Reflections & Homilies

During his reflections on the Sunday Gospel, before praying the Angelus with pilgrims in St Peter's Square, Pope Leo said the Gospel teaches us that we must love greatly for true righteousness. "Jesus invites us to enter into the newness of the Kingdom of God," he said. Pope Leo noted that today's Gospel passage recounts when Jesus, who after proclaiming the Beatitudes, reveals the true meaning... Read More

Ash Wednesday confronts the Church with an unambiguous anthropological truth: "You are dust, and to dust you shall return." The liturgy dismantles fantasies of permanence and control, situating human life within its proper limits before God. It is from this starting point that Pope Leo's 2026 World Day Peace message, "Peace be with you all: Towards an 'unarmed and disarming' peace," must be read. ... Read More

Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time In our first reading from Sirach two sentences ought to grab our attention, and if I may be so bold as to suggest to you all, they could act as part of our observance of Great Lent which begins this week, a meditation on the two simple phrases of fundamental importance for our faith-life development : '…keep the commandments, they will save you; if you trust in God... Read More

On the eve of his Installation as the twelfth Archbishop of Westminster, Archbishop-elect Richard Moth gave this homily at Solemn Pontifical Vespers in Westminster Cathedral on Friday evening, 13 February. Dear brothers and sisters, Yes, I am still pinching myself! I thank all those of you who are joining in this celebration of Vespers, those of you here in this great cathedral, and those joining... Read More

On his Installation as the twelfth Archbishop of Westminster, Archbishop Richard Moth gave this homily at his Mass of Installation at Westminster Cathedral. On 26th March 1976, I was privileged to be in this great Cathedral Church, together with a friend from school, who is also present here today, for the Episcopal Ordination of the late Cardinal Basil Hume. On that day, the text that we have jus... Read More

"I would like to invite you to a very practical and frequently unappreciated form of abstinence: that of refraining from words that offend and hurt our neighbour." Pope Leo XIV made that invitation at the heart of his message for Lent 2026, which was released on Friday. As Lent begins next week, Ash Wednesday, February 18, the Pope said this liturgical season offers Christians an opportunity to pl... Read More

The Word of God speaks to the life of every faithful person, as it puts us in dialogue with the Lord, and fuels the Church in its mission, Pope Leo XIV said during the Wednesday General Audience in the Vatican's Paul VI Hall yesterday. "The Word of God responds to our thirst for meaning, for the truth about our life," Pope Leo said. "We live surrounded by so many words, but how many of these are e... Read More

This Lent, Archbishop John Wilson is inviting people to pray the rosary with him and the St George's Cathedral clergy every Friday at 5pm at St George's Cathedral in Southwark. Praying the rosary is a beautiful way to help people deepen their relationship with the Lord Jesus, as his Blessed Mother takes you by the hand and draws you to our Lord's heart. Archbishop John and the Cathedral clergy wil... Read More

Westminster Cathedral was packed yesterday as Cardinal Vincent Nichols celebrated a Mass of Thanksgiving, as his 16 years of service as Archbishop to the Diocese draws to a close. In his Homily, the Cardinal said: 'Here there is a new summons for me, a summons to use time more carefully in coming closer to the Lord, to spend more time in his presence now that the demands of this office are lifted... Read More

Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time Whilst we may underrate the virtue of humility, possibly because in the hustle and bustle of our 21st century life the lure of success, prosperity and the search for happiness has such a seductive pull. But those of us who have a more realistic approach to what is on offer and are very aware that most of us struggle, and have to work hard for what we so desire, see ou... Read More

In his prayer intention for February, Pope Leo invites us to pray that children suffering from incurable diseases and their families receive the necessary medical care and support, never losing strength and hope. The Holy Father asks us to recognize that "the smiles, even in the midst of pain," of children suffering from incurable diseases, "are a testimony of your Kingdom. In the name of the Fa... Read More

February 2nd 2026 One of my liturgical losses is that of the period between the Epiphany and the Presentation, Candlemas! The Anglicans keep these Sundays as Epiphanytide or Sundays after Epiphany which keeps our deep and ancient tradition of Christmas lasting until the Presentation of Jesus in the Temple - which in some way helped keep a light burning in our minds and prayers during the let down ... Read More

Archbishop Eamon Martin (pictured on the right) holding his staff and Saint Brigid's Cross) celebrated Mass today at Saint Brigid's Shrine in Faughart, Co Louth, the birthplace of Ireland's matron saint. In 1934, this site was chosen by Cardinal MacRory as the National Shrine of Saint Brigid for Ireland. Image CCO. "Saint Brigid of the Beatitudes: a model for Christian living today ... Sadly, we l... Read More

Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time In our first reading this Sunday, the prophet Zephaniah gives us the two core requirements of humility and justice that he suggests will help us live the life that God wants for us. He is not alone in marking these out as important, we find them throughout the scriptures, for instance Micah in a passage we know so well, gives us a descriptive way in which we can inte... Read More