Category: Deacon Tony reflects

[Isaiah 55:6-9; Psalm 145; Philippians 1:20c-24, 27a; Matthew 20:1-16]

When I was preparing for this reflection/homily, I really enjoyed reading the scriptures for this Sunday. I can see a great deal of hope for all of us in these readings.

Straight away in the first reading we see that if we change our ways, God will have compassion on us. This fills me with hope as I can see that God doesn’t change, but we must change and follow God’s ways.

Next, I read the Psalm and the response we all have is “The Lord is close to all who call him”, whether we are close to God or not everyone at some time; even non-believers; will call out for God if we are in trouble. I once heard a Humanist celebrant at a funeral call upon God. But the message here is that it is not just believers who can call God to be closer to them, the psalm tells us that God is close to all who call him.

In St Paul’s letter to the Philippians the hope is maybe not as obvious, but it is there. St Paul is telling us to trust in God, accept from God the mission He has for us and follow him. If you like, its like going back to the psalm and to call upon God, stay close to God allowing Him to stay close to us by praying.

Unsurprisingly, the main source for hope comes in the Gospel, since Jesus walked on the earth we have become a people of hope. This parable tells us that if we respond positively to the call of the Lord when we hear the call, then we will receive the promised reward.

At our Baptism when we are freed from original sin we are all given the hope of being resurrected with Christ. In baptism we go down into the grave with Christ and rise up again as He is resurrected. As new creations, we will be judged on the life we live following our Baptism

This Gospel is telling us that we have all been given the same promise, whether we joined at the beginning of our life or at the eleventh hour of our life. This means that none of us are better Christians than any other Christian; it is not based on how long we have been part of the Church. I have heard on more than one occasion of someone who has gone through RCIA saying that they will never be as good as someone who is a ‘cradle Catholic’. I usually say this is nonsense, and point out to them that I, as a cradle Catholic received most of my Faith formation at primary school, I then received some more formation through Marriage preparation and then during my formation for the Diaconate. But the majority of my formation actually stopped at around 8 years old. If I hadn’t sought out further development, my formation would have remained that of a child. However, those who have chosen to come into the Church as an adult, can apply more mature understanding to the knowledge they are given, so in some ways they have an advantage over people like me.

This is one of the reasons I am delighted that we have so many ways of increasing our knowledge of the Faith available to us within our Pastoral Area. There are RCIA classes available at all of our churches, there are Alpha sessions at St Joseph’s and St Bede’s, I think people can still sign up for them. These are for people who would like to learn about the Catholic Church and for those who would like to learn more, to top up the formation we had when we were younger.

If we truly want to build up our Church; as Christ has asked us to do; we need to make sure that we are as informed as we possibly can be, before we start to call others to join. These sessions are what we all need; we need to evangelise ourselves before we can evangelise others.

If you think that evangelising is not my job, or it is only for the priests and the deacons; then you are mistaken. Every single person, who has been Baptised is called to share the Good News with those they meet. We do this first of all, by how we live our life; loving God and our neighbour, sharing the news of Jesus Christ by what we do and what we say. Like it or not, we are role models; I’ll leave you to judge if you have a positive or negative impact on others., as Christians we are set apart, we do not belong to the world, we belong to Jesus. We are the ‘salt of the earth’ and the ‘light of the world’, we need to let our light shine so that we attract other people to Jesus and build the Church brick by brick.

So, cradle catholic or an 11th hour catholic, we ALL have the same opportunity to be saved and to live an eternal life with God, our Father; what a wonderful and reassuring thought. I wish you a holy and evangelising week ahead.

Further Reading

The Catechism of the Catholic Church

Twenty-fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time

CCC 210-211: God of mercy and piety
CCC 588-589: Jesus identifies his compassion to sinners with God’s^[1]

Please accompany in your prayers

• All those who are sick, either at home or in hospital, especially those who have very few or no visitors.
• Those who have died and those who grieve for them.
• The success of the Pastoral Area Mission Plan.
• The success of the forthcoming Alpha course which will take place in our Pastoral Area.
• The success of the Sycamore Programme which starts this Autumn in St Michael’s.
• All those preparing to go on pilgrimage.
• The young people who started their Confirmation programme this week.

Deacon Tony

19^th September 2026

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[1] Homiletic Directory, Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments

[Sirach 27:30-28:7; Psalm 103; Romans 14:7-9; Matthew 18:21-35]

“Forgive usour trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us.”  These words we probably say every single day, but do we fully appreciate what they mean? Every time we say these words, we are asking God to forgive us in the same way that we forgive those who have offended us. If we hold onto a grudge against someone then we are failing to forgive them and in effect saying to God, I don’t need your forgiveness. I have yet to meet anyone who doesn’t need God’s forgiveness. We are all sinners, that’s why we come to Church and take part in the Sacrament of Reconciliation; because we need to be reconciled to God and our Community.

Forgiveness can be difficult to give, what we have to remember is that it is crucial for us to forgive; in order for us to have peace of mind. I once heard it said that if we fail to forgive someone, it is like allowing them to live rent free in our head. When we forgive, we benefit; sometimes even more than the person being forgiven. In fact, we can forgive someone without them even knowing, because sometimes they may not be aware that they have offended us.

In today’s readings we hear that vengeance belongs to God. We are not to record when someone offends us; there is to be no tit-for-tat.  We are not to harbour a grudge against anyone. This can be incredibly difficult. When we are hurt, we may feel obliged to repay or seek justice for that hurt, but God is telling us not to. We are to leave the punishments to him. If we do take revenge, then we ourselves are sinning.

