Fifth Sunday of the Year - 2026

Traditionally Lent has three main components, or disciplines that make up our Lenten observance:   PRAYER <> FASTING <> WORKS OF CHARITY Our experience of life may be thought of in the context of the passage of time. Psalm 90:2 describes it in this way: Our days may come to seventy years, or eighty, if our strength endures; yet the best of them are but trouble and sorrow, for they quickly pass, and we fly away. But the gospel reveals a different vision of our life. Yes, life is a passage through time, and trouble and sorrows do accompany it, and we do fly away in the end, but not into nothingness as the atheists would have it. Our brief few years spent in this tiny corner of the universe are a beginning not the end. "What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived" -- the things God has prepared for those who love him-- 1 Cor. 2:9 Self denial and Works of Charity are the outward manifestation of the true character of our religious life, but it is Prayer that is the source and inspiration for our actions. The power we need to live a fruitful Christian life is channeled into our minds and hearts through Prayer. The gospel text for the First Sunday of Lent is the account of Jesus' forty days of prayer in the wilderness. The Spirit takes Jesus into the wilderness, apart from everyone, into an intense experience of prayer, to prepare him for work the Father has sent him to accomplish. Different translation describe it as; Immediately the Spirit drove Him into the wilderness <> Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness <> the Spirit impelled Him into the wilderness. Jesus' praying is a dynamic experience, a communion in the Spirit, a dialogue with the heavenly realm - and in this wilderness experience, a personal confrontation with Satan himself. It is in and through this "communion in prayer" that the will - the plan of the Father, is revealed to Jesus. This way of prayer is the model for our own prayer. The Spirit desires to take us into this same dynamic experience and dialogue with the heavenly realm, where we too learn the will of the Father for us. The following are some suggestions in preparation for prayer in Lent

Calendar for Lent	A calendar showing the days of Lent, including the scripture text references for each day, can be a helpful organizer. It helps keep track of any missed days, as well as highlighting days of special insight.
When and Where	Appointing a time and place for prayer protects prayer time from the danger of being swept aside by our many other demands and interests.
Journal	“What just happened?” Prayer is an experience. This means we should be able to describe it as if telling another about our experience. Over time a more coherent understanding of the progress of my spiritual life begins to emerge.
Scriptures	Our primary scripture source will be the daily Lenten texts. Praying scripture is not the same as studying scripture. When someone is speaking to us we want to listen to what they are saying. “Speak Lord, your servant is listening”. The principal place for hearing scripture is in the Liturgy of the Word. Another source of both written text and audio can be found on the USCCB web site, on the “Daily Mass Readings” page, which has both audio and written rendering of the scripture for each day. xxx

Fourth Sunday of the Year - 2026

The Beatitudes are seen as a summery of the Jesus' teaching; an outline or index of the gospel. In anticipation of what is to come, this Sunday's gospel invites us to spend some time reflecting on the Beatitudes.      Often you will here it said that if God is loving, kind, and merciful why is there so much suffering in the world? In the Beatitudes Jesus does not deny the presence of problems in the world rather he shows how believers will triumph in the midst them.       To understand how our daily challenges can be called blessings we need to enter into the school of the Holy Gospels where the Holy Spirit unveils this mystery for us.      The following is an example of taking a Beatitude deeper into the gospel.  .

"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."

“If anyone would come after Me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.  What will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul? For the Son of Man will come in His Father’s glory with His angels, and then He will repay each one according to what he has done. Mtt. 16:24-27

"Blessed are they who mourn, for they will be comforted."

Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know that God will give You whatever You ask Him.” “Your brother will rise again,” Jesus told her. Martha replied, “I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.” Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me will live, even though he dies. And everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?” John 11:

"Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the land."

Then he said to them, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.” And he told them this parable: “The ground of a certain rich man yielded an abundant harvest. He thought to himself, ‘What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.’ “Then he said, ‘This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store my surplus grain. And I’ll say to myself, “You have plenty of grain laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.” ’ “But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’ “This is how it will be with whoever stores up things for themselves but is not rich toward God.” Luke 12:14

"Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied."

Then they inquired, “What must we do to perform the works of God?” Jesus replied, “This is the work of God: to believe in the One He has sent.” So they asked Him, “What sign then will You perform, so that we may see it and believe You? What will You do? Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, as it is written: ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.” Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I tell you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but it is My Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” “Sir,” they said, “give us this bread at all times.” Jesus answered, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to Me will never hunger, and whoever believes in Me will never thirst. But as I told you, you have seen Me and still you do not believe. John. 6:28

"Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy."

Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother who sins against me? Up to seven times?” Jesus answered, “I tell you, not just seven times, but seventy-seven times! Because of this, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. As he began the settlements, a debtor was brought to him owing ten thousand talents. Since the man was unable to pay, the master ordered that he be sold to pay his debt, along with his wife and children and everything he owned. Then the servant fell on his knees before him. ‘Have patience with me,’ he begged, ‘and I will pay back everything.’ His master had compassion on him, forgave his debt, and released him. >>> But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii. He grabbed him and began to choke him, saying, ‘Pay back what you owe me.’ >>> So his fellow servant fell down and begged him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you back.’ But he refused. >>> The master summoned him and declared, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave all your debt because you begged me. Should you not have had mercy on your fellow servant, just as I had on you?’ In his anger, his master turned him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should repay all that he owed. That is how My Heavenly Father will treat each of you, unless you forgive your brother from your heart.” Matt. 18:21

"Blessed are the clean of heart, for they will see God."

At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who then is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” Jesus called a little child to stand among them. “Truly I tell you,” He said, “unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoever welcomes a little child like this in My name welcomes Me. But if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it would be better for him to have a large millstone hung around his neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea. Mtt. 18:1

"Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God."

“But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you . . . . . if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them . . . . . love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. Luke 6:27

"Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."

Look, I am sending you out like sheep among wolves; therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves. But beware of men; for they will hand you over to their councils and flog you in their synagogues. On My account, you will be brought before governors and kings as witnesses to them and to the Gentiles. But when they hand you over, do not worry about how to respond or what to say. In that hour you will be given what to say. For it will not be you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you. Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; children will rise against their parents and have them put to death. You will be hated by everyone on account of My name, but the one who perseveres to the end will be saved. Mtt. 10:16

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Third Sunday of the Year - 2026

By Papal decree, this third Sunday in Ordinary Time, January 25, is to be observed as a special day devoted to “the celebration, study and dissemination of the word of God.” Its formal title is “Sunday of the Word of God” and is an invitation to Catholics across the world to deepen their appreciation, love and faithful witness to God and his word.  Pope Francis describes it as a day dedicated to the Bible to help the Church (quoting) “to experience anew how the risen Lord opens up for us the treasury of his word and enables us to proclaim its unfathomable riches before the world,” Many Catholic homes have bibles, often rather large books, beautifully produced. They may have a special place in the home like on the self under the coffee table in the living room. However, it's purpose there is not for prayer, reading and study, rather a place where the family records are kept. Thankfully in recent years the place and importance of the bible in Catholic homes is changing. On Nov. 18th 1965, Pope Paul VI promulgated the Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation entitled Dei verbum. Its purpose is to spell out the Church’s understanding of the nature of Divine Revelation, that is, the process whereby God communicates with human beings. Let me highlight a couple of its key teachings. The document touches on key questions, especially about Scripture and tradition, and how the scriptures come under the teaching authority of the Church. We learn that the bible is not a book that stands alone, complete unto itself – rather it is a collection of writings brought together by a living body of believers, the Church, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. The document states: “Sacred tradition and Sacred Scripture form one sacred deposit of the word of God, committed to the Church. #10” The document also teaches that to have a correct understanding of the sacred text it is important to take into account the various forms the writers of the scriptures have chosen to communicate God’s Word – such as historical, or poetic, or prophetic, etc. And of course the role of scripture in the Mass is highlighted by the document: “The Church has always venerated the divine Scriptures just as she venerates the body of the Lord, since, especially in the sacred liturgy, she unceasingly receives and offers to the faithful the bread of life from the table both of God's word and of Christ's body. #21” Pope John Paul II used the expression of the Table of the Word and the Table of the Eucharist. The document concludes with this exhortation: “The sacred synod also earnestly and especially urges all the Christian faithful, to learn by frequent reading of the divine Scriptures the "excellent knowledge of Jesus Christ" (Phil. 3:8). "For ignorance of the Scriptures is ignorance of Christ." Therefore, they should gladly put themselves in touch with the sacred text itself, whether it be through the liturgy, rich in the divine word, or through devotional reading. Click here to link to the document online

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Second Sunday of the Year - 2026

BAPTISM OF THE HOLY SPIRIT And John testified, "I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it remained on him. I myself did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water said to me, "He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain is the one who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.' And I myself have seen and have testified that this is the Son of God." John 1:32-34 For more on the Baptism of the  Holy Spirit go to this  <<< LINK >>>

