De Omnibus Dubitandum Est.

"Thy word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path."  Ps 119:105 Welcome to this, the fifty-eighth of my reflections on the theology of the Sunday readings at Mass. I have undertaken this project, regularly posting background information on the readings at Sunday Mass as part of my own prayer life. I have found it helps me to do a little study before I go to Mass about the readings, what the theme of the week is, how it follows on from the previous week's readings and what is being said. In sharing this, I hope to help you too get more from the Bible and Sunday Scripture readings. Perhaps it might give you confidence in the value and legitimacy of the Bible, or perhaps it might inspire you to pray the Divine Office or investigate the weekly readings for yourself. I see this as very clearly part of what the Church teaches about the Bible: This heaven-sent treasure Holy Church considers as the most precious source of doctrine on faith and morals. No wond...

“Humanity should question itself, once more, about the absurd and always unfair phenomenon of war, on whose stage of death and pain only remains standing the negotiating table that could and should have prevented it.”  ― John Paul II John Paul II was my Pope in lots of ways. He was Pope from when I was 7 years old, to his death when I was 34. When I went through my questioning years, it was John Paul II who brought me back, through his writing in Crossing The Threshold of Hope . When the Iraq war was mooted, I felt the motivation was ludicrous. Reading whatever I could, it seemed very clear that the justification given was paper thin. I was not sure of the true motivation, but President Bush was attending to some unfinished business without regard for international law, or the facts as I understood them.  I felt incredibly proud when my instincts were backed up with the most public and serious condemnations of the invasion of Iraq, which came from Pope John ...

Bishop Mark Davies' Homily at Youth 2000 Prayer Festival, Walsingham, 25th August 2013 “Your Kingdom Come” With more than three million in Rio last month and with more than a thousand in Walsingham this weekend, we might not really feel like a minority but that is what Christians are about to become in this country of ours. By 2020, if the analysis of the recent census is to be believed, most people in this land will no longer identify themselves in any way as Christians. It’s a situation you already know well as young people of 21st Century Britain. A situation which will surely demand of new generations of Catholics a clear stand, an inspirational lead and, as the Gospel reminds us today, a human struggle! Jesus tells us “try your best to enter by the narrow door” (Luke 13:24). And let’s be clear: this “narrow door” Our Lord proposes is not a narrowness of mind but the reverse. To be ready to say “your Kingdom come, your will to be done …” is to open our minds and hear...

I really got a lot out of the Scripture this Sunday. It was one of those weeks were all the readings worked together to improve my understanding of an issue. The issue was salvation, which has been one of those things that has caused me lots of questions over the years. When I was a boy, holidaying in Cornwall, we went to Mass one Sunday and the Priest told this joke, which has never left me: A man arrived at the gates of Heaven. St. Peter asked, “Religion?” The man said, “Methodist.” St. Peter looked down his list and said,” Go to Room 24, but be very quiet as you pass Room 8.” Another man arrived at the gates of Heaven. “Religion?” “Baptist.” “Go to Room 18, but be very quiet as you pass Room 8.” A third man arrived at the gates. “Religion?” “Jewish.” “Go to Room 11 but be very quiet as you pass Room 8.” The man said, “I can understand there being different rooms for different religions, but why must I be quiet when I pass Room 8?” St. Peter told him, “Well, the C...

We have a sumptuous loin of roast pork in the oven for our Sunday roast. I have to admit to being a bit of a wine lover and have developed a bit of a reputation amongst my friends and family for being able to choose the ideal wine for any meal. Lots of people seem to struggle with choosing the best wine for a particular dish so I thought I would start sharing my opinions on my blog! I think the right wine makes a good meal great. I also think the right glass makes the right wine an experience to be enjoyed all the more. I immediately think of German wines when enjoying pork. This meat is very forgiving but a wine with a little more weight works well to cut through the fattiness of the meat. Sweetness and acidity are important elements here, which is why apple sauce works well with pork as well. A German Riesling could work, but I might question whether it has the weight needed (although it does have the requisite sweetness).  Today I have chosen this Austrian Grüner Velt...

Father Kevin with Mary when she was born. From Father Kevin this Sunday: Dear Friends in Christ The Readings at Mass this Sunday speak about the universality of salvation; that is, how God intends everyone to be saved and reached Heaven. The Gospel in particular raises the question of who will be saved? This is a sensitive thought in an age where there is wide spread religion indifferentism and relativism. Many people in our society—even those who believe in God—hold the notion that one religion of philosophy of life is as good as another; the basic criterion for many nowadays is that my truth is as good as your truth . For the Christian, that cannot be so. We believe in one Person, Jesus Christ our Saviour, who is the unique revelation of God and is Himself The Way, the Truth and The Life, There is no salvation possible outside of Christ who is the one Saviour. However, this involves us often having to hold two truths in a kind of tension: the teaching of St. Paul that God ...

I've just found out that A Call to Action, the pseudo-Catholic dissent organisation, has a meeting planned in Caterham . I think what's most shocking is that they are portrayed in this newsletter announcement as 'just another Church group' completely compatible with being Catholic: “A.C.T.A. (A call to action) is a movement within the Catholic Church of England & Wales established in 2012 to work collaboratively and constructively with our Bishop to move our Church towards the aspirations of the Second Vatican Council. It has sub groups in almost every Diocese including our own. Five of our members met with Bishop Kieran recently, and he has approved meetings within his diocese. Our Parish is hosting the first of these Diocesan Meetings." From this it would seem ACTA is acting in this diocese with the approval of Bishop Kieran Conry. As I have previously noted  Cardinal Re, prefect for the Congregation of Bishops has made a some doctrinal statements re...

"Thy word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path."  Ps 119:105 Welcome to this, the fifty-seventh of my reflections on the theology of the Sunday readings at Mass. I have undertaken this project, regularly posting background information on the readings at Sunday Mass as part of my own prayer life. I have found it helps me to do a little study before I go to Mass about the readings, what the theme of the week is, how it follows on from the previous week's readings and what is being said. In sharing this, I hope to help you too get more from the Bible and Sunday Scripture readings. Perhaps it might give you confidence in the value and legitimacy of the Bible, or perhaps it might inspire you to pray the Divine Office or investigate the weekly readings for yourself. I see this as very clearly part of what the Church teaches about the Bible: This heaven-sent treasure Holy Church considers as the most precious source of doctrine on faith and morals. No won...