Thoughts and Reflections

Isaiah 2:1-5/ Ps 122(121)/ Romans 13:11-14a/ Matthew 24:37-44 Today we light the first candle on the Advent Wreath. This first candle, which is purple, symbolizes hope. It is sometimes called the “Prophecy Candle” in remembrance of the prophets, especially Isaiah, who foretold the birth of Christ. It represents the expectation felt in anticipation of the coming Messiah. Every year at this time the Church starts a new liturgical year. It is a fresh start, a new beginning, a ti

2 Samuel 5:1-3/ Ps 122(121)/ Colossians 1:12-20/ Luke 23:35-43 Our image of a King is someone who rules over nations, adorned in great splendour, displaying power through clothing and symbols of the finest materials and the most valuable metals and jewels. The King we celebrate today was crowned with a crown of thorns, dressed in purple by people mocking him and spitting on him. The image of the king of heaven and earth is one of a dying tortured man nailed to a roughly cut c

Jeremiah 1:4-9/ Ps 96(95)/ 2 Corinthians 3:1-6a/ John 21:15-17 Who do we see as role models, who do we look up to, who do we follow the example of? Today our world is full of celebrities and influencers. People who seek to be in the public eye and relish the thought of having hundreds or millions of followers. The church has always had its role models, they are the saints, people who in some way have lived heroic Christian lives. The saints and modern-day celebrities both com

Ezekiel 47:1-2, 8-9, 12/ Ps 46(45)/ 1 Corinthians 3:9c-11, 16-17/ John 2:13-22 Today we celebrate a building, or rather the dedication of a building, the Lateran Basilica in Rome. This might seem to be a strange thing to celebrate when our feast days are normally dedicated to people. If you have searched for a home and visited a new build or a premises that has been freshly decorated with all the furniture and fittings removed you might have noticed how cold, dead, and uninvi

Revelation 7:2-4, 9-14/ Ps 24(23)/ 1 John 3:1-3/ Matthew 5:1-12a The feast of All Saints is usually celebrated on the 1 st of November but this year it is transferred to today. All Saints is a designated Holy Day of Obligation requiring us to attend Mass on that day. Our Bishops have decided to transfer the celebration from Saturday to Sunday. This makes life easier for us in that we are not obliged to attend Mass on Saturday for the Feast Day and Sunday for our usual weekly