St Paul tells us that we belong to the Lord, whether we live or die as Christ is Lord of both the living and the dead. When a loved one dies, they still belong to the Lord. We who are living pray for them that they may be with the Lord; and when they are with the Lord, they pray for us that we may join them. Our best hope of joining them is to love and to forgive. Forgiveness is a way of loving. To love is a decision, love is not a feeling, we need to decide to love someone. Like love, forgiveness means making a decision to do it. We can either forgive and be reconciled or live with hurt and anger in our heads; which can be frustrating and exhausting.

When Jesus tells Peter that he needs to forgive ‘seventy times seven’ he wasn’t asking Peter to count all of the times and then stop when he got to 490 times. He was telling Peter that God’s love is infinite and that we should aim to love and forgive the way that God does. If we truly believe that our Baptism makes us a brother or sister of Christ, then we are called to act as a member of His family. Forgive instead of accusing, love instead of hating.

Sometimes the hardest person to forgive is ourself. I know there have been times in my life when I have hurt people close to me and I have received their forgiveness; but I then struggle to forgive myself. I accept they have forgiven me, but I get angry and frustrated at myself that I hurt them in the first place. At these times I am called to accept the forgiveness in the spirit it has been offered and not to dwell on my actions; with the exception of trying not to repeat those actions and causing further hurt.

Some questions to reflect upon –

Is there anyone in my life that I need to forgive today?

Do I accept forgiveness when I receive it from a friend or in the Confessional?

Is there anyone in my life that I need to ask for forgiveness from today?

The parable Jesus used to demonstrate forgiveness, also give a practical example of the Our Father; our family prayer. When we say those words; which are often rushed and said without appreciating the meaning; may we focus in on the meaning of the words and learn to live out that prayer in our daily lives.

Further Reading

The Catechism of the Catholic Church

Twenty-fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time

CCC 218-221: God is love
CCC 294: God manifests his glory by sharing his goodness
CCC 2838-2845: “forgive us our trespasses”^[1]

Please accompany in your prayers

• All those who are sick, either at home or in hospital, especially those who have very few or no visitors.
• Those who have died and those who grieve for them.
• The success of the Pastoral Area Mission Plan.
• The success of the forthcoming Alpha course which will take place in our Pastoral Area.
• The success of the Sycamore Programme which starts this Autumn in St Michael’s.
• All those preparing to go on pilgrimage.
• Anyone who has offended us.

Deacon Tony

11^th September 2026

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[1] Homiletic Directory, Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments

[Ezekiel 33:7-9; Psalm 95; Romans 13:8-10; Matthew 18:15-20]

There are times when the Church speaks up on certain matters that we are told not to get involved or the Church is portrayed as being out of step with current thinking. Some of these issues such as abortion, assisted suicide and same sex marriage, have involved the Church Hierarchy encouraging all of us to write to our MP or to get involved in organised protests. These are important issues, not only for Christians, but for our whole society and there are some politicians or journalists who would encourage us to ‘stay in our lane’ or accuse us of trying to force our beliefs onto others. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Two of our Scripture readings today tell us why we need to continue to point out when things are wrong. It is what God expects us to do! In the reading from Ezekiel, we are told that if we see someone erring, then we must point it out to them, if we fail to do so, then we will be liable to the punishment they would have received. If, however, we tell them and they choose to ignore us, then they will own their punishment.

In the Gospel we hear Jesus telling us not to hold onto hurst silently. If someone offends us, we are encouraged to point it out to them, if they ignore us we are to get involved in the discussions around the available evidence and take action based on the outcome of the discussions which ensue. Jesus is not telling us to reject people; He is encouraging us to give even those who offend us, every possible chance to change their ways.

When our bishops encourage us to get involved in the public debate on moral issues, it is not so that we alienate ourselves or to put distance between ourselves and those in favour of the issues; it is to ensure that all possible views are taken account of. For example, in the Assisted dying [aka assisted suicide] debate the Church are pointing out that life is sacred from conception until natural death. We are highlighting the flaws in the legislation which could see, and in fact has seen in other jurisdictions, vulnerable people being encouraged to end their life prematurely. The debate resulted in the previous attempt to introduce this legislation being talked out of parliament, when legislators realised there was an unseemly rush to bring through what was obviously, flawed legislation.

For centuries, the Church has spoken out on moral grounds and continues to do so. The reason for this is also in the Gospel today. Jesus said, ‘whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.’ There are certain things which the Church will never loose on earth and one of them is the sanctity of life. This is fundamental to Church teaching, the law or commandment to not kill, is central to our faith. We have no power to change that. St Augustine is attributed as saying ‘right is right, even if no-one is doing it, wrong is wrong, even if everyone is doing it.’

Next Friday 11^th September sees the return of the Terminally Ill Adults Bill [End of Life], this time it is being introduced by Lauren Edwards MP, and is due to have its Second Reading. This is another opportunity for us to write to our MP and express our thoughts, The Society for the Protection of Unborn Children [SPUC] have information available on their website of how to contact our MP; I have placed the link below.

