Last week, I suggested that, in his inaugural sermon at the Nazareth synagogue (Lk 4:16-21), and in the Beatitudes which must have been taught very soon after, Jesus echoed the words of Isaiah 61:1-7. I said that Jesus came to change the world, to turn the world upside down, to right wrongs, to pour out compassion, …
A guide to the Beatitudes
In what would be his last sermon, Pope Francis emphasised a contrast between the way of the world and the Way of Jesus. He said: Today’s builders of Babel tell us that there is no room for losers, and that those who fall along the way are losers. Theirs is the construction site of Hell. …
On the road to Emmaus
We all heard the sad news on Monday of the passing of Pope Francis, a fine pope, in my opinion one of the best, showing by example how to follow Jesus with courage, fidelity, simplicity, and sacrificial love. Two months after his election to the papacy in 2013, Francis warned of the danger of “[shutting] ourselves …
The path of life
A reflection on Psalm 16. He is risen! Christ is risen indeed. There was understandable shock and surprise, followed by joy, when the two women announced that the tomb in which Jesus’s body had been laid was empty, and that Jesus, crucified on the Friday afternoon, was alive and well. Peter and John run to the …
At the cross
A reflective time of worship for Good Friday 2025 Welcome and call to worship In the name of Jesus, our Saviour, our Master, welcome to the Good Friday service at North Rocks Community Church! This morning we gather to remember the worst of days, what we ironically call “Good Friday,” the day on which Jesus …
iDigress 