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02 May 2026

5TH SUNDAY OF EASTER

In this weekend’s first reading, we see how human the first Christians were. Some were Palestinian Jews, while others were gentiles of Greek origin. When food was distributed to the widows, those of Greek origin complained that they were often passed over. Tensions were bound to arise since each group had different ways of thinking and acting.  The second reading, from the First Letter of St. Peter, uses the image of “stone” or “rock.” Peter, referring to Isaiah’s prophecy, tells us that God the Father long ago had established His Son, Jesus, as the “cornerstone, chosen and precious in his sight.” Peter, with warm and welcoming tone, urges us to come with hope and trust to the living stone of salvation, and there to become ourselves a holy temple. Of course, there’s a price to pay. Through our own sufferings, we offer sacrifice and praise to the Father along with the Son. All of this happens through our Baptism and the power of the Holy Spirit. Then comes a warning. Just as many have rejected this rock of salvation to their own condemnation, so too, if we attempt to bypass Christ, then we will ourselves stumble and fall. Peter quotes Isaiah as his authority for referring to Christ as a stumbling block to those who reject Him.

This Gospel Reading is about Jesus and the disciples. He is helping them get ready for his suffering and death. For the apostles this was a huge reversal from the adulation of the entrance into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday to the despair of the Cross on Good Friday. Remember when he asked them whether they would leave him, along with the rest of the crowd? Now it is he who is leaving. They are stunned. Peter’s reply at that time might even be appropriate now. “Where will we go? You have the words of eternal life” Jesus tells them as he tells us now. “Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid. You have faith in God, have faith also in me.” The straightforward meaning of this directive is, you know how to trust, you do it with God. Use that same trust with me. This trust in Jesus and in God is also what we are called to these days.  There is much division within the world community and there is also a lot of division within the lives we lead as people who follow along the way the truth and the life that we are called to by Jesus. Jesus speaks to us not at us.  His presence is in the word proclaimed in the Assembly of the people of God gathered together.  His word is proclaimed to us in the readings from scripture as well as in lived example of others in the community where we live.  We come to Church week in week out to hear the Word.  We come to share the joys and sufferings of all the community gathered together.   We make a spiritual communion with Jesus; risen from the Tomb We don’t stay in Church all the time as the hard pew might well become the soft bed.  

All of us have duties and obligations to family, work and the communities where we live.   When we’re confused about the decisions we should make, Jesus Himself will show us the Way. When we don’t know what is true and what is right and what is wrong, the Holy Spirit through the Church and the faith of its members will enlighten us. And when we are drawn into false pleasures that promise us life, Jesus will bring us back to real life and the joy of that life through the power of His love.  As we walk along the roads of life let us take up the call of Jesus in the gospel to trust in him and he will not let us down as we follow him.

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25 Apr 2026

4Th Sunday of Easter

This weekend we celebrate Good Shepherd Sunday and the annual Day of Prayer for Vocations. We remember our call to follow Christ and the beauty of vocations to the ordained ministry and the consecrated life. As members of His flock, we are entrusted with fostering and supporting new vocations. Let us pray to the Lord of the harvest to send holy and generous laborers into His vineyard shepherds after the heart of the Risen Christ, who gave His life for the sheep. In the 1st reading continuing his address to the crowd near the Upper Room, Peter boldly proclaims that Jesus is both Lord and Messiah, and that salvation comes only through conversion and baptism. in the 2nd Reading Peter describes Jesus’ heroic love as the Good Shepherd, who endured great suffering and even gave His life so that His flock could come to eternal salvation and peace.

In this weekend’s Gospel we hear about Jesus the “Good Shepherd” who tends his sheep and the “Gate” through which they enter eternal life. The idea of Jesus as the Good Shepherd is a lovely thought because it is a well-known fact that the shepherd never leaves his sheep outside the sheepfold. If any are outside the sheepfold the shepherd will seek the lost sheep until they are found.  The wandering figure of the shepherd, anxiously tending his sheep to the point where he is willing to surrender his life for them, is the image Jesus uses about himself in this Gospel Reading. The good shepherd is not an image of religious authority that is involved with its own importance. The authority of the shepherd costs the shepherd, not the sheep. The image of the shepherd cannot be separated from how the shepherd cares for his own sheep. When we see how Jesus behaves as a leader, we see his tenderness and courage.   The parable of the Good Shepherd has many consoling truths and promises for people of every century, including ourselves in 2026.  All of us know people who have wandered away from the Church, who have lost their sense of belonging, who feel they have no faith community to belong to. How will they know they are welcome back if no one tells them? How will they be helped back if no one offers to make the journey with them? 

