Reflections & Homilies

The Baptism of The Lord - We are servants of the Lord The first reading this Sunday is taken from Chapter 42 of the Prophet Isaiah, but the prophecy contained in verses 6-7, has a title which gives us as its theme, that of 'The Servant of the Lord'. Whilst this is a direct reference to Jesus Christ, we should extend the oracle of Isaiah to ourselves, after all through baptism, which we celebrate ... Read More

In his first Jubilee Audience on Saturday, Pope Francis described the Jubilee Year as a time for a new beginning, rooted in the transformative power of God's Kingdom, drawing on the example of John the Baptist, a "great prophet of hope." These words resonated throughout his Catechesis, serving as both a call to action and a reminder of the Jubilee's essence: the opportunity for everyone to start a... Read More

Pope Francis dedicated his General Audience reflection today to the "scourge" of child labour, saying Christians "cannot remain indifferent," when children, "instead of being loved and protected, are robbed of their childhood, of their dreams, [and made] victims of exploitation and marginalization." Speaking to pilgrims gathered in the Pope Paul VI Hall, Pope Francis said Christmas is an appropri... Read More

January 5th 2025 A little More Light! The unsettled state of affairs across the globe shows us how much more enlightened we as human persons have yet to become. Little did I think that in my latter years I would see, as others have done before, the ideals of democracy and an insistence of human rights challenged by despotic regimes and corrupt practice. In our present world some of the ideals of o... Read More

As we embark on this Jubilee year, Pope Francis reminds us of an urgent need: the right to education for all children and youth. "Today we're experiencing an educational catastrophe," the Pope warns, in The Pope Video for January, produced by his Worldwide Prayer Network in collaboration with the Jesuit Refugee Service. Indeed, around 250 million boys and girls are denied schooling due to wars, m... Read More

Pope Francis led the first midday Angelus prayer of 2025 in a crowded Saint Peter's Square yesterday, reflecting on the "surprise and the joy of Christmas." The Pope recalled the Gospel that narrates the arrival of the shepherds in the grotto in Bethlehem after witnessing the proclamation of the angels telling them about the newborn saviour, Messiah, and Lord. The Pope described this encounter whi... Read More

Mai Hanukkah - "What is Hanukkah?" asked the rabbis of the Talmud. In answer to their own rhetorical question, they chose not to tell the story of the Maccabean victory over the Seleucid empire in 160 BCE. Rather, they offered the famous story of the rededication of the Temple and the miracle of the oil that burned for eight days. For the rabbis, the oil of the menorah symbolized hope and faith i... Read More

Pope Francis marked the beginning of 2025 with the celebration of Mass for the Solemnity of Mary, the Most Holy Mother of God in St Peter's Basilica. In his homily, the Holy Father said that "like a Mother," Mary points us to her Son and leads us to Jesus. Today's feast, he said, "immerses us once more in the mystery of Christmas" - a mystery summed up in the Second Reading, where St Paul tells u... Read More

Pope Francis' Message for World Day of Peace, 1 January 2025: Forgive us our trespasses: grant us your peace I Listening to the plea of an endangered humanity 1. At the dawn of this New Year given to us by our heavenly Father, a year of Jubilee in the spirit of hope, I offer heartfelt good wishes of peace to every man and woman. I think especially of those who feel downtrodden, burdened by their p... Read More

The following sermon was delivered at evensong on the Feast of St Thomas Becket in Canterbury Cathedral, on Sunday, 29 December 2024 by Fr Robert McCulloch SSC. We come to consider a murder that took place here 854 years ago, at this very time, in the evening of 29 December. We recall and remember St Thomas Becket this evening. He was a pastor to his people. He was a priest of pure life. He was a ... Read More

The Rt Rev Mark Davies has formally opened the 2025 Jubilee Year of Hope in the Diocese of Shrewsbury. The opening Mass in the Shrewsbury Cathedral on Sunday December 29 follows the opening of the Jubilee, or Holy, Year by Pope Francis on Christmas Eve in Rome when the Holy Father opened a 'Holy Door' at St Peter's Basilica through which millions of pilgrims will pass in 2025. The Jubilee Year was... Read More

Cardinal Vincent Nichols gave this homily at Westminster Cathedral on 29 December 2024, at the Mass opening the Holy Year of Jubilee 2025. Today, we open this Year of Jubilee, the Holy Year 2025. The Church first declared a Holy Year in 1300 and has continued ever since. They are occasions for the Church to seek renewal, to undergo a 'reset'. And this Holy Year invites us to deepen and renew the p... Read More

Archbishop Dermot Farrell delivered this homily today during Mass in Saint Mary's Pro-Cathedral, Archdiocese of Dublin for the launch of the 2025 Jubilee Year: "Jesus then went down with Mary and Joseph, and came to Nazareth and lived under their authority, and his mother stored up all these things in her heart (Luke 2:51). Last May, when Pope Francis issued his letter to announce the Jubilee Year... Read More

Feast of The Holy Family Readings: 1 Sm 1:20-22, 24-28, I John 3:1-2,21-24 Luke 2:41-5 The difficulties of the family of Jesus Given the variety of family structures we can discern in our society, and the way families vary from country to country, this feast cannot simply be seen as providing the model of Christian family life, which is how one is supposed to preach it to others. Instead we have ... Read More