No Reason to Despair
Second Sunday of Lent It was just a few weeks before our Lord’s passion and death. He takes with Him His three favourite apostles, Peter, James and John, and goes for a walk up the mountain. They leave behind the plain, the world, their friends and loved ones. And there in that solitude with the […]
The Great Temptation
First Sunday of Lent Each year, as we enter the holy season of Lent, Holy Mother Church invites us to turn our attention to our Blessed Lord as He spends forty days in the desert, fasting and waging war with the devil. Our Lord’s fast was total. He ate nothing during those forty days and […]
Rejoice with the Truth, not with Iniquity
Quinquagesima Sunday On this last Sunday before the beginning of Lent, Holy Mother Church wants us to be clear about the real meaning of penance. None of the acts of self-denial we might offer up serve any purpose at all if they are not animated by true love of God and neighbour, in other words […]
Let the Grain Die
Sexagesima Sunday The one who goes out to sow is of course Our Blessed Lord Himself. From the beginning of time, He goes out in every age to sow the seed of His Word, hoping that here or there, some soul might welcome it and allow it to take root in his soul. Sadly, most […]
St Cecilia Triduum February
Prayer and fasting from Thursday 1 to Saturday 3 February. This month’s triduum falls as we prepare for the beginning of Lent. The three Sundays that precede Ash Wednesday, known traditionally as Septuagesima, Sexagesima and Quinquagesima, each have a specific lesson for us as we are about to enter the great penitential season, and so […]
Let’s Stop Fooling Ourselves
Septuagesima Sunday The great and obvious lesson of Septuagesima Sunday is that life is serious. We have a choice to make, and little time to make it. We are asked to choose between ourselves and God, between our comfort and hard work, between our dreams and reality. St Paul teaches us in the epistle that […]
“I Like to Think Heaven is Empty”
Third Sunday after Epiphany “I like to think Hell is empty; I hope it is.” So said recently a well-known religious leader. As one astute commentator observed, what it boils down to is that the one who said it hopes that Jesus is wrong. Indeed, Our Lord Jesus Christ is abundantly clear on the subject […]
Drink More Wine
Second Sunday after Epiphany Yesterday for our patronal feast our community deacon share with us some beautiful insights on the role of Our Lady in the miracle of Cana. Today I would like to offer some considerations on why it is that this first miracle that reveals the glory of Our Lord took place at […]
Another Journey in the Dark
Sunday after Epiphany Today’s Gospel presents us with the episode of what is known as the loss and finding of the Child Jesus in the Temple. It is a fascinating story with details that touch us profoundly. Let’s try to follow. Mary and Joseph go up to Jerusalem from Nazareth for the solemn feast of […]