There is a message which gives us great comfort within today’s Gospel message. It is when Jesus said, ‘For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.’ This message is so powerful and tells us that we are not alone. I first became aware of it as a teenager when I attended a Charismatic House Group at a small convent in the area I grew up in. That evening there were around a dozen of us and when that phrase was said, I felt the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. Knowing Jesus is with us, accompanying us and inspiring us to always do better.

Our second reading, which has been taken from St Paul’s letter to the Romans tells us that the commandment to love our neighbour as our self is the fulfilment of the law. By challenging behaviours or intentions which are morally wrong we are loving our neighbour.

Our Scripture readings today sum up the greatest commandments; we are to love God and love our neighbour. These commandments should form our every action and knowing that Jesus is beside us while we try and live out these commandments is humbling and inspiring at the same time.

Further Reading

The Catechism of the Catholic Church

Twenty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time

CCC 2055: the Decalogue summed up in one command to love
CCC 1443-1445: reconciliation with the Church
CCC 2842-2845: “as we forgive those who trespass against us”^[1]

Fight the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill – SPUC

Please accompany in your prayers

• All those who are sick, either at home or in hospital, especially those who have very few or no visitors.
• Those who have died and those who grieve for them.
• The success of the Pastoral Area Mission Plan.
• The success of the forthcoming Alpha course which will take place in our Pastoral Area.
• The rescue efforts in Nepal and Tibet following the flash floods.
• Those working to defeat the Assisted Suicide Bill and for God to inspire MPs to vote against it.
• Theodore, who will be baptised at St Michael’s this weekend.

Deacon Tony

5^th September 2026

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[1] Homiletic Directory, Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments

[Jeremiah 20:7-9; Psalm 63; Romans 12:1-2; Matthew 16:21-27]

Last week, we heard Jesus say to Peter that it was not ‘flesh and blood that had revealed these things to you, but my Father in heaven.’ This week Jesus tells Peter that he is not speaking with divine revelation when Peter protests about how Jesus would need to suffer. Jesus knew that in order to save mankind from eternal death, that He would have to suffer and die a horrible death. Peter was unable to accept that at that time. Jesus went on to explain that we who follow him, must deny our own wishes and carry out the will of the Father. Jesus, by dying as a man, would then rise from the dead, conquering death to reveal his true Glory as God.

This is a theme which St Paul continues in the extract from the letter to the Romans, we hear today. Paul asks us to present our ‘bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God,’ he asks us to do this as a form of worship. So, when we deny ourselves pleasure, we are making an offering to God. We can see this when we fast, by denying ourselves some food and offering this to God; we can become closer to God, knowing that Jesus fasted to prepare Himself for his public ministry and at other key times during his ministry.

One look at me and you can see that I struggle with fasting. I like my food, probably enjoy it too much. For me it is a battle to lose weight. But God sends me helpers. My wife is often very good at challenging me when I go for a late-night snack. When I volunteer at the Foodbank, there is another volunteer who raises her eyebrows when I reach for a biscuit. I have stopped buying a chocolate bar to accompany my lunch due to her gentle challenging. In a few weeks’ time I will be going to Medjugorje again, and there we are encouraged to fast on Wednesdays and Fridays. Again, I will take up the challenge and try to bring it home with me. If I am to present my body as a living sacrifice, I must get it into better shape physically and also spiritually. In his letter to the Romans, St Paul tells us ‘Do not be conformed to this world,’ he encourages us to allow God to transform us.

Today, is another day when we hear that God’s ways are different to man’s ways. If we are to understand God’s ways better, we need to work on our relationship with Him. We need to spend time in prayer, in reading Sacred Scripture, spend more time in the presence of God, spend more time serving God by loving our neighbour.

When we examine our relationship with God, do we see an area we need to strengthen? Is it in our prayer life? Do we spend time reading Scripture? Is it in our fasting or lack of fasting? Are we generous to those in need with our time and our resources? Do we spend time in the presence of the Lord?

Each of us knows ourselves best, each of us can see where we need to strengthen our relationship with God. With the final words in today’s Gospel Jesus reminds us that we will be judged when He says – ‘For the Son of Man is going to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay each person according to what he has done.’

Our judgement will be based on what we have done and on what we have failed to do. Each of us needs to ask ourselves, what do I need to do?

Further Reading

The Catechism of the Catholic Church

Twenty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time

CCC 618: Christ calls his disciples to take up the Cross and follow him
CCC 555, 1460, 2100: the Cross as the way to Christ’s glory
CCC 2015: way to perfection by way of the Cross
CCC 2427: carrying our cross in daily life^[1]

Please accompany in your prayers

• All those who are sick, either at home or in hospital, especially those who have very few or no visitors.
• Those who have died and those who grieve for them.
• The success of the Pastoral Area Mission Plan.
• Eliana, Ada, Rian and Tobenna who will be baptised at St Bede’s this weekend.
• The success of the forthcoming Alpha course which will take place in our Pastoral Area.
• The rescue efforts in Nepal and Tibet following the flash floods
• Those affected by the incident at the Big Church Festival in West Sussex.
• All the staff and pupils starting or returning to schools and colleges in the coming weeks.

