22 December 1 Sam 2:1-4,8Lk 1:46-56 “The hungry he has filled with good things…” Today’s Gospel leads us through the hymn of praise by Mary, the mother of Jesus. From the age at which Jewish maidens became marriageable, it would have been possible that Mary gave birth to her son Jesus, when she was about... Continue Reading →
21 December, Wednesday — True Joy
21 Dec – Memorial for St Peter Canisius St. Peter Canisius (1521–1597) was the son of Jacob Canisius, a wealthy burgomeister, and Ægidia van Houweningen, who died shortly after Peter’s birth. He was educated in Cologne, Germany, where he studied art, civil law, and theology. He received a master’s degree by age 19. His closest... Continue Reading →
20 December, Tuesday — Will or Won’t?
Tuesday of the 4th week of Advent Is 7:10-14Lk 1:26-38 ...are you not satisfied with trying the patience of men without trying the patience of my God, too? Weariness. We have been there at some point in our lives. When we end up in some mindlessly endless loop of futility, but for some reason we have to... Continue Reading →
19 December, Monday — Spirit Move…
19 December Jgs:13:2-7,24-25Lk 1:5-25 …and the spirit of the Lord began to move him. I reflected yesterday on how I felt that God’s hand was on me, particularly over the past few weeks. Quite frankly, it has been a bit of a tiring year for me with loads of changes at work from a personnel... Continue Reading →
18 December, Sunday — Here, there and everywhere…
4th Sunday of Advent Isa 7:10-14Rm 1:1-7Mt 1:18-24 ‘God-is-with-us’ It has been an interesting few weeks for me in the lead up to Advent. All manner of challenges at work came at once – the resignation of my deputy, workplans thrown into disarray, an event (on a Monday) for which I had to pull the... Continue Reading →
17 December, Saturday — Learning from Jesus’s Genealogy
17 December Gn 49:2, 8-10Mt 1:1-17 The sum of generations is therefore: fourteen from Abraham to David; fourteen from David to the Babylonian deportation; and fourteen from the Babylonian deportation to Christ. During Lent this year, I impulsively made a decision to embark on the Bible in a Year podcast by Ascension Press, which required... Continue Reading →
16 December, Friday — Persevering in taking up John’s call
Friday of the 3rd Week of Advent Isa 56:1-3,6-8Jn 5:33-36 "John was a lamp alight and shining, and for a time you were content to enjoy the light that he gave." For the past few years (and particularly during the pandemic), I have tried to read and reflect more about the Advent season. One of the... Continue Reading →
15 December, Thursday – Deprivation of Salvation is a Self-Inflicted Harm
Thursday of the 3rd Week of Advent Is 54:1-10 Lk 7:24-30 “...but by refusing baptism from him the Pharisees and the lawyers had thwarted what God had in mind for them.” Despite John’s momentary doubts about Jesus as the Messiah in yesterday’s gospel, Jesus poured out praise upon him and acknowledged John as the forerunner,... Continue Reading →
13 December, Tuesday – The Father’s Will
Dec 13 – Memorial for St. Lucy, virgin, martyr St. Lucy (c. 283) was a rich, young Christian of Greek ancestry. She was raised in a pious family, and vowed her life to Christ. Her Roman father died when she was young. Her mother, Eutychia, arranged a marriage for her. For three years, she managed... Continue Reading →
12 December, Monday — Opening Our Eyes & Hearts
Dec 12 – Memorial for Our Lady of Guadalupe Guadalupe is, strictly speaking, the name of a picture, but the name was extended to the church containing the picture and to the town which grew up around the church. It makes the shrine, it occasions the devotion, it illustrates Our Lady. It is taken as... Continue Reading →
OXYGEN 