SUNDAY 21 JUNE 2026: THE TWELFTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME.

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[Jesus said] “….do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather, be afraid of the one who can destroy both soul and body in Gehenna…” 

This is a photograph I took in 2018 on a visit to the Holy Land. In the foreground is the dome of the Gallicantu Church, where the cock crowed and St. Peter recalled Jesus’ words that he would deny even knowing him! And in the background is the (possible) Valley of Gehenna, the side of which I walked up in the baking heat to the Zion Gate (you can see the wall of the Old City). I had no doubt that this was, indeed, pretty close to hell…. Peter’s denial of Jesus just confirmed the horrible nature of the whole place.

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[Jesus said] “…Everyone who acknowledges me before others I will acknowledge before my heavenly Father. But whoever denies me before others, I will deny before my heavenly Father.”

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The destruction of both body and soul that Jesus mentions in the gospel today uses the image of that valley pictured above. It is thought that child sacrifice was carried out there (to forbid which was the very reason I believe that God entered human history at all) and it eventually became the city garbage dump, though today it appears to be the place of thousands of stone burial places. So its history is, perhaps, somewhat negative. So Jesus used its image of a place of utter death and rejection to make his point: beware of those who can lure you into total death and destruction. Yes we may be confronted with such a situation that may mean life or death, but if we stay true to the Lord that means a pathway to heaven, not hell. Maintaining complete trust in the Lord, even though it might mean pain and disgrace will be acknowledged as such by God and our reward will be great. But if it includes our own betrayal before God, then we have to expect the worst. And tying those two possibilities in the picture above (Peter’s denial and Gehenna) completes the picture. Except – except – God forgives, Jesus forgives; all we have to do is confess our guilt, ask forgiveness and God’s help to remain real and true and hopefully wiser.

Jesus goes on to relate how important each one of us is to God. We are, each one of us, precious in the eyes of God. God made us; God trusts us, God has graced each of us with unique gifts, and we are sent out into the world to make it a better place. And in that journey to heaven, we are not alone. Just as mothers and fathers cheer on their children at whatever it is they are interested in, so God delights in us doing what we should be doing. I recall a mother and father whose son was a football-mad fan – and he was a little person; he had dwarfism. Before school began that year he came and tried out for the football team. I remember his mother and father yelling support for him as he did his best to get into school’s football team. The team made him their manager… But that sight of his parents encouraging him, supporting him and urging him on, has stayed with me for years. It was so right! That’s God yelling for us! We may be – are – weak in many areas where we should be strong, but any effort to do better and we’ll hear God yelling encouragement, shouting out what we should do. Our biggest fan!

And that thought can be applied to today’s first reading: “…for to you I have entrusted my cause. Sing to the LORD, praise the LORD, for he has rescued the life of the poor from the power of the wicked!” Despite the terrors which might threaten to overwhelm us, we have Almighty God on our side! “They [terrors] will be put to utter shame, to lasting, unforgettable confusion” we are promised. And then there is the fulfillment of it all, as today’s second reading says, “for if by the transgression of the one [Adam] the many died, how much more did the grace of God and the gracious gift of the one man Jesus Christ overflow for the many”. So, if we allow it, the superabundant grace of God waits for each of us; all we have to do us acknowledge such, ask for divine support, respond appropriately and it is ours.  

You are Loved Beyond Measure, Higher Ground Studio US, Etsy.

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SUNDAY 14 JUNE 2026: THE ELEVENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME; FRIDAY 12 JUNE: THE SOLEMNITY OF THE MOST SACRED HEART OF JESUS.

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The Sacred Heart of Jesus, CatholicsStrivingForHoliness.org.

At the sight of the crowds, Jesus’ heart was moved with pity for them because they were troubled and abandoned, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is abundant but  the laborers are few; so ask the master of the harvest to send out laborers for his harvest.”     Matthew 9:36-38.

Click here for the readings of the Eleventh Sunday in Ordinary time.

Click here for the readings for the Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart, 12 June 2026.

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One of the most familiar Catholic pictures of the Lord is as the Sacred Heart, a heart literally burning with love of us, his sinful followers, even as we stumble and trip on our way to eternal salvation. That image of Jesus is quite old, dating back to the crucifixion itself, when the Roman soldier pierced the side and heart of Jesus with his lance. But in the Middle Ages a deeper devotion appeared, encouraged by Bernard of Clairvaux and Gertrude the Great, which meditated on his heart and awareness, even on the cross itself, forgiving his murderers and promising salvation to the repentant thief crucified with him. St. Margaret Mary Alacoque was the one who received visions of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and formulated devotions, under Jesus’ guidance, which survive to this day. We will celebrate the Sacred Heart on Friday 12 June this year.

