“‘There was a rich man once, that was clothed in purple and lawn, and feasted sumptuously every day. And there was a beggar, called Lazarus, who lay at his gate, covered with sores, wishing that he could be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man’s table, but none was ready to giveContinue reading “Blinded by comfort (Sunday XXVI of Ordered time)”
Tag Archives: commandments of god
The Love of the Heart of God (Pentecost Sunday)
Let’s talk about the Sacred Heart devotion really quickly. I realise that it is the great feast of Pentecost, but it is impossible to separate the love of the heart of Christ for His Church from the gift of the Holy Spirit that proceeds from that love. So, here, at some length, is what OurContinue reading “The Love of the Heart of God (Pentecost Sunday)”
Burning bushes (Sunday III of Lent)
“More important than the way we die is how we live our lives, in repentance and building virtue.”
True sacrifice (Sunday XXXI of Ordered time)
We have something of an identity statement of the Hebrew religion in our first reading today, which you can still hear Jewish people using today, several times weekly, if not daily. They call it the Sh’ma (pictured above in the Hebrew Bible), which is the Hebrew word for ‘hear,’ the first word of the statementContinue reading “True sacrifice (Sunday XXXI of Ordered time)”
The true measure of holiness (Sunday XXVIII of Ordered time)
There’s something I mention reasonably often: integrity and sincerity. Let us define religion as rite and ritual: the ceremonies that walk us from soon after we are born, through the period of adolescence and early adulthood, that sanctify our ordinary life throughout and that then finally carry us into the tomb. Why do people whoContinue reading “The true measure of holiness (Sunday XXVIII of Ordered time)”
Treasuring divine Wisdom (Sunday XXVI of Ordered time)
Our readings this weekend begin with the delegation of apostolic authority for ministry within the Church. Remember that the Greek word ‘apostle’ simply refers to somebody who is sent, but in the Christian context that refers to a very particular missionary with extraordinary delegated power and responsibility to govern and sanctify. We’re talking here aboutContinue reading “Treasuring divine Wisdom (Sunday XXVI of Ordered time)”
Reading through the book of Deuteronomy
The Greek term deutero-nomos is literally ‘the second law.’ We may be aware that God gave the prophet Moses a law on Mount Horeb/Sinai after the dramatic escape from Egypt; this is outlined at the end of the book of Exodus, and throughout the book of Numbers, and is a first Law for the observance of the people, toContinue reading “Reading through the book of Deuteronomy”
Reading through the letters of S. John
The first letter we have of S. John’s is not a very long letter at all, and has many features from the Gospel of Saint John, such as the theology of light and dark, good and evil and attachment to Christ. It is marvellously black and white, the constant theme being that if you loveContinue reading “Reading through the letters of S. John”
The Sacrament of Love (Corpus Christi Sunday)
It was not too long ago that this last Thursday was everywhere the feast day of the body of Christ (in Latin, Corpus Christi) and the first day of July was the feast day of the blood of Christ. But these days, the two have been lumped together into one feast day on the Thursday,Continue reading “The Sacrament of Love (Corpus Christi Sunday)”
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.”
Catholic Louth and Mablethorpe 