Deacon Tony

29^th August 2026

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[1] Homiletic Directory, Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments

[Isaiah 22:15,19-23; Psalm 138; Romans 11:33-36; Matthew 16:13-20)
As some of you may know, I recently took part in a Parish pilgrimage to Rome and Assisi, it was a wonderful experience. We had the privilege of being able to celebrate Mass in some wonderful buildings, the first of which was in St Peter’s Basilica underneath the main building where several Pope’s are buried, including St Peter.
The same Peter we hear about in today’s Gospel, the rock on which the Church is built. Jesus gave him the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and the symbolism of this is seen on the Vatican flag which is prominent around the city; with the keys forming a cross below a tiara. The keys, one gold, representing spiritual power, the other silver, representing worldly power. A red cord is used to connect the keys into a cross. Peter was given the honour because of the profession he made. He was inspired by the Holy Spirit to declare Jesus as the Christ, the Son of the living God. Through Peter, the other Apostles and the Church Fathers we too declare this same truth every Sunday when we say the Creed. We are declaring Jesus to be the Christ, the Son of the living God.
Jesus also said to Peter, “whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” The Catechism tells us that ‘‘the power of the keys designates the authority to govern the house of God, which is the Church. Jesus the Good Shepherd, confirmed this mandate after his Resurrection: “Feed my sheep”. The power to “bind and loose” connotes the authority to absolve sins, to pronounce doctrinal judgements and to make disciplinary decisions in the Church. Jesus entrusted this authority to the Church through the ministry of the apostles and in particular through the ministry of Peter, the only one to whom he specifically entrusted the keys of the kingdom.’ [CCC 553].
This ministry has been passed on down through the centuries to our current Pope, Leo XIV, who heard the words ‘Tu es Petrus’ when he entered into the Petrine Ministry [following Peter as the Vicar of Christ]. This same power has been passed down and is exercised today within the Catholic Church, the Church founded by Jesus Christ.
Pope Leo XIV hails from Chicago, Illinois in the United States. His father was a World War II veteran and spent the post war years in education, and his mother was a librarian. He himself, has spent much of his priesthood as a Missionary priest in South America, serving the poor and marginalised. In his first Encyclical Letter MAGNIFICA HUMANITAS, he has written about the dignity of the human being and the necessity for all men and women to have access to work in these days, when technology companies appear to be looking for more ways to reduce the numbers of people that companies need to employ. His message echoes that of his predecessor Pope Leo XIII, who gave a similar message in his days when the ability of men to find work was being threatened by mechanisation. Just as the Keys to the Kingdom meant that St Peter had to speak out and share the Gospel in a hostile world, Pope Leo and his recent predecessors have taken the Gospel message and applied it to our current situations. With the ‘Keys’ comes much responsibility.
In the first reading from Isaiah, we hear of a royal official – Shebna – being replaced by another – Eliakim. This followed the abuse of power and his abject failure to serve the people entrusted to him. We have all heard in recent years of elected officials and senior officials in business, who seem to have enriched themselves at the expense of others; putting their own interests before the interests of those they have been called to serve or protect. Reflecting back to our Gospel, we realise that St Peter was not called to lead the church based on his leadership skills or calm nature. In fact, we have evidence in the Gospel of times when Jesus had to correct him and when he abandoned Jesus at the Passion. Peter was called because of his faith. He believed in Jesus, he was troubled by some of the things Jesus said at times, but he believed in Him. The thing above all that Peter realised, is that he was asked to lead Christ’s Church, it never became Peter’s Church, it was always focussed on Jesus. It is something which every one of us must remember, whether we have been given a leadership role in the Church, or not; we are followers of Christ, we profess our belief in God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. The Pope may change, the bishop may change, the Parish priest may change and the deacon may change; but the Church will always be Christ’s Church, because we profess our faith the same way that Peter did, by acknowledging Jesus as the Christ, the Son of the Living God.
All of us who exercise ministry, do so, based on our faith in Him.
Further Reading
The Catechism of the Catholic Church
Twenty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time
CCC 551-553: the Keys of the Kingdom
CCC 880-887: foundations of unity: the college of bishops with its head, the successor of Peter
Please accompany in your prayers
• All those who are sick, either at home or in hospital, especially those who have very few or no visitors.
• Those who have died and those who grieve for them.
• The success of the Pastoral Area Mission Plan.
• Those struggling with addiction.
• For Chukwudike who will be baptised at St Bede’s this weekend.
• Firefighters throughout the world battling to keep communities safe.
• The success of the forthcoming Alpha course which will take place in our Pastoral Area.
• For Aid to the Church in Need, who highlight church persecution worldwide.
• For our young people who have recently received exam results, may the Lord enlighten them for the next stage of their educational journey.

Deacon Tony
22nd August 2026

[Revelation 11:19a, 12:1-6a, 10ab; Psalm 45; 1 Corinthians 15:20-27; Luke 1:39-56]

On the 1^st November 1950, Pope Pius XII declared that ‘the Immaculate Mother of God, the ever Virgin Mary, having completed the course of her earthly life, was assumed body and soul into heavenly glory.’[1] Pope Pius was confirming this belief, which had been held by some Christians for centuries to be a matter of fact and declared it as ‘divinely revealed dogma.’[2]

In the first reading from the book of the Apocalypse, St John uses images which would have been familiar to his readers; at least three pagan societies had mythical stories where a monster, which preyed on their society would be slayed by a saviour from within their community.  John used elements of these three stories.  The point John was making was that “the hope of salvation from evil and chaos, which such stories embodied has now become a reality; a reality known to the Church and shared through its witness to the whole world.” John is highlighting that “the hopes and aspirations of the world are not a threat to be avoided, but a dream which finds its waking reality in Christ.” [3]