And the gospel for the 11th Sunday in the “A” Cycle of readings at today’s Sunday Mass, which highlights the gospel of Matthew, has the statement written above, “Jesus’ heart was moved with pity…” at the sight of so many people desperate for hope and looking for a message in which they could trust. And so it is today, even more so with Jesus’ second thought: “the harvest is abundant but the laborers are few…”  as true today as it was 2000 years ago. And so, as the gospel states, he called 12 of his disciples and gave them authority and power over the devils of suffering of every kind. And so the Christian mission began, continuing today and will do forever. And then there is the first reading today. It ends with the strong statement, God speaking to the Hebrew people: “You shall be to me a kingdom of priests, a holy nation”. Translating that to us today, it states quite clearly that God expects each of us Christians to be the absolute best that we can be, implementing our God-given gifts. And with the clear teachings of Christ we are to use those gifts for the good of others to the best of our ability. And that thought can be clearly carried over to the gospel today. Here we have a list of the names of the first disciples of the Lord. Note that a “disciple” is one who learns from another, probably older and wiser, teacher. An “apostle” is one sent forth with a message to spread once everything has been learned as a disciple. So today’s gospel seems to have focussed on that moment when they became apostles, now trusted by the Lord to preach the Good News as they had themselves received it. And so, down through the centuries until today, when it is up to each of us to spread the message of salvation and hope in the way we act and speak, to the very best of our ability. And looking at those first apostles, it was a very random bunch of characters. Mostly not well educated, except perhaps Matthew the tax collector. Certainly they were skilled, but in the trades they had been born into, or had adopted. But now their affiliation with Jesus had given them an entirely new outlook way beyond the fishing nets and counting desks, the ploughs and the grape picking, They had entered into the world of souls and salvation. Clearly they were up for it, except Judas. Once emboldened by God’s Holy Spirit, they became fearless propagators of the Word even unto a violent death, all of whom, save John, were destined to suffer.

So, does the Lord look on any one of us and have his heart moved with pity? Is there any one of us troubled and abandoned, alone and unloved? Many of the saints have experienced that, so if you are victim of this, you are not alone. Dorothy Day, the Catholic activist who founded the Catholic Worker Movement, even called her autobiography The Great Loneliness. But in a strange way, such a state almost sets us up for an encounter with God. Just look at the opening words of today’s gospel. By its very nature, if we open up to God at such a time, there is no telling what the result might be. But the key word is “open”. If we are in such a state, we have no reason, or even right, to set up barriers of any sort. Maintaining a stable frame of mind and a balanced attitude, then we can anticipate or even expect to receive the Divine into our lives. And picking up from that, we should allow ourselves to undertake whatever it is that God wants from us. And just as God gave Jesus the courage to undergo his Passion, and Dorothy her mission, and any number of saints their vocations, it should become clear what it is God expects from each of us, namely our vocation, singularly based on the gifts we have received from God, enabling us to do exactly that. Then it is up to us to implement such insight, and embark on a life of a Servant of God, as countless individuals have done before us, obeying the call of God. And God will be there at all times to help and support us. We are never alone!

Maiestà with Angels and Saints, Duccio c.1312, Museo dell’Opera del Duomo, Siena, Italy.

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SUNDAY 7 JUNE 2026: THE SOLEMNITY OF THE BODY AND BLOOD OF CHRIST: CORPUS CHRISTI.

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Blessed Sacrament Procession 2026, Lincoln. Nebraska, Southern Nebraska Register.

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[Jesus said] “Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you.”         John 6:53.

