Sunday
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Corpus Christi Sunday – Homily before Eucharistic Procession and Benediction – 7 June 2026
Today the Church throughout the world celebrates the great feast of Corpus Christi, the Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ. One of the most beautiful feasts of the Christian year, it invites us to contemplate the mystery that lies at the very heart of our faith: the gift of Christ himself in the Eucharist. Thus as we begin our devotion today, it is important to reflect on what it is that we are doing and why. The great tragedy would be if we came to Mass every week, received Communion faithfully, adored the Blessed Sacrament reverently, and yet remained fundamentally unchanged. For the Eucharist is not simply an object…
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Corpus Christi Sunday – Parish First Holy Communion Homily – 7 June 2026
Today is a very special day. It is the Feast of Corpus Christi, the feast on which the Church celebrates the greatest gift Jesus left us before He returned to His Father: the gift of his very life in the Eucharist. And today is especially joyful because our children will receive their First Holy Communion. Children, today is a day you will remember for the rest of your lives. You have received many gifts over the years. Perhaps a favourite toy, a special book, a bicycle, or a gift for your birthday or Christmas. But today you are receiving something infinitely greater than any present anyone could ever give you.…
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Trinity Sunday – 31 May 2026
On first glance, the connection between theology and technology might seem very slim indeed. What link could the mystery of the Trinity which we celebrate this Sunday possibly have with the rapid rise of new technologies, such as Artificial Intelligence? It is rather remarkable, however, that in this last week leading to our celebration of Trinity Sunday this year, Pope Leo has released his first encyclical, Magnifica Humanitas: On Safeguarding the Human Person in the Time of Artificial Intelligence. Just as, in May 1891, Pope Leo XIII saw in the industrial revolution an unmistakable turning point for humanity and published his encyclical Rerum Novarum, “Of New Things”, so now Pope Leo XIV sees ourselves,…
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Ascension Sunday – 17 May 2026
Our celebration of the Ascension comes to us at a strange and uncertain moment in our world. It can feel at times as though our horizon has narrowed, as though we are becoming increasingly trapped within fear, division, and uncertainty. Yet, into this world, the feast of the Ascension speaks a word of hope. How might we understand this hope? Imagine for a little while a moment in our life which was full of possibility. Maybe it was when we first started school, or began our first job, or left home for the first time. Perhaps it was when we married, entered religious life, became a parent, or made some important…
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6th Sunday in Easter – 10 May 2026 (Mothers’ Day)
The tenderness of Jesus towards his friends strikes us from today’s gospel. As he prepares them for his departure, he says to them: “I will not leave you orphans; I will come back to you.” In the midst of all their uncertainty, fear and loss, Jesus assures them that they are not abandoned. His love will remain with them, even when they cannot see him. We know only too well that one of our great fears is the fear of being alone, of being forgotten, of being left without anyone to hold us when life becomes dark or confusing. Yet from the beginning of our lives, most of us first…
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5th Sunday of Easter – 3 May 2026
The Gospel we hear today, from the fourteenth chapter of John, is spoken at a moment of deep uncertainty. Jesus senses the anxiety of his disciples. Everything familiar is about to change. The one they have relied upon, the one who has gathered and guided them, is speaking of departure. And into that unsettled moment he says: “Do not let your hearts be troubled.” This is not a denial of reality. It is not a reassurance that nothing will change. It is, rather, an invitation to trust in a deeper presence that will remain even when structures shift and visible leadership passes. Perhaps, this gives us a window by which to view…
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2nd Sunday of Easter – 12 April 2026
The late English writer Daniel O’Leary once related a striking moment of epiphany narrated by the Irish mystic John Moriarty. Moriarty was walking through muddy patches in the meadow near his Kerry home, wondering how those “hints of heaven” could emerge from such a drab place. “How could something so yellow as a buttercup come up out of soggy brown earth?” he asked. “How could something so purple as an orchid and so perfect as a cowslip come out of it? Where does the colour and perfection come from?”[1] That question presses itself upon us with new urgency even now. We look at the world and see the mud all…
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Easter Vigil – 4 April 2026
Few of us are spared today the ambiguity of social media. For some it is a helpful means of communication; for others it is an addictive curse. Yet, in one way or another, it has become part of most of our lives. There is one type of clip on TikTok that always delights me whenever it appears. There are many versions of it under the title “Dance Funny.” A young dancer walks through streets in different parts of the world and spontaneously invites strangers to dance. The people he meets seem entirely random: people of every age, shape, culture and background. Yet the music and energy of the young dancer…
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Palm Sunday – 29 March 2026
Today we commemorate Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem, the place from which he will be arrested, tired and crucified. Yet there is something unsettling about the way Jesus enters Jerusalem. He does not slip quietly into the city. He does not avoid attention. Rather, he chooses this moment. He sends for the donkey. He rides into the city as the crowd cries out “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” This is not accidental. This is Jesus intentionally laying claim to his city. And yet, everything about it feels wrong. Because if a king comes to claim his city, we expect strength, control, stability, visible power But Jesus comes on a donkey. Not a war horse.…
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Fifth Sunday of Lent – 22 March 2026
One of the maxims we learn in life is that when we are in a hole, we should stop digging. It sounds simple. Yet it is remarkably difficult to live by. From time to time, we see it play out in public life—a figure caught in a mistake, who keeps speaking, keeps defending, keeps digging deeper. We cringe as we watch it unfold. And yet, if we are honest, we recognise something of ourselves in it. Because all of us, in one way or another, know what it is to dig a hole for ourselves. It happens in our work. It happens in our relationships. We say too much or…