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Gospel in Art: Jesus fasts for forty days and is tempted

The Temptations of Christ,  © Eric Armusik 2011, all rights reserved

Gospel of 22 February 2026 Matthew 4:1-11 At that time: Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And after fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. And the tempter came and said to him, 'If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.' But he answered, 'It is written, "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word t... Read More


Westminster: Archbishop Moth's Homily at Rite of Election 2026

Archbishop Richard Moth gave this homily today at the Rite of Election and Call to Continuing Conversion at Westminster Cathedral. Dear Catechumens and all those responding to the Call to continuing conversion, dear brothers and sisters, Catechumens, as you prepared for this Rite of Election, you wrote your names for the list of the Elect. Today all your names are gathered in the Book of the Elect... Read More


Westminster celebrates largest Rite of Election in 15 years

Westminster Cathedral ICN/JS

On Saturday 21 February, Archbishop Richard Moth presided at the Rite of Election and Call to Continuing Conversion at Westminster Cathedral, the first such celebration since his installation as Archbishop of Westminster. While the Rite of Election is a fixed point in the Church's liturgical calendar, it also serves as a practical barometer of ecclesial life. This year, almost 800 adults from more... Read More


Archbishop John WIlson attends 40 Days for Life vigil

Archbishop John Wilson at Thursday's vigil

Stuart McCullough writes: On Thursday 19th February we were blessed to have the Archbishop of Southwark, The Right Reverend John Wilson celebrate Mass in Corpus Christi Church across the road from where the Pro-Life vigil takes place. He offered this Mass for the 40 Days for Life campaign in Brixton, London and all the volunteers involved, a beautiful reminder that the Church is with us, praying a... Read More

Sunday Reflection with Canon Robin Gibbons: 22 February 2026

Temptations of Christ - Botticelli - Sistine Chapel

First Sunday of Lent 1. Genesis In our first reading from Genesis this Sunday, we are given a poetic and artistic snapshot of the awakening conscience of humanity. The innocent status of human life exemplified in Adam and Eve, is compromised and changed by the testing choice between knowledge of good and evil, in which they choose evil but in sorrow desire forgiveness! And yet stark though the im... Read More


Gospel in Art: Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?

Mankind's Eternal Dilemma - The Choice Between Virtue and Sin,  by Frans Francken the Younger, 1633,  oil on panel  © Dorotheum Vienna

Gospel of 21 February 2026 Luke 5:27-32 At that time: Jesus saw a tax collector named Levi, sitting at the tax booth. And he said to him, 'Follow me.' And leaving everything, he rose and followed him. And Levi made him a great feast in his house, and there was a large company of tax collectors and others reclining at table with them. And the Pharisees and their scribes grumbled at his disciples, s... Read More


Holy Land: Family of Oscar-winning director attacked by 'settlers'

The Oscar-winning Palestinian director of 'No Other Land' says his family has been attacked again by illegal Israeli settlers, leaving his brother hospitalised and four members of his family arrested by the Israeli army. Hamdan Ballal says the violence began on Sunday when Israeli settlers attacked his family's home in the village of Susya in the occupied West Bank. Ballal says the settlers' raid ... Read More


London: International Conference on Parish Renewal

Across the Catholic Church, many parishes sense that the status quo is no longer enough - yet remain uncertain what renewal might look like in practice. This May, an International Conference on Parish Renewal in London will invite priests and parish leaders into a deeper conversation: not about copying successful models, but about rediscovering missionary principles and learning how they can take ... Read More


Deepen your Lenten journey with Ignatian prayer, retreats and online resources

The Apostle Matthew

Jesuit communities across Britain are offering a wide range of opportunities to help people deepen their prayer and prepare for Easter. From residential retreats and daily online reflections to parish initiatives and Lent appeals, there are many ways to engage more intentionally with this sacred season. Here's what's taking place in the weeks ahead: IN PERSON RETREATS St Beuno's Jesuit Spiritualit... Read More


Ireland: Annual Day of Prayer for Survivors of Abuse

Candles of Atonement will be lit in churches across Ireland today.  Image:CCO

Today, the first Friday of Lent, the faithful across the country are invited to pray for survivors of abuse as the Church in Ireland observes the annual 'Day of Prayer for Survivors and Victims of Abuse'. This significant day of prayer was initiated by the late Pope Francis, and has been marked in Irish dioceses since 2017. As part of today's dedicated prayers for survivors that will be offered at... Read More


All Kinds of Catholic: Share the Podcast and Shape the Questions

Perhaps Lent is a good time to share the All Kinds of Catholic podcast with someone who hasn't found it yet. For those wondering 'what to do for Lent', maybe listening to these conversations will inspire fresh awareness and appreciation of God's presence in our lives. Subscribing here is the best way to keep in touch with the pod community but the podcast is on the usual podcast platforms so it's ... Read More


Former Quaker school student faces months in Israeli military prison

Shadi Khoury

Former Ramallah Friends School student Shadi Khoury has been sentenced by an Israeli military court to 32 months in prison and a 12,000-shekel fine. Palestinian Shadi Khoury was sentenced on unsubstantiated charges of participation in a protest more than three years ago, when he was still a child. Shadi, who has consistently denied all the accusations, must turn himself in on 29 March. Aged 16 whe... Read More


Leo XIV, the North and South American Pope

On Thursday 19 February, the School of Church Communications at Rome's Santa Croce University held a webinar with US Catholic media organisation Our Sunday Visitor. Aimed primarily at journalists, the webinar was entitled 'Leo XIV, the North and South American Pope' and billed as a preparation for a residential event for journalists in Rome, 'The Church Up Close 2026', to be held in September. Fr ... Read More


Gospel in Art: Why do your disciples not fast?

Giant Pumpkin,  by Yayoi Kusama, (born 1929)  2016,  Naoshima Art island, Japan  © Alamy images

Gospel of 20 February 2026 Matthew 9:14-15 At that time: The disciples of John came to Jesus, saying, 'Why do we and the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?' And Jesus said to them, 'Can the wedding guests mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast.' Reflection on the Contemporary Sculpture The g... Read More

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