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Sunday Evangelium

Weekly Sunday homilies by Father Marcus Holden and Father Andrew Pinsent, who were ordained Catholic priests in September 2005. Along with their work as priests (Fr Marcus is parish priest in Ramsgate & Fr Andrew is Research Director at the Ian Ramsey Centre for Science and Religion) together they have written several books and run the Evangelium Conference each summer.

Many thanks to Edwin Fawcett for the gift of his music.
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Here below are the Evangeliums for Sundays in Lent in year B - they were recorded in 2011. You can listen to Sunday Evangelium by season: Advent, Christmas, Ordinary TimeLent, Easter & then Special Feast Days.

1st Sunday of Lent

with Father Andrew Pinsent, in Year B      
Penance

"The reason why treating our relationship to God as a contract is so abhorrent is that what God wants is for us to enjoy a relationship with him that is second-personal, not third-personal, of an 'I' to 'Thou', not an individual to a remote benefactor. In other words, God wants us to love with him what he loves, and sacrifice with him what he sacrifices, as happens at every Mass. In today's First Reading, this relationship is spoken of as a covenant not a contract, a union of soul as in the Christian Sacrament of marriage and not just an exchange of goods, and this is also the context in which, I think, we should understand how we are meant to use this opportunity of Lent. Our goals in Lent should not be to increase our credit balance with God, which is abhorrent and impossible anyway, but to repent of what you might call our adulterous spiritual liaisons, those times in which we give our souls, in effect, over to what is not of God, especially the false gods of pride, envy, anger, sloth, avarice, gluttony and lust."

Readings: Gospel: Mark: 1, 12-15: The Spirit drove Jesus out into the desert, and he remained in the desert for forty days, tempted by Satan. He was among wild beasts, and the angels ministered to him. After John had been arrested, Jesus came to Galilee proclaiming the gospel of God: this is the time of fulfillment. The kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.

5th Sunday of Lent

by Father Andrew Pinsent, in Year B      

"There’s no cheap grace in this world, there’s no easy Christianity, no pain – no gain, no cross – no crown, no mortification – no sanctification, no sacrifice – no resurrection. There is indeed joy and it is a deeper joy than anything else in this world can give, there is glory greatly than all the kingdoms of the world, there is love more profound than any human relationship, there is life and without end – but it all comes through the cross, through trustful and obedient acceptance. The Greeks could get what they really wanted, that real beauty and lasting goodness, but it required the acceptance of the cross. That is the challenge for every Christian, that is our challenge of the next 12 days as we prepare for Good Friday itself."

Readings: Gospel: John 12: 20-33: ... Jesus replied to them: 'Now the hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. I tell you, most solemnly, unless a wheat grain falls on the ground and dies, it remains only a single grain; but if it dies, it yields a rich harvest. Anyone who loves his life loses it; anyone who hates his life in this world will keep it for the eternal life. If a man serves me, he must follow me, wherever I am, my servant will be there too. ..'