27, 33b-45 (full reading: John 11.1-45) Listen to the Gospel and Reflection In the Gospel for this Sunday, the fifth...

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...

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...

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...