June 5 Gospel Mark 12:35-37 'David himself calls him Lord' At that time while teaching in the Temple, Jesus said, ‘How can the scribes maintain that the Christ is the son of David? David himself, moved by the Holy Spirit, said: The Lord said to my Lord: Sit at my right hand and I will put your enemies under your feet. David himself calls him Lord, in what way then can he be his son?’ And the great majority of the people heard this with delight. Reflection David’s words, inspired by the Spirit, point to a mystery greater than human lineage: the Christ is both Son of David and Lord over all. Jesus invites us to look beyond earthly expectations of power and status, to see that true authority is rooted in humility, obedience, and relationship with God. The question “How can the Christ be both David’s son and David’s Lord?” invites a posture of reverent awe: faith that God’s plans exceed human categories, and that divine wisdom often reveals itself in surprising, paradox...

June 4 Gospel Mark 12:28-34 'You are not far from the kingdom of God' One of the scribes came up to Jesus and put a question to him, ‘Which is the first of all the commandments?’ Jesus replied, ‘This is the first: Listen, Israel, the Lord our God is the one Lord, and you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is this: You must love your neighbour as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these.’ The scribe said to him, ‘Well spoken, Master; what you have said is true: that he is one and there is no other. To love him with all your heart, with all your understanding and strength, and to love your neighbour as yourself, this is far more important than any holocaust or sacrifice.’ Jesus, seeing how wisely he had spoken, said, ‘You are not far from the kingdom of God.’ And after that no one dared to question him any more. Reflection The passage highlights the two greatest com...

June 3 Gospel Mark 12:18-27 The God of Abraham and Isaac and Jacob is the God of the living Some Sadducees – who deny that there is a resurrection – came to him and they put this question to him, ‘Master, we have it from Moses in writing, if a man’s brother dies leaving a wife but no child, the man must marry the widow to raise up children for his brother. Now there were seven brothers. The first married a wife and then died leaving no children. The second married the widow, and he too died leaving no children; with the third it was the same, and none of the seven left any children. Last of all the woman herself died. Now at the resurrection, when they rise again, whose wife will she be, since she had been married to all seven?’     Jesus said to them, ‘Is not the reason why you go wrong, that you understand neither the scriptures nor the power of God? For when they rise from the dead, men and women do not marry; no, they are like the angels in heaven. Now about th...

June 2 Gospel Mark 12:13-17 Give back to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God The chief priests and the scribes and the elders sent to Jesus some Pharisees and some Herodians to catch him out in what he said. These came and said to him, ‘Master, we know you are an honest man, that you are not afraid of anyone, because a man’s rank means nothing to you, and that you teach the way of God in all honesty. Is it permissible to pay taxes to Caesar or not? Should we pay, yes or no?’ Seeing through their hypocrisy he said to them, ‘Why do you set this trap for me? Hand me a denarius and let me see it.’ They handed him one and he said, ‘Whose head is this? Whose name?’ ‘Caesar’s’ they told him. Jesus said to them, ‘Give back to Caesar what belongs to Caesar – and to God what belongs to God.’ This reply took them completely by surprise. Reflection – Mark 12:13-17 The Pharisees and Herodians tried to trap Jesus with a political question about paying taxes to Ca...

June 1 Gospel Mark 12:1-12 They seized the beloved son, killed him and threw him out of the vineyard Jesus began to speak to the chief priests, the scribes and the elders in parables: ‘A man planted a vineyard; he fenced it round, dug out a trough for the winepress and built a tower; then he leased it to tenants and went abroad. When the time came, he sent a servant to the tenants to collect from them his share of the produce from the vineyard. But they seized the man, thrashed him and sent him away empty-handed. Next he sent another servant to them; him they beat about the head and treated shamefully. And he sent another and him they killed; then a number of others, and they thrashed some and killed the rest. He had still someone left: his beloved son. He sent him to them last of all. “They will respect my son” he said. But those tenants said to each other, “This is the heir. Come on, let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.” So they seized him and killed him and...

Gospel John 3:16-18 God sent his Son so that through him the world might be saved Jesus said to Nicodemus: ‘God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not be lost but may have eternal life. For God sent his Son into the world not to condemn the world, but so that through him the world might be saved. No one who believes in him will be condemned; but whoever refuses to believe is condemned already, because he has refused to believe in the name of God’s only Son.’ Short Reflection John 3:16-18 reveals the heart of God: a love so deep that He gives, not takes. God does not approach the world with condemnation, but with a desire to save and restore. Jesus is the living sign of that love—an invitation to trust, to believe, and to receive eternal life. This passage reminds us that faith is not just about knowing Jesus, but choosing to place our lives in Him. In believing, we step out of darkness into the light of grace and hope...