The angels give us a glimpse beyond our present reality to assure us that there is indeed a divine realm which sits alongside us, where God has already won the victory over evil. Fr Richard reflects on today’s readings from Mass.

Readings for the Feast of Saints Michael, Gabriel and Raphael, Archangels, can be found here.

In 1993, Buckingham Palace opened to the public for the first time, as a way of raising money to pay for the repairs to Windsor Castle after the fire. Before this, the only way ordinary members of the public would get to see inside was if they were lucky enough to be invited to a reception or went to receive an honour. Now anyone could buy a ticket and look around. On the first day nearly 1000 people queued along The Mall and the first summer saw 380,000 visitors. Humans are always curious to catch a glimpse of what is normally hidden. Whether it’s seeing inside a royal palace, going backstage at the theatre, or watching a behind-the-scenes documentary, we’re fascinated with what lies beyond the everyday.

The Book of Revelation is all about enabling us to do this on a grand scale. Indeed, the very title of the book indicates that it shows us something we wouldn’t normally be able to see. In today’s passage, we see right into heaven itself. John describes a great battle taking place between Michael and his angels and the dragon and his angels. The dragon, we are told, is none other than the devil and Satan. This war represents the eternal battle between good and evil in the world – a battle that we, as Christians, are engaged in today. Yet the good news, thanks to this glimpse behind the curtain, is that good has already triumphed. The dragon and his angels have been thrown out of heaven, and they have been conquered by the blood of the Lamb. We do not need to wonder about the outcome of our efforts – the battle has already been won.

In the Gospel reading, Jesus declares to Nathanael that he is the perfect revelation of heaven. No longer do we have to wait to be invited into a previously hidden arena, like the eager visitors to Buckingham Palace. Instead, heaven has been opened to us in the person of God’s Son, who has come to us. This wonderful feast of the archangels is a reminder that we can see is not all there is. There is an unseen reality all around us, one that we are welcomed to behold and experience. And in so doing, we are assured that God’s victory over the forces of darkness is complete.

Mass today is in St Mary’s at 6.30pm.

If you’d like more resources for daily prayer, check out our Day By Day pages.

Life can sometimes feel like taking part in a league competition, where we are expected to climb to the top of the table. Today’s readings given us a different perspective, as Fr Richard reflects here.

Readings for Monday of week 26 of ordinary time can be found here.

The time was when every football fan would eagerly open the Sunday or Monday papers to see how their team had done at the match on Saturday. Then they would have a look at the league tables to see where the result had placed their team. Nowadays such information is available instantly online, but the excitement remains. Is our team climbing the league table, or falling? Is there a chance we might win the league this season, or are we heading for relegation? Every fan wants their team to be successful, but of course only one can finish at the top of the pile come the end of the season. Does that mean the rest have failed? What about if they have made a dramatic improvement, played some amazing football, bonded as a unit, or become well known for fair play? Might these things be regarded as just as commendable?

Human beings often have a particular view about what makes for a successful life. Rather like the football fan hoping for league glory, we might wish that life could proceed without too many troubles. We might hope for a good career, to excel at our hobbies and pastimes, to enjoy excellent health and be well thought of by friends and family. Anything less than this, we might think, equals some kind of failure. The character of Job appears to have all the marks of success: a large family, livestock, servants, and property. In an instant all of this is taken away from him. Job is of course devastated, but never forsakes God: “The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord”, he says. Job’s faithfulness in the face of suffering is more important than the status he has lost.

In the Gospel, it is the question of status which the disciples are concerned about. They are keen to know who is top of the apostolic league table. Jesus has to direct their attention elsewhere, and give them an alternative vision of greatness. According to Jesus, it is to be found in the simplicity, humility and innocence of a small child. There’s nothing wrong in wanting our football team to win. But let us not obsess about our place in the league table of life; let us rather seek simple faithfulness and service of the Lord.

Mass today is in St Dyfrig & St Samson at 6.30pm.

If you’d like more resources for daily prayer, check out our Day By Day pages.

We only have one shot at life, so it’s important to use the time we have been given wisely, to fulfil the calling God has given us. Fr Richard reflects on today’s readings from Mass.

Readings for Saturday of week 25 of ordinary time can be found here.

In 1990 the late Barbara Bush, then First Lady of the United States, gave the commencement address (their version of a graduation ceremony speech) at Wellesley College in Massachusetts. She said this to the assembled students: “At the end of your life, you will never regret not having passed one more test, not winning one more verdict or not closing one more deal. You will regret time not spent with a husband, a child, a friend or a parent.” This advice has been repeated many times in self-help literature. It’s an encouragement to all of us to concentrate on what really matters in life, and not waste time on that which doesn’t.