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During the course of the centuries as recorded in the Hebrew Bible, God became clearer and clearer as to who and what the Divine Presence meant. One of the first revelations was power (without which, of course, no-one would have taken divine revelation seriously). But look at the way God revealed divine power: One very old, barren lady, Sarai/Sarah, actually giggled at the prophecy that she was to bear a child (Genesis 17). But she did! God’s power is unlimited! And through the course of the centuries, God gradually revealed the meaning of divine presence. And perhaps the culmination of that gradual revelation was the invitation to become God’s friend, God’s intimate. It began with Moses at the burning bush on Mount Sinai (Exodus 3). Why friendship? Because, for the first time, God  revealed the Divine Name to Moses, “YAHWEH”, or “I AM WHO AM”. That established a relationship between God and humanity forever. It carried with it a fundamental intimacy, a trust and a hope each placed in the other. Then the whole Hebrew people at Mount Sinai solemnly pledged allegiance to God, and God agreed to be their God through thick and thin. So the life of God and the life of the people were  symbolically linked together, symbolized by the blood of slaughtered animals sprinkled over a stone altar (symbolizing God), and over the people, establishing the Covenant between them and God. And that provided the model for Jesus at the Last Supper. There the blood of animals was replaced by none other than the blood of the Savior of the World, and the consecrated bread becoming his flesh. And today’s gospel is, as it were, a premonition of what was to come – and the challenge it represented to all who heard it. And note the gradual intensity of this linkage of God to us: A verbal covenant between Abraham and God; the intimacy of Moses, representing the people, and God, symbolically linked by the blood of sacrificed animals. And then the ultimate: Jesus inviting all of us to take himself, literally and figuratively, into ourselves. Remember the words of the Mass at the consecration: “This is the chalice of my blood, the blood of the New and Eternal Covenant which will be poured out for you….” – as opposed to the old and now surpassed Covenant. God now invites us to join him as he becomes part of us as we consume his very self. The progression could go no further! Jesus raised the old Covenant, established at Sinai, to the actual union between us humans and the Almighty Godhead at the Last Supper. And remember his words: “Do this in memory of me”, and we do, each time Mass is celebrated.

And so, on this day in many parts of the world today, the consecrated bread, Jesus himself, is displayed throughout the local neighborhood in a grand procession. Usually with incense before the Host, the host contained in a glorious monstrance, under a grand canopy, for the Lord of the World to be seen by all, as the Lord of All walks among his people. And note the words of the first reading today: “not by bread alone does one live, but by every word that comes forth from the mouth of the Lord”. These were the very words of Jesus fighting off the temptations of the Devil as he grew hungry on the 40-day pilgrimage in the desert after his baptism. Yes, food keeps you going day after day, but it is the spirit which keeps us alive throughout all times, bad as well as good. Are we hungry or full up physically? Spiritually alive or despairingly dead? Alert to those around us, or clueless in dealing with the world? Like the Lord, we should interact with those around us positively, lovingly, generously, as all Christians should, setting an example which would make the Lord happy.

So today is a joyful feast day, literally getting us out of the house one way or another. We may be walking hand in hand with the Lord through familiar streets, demonstrating our devotion to The One, or attending Mass, uniting ourselves with God intimately though Communion and emerging strengthened with the love of God which is without limit. And we give thanks for the generosity Jesus shows both in the totality of his sacrifice for us, and his promise to be with us until the end of time. All we have to do is agree, and walk with him as our friend, our support and our surest guide. May God bless us all!

The Grandest Corpus Christi Procession in the World! Valencia, Spain, 2023, Festival Universe.

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SUNDAY 31 MAY 2026: FEAST OF THE MOST HOLY TRINITY.

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The Holy Trinity, Hendrick van Balen the Elder 1620s, Sint-Jacobskerk, Antwerp, Belgium.

“A bell is no a bell ’til you ring it –

A song is no song ’til you sing it –

And love in your heart wasn’t put there to stay –

Love isn’t love ’til you give it away!”

Although that is not in today’s readings, you might say it reflects the truth the painting above is trying to convey…

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I know those words above are not to be found in today’s Scripture readings, but I contend they could have been! Oscar Hammerstein II wrote that verse in a song in the musical The Sound of Music. Maria von Trapp sings it to Lisl, a daughter of the widower Maria had just married. Lisl has fallen for a young man in the town and was eager to act on her feelings. Maria cautions patience and care, and the song suggests what Lisl should be looking for. Has the truth in the song actually happened yet? That’s the question. So: what has all this to do with today’s feast? Everything! God the Father had guided the Chosen People through centuries of turmoil, betrayal, trust, adventure, conquest and defeat over and over again. And God had clearly decided that they were ready for the ultimate truth, the overwhelming revelation from the lips of his own Son. And the message was simple, pure and direct: “Love one another as I have loved you” (John 13:34-35). God had approached Abram/Abraham at a time when children were being sacrificed as the price to be paid, as they thought, for divine protection. That was taking place in Canaan, where God wanted Abram to go, and that, I believe, was the main reason God intervened in human life at all. Over the centuries, God managed to alter that mindset into one of appealing for divine assistance, allied to good lives and obedience to God’s will as revealed over hundreds of years and as stated in the Hebrew Bible. And, clearly, God had decided that now was the time for the ultimate revelation: the Holy Trinity. And at the heart of the Holy Trinity is love. That is the divine power which never fails. It is eternal, and can be relied upon through anything and everything. St. Paul says today: The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with all of you (with which every Mass begins). And ultimately, the proof beyond all telling: “God so loved the world that he gave his only Son…” How much more proof do we need? Rather than deny that, Jesus was prepared to undergo ultimate suffering as a proof of that reality. Each one of us is the focus of God’s love – that’s how important we are to God! And remember, never say “How can God feel that way because of me – what about the millions of others? So don’t forget: we are dealing with God, all powerful, all loving and able to show it to each and every one one of us! And, as is the nature of love, God wants it returned! It is then true love, alive and healthy.

