Tag Archive for ‘Jesus’
Stations of the Cross
Images: St John the Evangelist Church, Otara Photos: Manuel Beazley Text: Adapted from the Way of the Cross led by Pope Francis at the Colosseum on Good Friday 2013
And Christ Stopped by the Waikanae River
Of course, we all know that Christ lived in Palestine about 1,980 years or so ago. God chose that time and place for the incarnatian of His Son; He could also have chosen today as the time, and New Zealand for the place. Here is one version of how it might have happened. How would […]
Friday 28 February
James 5:9-12; Ps 103; Mark 10:1-12 Sanctity of marriage History tells us that divorce was available in Jesus’ day with little cause. Jesus was insisting that the loose sexual morality of the day must be mended. Can you see the parallel today? Some might say that sexual morality has never been looser, family values more […]
Thursday 27 February
James 5:1-6; Ps 49; Mark 9:41-50 Gain or lose eternal life How many ways can we lose eternal life with God in heaven? James and the psalmist say by putting riches before one’s fellow man. Jesus has a long list of things that can earn us hell. But look on the bright side. Put Jesus […]
Wednesday 26 February
James 4:13-17; Ps 49; Mark 9:38-40 Supremacy of God Today’s readings talk about the supremacy of God. We have free will, but no matter what man does, God will prevail. In the words of the psalmist “No man can …. pay a price to God for his life”. In the Gospel, the man casting out […]
Monday 24 February
James 3:13-18; Ps 19B; Mark 9:14-29 The power of prayer James letter is very hard-hitting, don’t you think? For the last week he has been laying down for us how we must behave. Then there is the puzzling statement of Jesus at the end of the Gospel, that prayer was required for this type of […]
Saturday 22 February
Feast of the Chair of St Peter, Apostle 1 Peter 5:1-4; Ps 23; Matthew 16:13-19 Leadership In Matthew’s version of events at Caesarea Philippi (see 20 Feb), after Simon acknowledges Jesus as Son of God, Jesus changed his name to Peter and gave him authority from heaven. After Jesus’ resurrection, Peter exercised that authority and […]
Friday 21 February
James 2:14-26; Ps 112; Mark 8:34-9:1 Paradox Jesus words are hard to understand – why must I lose my life to save it? James’ “faith without good works is dead” sheds a little light, perhaps. If I say that I love Jesus and do nothing else, my faith is hollow. By stepping out and committing […]
Thursday 20 February
James 2:1-9; Ps 34; Mark 8:27-33 The turning point We read today the turning point of Mark’s Gospel. Jesus had been teaching his disciples for nearly 3 years, and at Caesarea Philippi, a place where people had worshipped various gods throughout history, he asked them the critical question “who am I?” Assured that they knew […]
Wednesday 19 February
James 1:19-27; Ps 15; Mark 8:22-26 Growth Jesus took the blind man aside and healed him in stages. That was unique, as all his other miracles were instantaneous. William Barclay wrote that a sudden conversion is a gracious possibility, but every day we must be re-converted. With all God’s grace and glory before him, a […]
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