Gospel Reflection by Fr Doug Harris ... Today’s readings remind us of the importance and value of the Holy Spirit. It appears that the prince of the world, Satan, and his demons have taken control of the world. In order to reclaim the world for Christ, His disciples are called to be, according to the prophecy St Louis de Montfort, much greater than the saints of the past. For this reason, God is pouring out the Holy Spirit on each person, without measure, as He did with

GOSPEL REFLECTION In today’s Gospel, Our Lord makes the remarkable statement “Where I Am, you maybe too.” Our Lord by saying: “I Am” is saying that He is God. “I Am” is the title for God. When Moses, on Mt Sinai asked God, “what name shall I call you?” God replied, “I Am who I Am, and you shall tell the sons of Israel that ‘I Am” sent you.” Our Lord called Himself “I Am” at least 7 times in St John’s Gospel. For example: Before Abraham was born, “I Am.” For saying that He

Today is Good Shepherd Sunday or Vocations Sunday. Today I will speak about the priesthood. I will start by sharing some reflections of my own priesthood. I was ordained on June 30th, 2000, on the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart. A few months as a priest I was preparing a couple for marriage. The date of their wedding was set. There were serious concerns about the marriage. I had a lengthy discussion with the couple in an attempt to persuade them to postpone their mar

GOSPEL REFLECTION: Today’s Gospel begins with the disciples of Emmaus. Our Lord walks with them from Jerusalem to a village called Emmaus – a distance of 11kms or 7 miles. But the disciples failed to recognize Jesus. On top of that – their conversation was all about Jesus. Jesus explained to the disciples: “all the passages throughout Scripture that were about Himself,” and yet the disciples still failed to recognize Jesus. Only when Our Lord made Himself present in the Eu

In the Gospel today Jesus institutes, the Sacrament of Reconciliation (confession). Jesus appears to His Apostles – after His crucifixion. The Apostles are in a room – the doors and windows are locked – but Jesus appears in the room. Then Jesus breathed on the Apostles. The fact that Jesus ‘breathed’ on the Apostles is very significant. There are only a few times recorded in the Bible, where God breathed (and Jesus, is of course, God). The first time God breathed was when