Philip Fogarty SJ shows how in Mark’s Gospel the critical and paradoxical nature of Jesus’ message is gradually revealed to the disciples .

The wonderful thing about Jesus’ parables is that they nearly always have an element of surprise, of counter-culture, which he uses to force the listener to make a decision about accepting or rejecting the kingdom of God in their heart. Jim McPolin SJ explains.

Family meant something different in ancient Palestine from what it means in today’s society. It was so radical when Jesus looked around him and said of his community of faith, “Here are my mother and my brothers! Whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother” [...]

Jesus wasn’t an instant success. He had to endure the triumph of failure. Paul Andrews SJ shows haw we can do the same.

This second article by Philip Fogarty SJ on the Gospel of Mark shows how the call of the disciples, his teaching with authority, heaing on the sabbath and forgiving sins brings up the question: Who is this man?

Amanda writes: How sure can we be that there will be second coming of Jesus Christ and a bodily resurrection of all the dead at his coming? I find that I cannot believe this at all because a return of Jesus with a Universal Resurrection gives rise to many questions. [...]

Philip Fogarty SJ in his commentary on Mark’s Gospel deals with the questions: What does following Jesus mean? Did he have women followers? Were they different from “the Twelve”? These questions left people guessing. And we who read the gospel today are left with these questions too.

Forgiveness is well known as being the central teaching of Christianity. It seems both eminently desirable and well-nigh impossible. Jesus’ teaching in the ‘Our Father’, his parable of the unmerciful servant and his encounter with Zacchaeus bring out how serious he is about this teaching. James McPolin SJ explains.

Retired Bishop Geoffrey Robinson critiques the Church’s use and misuse of power, from the Pope to any preacher at the pulpit. He also proposes a new model of exercising authority in the Church where all the members are treated as responsible adults.

Jesus seems to have deliberately provoked conflict with the dominant social vision represented by the religious authorities by his compassionate healings on the Sabbath and his table-fellowship with outcasts. James Mc Polin SJ tells the story.

The journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem would probably go via Samaria and Jerusalem and take about four days on foot. It is quite likely that Joseph would have a donkey to carry pieces of wood and other tools of the carpenter’s trade, so surely as Mary was heavily pregnant with [...]

Matthew Byrne focuses on the biblical accounts of the birth of Jesus and the leading personalities involved – not just Joseph and Mary, but Zachariah and Elizabeth, the shepherds, the wise men, Simeon and Anna, and, of course, Herod. Each has a great human interest.

Central to Jesus’s life is his befriending of sinners. This was one of the central criticisms of his behaviour and the cause of much confrontation with the Jews and especially with Scribes and Pharisees. James McPolin draws out what the Gospels tell us.

James McPolin S.J. looks at Christ’s attitude to women during the years of his public ministry. Christ certainly did not see women only to have value in relation to men, McPolin affirms.

Jesus himself prayed in times of emergency and wanted others to pray along with him. His prayer shows him in a very intimate relationship with the one he calls “Abba”, Dada. He urges us to pray in like manner. James McPolin SJ introduces us to Jesus at prayer.

What is resurrection? Looking at the last chapters of Mark’s gospel, Phil Fogarty SJ starts from what it recounts and then goes on to give us some idea of what the resurrection of the body might mean for us. “The Good News of Christianity is that for those who die, [...]

James McPolin S.J examines the nature of religious life in the Holy Land at the time of Christ, specifically at the four groups which most feature in scripture: the Pharisees, the Saducees, the Essenes, and the Zealots.

The word ‘saviour’ was a title applied to the gods of the Greek and Roman world but also to kings, philosophers, emperors, physicians and statesmen. James McPolin SJ gives us some idea of what it means to call Jesus ‘the merciful saviour’.

This book by Joseph Ratzinger, now Pope Benedict XVI, is the first in a series. It is an attempt to give an inspiring account of Jesus. It looks at his baptism, his temptations, his proclamation of the kingdom of God, the sermon on the mount up to when he declares [...]

According to James McPolin SJ, we come to know Christ better when we understand more about the nature of Jewish society – its politics, economics, religion, and so on – during his lifetime.

Right from Jesus’ first preaching he was in conflict with his fellow townspeople, with the Jewish leaders and was executed by Pilate as a political rebel. Each gospel shows different points of view about Jesus. James Mc Polin SJ explains.

Gerald O’Collins SJ has written a theological portrait of Jesus using the best of current biblical scholarship.

“Mary gave birth to her baby in a stable and wrapped in in swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger.” Although the stable would have been a bit smelly and not very clean, I’m sure Joseph and Mary did their best to make the place as cosy as possible [...]

What do we know of Jesus’ family life? What is to be said of those the Gospels call ‘his brothers and sisters’? Could he have not been married? Did he join the clergy? How did he come in conflict with the priests? James Mc Polin SJ tries answer these questions.

Philip Fogarty shows us the meaning of the Last Supper in the light of Mark’s gospel.

Pierre Simson goes back to the scriptural accounts of the eucharist to see what exactly Christ meant by enjoining us to come together to celebrate his supper in memory of Him.

What were the formative years of Jesus like? Is there anything we can really know about what they call “the hidden years”? Could he read and write? What level of education did he have? What languages did he speak? Jim McPolin SJ looks at these questions.

Christian faith is not just a philosopy of life or a system of morality. It is about a person, Jesus of Nazareth, who is more than just a charismatic figure. He is the tangible expression in the world of the unseen God. The encounter with the woman at the well [...]

Gail Northgrave gives us some perspectives on the real meaning of Christmas. Her message is: “If you look close enough you’ll see Him smiling at you through your loved ones”.

Sean O’Conaill draws attention to Christ’s stress on the importance of the individual, but he warns that this is radically different from present-day individualism. Instead, it is an invitation to join Christ on his “downward journey”.