Thirty-Second Sunday in Ordinary Time (Wis 6:12-16 1 Thess 4:13-18 Matt 2:1-13) Always be ready Jesus said we must always be ready for His second coming, ready to meet Him. Being ‘ready’ doesn’t mean spending all the time doing religious things. For married couples, being ‘ready’ means being ready to listen to each other, sharing thoughts and feelings. Keep your ‘love tank’ full by thinking of ways he or she can be surprised by love.
Ahead of the World Meeting of Families with Pope Francis in Dublin 2018 we will be sending you weekly reflections for couples and families based on the Sunday’s Readings. Thirty-First Sunday in Ordinary Time (Mal 1:14 – 2:2, 8-10 1 Thess 2:7-9, 13 Matt 23:1-12) Do we both work hard and devotedly? We cannot avoid being challenged by the devotion, protection and love given to the followers of Jesus by St Paul and his companions. Can we say with equal certainty that in living our vows and commitments, we work as hard and devotedly? Yet this is what we married couples are called to strive for in our relationship with each other.
Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time (Isaiah 55:10-11 Rom 8:18-23 Matthew 13:1-23) Listen to the person behind the words The stony ground is when we are too engrossed in the telly, reading or working on the computer to listen to our partner. The thorny ground is where we disengage with such but not wanting real involvement, suggest a cuppa as a diversion. We are called to be fertile ground by real listening – hold hands, look in each other’s eyes.
Marriage Matters: Maintain a common purpose. Remember our courting days and the long, thrilling conversations we had about our future together. They were part of our falling in love and of establishing a common purpose in married life. St Paul reminds us of the mark of a Christian: “Be united in your convictions and your love, with a common purpose and a common mind.”
More than half of complaints made about Love Island have been about smoking rather than scenes of a sexual nature, Ofcom has said. The reality dating show puts single men and women in a Majorcan villa together in order for them to find love and ultimately win a cash prize, and so far this series there have been several on-air instances of intimate behaviour between couples. But while a lot of the focus of the show - which airs after the watershed at 9pm daily - is about the islanders' love lives and bedroom antics, the frequent scenes of contestants smoking cigarettes has caught the attention of viewers.
Sometimes we all need a little encouragement to cultivate good habits. "Daddy! Guess what? The Rosary Lady at school knows who you are.” Ummm, ok. What “Rosary Lady”? “There’s a lady at school who comes in every Wednesday to help us pray.”
On Tuesday 27th June, the British Medical Association (BMA) will vote on decriminalising abortion, potentially making it legal for any reason up to birth. The vote comes after MP’s voted in favour of Diana Johnson’s ten minute rule Bill urging decriminalisation in March.
In honor of Our Lady of Fatima - to consecrate our country to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Please come and join us for this special event - during the centenary celebration of the Fatima apparitions. What is Fatima & why is it relevant today?
Heading off on holiday...I love to visit churches when oh holiday! Check out these inspirational churches, they may be near you! Great to see that St. Aloysius Church in Glasgow makes the top 16!!
“Is he only a learned man?” St. John Paul II asks at one point. “No! He is more than that. Is he a prophet? Yes – but he is even more. Is he a social reformer? Much more than a reformer, much more. Look at the Lord with attentive eyes and you will discover in Him the very face of God.”
The two great saints, St Peter and St Paul were a dynamic duo, but they had a complicated and tetchy relationship. There was even a painful time when they were at odds with each other. In Galatians II, there is an account of St Paul reprimanding St Peter because Peter was giving a contradictory example to the Gentiles who they were trying to evangelise. Peter had been raised as an observant Jew, who was Our Lord’s anointed as the first Pope. However, as the first Pope he was becoming hypocritical, he was preaching one thing to the Gentiles, yet he was living differently to the way he asked the Gentiles to live. Our Lord Jesus Christ always denounced the hypocrites in the Gospels and it follows that hypocrisy is a toxin that inhibits the faith from growing in a soul.
Stephanie Gray was the co-founder of the Canadian Centre for Bio-Ethical Reform and served as its executive director for several year before starting the ministry which she now runs, Love Unleashes Life. She spoke in April as a part of the Talks at Google series, a program that brings a variety of speakers to the company’s headquarters to discuss their work. Gray has participated in more than 800 talks and debates on abortion. Gray’s talk centered around the idea that there are three qualities that lead us to call someone “inspiring:” They place others ahead of themselves, have “perspective” on their sufferings and situation in life, and do the right thing even in difficult situations. She linked these criteria to the process of dialoguing with others about abortion, emphasizing question asking.
Father Martin Xavier Vazhachira had served at St John The Baptist Roman Catholic Church in Corstorphine, Edinburgh, since last year. His body was found on the beach at Dunbar on Friday afternoon. The cause of death has yet to be established. Father Vazhachira, 33, was originally from India. Archbishop of St Andrews & Edinburgh Leo Cushley led the service. About 200 people attended. The archbishop said of those attending mass: "They're bewildered and saddened by what has happened." He said they would miss their priest greatly, adding: "He was a very kind and gentle man and people here had grown very affectionate and fond of him already in this short space of time so they really don't know what to make of it.
It's a time of great joy and expectation within the Diocese of Paisley as we journey with our brother Jonathan towards his Priestly Ordination this Friday 30th June - the feast of the First Martyrs of the See of Rome. Daily, we keep Jonathan & his family in our prayers as they continue to prepare for this special day.
Q. What can we do to save the family? A. Home Enthronement of The Sacred Heart of Jesus and The Immaculate Heart of Mary - It is an organized campaign to restore Christ to the family and the family to Christ. Today is the feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus & tomorrow we celebrate the Immaculate Heart of Mary. How has their love entered your heart & the heart of your family? All Night Vigil in Honour of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary 23rd-24th June 2017 Glasgow University Turnbull Hall. Mass 8pm.
Congratulations to all the P7 pupils of St Thomas' Primary School Neilston; today they celebrated their Leavers Mass & Presentation ceremony. Fr Joe Balmer welcomed pupils, teachers and family members of the P7's class as they came together to celebrate Holy Mass & give thanks for their time together as a community of faith. We wish them all the best as they prepare to embrace their new community at St Luke's High School and will keep them in our prayers.
What makes us truly happy? When an adolescent isn’t loved or doesn’t feel loved, it can lead to violence. Behind so many forms of social hatred and hooliganism there is often a heart that hasn’t been acknowledged. There are no evil children, just as there are no wholly evil adolescents, but there are unhappy people.
Let’s not forget our spiritual fathers this Father’s Day O Jesus, keep them all close to your heart. O Jesus, I pray for your faithful and fervent priests;
School is out and summer break has begun. Maybe this means you’ll be binge-watching your favorite Netflix series and sleeping in until two o’clock (it’s been done…by me). Or maybe you’ve got a demanding summer job, rigorous summer classes, or exciting travels in these coming months. Whatever your story, it’s crucial that a break from school doesn’t turn into a break from God. As your schedule and your community change, it’s important to develop a plan to stay focused on the one Thing that’s not changing: your Heavenly Father.
Excited to be with this amazing group of young people from St Benedict's...hope they don't work me too hard!! http://oraetlabora.co.uk/malawi/ https://twitter.com/stbenedictsren