The good shepherd asks us to make the journey with them as people who have listened to his voice calling us to follow him. Jesus the Good Shepherd is for all of us, and we should listen to his voice amidst the trials of our daily lives. Many of the voices we listen to in so many places in the world claim to speak for the good of everyone, but they lead us astray and disappoint us but our Faith and Hope in Jesus does not disappoint. With Jesus’ life becomes richer and that with him it is easier to find meaning in everything. The Gospel of the Good shepherd is a hope filled call for us to follow Jesus the loving shepherd who seeks out the lost sheep and rejoices when they are found.

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11 Apr 2026
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2nd Sunday of Easter

Divine Mercy Sunday

This weekend we celebrate the second Sunday of Easter also known as Divine Mercy Sunday. It is a day to remember that God’s mercy is for all people. The readings tell us about faith, hope, and the joy that comes from meeting the risen lord. They also remind us that believing in Him brings new life. In the First Reading from the Acts of the Apostles, we see that the early Christian community was devoted to apostolic teachings, fellowship, sharing meals, and prayer. United, they shared resources, sold possessions to support the needy, and worshiped together, growing daily in number and favour. In the Second Reading from the first letter of st peter, we are told that we are reborn into a living hope and an imperishable inheritance through Christ’s resurrection. Our faith, tested by trials, is precious and will bring praise at Christ’s revelation. Unseen, He is loved, believed in, and brings us inexpressible joy.

The Gospel reading tells us that the Apostles are huddled together in fear in the empty room. They weren’t so sure that they could believe the women’s report that Jesus had risen. They weren’t singing for joy! Now, a whole week has gone by. They still felt “rocky” about their future. Thomas wasn’t the only one who had doubts about Jesus, I think so many were doubtful then as so many are doubtful right here and now and we see that throughout the world. The Apostles were pondering the shocking experience of the previous week when all seemed to be lost as Jesus hung on the Cross. However, all was not lost and here we are in 2026 thinking about how they felt and how we feel after the events of Holy Week. Jesus had come to assure them that he was alive and then his message must have troubled them: “As the Father has sent me, so I send you.”  as the Apostles were sent out, we are sent out to bring the good news of salvation to other people wherever we are. We are asked on this Divine Mercy Sunday to bring the mercy of God to all those out there who need his healing merciful love.  We remember the joys the hope, and the anxieties of the people in our time and we bring all of to God in faith filled prayer.  Our world is hurting so much because of the many evil things that are happening within it, especially these days. There are so many people out there who are scared to stand up for what they believe in to speak honestly and openly about their convictions. It is difficult for those who have suffered much or have seen much evil and distress to accept things that can change for the better and they can.

All this becomes possible when we meet the risen Lord where we are and then like Thomas, we acknowledge him as our lord and God as we say with Thomas My Lord and My God.  Jesus has the scars of his wounds but yet he is still our glorious Lord who has risen from the dead and brings us his light and his love. Today the Gospel assures us that the Easter season is not about sustaining emotional excitement, instead it’s about recognizing the steady presence of the risen Lord who is with us in Word, Sacrament and community life. one week after Easter, the message we receive is simple Christ comes to be with us, speaks words of peace, and sends us out into our world. May all of us be the witnesses to the Gospel bringing the caring face of God and his merciful love to the people in our own local faith communities.

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04 Apr 2026

EASTER SUNDAY

The Forty Days of Lent are over.  We have celebrated the beginning of the priesthood and the Eucharist on Holy Thursday. We have also celebrated The Passion and Death of the Lamb of God and the tomb is now empty as we wait on the joyful call that Christ has  risen from the dead.  The darkness of good Friday is gone and the flowers in our churches symbolize the New Life that has come into the world. Jesus Christ lives! He has Risen as he said he would and his light lights up our world.  During the Easter Vigil we lit the Easter fire and from that fire we have lit the Paschal Candle that will be used over the next year.

Our Gospel story for the vigil tells us that we should not look for Jesus among the dead for he has risen and the light of Christ lights up the darkness of our lives and our world. The Easter celebration is an invitation to come out of darkness into the light of the risen Christ. In that light we see him and recognise each other as brothers and sisters in the Lord. It is that light which summons us to leave the darkness of our lives behind and all of us have some of those dark places.  As a result of Jesus conquering death on the cross nobody can be written off as a lost cause ever again. Year after year when we celebrate Easter, we hold as holy the memory of God’s great love for us when he raised Jesus from the dead.  We believe that God’s graciousness will be extended to ourselves and that our own death will not be the final word. Our faith tells us that we will participate in Jesus resurrection on the last day. But a question raises itself: is our faith in the resurrection limited to remembering Jesus’ resurrection and hoping for our own on the last day? Hopefully it will mean more to us than that.