Likewise, in St Pauls’ first letter to the Corinthians we are reminded that if death came to man through the actions of one man: Adam, then man can be brought to life again through the resurrection of Christ.  Jesus, the new Adam, will conquer all sovereignties, powers and dominions, and only then will he hand the kingdom of God back to his Father. The late Professor James Dunn of the University of Durham suggested “Adam represents humankind through life to death, so Christ represents humankind through death to life.”[4]

These two passages talk of heavenly conflict with victory for God. These are complimented by what initially seems like a very human story from St Luke’s Gospel.  Mary having recently found out that she is pregnant, goes to help her cousin, Elizabeth, who is also pregnant.  This is something which has happened in human society for what seems like forever and still goes on today.  Women who are pregnant meet up and talk about their joy, their hopes and fears.  However, when they meet, the baby in Elizabeth’s womb leapt.  This first human recognition of Jesus; by the prophet from within his mother’s womb, is followed by Elizabeth; the prophet’s mother; recognising the significance of Mary, as the ‘mother of my Lord’.

We then have the beautiful prayer The Magnificat, when Our Lady, no doubt prompted by the Spirit, praises God for the blessings bestowed upon her and declaring that God will turn the world upside down by overthrowing what man sees as significant and re-establishing what God holds to be significant. 

St Luke then tells us that Mary stayed with Elizabeth until around the time that Elizabeth’s baby was due, before returning home.

These passages from scripture link heaven and earth, they link the beginning of time with the end of time and they link us as humans with God.  As Jesus was approaching his final breath, he gave His Mother, to be our Mother too.  He asked the disciple that he loved, to take His Mother into his home.  We know that Jesus loves each and every one of us. That message was not just for that one disciple, it was for all of us.  Today we celebrate our Heavenly Mother’s entrance into her Heavenly home.  She is sitting, waiting, beside our brother Jesus for the day when we can all be there together.  Until that day let the world resound with many Ave’s as we acknowledge Mary the Queen of Heaven, as our mother and take her into our homes.

Recently Bishop Philip announced that our Pastoral Area, which will develop into our new Parish will be known as Our Lady Queen of Peace. I think this is an appropriate name for a Parish which includes within its boundary two weapons factories. Having worked at both of these, I fully understand how necessary they are for the protection of our Nation. I also hope and pray that by having Our Lady as a patron, that we never have to use the weapons manufactured there.

Our Lady Queen of Peace, pray for us.

Further Reading

The Catechism of the Catholic Church

August 15: The Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary

CCC 411, 966-971, 974-975, 2853: Mary, the New Eve, assumed into heaven
CCC 773, 829, 967, 972: Mary, eschatological icon of the Church
CCC 2673-2679: at prayer with Mary

The Assumption of Mary: 12 Things to Know and Share – EWTN Great Britain

Please accompany in your prayers

• All those who are sick, either at home or in hospital, especially those who have very few or no visitors.
• Those who have died and those who grieve for them.
• The success of the Pastoral Area Mission Plan.
• Those preparing for Baptism, either as an individual or as a parent.
• Firefighters throughout the world battling to keep communities safe.
• For students receiving their results; that they are rewarded for their efforts and that they have clarity of their next steps.
• For all pregnant women, and those struggling to conceive, may God bless them with successful pregnancies, granting them good health for their babies and themselves.

Deacon Tony

15th August 2026

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[1]&2 Pius Munificentissimus Deus 44 available from The Assumption of Mary: 12 Things to Know and Share – EWTN Great Britain accessed 14^th August 2026.

 

[3] Marcus Maxwell, Revelation – The People’s Bible Commentary, (The Bible Reading Fellowship, Oxford, 1997)112-3

[4] James DG Dunn, The Theology of PAUL the Apostle, [T&T Clark, London, 1998]241.

1 Kings 19:9a,11-13a; Psalm 84; Romans 9:1-5; Matthew 14:22-33)

I recently watched a documentary series on Elon Musk, which looked at his life, his ambitions and how he spends his money. For those that don’t know, he is driven to build a place where mankind can live on Mars. To this end he has developed or bought companies who manufacture electric vehicles, battery storage systems, enhanced solar capabilities and space exploration. Everything he seems to get involved with plays a part in his mission. One of his company’s has sewn up most of the NASA contracts to go to and from the International Space Station and to put new satellites into space. Despite all of this technology, one of the few things which still delays launch times is the weather. Man cannot control the weather. All we can do is forecast; based on previous weather conditions and computer modelling; but we cannot change it. In fact, this was demonstrated horrifically in January 1986 when the Space Shuttle Challenger exploded because they took off when the weather was too cold despite engineers warning the decision makers that parts would fail if they tried to do so.

When we look at today’s Gospel we hear amazing things. First of all, we hear that Jesus walked on the sea. Jesus as Son of God can do what He wants to do, and this act defied all logic. Secondly, when Peter asked if he could join him, Jesus allowed Peter to also walk on the sea, but Peter’s faith gave way because he was afraid. Peter failed not because of Jesus’ ability, but because Peter lacked sufficient faith to allow Jesus to work through him. Finally, Jesus calmed the wind. All those years ago Jesus did what two thousand years of scientific discovery and engineering still cannot do, He controlled the weather precisely in the area He needed it to be calm.

There are many times in our life when we need to find calm. By turning to Jesus and having faith in the promises He made, we can find calm. We also see this in the first reading. While all of the Natural events were going on were Acts of God, it was only in the quiet whisper that God could be found. Our world is a busy and at times noisy place. If we are to truly find God, we need to seek out times of silence. It is in those times that the ‘sound of the whisper’ heard by Elijah after his 40-day walk can be available to us too.

