Here is St Gregory the Great’s account of the death of St Benedict: ‘Six days before his departure he caused his grave to be opened, and immediately after he fell into a fever, by the violence whereof his strength began to wax faint, and the infirmity daily increasing, the sixth day he caused his disciples […]

Some verses from Hosea, some of which are included in today’s Old Testament reading: ‘I will heal their faithlessness; I will love them freely, for my anger has turned from them. I will be as the dew to Israel; he shall blossom as the lily, he shall strike root as the poplar; his shoots shall spread out; […]

Here is part of today’s Old Testament reading, from Hosea: ‘When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son. The more I called them, the more they went from me; they kept sacrificing to the Baals, and burning incense to idols. Yet it was I who taught Ephraim to […]

Here is the last verse of today’s Old Testament  reading, from Hosea: ‘Sow for yourselves righteousness, reap the fruit of steadfast love; break up your fallow ground, for it is the time to seek the Lord, that he may come and rain salvation upon you’. In these days of pandemic, it indeed time to seek the Lord. Here, […]

From today’s Gospel reading, from St Matthew: ‘And Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every disease and every infirmity. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. […]

Today’s Old Testament reading, from Hosea, stops just short of this passage: ‘And I will betroth you to me for ever; I will betroth you to me in righteousness and in justice, in steadfast love, and in mercy. I will betroth you to me in faithfulness; and you shall know the Lord’. We need not be afraid […]

The humility of the King of Love, crucified for us on the Cross, comes out clearly in the Gospel set for today, from St Matthew: ‘At that time Jesus declared, “I thank thee, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that thou hast hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to babes; yea, […]

Our Community’s motto is ‘Ecce Ancilla Domini’ – Behold, the Handmaid of the Lord’. It reminds us of what we are, and the kind of openness and surrender to the purposes of God to which we are committed. And, for her part, Our Lady stands with us, as we stand with her at the Cross […]

The icon shows St Thomas placing his hand in the Saviour’s side. ‘Do not be faithless, but believing’, says the Lord. Tradition has it that Thomas went to India to proclaim the Gospel, and even today there is the Mar Thoma Syrian Church, based in Kerala, which owes its origins to him. In our own […]

Here is today’s Gospel reading, from St Matthew: ‘And getting into a boat he crossed over and came to his own city. And behold, they brought to him a paralytic, lying on his bed; and when Jesus saw their faith he said to the paralytic, “Take heart, my son; your sins are forgiven.” And behold, some of […]