And logically, love demands at least two conscious beings able and willing to do exactly that. So clearly God had decided that the Chosen People were now ready for the revelation. But God has made us all with a profound freedom to say yes or no. On the whole, the Chosen People said “No” to the Messiah (“a murderer they save, the Prince of Life they slay”), and the Christian Church was born, claiming the divine reality of Three Persons in One God. And at the heart of  this new divine revelation was love. There are three realities within One Godhead. They are so united in love that two things happen: Complete unquestioned dedication to each other, and with a love so strong that it must be shared. Within human reality, the union of two results in three, echoing the Trinity itself. Here (and I am assuming much) the Father and Spirit unite so profoundly and eternally that the Son is always and always has been and always will be the reality of that love. I think that we humans reflect God, who made us. It is said that all artists incorporate something of themselves in their work. This is called automimesis, a concept the result of the Renaissance. Well, it’s possible. Vincent van Gogh certainly seems to have achieved that. Self-portraits are very frequently found even among the greatest painters (Rembrandt?). God is the greatest of all artists who gifts us with our own talents with which we are make our way through life. And within all of those, the light of God should flow, author of all. So no matter who or what we are, God is present as a matter of love for each of us, and so we are expected to respond and reveal the divine within each of us in what we do, what we say and what we believe. And I repeat my strong belief that the feminine reality must be present in God for such to become reality. It seems to be unthinkable without it. And the Spirit is the feminine principle. This is seen in the mundane – the gender of almost all of the Aramaic/Hebrew words relating to the Spirit are feminine (including the word Spirit itself) – and the numinous union of the Father-Spirit is expressed in the Son eternally. And it is our greatest privilege to be invited into the very heart of love itself by God Godself! It is the nature of love to be given away, and it is our privilege to return it when it comes, with humility, gratitude and joy. And, in the end, for us to be taken up into that very source of all love and life – forever.

The Holy Trinity, Attributed to Francisco Caro 1627, Museo Nacional del Prado, Madrid, Spain.

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SUNDAY 24 MAY 2026: THE DESCENT OF THE HOLY SPIRIT: PENTECOST.

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The Descent of the Holy Ghost, Titian c.1545, Church of Santa Maria della Salute, Venice, Italy.

Click here to access the various readings for this feast.

“When the time for Pentecost was fulfilled, they were all in one place together. And suddenly there came from the sky a noise like a strong driving wind, and it filled the entire house in which they were. Then there appeared to them tongues as of fire, which parted and came to rest on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit….”               Acts of the Apostles, 2:1-4a.

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Consider the following: 1. The followers of Jesus were terrified that they might suffer the same hideous fate as their master, and end up crucified. 2. The gospel of St. John mentions twice that they cowered behind locked doors for fear of the Jews. 3. There were crowds of Jewish pilgrims crammed into Jerusalem at that time for the feast of Pentecost (the original Jewish-Greek name for the feast, 50 days after Passover. (The Jewish name became so confused with the Christian name that today it is called Shavuot or Weeks). In other words, the entire Christian church was cowering in a single room, traditionally the “Upper Room” or the “Cenacle”. So if the Holy Spirit had not descended upon them that day, all would have been lost. We would not live within a Christian ethos, our laws would be radically different, and almost certainly more brutal and unforgiving. Our world would be unrecognizable (see this recent thinking on what the world owes to Christianity). Jesus had promised some kind of gift, but no-one had a clue what he meant. They just waited for the fateful banging on the door and being marched away to torture and death. Then it happened.

But first, one strange thing about this feast day is that it has more names than any other in the entire Christian and Jewish year:

Pentecost Sunday (50 days after Passover: Greek: 50th πεντηκοστός pentēkostós) – The Birthday of the Church – The Descent of the Holy Spirit –  Shavuot (“Weeks”) – The Feast of the Law – The Feast of Weeks – The First Fruits of the Harvest.

And in the old days, all the Christian Sundays following this feast were “Sundays After Pentecost” (which is perhaps a little bit more poetic than “Sundays in Ordinary Time”). Our Jewish friends by tradition say that 49 days or seven weeks after the original Passover, the Hebrew people arrived at Mount Sinai where God gave them the 10 Commandments  (hence the Feast of the Law). They also count the “Omer”, the first barley crop, a handful each day from Passover to Shavuot and present that to God in the Temple in Jerusalem, the First Fruits of the Harvest.