Baptism of Jesus - 2026

Today is the second of the three Epiphany’s traditionally celebrated by the Church: 1st the manifestation to the Wise Men and to all the world, God with us. 2nd today’s manifestation at the Jesus’ baptism by John. 3rd manifestation of Jesus’ miraculous power at the wedding in Cana. Some years, (like last year), all three make up the three Transitional Sundays from Christmas to Ordinary Time followed then by its 34 remaining Sundays of the year. Today its Matthew’s gospel that brings us to the Jordon river and Jesus’ baptism to behold this great Epiphany: And when Jesus had been baptized, just as he came up from the water, suddenly the heavens were opened to him and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, "This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased." Mtt. 3:16-17 Not only is this a glorious manifestation of Jesus’ sharing in God’s life, but it gives us insight into what Christian baptism and our baptism really means. By our baptism we are destined to a sharing in this same glory. However, like all key insights our understanding first begins in the Old Testament – specifically those accounts of passing through the barriers of the great seas/rivers – Red Sea lead by Moses and Jordan River lead by Joshua. These great bodies of water are preventing God’s people from entering into Promised land – their destiny planned by God for them. But the hand of God reaches down and parts the seas so the people can pass over on dry land into the promised land. Similarly, what prevents us from entering our destiny, our promised land is the great “sea of sin”. This is why Jesus has come into the world, he alone can overcome this impenetrable barrier holding us back. It is by the power of the Holy Spirit and the forgiveness of sin the sea of sin is parted. Original sin has caused us all to be born into this world on the wrong side of the sea. In baptism Jesus parts the sea so that we pass through the waters and are born again on the other side, free now to follow Jesus who will lead us home. The Christian Life begins when we are born again through the waters of baptism. Now sin and the Devil is not finished with us yet. Now that we are here on the other side of the great Sea of Damnation freed by the Sanctifying Grace of baptism, we must follow Jesus through the remaining days of the time allotted to us by living holy lives.  So now the journey home begins, or might we say continues. The Sundays of Ordinary Time and the gospel of Jesus will continue to part the sea of ignorance standing in our way. They will be our guiding light. Come, let us follow!

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Feast of the Epiphany - 2026

During the Advent / Christmas cycle of the year 2021, in this blog we reflected on the Three Comings of Christ. The 1st being His Incarnation, His 2nd is the Day of Judgement and His 3rd is now, each time a person is baptised into the life of Christ. Now let us look at these Three Epiphany's of Christ. We commonly think of the Epiphany as that one event in Christ's life where the Magi, led by a star, make their way to see him and offer him gifts fitting a new king. However, the Catholic liturgy considers the Epiphany to be threefold, the visit by the Magi, the Baptism of Jesus by John, and the Miracle of the Wine at the Wedding in Cana. The Greek word, "epiphaneia", was used to signify the coming of a king or emperor. It was also used for the self-manifestation of a god or for his miraculous intervention; this later, likely the original use of the word. A popular use of the word “epiphany” today means a sudden discovery, something finally seen and recognized, the beginning of understanding; we say, “ah, now I see, now I understand!” "I just had an epiphany". The word "insight" comes to mind here. Let us stay with this notion for now. Many people these days have abandoned the practice of belonging to a church. They say they are spiritual but not religious and do not need the structures of church membership to be a good person. It is true that everyone is spiritual for that is how God created us, a physical being with a spiritual soul. However to simply claim to be spiritual is to leave out one important thing - it is religious practice that connects spirit to the physical, so that it can bear fruit in the world. An apple tree without branches is just a stump. The people at the time of the Epiphany were both spiritual and religious. Where they were having difficulties was with which religion, which religious practice? Who best to sort out this complicated question than God Himself. The Epiphany is God showing in himself as the true religious way for all to see. ( ... now I see, now I get it, so this is the truly spiritual manifest in the truly religious practice. And oh what confusion we people are capable of creating. So the work that began with these three Epiphany's continues to unfold even as we speak.  Do you get it? Do you understand? How is your "epiphany experience" unfolding? Here is where true spirituality enters the discussion - true spirituality happens when we become seekers, searching for Him the One who will tell us in person who he is. As seekers our gifts to offer are open hearts and minds in search of "insight" and understanding - people with a dynamic spiritual/religious practice seeking a personal encounter with Jesus. Just as true spirituality does not tell God who he is, likewise true religion does not make up how God is to be served, God himself has come to show us how he wants us to worship and serve him. So we need to belong to the Church that Jesus established as his way of gathering us around himself for instruction.

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