Send us a text Jesus makes some incredible claims, and provides signs of God’s presence amongst his followers, driving out demons, speaking new languages, picking up serpents, drinking poison and miraculous healings, only to name a few. This passage reminds me of the dramatic style of teaching Jesus used to introject passion into his teachings. Rem…

Send us a text Love is a central and recurring theme in John’s Gospel, and it has been a focus in previous episodes. Love lies at the core of Christian faith. However, I invite you to reflect on whether your image of God is one that is easy to love. Many identify as Christians out of a desire for salvation yet seeking salvation and loving God are n…

Send us a text Jesus’ call to love is not easy, people are so afraid of being taken advantage of or they do not feel love for the person. Is Jesus calling his followers to something they cannot achieve? Are people who are loving more vulnerable to being taken advantage of? Some people act as if they have a finite amount of love to give and so don’t…

Send us a text Jesus portrays shepherds as protectors and guides for the sheep. Likely they served as metaphors of God’s protective and guiding nature. I wonder if there is more here. Perhaps the shepherd has a role to play in our faith. We don’t see many shepherds in most western towns and cities. When I think of shepherds, I think of individuals …

Send us a text This teaching on leadership must have been revolutionary to the first listeners to this teaching. Jesus addresses this in Mark 10:42-45, as Jesus called them together and said, "You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Ins…

Send us a text Peace is not just an absence of conflict. Lasting peace needs justice. There are also several levels of peace. There is peace between countries, communities, families and ultimately our own internal peace. Most of us are not in a position to directly impact peace between countries but we can work for peace within our communities, our…

Send us a text This Gospel is one of the early resurrection stories. We read about Mary of Magdala going to the tomb, knowing that she would not likely be able to go into the tomb because it would be blocked by a huge stone; but she went anyway. She gets to the empty tomb and understandably believes the body has been taken away. Later she would rec…

Send us a text This Gospel is an account of the last meal Jesus had with his disciples. The meal is better known as the last supper. Soon Jesus' earthly mission will be over. The disciples do not realize yet that this evening is going to take a very different turn. I wonder what Jesus was feeling. We read that he was in agony in the garden but what…

Send us a text Today’s Gospel is a teaching, Gospel. Its also unusual. In most instances the person seeks out Jesus or recognizes him before asking for something. I suspect the woman in this story wanted to be anywhere else but there. She was not only embarrassed but terrified. Without Jesus’ intervention she faced a painful death. She has a brief …

Send us a text Jesus describes a young man who wants adventure and asks for his share of his father’s estate. After he receives his inheritance, he leaves and lives a carefree life. I want to draw your attention to the fact that he did not earn the money he is spending, it is his father’s hard-earned money. This would be a good time to pause and re…

Send us a text In this Gospel Jesus talks about two situations where innocent people were killed. Jesus articulates the thoughts of the people who believed that the people who were killed were not only responsible for their misfortunate but that their bad luck was likely a result of God punishing them. Jesus challenges this “blaming the victim’ sta…

Send us a text This Podcast focusses on one of the most unusual Gospel passages of all the Gospels; the Transfiguration. Moses and Elijah appear with Jesus in front of Peter, James and John. The event seems unexpected and following the event the disciples are silent about the experience. They don’t tell anyone. How could they possibly explain to so…

Send us a text We don’t know for sure what Jesus actually did while he was in the desert. In biblical times, going to the desert held significant spiritual, symbolic, and practical meanings. Here are some key aspects of its significance. The desert was often a place where individuals were prepared for their destinies. The desert offered solitude, w…

Send us a text Jesus is calling his followers to be wise. He gives a few tools on how to be wise. The list is not complete. What is wisdom? Wisdom is correlated with intelligence but its not absolute. I suspect you may know someone who is highly educated but not wise, often making the same mistake over and over again. On the other hand, you may kno…

Send us a text Christians are called to go beyond the bare minimum. Let’s unpack this Gospel, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you. Bless those who curse you. Tough words. The basic message is Jesus telling the people that your actions should be based on your personal values not a reaction to someone else’s bad behavior. The teaching is…

Send us a text The Beatitudes are not merely statements of happiness; they encapsulate profound spiritual truths about God's kingdom and our spiritual development. They highlight qualities such as humility, mercy, and a thirst for righteousness, promising future rewards for those who embody these traits. Consequently, the Beatitudes are foundationa…

Send us a text The call of Peter and the other disciples illustrates God's invitation for us to follow Him. Despite his initial reluctance and desire to return home after a long night of fishing, Peter allows Jesus into his boat. This kind of openness is crucial for our own spiritual growth. I want to emphasize the moment when Jesus asks Peter to l…

