“Like good stewards of the manifold grace of God, serve one another with whatever gift each of you has received.” (1 Peter 4: 10) Easter is the beginning of fifty days of celebration, when we remember the resurrection of Jesus, his ascension and, finally, the gift of the Holy Spirit. It’s a celebration ... Continue

This Sunday is the Octave Day of Easter, traditionally known as Dominica in albis - “White Sunday” - because those who had been baptized at Easter wore their white garments for the last time on this day. From 2001, Pope John Paul II also designated this Sunday as Divine Mercy ... Continue

As Holy Week comes to an end, I am very conscious of the parish staff and many volunteers who have helped with the ceremonies and all the other details involved in this busy and holy time. Thank you very much. “Finita iam sunt proelia” says the great Latin Easter hymn. ... Continue

My message to you this Palm Sunday is not significantly different from what I wrote last year, starting with the reminder that Palm Sunday is just a beginning. It’s the first day of Holy Week and the real work of our redemption only comes at the end. The heart of ... Continue

Last Sunday we heard the wonderful parable of the Prodigal Son - or perhaps it should more properly be called the parable of the Forgiving Father. It’s only found in Saint Luke’s Gospel and it encapsulates the message of hope which is so important for Luke. The words and actions ... Continue

The Fourth Sunday of Lent is known as Laetare Sunday, taken from the word meaning “Rejoice” which was (and still is) the first word of the opening chant of the Latin Mass. We rejoice because, although we are in the midst of our Lent penances, we look beyond them to ... Continue

The Gospel today mentions two events which shocked the contemporaries of Jesus. The first was the execution of a group of Galileans by Pontius Pilate. Perhaps they had been opposed to the Roman occupation and had been summarily arrested on a religious trip to Jerusalem, but Pilate had added to ... Continue

[caption id="attachment_640" align="aligncenter" width="457" caption="The Transfiguration - Duccio di Buoninsegna"][/caption] "The Lord God took Abram outside and said, 'Look up at the sky and count the stars, if you can. Just so,' he added, 'shall your descendants be.' Abram put his faith in the LORD, who credited it to him as ... Continue

Around 540 A.D. Saint Benedict wrote his Rule for monks. Apart from Biblical texts, it was the most copied manuscript of the Middle Ages and Pope Benedict has described it as the foundation not only of European civilization but also of the tradition of democracy. One of the chapters of ... Continue

This week I won’t be preaching to you because the homily will have come from the Bishop himself, in the form of a DVD presentation for Our Catholic Appeal. I’ll have been able to slip into a front pew and listen instead of speak and I’ll join you in pledging ... Continue