And so, in that crowded Upper Room, suddenly “there was a noise from the sky which sounded like a strong wind blowing and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. Then they saw what looked like tongues of fire which spread out and touched each person there. They were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to talk in other languages, as the Spirit enabled them to speak”. At which moment they all became highly animated, went flying out into the crowded, Shavuot-celebrating crowds and began to proclaim the arrival of the Messiah in every language to be heard in that crowd of pilgrims from all over the Roman world (and thereby symbolically annulling the curse of Babylon with all the mixed languages. Genesis 11:1-9). The paralyzing fear of crucifixion was, it seems, banished forever. The Age of God’s Holy Spirit had begun!

And please recall my words from a few weeks ago. In Hebrew, the words Spirit, wind, tongue, fire, are all grammatically feminine, as is dove (Jesus’ baptism). Although theologians argue over the significance, or not, of that, it is my opinion that it is not accidental. I maintain that our Trinitarian God, through which we were all conceived, has indeed a feminine principle contained within the spiritual heart of the Trinity. Each one of us can therefore identify with the Holy Trinity completely and without question. We can all be totally at home within its life-giving strength. Even in the opening of the Book of Genesis, the verb used to describe the Spirit “hovering” (merachefet) is in the feminine form, which can be interpreted as “the Spirit of God… she was hovering” (Genesis 1:2). And of course there is also the Book of Wisdom, that word also being feminine in gender, and throughout that book, “she” is used to refer to Wisdom and her works. So there is a strong case to be made that in name the Holy Trinity encompasses the feminine strongly and is at its heart. And today we celebrate that most mysterious and challenging heart of Christian belief, the Holy Trinity. The Trinity created each one of us in the profoundest love and hope, offering to every one of us the hope of eternal joy and happiness, as is found in the heart of the Trinity. It is communal (the Three Persons), open as we are all invited in, and is life-giving, the heart of love itself. So we cry out “Alleluia” (remembering that the “a” at the end of the word stands for “Yahweh”, hence Allelui-Yahweh” – “Praise God”), and we enter the living heart of life itself and are invited to remain there now and forever: Praise God!

Pentecost: The Descent Of The Holy Spirit,  Emperor Nicholas 1 Illustrations, Paris 1841, France.

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SUNDAY 17 MAY 2026: THE SEVENTH SUNDAY OF EASTER – THE ASCENSION OF THE LORD.

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The Ascension, James Thornhill 1720s, Dorset Museum and Art Gallery, Dorchester, UK.

(All dioceses have the option of celebrating the Feast of the Ascension either on the traditional Thursday, 40 days after Easter/Passover, or on the Seventh Sunday of Easter. The New York Diocese celebrates on the traditional feast day.)

Click here for the readings on Ascension Day.

Click here for the readings on the Seventh Sunday of Easter.

“….as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him from their sight. While they were looking intently at the sky as he was going, suddenly two men dressed in white garments stood beside them. They said, “Men of Galilee, why are you standing there looking at the sky? This Jesus who has been taken up from you into heaven will return in the same way as you have seen him going into heaven.”   Acts of the Apostles, 1:9-11.

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The Ascension of the Lord effectively brings to a conclusion the time on earth of the Son of God, the Messiah. Prior to the feast of the Nativity, it was the time of God the Father, carefully preparing the people of God for the arrival of the Messiah. In that time were revealed the essential divine qualities of God: Power, Mercy, Listening, Forgiveness, Freedom, Loyalty and Relationship. Jesus demonstrated and lived all those qualities in his life, setting the perfect example for all of us to follow. Very shortly after his return to heaven, God sent down the Holy Spirit upon the disciples, inaugurating the Era of the Holy Spirit, in which we now live. It is our destiny to live by those same qualities so that we echo in our lives the identical vision of life God the Father and God the Son established for us. We are enabled to do so with the strength and direction of the Holy Spirit of God. We are not alone! We can model our lives with those same qualities and so become true disciples of God.

Power: God enabled the 90-year old Sarah, wife of Abraham, to bear a child, Isaac, thereby establishing God’s people here on earth. Jesus demonstrated the power he has as God’s Son by curing the incurable. By virtue of the gifts God has given each of us, we have power to fulfill God’s will in our lives. And we all have power! Even youngsters, for example, have the power to make their mothers’ lives a misery or make her day glorious! We all have power. It is how we use it that counts!

Mercy is when we show compassion on those who do not deserve it. Even when we mess up, God shows mercy, even though we do not deserve it. So we have to do likewise to others.

