Author: Patrick Sneyd
Scripture Notes – Sunday 6th March 2022
Whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be saved! Lent: our springtime of faith! Welcome As Ash Wednesday approaches, we are painfully aware that war has broken out in Europe. It is a catastrophe. Pope Francis reflects: My heart aches greatly at the worsening situation in Ukraine. Despite the diplomatic efforts of the last few weeks, increasingly alarming scenarios are opening up. Like me, many people all…
Scripture Notes – Sunday 27th February 2022
Building your house on rock According to the geographer and traveller, Pausanias, the Temple of Apollo, the home of the Delphic oracle, had three teachings on display: “know yourself”, “nothing to excess” and “certainty leads to insanity.” The first of these is not a bad summary of this Sunday’s conclusion of the Sermon on the Plain in Luke. Welcome The third and final part of the Sermon on the Plain…
Scripture Notes – Sunday – 13th February 2022
The Beatitudes Welcome Since Covid, we’ve all been obliged to take stock and look at ourselves. What is it I really want deep down? When am I flourishing? How to live so as to flourish? One contemporary way of reading the beatitudes is to replace the word “blessed” or “happy” with the word “flourishing.” This is recommended by Jonathan T. Pennington in his book The Sermon on the Mount and Human Flourishing (2017). With the translation adjusted…
Scripture Notes – Sunday 6th February 2022
Put out into the deep! Luke offers us an interesting scene in 5:1-11, an original bringing together of the preaching of Jesus, a miracle and a prophetic call. In our context — the context of the Synodal Pathways — certain expressions jump off the page: the word of God, put out into the deep, do not be afraid, from now on you will be catching people alive (literally in…
Scripture Notes – Sunday 30th January 2022
They were astonished by the gracious words that came from his lips Welcome The lectionary divides Luke 4:14-30 into two parts. Our Sunday Gospel is, therefore, the continuation of the scene in Nazareth, as imaginatively represented by Luke. Luke’s expansion of the story anticipates, in symbolic fashion, the inclusion of the Gentiles in the Gospel project. Welcoming the Gentiles was a real struggle, as may be seen from Acts 10:1-11:18 (the “conversion”…
Scripture Notes – Sunday 23rd January 2022
Jesus said, Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing Sunday 3C is dedicated to the Word of God. Already in the Reformed tradition, Bible Sunday celebrates the importance of the Scriptures (usually on or near Reformation Sunday). Pope Francis established this Sunday in 2019, to mark the 16th centenary of the death of St Jerome, the brilliant, hard-working, holy and irascible bible scholar. More importantly, it serves to…
Scripture Notes – Sunday 9th January 2022
‘You are my Son, the Beloved; my favour rests on you.’ Welcome From a calendar point of view, the Christmas season is over. Nevertheless, the continuous reading from Luke does not start until the third Sunday of the year (19 January 2022). We pause for an extended Epiphany season. This started with the Epiphany proper on the 6th of January. The following Sunday is dedicated to the Baptism of the…
Scripture Notes – Christmas Season 2021 (to 9th January 2022)
All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God. This is our second Covid Christmas, but it doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy the feast. The readings are inspirational and it is a great season for music. To adapt a prayer of St Augustine: You have spoken, O God, and shattered our deafness and we can hear you in one like ourselves. Let celebrate the feast,…
Zoom Mini Course – Laudato Si
Laudato Si – Open Invitation to All You are invited to join us for a Zoom Mini Course on Laudato Si, Pope Francis Encyclical “On Care For Our Common Home” We will explore Pope Francis inspiring document which is addressed to each of us and offers a blueprint for responding to the Cry of the Poor and the Cry of the Earth Jane Mellett, Laudato Si officer with Trócaire will be our…