From a Sermon of St. Bernard of Clairvaux: Why should our praise and glorification, or even the celebration of this feast day mean anything to the saints? What do they care about earthly honours when their heavenly Father honours them by fulfilling the faithful promise of the Son? What does...
The Solemnity of All Saints draws our minds and hearts to that dogma of the Catholic faith which is called the “communion of saints.” The word dogma has become a bad word today. People use it pejoratively when, for example, displeased they call someone “too dogmatic.” What they mean is...
CALL TO PRAYER: SUNDAY 1st November 2020 Prayer @ 7pm As we enter into the season of Remembrance, we are especially conscious of those whose lives have shaped our lives, but who are no longer with us. In one sense, their absence serves to highlight the significance of all that...
DEVOTION TO THE SAINTS The saints are often an untapped source of love, friendship, help and affection as we make our way through life. The Letter to the Hebrews depicts them as a great cloud of witnesses to Jesus who are all surrounding us and cheering us on, as the...
I DESIRE TO DESIRE TO BE A SAINT Sainthood can seem an unattainable dream when we think of ourselves as candidates. The daily experience of our moral fragility and weakness can appear to put to rest any notion of such an exalted aim. But to accept that is to buy...
Plenary Indulgences in November “An indulgence is the remission in the eyes of God of the temporal punishment due to sins whose culpable element has already been taken away. The Christian faithful who are rightly disposed and observe the definite, prescribed conditions gain this remission through the effective assistance of...
The pandemic has laid us all a bit low in so many ways. In my contacts with parishioners I have come across all kinds of emotions and states of mind and heart. Among the difficult ones are anxiety, fear, boredom, loneliness, depression, anger, frustration and apathy. By no means is...
CALL TO PRAYER: SUNDAY 25th October 2020 Prayer @ 7pm The question asked of Jesus in the Gospel of Matthew is simple: ‘Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?’ (22: 36) It is a part of a series of questions asked of Jesus and the purpose of the...
