Today the Church in its calendar honours St Pius V, who was pope from 1566 until 1572. He had been a Dominican friar, and unlike many popes of this period had an exemplary private life: indeed he was very austere and disapproved, for example, of naked statues among the Holy
Continue readingI reflected last week on St George’s day that one of the purposes of patron saints is to inspire us by their teachings and example and give us coherence and a sense of identity. Today is the feast of St Catherine (Caterina) of Siena, one of the six patron saints
Continue readingIn the narrative we hear from the book of Acts at Mass this week about St Stephen, the first deacon and the first martyr, we don’t hear the speech he makes before the Sanhedrin, but move today to his closing words (7:51 – 8:1). Stephen doesn’t compromise – he accusers
Continue readingAs we move into chapter 6 of Acts as our first reading at Mass today, there is another omission: this is the beginning of the chapter when we’re told that the apostles choose seven men to take on particular tasks for them. This is the traditional origin of the order
Continue readingToday’s gospel reading for the Third Sunday of Easter, the account of the meeting of the two disciples with the risen Jesus on the road to Emmaus (Luke 24: 13-35) also occurred in Easter week and I commented on it then and displayed the well known depiction of it by
Continue readingToday is the feast of St Mark the Evangelist – normally in Venice, where his relics are held, this would be a great festival. The author of the earliest and shortest gospel is usually depicted with or by a lion. We don’t know much about his life except that he
Continue readingAs it happens today we can honour four saints – four exceptional saints of Europe. Their lives help us understand our shared Christian culture in this continent, important in these challenging times. St Adalbert is honoured on 23 April in most places, but the feast is transferred to today in
Continue readingThe gospel readings from John’s gospel in the Easter season are designed to show us how the risen Christ was experienced among early Christians in their reception of accounts of the life of Jesus which takes form in the fourth Gospel. We look at familiar events sometimes through the new
Continue readingToday is the Solemnity of St George, Patron Saint and Protector of England. One good thing about the current crisis is that we’re spared some of the tabloid flag-waving which has become popular today, divorced from the Christian importance of this feast day and of this saint. The Catholic Church
Continue readingToday’s first reading from Acts (5:17-26) describes the miraculous prison escape by Peter and John. Note that the author doesn’t concentrate on the miracle itself – rather, all the emphasis is on what the apostles are expected to do in response to be free, that is, go back to
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