Jesus’ public ministry began when he was invited at the synagogue in his home town of Nazareth to select and preach on a text of his choice from the Jewish Bible (our Old Testament). He chose the opening verses of our First Reading from the prophet Isaiah (61:1-2A). When he finished reading it, he went…
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Homily, 2nd Sunday of Advent (B) 2020
The person speaking in today’s First Reading (Isaiah 40:1-5, 9-11) does so with remarkable confidence and hope. In truth, however, there were no obvious grounds for optimism at that time. The hope of a new leader to emerge from the family or House of King David seemed to be shattered when the Babylonians invaded the…
Have journalists finally learnt how to challenge political lies?
By Simon Kuper in The Financial Times, 21 November 2020 “Well, we’re interrupting this because what the president of the United States is saying, in large part, is absolutely untrue,” said CNBC anchor Shepard Smith as his network pulled away from Donald Trump making baseless post-election claims about illegal voting. As did other networks. Journalism’s…
Homily, First Sunday of Advent (B) 2020
We are about to enter the last month of the calendar year and the ninth month of the financial year, which began in April. It’s also the fourth month of the academic year, which began in September. And now, today, it’s the beginning of a new Church Liturgical Year and the beginning of the season…
Ban on women priests ‘abuse of power’, says theologian
by Sarah Mac Donald in THE TABLET, 24 November 2020 A French theologian who last May put her name forward as a candidate for the position of Archbishop of Lyon has described the Church’s ban on women priests, deacons and bishops as “an abuse of power”. In an online address to reform group ‘We Are Church…
The proof is in the (bread) pudding
By Melinda Le Blanc in The National Catholic Reporter (USA), 14 November 2020 It's true. God works in mysterious ways. Even through bread pudding. Before the virus pandemic occurred, I attended an evening of prayer at a local church. Attendees were invited to bring food to share as part of a social hour. I had…
US bishops, please suppress the cult of St. John Paul II
By the Editorial Staff in The National Catholic Reporter (USA) 13 November 2020 In many, many ways, Pope John Paul II was an admirable man. The last decades of the 20th century were enriched immeasurably by his deft use of papal statecraft in raising up the voices of oppressed peoples across Eastern Europe, in his…
Homily, Christ the King (A) 2020
In so far as you did this to one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did it to me. (Matthew 25:40) Although I’ve previously shared the following story with members of Holy Name, I think it is worth repeating today, even if you have heard it before. It’s about an…
Homily, 33rd Sunday (A) 2020
It is estimated that almost half the world — over three billion people — live on less than £3.50 a day, and that at least 80% of humanity lives on less than £15 a day. Here in the UK, on the other hand, we are incredibly wealthy by comparison. I know that some of us may be…
Abusive Church ‘betrayed’ its moral purpose
By Catherine Pepinster in THE TABLET, 10 November 2020 The Catholic Church betrayed its moral purpose by prioritising its own reputation over bringing child abusers to book and turning a blind eye to sex assaults, according to the official report from the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse. Survivors of child sexual abuse by Catholic priests,…
