A Jesuit Adventure

  13 Sept 2026 Sirach 27:30—28:7 ; Romans 14:7-9 , Matthew 18:21-35 My dear friends today we celebrate the Twenty-fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time Year A. The readings remind us that because we belong to Christ and have received God’s abundant mercy, we are called to forgive—not by forgetting the hurt, but by refusing to let it control our lives. The Book of Sirach was written by Jesus ben Sirach, a Jewish wisdom teacher in Jerusalem, probably in the early second century BC. He was concerned with helping people live faithfully in ordinary family and community life. This passage comes within his teaching about relationships, friendship, anger and the danger of allowing resentment to destroy our lives. Sirach warns us that anger can easily become something we hold on to. When we are hurt, we may feel that we have every right to remain angry. We replay the incident, remember the words spoken against us and sometimes even imagine how we might get revenge. But the longer we hold on to r...

  6 sep 2026 Ezekiel 33:7-9 ; Romans 13:8-10 ; Matthew 18:15-20   Christian love is more than being kind to people we like; it also means having the courage to correct, the humility to listen, and the grace to forgive. In the readings from the Twenty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time Year A, Jesus teaches us how to deal with broken relationships—not by gossip or revenge, but through truth, love, forgiveness and prayer. Ezekiel lived during a painful period in Israel’s history. Jerusalem was under threat from Babylon, and many Israelites had already been taken into exile. In this situation, God gives Ezekiel a particular mission: “I have appointed you as watchman for the house of Israel.” A watchman stood on the city walls, watching for danger and sounding the trumpet when danger appeared. His responsibility was to warn the people; whether they listened or not was their responsibility. This image of the watchman speaks powerfully to us today. We are not responsible for changi...

  30 Aug 2026 Jeremiah 20:7-9 ; Romans 12:1-2 ; Matthew 16:21-27     My dear friends, all of us experience struggles, disappointments and moments when we feel like giving up. Today, on the Twenty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time year A, God invites us to see these crosses not as the end of our journey, but as opportunities to grow in faith, courage and love. Jeremiah lived during a very difficult period in Judah’s history, when Babylon was becoming a powerful threat and Jerusalem was facing a political and religious crisis. Jeremiah had been called by God to warn the people about their unfaithfulness and the coming destruction. Because his message was unpopular, he was mocked, beaten and even put in the stocks. In today’s passage, Jeremiah speaks his heart out to God.   He feels deceived, rejected and tired. He even thinks of giving up his prophetic ministry. But then he says that God’s word is “like a fire shut up in my bones.” He cannot keep it inside. The...

  23 aug Isaiah 22:19-23 , Romans 11:33-36 , Matthew 16:13-20   My dear friends today we celebrate the Twenty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time Year A. Today's readings invite us to reflect on trust, servant leadership, and our personal relationship with Jesus. They challenge us not only to ask, “Who is Jesus?” but also to ask, “Who is Jesus for me, and who am I becoming because I know Him?” The first reading from the prophet Isaiah speaks about a change in leadership during a difficult period in the history of Judah. Jerusalem was under threat from the powerful Assyrian empire. Shebna was an important royal official, but he had become proud and concerned more about his own position and honour than about serving the people. God removes him and chooses Eliakim in his place. God calls him “my servant” and says that he will be “a father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem.” He is given “the key of the house of David”, a sign of authority and responsibility. God will also fasten him ...

  16 Aug Isaiah 56:1, 6-7 ; Romans 11:13-15, 29-32 ; Matthew 15:21-28   My dear friends today we celebrate the Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time Year A. Today’s readings remind us that God’s mercy has no boundaries and His love leaves no one outside—but learning to trust that mercy often requires us to cross the boundaries we have built in our own hearts. The first reading taken from the prophet Isaiah comes from the period after the Babylonian exile, when the Israelites had returned to Jerusalem and were trying to rebuild their community and identity. Having suffered so much, there was a temptation to protect themselves by keeping outsiders at a distance. But Isaiah presents a different vision of God’s people. God says, “Maintain justice and do what is right.” He then makes an extraordinary promise: foreigners who love the Lord and keep his covenant will be welcomed into his house. Their offerings will be accepted, and God’s house will be called “a house of prayer for a...

  9 Aug 1 Kings 19:9a, 11-13a , Romans 9:1-5 , Matthew 14:22-33   My dear friends today we celebrate the Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time Year A. Today's readings invite us to listen for God's gentle voice and trust His presence even when the waves around us seem overwhelming. After his great victory over the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel, Elijah expected Israel to return to God. Instead, Queen Jezebel threatened to kill him. Afraid and exhausted, Elijah fled into the wilderness and finally reached Mount Horeb (Sinai), the mountain where God had once revealed Himself to Moses. Elijah hid in a cave, discouraged and convinced that his mission had failed. It was there that God chose to meet him in an unexpected way. God told Elijah to stand on the mountain. A powerful wind tore through the rocks, then came an earthquake, and then a fire. These dramatic signs often symbolized God's presence in the Old Testament. Yet, the Lord was not in any of them. Finally, Elijah h...