De Omnibus Dubitandum Est.

Welcome to this, the Forty-first of my reflections on the theology of the Sunday readings at Mass. Thank you for taking the time to read my blog. I sincerely hope that this reflection will inspire you. You might find that it answers a few questions you may have, but most of all I hope that it will show you how fantastic Sacred Scripture is and perhaps enable you to share some of my love and passion for the Bible as you begin to comprehend how layered and multi-faceted it is, and what a carefully considered part of the Mass the readings are. If you want to know how these posts came about, please read my first post in this series  here . I would like to think this regular blog would be a great help to anyone who reads at Mass, to enable them to foster a deeper understanding of the message they are trying to impart to the congregation. There are several different ways to read this post. I would suggest the first thing to do is to look at the relevant  readings . You might

On Saturday, my attention was brought to an article in the Herald Scotland which suggests that the Vatican "...has called a halt to the appointment of any more Scottish bishops until a full investigation into the Cardinal Keith O'Brien scandal is completed by Rome." Of course this move by Cardinal Marc Ouellet, the current prefect of the Congregation for the Bishops, which oversees the selection of new bishops, means three dioceses – Paisley, Dunkeld and Edinburgh – will not have their vacancies for a bishop filled for some time. Apparently, the Congregation for the Bishops has instructed Archbishop Mennini, the Pope's ambassador in the UK, to keep the book open on Cardinal O'Brien and continue to gather evidence. Surely this can only be another indication Pope Francis is turning his attention to the crisis engulfing the Catholic Church in UK? It certainly seems to me to signify a key change in the way these things are dealt with. Rather than brushing t

A few people have asked me why we have changed from the Niceno‐Constantinopolitan Creed to the Apostle's Creed during Lent and Easter. The rubric found in the Roman Missal for the Order of Mass, 19, stipulates that: Instead of the Niceno‐Constantinopolitan Creed, especially during Lent and Easter Time, the baptismal Symbol of the Roman Church, known as the Apostles’ Creed, may be used. The reason this option is recommended particularly for Lent/Easter Time is because of its close relationship with Baptism. The Apostles’ Creed is the basis for the baptismal promises made by the elect before they are baptised. It is also used for the renewal of baptismal promises at Easter and by parents and Godparents when bringing a child for Baptism. Throughout history the Church has used a kind of shorthand to enable members to summarise all the important elements of their faith in unity with each other. These syntheses are called “Professions of Faith” because they contain a summary o

Welcome to this, the Fortieth of my reflections on the theology of the Sunday readings at Mass. I'm a bit late this week, it's been really hectic with Head Teacher interviews and lots going on at work. Thank you for taking the time to read my blog. I sincerely hope that this reflection will inspire you. You might find that it answers a few questions you may have, but most of all I hope that it will show you how fantastic Sacred Scripture is and perhaps enable you to share some of my love and passion for the Bible as you begin to comprehend how layered and multi-faceted it is, and what a carefully considered part of the Mass the readings are. If you want to know how these posts came about, please read my first post in this series  here . I would like to think this regular blog would be a great help to anyone who reads at Mass, to enable them to foster a deeper understanding of the message they are trying to impart to the congregation. There are several different wa

This isn't going to be a long, torturous post. Just something little that happened to me this morning and smacked me right between the eyes. The point of it is to try and put into words the way in which we (people suffering a bereavement) cope. I mean when you loose a child, it just doesn't ever go away. Every day feels as fresh and as raw, as every other. Your loss feels just as immediate, just as visceral, just as poignant as it did yesterday, last week, last year. You might think you get over it, but I don't think that's true (or even possible). Rather you integrate the reality with your every day life. It becomes part of you, somewhat like the way a chronic illness, a scar, or a lost limb becomes part of you. Faced with the enormity of this you might wonder how it is possible to cope at all. To be honest, if one stops to think too long about it, one starts to wonder that as well. To address this, I want to speak honestly about the reality, but also to offer some

Welcome to this, the thirty-ninth of my reflections on the theology of the Sunday readings at Mass. Thank you for taking the time to read my blog. I sincerely hope that this reflection will inspire you. You might find that it answers a few questions you may have, but most of all I hope that it will show you how fantastic Sacred Scripture is and perhaps enable you to share some of my love and passion for the Bible as you begin to comprehend how layered and multi-faceted it is, and what a carefully considered part of the Mass the readings are. If you want to know how these posts came about, please read my first post in this series  here . I would like to think this regular blog would be a great help to anyone who reads at Mass, to enable them to foster a deeper understanding of the message they are trying to impart to the congregation. There are several different ways to read this post. I would suggest the first thing to do is to look at the relevant  readings . You might t

May the souls of the departed rest in peace. May God console the families and friends. May God help the injured heal. May God be in Boston. Our God is a God united with our suffering. We know at times like this we can always turn to Him for comfort. Sometimes when these things happen we feel as if there is nothing to do, although we feel tremendous empathy with those suffering and those dealing with the suffering. We can do something, we can reach for our Rosaries and pour out our hearts to Heaven. There are lots of people asking why. What strikes me is the deliberateness of  such an act, the aim of which can only, surely, be to cause as much suffering, mayhem, and panic as possible to completely innocent people. The fact that this has been perpetrated without warning, at an international sporting event, speaks to the callousness and Godlessness of those who have perpetrated this act. I feel sadness, sickness and rage, as I do at any instance of the murder of the innoce

Mass today, my oldest son, William is Thurifer, and Michael kneels to his left. Just back from a beautiful Mass. Great Scripture this week wasn't it? And I don't know about you, but for me, knowing some of the key facts in the readings meant that I got a lot more out of the liturgy of the Word! I love my parish and we are blessed with a wonderful Parish Priest, Father Kevin Hale. I wouldn't be at all surprised if someone made him a bishop at some point, in fact, I think they would be wise to do so! He always delivers a great homily, but this week's I thought outstanding, so I asked him for a copy to share with you all here. DOMINICA III PASCHÆ mmxiii  Whenever a statesman or politician dies there follows the inevitable outpouring of opinion about the good or ill they have achieved in their life and if they have been a person of strong conviction and action, then those expressions will often been even more polarised. We have heard quite a lot in this regar

No idea what I'm talking about? Don't worry, you're not alone being in the dark on this one. Yesterday the long dead, infamous Renaissance preacher, Girolamo Savonarola (@FraSavonarola),  self acclaimed denouncer of the exploitation of the poor, tweeted a link to a most shocking story on Twitter: I was incredulous reading the gruesome details of the case. A man who routinely forced women who came to him into labor and then killed their babies. The specifics of the case are seven counts of first degree murder, where it is alleged live babies where born, and then executed with scissors by Gosnell. In addition, A pregnant refugee, Karnamaya Mongar, also died after being given too much anesthesia and pain medication during a 2009 abortion at his West Philadelphia clinic. There are so many things to be upset about this case, not least among them, the fact that if convicted, Gosnell will face the death penalty, a fact which will no doubt cause great discomfort to pro-