Our Church has a long tradition of honouring Mary in parallel to Jesus. As early as the fourth century Saint Ephrem used the term “Queen” in praise of Mary, and pope Pius XII established this feast at the close of the Marian Year 1955..
When speaking in parables, Jesus used the language and imagery of his own time and place. Therefore, when he uses the parable of the vineyard workers it is irrelevant to discuss the social justice (or injustice) of the estate-owner…
We may sometimes seem to face impossible odds. We wonder how we will get through some health crisis, or a family loss or a marriage breakdown, or a severe bout of depression. In such circumstances, it’s good to know that, “for God everything is possible.”
1st Reading: Judges 2:11-19 The era of the Judges alternates between falling away and being restored Then Israelites did what was evil in the sight of the Lord and worshipped the Baals; and they abandoned the Lord, the God of their ancestors, who had brought them out of the land of Egypt; they followed other…
Following Jesus may not bring us happiness in this life, but we are challenged to follow him nevertheless. We come together to worship our gracious God and to ask for help in our Christian life this week.
The moral courage to speak out against abuse seems in short supply. It always feels safer to keep our heads down and just go with the herd; but this is not the way to which Christ calls us….
There was tension between those who wanted Jesus to bless their children and those who felt that children were a noisy distraction, who should be seen and not heard. When they blocked the parents from bringing their children to him, Jesus was not a merely impartial spectator. ..
Jesus restates God’s original design for marriage: “a man shall leave his father and mother and cling to his wife, and the two shall become as one.” Recognising the heroic conditions for marriage that this implies, his disciples reckon that it is better not to marry….
We worship God who brought Mary to the glory of heaven this day. We celebrate her Assumption, the tangible reminder that the resurrection of Jesus brings victory over death for all who believe.
The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Moses died on the far side of the Jordan but God remains with his people for the whole of their journey. Similarly Jesus is always with his followers, even if only two or three are gathered in his name…
1st Reading: Deuteronomy 31:1-8 Moses promises that God will lead his people into the promised land When Moses had finished speaking all these words to the Israelites, he told them: “I am now one hundred twenty years old. I am no longer able to get about, and the Lord has told me, ‘You shall not…
How can Yahweh care for Israel above all other peoples? Yet, paradox though it be, they deeply felt it as a living truth. The all-powerful God chooses the smallest for his special care, for such is his gracious love…
We are challenged by today’s Gospel to stand ready for our Master’s return in glory. We gather to worship God who sustains us all the days of our life, and beyond.
Faith is a special form of knowing, as when we come to know and appreciate a friend. Faith is an awareness, that God is guiding and helping us. We see it in Abraham, in Jesus and other great figures in the Bible…
St Lawrence (225-258) deacon of the church in Rome, was martyred under the Emperor Valerian on the August 10th 258, four days after Pope Sixtus II and some others. While little is known of Lawrence’s life, he was noted for his generosity and was highly popular with the Christians of Rome. ..
Edith Stein and her sister Rosa, also a convert and an religious sister, were sent for their safety to a Carmelite monastery in Echt, the Netherlands. They were arrested by the Nazis on 2 August 1942 and sent to the Auschwitz concentration camp, where they died in the gas chamber one week later…
In the Book of Numbers a rock in the mountains becomes a water source that was vital for survival. In Matthew, a “human rock” becomes the foundation of the church…
The Israelites gave up too quickly, in face of giants and a heavily walled city guarded by a fierce and strong people. But the Canaanite woman who met Jesus would not take no for an answer…
When the darkness came over them they’d remember the light. The memory of the transfigured Lord and the voice of the Fatherl would help them to hold their nerve…
