Sep 30 – Memorial for St. Jerome, Priest and Doctor St. Jerome (347-419) led a misspent youth. He later converted in theory, being baptised in 365, and then had a true conversion when he studied theology. He was a monk, and revised the Latin text of the Bible. The result of his 30 years of work was... Continue Reading →
29 September, Wednesday – The Holy Archangels
Sep 29 – Feast of the Holy Archangels, Michael, Gabriel, Raphael You should be aware that the word ‘angel’ denotes a function rather than a nature. Those holy spirits of heaven have indeed always been spirits. They can only be called angels when they deliver some message. Moreover, those who deliver messages of lesser importance are... Continue Reading →
28 September, Tuesday — Love and Mercy
Sep 28 – Memorial for St. Wenceslaus, martyr; Memorial for St. Lawrence Ruiz and Companions, Martyrs St. Wenceslaus (907-929) was the son of Vratislav I, Duke of Bohemia, whose family had been converted by St. Cyril and St. Methodius, and Drahomira, daughter of a pagan chief, who was baptised on her wedding day but apparently... Continue Reading →
27 September, Monday — Pride
Sep 27 – Memorial for St. Vincent de Paul, Priest St. Vincent (1581-1660) spent four years with the Franciscan friars getting an education. He was taken captive by Turkish pirates and sold into slavery, then freed when he converted one of his owners to Christianity. He started organisations to help the poor, nursed the sick, found... Continue Reading →
26 September, Sunday — Jealousy
26th Sunday in Ordinary Time Num 11:25-29Jas 5:1-6Mk 9:38-43,45,47-48 “Anyone who is not against us is for us.” There is a common theme in today’s First Reading and Gospel. In the First Reading, Moses was asked to stop two young men from prophesying when they were not the ‘chosen’ ones like the elders. In the Gospel,... Continue Reading →
25 September, Saturday — Hidden Meanings
Saturday of Week 25 in Ordinary Time Zec 2:5-9,14-15Lk 9:43-45 But they did not understand him when he said this; it was hidden from them so that they should not see the meaning of it, and they were afraid to ask him about what he had just said. Have you ever heard the phrase, “Common... Continue Reading →
24 September, Friday — Who Do You Say You Are?
Friday of Week 25 in Ordinary Time Hag 1:15,2:9Lk 9:18-22 “But you,” he said “who do you say I am?”” I have been filling up personal detail forms all my life, ticking boxes and filling in blanks, each form asking me for details about myself: gender, race, religion, age group, occupation and so on.... Continue Reading →
23 September, Thursday — “Pray, Hope, and Don’t Worry”
Sep 23 – Memorial for St. Pio of Pietrelcina (Padre Pio), Priest St. Pio (1887-1968) was ordained when he was 22. He founded the House for the Relief of Suffering in 1956, a hospital that serves 60,000 a year. In the 1920s, he started a series of prayer groups that continue today with over 400,000 members worldwide. His... Continue Reading →
22 September, Wednesday — On ‘Nothing’
Wednesday of Week 25 in Ordinary Time Ez 9:5-9Lk 9:1-6 “Take nothing for the journey...” If not for COVID-19, I would probably be on the Camino Frances now, retracing the steps of hundreds of thousands of pilgrims who journey on foot to the town of Santiago de Compostela. I know this because Facebook has been... Continue Reading →
21 September, Tuesday — Is there a Doctor in the House?
Sep 21 – Feast of St. Matthew, Apostle and Evangelist St. Matthew was the son of Alphaeus, and he lived at Capernaum on Lake Genesareth. He was a Roman tax collector, a position equated with collaboration with the enemy by those from whom he collected taxes. Jesus’ contemporaries were surprised to see the Christ with a... Continue Reading →
OXYGEN 