Saturday, 4 April 2026
Resurrection Power – THE EASTER VIGIL
And suddenly there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord, descending from heaven, came and rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing white as snow. For fear of him the guards shook and became like dead men. But the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid; I know that you are looking for Jesus who was crucified. He is not here; for he has been raised, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples, ‘He has been raised from the dead, and indeed he is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see him.’ This is my message for you.” (Matthew 28:2-7)
The Vigil with its seven Old Testament readings makes it clear that the resurrection didn’t come from nowhere. It wasn’t some kind of sudden afterthought of God once things got out of hand. The Vigil begins with the creation story: the resurrection brings creation to its completion. It brings to…
Friday, 3 April 2026
The Cross: A Fountain of Life – GOOD FRIDAY
But when they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. Instead, one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and at once blood and water came out. (He who saw this has testified so that you also may believe. His testimony is true, and he knows that he tells the truth.) These
things occurred so that the scripture might be fulfilled, “None of his bones shall be broken.” And again another passage of scripture says, “They will look on the one whom they have pierced.” (John 19:33-37)
The Gospel of John doesn’t tell the story of the Transfiguration when Jesus revealed his glory to Peter, James and John on the mountain. One reason for this is that the whole of John’s Gospel is a Transfiguration story, never more so than on the dark mountain of Calvary. Seen…
Thursday, 2 April 2026
True Freedom – HOLY THURSDAY
After he had washed their feet, had put on his robe, and had returned to the table, he said to them, “Do you know what I have done to you? You call me Teacher and Lord—and you are right, for that is what I am. So if I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have set you an example, that you also should do as I have done to you.” (John 13:12-15)
There’s a striking contrast between the grand ritual of the Passover from the Book of Exodus and the humble gesture of Jesus recounted in the Gospel. Yet the link between the two is crucial. The Passover is all about the liberation of slaves, which is the seed of the whole…
Wednesday, 1 April 2026
Trust Jesus – Wednesday of Holy Week
“When it was evening, he took his place with the twelve; and while they were eating, he said, “Truly I tell you, one of you will betray me.” And they became greatly distressed and began to say to him one after another, “Surely not I, Lord?” He answered, “The one who has dipped his hand into the bowl with me will betray me.” (Matthew 26:20-23)
The Wednesday of Holy Week has traditionally been known as Spy Wednesday, because of its focus on Judas. But it’s more about broken trust than spying – not that Jesus loses trust in Judas but that Judas loses trust in Jesus. The words of the utterly simple prayer of St…
Tuesday, 31 March 2026
The Way of Judas or The Way of Peter? – Tuesday of Holy Week
So when he had dipped the piece of bread, he gave it to Judas son of Simon Iscariot. After he received the piece of bread, Satan entered into him. Jesus said to him, “Do quickly what you are going to do.”… Jesus answered, “Will you lay down your life for me? Very truly, I tell you, before the cock crows, you will have denied me three times.” (John 13:26-27, 38)
The sense of betrayal is everywhere in the Gospel we hear. No wonder Jesus is troubled, given that the betrayals come from among his closest companions, those he has chosen and prepared for the mission that lies ahead. The first and greatest betrayal comes from Judas who, faced with a…
Tuesday, 31 March 2026
The Way of Judas or The Way of Peter? – Tuesday of Holy Week
So when he had dipped the piece of bread, he gave it to Judas son of Simon Iscariot. After he received the piece of bread, Satan entered into him. Jesus said to him, “Do quickly what you are going to do.”… Jesus answered, “Will you lay down your life for me? Very truly, I tell you, before the cock crows, you will have denied me three times.” (John 13:26-27, 38)
The sense of betrayal is everywhere in the Gospel we hear. No wonder Jesus is troubled, given that the betrayals come from among his closest companions, those he has chosen and prepared for the mission that lies ahead. The first and greatest betrayal comes from Judas who, faced with a…
Monday, 30 March 2026
The Fragrance of Christ – Monday of Holy Week
Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights; I have put my spirit upon him; he will bring forth justice to the nations. He will not cry or lift up his voice, or make it heard in the street; a bruised reed he will not break, and a dimly burning wick he will not quench; he will faithfully bring forth justice. (Isaiah 42:1-3)
At first, the infant Church struggled to understand the meaning of the death and resurrection of Jesus. To interpret its meaning, they turned naturally to the only Scriptures they knew, what we call the Old Testament; and in the texts of the prophet Isaiah they found the mysterious figure of…
Sunday, 29 March 2026
The Logic of God: Self-Sacrificing Love – PASSION SUNDAY (PALM SUNDAY)
Then the high priest said to him, “I put you under oath before the living God, tell us if you are the Messiah, the Son of God.” Jesus said to him, “You have said so. But I tell you, from now on you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power and coming on the clouds of heaven.” Then the high priest tore his clothes and said, “He has blasphemed! Why do we still need witnesses? You have now heard his blasphemy. What is your verdict?” They answered, “He deserves death.” (Matthew 26:63-66)
The ironies of Palm Sunday run deep. Within a matter of days, the cries of acclamation turn to cries for blood. First, Jesus is hailed as the anointed saviour entering the holy city and its temple; then he is condemned with shouts of “Crucify him!” and is expelled from the…
Saturday, 28 March 2026
Gathering Into One – Saturday of the fifth week of Lent
Thus says the Lord God: I will take the people of Israel from the nations among which they have gone, and will gather them from every quarter, and bring them to their own land. I will make them one nation in the land, on the mountains of Israel; and one king shall be king over them all. Never again shall they be two nations, and never again shall they be divided into two kingdoms. (Ezekiel 37:21-22)
During the long reigns of David and Solomon, the twelve tribes of Israel were united as one people. But with the death of Solomon in the mid tenth century, they split into two kingdoms – the Northern Kingdom with ten tribes and the Southern Kingdom with two. When the Assyrian…
Friday, 27 March 2026
Suffering: Sign of a True Prophet – Friday of the fifth week of Lent
The Jews took up stones again to stone him. Jesus replied, “I have shown you many good works from the Father. For which of these are you going to stone me?” The Jews answered, “It is not for a good work that we are going to stone you, but for blasphemy, because you, though only a human being, are making yourself God.” (John 10:31-33)
An important question in ancient Israel was: How can we tell if a prophet is true or false? To whom should they listen? Early on, it was thought that one sign of a false prophet was persecution, since God (it was thought) wouldn’t allow a true prophet to be persecuted…