Send us a text When Jesus was presented in the temple, it was likely an ordinary event among many similar presentations each week. However, Simeon and Anna's ability to perceive something extraordinary suggests that spirituality often eludes those who do not actively seek it. What insights did they possess that others lacked? This passage prompts u…

Send us a text During Sabbath services, it was customary for males to read from Scripture or the Torah. Jesus reads from the scroll of the prophet Isaiah, which is significant because Isaiah made many prophecies about the Messiah. The Gospel of Matthew speaks about how these prophecies are fulfilled. This reading serves as a blueprint for Jesus’ mi…

Send us a text The Gospel today is about the first miracle that Jesus performed. It is unique. There are no healings, or obvious teachings. The teaching is actually rather subtle. Jesus makes wine for a wedding at the request or expectation of his mother. There are a few points that I want to draw your attention to because they are useful teachings…

Send us a text In Luke’s Gospel we have a brief description of Jesus being baptized by his cousin, John the Baptist. The details are scarce. We don’t know why Jesus chose to participate in this ritual or how it impacted his ministry. This story is problematic however, as this ritual was designed for sinners, why would Jesus who had not sinned be pa…

Send us a text In today’s Gospel the arrival of the Magi is noted. This Gospel is full of symbolism about who Jesus would be. Some biblical traditions list the Magi as kings and some traditions have even named them, Caspar (or Gaspar), Melchior, and Balthazar. Likely, this naming is primarily derived from Western Christian tradition. Its highly unl…

Send us a text I like to do something special for Lent and Advent. Last Easter I set up an internet retreat. This Christmas season I want to talk about the spirituality of New Years Resolutions. I feel very strongly about this. I am surprised the Church doesn’t say more about New Years Resolutions. I believe there is something spiritual happening w…

Send us a text The Gospel today is quite different from our usual readings. It is a story from when Jesus was a twelve-year-old boy. This Gospel story is likely every parent’s nightmare; having one of their children lost. I can hardly imagine what Mary and Joseph were going through during those 3 days of searching for their son, Jesus. It seems tha…

Send us a text In today’s podcast we have Mary visiting her cousin Elizabeth. There are several points in this Gospel I want to point out. We have Mary who is pregnant herself going to help her cousin Elizabeth . Mary’s sense of service is obvious. We know that Elizabeth was likely past childbearing years. She was not able to have a child in a cult…

Send us a text In this podcast from Luke, we hear more about John the Baptist. John is giving advice to individuals who want to change their life to reflect their beliefs. These individuals realize that their faith is not just practiced on holy days but will also impact their behavior at work and at home. There are a couple of key points that I wan…

Send us a text In today’s podcast we are introduced to John also known as John the Baptist not to be confused with the apostle John, the beloved disciple. John the Baptist was related to Jesus, his mother Elizabeth and Mary, the mother of Jesus were first cousins. Likely John and Jesus knew each other growing up. John is seen as the one prophesized…

Send us a text We are encouraged to stand firm Lk 21:19 and be careful (Lk 21:34). These are valuable lessons for life, not just for coping with the end times but also applicable in the present moment. I wonder if Jesus was talking about the end of the world or teaching us something about our spiritual lives. I wonder if Jesus is telling us to be r…

Send us a text Jesus is asked by Pontius Pilate if he is the king of the Jews. Pilate is not talking about a heavenly kingdom but an earthly kingdom. Pilate was not making an act of faith. He wanted to know if Jesus was a political threat or not. Jesus responds knowing that Pilate would not likely understand but encourages Pilate and the listeners …

Send us a text This Gospel was written over 2,000 years ago and the world is still here so I am less convinced the readings were written to prepare us for the end times. However, many of the early Christians understood these readings as a sign pointing to the end of the world. One of the reasons why the Gospels were written so late, was because man…

Send us a text The lesson in today’s Gospel is clear, do not get seduced by appearances! There is also a sub-theme of humility. Jesus is critical of the Scribes for their hypocritical behaviour. As Luke 12:48, states, "To whom much is given, much will be required." Jesus emphasized the idea of responsibility that comes with blessings and resources.…

Send us a text In today’s Gospel Jesus is asked by a scribe, “Which commandment is the first of all?” Jesus answers his question directly. Jesus talked about loving God exclusively, with all your heart, mind and all your strength. Jesus did not leave anything out. Jesus does not stop there but teaches that we are to love our neighbor as our selves.…

Send us a text Bartimaeus was blind and so had to resort to begging to feed himself. As a beggar he had to compete with other beggars in order to survive. His life was undoubtedly harsh. We do not know if he had any support from his family. Probably, he learned to be pushy to get what he needed. We can see his assertiveness in the Gospel reading. H…

