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NZ Columbans, 18 St Columbans Grove, Lower Hutt (2026)

02/06/2026

Remembering Charles Lwanga and his companions
In today's gospel from Mark 12:18-27, some Saducees come again to question Jesus with a trick question. They do not believe in the resurrection and they made up a story trying to show that belief in the resurrection is absurd. They say that there was a woman who married seven times but that each of her husbands died. So they ask Jesus when they rise again who would be her husband since she has had seven. Jesus points out their error saying that they do not understand the Scriptures nor the power of God. They think that the next life will simply be a continuation of life as it is on earth. But Jesus tells them that it will be very different. The dead will rise into a spiritual life like angels rather than the human life as we know it on earth.. St Paul tells us that ''Eye has not seen, nor ear heard nor human heart conceived what God has prepared for those who love him.'' (1 Corinthians 2:9). But life on earth is the only life we know and for that reason many people fear death as they do not have faith that Jesus is waiting to bring us into his glory. His death was the means of his return to the glory that he had with his Father in heaven and He assures us in John 14, that there are many dweling places in his Father's house and that he is going there there to prepare a place for us. Today's saints Charles Lwanga and his 21 Ugandan companions were cruelly martyred in 1888 as they worked to protect boys from the evil intentions of the ruler. They not only had a strong belief in the future life but were ready to give their lives for it. May our faith in the life that Jesus has prepared for us after death inspire to unite ourselves with our Risen Lord in this life.
Don Hornsey

31/05/2026

Coming to know the Lord more and more
In today's gospel Jesus tells the parable of the man who planted a vineyard and let it out to tenants. But when the time came for them to give the owner his share of the harvest, they refused and even killed some of the servants he sent. Finally they killed his son. It was obviously a parable about Jesus himself and the chief priests and scribes recognized it as such and would have liked to arrest Jesus but they were afraid of the crowds who were following Jesus. But we know that they eventually did have Jesus crucified and that the basis of our faith is that he rose again to be present with us. That is what we remember in every mass. This morning I raised some eyebrows at mass with the South American refugees and migrants, when I said that Sunday mass can be a trap for some people. I was remembering some people I know who say that they have fulfilled all their religious duties for the week because that have been to mass. But that is the opposite to what Peter meant in the first reading today when he said, ''May you have more grace and peace to come to know our Lord more and more.'' He does not mean for just one hour a week but that we recognize the presence of the Risen Lord in each day, even each moment of our lives. May our first prayer of the day be, ''Thank you, Lord, for the gift of another day of life when I can see you in the depths of my own heart, in all the people that I will meet today and in your creation that is all around me.''
Don Hornsey

30/05/2026

The solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity - 2026
Let us see if the readings for today can help us to deepen our understanding of and appreciation for a central mystery of our Christian faith, that there are three persons in one God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Now the first reading from Exodus 34:4-6,8-9 tells of how Moses called on God – “Lord, Lord, a God of tenderness and compassion, slow to anger, rich in kindness and faithfulness.” Then Moses calls on God to forgive the people and adopt them as God’s heritage. By heritage we mean something or someone selected to be one’s own. This is highly presumptuous, to ask God to adopt us as his own people, his own family. So, this first reading reminds us that God is family among whom we enjoy loving and forgiving tenderness as well as loyalty and truth. The second reading, from Paul’s second letter to the Corinthians 13:11-13, reminds us that the God of love is with us when we are at peace with one another. It’s not that God is absent; God is always present. But God’s presence is most evident when we are at peace with one another. This reading also has a beautiful blessing, “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all.” This reading reminds us, then, that God is found in our communion with one another. Finally, the gospel reading from John 3:16-18 speaks of God as the One who sends in order to save. This is an extraordinary expression of love. God does not condemn; God seeks to save by calling us all into communion. This demands trust and faith on our part. It is to trust that God who is family has chosen to become one like us, in our humanity, so that we can share in the beauty, likeness and gift of God’s divinity. This is even more presumptuous. It means that, in communion with all humanity and indeed with all of creation, we are embraced by the love and communion that is found in that union whereby God is three in one: as Abba our loving creator, Jesus our brother and saviour and Holy Spirit, our protector and unwavering guide. In the Most Holy Trinty we are family and let us never forget that.
Tom Rouse

