Scripture Reflections for the Twelfth Sunday in Ordinary Time

"I’ve always had a bit of apprehension swimming in large bodies of water, like lakes or oceans. Especially if the water is dark and cold. I grew up in Hawaii,..."

"Friends, the book of Job is one of the most profound and most challenging books in the entire Bible. In today’s reading, we see that God does not hand-wave away..."

"When medieval artists and icon painters of the Eastern Christian tradition portrayed Jesus about to be baptised by John the Baptist, they often portrayed all sorts of strange and menacing..."

"In the Gospel reading for this Sunday, St Mark tells of Jesus stilling the storm on the Sea of Galilee. He and his disciples had spent the day with the..."

"The idea of the Church as a ship has always been popular. In today's gospel reading we can see the biblical inspiration for nautical themes. It is imagery the early..."

"St Mark's words might express the feelings of many people of shaky faith or none. When the storms of life rage overhead, people often can't keep themselves from a word..."

"Psalm 130 begins with the words, “out of the depths, I have cried to you, O Lord.” Throughout the great tradition, the prayer “de profundis,” (out of the depths) has..."

"We can always triumph if we rely on the supreme power of God over destructive forces. John Newton used to be among the captains of the cargo ships carrying slaves..."

"As I am writing this, we are sitting in the aftermath of another mass shooting and murder here in America. Nine people were killed in brutal fashion yesterday in Charleston,..."

"Some years back, just a few weeks after being ordained a priest, I found myself chaplain for a month at one of the London hospitals. One day I was called..."

"The story of Jesus calming the storm at sea is an archetypal description of the church down through the ages. We find ourselves in the midst of storms, but as..."