This weekend we celebrate the First Sunday of Advent. The word ‘Advent’ means ‘coming’. The celebration of Advent is particularly welcome to those who know themselves to be poor, and who look forward to something greater to come. The season of Advent lasts for four Sundays leading up to Christmas.
The first two Sundays…
This weekend we celebrate the feast of Christ the King. An old priest said after the Vatican Council, ‘My Christ used to be Christ the King, but now he has to be Christ the Carpenter’. Yet in this Sunday’s gospel, Jesus refers to himself as a King. For this, ‘He was born and for this…
Desmond Tutu said, “Hope is being able to see that there is light despite all of the darkness.” You don’t get out of bed in the morning without hope. We have hope in many things. Hope in God, hope in family, hope that our efforts will bear fruit, hope we’ll overcome a sickness, hope that…
Somehow, it’s difficult for us to imagine saints as ordinary people. We would not think of a saint as wearing a uniform, an apron or a pair of overalls. A kitchen apron or a nurses’ uniform do not fit into how we imagine saints would look. Saints should be a bit unusual! Indeed, many of…
What happens when a person dies? We have many consoling images and beautiful stories that shield us from the reality of death. But what is that reality. Beliefs and views vary. Many modern-day humanists believe and proclaim that we cease to exist at the moment of death. Nothing remains but our memory of our dead…
‘Love one another as I have loved you’, says Christ. The way of Jesus is made known to us by the teachings and practices of the Catholic Church. In presenting the way of Jesus to us, the Church has given us lots of rules and regulations and practices to help us to know what Jesus…
Two weeks from now on the 22nd October we will be celebrating Mission Sunday. Mission Sunday reminds us each year of our missionaries working in the countries of Africa and Asia and across the world caring for the poor and the marginalised. They need our prayers and support. We think especially of those who work…
On Monday 9th October the Church will celebrate the feast of Cardinal Newman. John Henry Newman was born in London in on the 21st February,1801. He was the eldest of six children, three boys and three girls. His father was a banker and Newman was educated locally before entering Trinity College, Oxford. A brilliant student,…