Seeking silence is associated with one of the six Holy Habits which Bishop Philip is encouraging us to follow. When we spend time in front of the Blessed Sacrament, we are in the presence of the Lord. It is a time for us to be still. In a message for Good Shepherd Sunday, earlier this year, Pope Leo XIV urges us to “make time, then, for Eucharistic adoration; meditate faithfully on the word of God, so that you may put it into practice each day; and participate actively and fully in the sacramental and ecclesial life of the Church. In this way, you will come to know the Lord.”[1]

One of the aspects of the Gospel from last Sunday and today which is often overlooked is the desire of Jesus, to pray. Last week He had just heard the news of John the Baptist having been executed. He sought a place to pray but was moved by the crowd to minister to them. This week, Jesus spends some time alone, praying. Throughout the Gospels, Jesus takes the opportunity to spend time with his Father. It was something Jesus needed to do to maintain that intimacy with the Father. It is also something we need to do to maintain our relationship with God.

In the second reading today, we are reminded of the links we have with the Jewish Faith. These are the people who were entrusted with God’s laws, who God made His first covenant with. These are the people of the Old Testament, a race into which Jesus Christ, our Saviour was born. It is impossible to love God and at the same time, hold resentment for the Jewish people; these were chosen by God and were described by Pope St John Paul II as our ‘elder brothers’.

At a time when keyboard warriors are attempting to destabilise countries all around the world by blaming immigrants and refugees for the problems of the world, we as Christians need to speak out when we see evil. There are even some elected officials in countries who incite others to hate. Hatred is never the answer to problems. Historians link some of the rhetoric of today with the political tensions all around Europe prior to World War II. Jesus proclaimed a message of love; love of God and love of neighbour.

In the world God created, every other man and woman is our neighbour. It doesn’t matter what they look like, it doesn’t matter if they follow God or how they follow God, Jesus even said it doesn’t matter whether they are our enemy. We are still to love them. That is what Jesus instructed us to do and that is what we must do.

Further Reading

The Catechism of the Catholic Church

Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

CCC 164: faith experiences testing
CCC 272-274: only faith can follow mysterious ways of providence
CCC 671-672: in difficult times, cultivate trust that all is subject to Christ
CCC 56-64, 121-122, 218-219: history of covenants; God’s love for Israel
CCC 839-840: the Church’s relationship to the Jewish people^[2]

MESSAGE OF HIS HOLINESS POPE LEO XIV FOR THE 63rd WORLD DAY OF PRAYER FOR VOCATIONS (4th Sunday of Easter – 26 April 2026) – Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Manila

Please accompany in your prayers

• All those who are sick, either at home or in hospital, especially those who have very few or no visitors.
• Those who have died and those who grieve for them.
• The success of the Pastoral Area Mission Plan.
• Those struggling with addiction.
• Those preparing for Baptism, either as an individual or as a parent.
• Firefighters throughout the world battling to keep communities safe.

Deacon Tony

8th August 2026

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[1] MESSAGE OF HIS HOLINESS POPE LEO XIV FOR THE 63rd WORLD DAY OF PRAYER FOR VOCATIONS (4th Sunday of Easter – 26 April 2026) – Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Manila

[2] Homiletic Directory, Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments

(Isaiah 55:1-3; Psalm 145; Romans 8:35,37-39; Matthew 14:13-21)

When I was first ordained, the Parish Priest asked Pam and I to look after the Baptism Preparation for the Parish. So far it has been a fulfilling ministry. We get to meet lots of new [and nearly new] parents. Some we have gotten to know better than others. In the seven years we have been providing Baptism Preparation classes more than 200 children have been Baptised. It has given us an insight into how different people approach this First Sacrament of Initiation.

Today’s first reading gives us an opportunity to look at how we approach ‘The Water’. Isaiah, says “Come, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters.” Everyone who comes to our class is in search of Baptism, but perhaps not all for the same reason. Some are genuinely looking to start the faith journey for their children, others it may be because that’s what their parents or grandparents expect, it might be the opportunity to get into a good school it might be the chance to have a family get together. Our role at the Baptism Preparation session is to remind them why we all approach the waters of Baptism. To help us get the message across we use short films with questions and discussions.

Isaiah continues Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread and your labour for that which does not does not satisfy?”  Part of the conversations with the parents is about what kind of adult they would like their child to grow up to be. We emphasise that they, the parents and Godparents are the role models the children will follow, they will practice what they see. Children will see what their parents value. If they value possessions then the children will value possessions, if they value love and forgiveness then they will value love and forgiveness. Isaiah is telling us that we need to concentrate on what is important.

Isaiah goes on “Listen diligently to me, and eat what is good, delight yourself in rich food.”  We remind the parents that they are part of a community. A community who gathers each week to listen to the Word of God and be fed by it, digest it, allowing it to live in them. Which in turn they are encouraged to take out into the world they live in. Isaiah, tells us that all of this is so that “your soul may live.” And that we can share in the same promise God made to King David. Everlasting life.