The resurrection of Jesus is a proclamation that this outcast from Galilee is the beloved Son of God who cannot be held in the darkness of death because someone else acts. Jesus did not raise himself; he was raised by God his father. All of us believe that God’s work continues not least because we believe Jesus’ words: “I am the resurrection and the life.” Our celebration of the Easter Season begins with our celebration of the Resurrection of Jesus on Easter Sunday with the Vigil on Holy Saturday evening during which we welcome and baptize adult converts to the faith Then on Easter morning  we celebrate our Easter masses as we renew our baptismal promises and don’t forget that the feast of Easter continues for 50 days until Pentecost.  So full of gratitude for Christ’s passion, with joy in his resurrection and, strengthened by the Spirit, we continue our Christian journey this Easter time.

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04 Apr 2026

Holy Saturday

The cross is empty now Jesus lies in the tomb and everything around us is still.’ The heavens and the earth cry out with longing for the sinless one who is not to be found, if we stop to think for a moment we remember that Jesus died and rose again on the third day. We wait, as mourners beside a grave, unsettled, ill at ease, almost not knowing what to do with ourselves. The Church has only one thing to do today: to pray through the emptiness of Holy Saturday. Holy Saturday then is the day when we experience watching and waiting at the tomb as we await the celebration of the Resurrection which we celebrate in the Easter Vigil and then the season of Easter that lasts until Pentecost Sunday. The Jewish people have been celebrating Passover annually for thousands of years, commemorating the night in which God brought them out of slavery in Egypt to begin the journey to the promised land. At the Last Supper, Jesus also celebrated the Passover but gave ita new meaning. No longer a remembrance of passing from slavery to freedom, but through his own passion, death and resurrection we too pass from death to life with him. Until the fourth century, Easter was the only feast of the Church’s year, and to this day it remains the most important. As the Catechism says: “Easter is not simply one feast among others, but the ‘Feast of feasts’, the ‘Solemnity of solemnities’.” Every Sunday Eucharist echoes the Sunday of the Resurrection and Easter.

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03 Apr 2026

Good Friday

Today in the liturgy, we read St. Johns account of the passion, we pray for the needs of the Church and the world, we venerate the Cross and we receive the blessed Eucharist. As we reflect on the events of Good Friday we are invited to examine our own lives and attitudes.  When we think of the death of Jesus on the cross, we realise that his death was a result of the courage of his convictions. He lived his life with a message of compassion, and love, Jesus was often critical of those who lorded it over those who were less well off or who had little or even nothing at all. The cross of Good Friday is a sign and a symbol that all of us recognise, it is a sign of the completeness of the love that God has for each one of us faults and failings included.

We need to show the love of God to all those whose lives are loveless to all who have nobody to care for them we must show them that ours is an all loving and caring God. In reaching out to others, especially those who feel isolated or abandoned, we embody the spirit of Christ and become instruments of his love in the world. Today when we go up to venerate the cross, we should allow the cross to move us to be better people. Consoling, and comforting the people we meet with the values of Jesus and the Cross.

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01 Apr 2026

HOLY THURSDAY

 

On this day we celebrate the Sacraments of Priesthood and Eucharist. In every diocese the priests who have given their lives in generous service of the people of God gather with the Bishop for the Chrism Mass and then in front of their brothers and sisters they renew their commitment to priestly service. Also, at this Mass the oils of Chrism, Catechumens and the Oil of the Sick are blessed by the bishop, these holy oils will be used in the Baptisms, Confirmations and anointing of the sick in the local parishes over the next 12 months. The theme running throughout this day is one of service, service to God and his people. The theme running throughout this day is one of service, service to God and one another.

The Evening Mass on Holy Thursday commemorates the Last Supper it has as its theme, service and sacrifice which are aspects of the same mystery. In the washing of the feet in this mass  we see Jesus as one who serves, who gives himself. Just as he freely gives himself in washing the feet of his disciples, so too he gives himself in the bread and wine he takes, blesses and hands to them as he does through the priests down through the generations to us, And in the same way he will give himself on the cross tomorrow.  All these acts of self-giving are the same act – that of the Son of Man who came ‘not to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.’The gospel of the evening mass clearly indicates a life of love, serving the community and helping out those who are in any need. On Holy Thursday we commemorate the first Eucharist when Jesus gave us the gift of himself to be with us in the here and now of today and for all time.

