In today’s Gospel we are set another demanding challenge by Jesus. As last Sunday, we have the difficulty of trying to apply Christ’s demanding teaching to our lives in a modern world so vastly different from his in first century Palestine. Most of his hearers came from poor backgrounds. In their poverty, they knew…
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Homily 27th Sunday of the Year (B) 2021
Our Scripture readings for Mass today come from a period in history where the understanding of human sexuality and gender was vastly at odds with the rapidly changing understanding we have of them today. For instance, most societies traditionally have recognized only two distinct, broad classes of gender roles, masculine and feminine, that correspond with the biological sexes…
Homily 26th Sunday of the Year (B) 2021
Our Old Testament reading today is about two people, Eldad and Medad, who were prophesying to fellow Israelites without authority from Moses to do so. To prophesy in the Bible is not to predict the future but to speak in a way that conveys to others that what is being said is inspired by God. Hence, they…
Homily 25th Sunday of the Year (B) 2021
A little over 30 years ago, a law came into force in England and Wales, known as The Children Act, which states that the interests of children and young people up to the age of 18 are paramount in all considerations of their welfare and safeguarding. No other considerations are allowed to over-ride the right…
Homily 24th Sunday (B) 2021
Today we have reached a turning point in our weekly Sunday reading of St Mark’s Gospel (8:27-35). We find Jesus in a town 25 miles north of the Sea of Galilee. From here we will find him and his disciples travelling in stages to Jerusalem where he will be arrested and put to death. In…
Homily 23rd Sunday of the Year (B) 2021
You may have heard that the members of ABBA, the pop group so dominant in the 1970s, have reformed to produce a new ‘album’ of songs to be released in November; and that next year they will perform a series of concerts in which digitally rejuvenated versions of themselves will perform on stage. The ability…
Soaking the Rich
by Peter Jones in THE SPECTATOR, 21 August 2021 Oxfam is arguing that if all billionaires forked out 99 per cent of their profits made during the Covid pandemic, the whole world could be vaccinated and every unemployed worker given a handy payout. Dream on. The ancient Athenians had rather more intelligent ways of soaking…
Homily, 22nd Sunday (B) 2021
With access to clean running water, hot and cold, in our homes, most of us are able to wash as often as we wish and whether we need to or not. Today’s Gospel features a clash between Jesus and an elite group of fellow Jews over the ritual washing hands before a meal. The Pharisees…
It’s time for Catholics to go back to no meat on every Friday (not just during Lent)
by Doug Girardot in AMERICA, The Jesuit Review When the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change released its report on Aug. 8, I felt overwhelmed. In the face of the startling news that humanity’s window for mitigating the worst effects of global warming is shrinking by the year, it seemed like there was nothing that I could do…
Homily 21st Sunday of the Year (B) 2021
This is the last of five consecutive Sundays in which we have been hearing Our Lord’s teaching in Chapter 6 of St John’s Gospel. Here Jesus refers to himself as the Bread of Life. His teaching is in the form of a dialogue with fellow Jews who neither understand nor accept his claim to have…
Sunday Mass: Saturday 4pm, Sunday 10am 