Jesus tells us in this Sunday’s Gospel that “whoever acknowledges me before men, I will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven”. To confess that Jesus Christ is Lord might not seem like a difficult thing to some of us. We might say ‘I go to Mass’, ‘I say
Continue readingToday’s Sunday gospel from Matthew chapter 11 contains the powerful words of the Lord: ‘Come to me, all you who labour and are overburdened, and I will give you rest. Shoulder my yoke and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble of heart, and you will find rest
Continue readingSince the end of March, a large part of my time has been taken up with praying for the sick and the dead and doing funerals. I have witnessed families and friends wrestling with the tragic and unexpected deaths of loved ones. This has been the experience of many of
Continue readingFriday was the feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus – the statue shown here is in St Sulpice in Paris. While it’s an important feast throughout the Church it’s particularly important here because of the ministry in our parish for many years of the Handmaids of the Sacred Heart
Continue readingA FEW YEARS AGO I was listening to the writer Malorie Blackman on Radio 4’s Desert Island Discs. She recounted that when she was a child her family moved to Beckenham, but that when they were being shown round a house by an estate agent a neighbour rang the police,
Continue readingThis Sunday when we celebrate the Solemnity of Pentecost it seems appropriate to hear the story of what has been described as the birth of Catholic Charismatic renewal. Patti Gallagher Mansfield has never forgotten a retreat she made while at Duquesne University of the Holy Spirit, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in 1967.
Continue readingTHIS WEEK we have celebrated Ascension Day and this weekend, as we prepare for Pentecost next Sunday, the Church keeps a novena to the Holy Spirit and today keeps World Communications Day. Ordinarily this would be marked by a second collection to support the Catholic Church’s media operation in this
Continue readingThere has been quite a lot of mention about prayer and fasting this past week. How was your experience on Pope Francis’ day of prayer, fasting and good works? Recently I have been dipping into a wonderful book by John Trenchard C.Ss.R entitled Personal Prayer: Living in Love with God
Continue reading‘It is the spirit of evil which wars against the spirit of God and which would banish from the earth the kingdom of Christ and deify material force, in order to drive out of the lives of peoples and still more to abolish from international relations, every essential distinction between
Continue readingColonel Tom We all need to hear of events and stories which raise our spirits and encourage us especially during this rather bleak period. At the top of the list must surely be Captain Tom Moore who was promoted to honorary colonel last week, after raising £29 million for NHS
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