As part of the Baptism Preparation, we often urge the parents to make sure their children see them reconcile with one another after they have been upset with one another. We take this opportunity to remind them of the Sacrament of Reconciliation and encourage them to celebrate that Sacrament before they make the vows on behalf of their children. These same vows are included in the Creed, which we say each Sunday. We state our belief in God the Father, the Son and Holy Spirit and in the Church which He founded and everything She teaches. Beliefs are easier to state when things are good, but more difficult when things get tougher.

The second reading today, helps us to look at how we deal with adversity. We all have times in our life when we struggle. Struggles come in all sorts of ways and St Paul lists some of them. St Paul tells us that no matter what is troubling us, we must remember that Jesus loves us and with His help we can conquer every problem.

In today’s Gospel we hear of other’s approaching Jesus at the water. The crowd gathered as Jesus came ashore; they had already been drawn towards Him. If we look closely at the encounter in today’s Gospel, it is similar to our Mass. The people gather, Jesus heals them, no doubt they will have also listened to the voice of Jesus before He took the bread, offered, blessed it, broke it and shared it with them. That day Jesus took a little and changed it into a lot. So much that there were twelve baskets left over. God’s generosity is boundless, if we as parents, grandparents and God parents can make sure that our children grow up knowing how much God loves them, then we are giving them the best possible opportunities in this life; as well as hope for the next life.

The Baptism Preparation we do, doesn’t just cover the Baptism Service, it is an outline of how the Church would like parents to approach the way they bring up their children; to get to know God better. By knowing God we can get to love Him, by Loving Him we can form a relationship with Him, By having a relationship with God we can be better people, helping us to spread His love by what we do and what we say.

That day when Jesus fed the five thousand, He was setting us an example. An example which is repeated to this day. If we, who have a little, are prepared to offer what we have for the greater good, then Jesus will multiply that gift. Whether it is through lots of other people joining with us or through His Divine Providence, Jesus shares the love in a way that only He can, because Jesus is love.

Ubi Caritas et Amor, Deus ibi est. [Where there is charity and love, God is there.]

Further Reading

The Catechism of the Catholic Church

Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

CCC 2828-2837: give us this day our daily bread
CCC 1335: miracle of loaves prefigures the Eucharist
CCC 1391-1401: the fruits of Holy Communion^[1]

Please accompany in your prayers

• All those who are sick, either at home or in hospital, especially those who have very few or no visitors.
• Those who have died and those who grieve for them.
• The success of the Pastoral Area Mission Plan.
• Those struggling with addiction.
• Those preparing for Baptism, either as an individual or as a parent.
• Firefighters throughout the world battling to keep communities safe.

Deacon Tony

1^st August 2026

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[1] Homiletic Directory, Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments

(1 Kings 3:5-6a,7-12; Psalm 119; Romans 8:28-30; Matthew 13:44-52)

One of the strongest memories I have from my teenage years is when I was punished for being cheeky to my Grandad. I, like many teenagers thought that I was clever and had given him some backchat which obviously upset him enough to let my Dad know. My Dad made sure I knew never to do such a thing again. The wonderful thing about this episode was that my Grandad never held it against me, he continued to love me and look after me. When I moved in with my grandparents a couple of years later, he spent a lot of time looking out for me, and nothing ever appeared to be too much trouble.

Now that I am a grandfather myself, I try to have the same patience and realise that at times it is really difficult. This helps me to have an even deeper appreciation of how wonderful all of my grandparents were. The memories I have of them are treasures, which I hold onto with great fondness.

In the Gospel today we hear Jesus talk to us about how the kingdom of heaven being like a treasure hidden in a field which a man finds and wants to keep for himself, so he covers it up and hides it allowing him the time to sell everything he has to then purchase the field. He also describes heaven as being a fine pearl, which again the one who finds it sells everything he has to acquire it.

The message here is that getting to heaven is the purpose of our life. None of the possessions we have or the titles or honours we receive in our lifetime matter if we do not find the treasure; which is the kingdom of heaven.

We see a close link to this in our first reading, when King Solomon, in a dream, is given the choice of a gift from God. He did not choose long life or earthly riches or power over his enemies, instead he sought a discerning mind; one that would help him to understand and serve his people. If only we had leaders like that nowadays. Solomon was given a mind which could determine what was important and how other people think.

In the second reading St Paul is telling us that we, who have been called to be brothers and sisters of Christ, are also predestined to be conformed to the image of Christ. The closer we can be to Christ the more like him, we become. This reading concludes by reminding us that we who have been predestined, have been called, those who have been called are justified and those who are justified will be glorified. God’s promise to us, is that if we love God and follow his commandments then we will be like Jesus and live in the kingdom of heaven for ever. Jesus tells us how this will happen in the Gospel, “at the end of the age, the angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous and throw them into the fiery furnace.” Just like in the Gospel last week, the evil (the weeds) are taken away from the good and taken to their fate. The righteous are taken for their reward.

I started today by remembering my grandparents. Today the Church recognises the Sixth World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly. It falls on the Feast Day for St Joachim and St Anne, the grandparents of Jesus. In his message for this day Pope Leo XIV wrote, “The celebration of the World Day of Grandparents and the Elderly is an opportunity to rediscover that the Church is called to be a mother to all and that at any age it is always possible to recognize ourselves as sons and daughters of God. May this day, therefore, be an inspiration for everyone, especially the young, to revive the beautiful custom of visiting their grandparents, the elderly members of the family and even those who have no one to visit them. Bring them, through this message and your presence, the closeness and affection of the Pope. Ensure that the words of the prophet, “But I will never forget you,” take the form of a tender and affectionate encounter”.

