On this third Sunday of Advent, we water down the purple of the Advent vigil to a more joyous rose pink, as we rejoice in the Lord. Because of that first word of the Mass this weekend – rejoice – this liturgical Sunday is called Rejoice Sunday, or in the Latin Gaudete Sunday. So, asContinue reading “Waiting patiently (Sunday III of Advent)”
Tag Archives: gospel of st john
Fiery serpents (Feast day of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross)
“…what we preach is Christ crucified; to the Jews, a discouragement, to the Gentiles, mere folly; but to us who have been called, Jew and Gentile alike, Christ the power of God, Christ the wisdom 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)”
Come, Lord Jesus (Sunday VII of Easter)
“this doesn’t mean that we are to be great singers; some of us certainly may be, the rest of us are assuredly not. But early on, music in worship became for us a sign of solemnity, a sort-of joining in with the angels in the heavenly Temple.”
Prayer and fasting (Sunday V of Easter)
I thought I’d end my quick survey of the Rosary this weekend. I had intended to talk generally about Marian devotion, and I think that I have so far, because the Rosary is the devotion that comes to our minds when we think of Marian devotion. I thought I would end with practical suggestions aboutContinue reading “Prayer and fasting (Sunday V of Easter)”
The Lord rules me (Sunday IV of Easter)
I began talking about the Rosary last weekend, and I described the literal string of prayers that we say as flowers in a crown that we present to our Blessed Lady. There is a type of satisfaction we gain from simply getting through these prayers as a gift to our Lady (because of our affectionContinue reading “The Lord rules me (Sunday IV of Easter)”
Bearing witness (Sunday III of Easter)
It’s the month of May and I thought I would talk a little about the Rosary. I shall use the contents of a book called the Secret of the Rosary by the French priest S. Louis-Marie de Montfort. We don’t always remember why this great prayer of the Church is called ‘the rosary.’ It hasContinue reading “Bearing witness (Sunday III of Easter)”
Confession, reconciliation and Divine Mercy (Sunday II of Easter)
“…let us meditate today on the power of Divine Mercy, Christ’s call to repentance, the agency of the Christian priesthood in this, and the endless love of the heart of God our Lord.”
Christmas Day! At last…
“The shepherds had more to rejoice about than simply proving the words of the angels on the hills. As religious Jews, they may have remembered the lines of Isaiah, given us by the first reading at the dawn Mass, which were coming to fruition before their eyes.”
All hail the King (last Sunday of Ordered time)
On the last Sunday of the liturgical year we honour the High King and track His progress from Old Testament prophecy, through the witness of the Gospel and unto the apocalyptic fulfilment in the book of Revelation. First, consider that at the beginning God was named sovereign over His Creation, but the sins of humanityContinue reading “All hail the King (last Sunday of Ordered time)”
‘Will you leave me, also?’ (Sunday XXI of Ordered time)
Our readings this weekend demonstrate invitations by God to a chosen people, who are always given the freedom to either accept or decline. But if they do accept, they do so not on their own conditions but on His. We should remember that in the relationships that God arranges with an elect people, He paintsContinue reading “‘Will you leave me, also?’ (Sunday XXI of Ordered time)”
Wisdom builds herself a home (Sunday XX of Ordered time)
“See, where Wisdom has built herself a house, carved out for herself those seven pillars of hers! And now, her sacrificial victims slain, her wine mingled, her banquet spread, this way and that her maidens are dispatched, to city keep and city wall, bidding her guests make haste. ‘Simple hearts,’ she says, ‘draw near me;’Continue reading “Wisdom builds herself a home (Sunday XX of Ordered time)”
The Carpenter’s son (Sunday XIX of Ordered time)
We continue this weekend with a discourse on the divine providence, because of the readings we have been given. The first reading tells of the prophet Elijah, in flight from the wicked queen of Israel, Jezebel, who wished to have him killed; in distress and on the way to the mountain upon which Moses receivedContinue reading “The Carpenter’s son (Sunday XIX of Ordered time)”
Reading through the Gospel of S. John
This Gospel is my favourite of the four, if I am allowed to pick a favourite. It is unlike the others because its very construction is unique. It provides a more personal description of Christ, which is appropriate, for it was written by the Apostle who called himself the Beloved Disciple (of Christ). He undoubtedlyContinue reading “Reading through the Gospel of S. John”
The desert experience (Sunday XVII of Ordered time)
“After this, Jesus retired across the sea of Galilee, or Tiberias, and there was a great multitude following Him; they had seen the miracles He performed over the sick. So Jesus went up on to the hill-side, and there sat down with His disciples. It was nearly the time of the Jews’ great feast, theContinue reading “The desert experience (Sunday XVII of Ordered time)”
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)”
Engraved upon our hearts (Pentecost Sunday)
We suitably terminate our seven weeks of Easter with today’s festival of Pentecost. This is not necessarily a Christian system; it is a Jewish one. Long before our Lord walked this earth as a man, the Hebrew nation celebrated their liberation from slavery in Egypt with the festivals of Passover and of unleavened bread. ImmediatelyContinue reading “Engraved upon our hearts (Pentecost Sunday)”
Elected out of this world (Sunday after the Ascension)
Following Thursday’s feast of the Ascension (forty days after Easter Sunday), we are now on the approach towards Pentecost Sunday (fifty days after Passover/Easter). That’s what Pentecost means : fifty days in weeks. And our readings now relate to the promise of the guidance of the Holy Spirit, Who will animate the Church while ChristContinue reading “Elected out of this world (Sunday after the Ascension)”
The Shepherd-king as Father (Sunday IV of Easter)
We must always marvel at the benevolent love of the Holy One for the men and women that He calls His own. And we know that He calls the Church His own, because He actually calls it the sheepfold of which He is the Good Shepherd. And this is the theme of the readings today,Continue reading “The Shepherd-king as Father (Sunday IV of Easter)”
The Church in effect (Sunday II of Easter)
This Sunday is the octave day of Easter Sunday, and just as a musical octave at its end pitches the same note higher, the Resurrection of our Lord raises in pitch on the eighth day in a way, to the flourishing of the Church. For the grand theme of all our readings this weekend isContinue reading “The Church in effect (Sunday II of Easter)”
Catholic Louth and Mablethorpe 