Image: www.ncregister.com Last Sunday, June 4, we celebrated the feast of the Holy Trinity, one of the most profound mysteries of the Christian faith, the nature of God as Father, Son, and Spirit. The doctrine of the Trinity sums up the Christian understanding of the mystery of God. “It is impossible to believe explicitly in… Read More
Category: Faith
The Last Miracle- Lazarus
Image: walkingintheshadowlands.com The gospel last Sunday was about the raising of Lazarus from the tomb after he had been dead for three days. The only account of this event is found in John Chapter 11, verses (1-44), and is the last of the signs through which Jesus showed who he was before his passion and… Read More
Happy Anniversary Pope Francis!
Image:www.americamagazine.org On Monday of this week, Pope Francis marked 10 years as head of the Roman Catholic Church by celebrating Mass with cardinals in the chapel of the Vatican’s Santa Marta residence where he has lived since his election. He never took possession of the papal apartments in the Apostolic palace used by his predecessors,… Read More
The Transfiguration of the Lord
Image: www.catholicnewsagency.com In his apostolic letter Rosarium Virginis Maria, Pope St John Paul II instituted the Luminous Mysteries, also referred to as the Mysteries of Light. The Fourth Mystery is a meditation on the Transfiguration of the Lord and the gospel reading at Mass last Sunday was about this beautiful and glorious event. The word… Read More
Some Symbolic Lenten Foods
Image: Canva The word ‘symbol’ comes from a Greek word that means ‘to juxtapose’ or ‘throw together’. Broadly, a symbol can be an object, word, or drawing that represents another reality not directly perceivable or expressed. An obvious example is the exchange of wedding rings which symbolize the love of a couple getting married. Symbols… Read More
Farewell to Pope Emeritus Benedict, (1927 – 2022)
Image: www.britannica.com As I write this the funeral of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI is taking place in Saint Peter’s Square in Vatican City, before the burial in a crypt beneath St Peter’s Basilica. The former pope died on New Year’s Eve at the age of 95, nearly a decade after he stood down due to… Read More
Our Lady of Guadalupe: Patroness of the Americas
Image: www.franciscanmedia.org On December 12 we celebrated the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe. It was December 9, 1531, when Mary appeared to a man called Juan Diego on the hill of Tepeyac, in Mexico. A poor Aztec Indian, who had been raised in line with the Aztec pagan religion, Juan had converted to Catholicism… Read More
Left Out in the Cold
Image: StSavioursPriory Two people I was talking with recently both mentioned in passing that snow is expected later in the year. This is not good news. We have been warned incessantly that we are facing a very difficult winter ahead, mainly as a consequence of the huge rise in energy costs caused by Putin’s war… Read More
The Greatest Teacher
The Greatest Teacher There is a well-known saying which goes as follows , ‘If you want to feed me today, give me rice. If you want to feed me for the rest of my life, teach me how to grow rice.’ The long-term goal is education, and it is the teacher who is at the… Read More
Saint Rose of Lima
Image:www.catholicnewsagency.com This week on Tuesday the 23rd we celebrated the feast day of St Rose of Lima who was the first canonized saint of the Americas. She was born in Lima in 1585, the eleventh child of Spanish Indian parents. From her earliest days, she showed an awareness of God and His Son Jesus. When… Read More
A Glance Behind Peter’s Pence
A Glance Behind Peter’s Pence Last Sunday at Mass the second collection which is usually for Share was replaced by one for ‘Peter’s Pence’. This is an annual suggested offering which is taken up throughout the Catholic world either on 29 June, the Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul, or on the Sunday closest to… Read More
The Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Image: www.olmcsandiego.org Next week we celebrate the lovely feast of the Visitation when Mary went to visit her much older cousin, Elizabeth. This came about because Gabriel, the Angel who told her she was to be the mother of Jesus also gave her more extraordinary news when he said Elizabeth was going to have a… Read More
The Good Shepherd
Image:shcct.com Last weekend on 8 May the Church celebrated the Fourth Sunday of Easter which is also called Good Shepherd Sunday. Even in these industrial and technological times, the image of the Shepherd is an instantly recognisable one. The Shepherd is the person who looks after the sheep and traditionally protects them from predators, animals,… Read More
Palm Sunday: Reception of a King
Image:www.canva.com On 10 March we celebrate Palm Sunday, also called Passion Sunday and the day which sees the commencement of Holy Week. The jubilant entry of Jesus into Jerusalem marks the high point of his earthly ministry. On this important day, the Catholic Liturgy is like an overture for all of the week ahead, a… Read More
The Annunciation of the Lord
Image:www.reddit.com Mach 25th, marks the Feast of the Annunciation, where the Archangel Gabriel, with Mary, begins the journey of Christianity. This is the moment when God’s decision to break into human history is revealed to the person who is essential for its progression. As Jesus came to earth to do the father’s will, Mary… Read More
The Desert Road: Lent
This week on Wednesday the Church began its Lenten journey with the distribution of the ashes at Masses. These are a reminder that our life here is not forever. On this day we start to put into practice the promises we have made, whether to abstain from or take up, various things as we move… Read More