God listens! God heard the cries of the Hebrew slaves in Egypt, and told Moses at the burning bush. Jesus heard blind Bartimaeus cry out to him, he heard him, turned and healed him. We should always be aware of what we are told, and the meaning behind it, perhaps requiring help.

God forgives us. Remember the ultimate example, from the cross itself, Jesus forgave his torturers. We must forgive, which is healthy compared to bottling hatred up and allowing it to dominate us.

God believes in freedom. Count the number of times Jesus released people from captivity, both in body and in mind. We can each of us try to do that in some way. It is of God.

Loyalty is a divine characteristic. In the Old Testament, for example, Hagar, Sarah’s slave and mother of Ishmael, Abraham’s son, was expelled from the camp by Sarah, but God protected her and ensured she was safe. God was loyal in proving she was safe. Jesus was overwhelmingly loyal to his Father, even though that led to the most horrific consequences. He remained loyal to the bitter end.

And finally, God is has the closest possible relationship with us. How more intimate can Jesus be by stating “Take, eat: this is my body”? We actually incorporate the Lord of All literally into us! Try to link up as many examples of these virtues as you have shown in your life. The more you can recall, the closer you are to God!

So, in all these ways, we are able to adopt and incorporate within our lives, the very qualities demonstrated by God. In that way we become true children of God, fulfilling our true destiny of union with the Lord forever.

Welcome Home, Danny Hahlbohm.

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SUNDAY 10 MAY 2026: THE SIXTH SUNDAY OF EASTER.

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Descent of the Holy Spirit, Holger Schué, Pixabay.  

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Now when the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent them Peter and John, who went down and prayed for them, that they might receive the Holy Spirit, for it had not yet fallen upon any of them; they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then they laid hands on them and they received the Holy Spirit.     Acts of the Apostles, 8:14-17.

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  • Today’s first reading is intriguing in that it seems to elaborate on the presence of God’s Holy Spirit at baptism and, it seems, how the full presence of the Holy Spirit required a separate ritual. Yes, God’s Holy Spirit descends on us at our Baptism, as was the case at Jesus’ Baptism by John the Baptist. That told the Lord that he was, first, the Son of God (“This is my beloved Son”), giving him his identity and we too become children of God at that time. Then the Holy Spirit of God came upon him, anointing him, designating God’s will for him: to fulfill his task as the Messiah of Israel and the world – in other words, he was given his vocation, and, depending on our gifts from God, we become Christ to the world at that moment, our vocation. The Holy Spirit did indeed anoint him (Messiah means “Anointed”) as the Holy Spirit did with each of us at our Baptism. But we have to note today’s first reading; “that they might receive the Holy Spirit, for it had not yet fallen upon any of them“. So note today the critical distinction between Baptism and the sacrament of Confirmation: “Then they laid hands on them”. That does not happen at Baptism but it does when we are confirmed. Also note a further distinction. Philip was the minister who was baptizing the Samaritans; he was one of the newly chosen deacons (see last Sunday). It required the apostles Peter and John (and later, bishops) to go there to invoke the Holy Spirit fully upon them. We are dealing here with one of the scriptural foundations of the sacrament of Confirmation, given to this day by a bishop (save under special conditions, when it may be performed by a priest, especially at the Easter Vigil). 
  • We should also note that this all took place in Samaria. The Jews of Galilee and Jerusalem considered Samaritans to be Jewish heretics, betrayers of Jewish identity. Samaritans tolerated marriage between themselves and foreigners, for example; Jewish tradition frowns on that to this day! So the mission of these first believers in the Lord in deliberately traveling to Samaria to preach was remarkable, and an indication of things to come. Actively seeking Samaritans to The Way (the first name given to Christianity) certainly pointed to the future history of the church, welcoming just about everyone! It certainly set the stage for our world-wide Christian community, not linked to a particular city or ethnic group as are many, even very large, religions seem to be. Now for that gospel reading. Jesus is talking about God’s Most Holy Spirit, and at this point I clad myself in spiritual armor and plunge into controversy.
  • Jesus, in our English translation of the Greek original texts of the New Testament, consistently talks of the Holy Spirit as “he”. In today’s reading, for example: “…the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot accept, because it neither sees nor knows him” and “But you know him, because he remains with you, and will be in you”. Please note the following. In Hebrew, the word for Spirit is ruach (רוּחַ) and is grammatically feminine. Thinking of Jesus’ baptism, where the Spirit descended on the Lord “like a dove“, in Hebrew Yonah (יוֹנָה), dove, is grammatically feminine. At Pentecost, where the disciples, with Our Lady, experienced the Spirit as tongues of fire. Fire in Hebrew is aysh, אֵשׁ and is primarily feminine, and is the same word for “wind”, which was also experienced by those same people. The word tongue is also grammatically feminine, lashon לָשׁוֹן. Jesus spoke Aramaic, the common language in Palestine at that time. It was very closely related to Hebrew in his day, but Hebrew was rather conservative and closely aligned with religious life (a little, perhaps, like the way we say the “Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name….” But my point is, that if Jesus could have heard our English translation of the Greek (where, by the way, the Greek word for Spirit, πνεῦμα (pneuma), is in fact, neuter, and so the Holy Spirit should be grammatically referenced as “it”), he would be at the very least, surprised, and would wonder what our problem was! If you accept all that, the Trinity therefore contains a feminine principle and inspires our human reality much more satisfactorily! Pope Leo has encouraged dioceses throughout the world to adopt Synodal Evangelization: (and) urges them to look for effective forms of evangelization in a synodal spirit, emphasizing a “pastoration that is solidarity, empathetic, discreet and non-judgmental”. I sent a note about my thought here to our local bishop, suggesting a diocesan-wide consideration of what would probably be quite a revolutionary but uniting concept, but heard nothing back! But doesn’t it make sense? A Blessed Trinity with strength, fidelity and love (Father, Son and Spirit) embracing a highly positive masculinity and femininity all at once.
  • Perhaps 100 years from now… But:

