3rd Sunday of Easter, 18 April 2021 We Christians gather on Sundays to proclaim the power of Christ’s Resurrection: we sing hallelujah, dance, acknowledge God’s presence in the Eucharist and hear His holy Word.  However, Christians aren’t immune or exempt from the problems the world encounters.  Let’s ask ourselves, how should Christians face such difficult…

2nd Sunday of Easter, 11 April 2021 Easter is a time of great celebration: with joy and gladness we celebrate Christ’s victory on the cross.  As we reflect upon it, we have the eternal hope humanity needs.  The Song of Moses After Moses and the children of Israel crossed the Red Sea, they were overjoyed…

4 April 2021 The season of Easter is truly a joyful celebration, as all Sundays should be.  Every Sunday is a celebration of Christ’s Resurrection; some call it the “mini resurrection”.  The Resurrection is the bedrock, the foundation of Christianity.  There were many things Jesus said to His disciples that didn’t make sense.  Even in…

Easter Vigil, 3 April 2021 Christian celebrations are not empty festivities or void of meaning.  More than celebrating historical events, they recall God’s awe-inspiring actions that brought old creation to a new creation.  When the Church speaks of Christian redemption, it’s a fabric woven of different pieces put together from the Incarnation to the Resurrection.…

2 April 2021 Every Good Friday, I’m reminded of Abraham offering Isaac as a sacrifice on the altar.  Abraham is a Biblical character who epitomises faith in God: he obeyed God’s nonsensical command to offer his son (Genesis 22:11-12).  Saint John Chrysostom said the reason the angel called Abraham’s name twice was that he was…

1 April 2021 John 13:1-15 From the thirteenth chapter of John’s Gospel, we see a transition from Jesus’ public ministry to a private one.  He leaves three important things to His disciples and all of us: He serves them He institutes the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist, which Paul said we should do until His…

Wednesday in Holy Week, 31 March 2021 “There is a light in this world, a healing spirit more powerful more powerful than any darkness we may encounter. We sometimes lose sight of this force when there is suffering or too much pain.  Then suddenly the Spirit will emerge through the lives of ordinary people who…

Palm Sunday, 28 March 2021 Today we join the Church around the world in celebrating Palm Sunday, the beginning of Holy Week. We meditate on and re-enact the events in the life of our Lord in His last days on earth, which changed the course of history, the cosmos and the world. Certain events change…

5th Sunday in Lent, 21 March 2021 Life is a journey; so is Lent.  Some say a journey is all about the destination or goal; others say it’s about the journey: it must be full of fun and adventure.  Biblical examples show that it’s both.  When the children of Israel journeyed through the wilderness they…

by Patriarch Craig Bates 4th Sunday in Lent, 14 March 2021 We knew last March this year would be a sacrifice and this lockdown would be hard; but some of us discerned that something good would come out of it.  It would be a birthplace: wind, fire, a work of the Holy Spirit; a birthplace…