The Better Part

John 14:1-12 (read verses 1-4 for the 3-6 year old) Listen to the Gospel and Reflection The reading for this Sunday goes back to the moment of the Last Supper that Jesus eats with his friends before he dies and rises to new life. At the supper, his disciples begin to realize that Jesus will die soon and this upsets them. They do not want him to die; they want him to stay with them. They do not understand—yet—that he will rise to new life, never to die again. Jesus tells them,

John 14:1-12 (read verses 1-7 for the 6-9 year old) Listen to the Gospel and Reflection The reading for this Sunday takes place at the Last Supper, before Jesus dies and rises to the full life of God. St. John tells us that before his death, Jesus reminds the disciples of what they know and gets them to think about who he is. Jesus says, ‘Do not let your hearts be troubled. Believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house there are many dwelling-places. If it were not

John 14:1-12 Listen to the Gospel and Reflection Unlike the other Gospels, St. John's Gospel records a great long conversation Jesus has with his disciples at the Last Supper. It seems that before he dies and rises to new life, Jesus wants his disciples to think deeply both about who he is, and about who they are because of him. Jesus tells his disciples that he goes to prepare a place for them in his Father's house. They are not to be troubled, because they will join him the

John 10:1-10 Listen to the Gospel and Reflection Here it is, our favourite parable! On the fourth Sunday of Easter each year, the church listens to Jesus tell us all that he is the Good Shepherd. It is a long parable, so each year we look very closely at just one part of it. What does the Good Shepherd do? He calls his own sheep The Good Shepherd has sheep of his own—they belong to him. He calls them, and they are his. How does he call them? He calls his own sheep by name He

John 10:1-10 Listen to the Gospel and Reflection Here it is, one of the best loved parables! Or, at least, here is one part of the parable. It is interesting that the church picks this part of the parable to proclaim this Sunday, because in it we hear trouble seven times. In the Bible, seven means perfect. In this reading then, we have the perfect storm of trouble. Three times Jesus mentions thieves, twice he mentions bandits, and twice he mentions strangers. A thief might st

John 10:1-10 Listen to the Gospel and Reflection Many of us are very familiar with the image of the Good Shepherd. The Gospel for this Sunday, however, includes an image that may not be as familiar. Jesus says, I am the gate for the sheep. The gate? How can he be both gate and shepherd?? Some scripture scholars—people who study the Holy Bible—suggest that this is a mini-parable inserted into the bigger parable of the Good Shepherd. We can look at the parables separately or to

Luke 24.13-35 Listen to the Gospel and Reflection The feast continues! We celebrate the feast of Jesus dying and rising to new life, never to die again, for seven Sundays! On this third Sunday of Easter, the Gospel again takes place in the afternoon of the very day that Jesus rises from the dead, full of the new life of God. Now on that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem, and talking with each other about all these thi

Luke 24.13-35 Listen to the Gospel and Reflection The Gospel for this Sunday again takes place on the day that Jesus rises from the dead, full of the new life of God. This moment in Jesus' life, his birth into the Risen life of God, is so important that the Church returns again and again to the events of that day. This reading takes place in the afternoon of that day. Now on that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem, and

Luke 24.13-35 Listen to the Gospel and Reflection On this third Sunday of Easter, we hear an account of people meeting Jesus raised from the dead. It occurs on the afternoon of the Resurrection, after the women who find the tomb empty proclaim that Jesus is Risen. Only St. Luke records this event. Take a moment to read or listen to the Word of God. Then we can think about what St. Luke might want us to understand. What happens in this account? Two disciples leave Jerusalem