St Basil and St Gregory Fr Paul reads from the Gospel of John (1: 19-28) in which John the Baptist declares he is not the Christ but rather a ‘voice that cries in the wilderness make a straight way for the Lord’. Today we celebrate the feasts of St Basil and St [...]
The Word became flesh On this last day of the year, Fr Paul reads from John (1: 1-18), which is the prologue of John’s Gospel and has a special place in Christian theology because it sums up the whole work of redemption. Fr Paul explains the concept of a parabolic movement using [...]
Anna meets Jesus in the Temple Fr Paul reads from the Gospel of Luke (2: 36-40) in which the Holy Family encounter Anna, the prophetess, in the temple. Yesterday, Fr Paul says, the Gospel was all about Simeon and today, as the presentation of our Lord continues, for balance and equality, the [...]
Jesus is presented at the Temple Fr Paul reads (from a special location) from the Gospel of Luke (2: 22-35) in which we hear about the presentation of the Lord in the temple. This Gospel, he says, is dominated by Simeon’s welcome and by his warning to Mary. Simeon’s message reiterates the [...]
Feast of the Holy Innocents As today we celebrate the Feast of the Holy Innocents, Fr Paul reads from the Gospel of Matthew (2: 13-18) about the flight of the Holy Family into Egypt after an angel tells Joseph in a dream to do so. Fr Paul says this Feast remembers all [...]
Feast of St Stephen Fr Paul reads from the Gospel of Matthew (10: 17-22) in which Jesus tells his disciples that the Spirit of God will speak in them when they stand firm in bearing witness to him. Today, Fr Paul says, we celebrate the feast of St Stephen and, he says, [...]
Fr Paul, mindful that in the current climate some people are unable to attend Mass in person this Christmas, has recorded this Mass so everyone can still feel part of, and connected to, the celebrations at this special time of year. To spread the peace, joy and gratitude that is the true spirit [...]
Recently the above cartoon appeared in the paper (Daily Telegraph, Monday, December 7, 2020). As you can see the Holy Family - Joseph, Mary and Jesus - are in the room and the Wise Men, following the star, have come from another country to visit the Christ child bearing their gifts of [...]
The birth of John the Baptist Fr Paul reads from the Gospel of Luke (1: 57-66) and, today, we hear about the birth of John the Baptist. Fr Paul says this Gospel runs in parallel with the birth of Jesus, which we are also about to celebrate. Hearing about the birth of [...]
Mary’s Song – Lessons from The Magnificat Today Fr Paul reads from the Gospel of Luke (1: 46-56) in which we hear Mary rejoicing in relation to the favours God has granted her. This prayer of Mary’s is called the Magnificat and it sums up the themes of Luke’s Gospel. In this [...]