De Omnibus Dubitandum Est.

  If you are anything like me, you may have had some small people ask you at Mass today what Jesus meant when He said "if your hand causes you to sin, cut it off!" (Mk 9:45). There are two clear and interwoven messages from the readings today: do not seek self-aggrandisement in discipleship: do not belittle or limit those who seek & preach Christ, and the deadly nature of sin and the seriousness with which God treats it. In the First Reading (Numbers 11:25-29) Joshua was too much concerned for Moses' honour and pre-eminence which he thought, would be seriously jeopardised  if similar prophetic outbreaks were allowed outside the control of his leader (sound familiar? It does to me!). Moses, however, was far more concerned for the good of the people than for his own honour. The story illustrates the principle that prophetic gift is not restricted to any class and reveals a fine trait of Moses' character foreshadowing Jesus' reply to the sons of Zebedee in Luke 9...

Welcome to this, the eleventh of my reflections on the theology of the Sunday readings at Mass.  This is a very special Sunday for me as it is the day on which my daughter will be Baptised. Thank you for taking the time to read my blog. I sincerely hope that this reflection will inspire you, answer some questions you may have, help you to see how fantastic Sacred Scripture is and perhaps begin to share some of my love and passion for the Bible as you begin to comprehend how layered and multi-faceted, and what a carefully considered part of the Mass the readings are. If you want to know how these posts came about, please read my first post in this series  here . This Sunday the theme for the readings might be summed up as: The Work of the Holy Spirit in Our Hearts The readings are: Numbers 11:25-29 Psalm: 18:8, 10, 12-14; Response: v. 9. Second Reading: James 5:1-6 Gospel: Mark 9:38-43, 45, 47-48 First, a little preliminary s...