 

The Holy Trinity, Church of St, James, Urschalling, Bavaria, Germany. A highly intriguing representation of the  Holy Trinity from the Middle Ages….

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SUNDAY 3 MAY 2026: THE FIFTH SUNDAY OF EASTER.

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Church of  St. Thomas à Becket, Fairfield, Romney March, Kent, UK.

In my Father’s house there are many dwelling places. If there were not, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back again and take you to myself, so that where I am you also may be.     John 14:2-3.

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My Anglican (that is, Episcopalian) friend Richard takes delight in showing me wonderful locations near his home city of Eastbourne on the south coast of England. One day in 2014 he outdid himself. We drove to the middle of nowhere, turned a corner and I saw the sight pictured above, and took that picture. The village in which this tiny church was located vanished long ago, but the church still stands where it was built  perhaps 800 years ago. Today’s readings triggered that memory, a House of God still standing despite everything the world could throw at it. Although built at a time when the Pope was recognized as the leader of the church, it is now part of the Anglican Church, perhaps one of the “many dwelling places” in today’s gospel? Jesus had just mentioned to his friends that he would be shortly leaving them. One can try to imagine the pain that announcement must have had; here was the greatest man they would ever meet, and I’m sure they knew that, and yet he said he would shortly be leaving them, abandoning them as perhaps they felt. Just imagine the most grief-stricken moment you have ever endured, and it might have been something like that. The thought was simply unbearable. Yet Jesus told them that he would prepare a place for each of them where he was going, which one imagines was some consolation, but of course they had no clue as to what exactly that might mean. All but John, remember, were to be martyred for their faith in Jesus. But his assurance that he was “the way, the truth and the life” and was the sure foundation of the new life they were to live, and that gave them the strength to create what was to become our Christian way of life.

But that new way of life was soon to face its first challenge. This first style of living was, it seems, to have many things in common including meals. That almost naturally led to complaints that “they” were getting more than “us”. There was apparently a social divide among those first converts from the Jewish communities, one local (getting more food it was claimed) than the other, the “Hellenists” or foreigners whose language was more Greek than Hebrew (getting less). Well, the apostles, the first leaders of the community or “The Way”  (they were not to be called Christian for some time) were much more interested in spreading the Word of God, as today’s passage from the Acts of the Apostles puts it, than “serving at table”. So they asked for volunteers to handle the dispute so as to free themselves up. This was agreed to, and seven were chosen to run the early community peacefully and well. Interestingly, all seven are thought to have been Hellenist Jews. However, it seems to have solved the problem as “the proposal was acceptable to the whole community”. This event is considered to have been the creation of the first order of priesthood, the deaconate. The word διάκονος, diakonos, is an ancient Greek word meaning servant or waiter. Also, Stephen, one of those first seven deacons, was the first person to be martyred, or killed, because of his belief in Jesus as the Messiah. He was therefore our protomartyr. His feast is celebrated in December 26th. One further note. Everything being held in common, as described in the very early church, seems to have been a kind of voluntary communism. It did not last very long, but is still found today in the church. When I joined the Jesuits in 1973, for example, I surrendered all of my belongings quite voluntarily, and entered into community life, clearly a form of (Christian) communism – but one which works!