28/05/2026

The story of the fig tree
Today's gospel begins and ends with the story of the fig tree and in the middle Jesus drives out the sellers from the temple. (Mark 11:11-26) The common theme is that of producing fruit. The fig tree looked nice but it did not have any fruit on it. Jesus drove out those who were selling animals and birds that were to be sacrificed in the temple. Was he remembering the words of Isaiah who speaks in the name of the Lord when he says,'' I have had enough of burnt offerings and rams and the fat of fed beasts; I do not delight in the blood of bulls, or of lambs or of goats.'' (Isaiah 1:11) Jesus was at the same time rejecting the false idea that God's favour could be obtained by the sacrificing of animals and the injustice involved in charging high prices for the very animals that the chief priest and scribes demanded that the people offer. ''My house will be called a house of prayer for all the peoples but you have turned it into a robber's den.'' said Jesus. The Temple was not being used to produces the fruits it was meant for but was being manipulated for business dealings. In the first reading. Peter reminds us that we have all received a special grace so that like good stewards we are called to put ourselves at the service of others. If we have truly entered into a prayerful relationship with the Creator, we will be transformed. Through our union with Jesus we will become more loving, compassionate and justice orientated and good works will naturally follow.
Don Hornsey

27/05/2026

How do we get to know Jesus?
As I was reading the gospel for today, from Mark 10:46-52, about how Jesus healed the blind beggar, Bartimaeus, two questions came to mind: how does a person come to know Jesus? What version of Jesus does a person come know – a distant Jesus or a Jesus who is close, a stern Jesus or a merciful Jesus, with emphasis on his divinity or on his humanity? Anyway, I was thinking that Bartimaeus must have been a well-known member of the Christian community for whom Mark was writing his gospel. This is why Mark knows his name. I can imagine the conversation between Bartimaeus and Mark, the evangelist. Mark was probably gathering stories for his gospel. So he sat down with Bartimaeus and Bartimaeus was remembering the days when he used to beg for money on the streets of Jericho. During those days he used to listen to the conversations people were having as they gathered at the market or walked along the street. Some of the conversations were about Jesus of Nazareth whom some considered to be a prophet or a healer. As he listened, Bartimaeus began making connections in his mind between Jesus and the one whom the prophets of old called “Son of David”, that messianic figure who would bring salvation to the world. So, we can imagine Bartimaeus saying to Mark, “One day I was sitting down on the side of the road when I heard people say, ‘Jesus of Nazareth is coming’. From where I was sitting, I started yelling out, ‘Son of David, have mercy on me’. After all, I had that misguided belief that I was blind because I was a sinner. But the people beside me started telling me to shut up! This only made me more determined. So I shouted out even more loudly, ‘Son of David, have mercy on me.’ You know what, Jesus heard me and told the people beside me to take me to him. Funny thing was that the people who had been scolding me for making too much noise suddenly became nice to me and said, “Don’t be afraid. He wants to talk to you. When they brought me over to him, what did he do? He asked me what I wanted him to do for me! He didn’t presume; he asked! And I told him I wanted to see again. Now, when he healed me, he said it was my faith that saved me. In a way, the two are the same. It was because I believed in Jesus that I was healed.” So, let us please talk about Jesus, let us help people come to know Jesus. And may the Jesus we talk about, the Jesus whom we believe in, be a healing, compassionate and loving Jesus. This way, we can help more people to see.
Tom Rouse

