By Thomas Reece in The National Catholic Reporter (USA) 21 October 2020 Dear Pope Francis, it is extremely disappointing that almost all the photos of you since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic have shown you without a mask. This is bad on so many levels. You should know better. Please, wear a mask. Your…
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Homily, 30th Sunday (A) 2020
It was generally agreed by rabbis in Our Lord’s time that the Law of Moses, contained in the first five books of the Bible, contained 613 commandments in all. There was agreement also that 248 of these were positive commandments (‘thou shalt’) corresponding to the number of parts of the human body and 365 were…
Pope Francis backing same sex unions isn’t a surprise. But it’s still a big deal
By James Alison in THE GUARDIAN, 22 October 2020 I had no advance knowledge either of Evgeny Afineevsky’s documentary, Francesco, or the interview in it that contains Pope Francis’ new formulation of his earlier position on same-sex civil unions. However, it didn’t come as a surprise to me. Anyone with any pastoral experience knows that…
The terrible UK Covid-19 experiment resulting in death, misery and confusion
By Clifford Longley in THE TABLET, 16 October 2020 An international team of ten scientists has published the preliminary results from their study of national responses to the coronavirus pandemic. It is not good news for the United Kingdom, and suggests serious flaws, ideological in origin, in the way Boris Johnson's Government has understood and…
This is a shameful way to treat migrants
From the Editor, The Tablet, 17 October 2020 Looking out to sea from the Port of Dover, it is possible to discern the “melancholy, long, withdrawing roar” of the retreat by Britain from the civilised and humane treatment of migrants. Hundreds have crossed the English Channel in small boats this year, often no more than…
What Leavers and Remainers Really Think Now
By Simon Kuper in The Financial Times, 17 October 2020 What do Britons think about Brexit now, as trade talks between the UK and EU approach their climax? I watched focus groups from around the country discussing Brexit on Zoom (when their WiFi signals worked) in June and July, and I read several hundred pages…
Homily, 29th Sunday (A) 2020
This is the first of three attempts by two very different political groups to trap Jesus. Normally, they would be each other’s enemy but here they are in an alliance against Jesus. The Pharisees were anti-Roman, opposed to their country being part of and controlled by the Roman Empire. The Herodians were supporters of Herod,…
Covid lockdowns turn loneliness into a killer
By Emma Hogan in THE TIMES, 15 October 2020 It all feels drearily familiar. From next Monday, in Italy, private parties of more than ten people are likely to be banned. Tougher restrictions are being mooted elsewhere. At home, the stand-off between Boris Johnson and his scientific advisers over a “circuit-breaker” lockdown is eerily reminiscent…
Homily, 28th Sunday (A) 2020
Our Gospel today is part of a section in St Matthew’s (22:1-14) where Jesus is challenged by the chief priests and Pharisees after he overturned the money-changers tables and cleared the Temple. They question his authority or right to have acted like this – after all, he’s an ‘outsider’, not a member of the priestly…
Homily, 27th Sunday (A) 2020
The story in today’s Gospel (Matthew 21:33-44) is set against the background of the extortion practised in ancient Palestine by hard-nosed absentee landlords against hard-pressed tenant farmers. The landlord in this particular case was a vineyard owner living abroad, an absentee landlord. This was quite a common experience among peasants in Galilee. This owner would…
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