Mary is not alone in presenting a challenge to theology. The Church still struggles to express an adequate theology of the Holy Spirit, yet there can be no doubt about the Spirit’s presence in the life of Christ and in the lives of all believers. To different degrees the same could be said of all…
This painting depicts the scene from Luke 1: 39-56 in which Mary visits her older cousin Elizabeth painted in around 1517. Geoff Wheaton SJ leads us to reflect on this painting.
After the Ascension of Jesus we have the story of the followers of Jesus, Mary, the women, the brothers of Jesus and the eleven remaining apostles gathered together in prayer in the upper room of the Last Supper. Although they realised that Jesus had risen, his followers didn’t seem to be clear what to do…
The Gospel of John tells us that Mary his mother and her sister as well as Mary the wife of Clopas, Mary Magdalene and his beloved disciple, were all at within sight of the cross, as Jesus breathed his last. What a trauma this must have been for those who loved him so deeply. But…
Mary and the family wanted to protect Jesus. He needed a rest, time to himself, the crowds would wear him out. So they set out to bring him home.But he gets energy from the crowd, from people listening to the word of God.Those who listen and do the will of God are close to him;just…
A great story only to be found in John’s Gospel. Here Jesus, his mother and the disciples have gone to celebrate with two families at a wedding, when, to the embarrassment of the host, the wine runs out. Mary is quick to notice the problem. Although Jesus shows reluctance to do anything she puts him…
Today’s story throws light on the life of the Holy Family. No travelling as a nuclear family, but a great caravan from Nazareth. The walk men together and the women walk together, and the children wandering between them. Such a large group that Mary and Joseph didn’t notice they hadn’t got their boy. Imagine the…
Matthew has a different twist from Luke to the nativity. In Matthew it’s Joseph rather than Mary who dreams of angels bringing messages from God. After the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem the holy family are forced to flee for safety to Egypt. They spend some time, maybe two or three years, as refugees there….
Forty days after the birth of Jesus, Mary and Joseph bring the child to the Temple to dedicate him to God. The Holy Spirit is again at work inspiring Simeon and Anna to recognise this baby as the Messiah – the Christ. They prophecy that the child will bring salvation not just to Israel but…
Towards the end of our passage from St Luke today we have that phrase that I’m sure is something of an understatement, that Mary considered what she had heard about Jesus and was ‘pondering them in her heart.’ I’m sure she had an awful lot to ponder. How much did she manage to make sense…
The Gospel leaves so much detail out. For example, it is extremely unlikely that a teenage woman like Mary would have made the dangerous journey from Nazareth to Judea of many days walk alone. Was Mary sent by her family to help the older woman in the later stages of her pregnancy or was she…
Scholars say that the stories of the birth and infancy of Jesus which are found in Luke’s Gospel were originally written in Aramaic, the language of Jesus and Mary. Tradition has it that many of these stories may have been told to the disciples of Jesus by Mary herself. The Gospel writer also included what…
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