The only way into healthy Christian living and hope in God is to come to the realisation that God’s love can never be earned. It is already given to us free and unconditionally. We can’t attract God’s attention or favour by painting ourselves as helpless and hopeless or totally down-grading ourselves. Our self-disclosures of fragility, human weakness and personal sinfulness are meant to lead us to hope in a God who constantly loves us, who is always chasing after us, who has a deep respect for us and who places an adult confidence in us, writes Christian Brother Julian McDonald.

The parable about the widow and the unjust judge is a puzzling one, and becomes more puzzling as we dig into it, despite its brevity. Essentially, it’s a parable about the need to pray and not to lose heart. But it also explores the link between the quality of our prayer and the depth (or shallowness) of our faith, writes Christian Brother Julian McDonald.

There is much food for thought in today’s readings, especially in their invitation to consider the place of gratitude in our lives, writes Christian Brother Julian McDonald.

Our faith is really alive and active when we come to appreciate that we depend fully on the providence and graciousness of God. That realisation keeps us focused and truly humble, writes Christian Brother Julian McDonald.

Today’s gospel parable is a reminder to us all that, irrespective of the circumstances of our lives, we all have something from which others could benefit, even if it is only our time or a listening ear, writes Christian Brother Julian McDonald.