Reflections, sermons and homilies.
15th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Sometimes it is important to read a little bit further than the section chosen for our Sunday portion of scriptures. I often do this because it is important to set the context of what we hear in the wider story of salvation, for instance in the reading from Romans 8, we stop at the wonderful image of ourselves as part of the birthing of a new creation, not the...
Pope Francis celebrated the seventh anniversary of his visit to the migrants on the island of Lampedusa today, with Mass in Casa Santa Marta on Wednesday morning. The official translation of his homily follows: The Responsorial Psalm invites us always to seek the Lord's face: "Seek the Lord and his strength; seek his presence continually" (Ps 105:4). This quest is ...
Reflecting on Sunday's Gospel during the Angelus, Pope Francis told the socially-distanced groups of pilgrims in St Peter's Square that the solace Christ offers the weary and the oppressed is not merely psychological relief or almsgiving.
The Gospel reading of the day (Mt 11: 25-30), he said, is divided into three parts.
In the first part, "Jesus raises a prayer of blessing and th...
14th Sunday in Ordinary Time
In the recent discussions about Black Lives Matter and the removal of imagery that glorifies oppression and slavery, attention was turned to the prevalence of Europeanized imagery of Christ and his mother, in which they are portrayed in a totally Caucasian manner, white skin, blondish hair, blue eyes, and the demand is that these too be removed as sym...
The often-frenetic rhythm of life that we follow is detrimental to our family life. This is an important problem, because no one-neither we as individuals nor society as a whole-can do without families. This is truer now than ever during the time of crisis that we are living.
As Pope Francis says:
"families are not a problem, they are first and foremost an opportunity."
"The f...
On the Feast of Saints Peter and Paul on Monday, Pope Francis celebrated Mass at the 'Altar of the Chair' in St Peter's Basilica with a small congregation, because of Covid-19 safety measures. In his homily, he focused on the themes of unity and prophecy, and asked: What would happen if we prayed more and complained less... the full text follows:
On the feast of the two Apostles ...
Accompany families with love, respect and guidance.
As we passed the year's longest day last month, many families felt that this was the longest year ever as so many suffered at various levels from the effects of the pandemic. Families grieved the loss of beloved elders and loved ones while enduring job losses and economic uncertainty. At the invitation of the Pope, in June we contemplate...
During the Angelus on Sunday, (celebrated as the Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul in Italy) Pope Francis reflected on the life of Saint Peter, contrasting his deliverance from prison by an angel with his later imprisonment in Rome and martyrdom.
Pope Francis asked why Peter was spared the first trial but not the last one. He explained that the Lord granted Saint Peter "many graces and f...
Feast of St Peter and Paul
Has Covid 19 and lockdown done anything for your faith experience?
I hope so, for me it has been less of missing the Eucharist, early on I made a mental note that we are very lucky in the availability of our Eucharistic liturgies, that this time might give me a feeling for those who cannot receive for months or even years on end because of their situations...
During the General Audience on Wednesday, Pope Francis focused on the story of King David, and the importance of prayer in all our lives.
The Pope said David was favoured by God even from his youth, and chosen for a unique mission "that would play a central role in the history of the people of God and in our own faith. "
"Jesus is called 'son of David' and fulfilled the ancient pr...
12th Sunday in Ordinary Time
The words of Jesus in the Gospel today are enormously important for us now, at this particular moment in life.
How easy it is to be caught into the mass of contradictory facts and fictions of the mass media, it seems that our age, like others before us in history, is susceptible to various forms of unfounded theory, conspiracy o...
In a message for the Feast of the Sacred Heart, the Day of Prayer for the Sanctification of all priests, Bishop Mark O'Toole, the Bishop of Plymouth, has invited priests to look back on their ordination day "with a sense of deep joy".
Speaking through personal experience, he asked all priests to be "grateful to God for His fidelity to us through the years, and grateful, too, for the peo...
Given at the Mass for the Solemnity of Corpus Christi, 14th June 2020, in Westminster Cathedral and broadcast on BBC Radio 4 Sunday Worship.
These last three months have been a very testing time. Whatever words we use: 'lock down', 'social distancing', 'self-isolation', they all point to pressure on our relationships. This is a time in which all our relationships are being tested...
Most Holy Body and Blood of the Lord - 'Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in them'.
These words of Jesus in John 6:58 seem to encapsulate something of the mystery of communion, that 'Holy Communion' which at this point in time so many of us are missing because of Covid 19 and the restrictions on contact. For me the key is not so much the doctrinal and ...
