We could talk about vocation and mission this weekend, with the help of the Sunday readings. These days, there is a lot of talk about mission, especially in these formerly Christian lands, because we can see the Faith withering before our eyes, and too often among our own family and our circles of friends. So,Continue reading “Disciples of Christ (Sunday II of Ordinary time)”
Category Archives: Theology and philosophy
Reading through the Book of Psalms
The book of Psalms is the ancient hymn-book of both the Jewish communities and the Church as well. This should be the easiest book to summarise, since it’s the only one that I have read repeatedly daily and weekly for more than almost ten years. And this is because the book of Psalms forms theContinue reading “Reading through the Book of Psalms”
Being prepared
I thought I’d play around with an AI image function, which produced this ‘watercolour’ of the basilica of S. Peter, at Rome. The little verse I’ve added to the image is from the second letter of S. Peter, which urges us to be well-behaved and religiously observant in preparation for the second coming of Christ,Continue reading “Being prepared”
Manifested to the world (the Epiphany of the Lord)
Today, Saturday, is the calendar day for the Epiphany of Our Lord to the three kings who came from the East; however, the liturgical festival has been transferred by the bishops to the Sunday for your ease, possibly so that you wouldn’t have to come to Church on two consecutive days. An epiphany is aContinue reading “Manifested to the world (the Epiphany of the Lord)”
Reading through the book of Exodus
The great story of the exodus of the Israelites, their exit from slavery in Egypt, captivates every generation of Christians. Children love it. It makes for a wonderful film. For Christians, this is not the story of another people. Because of our membership of the Church, we have inherited this family narrative of the HebrewContinue reading “Reading through the book of Exodus”
Reading through the prophecy of Ezechiel
I used to say to people who said that they hear the Bible mostly at Mass in church (or these days, by watching Mass on TV or via the internet) that the books take on a different character when they are read on their own, and cover-to-cover. The liturgy of the Church is necessarily selectiveContinue reading “Reading through the prophecy of Ezechiel”
Reading through the Gospel of S. Mark
Here’s the short Gospel, Saint Mark’s own effort, perhaps written in Rome, where Mark was a disciple of the Apostle Saint Peter, before Peter dispatched him as presbyter to Alexandria in Egypt, to found the Coptic Church. It’s interesting how the Coptic Church began as a dependency of Rome, before achieving its autonomy and becomingContinue reading “Reading through the Gospel of S. Mark”
‘Integrity His cloak…’ (Sunday III of Advent)
Our readings this weekend invite us to compare our Lord the Messiah with His forerunner or herald, S. John the Baptist. For the first reading gives us a rather vivid picture of the Messiah the Jewish people were expecting and the gospel message gives us a picture of the rather fiery character that John was/is.Continue reading “‘Integrity His cloak…’ (Sunday III of Advent)”
Reading through the Lamentations of the prophet Jeremiah
Continuing on from the prophecies of Jeremias, I have arrived at the end of the far shorter book containing his long moan over the destruction of his nation and its great capital city. There’s not too much to add to this post apart from what I put into the post on Jeremias linked above. For theContinue reading “Reading through the Lamentations of the prophet Jeremiah”
Reading through the fourth book of the Kings (aka. II Kings)
The last book of the Kings is the sad story of the decline and fall of the proud Hebrew kingdoms, so glorious in the days of the kings David and Solomon. Descended the both kingdoms into gross idolatry, the author of this book now condemns that behaviour as the reason for the descent of firstContinue reading “Reading through the fourth book of the Kings (aka. II Kings)”
The herald of the King (Sunday II of Advent)
As Advent proceeds we see new images of the Shepherd King in the prophecies of Isaiah. If we remember that Isaiah lived some seven hundred years before Christ, this is the voice of the God Who saves, Who has plotted His moment in time when He should arrive as the Shepherd of the people. HeContinue reading “The herald of the King (Sunday II of Advent)”
Reading through the third book of the Kings (also called I Kings)
