God’s unconditional love

This week’s Gospel, often referred to as the Lost Son or the Prodigal Son, is one of three parables to be found in Luke 15. Facing criticism from the self-righteous Pharisees and Scribes, Jesus tells these three parables to challenge their understanding of the observance of the law. The first parable is the story of…

On the road to Jerusalem

At the time Jesus travelled to Jerusalem the city was in ferment. This Jesus was causing havoc in many ways but notably among the religious and political leaders of the day. Crowds were attracted to him, while others were suspicious and even confused about his teachings and healings. The knives were out, as we say….

Hope against hope

Andrew Hamilton writes in Eureka Street: Taken together the events of recent years suggest that we face a crisis, a time in which the working assumptions that have guided our personal and collective lives no longer hold. If we do not change we face increasing threats to the world that we shall hand on to…

Journeying through Lent

I suspect that this week’s Gospel is not one of the most well-known or well-loved. According to Luke, Jesus saves his tears for Jerusalem but without doubt I suggest that at this point he experiences the challenges of the desert and wilderness, including anxiety and fear. While he has been busy casting out demons and…

First Sunday in Lent

It may surprise you that we do not begin this year with Abraham but rather with the nomadic tribes down to Egypt. In the following Sundays we will hear the story of the call of Abraham, then the call of Moses and then the first Passover in Canaan. It is a record of God’s care…