This Sunday is traditionally known as “Gaudete Sunday” because the Church’s traditional opening song begins with the word, ‘Rejoice!’ A rose-coloured candle in the Advent wreath strikes this note of light and joy. It is good psychology as well as good spirituality: as we approach the darkest part of winter, a word of joy is appropriate. Yet St Paul gives the main reason for our joy: the Lord is at hand! Reflection The coming of the Lord is one of the main themes of the Advent

One of the advantages of our parish being dedicated to St John the Baptist is that we encounter our patron not only on his feast day in June but in Advent as well. On this 2nd Sunday, his mission is recalled: to prepare the way for Christ who is about to begin his ministry in Galilee. For that reason he is known in the Orthodox Church as “St John the Forerunner ( prodromos in Greek).” John is often depicted pointing at Christ because his entire life and ministry was a witness

Reflection The festival of Christ the King is a useful reminder that Christ alone is the ultimate authority and not any earthly leader. Its celebration began in the Church of England in 1997. It falls on the last Sunday before Advent, as a culminating point in the Church’s year. Christ radically transforms earthly notions of kingship. He became king when he was lifted up in his crucifixion - but his “throne” was a cross His royal crown was made of thorns, not gems His kingdom

Reflection At the end of the Church’s year, as we approach Advent, the issue of the ‘end times’ often comes up in the readings at the Eucharist: the return of the Lord Jesus in glory, the long-expected “Day of the Lord.” St. Paul encourages us not to speculate because Christ has promised that he will surely come – suddenly - as birth pangs come upon a mother or a thief comes in the night (an image also used by Jesus). Throughout history some Christians have worried about when

Remembrance Sunday celebrates and explores - both personally and communally - issues of war and peace, loss and sacrifice, memory and forgetting. It is an opportunity for us to remember our own dead (family, friends, or colleagues), who may have perished in war and to hold the dead of all wars in the presence of God, the all-merciful Father. We should also pray, in the words of the Good Friday liturgy that God may rid the world forever of famine, war, and disease. Scripture t

All Saints’ Day has its origins in the 7th century. It is particularly associated with these islands because it was placed on the 1st of November to replace the pagan Celtic feast of Samhain , on which dead ancestors were commemorated - hence the keeping of Halloween (“The Eve of all Hallows”, i.e. saints) on the evening before. We are keeping it this year on the nearest Sunday. This great festival reminds us that we are not alone in our Christian life. The whole company o

My Lord God, I have no idea where I am going. I do not see the road ahead of me. I cannot know for certain where it will end. Nor do I really know myself, and the fact that I think I am following Your will does not mean that I am actually doing so.  But I believe that the desire to please You does in fact please You. And I hope I have that desire in all that I am doing. I hope that I will never do anything apart from that desire. And I know that, if I do this, You will lead m

The Feast of St. Luke, celebrated on October 18th, invites Christians around the world to honor the life and contributions of this beloved saint and evangelist. As the author of one of the four Gospels and the Book of Acts, St. Luke leaves a legacy not only on the Christian calendar but also on the hearts of those who treasure the Scriptures. St. Luke was a physician from the city of Antioch in Syria. He was highly educated and, according to tradition, an artist and a man of

St Teresa of Ávila The worldwide church remembers Teresa of Ávila (1515-1582) on Wednesday 15th October. Some quotes of hers: Let nothing...

On 29 September the Church celebrates St Michael and All Angels. Holy Scripture witnesses tells us that in addition to human beings God...

‘The Gospel’ is not confined only to the four books we call ‘Gospels’ but is found in the whole Bible: as the promise of the coming of...

In September the Church celebrates Holy Cross Day, ‘The Exaltation of the Cross.’ We have good reason to ‘lift high the cross.’ It...