SOLEMNITY OF EPIPHANY – JANUARY 2023 “But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.” This consoling prophecy was made by Micah approximately 700 years before the birth of Jesus. The people …
2022 FOURTH SUNDAY OF ADVENT (Year A; usus recentior) 18 December A long expected Jesus Expectations are important: they excite the heart, and can prevent disappointment. We know this from our Christmas meal, where we expect certain people to come over – and we’re sad when they don’t. We also have expectations of the meal: …
In Christmas crackers, once one have been able to pull and get it to break, one normally finds a plastic toy or trinket and a small piece of paper that says “Did you know that …”. Today I would like to do a short quiz on pandas. So did you know that … Pandas have …
An Advent approach to Spiritual Security From 27 November, it’s 28 days to Christmas; I wonder if that terrifies you? What would be more terrifying, though, would be if Christmas became a moveable feast, the date changing each year. Could we consider a more terrifying thing? Imagine that, each year, we had no idea when …
13 November 2022 Today’s first reading comes from the Book of the Prophet Malachi. Malachi prophesied shortly after the construction of the Second Temple in the 5th century BC. This was a time when the Jews, having been liberated from exile in Babylon and been able to return to the Promised Land and rebuild their …
27 – 28 October 2022 Dear Friends, We continue this week to reflect on the virtue of humility which we started to look at last week. A brief recap: we saw last week, when reflecting on the parable of the pharisee and the tax collector, as a rule, pride corrupts virtue whereas humility raises up …
22 -23 October Dear Friends, It is hard to imagine more appropriate readings in anticipation of the 40 Hour Devotion that begins this Friday. For those unfamiliar with this devotion, it is a weekend of prayer, together, in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament. There are some highlights, such as the opening Mass on Friday …
75TH ANNIVERSARY OF ST BERNADETTE’S PARISH FEAST OF THE ANNIVERSARY OF THE DEDICATION OF ST BERNADETTE’S 8/9 OCTOBER 2022 What are we celebrating today? For many of you still in the parish today who were parishioners in the 1940s, you will remember that the Catholic community of Walmer predated this building. Mass was celebrated by …
25 September 2022 DIVES AND LAZARUS In the Gospel today we have the parable of Dives and Lazarus. We normally understand the central message of this parable to be about charity. Understandably so, as that is indeed a central theme of Jesus’ preaching. However, it is interesting for us to take a close look at …
17 – 18 September 2022 Seeking first the King and His Kingdom Thrifting is on the rise: rather than participating in commercial novelty, many people would rather try their luck at a second-hand store, leafing through the “previously loved” things of others. Not only is it a source of bargains, but we might find something …