The action of the Church is our action  as the body of Christ on this night we also witness the Church’s respect for Christ’s Body present in the consecrated Host in the Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, carried in solemn procession to the  Altar of Repose. No Mass will be celebrated again in the Church throughout the world until the Easter Vigil on Saturday evening proclaims the Resurrection that is the light of Christ.

As people who are Christians that is followers of Christ We should embrace all those who are in need of any kind as Christ did. We should be leading lives of generous service to all those who need our help wherever they are and there are many people around who may need our help and care. Each of us is called to show that we are a caring people showing the love of God to all those whose lives are loveless to all who have nobody to care for them we have to show them that ours is an all loving and caring God.  When we serve our brothers and sisters in whatever way we are called showing them that our God is an all-loving and caring father in heaven then the Eucharist whenever we partake of this great sacrament will bring us joy and peace. In the words of the liturgy let us go forth to meet the Lord in peace and thanksgiving as we celebrate the three days of the Easter Triduum

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27 Mar 2026

Palm Sunday

On Ash Wednesday we placed the ashes on our foreheads as a sign of our humility as we began our Journey for Lent. Today on Palm Sunday, we remember Jesus entrance into Jerusalem on a donkey as the people raised their voices in joyful acclamation as they sang hosanna to the Son of David. We stop and reflect for a moment on how we began our journey on Ash Wednesday and where we are now as we approach the life changing and life-giving events of Holy Week.  The first reading from Isaiah, speaks of a courageous and obedient messiah-figure, who says, “I have set my face like flint” against the beatings and scourging that lie ahead, “knowing that I shall not be put to shame.” The second reading from Philippians reminds us of Jesus’ total emptying of His divinity in order that He might identify Himself with the lowest criminal being led to His execution, “obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.” And the reading continues but God raised him high and gave him the name above all other names.

The entrance into Jerusalem is one of the very few events in Jesus’ life which is mentioned in all four gospels.  It is the only time that Jesus accepts and encourages public acclaim as Messiah.  He even goes as far as organising his entrance by telling the disciples to go and fetch the donkey.  The key moment in God’s plan of salvation is about to begin, and Jesus knows exactly how it will unfold as he understood what the will of the father would mean for him. The full drama of the Gospel begins with the crowd’s fickle acclamation of Jesus as King. It reminds us of our own fickle responses and our lack of courage as we respond to His love and truth. Palm Sunday is about Jesus’s suffering for our inadequacies and our own sins. Our journey during Holy Week is a journey about god’s love for all of us that is manifest in the cross of Good Friday.  In just three years of his public ministry, Jesus set in motion a change in the hearts of many people. Just three years of walking around healing the broken, freeing person’s enslaved spirits, bringing hope, purpose, and meaning to the poor. Those “poor” included people with wealth, with power, with influence.  As we enter Holy Week, let us pause from the rush of daily life and open our hearts to the transformative power of Christ’s example. In doing so, we honour the journey Jesus made for us on the first Good Friday and allow ourselves to be renewed in faith, hope, and love. The Church leaves us in no doubt on Palm Sunday that we have now set out on the solemn journey of Holy Week.

How will we mark this journey in the coming days? Will we let it pass by with little interruption to our normal routines? Or will we walk prayerfully with Jesus through Holy Thursday to the cross of Good Friday and then to the Feast of the resurrection at Easter. We move towards the heavenly Jerusalem because Christ himself made the journey to the Cross for us and now he offers to make it with us here and now in 2026.   May the passion story inspire all of us to try to imitate in some small way the all loving all forgiving Jesus who went through betrayal to the cross and finally came to the resurrection for us so that we will have life and have it to the full. Over the next few days let us prepare well as we walk through Holy Thursday, Good Friday and Holy Saturday and then we will really be able to enjoy the Easter feast which we have been preparing for since Ash Wednesday.

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07 Mar 2026

3rd Sunday of Lent

As we gather this weekend to celebrate the Third Sunday of Lent, all of us are troubled by the news of the conflict in Iran. The United States and Israel initiated military action against Iran, resulting in the deaths of that nation’s leadership and many other people mostly civilians. This operation, called Operation Epic Fury, has drawn widespread criticism from the international community, as many nations have condemned the lack of proper consultation and authorisation for this act of war. In these uncertain times, we unite in prayer for peace not only in the Middle East, Ukraine, and all places afflicted by violence, but also within our own hearts that we may be people of peace as we journey towards Holy Week and Easter. In the First Reading we hear about the Israelites, thirsty and doubting God’s presence, quarrel with Moses. God instructs Moses to strike a rock at Horeb, miraculously providing water, and the place is named “Massah” and “Meribah.” In the Second Reading – we are told that Through faith, we are made right with God, gaining peace and the hope of sharing His glory. God’s love, given through the Holy Spirit, affirms this hope, shown in Christ dying for us.

