In last week's Gospel reading, Jesus fed a crowd of thousands with just a small amount of food. In my reflection on the passage, I asked why this story was so important to the first Christians that it recurs six times in the four canonical Gospels. I suggested that it was because it manifests the … Continue reading Bread and Circuses? A Reflection on John 6.24-35
I have to admit that I rolled my eyes when I read this week's readings and saw that the Gospel appointed for today was the Feeding of the Five Thousand as told by St. John. It's one of those stories that's a little too familiar; some variation of this story is told a total of … Continue reading A Foretaste of the Kingdom: A Reflection on John 6.1-21
Last week, I happened to be walking along the Corso Italia here in Toronto in the lead up to the final of Euro 2021. Seemingly every store window was draped in either green white and red bunting or the royal blue of Italy's national football team. It was a fun atmosphere and brought back the … Continue reading Jesus and the End of Tribalism: A Reflection on Ephesians 2.11-22
The Christian story is the story of Jesus and so the Gospels are tellings of Jesus' story and focus almost entirely on him. It is always noteworthy, then, when they shift the focus away from Jesus and onto another character. Today's Gospel reading is one of these occasions, telling the story of the beheading of … Continue reading History Repeating: A Reflection on Mark 6.14-29
There are times when following a lectionary creates some interesting parallels or juxtapositions to what is happening in the world. Today is one of those days; for today is July 4, the national holiday the United States of America, the most powerful country the world has ever seen. Even in this time when many Americans … Continue reading Power Made Perfect: A Reflection on 2 Corinthians 12.2-10
