52 Reflections on Faith - Good Friday: access to God
52 Reflections on Faith - Good Friday: access to God
by BRF - Stephen W. Need
Maundy Thursday: washing the feet Maundy Thursday is the first of the three holy days leading up to Easter. Christians usually think of it as the day when the Eucharist was instituted. Jesus ate a meal with his disciples in Jerusalem the night before he died, thereby inaugurating…
52 Reflections on Faith - Faith and Doubt: seeking understanding
52 Reflections on Faith - Faith and Doubt: seeking understanding
by BRF - Stephen W. Need
Faith and doubt: Seeking understanding: Richard Holloway’s autobiography Leaving Alexandria: A memoir of faith and doubt tells the story of the author’s life, from his birth and upbringing in Scotland, through his training for the priesthood at the Society of the Sacred Mission a…
52 Reflections on Faith - Growth and renewal: good soil
52 Reflections on Faith - Growth and renewal: good soil
by BRF - Stephen W. Need
Growth and renewal: Good soil: It’s amazing how things grow, isn’t it? The story is told of a young couple who bought a house with a large garden, including a lawn and an apple tree at the front. They decided they needed to ‘clear the garden’ and, in the process, chopped down the…
52 Reflections on Faith - Maundy Thursday: washing the feet
52 Reflections on Faith - Maundy Thursday: washing the feet
by BRF - Stephen W. Need
Maundy Thursday: washing the feet Maundy Thursday is the first of the three holy days leading up to Easter. Christians usually think of it as the day when the Eucharist was instituted. Jesus ate a meal with his disciples in Jerusalem the night before he died, thereby inaugurating…
52 Reflections on Faith - Seeing God: a way of life
52 Reflections on Faith - Seeing God: a way of life
by BRF - Stephen W. Need
Seeing God: a way of life Where do you ‘see God’? Where do you experience God? Where is God most real to you? There are probably particular times in your life when you sense God’s presence more than you normally do—special places where you feel close to God. You might have had a …
52 Reflections on Faith - The big picture: God and evil
52 Reflections on Faith - The big picture: God and evil
by BRF - Stephen W. Need
The big picture:God and evil I think most people know the expression ‘Keep your eye on the big picture’. Sometimes, when we’re getting bogged down in minutiae and arguing about detail, someone says, ‘OK, keep your eye on the big picture.’…
Traces of Glory Year B - Proper 17 - Year B
Traces of Glory Year B - Proper 17 - Year B
by SPCK - David Adam
Proper 17 Make clean our hearts, o God, and renew a spirit within us, that we may seek and serve in joy and gladness and bring others into the glory of your love; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who is a live and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God forever. Amen…
Traces of Glory Year B - The Second Sunday of Christmas - Year B
Traces of Glory Year B - The Second Sunday of Christmas - Year B
by SPCK - David Adam
Traces of Glory The Second Sunday of Christmas Year B Jeremiah 31. 7-14 Ps. 147. 12-20 Or: Ecclus. 24. 1-12 Canticle: Wisdom of Solomon 10. 15-21 Ephesians 1. 3-14 John 1. [1-9] 10-18 Blessed be you, 0 God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ; you have blessed us with every spirit…
Traces of Glory Year B - The Fourth Sunday of Advent - Year B
Traces of Glory Year B - The Fourth Sunday of Advent - Year B
by SPCK - David Adam
Traces of Glory The Fourth Sunday of Advent Year B 2 Samuel 7. 1-11,16: Magnificat or Ps. 89. 1-4, 19-26 (or 1-8): Romans 16. 25-27: Luke 1. 26-38 Lord, you are with us wherever we go: you are our God and the Rock of our salvation.You come to us each day and always. Lord, open ou…
Traces of Glory Year B - The Second Sunday of Advent - Year B
Traces of Glory Year B - The Second Sunday of Advent - Year B
by SPCK - David Adam
Traces of Glory The Second Sunday of Advent Year B Isaiah 40. 1-11: Ps. 85. [1-2] 8-13: 2 Peter 3. 8-15a: Mark 1. 1-8 Lord, grant us a glimpse of your glory: open our eyes to your coming to us, that we may know you are with us always, and that you are a very present help in troub…
Traces of Glory Year B - Proper 9 - Year B
Traces of Glory Year B - Proper 9 - Year B
by SPCK - David Adam
Proper 9 O Lord of light and vision, open our eyes to behold your presence, to perceive your love and to see your presence for us; that rejoicing in your presence and strengthened by your love we may do your will and become what you have called us to be; through Jesus Christ our …
Mark The People's Bible Commentary - A Demonstration in the Temple
Mark The People's Bible Commentary - A Demonstration in the Temple
by BRF - Dick France
A DEMONSTRATION in the TEMPLE Mark has carefully interwoven two themes here, as the scene shifts repeatedly between the temple and a fig tree on the Bethany road, thus: Verse 11, temple; verses 12–14, fig tree; verses 15–19, temple; verses 20–25, fig tree; verse 27, temple (which…
Mark The People's Bible Commentary - A Dose of Cold Water
Mark The People's Bible Commentary - A Dose of Cold Water
by BRF - Dick France
A DOSE of COLD WATER The command to maintain silence must have been deflating enough, but what follows is far harder to take. The martyrdom of the Son of man The exciting title ‘Messiah’ is immediately dropped, and Jesus speaks of himself, as he usually does, as the ‘Son of man’.…
Mark The People's Bible Commentary - A Difficult Visit to Nazareth
Mark The People's Bible Commentary - A Difficult Visit to Nazareth
by BRF - Dick France
A Difficult Visit to Nazareth Nazareth was a small, rather insignificant village tucked away in the hills between the lake of Galilee and the Mediterranean, and away from the main centres of population. It was Jesus’ home (1:9, 24), but for the whole of his public activity so far…
Mark The People's Bible Commentary - Dead and Buried