The gospel reading from Johns Gospel tells us about the Samaritan woman. One of the responses for the Easter Vigil is with joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation, and this sums up what this reading from john’s gospel is about. Jesus breaks the law to speak to a Samaritan woman who had come to Jacob’s well to draw water. What a surprise it must have been to her, when Jesus, tired, hungry and thirsty, asks her for a drink of water! He broke all the rules in speaking to her. Now, he keeps on talking, ignoring her hostility, aware that, in this unexpected encounter, the Father has provided Him with an opportunity for piercing the heart of this sinful woman with his love leaving an example for all those who thirst. Jesus suggests that He can give her living water that is far superior to anything she had ever tasted. We know that she had tried cheap love, and we presume she was no stranger to intoxication, power, and money! This isn’t a gentle lady who comes to draw water from the well, but a toughened cynic. Cynical with the world around her in her time as so many are cynical in our modern world for many different reasons. Jesus forgets His own needs and offers this woman living water that is spiritual grace. Finding her heart curious and open to this miraculous water, He proceeds to raise her vision. He asks her to go back and bring her husband to the well with her.  Of course, this is the turning point of the story. When He confronts her with the truth, she could have flounced off in righteous indignation and denial as many people do when confronted with the truth, but she doesn’t. In true humility, she accepts the reality of her life.  Because of her humility, Jesus floods her soul with grace. Dropping the bucket, she runs back to spread the good news. “I’ve found the Messiah!” And she had!  

Lent is a time for us to let Jesus satisfy our thirst for the truth and life. Like that woman, we too have tried the wrong kinds of water to quench our thirst for happiness, satisfaction, and peace of mind without really finding it. The psalm in the Easter Vigil tells us that with joy we will draw water from the wells of salvation, and this is the time for us to find real joy and satisfaction of letting the Lord fill us with the grace during the season of Lent so that we will be able to enjoy the season of Easter. We will find that our joy is greatest when we share the gift of salvation with others by really listening to them, praying from the heart in a quiet place, reflecting on the Word privately or at Mass, and letting the Eucharist change us into the Body of Christ. The Samaritan woman reminds those who doubt, or struggle with faith that we are asked to stay in a conversation with Christ.  It’s all about shunning the type of thirst-quencher that doesn’t really satisfy and actively seek the Living Water that wells up to salvation that Jesus gives us.

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16 Feb 2026

Ash Wednesday 2026

We begin our annual observance of Lent with the Ashes of Ash Wednesday and once again we take up our annual campaign of spiritual renewal. The cry of today is repent and believe the Good News as we prepare for Holy Week and Easter.  As we place the ashes on our foreheads and listen to the words repent and believe in the good news, we remember that the Church teaches that prayer, fasting, and almsgiving are significant ways to become closer to God.  In the First Reading the Lord urges a heartfelt return with fasting and repentance, highlighting his gracious and compassionate nature. A communal fast is called, involving all, with priests pleading for mercy, leading to God’s compassionate response to His people. in the Responsorial Psalm acknowledging our sins, we implore God’s mercy and cleansing. We seek a renewed heart and spirit, and then we will find God’s presence and the restoration of the joy found in His salvation.

In the Second Reading St Paul tells us We implore you on Christ’s behalf to reconcile with God. Christ bore our sins to make us righteous. Embrace God’s grace, for now is the time of salvation. In the reading from Matthews Gospel Jesus emphasizes the importance of sincerity in faith practices. He advises against performing acts of charity, prayer, and fasting for public admiration, as such actions lack true spiritual value. Instead, he encourages discreet and private expressions of faith, assuring that God, who sees what we do in secret, will duly reward genuine devotion. The question for each of us on Ash Wednesday is how we will celebrate Lent this year as individuals and as members of the local community. Over the next six weeks there will be a packed programme of activities providing many opportunities for spiritual renewal coupled with fasting and alms giving and I encourage you wherever you are reading this to try and take up some of the opportunities provided in your area for Lent. May God give us the grace to make a good Lent as we begin our journey on the road to Holy Week and Easter.

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