And then there is the second reading today. St. Peter calling Jesus Christ the cornerstone, the foundation of the entire Church. Upon this stone was to be built the Church of God, starting with the apostles who were called by Christ, the deacons who managed the daily running of the Church, and everyone else, all dependent on Christ himself supporting everyone with the strongest spirituality. And just like that ancient church pictured above, the Christian community has survived right down to this day, through endless ages and tumult. and now it is up to us to support it, nurture it and strengthen it for those generations who follow. And we do that through being perfect examples of Christian love, support and vision, as strong as the stones in that small church above, which has been through all the centuries and survived!

And from one of the humblest of Christian churches (above) to one of the most magnificent, all beloved of the Lord:

Notre-Dame de la Belle-Verrière (Our Lady of the Beautiful Stained Glass) or the Blue Virgin, 12th Century, Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Chartres, France.

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SUNDAY 26 APRIL 2026: THE FOURTH SUNDAY OF EASTER.

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Jesus as the Gate for the Sheep, unknown provenance.

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So Jesus said again, “Amen, amen, I say to you, I am the gate for the sheep. All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the gate. Whoever enters through me will be saved, and will come in and go out and find pasture.    John 10:7-9.

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The first words spoken by St. Peter in today’s first reading are “Let the whole house of Israel know for certain that God has made both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified”. Considering that we had been told elsewhere that they were so terrified (that they too would be crucified) that they had locked and hidden themselves away from those very authorities Peter was addressing – so what is going on? What on earth had happened to them to abandon all fear and declare in public what the authorities would consider blasphemous and worthy of crucifixion? Quite simply the Holy Spirit of God. That same Spirit that had descended on Jesus being baptized by John in the Jordan River and anointed him as the Messiah. That same Spirit who conceived the Lord in the womb of the Blessed Virgin. That same Spirit had descended on the terrified followers of the Lord and rendered them Lions of the Truth about Jesus, as witnessed in today’s first reading. And it is that same Spirit that has guided God’s Holy Church down through the ages, protecting, defending and strengthening her. In fact, on reflection, the Old Testament contains the revelation of God the Father through the ages, then the age of  God’s Son who founded God’s Church, inspiring those who would carry on after him, guided by the four Gospels, and the Age of God’s Holy Spirit who has been with us since Jesus’ Ascension into heaven, guiding us down to this day. Without that courage and strength seen in today’s first reading – without God’s Holy Spirit – there would be no church, no hope, no message and no guidelines to heaven. That leads us to the profoundest mystery of all, the Three Persons in One God. And it was at this juncture in Salvation History that this greatest truth of all was revealed.

Now look at today’s second reading, a guide as to what we should do when challenged, following this example: He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth. When he was insulted, he returned no insult; when he suffered, he did not threaten; instead, he handed himself over to the one who judges justly”. Not easy as we are so easily attracted by all that glitters….

And then, ultimately, we come to the sheepfold itself, and the Gate whereby we enter, to be told it is the Lord himself. To enter that way we anticipate that we “might have life and have it more abundantly”. All given freely, without condition, given out of love of us. One might ask, how can this be?  What needs to be done? In fact, the first people to hear this, in today’s first reading, asked the identical question. And the answer is: “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is made to you and to your children and to all those far off, whomever the Lord our God will call.”  And that includes us, here and now, all called by God to holiness and fulfillment in the Lord. For we are those lambs in the meadow, guarded by none other than the Son of God himself. But, Jesus says, “All who came before me are thieves and robbers” caring nothing for us, wanting us captive, slaves to whatever might lure us out of the fold and into captivity. And there is such a choice! Drugs, money, power, anything that would draw us away from the one who really cares for us and our safety and offers  protection, and instead into the domination of the one who wants us in slavery, leading to destruction and, ultimately, the worship of evil. And that leads to hell, the antithesis of life: the realm of Moloch, the god of death in one form or another. There are so many!

So we should respond positively to that open and free invitation, to enter into true life, true love, acting as Jesus did, no matter the outcome. For we are never alone in that. We have the Divine Shepherd, the Divine Entry into true fulfillment and happiness. That means trusting in the Savior, following him, obeying him and responding to his voice, having been given the strength of the Holy Spirit and obeying the Father’s will for us all – to live guarded by the shepherd and guardian of your souls as Peter says in today’s second reading. So, to put it bluntly, we rely on the total power of the Blessed Trinity to protect and help us navigate the shoals and jagged rocks of our lives, trusting totally in the love that God has for each of us.

The Holy Trinity Stained Glass Window, unknown provenance.

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