The third book of Kings (which in many modern Bibles is called the first book of Kings, since the first and second books of Kings are often called the first and second books of Samuel) is a rather sad book, because the unity of the tribes that King David had to struggle long and hardContinue reading “Reading through the third book of the Kings (also called I Kings)”
Reading through the second book of the Kings (aka. II Samuel)
This second book of the Kings (often called the second book of Samuel) starts with the aftermath of the fall of King Saul, who had been grievously wounded on the battlefield at Gelboe, and whose body and those of his sons had been dishonoured by the Philistines at Bethsan. The bodies were recovered and buriedContinue reading “Reading through the second book of the Kings (aka. II Samuel)”
Sleepers, Awake! (Sunday I of Advent)
The famous cantata of the German composer Bach above has the theme of the end of year and Advent: keep watch, keep vigilant, watch for the Lord, Whose coming is imminent. Our Advent readings add to that theme an increasing amount of hope that the Holy One, God our Lord, would begin a new eruptionContinue reading “Sleepers, Awake! (Sunday I of Advent)”
Reading through the first book of the Kings (aka. I Samuel)
The first book of the Kings in most modern copies of the Bible is called the first book of Samuel. The Catholic Bible counts four books of the Kings of Israel and Judah – that is, the two books of Samuel and the two books of Kings (so with the old Catholic Bibles and theContinue reading “Reading through the first book of the Kings (aka. I Samuel)”
Reading through the prophecy of Jeremiah
The longest prophecies of the Old Testament belong to Isaias, Jeremias and Ezechiel, and each comes from a different era after the destruction of the northern kingdom of Israel, and surrounding the time of the catastrophic destruction of Jerusalem in 587 BC. Isaias is the prophet of the time of King Ezechias of Juda (715-687Continue reading “Reading through the prophecy of Jeremiah”
The King of Hearts (the last Sunday of OT)
“…just as all have died with Adam, so with Christ all will be brought to life. But each must rise in his own rank; Christ is the first-fruits, and after Him follow those who belong to Him, those who have put their trust in His return. Full completion comes after that, when He places HisContinue reading “The King of Hearts (the last Sunday of OT)”
Reading through the book of Leviticus
The book of Leviticus is a book of rites, a ritual, inserted into the narrative history of the transfer of the People from Egypt, through Sinai and into the trans-Jordan. As Moses had established the groundwork for the Hebrew religion at the end of the book of Exodus, with the building of the tabernacle andContinue reading “Reading through the book of Leviticus”
Spiritual return-on-investment (the 33rd Sunday of OT)
Our readings this weekend focus more and more on the end of all things as we drift towards the end of the liturgical year, which takes place on the day before the first Sunday of Advent. And, just as we attempt to settle our affairs and package everything as we come to the end ofContinue reading “Spiritual return-on-investment (the 33rd Sunday of OT)”
Reading through the book of Daniel
Daniel is a rather interesting set of short stories that circle around one noble and pious Judaite boy who was removed from Jerusalem into exile (in about the beginning of the sixth century BC) with friends of his: Ananias, Misael, and Azarias. The four were immediately given Chaldean names, respectively: Baltassar, Sidrach, Misach and Abednago.Continue reading “Reading through the book of Daniel”
Wisdom on the march (the 32nd Sunday of OT)
“O God, Thou art my God; how eager my quest for Thee, body athirst and soul longing for Thee, like some parched wilderness, where stream is none! So in the holy place, I contemplate Thee, ready for the revelation of Thy greatness, Thy glory.” Psalm 62 [link] I wonder sometimes if we as a peopleContinue reading “Wisdom on the march (the 32nd Sunday of OT)”
Quick read through the prophet Zecharyah
Above is Michelangelo’s version of the prophet from the heights of the Sistine chapel at S. Peter’s on the Vatican hill. Zecharyah, or Zacharias as he is in the old Catholic bibles, was a later prophet, who lived only a few hundred years before Christ, in the Jewish period of Sacred Scripture. The Israelite kingdomsContinue reading “Quick read through the prophet Zecharyah”
‘And now, priests, a warning for you…’ (the 31st Sunday of OT)
