Fr Michael Mullins lectures in Scripture in St Patrick’s College, Maynooth. He has already produced commentaries on the gospels of John and Mark. Again this commentary on Matthew gospel is a thorough and scholarly, but written in a readable style.
Joseph was a carpenter from Nazareth. He was engaged to be married to Mary. Probably he was just a little bit older than her, though it is not likely that he was such an old man as you sometimes see in pictures of the Holy Family. In those days marriages [...]
In anticipation of his projected visit to Rome, Paul wants to present to the Christian Jews at Rome his overview of how justification comes to all through the mercy of God in Christ. Philip Fogarty SJ explains.
Family meant something different in ancient Palestine from what it means in today’s society. It was so radical when Jesus looked around him and said of his community of faith, “Here are my mother and my brothers! Whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother” [...]
By making some up-to-the-minute cultural comparisons, Fr Oliver Treanor draws out the radical implications of the parable of the unforgiving servant.
James McPolin S.J. looks at Christ’s attitude to women during the years of his public ministry. Christ certainly did not see women only to have value in relation to men, McPolin affirms.
Christian faith is not just a philosopy of life or a system of morality. It is about a person, Jesus of Nazareth, who is more than just a charismatic figure. He is the tangible expression in the world of the unseen God. The encounter with the woman at the well [...]
Philip Fogarty SJ shows how in Mark’s Gospel the critical and paradoxical nature of Jesus’ message is gradually revealed to the disciples .
Fr Oliver Treanor looks at the the parable of the sower and the seed as an image of how the kingdom of God grows and comes to fruit in each one of us.
What we present here is the table of contents and a brief review of this practical booklet which will help those who undertake to read in church. The booklet is available from Fr Colm Kilcoyne, PP, Cong, Co Mayo. Phone 087 95 46030 or 087 2402 486 Email: ckilcoyne@eircom.net
The journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem would probably go via Samaria and Jerusalem and take about four days on foot. It is quite likely that Joseph would have a donkey to carry pieces of wood and other tools of the carpenter’s trade, so surely as Mary was heavily pregnant with [...]
Philip Fogarty shows us the meaning of the Last Supper in the light of Mark’s gospel.
Looking at the parable of the Pharisee and the tax-collector, Fr Oliver Treanor is able to point our what are the central attitudes that will win us the kingdom of God.
Thomas O’Loughlin’s book is aimed at those who regularly read the word of God during the liturgy. It explains in simple terms why we use certain readings, and why the readings come up when they do – in the belief that a deeper appreciation of the scriptures can be gained [...]
The city of Rome was the centre of a large empire at the time of Jesus. The Empire was ruled by an emperor, at the time Jesus was born the Emperor’s name was Augustus. The Romans spoke the Latin language. The name for ’emperor’ in Latin was Caesar.
Unless the bearer of the Good News is transformed by what he or she proclaims, the word will be stillborn, says Kieran J O’Mahony OSA. We still need St Paul, he says, because the ‘future Church’ will have to be a place of passion, intelligence, transformation and encounter.
What is resurrection? Looking at the last chapters of Mark’s gospel, Phil Fogarty SJ starts from what it recounts and then goes on to give us some idea of what the resurrection of the body might mean for us. “The Good News of Christianity is that for those who die, [...]
Looking at the story of the Prodigal Son, Fr Oliver Treanor is able to show us the extravagance of the love God the Father and Jesus has for each one of us.
The recent Synod on the Word of God (October 2008) highlighted ways of more effective proclaiming the Word of God in today’s world and Have it inspire the lives of Christians. In anticipation of this, the Cloyne Commission for Liturgical Formation last year produced two beautiful companion booklets, of which [...]
Although the Romans ruled Palestine at the time of Jesus, they did not remove all the old Jewish leaders. They allowed King Herod to rule Judah, which was part of Palestine. He was not very powerful. He did have some control over his own people. But he couldn’t order the [...]
Philip Fogarty SJ sets the context of the disputes out of which arose the idea that the preaching the gospel of Jesus and his resurrection was not just for the Jews but for “all the nations”. At the centre of this is St Paul and the story is told by [...]
Over 30 per cent of the verses of St Mark’s Gospel is taken up with stories of miracles. The Latin word ‘miraculum’ means something that causes wonder. James McPolin SJ says the miracles of our day are those which speak to our world of liberation, of human dignity, health, justice [...]
The recent Synod of Bishops in Rome on the Word of God (October 2008) highlighted ways of more effective proclaiming the Word of God in today’s world and having it inspire the lives of Christians. In anticipation of this, the Cloyne Commission for Liturgical Formation last year produced two beautiful [...]
God speaks to us in the Bible. But, in using human writers, of necessity He speaks in human words, in a variety of literary forms, and in a culture that is different from our own. Jim McPolin SJ explains how we can find meaning in the Bible for us today.
The prophets were people who lived in Israel before the birth of Jesus. They didn’t really see the future like a fortune teller, but they would predict the likely outcome of behaviour. For example, if they saw the rulers enjoying a rich life and not bothering about the poor people, [...]
Fr Oliver Treanor reflects on the miracle of the marriage feast of Cana and tries draw out what it means.
By telling the story of how his people responded to God in various situations of the past, we can discern what our best response to him in the present situation might be. James McPolin SJ explains
“There were shepherds in the fields, watching over their flocks by night.” Shepherds were poor people, they were not paid good wages. Usually they did not own the sheep, but were just paid to look after them by the owner. Jesus talked about the hired shepherds running away from the [...]
