Thursday of the 2nd Week of Lent

The rich man in the parable seems to have it all: fine clothes, the best food, and, we can assume, servants to attend to all his needs.  We’re told that this man “feasted sumptuously every day”, and he lacked nothing for a good life.  This man was so rich and powerful that he may have

Wednesday of the 2nd Week of Lent

Despite what we hear about them in the gospel today, James and John were loyal disciples.  They probably would have done anything Our Lord asked of them.  But in a sense, they were clueless about what he was really about.  Their request to sit beside him in heaven shows the degree to which their values

Tuesday of the 2nd Week of Lent

When the prophet Isaiah called on the Hebrews to set things right with God, he was talking about humility and about the ability and the willingness to see ourselves as God sees us, and not to be so concerned with what other people see.  Humility means being honest with God and being open to receive

Monday of the 2nd Week of Lent

Why do so many people find it so difficult to stop judging and condemning others?  Our Lord tells us that we must stop judging so that we may not be judged.  We are told that by our words we will be judged.  We are also told that if we want to be reconciled with God,

The Second Sunday of Lent

I would imagine that for most people who sit down and have a little think about Lent, the first thing that springs to mind for many of them are the Lenten penitential practices.  The Days of Fast and Abstinence on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday, the Imposition of Ashes, not eating meat on Fridays, making

Saturday of the 1st Week of Lent

We’ve just heard Our Lord tell us that we “must be perfect just as our heavenly Father is perfect”.  Now, most of us will agree that this exhortation of Our Lord is virtually impossible to follow.  No matter how hard we try, we just can’t manage to be good all of the time, let alone

Friday of the 1st week of Lent

In theory Our Lord’s commandment about forgiveness sounds fairly easy, but we all know how hard it can be to put into practice.  This is one of those commandments that most of us would rather put off as long as possible.  And yet throughout the Gospels we read how Our Lord placed a sense of

Thursday of the 1st Week of Lent

For some people, prayer must be like a trip to the amusement arcade; they slide a coin into the prayer machine, pull the lever, and see what happens.  Maybe once in a while they win, but more often than not, they’re just yanking on the lever and waiting to see what happens.  Such people see

Saint David

Today we honour the memory of Saint David, the patron of Wales, who was born in Pembrokeshire around the year 500.  Legend has it that David was the uncle of King Arthur.  As a bishop he was known as a powerful preacher and defender of orthodoxy.  He was a great supporter of the religious life