We all know what damage bad and corrupted leaders can cause generally – how they can ruin not just a community but also the work of that community. But today we can talk about corruption among leaders of a religious community, because the readings of the Sunday give us the opportunity. And this is notContinue reading “‘And now, priests, a warning for you…’ (the 31st Sunday of OT)”
Tobias and the angel
Yesterday was All Souls day, and as I was walking through the cemeteries, I thought often about why our race buries their dead, and why particularly those of Jewish and Catholic communities use such elaborate ceremonial for funeral and burial/cremation. And I remembered Tobias (Hebrew, Tobi-yah), a short story in our Old Testaments that isContinue reading “Tobias and the angel”
Charity to God and man (the 30th Sunday of OT)
“Listen then, Israel; there is no Lord but the Lord our God, and thou shalt love the Lord thy God with the love of thy whole heart, and thy whole soul, and thy whole strength.” Deuteronomy, 6: 4-5 [link] Above is the call of the Hebrew and the Jew, and the Catholic, from the bookContinue reading “Charity to God and man (the 30th Sunday of OT)”
The evil inclination
This is an interesting inheritance that Christians have from Jewish theology: the יֵצֶר הַרַע. The evil inclination. It is given by S. Paul in our reading at Mass this morning, from his letter to the Romans: “My own actions bewilder me; what I do is not what I wish to do, but something which IContinue reading “The evil inclination”
Ss. Chad and Cedd, early English bishops
This morning, we had the ordinary weekday readings, with a strong message from S. Paul on the observance of ritual purity, which is to remain within the Christian Church as it did within the Temple Judaism of Paul’s day. “I am speaking in the language of common life, because nature is still strong in you.Continue reading “Ss. Chad and Cedd, early English bishops”
God or the king? or both? (the 29th Sunday of OT)
“A message from the Lord to the king He has anointed, to Cyrus. I have caught him by his right hand, ready to subdue nations at his coming, put kings to flight, open every gateway before him, so that no door can keep him out. And now (says the Lord) I will still lead theeContinue reading “God or the king? or both? (the 29th Sunday of OT)”
The wedding garment (the 28th Sunday of OT)
The theme of the last few weekend’s readings on the vineyard of the Lord being the House of Israel is continued this weekend. This time, the kingdom of God is not drawn as a vineyard with workers or as a vineyard with the management being changed, but as a royal wedding feast. And the feast,Continue reading “The wedding garment (the 28th Sunday of OT)”
Short commentary on the letter of S. Paul to the Romans
“Throughout the letter, he not only counsels Christians to bear with each other in their differences, but he refuses to exclude the Jewish people from the final reward of ‘life risen from the dead.'”
Jews and Gentiles together (the 20th Sunday of OT)
“…the time had come for the promises made by God to the Hebrews to be applied to non-Jews. It took a long time for the Apostles themselves to realise this…”
The Bible in a year
Updated the 4th of September, 2023 Ever since this idea was given me by a fellow priest of the diocese, I have endeavoured to find my way regularly through all of Sacred Scripture, for if you don’t go to it you don’t quite get it in full. The liturgical sequence we get at daily Masses,Continue reading “The Bible in a year”
The psalm of psalms
“Let’s have a look at psalm 118, but as we go through it, let’s replace ‘law’ or ‘commandments’ or ‘decrees’ in our minds with ‘Christ’ or ‘gospel,’ and ‘covenant’ with ‘Church,’ and see how it sounds.”
Short commentary on the prophecy of Isaiah
“Isaias is similar to other prophets in the usual condemnations: the people have forsaken the God of their ancestors and become thoroughly idolatrous, becoming comparable to the ancient cities of Sodom and Gomorrah; their practice of the Hebrew religion is superficial and have become abominable to God; and they are morally corrupt…”
The Holy Trinity
“I wanted to in this small post call attention to an old page I copied onto this website, about the so-called Athanasian Creed. It was of old attributed to S. Athanasius…”
Sacred Heart month
“I will bless every place in which an image of My Heart is exposed and honoured…”
Arrived at the parish house
“My first Mass at the parish church will be tomorrow morning at 9.30, when we shall honour our Lord as the Eternal High Priest.”
Short commentary on the Gospel of S. Matthew
“The Gospels were not meant to be biographies of Christ, although they provide biographical information. They were concerned rather with presenting Christ as the fulfilment of the Promise.”
Catholic Louth and Mablethorpe 