Short Talks
This section of the website comprises short stand-alone talks and articles on different aspects of the Christian Faith, including the teaching of Jesus, the seasons of the Church’s Year and Feasts and Festivals. More talks/sermons/homilies/articles will be added in due course.
The section of the website entitled The Christian Faith provides more extended teaching on larger content areas, such as the Creed and the Sacraments.
The merciful soldier
Compassion and discipleship
Jesus said “I am thirsty”. And “one of them ran and got a sponge, filled it with sour wine, put it on a stick, and gave it to him to drink” (NRSV, John 19:28; Matthew 27:48)
Crucifixion was in origin an Oriental punishment and the Romans probably learnt it as a result of their trade with Carthage, the great commercial city in North Africa. This had been founded by colonists from Phoenicia which now comprises modern Lebanon and parts of Syria and Israel.
Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus
Courage and discipleship
“After these things, Joseph of Arimathea, who was a disciple of Jesus, though a secret one because of his fear of the Jews, asked Pilate to let him take away the body of Jesus. Pilate gave him permission; so he came and removed his body. Nicodemus, who had at first come to Jesus by night, also came, bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes…” (NRSV, John 19:38,39)
Jesus died on the Cross at three o’clock on Good Friday afternoon. The Jewish Law required that even on an ordinary day the bodies of those who had been crucified should be removed from their crosses before sunset and their burial would follow at once.
Major Passion characters
This section in the Holy Faith website comprises six short talks on the following Passion characters: Judas Iscariot, Simon Peter, Caiaphas, Herod Antipas, Pontius Pilate and Mary.
These six talks complement the series entitled Minor Passion characters and discipleship.