26/05/2026

Who will be great in the Kingdom?
In several ways today's gospel from Mark 10:32-45 is amazing. First of all Jesus and the disciples are going to Jerusalem. Jesus tells the Twelve what was going to happen to him. He would be condemned by the chief priests and scribes, handed over to the Romans who will put him to death but he reminds them that he will rise on the third day. Mark tells us how lonely Jesus was. He was walking on ahead of them by himself. The others were in a daze afraid of what would happen when they got to Jerusalem. But James and John seem to have totally misunderstood the seriousness of Jesus' words. They come to Jesus and ask if they could have positions of power in his kingdom. Jesus does not criticize them for he knows that they that will follow him to the end even if it means suffering and death. He sees that they believe that his kingdom will come. But he then tells them they he is not able to often them positions of power. When the other ten hear of the request of James and John they are indignant feeling that they are claiming an unfair advantage. Jesus teaches them the important lesson that those who will be great in his kingdom will be those who humbly serve just as Jesus himself came not to be served but to serve. We are all called to follow Jesus as closely. That should be our main ambition. But Jesus reminds us that we are not to desire to lord it over others but to serve them humbly.
Don Hornsey

25/05/2026

May we truly value what Jesus has to offer
Do you treasure what you have received from God through Jesus Christ? Do you value the grace you have received to the same extent that Peter did when he was writing his letter, part of which we read in today’s first reading from 1 Peter 1:10-16? Read again this passage and think about how much you value this grace or gift from God. First of all, this salvation, the gift of life eternal, was what the prophets were looking and searching so hard for. Peter goes on to say that the prophets, Isaiah in particular in his suffering servant songs, looked towards the pain that Jesus would endure so that we could know the wonderful gift of God’s grace and the glory that this would bring. We would become children of God, sharers in God’s life through the death and resurrection of Christ. Peter believed that even the angels longed to catch a glimpse of the glories with which we would be gifted as a result of Jesus’ humiliation and death. Peter goes on to say that you should free yourself of the burdens of doubt or disbelief or mindless concerns. Let go and put your trust in the grace that will be given you when Christ is revealed. This is an extraordinary expression of faith and a commitment to change. All this brings me to the gospel for today from Mark 10:28-31. This gospel passage follows the incident when the rich man fails to meet the challenge of Jesus to give up all he has in order to inherit eternal life. Jesus said that it is harder for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God than it is for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle. Here Peter turns to Jesus and asks, “What about us? We have left everything to follow you.” Jesus’ response is to assure us that the sacrifices we make for the sake of the gospel will be repaid a hundred times over. Here again, the challenge is to believe that what Jesus has to offer us is so valuable that it is worth the sacrifices we make in standing up for the values of the gospel. Let us pray for that faith which enables us to truly value what Jesus has to offer and the courage to make the sacrifices necessary to gain the reward of life eternal.
Tom Rouse

24/05/2026

Share the language of Jesus
Since 1844, Our Lady Help of Christians has been the patroness of Australia and New Zealnd. But since Peter Chanel was declared a saint in 1954 after being martyed in the Pacific Island of Futuna, he was named Patron of Oceania and Aoteaoa. But that does not mean that our devotion to Mary has been lessened. In today's gospel from John 19 we hear how Jesus on the cross looked down and saw his mother and the disciple John. To Mary he said, ''This is your son.'' John represents all of us and we rejoice that Jesus urges us to take Mary as our mother and protector. In the first reading Paul says that the language of the cross is illogical. So what is the language of the cross? Yesterday as we celebrated Pentecost we saw how the Holy Spirit filled the Apostles with enthusiasm to preach the good news of the death and resurrection of Jesus. All the visitors in Jerusalem understood their words in their own language. We too are called to share the language of Jesus with others. He speaks to us in the new language of love. Today there is so much falsehood and misinformation in the world, and the desire for power and domination on the part of merciless leaders. Millions of people just want to see the words of Jesus, peace, love and justice become a reality in their lives. God's foolishness of saving us through death on a cross is the greatest sign that we have received of the love of the Father and his Son for us. May the Holy Spirit help us to witness to that love by living it more fully in our lives. Holy Mary, pray for us and all those who do not experience love in their lives.
Don Hornsey

24/05/2026

Homily for Pentecost Sunday 2026

24/05/2026

This is homily for Pentecost Sunday 2026

NZ Columbans

02/06/2026

31/05/2026

30/05/2026

28/05/2026

27/05/2026

26/05/2026

25/05/2026

24/05/2026

24/05/2026

24/05/2026

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Monday	9am - 5pm
Tuesday	9am - 5pm
Wednesday	9am - 5pm
Thursday	9am - 5pm
Friday	9am - 5pm