Corona of Thorns

God sent his Son, born of a woman, born a subject of the Law, to redeem the subjects of the Law and to enable us to be adopted as sons.

She wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger because there was no room for them at the inn.

When Joseph woke up he did what the angel of the Lord had told him to do: he took his wife to his home.

‘Go back and tell John what you hear and see; the blind see again, and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised to life and the Good News is proclaimed to the poor; and happy is the man who does not lose faith in me.’

John the Baptist appeared; he preached in the wilderness of Judaea and this was his message: ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is close at hand.’

"You too must stand ready because the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect."

Jesus remember me when you come into your kingdom.

And when you hear of wars and revolutions, do not be frightened, for this is something that must happen but the end is not so soon.

Now he is God, not of the dead, but of the living; for to him all men are in fact alive.

‘Zacchaeus, come down. Hurry, because I must stay at your house today.’

The tax collector stood some distance away, not daring even to raise his eyes to heaven; but he beat his breast and said, “God, be merciful to me, a sinner.”

Jesus told his disciples a parable about the need to pray continually and never lose heart.

‘Were not all ten made clean? The other nine, where are they? It seems that no one has come back to give praise to God, except this foreigner.’ And he said to the man, ‘Stand up and go on your way. Your faith has saved you.’

When you have done all you have been told to do, say, “We are merely servants: we have done no more than our duty.

Now the poor man died and was carried away by the angels to the bosom of Abraham. The rich man also died and was buried.

"The children of this world are more astute in dealing with their own kind than are the children of light."

"I tell you, there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one repentant sinner than over ninety-nine virtuous men who have no need of repentance."

‘If any man comes to me without hating his father, mother, wife, children, brothers, sisters, yes and his own life too, he cannot be my disciple. Anyone who does not carry his cross and come after me cannot be my disciple.'

For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and the man who humbles himself will be exalted.

‘Try your best to enter by the narrow door, because, I tell you, many will try to enter and will not succeed.'

‘Do you suppose that I am here to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but rather division.'

‘There is no need to be afraid, little flock, for it has pleased your Father to give you the kingdom.'

“Fool! This very night the demand will be made for your soul; and this hoard of yours, whose will it be then?”

his disciples said, ‘Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.’ He said to them, ‘Say this when you pray: ‘“Father, may your name be held holy..."

But the Lord answered: ‘Martha, Martha,’ he said ‘you worry and fret about so many things, and yet few are needed, indeed only one.

"But a Samaritan traveller who came upon him was moved with compassion when he saw him."

The seventy-two came back rejoicing. ‘Lord,’ they said ‘even the devils submit to us when we use your name.’

"As the time drew near for him to be taken up to heaven, Jesus resolutely took the road for Jerusalem..."

They all ate as much as they wanted, and when the scraps remaining were collected they filled twelve baskets.

They were amazed and astonished. ‘Surely’ they said ‘all these men speaking are Galileans? How does it happen that each of us hears them in his own native language?

 ‘You see how it is written that the Christ would suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that, in his name, repentance for the forgiveness of sins would be preached to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses to this.

If anyone loves me he will keep my word,

and my Father will love him,

and we shall come to him and make our home with him.

I give you a new commandment: love one another;

just as I have loved you, you also must love one another.

The sheep that belong to me listen to my voice;

I know them and they follow me.

‘Simon son of John, do you love me more than these others do?’

He said to them, ‘Peace be with you’, and showed them his hands and his side.

‘Why look among the dead for someone who is alive? He is not here; he has risen.'

‘Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord!

Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!’

‘Neither do I condemn you,’ said Jesus ‘go away, and do not sin any more.’

It was only right we should celebrate and rejoice, because your brother here was dead and has come to life; he was lost and is found.

Do you suppose that they were more guilty than all the other people living in Jerusalem? They were not, I tell you. No; but unless you repent you will all perish as they did.’

As he prayed, the aspect of his face was changed and his clothing became brilliant as lightning.

‘If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to turn into a loaf.’

'Can one blind man guide another? Surely both will fall into a pit?'

"Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who treat you badly."

‘How happy are you who are poor: yours is the kingdom of God.'

"Put out into deep water and pay out your nets for a catch!"

"...they were astonished by the gracious words that came from his lips. They said, ‘This is Joseph’s son, surely?’"

The spirit of the Lord has been given to me, for he has anointed me.

He has sent me to bring the good news to the poor, to proclaim liberty to captives and to the blind new sight, to set the downtrodden free, to proclaim the Lord’s year of favour.

There was a wedding at Cana in Galilee. The mother of Jesus was there, and Jesus and his disciples had also been invited.