Send us a text Jesus points out that following him is not going to be easy and there are no special concessions. Jesus is teaching his disciples and ultimately his followers about what following him is all about. This was an issue for the early Christians who were experiencing the persecutions who wondered why God allowed these terrible things to h…

Send us a text Today’s Gospel from Mark describe a man asking what must I do to inherit eternal life? I want to draw your attention to the question. I am struck by the fact that the man is focused solely on his own needs. While there is nothing wrong with that the question it does say much about his level of faith development. It is very self-focus…

Send us a text Many Christian denominations have interpreted this Scripture passage differently, but I want to draw your attention to the comment Jesus made, and I quote: “What God has joined together, no human being must separate.” This is a very important line. We assume that when someone has a wedding in a Church witnessed before a priest or min…

Send us a text Being passionate about one’s faith is not being fanatical. Being passionate about one’s faith is being inspired, actively seeking deeper understanding and being committed to living the values in our faith life. The problem is that anyone’s faith can become complacent, left unchallenged our faith may ultimately becomes stale. In Matth…

Send us a text Jesus was very clear in his understanding of leadership. For example, His teachings on leadership are found in Matthew 20:26, where he states, "But among you it will be different. Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant." This reflects the principle that true leadership is about serving others rather than seeking …

Send us a text Jesus, like any good lawyer never asked a question that he did not already know the answer to. After the disciples answer his question Jesus increases the heat by asking them who they think he is. Peter responds with the perfect answer and Jesus points out that his answer is a reflection of God’s presence in his life. Unfortunately f…

Send us a text In today’s Gospel we have a description of a healing, specifically the healing of a deaf and mute man. Jesus orders the man not to tell anyone but Jesus orders falls on deaf ears, if you don’t mind the irony and the miracle is proclaimed anyway. Jesus must have known that the miracle would be proclaimed, and the people could not keep…

Send us a text Today’s Gospel reading is from a group of teachings where Mark describes Jesus challenging the Scribes and Pharisees about the practice of their faith. The Scribes and Pharisees were not doing anything wrong. They were literally following the law and the traditions of their ancestors. The point that Jesus is making with them is that …

Send us a text This Gospel is likely one of the most difficult to understand. Understandably, his first listeners are struggling to comprehend this teaching especially because they were taking Jesus literally. Jesus develops the lesson inviting his listeners to think on the level of Spirit. We have an account of a significant loss of disciples here…

Send us a text already figured out this is a very pronounced theme in John. This Gospel is likely one of the most difficult to understand. Without doubt, those who first heard Jesus speaking these words must have struggled to comprehend this teaching especially because they were taking Jesus literally. We need to remember that Jesus has taught like…

Send us a text Most loving relationships do experience the ebb and flow of relationships. Relationships go through periods of intensity and periods of distance. People sometimes like being close and other times they need their space. Its clear that God respects our space, but we can clearly see he is the pursuer in this relationship. Some people ma…

Send us a text In the Gospel, we are told that the people have found Jesus after having searched for him for awhile. Jesus challenges them to look at their reasons for following him. Ideally Jesus probably wished they were following him because they wanted to learn more in order to deepen their faith. Jesus realizes however, that most people are se…

Send us a text John describes the miracle of Jesus feeding a large group of followers. John indicated 5,000 men. We don’t know how many women or children were present. I suspect there might be some exaggeration here. Although Jesus knew what he was going to do, he still asks Philip to give an opinion of what could be done. It is a great teaching to…

Send us a text In Today’s Gospel from Mark, we learn that the apostles had returned from some mission activity and are updating Jesus on their experiences. What is immediately noteworthy is that Jesus’ first response is an invitation to get away and rest. It seems to me that Jesus is talking about the value of rest. Jesus is a head of his time. Psy…

Send us a text Jesus is sending his disciples to gain some missionary experiences. The first thing is that Jesus sends the disciples out two by two. I thought Jesus could have doubled his impact by sending them out alone. It becomes clear that Jesus is not concerned with numbers. He is making several teaching points about spirituality and faith tha…

Send us a text The Gospel Mark 6:1-6 is unusual, it seems that Jesus is returning to his hometown, likely to visit his family and friends. We don’t know if this visit occurred early in his mission work or towards the end. However, his family and friends have heard about his ministry, and they are not impressed. Jesus is understandably disappointed …

Richard Polton is a native of Paterson, New Jersey, USA, and an expert on local history. He has been actively engaged in research and public history projects on the Paterson story, delivering many lectures on the city’s development. A published author of books like ‘Paterson’s Industrial Age’ (2023), he also gives walking tours and has been involve…