‘Christ is the morning star, who, when the night of this world is past, gives to His saints the promise of the light of life, and opens everlasting day’. This text, written by St Bede, is taken from his commentary on the Book of Revelation, some time about the year 710. The morning star comes […]
From today’s Gospel reading, from St John: ‘It is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Counsellor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you’. St Cyril of Alexandria commented: ‘Grievous is the sorrow that has consumed your heart, He […]
In these days leading up to the Solemnity of the Ascension, the Mass readings are very special. Here is part of today’s Gospel, from St John: ‘But when the Counsellor comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness to […]
From today’s Gospel, from St John: ‘If a man loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him’. St Cyril of Alexandria wrote: ‘In what way He will declare Himself and how He will take up His abode in them […]
From today’s Gospel, from St John: ‘I chose you out of the world’. These words will be developed and prayed by Our Lord in the great High Priestly Prayer: ‘I have manifested thy name to the men whom thou gavest me out of the world; thine they were, and thou gavest them to me, and […]
Some words from today’s Gospel: ‘This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends’. Many are the saints who have laid their lives down for others. St Maximilian Kolbe comes to mind. Canonised by […]
Today is also the Optional Memoria of Saints Dunstan, Ethelwold and Oswald, Bishops. St Ethelwold was a tenth century Bishop of Winchester. He laboured with Saints Dunstan and Oswald for the revival of English monastic life, and it is thought that the Regularis Concordia, which brought together the various monastic rules into a single document, […]
‘I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in me, and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing’. These words are from our Gospel reading, from St John. St John Chrysostom commented: ‘Do you see that the Son contributes not less […]
‘Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid’. These words are from our Gospel reading for today, from St John. We pray today for peace in our hearts, but also most importantly […]
‘If a man loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him’. These words are from St John, our Gospel reading today. St John was later to write: ‘See what love the Father has given us, that we should […]