When the Scottish martyr, St. John Ogilvie, was imprisoned, the cruellest torture he received was sleep deprivation. He was poked with sticks to stop him from nodding off. The torturers wanted him to become mentally confused and start betraying the names of other Catholics, but he resisted. When Jesus and...
“When we eat this bread and drink this cup, we proclaim your death, O Lord, until you come again.” Is death really something worth proclaiming, though, as if it were good news? Usually not, but when it comes to the death of Christ, yes, it is, because his death means...
I think I may have met Janette back in February 2022 at the time of the passing of Gordon’s brother James. Having now read the family eulogy on her, I wish I had known her long before. What a splendid human being! Full of energy, wholesome fun and, from what...
The dedication of a church means it is given over to the worship of God. We ourselves were dedicated to worship Him when we were baptized and confirmed. But the initiative in worship is not ours, it’s God’s. We don’t know how to worship as we ought. It is God...
There is no one humbler than the Lord Jesus. “Learn from me, for I am gentle and humble of heart.” Becoming man for us, suffering and dying for us, becoming mere bread and wine for us: in all these we see His humility in dazzling action. The words “humble” and...
Beloved: I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands, Pentecost wind! Pentecost flame! What Gift? = Spirit “in us”, received in confirmation – laying on of hands Fire = love – purifying and purging – warmth...
Our Patroness, St. Mary, Star of the Sea, is not in some far distant galaxy. She is always very present and active in our voyage through life. Let that truth comfort us, no matter what is happening in our lives now. Invite Her in. She is close as Mother, Sister,...
Bishop Frank consults us. Conversations in the Spirit. About what the Spirit wants, not about what we want! How is it possible for us to have conversations in the Spirit? Because the Spirit is the soul of Church, Christ’s Body, which we are. At parish level. Church lives in the...
Place 15 minutes away from the Square. Uncertain where exactly to enter with my concelebration ticket. Mass at 10. I walked there at 7am. Ten of Thousands, crowds at 7am. Follow the leader to get the way in to concelebrate. Excitement and some impatience and raised voices, Swiss guards deferential...
It’s hard for any relationship to work if you are not present to the other person, at least some of the time. That said, even if someone is there physically right in front of you, they can absent mentally or spiritually. You want them actually to be present to you,...
