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.
Judas Iscariot
“…Judas Iscariot who became a traitor” (NRSV, Luke 6:16)
Unlike the rest of the Apostles, who were Galileans, Judas Iscariot came from Judea. The name of his home town was Kerioth, as we learn from his name Iscariot which means ‘man of Kerioth’. The polished Judeans habitually looked down on the rough and ready Galileans, and no doubt Judas felt the same towards his fellow Apostles. So probably from the start he was the odd man out among the Apostolic band. He ended as the lone wolf in the flock.
Simon Peter
But Peter said vehemently, “Even though I must die with you, I will not deny you” (NRSV, Mark 14:31)
Simon Peter was among those who had known Our Lord the longest. It was through St John Baptist, whose follower he had been, that Peter first met Our Lord. Later he was called by him to be a disciple, and then was chosen to be one of the Twelve Apostles, a personal representative of Our Lord himself.
Caiaphas
“First they led him to Annas; for he was the father-in-law of Caiaphas, who was high priest that year. It was Caiaphas who had given counsel to the Jews that it was expedient that one man should die for the people” (Catholic edition RSV, John 18:13,14)
Annas had been deposed from the office of high priest by the Romans 14 years before, but though he had lost his position he had retained his power. A Jewish writer of the time recorded this note about him: “Now the report goes, that this elder Ananus (Annas) proved a most fortunate man; for he had five sons, who had all performed the office of high priest to God, and he had himself enjoyed that dignity a long time formerly, which had never happened to any other of our high priests…”. (1) And we learn from St John that Caiaphas himself, the official high priest, was a son-in-law of Annas.