Today’s Old Testament reading gives us Ezekiel’s vision of the dry bones: ‘The hand of the Lord was upon me, and he brought me out by the Spirit of the Lord, and set me down in the midst of the valley; it was full of bones. And he led me round among them; and behold, there were very many […]
Today, in the Archdiocese of Birmingham, the Diocesan Novena to Blessed Dominic of the Mother of God (Dominic Barberi) begins. Early in his life, he sensed through the Holy Spirit that he would one day work in England. As a Passionist Father, he overcame many hindrances, coming finally to this country in 1841. His first […]
From Isaiah: ‘The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad, the desert shall rejoice and blossom; like the crocus it shall blossom abundantly, and rejoice with joy and singing’. The image below shows a wasteland that has literally blossomed. Nature has the most amazing power to regenerate itself; and even more the Holy Spirit has […]
From today’s Gospel, from St Matthew: ‘And Jesus said to his disciples, “Truly, I say to you, it will be hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter […]
Here is today’s Gospel, from St Matthew: ‘And behold, one came up to him, saying, “Teacher, what good deed must I do, to have eternal life?” And he said to him, “Why do you ask me about what is good? One there is who is good. If you would enter life, keep the commandments.” He said to […]
Pope Benedict XVI said in a homily: ‘On 1 November 1950, Venerable Pope Pius XII proclaimed as Dogma that the Virgin Mary “having completed the course of her earthly life, was assumed body and soul into heavenly glory”. This truth of faith was known by Tradition, was affirmed by the Fathers of the Church, and was a […]
‘Standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother, and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus saw his mother, and the disciple whom he loved standing near, he said to his mother, “Woman, behold, your son!” Then he said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother!” And from that hour […]
Today is also the Optional Memoria of St Jane Frances de Chantal, co-founder with St Francis de Sales of the Visitation Order. Wife, mother, widow, and religious, she has proved to be an inspiration to many. Her way of prayer has also drawn many to God: a ‘simple regard’ or simple entrustment, an interior attentiveness […]
It was on Palm Sunday night in the year 1212, that Clare left her family home in secret. With the help of St Francis, she entered a cloistered convent, put on a rough habit, and her hair was shorn. Here family tracked her down but she refused to leave; she remained as the faithful supporter […]
In Fra Angelico’s painting, we see St Lawrence distributing alms to the poor. He is wearing a dalmatic, which identifies him as a deacon, and in his left hand he holds a bag of coins. All clearly love him, not just for the handouts, but also for his sheer holiness and love for them’, the […]