MESSAGE FROM FATHER MAURICE FOR THE ASSUMPTION OF OUR LADY
Sunday is the feast of the Assumption of Our Lady. What do we know about Mary’s life on earth; very little. St. Paul tells us that Jesus was born of a woman. Luke, one of the gospel writers, tells us that Jesus was not born of a man; Mary was impregnated by the Holy Spirit. […]
MESSAGE FROM FATHER MAURICE FOR THE NINETEENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
“Let me not to the marriage of true minds admit impediments”…begins Shakespeare`s sonnet 116, but then goes on to point out the strong possibility of impediments. Perhaps it`s a good thing we don`t know what other people are really thinking; perhaps it`s just as well they don`t know what we are thinking. The only marriage […]
MESSAGE FROM FATHER MAURICE FOR THE EIGHTEENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
In today`s gospel Jesus says “I am the Bread of Life”. In last week`s gospel he fed the crowds with just 5 loaves and 2 fish, but in today`s gospel he says he himself is the Bread. He is the eternal Word which came down from heaven and took on human flesh; in the Mass bread […]
MESSAGE FROM FATHER MAURICE FOR THE SEVENTEENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
“It is our continuing judgement, therefore, that it is not possible at the present time for all the faithful to attend Mass on a Sunday, thus fulfilling their duty to God.” This is a sentence from the Bishops` statement issued last week-end. It`s an awkward sentence; it almost suggests that the faithful are fulfilling their […]
STATEMENT FROM THE CATHOLIC BISHOPS OF ENGLAND
On 19th July, the current legislative powers which assist the mitigations against the covid-19 virus transmission will be rescinded by HM Government. Recognising that the pandemic is not over, even without this legislation in place, the Church in England and Wales will be adopting a cautious approach to capacity and activity within our buildings, especially […]
MESSAGE FROM FATHER MAURICE FOR THE FIFTEENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
In today`s gospel, Jesus sends out the 12 to preach repentance and to heal people. What exactly did the apostles say to people, and what became of the people who were in some way converted. These people did not become Christians; that was something quite far in the future. The apostles don`t seem to have […]
MESSAGE FROM FATHER MAURICE FOR THE FOURTEENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
“A prophet is only despised in his own country” says Jesus in today’s gospel. Jesus was and is much more than a prophet, he is the Messiah, the Christ, the one who came to save us from our sins. But he is much more than that, he is the Son of God, the 2nd Person […]
MESSAGE FROM FATHER MAURICE FOR THE THIRTEENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
In the gospel Jesus cures two women who are ill. One of them is a twelve year old girl who is variously described in the gospel as very ill, asleep and dead. Jesus wakes her up and lets her begin her adult life (twelve years old was marrying age in her culture). The other woman […]
MESSAGE FROM FATHER MAURICE FOR THE TWELTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
We live in a calm part of the universe; there are no exploding solar systems too near us. Marilynne Robinson says in an essay, it’s as if we lived in a city submerged in a boiling raging sea, but the city is strangely, almost magically becalmed. The city is completely under water, but does not […]
MESSAGE FROM FATHER MAURICE FOR THE ELEVENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
In today’s gospel Jesus says “What is the Kingdom of God like, what parable can we find for it.” Jesus never describes the Kingdom of God; when he says what is the Kingdom of God like, he means what can it be compared to. In today’s gospel he compares it to tiny seeds. This is […]