Ascension – Where he went, Whom he sent, Why it matters

26 May 202212 Jun 2022

Acts 1:1-11 As we celebrate the solemnity of the Ascension, I wanted to touch on just three things to explore something of this most mysterious feast. Of all the feasts…

6th Sunday of Easter – At Home with the Trinity

22 May 20224 Jun 2022

John 14:23-29 We are nearing the time of the Ascension of Jesus to the Father. The gospel once again goes to the time of the Last Supper. Here, Jesus opens…

5th Sunday – The Vision of the Blessed

14 May 202229 May 2022

Apocalypse 21:1-5 I started last week on the theme of eternal life, from the gospel of John. I would like to continue that this week with the beautiful vision presented…

4th Sunday – The Life of Eternity

8 May 202226 May 2022

John 10:27-30 The Good Shepherd gives his sheep eternal life. But what is eternal life? I do not know what your vision of heaven is like. Is it a bunch…

2nd Sunday – Touched to Believe

23 Apr 202214 May 2022

The incredulity of St Thomas, Caravaggio John 20: 19-31 The eighth day. This is the octave day of Easter. The Church believes that the Octave day is where the fullness…

Easter Vigil – On Grace and the Visitation to Mary

17 Apr 20228 May 2022

Christ Appearing to The Virgin, Rogier van der Weyden The opening prayer for Palm Sunday, at the start of Holy Week, begins with ‘Dear brothers and sisters, since the beginning of Lent…

Pascha -War, the Mandatum and the Prayer of the Son of God

15 Apr 20221 May 2022

Maundy Thursday inaugurates Easter: Lent is now over, Easter has begun. Easter, or Pascha is a three-day feast, from Maundy Thursday to Good Friday to the Easter Vigil (none of which are…

Palm Sunday – The Return of the King

10 Apr 202223 Apr 2022

The Entry into Jerusalem, Anthony van Dyck Luke 22:14-23:56 The gospels are a familiar story for Catholics, at least to those who practice their faith. The familiarity however can be…

5th Sunday – The Gaze that Saves Eve

3 Apr 202217 Apr 2022

John 8:1-11 We have a very familiar narrative from the gospels today, of the woman caught in adultery. The gospel writers manage as always, with a few deft strokes of…

4th Sunday – The Father with No Sons

26 Mar 202215 Apr 2022

The Return of the Prodigal Son, Pompeo Batoni Luke 15:1-32 We are presented with this beautiful Word from Luke, something with which we are all very familiar. There are two…

3rd Sunday -Moses and the Divine Name

20 Mar 202210 Apr 2022

Exodus 3:1-15 We hear today to the famous passage of the Burning Bush. This is the first place God reveals his Name to his people, the unpronounceable Tetragammaton, Y-H-W-H. As…

2nd Sunday – Making Light of the Cross

13 Mar 20223 Apr 2022

Phil 3:17-4:1, Luke 9:28-36 The second Sunday of Lent, we come to the stunning event of the Transfiguration. This is celebrated as one of the greatest feasts of the Eastern…

1st Sunday – Three False Ways to Happiness

6 Mar 202226 Mar 2022

Luke 4:1-13 We begin our holy season of Lent as always by reflecting on the temptations of Jesus. These temptations cover the essence of all temptations we can face in…

8th Sunday OT – Does your tongue need healing?

26 Feb 202220 Mar 2022

Ecclesiasticus 27:5-8, Luke 6:39-45 There is one thing that sets humanity distinctly apart from the animal kingdom. We can speak. All animals, even plants communicate. The higher primates reveal a…

7th Sunday – Spear, Water and the Wisdom of Love

20 Feb 202228 Jun 2022

Saul tries to kill David, Barbieri 1 Samuel 26:2-23, Luke 6:27-38 Love your enemies. Give to everyone. Do not ask your property back from a robber. Is it even possible…

6th Sunday – The Secret to Happiness

12 Feb 20226 Mar 2022

The Sermon on the Mount, Fra Angelico Jeremiah 17:5-8; 1 Corinthians 15:12-20; Luke 6:17,20-26 We have today Luke’s version of the beatitudes, far more blunt than Matthew’s in some ways.…

5th Sunday – Glory, Goodness and the Call to Mission

6 Feb 202226 Feb 2022

Call of Peter, Raphael Isaiah 6:1-8, Lk 5:1-11 Ever since Pope Francis came to the seat of Peter, he’s been calling all Catholics to be missionary disciples. But we’re not…

4th Sunday – Chosen and Called

30 Jan 202222 Feb 2022

Jeremiah lamenting Jerusalem's destruction, Rembrandt Jeremiah 1:4-19 One of the most rewarding ministries I’ve had in my short tenure as a priest, is that of RCIA, where you receive adults…

3rd Sunday – Opening the Sealed Book

23 Jan 202222 Feb 2022

Illuminated Manuscript, The Siegburg Lectionary 1 Cor 12:12-30, Luke 4:14-21 And the vision of all this has become to you like the words of a book that is sealed. When…

Baptism – The Descent into the Waters

9 Jan 202222 Feb 2022

Psalm 29, Luke 3:15-22 The Baptism of the Lord is one of the great feasts of the universal Church. The Orthodox, rightly, have a great veneration of this feast, for…

Christmas – On Vaccines, Travel and a Joy which Overcomes Darkness

24 Dec 202130 Jan 2022

Isaiah 9:1-7, Luke 2:1-14 The people that walked in darkness has seen a great light; on those who live in a land of deep shadow, a light has shone (Isa…

4th Sunday – The Silence of Elizabeth and the Visit of Mary

18 Dec 202123 Jan 2022

Luke 1:39-45 On the 9th December, 1531, Our Lady appeared to a peasant, Juan Diego, a catholic convert who was on his way to Mass in Mexico City. He described hearing…

Gaudete Sunday – Marie Kondo and Living in Expectation

12 Dec 20219 Jan 2022

John the Baptist, Bernardo Zenale Phil 4:4-7, Luke 3:10-18 A feeling of expectancy had grown among the people. We are midway through Advent. Advent is all about God coming to us…

2nd Sunday – The Call of the Wilderness

4 Dec 202124 Dec 2021

Luke 3:1-6 As Advent begins, we meet the Baptist, the forerunner of the Messiah. He is hidden in the wilderness till the time of his manifestation to Israel. Advent is…

1st Sunday – Redeeming the Time

27 Nov 202118 Dec 2021

Part Fresco of the Second Coming, Glencairn Museum Luke 21:25-36 Happy new year! With Advent, we begin the new year in the Church. And just as you would expect Oxford…