Paying the Price of Resistance
Eighth Sunday after Pentecost In today’s liturgy we are offered a magnificent portrait of the glory of the Church of God. This morning at Matins, we read in the book of Kings about the glory of the first temple built by Solomon. This king, during whose reign the kingdom of Israel was at peace, was […]
One Tiny Flame
Solemnity of St Benedict Our Blessed Lord tells us that the servant is not above his master nor the disciple above his teacher, but that on the contrary the quality of the disciple depends on his following his teacher. On this day we honour our founder, St Benedict, and so it is good to reflect […]
When Ears Are Holier than Lips
Seventh Sunday after Pentecost Last week, we considered the wonderful gift God has given us in the Roman Pontiff who is the guarantor of truth in defining dogmas of the faith. We examined the conditions on which such a definition can take place. Before we come to look at the Roman Pontiff’s role in the […]
St Ceclia Triduum July 2024
July 2024 July is the month of the Precious Blood of our dear Saviour. I offer three points for our consideration during this months triduum from 4 to 6 July. First of all, how much it cost our Lord to shed all His blood. Losing blood is always unpleasant, but losing a great quantity of […]
Thank God for Peter
Sixth Sunday after Pentecost In today’s Gospel we see our blessed Lord feeding several thousand people with a few loaves of bread and a few fish. The miraculous multiplication of course prefigured the Most Holy Eucharist in which the Lord continues to nourish generations of faithful with His most precious Body. Just one detail of […]
The Voice in the Desert
Nativity of St John the Baptist The nativity of St John the Baptist has always been a joyful event. His birth was unexpected. His parents were old. His mother was barren. God steps in, she conceives and gives birth to a boy. St Luke tells us that the whole region rejoiced at this birth. Zachariah, […]
God Wants You More Than Your Gift
5th Sunday after Pentecost The collect prayer for this fifth Sunday after Pentecost, is, like so many of the ancient Roman orations, a masterpiece of composition that loses much in the translation. Nevertheless, let’s attempt this rendering: O God, Thou hast prepared for those who love Thee, goods that cannot be seen with the eyes […]
Stay in the Boat
“And getting into one of the boats, the one that was Simon’s, He asked him to put out a little from the land.” The Lord is with us, dear brothers, dear faithful, or rather, we are with Him in this boat of Simon Peter’s. This morning’s passage from the Holy Gospel gives us an example […]
A Pierced Heart
Heart of Jesus, pierced with a lance, Heart of Jesus, victim for our sins, have mercy on us Today, dear faithful, we are celebrating the External Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus; we celebrated this feast in full last Friday (with the beautiful addition of First Friday adoration), and like the feast of […]
