The image shows the entrance to St Anthony’s cave, high above the desert plateau, near the Red Sea in Egypt. St Athanasius describes the call of Anthony in this way: ‘After the death of his father and mother he was left alone with one little sister: his age was about eighteen or twenty, and on […]
Today’s Gospel gives us the miracle at Cana, when Jesus changed the water into wine. Two things stand out from this passage. Firstly, Mary doesn’t tell Jesus what to do – she simply says, ‘They have no wine’. Here is the supreme model for intercession – to make the people, or the situation, known to […]
‘And Mary treasured all these things, pondering them in her heart’. This rich source of the wisdom of the Mother of God was and is the origin of her powerful assistance to us, in all our needs and necessities. St Mother Teresa of Calcutta said: ‘If you ever feel distressed during your day, call upon […]
Here is today’s Gospel, from Mark: ‘And when he returned to Capernaum after some days, it was reported that he was at home. And many were gathered together, so that there was no longer room for them, not even about the door; and he was preaching the word to them. And they came, bringing to him […]
Pope Benedict XVI said of this fourth century saint: ‘Fidelity to God is a gift of his grace. Therefore, St Hilary asks, at the end of his Treatise on the Trinity, to be able to remain ever faithful to the baptismal faith. It is a feature of this book: reflection is transformed into prayer and […]
The roots of monasticism in our country are deep and strong, outliving all challenges and threats to their existence. This is, at least in part, because it is grounded in the life of the early Church: ‘And fear came upon every soul; and many wonders and signs were done through the apostles. And all who believed […]
Our Old Testament reading, from the First Book of Samuel, tells the story of Hannah: ‘She was deeply distressed and prayed to the Lord, and wept bitterly. And she vowed a vow and said, “O Lord of hosts, if thou wilt indeed look on the affliction of thy maidservant, and remember me, and not forget thy maidservant, but wilt […]
For this first day of Ordinary Time in the new year, a rainbow to remind us of God’s overarching care at all times and in all seasons. He is always present, bringing peace in the midst of disturbance. As St Teresa wrote: ‘Let nothing disturb you, let nothing frighten you, all things are passing away. […]
Here is St Luke’s account of the Lord’ Baptism: ‘Now when all the people were baptised, and when Jesus also had been baptised and was praying, the heaven was opened, and the Holy Spirit descended upon him in bodily form, as a dove, and a voice came from heaven, “Thou art my beloved Son; with thee I […]
From today’s Gospel, from St Mark: ‘As he landed he saw a great throng, and he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd; and he began to teach them many things’. The account goes on to speak of the feeding of the five thousand. Here it is the compassion of […]