News and messages archive for 2012
St Paul’s Letter to the Romans: Israel’s place in the plan of God Ch. 9:1-13 pt 1
Posted on December 16th 2012 in St. Paul's Letters
St Paul now begins a new section of his letter and answers a question dear to his heart, namely, what is the place of the Jews within the plan of God which has been revealed in the person of Jesus…
John the Baptist points the way to prepare for the coming of Jesus Christ
Posted on December 16th 2012 in Weekly messages
During the season of Advent, the Church presents the figures of St John the Baptist and the Virgin Mary to offer two complementary ways to prepare for the coming of Jesus Christ. St John the Baptist has a specific mandate…
St Paul’s Letter to the Romans: The coming victory of God’s love 8:31-39
Posted on December 2nd 2012 in St. Paul's Letters
This passage brings to a conclusion the section that began with chapter 5 on the hope of salvation that springs from righteousness by faith. The opening chapters 1 to 4 demonstrated that the Jews like the pagans were in need…
Advent is the time to reflect more deeply on our personal relationship with Jesus Christ.
Posted on December 2nd 2012 in Weekly messages
A new Church year is upon us already, and the countdown to Christmas has already begun. Plans for the holiday season are well advanced for some, whilst for others the reality of the holiday has yet to impinge on the…
St Paul’s Letter to the Romans: The life of the Holy Spirit 8:1-13
Posted on October 21st 2012 in St. Paul's Letters
The letter suddenly changes mood, revealing a strong sense of hope in the possibility of the living a Christ life, thanks to the gift of the Holy Spirit. The sombre mood of Chapter 7 with its explanation of the internal…
Plentiful rain is a powerful image of prayer
Posted on October 21st 2012 in Weekly messages
There is an art-installation in the Barbican Centre entitled ‘Rain room’. This installation creates a rain storm, but with photo-sensors allowing for a dry patch to follow the interactive viewer who is able to enter the storm. This requires some…
St Paul’s Letter to the Romans: The personal struggle between Law and sin 7:14-24
Posted on October 7th 2012 in St. Paul's Letters
Much of St Paul’s letter has been couched in general terms and building up to one of the most intimate descriptions of the clash between law and sin. He now takes the theory of the conflict between the spiritual and…
The year of faith declared by Pope Benedict XVI will emphasise the centrality of Jesus Christ
Posted on October 7th 2012 in Weekly messages
Most of us at some point in our lives have been addressed with the expression, ‘I admire your faith’ or even ‘I envy your faith’. These sentiments come across from those without faith as a plea, and often a desire…
St Paul’s Letter to the Romans: The relation between Law and Sin 7:6-13
Posted on September 30th 2012 in St. Paul's Letters
The letter has been building up to this point, the demonstration of the inner connection between sin and the Law. St Paul has contrasted the way of the Law, the Jewish religion, with the way of faith, the Christian religion.…
The deeper purpose of free speech is to seek the truth
Posted on September 30th 2012 in Weekly messages
When I was a student at university during the late 1970s, two burning issues occupied the minds and hearts of the politically motivated, first, the obsession with free speech, and secondly, no platform to be given to extremist political parties,…
St Paul’s Letter to the Romans: The contrasting rewards of sin and righteousness 6:20-7:5
Posted on September 16th 2012 in St. Paul's Letters
There were some in the Christian community in Rome, who thought that the gift of baptism gave them the liberty to do as they pleased since they were no longer constrained by the Law. This approach by some to their…
The heart of faith is the full meaning of the name, Christ, given to Jesus.
Posted on September 16th 2012 in Weekly messages
Even as a child the nursery rhyme, ‘Sticks and stones may break my bones…. always seemed an over optimistic sentiment. Names do matter and it was and remains unpleasant to be the subject of name calling. The use of names…