In these days when many of us live far from where we grew up, it is not always possible to visit our elderly relatives. But modern technology gives us a way to keep in touch and to tell them we still remember them, we still love them. The Holy Father is inviting us to renew that bond between the generations; he is asking us to keep alive the words of the prophet Isaiah “But I will never forget you.”  Today on this day dedicated to Grandparents and the Elderly, may we take up his encouragement and make contact with at least one elderly person or a grandparent. Especially if we are aware of people who live alone or who are in a Care setting. In this way we can build up treasure which matters for our journey towards the kingdom; which is more valuable than all of the jewels and pearls in the world.

Further Reading

The Catechism of the Catholic Church

Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

CCC 407: cannot ignore wound of sin in discerning human situation
CCC 1777-1785: moral decision making in rapport with God’s will
CCC 1786-1789: seeking will of God in divine law in difficult circumstances
CCC 1038-1041: separation of good and evil at Judgment
CCC 1037: God predestines no one to hell^[1]

Please accompany in your prayers

• All those who are sick, either at home or in hospital, especially those who have very few or no visitors.
• Those who have died and those who grieve for them.
• The success of the Pastoral Area Mission Plan.
• Those struggling with addiction.
• The grandparents and elderly in our Community and those older relatives who helped to form us.

David, Arianna and J

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[1] Homiletic Directory, Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments

(Isaiah 55:10-11; Psalm 65; Romans 8:18-23; Matthew 13:1-23)

Last week, along with some other parishioners, I was on pilgrimage to Rome and Assisi. We were blessed to be able to celebrate Mass in some special places. We had very good guides and were able to learn more about these two special places and the saints who gave their life for Jesus; sowing the seeds of martyrdom to encourage others to get to know Jesus and build up the Church. I said at one of the Masses last week, that the fruits of their martyrdom were visible to us everywhere we went; not in the basilicas and churches but in the people from all over the world with their different languages and customs; we are the fruit of their sacrifice.

Today, in one of the best-known parables, Jesus speaks about the Sower, who sows seed. He explains that this seed is the Word of God and describes the different circumstances and obstacles for people who hear the Word of God. I think many of us can relate to the seed sown among thorns. There are two main obstacles here, one is the ‘cares of the world’ the other the ‘deceitfulness of riches.’

In the parable these two conditions result in no fruit to harvest, however, I would suggest, that these two conditions give us opportunities to change if we allow the Creator and Sower to work in us and co-operate with Him. If we turn to the ‘cares of the world’ first, there are times when we allow the worries of the world to dominate our thoughts so much that they can become overwhelming. These are the times when we need to trust in God and go to Him in prayer. Jesus instructed us “Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid.” [John 14:27]. And “if you ask anything of the Father in my name he will give it to you.” [John 16:23-24]. When we share our burdens with Jesus or ask for His help He will respond. We may not fully understand the response, but Jesus has told us to ask.

The other condition is the riches of the world, which choke the word. Riches does not always mean money or wealth. These ‘riches’ are the things which take us away from God. Our distractions, the things we do which leave us trying to fit God into our day. Anyone with a garden or who walks next to grassed areas will recognise at this time of the year how dominant some of the thorns and nettles can become, if they are not pruned or cut away.

What are the ‘thorns and nettles’ in our life, which we need to cut back on, to allow God to be the centre of our life?

What action do we need to take in our life to change the thorny soil in our life to become fertile soil?

At the end of last year, I stopped using social media as I found it literally drained hours from my day. Whilst on pilgrimage, I switched it on again to get access to some pictures from the pilgrimage, which had been shared on Facebook. As a result, I now find that I am wasting time on it again. So, it’s time for me to ‘weed’ it out of my life again. As we know if we do not nourish and tend fertile soil, the weeds come back again even more quickly. My replacement for social media has been an online bible which shows a percentage of how much of the bible I have read. I find this a far more productive use of my time; which I hope will bear fruit.

The parable of the Sower was given from a boat, with the listeners standing on a beach. Jesus called his first disciples to become fishers of men.

This weekend the Church celebrates, and fund raises for the Apostleship of the Sea, known in some places as Stella Maris. This organisation does tremendous work in ports all around the world supporting sea farers who are often away from their families for months and sometimes years at a time.

Some of these seafarers are exploited by unscrupulous employers, Stella Maris advocate for these workers and provide supplies and spiritual support for them. As an island nation we are dependent on seafarers to get many of the things we take for granted, to our country. The recent conflict in the Middle East with the disruption to shipping routes has emphasised the danger many of these workers face; just to put bread on their table and to get goods into our shops. Please, if you can, support the collection in your parish this Sunday.

Further Reading

The Catechism of the Catholic Church

Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

CCC 299, 381: man created in the image of God; the first-born
CCC 1931-1933: viewing neighbour as another self
CCC 2447: corporal works of mercy
CCC 1465: the priest as Good Samaritan in the sacrament of Penance
CCC 203, 291, 331, 703: the Word and creation, visible and invisible^[1]

Please accompany in your prayers

• All those who are sick, either at home or in hospital, especially those who have very few or no visitors.
• Those who have died and those who grieve for them.
• The success of the Pastoral Area Mission Plan.
• Those struggling with addiction.
• All those who work on the sea.
• For those parents who begin their Baptism Preparation sessions this weekend.

Deacon Tony

11^th July 2026

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[1] Homiletic Directory, Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments