“As for Mary, she treasured all these things and pondered them in her heart.” (Luke 2:19)
“Like Mary whose name we bear, we are called to hear the word of God and keep it. Our attentive listening shapes in us a contemplative and prophetic attitude toward the whole of life and enables us to act in ways which witness to God’s love and justice.” (SNDdeN Constitution 47)
Perhaps our reflections on the weekly Gospel will help you nurture your own relationship with God.
Through these reflections on the Gospel Readings for the Sundays and Major Feasts of the Liturgical Year, the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur from various parts of the world share with you their thoughts and ponderings on these Scripture passages. These reflections are posted in the language of the author with links to translation.
These Scripture readings and reflections reveal Glimpses of God’s Goodness in our daily lives. We pray that these reflections will strengthen your faith, renew your hope and enflame the love of God in you, and through you, to others.
Ascension Thursday – Sister Mary Cluderay, SNDdeN
May 26, 2022 Luke 24: 46-53 “I, the Light have come into the world. whosoever believes in me will stay in the darkness no more." As I prepared to write these words I began to realize how God's message all the time is always one of Love: "God loved the world so much...
Sixth Sunday of Easter – Sister Liane Delsuc, SNDdeN
May 22, 2022 John 14: 23-29 The Gospel today is part of Jesus’ farewell to his disciples and contains an incredible promise. Jesus is preparing his disciples for his departure. How confused they must have been after following him for these years, listening to him...
Fifth Sunday of Easter – Sister Elizabeth Sichangi, SNDdeN
May 15, 2022 John 13: 31-33a, 34-35 Let us love one another, because God first loved us, even while we were still God’s enemies. (Fr. Alberione) Have I ever been heartbroken in a situation until I vowed never to repeat or engage myself in such a related...
Third Sunday of Easter – Sister Tess Rynn, SNDdeN
May 1, 2022 John 21: 1-19 For the Disciples the time after the Resurrection must have been like no other. Traumatised by recent events they were living in a world of disbelief, emptiness and the unknown. Having decided to anchor themselves in some sort of normality,...
Fourth Sunday of Easter- Sister Jo Threlfall, SNDdeN
May 8, 2022 - Sister Jo Threlfall John 10: 27-30 In this liturgical season of the Resurrection, why do we celebrate Good Shepherd Sunday? Jesus the Good Shepherd has walked among us and completed His ministry, before he died and rose to save us. In fact, the post...
Second Sunday of Easter – Sister Breta Konzi, SNDdeN
April 24, 2022 John 20: 19-31 Today is traditionally observed as Divine Mercy Sunday. We see traces of this Divine Mercy in the Gospel reading of today. Jesus appears to the disciples and appoints them to become agents of his mercy. The most practical way of showing...
Easter Sunday – Sister Anne Louise Nadeau, SNDdeN
April 17, 2022 John 20: 1-9 The End…or the Beginning? It was early Sunday morning after 2 days of trauma, suffering, questioning, and crying, when I decided to take a chance and go visit my friend’s tomb while it was still dark hoping we would not be noticed. Although...
Sábado Santo – Irmã Sandra Araujo Santos, SNDdeN português
16 de abril de 2022 Lucas 24: 1-12 Esperançando com Marias e perfumes No evangelho de hoje as mulheres voltam no levar perfumes para o corpo de Jesus. A festa de hoje tem uma força restauradora que mesmo em situações de dor, ela é esperada celebrada com muita alegria...
Easter Vigil – Sister Sandra Araujo Santos, SNDdeN – English
April 16, 2022 Luke 24: 1-12 Waiting in Hope with Mary In today’s Gospel the women return bringing perfume for Jesus’ body. Today’s feast has a restoring power that even where a situation of pain is anticipated and celebrated joyfully as a feast day of life....
Good Friday – Sister Marilyn Pechillo, SNDdeN
April 15, 2022 John 18:1-19, 42 Many people question the name Good Friday. What is so good about it? It commemorates the worst of humanity, the merciless unleashing of violence against the good Jesus of Nazareth. We see the worst of humanity lashing out against the...
Holy Thursday – Sister Marilyn Kerber, SNDdeN
April 14, 2022 John 13: 1-15 Holy Thursday. The Lord’s Supper. This first day of the Triduum carries with it so many meaningful remembrances and symbols. Pause for just a moment or so to bring just some of them to mind. When I do so my mind fills to overflowing with...
Palm Sunday – Sister Maureen O’Brien, SNDdeN
April 10, 2022 Luke 22: 14-23, 56 The overlapping images of Palm Sunday, then and now, lead us into places where Hosannas and laments merge into one. The Gospel of Saint Luke, in today’s liturgy, sets the stage for the triumphal entry of Christ into Jerusalem. Crowds...
Fifth Sunday in Lent – Sister Betsy Flynn, SNDdeN
April 3, 2022 John 8: 1-11 From the Earth Speaks Truth As I prayed John 8: 1-11, the woman taken in adultery, I began to see a drama unfold before my eyes. Jesus is preaching in front of the Temple. The Scribes and the Pharisees bring a woman caught in the act of...
Fourth Sunday of Lent – Sister Mary McClure, SNDdeN
March 27, 2022 Luke 15: 1-3, 11-32 The Prodigal Father Sometimes we can be so familiar with a particular Bible Story that we can lose the impact of the story. You know the story. We all do. The younger son wants his inheritance NOW so that he can go off and...
Third Sunday in Lent – Sister Roseanne Murphy, SNDdeN
March 20, 2022 John 4: 5-42 We have read the words of Luke’s gospel many times in our lives; so much so, that often we respond to the message there with something like, “I know that.” Often, the impact of that statement is somewhat muted because it has become so...
Second Sunday in Lent – Sister Eileen Burns, SNDdeN
March 13, 2022 Luke 9: 28b - 36 Have you ever climbed a mountain? In my experience climbing up means pacing your breathing, keeping to a trail, spotting breath-taking vistas of the land below you and around you as you go higher. You should carry water with you as you...
First Sunday in Lent – Sister Katy Webster, SNDdeN English
March 6, 2022 Luke 4: 1-13 Today, the first Sunday of Lent, we reflect on the temptations Jesus faced in the desert for forty days and forty nights. This passage comes shortly after the baptism of Jesus and the memory of the genealogy of Jesus which calls to mind from...
Primeiro Domingo da Quaresma – Irmã Katia Webster, SNDdeN português
6 de março de 2022 Lucas 4: 1-13 Hoje, primeiro domingo da Quaresma, refletimos as tentações que Jesus enfrentou no deserto durante quarenta dias e quarenta noites. Este trecho vem logo depois do batismo de Jesus e a memória da genealogia de Jesus fazendo memória de...
Ash Wednesday – Sister Barbara Thiella, SNDdeN
March 2, 2022 Matthew 6: 1-6, 16-18 THEME: Choosing goodness secures life with and for God BACKGROUND: The Gospel of Matthew and Matthew 6: 1-6 and 16-18, refer regularly to Jewish religious leaders, the local town synagogue, the Mosaic Law and the Torah as well as to...
Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time – Sister Helen Bellew, SNDdeN
February 27, 2022 Luke 6: 39-45 Heart Speak “From the fullness of the heart, the mouth speaks” - the last line of today’s Gospel. Perhaps this is the most compelling, significant point of the readings this Sunday, and may be the key to discerning the message they...
