Posts by Neliswa Mdluli

by Fr Christopher Maseko

When people have a truly great leader, they gather round the leader as the plan of action is explained to them. We, Christians, have such a great leader. We gather round Christ as he unfolds his plan of action with the words ‘I am sent to bring the good news to the poor. I’m sent to proclaim liberty to captives, and to the blind new sight.’

Christ says these words to us, because we are sent with him: I am sent and you are sent. We are sent to bring the good news to the poor. After the baptism in the Jordan and the temptations in the desert, Christ went to Galilee where, according to the Synoptic Gospels, most of his public life was spent. The power and the Spirit of God had descended on him in the Jordan. He was the Messiah. He had received the power and spirit of the prophets of old. His divine sonship was yet hidden, that the crowds who gathered to hear him saw was that he was the man of God, whose words and work proved he was sent by God. He was listened to and honoured by all. It was the custom of the Rabbi of the synagogue to ask a visitor to read the lesson of the day. Christ began his preaching in the synagogues of Galilee, and at first was well received by the Jews. The Messiah would be moved and enlightened by God. He would work miracles of healing and preach deliverance for all. He will bring the great Jubilee, when all God’s people would rejoice and receive God’s favours.

by Fr Christopher Maseko

In the Old and New Testament marriage expresses the summit of the Covenant between God and Israel or between the Lord and Humanity. At Cana it is a question of a human wedding, the feast celebrating the love of a man with a woman… it is with joyful humanity, at the act of founding a human family, that Mary participates. Her presence is mentioned before the one of the Son. This week’s readings remind us that God is like a bridegroom to us, and we, all of us together, are his bride, invited to the wedding feast.

by Fr Christopher Maseko

Now that we have completed our Christmas Octave celebration and have also celebrated the Epiphany of the Lord, we begin to turn our eyes to Jesus’ public ministry. He begins it with his baptism by John the Baptist at the river Jordan. Sent by the Father to overcome evil with good, to proclaim the will of God, to face jealousy, persecution and death.

It was for this task that Jesus was strengthened at his baptism by the Holy Spirit. The feast, therefore reminds us of our own baptism and confirmation. Being a good and faithful Jew, Jesus does not singularize himself in any way. Since all the people had had themselves baptised, he, too, would have himself baptised. Christ sanctified the waters of baptism. The water of baptism, by the power of Christ who himself is baptised in it, calls back the dead to new life. In the story of the flood, there the dove carrying the olive branch in its beak brought solace to Noah and his family, because the flood was over. Here at the baptism of Jesus the Holy Spirit coming in the form of a dove reveals to us our merciful saviour.

by Fr. Jacob Boddicker, SJ.

‘That young people, especially in Latin America, follow the example of Mary and respond to the call of the Lord to communicate the joy of the Gospel to the world.’

The world ushers in a New Year each January, so named after the Latin word for “door”: we stand on the threshold of another Year of Our Lord. It is the world’s New Year; as a Church we’ve already celebrated the new liturgical year with the First Sunday of Advent, a season in which we prepared for the coming of the New Man. December is a month of celebrating something new—a child!—while the world around us sees only what is old, thinks only about the past year. Now the world looks to the New Year and we, instead, look to Mary: we thus begin with the great Solemnity of Mary, the Mother of God on January 1st. Continue reading “January 2019: Young People and the Example of Mary” →