A similar sentiment is present in our first reading from Ecclesiastes. “Walk in the ways of your heart and in the sight of your eyes”, says the author; “Remember also your Creator in the days of your youth, before the evil days come and the years draw near of which you will say ‘I have no pleasure in them’”. In other words – make the most of the life which God has given you before it is too late. This is not just about seeking pleasure for pleasure’s sake; it is about focussing on what’s important, as Mrs Bush advised. “But know that for all these things God will bring you into judgement”, Ecclesiastes says. Use wisely the time that you have been given; follow God and his ways; seek to serve him in all things.

In the Gospel reading, Jesus is determined to follow the path laid down for him, to fulfil his calling on earth, which for him means being delivered into the hands of men and giving his life for all. The disciples don’t understand what Jesus is talking about. They cannot appreciate his mission. Ironically, given that his life on earth is about to end, it is this act of fulfilling his destiny which gives the fullness of life to all people. Perhaps in our own life others will not fully appreciate the path we have taken. Yet let us be encouraged by the words of St John Henry Newman: “God has created me to do him some definite service; he has committed some work to me which he has not committed to another”. Let us trust in him, and follow his call, so that at the end of our life we can look back with no regrets.

Mass today is in St Mary’s at 11.30am (preceded by morning prayer at 10.50am and the Rosary at 11am).

If you’d like more resources for daily prayer, check out our Day By Day pages.

The seasons of the year can be compared to our whole life: we experience times of growth and times of struggle, yet God lifts our eyes towards eternity. Fr Richard reflects on today’s readings from Mass.

Readings for Friday of week 25 of ordinary time can be found here.

Do you have a favourite season of the year? Wednesday of this week saw the autumnal equinox, the official start of autumn and the day when we have equal amounts of darkness and light. Many people love autumn with its colours of red, brown and gold. Some like winter and its crisp, cold days, while others prefer the warmer seasons of spring and summer. If you have a favourite, you may mourn its passing when it has gone and dread the next one which you don’t much care for. Each season, whether it’s our favourite or not, has its purpose.

Our reading from Ecclesiastes today takes this idea and applies it to all of life. There is a season for everything, both good and bad. There will be moments in life that we savour and rejoice in; there will be other times that cause us pain and sadness. “For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven”, says the author. Yet he also lifts our eyes to a greater purpose, beyond the uncertainties of life’s changing moments: God “has put eternity into man’s heart”.

God’s eternal purpose is shown dramatically in the Gospel reading. He himself has entered into our time with all its changing seasons, in the person of Jesus who Peter acclaims as the Christ. The suffering, death and resurrection of that Christ which Jesus foretells helps us to make sense of life and its different moments, the good and the bad, the highs and the lows. God in Christ enters the darkest moment and overcomes it with the brightest new dawn; in doing so he hallows all of time, and all of life, assuring us that eternity and salvation are never far away.

Mass today is in St Saviour’s at 10am.

If you’d like more resources for daily prayer, check out our Day By Day pages.

Life can sometimes feel like continually going up and down an escalator. Jesus invites us to step off and encounter him. Fr Richard reflects on today’s readings from Mass.

Readings for Thursday of week 25 of ordinary time can be found here.

Imagine someone who has never seen an escalator before. They walk into a department store and see these strange moving steps. They watch other people standing on them, so they decide to give it a try. They step on at the bottom soon they arrive on the next floor. “This is amazing!”, they say to themselves. So they turn around, get on the down escalator, and return to the ground floor. Then they go up again. And down again. Up and down, up and down. Eventually someone asks them, “What are you doing?” They reply, “This is fantastic! It takes you from one floor to another without you having to walk!”

“Yes,” says the other person, “but why don’t you actually get off and look around?”

The experience of the person on the escalator, just continually going up and down, could be an image of what our first reading is describing. “A generation goes, and a generation comes … The sun rises, and the sun sets … Southward goes the wind, then turns to the north; it turns and turns again … All things are wearisome.” There’s a sense of the world continuing remorselessly on its course, and sometimes we feel as though we are passengers simply being carried along, like our friend on the escalator. No doubt after a while the novelty would have worn off and the journey up and down would have become quite tedious. Wearisome indeed!

In the Gospel reading Herod seems like a mere passenger, or spectator. He is the like that person on the escalator, observing everything in the store but never getting off to experience what he sees. Herod is intrigued by Jesus and wonders who he is. We are told he sought to see him but we don’t know if he ever did. Jesus, of course, calls us to something more than this. He invites us to encounter him, to experience him, and to know him. He invites us to get off the escalator of life’s daily round and spend time with him. Then he promises to lead us into new and exciting ways of understanding the world and our place in it. In this way we can discover an alternative to Ecclesiastes’ diagnosis that “all is wearisome” and instead experience the joy of life lived in communion with God.

Mass today is in St Dyfrig & St Samson at 10am.

If you’d like more resources for daily prayer, check out our Day By Day pages.

What does it mean to be considered part of Jesus’ family? Fr Richard reflects on today’s readings from Mass.

Readings for Tuesday of week 25 of ordinary time can be found here.

Family history research has become increasingly popular in recent years as a result of the TV programme Who Do You Think You Are?, and the easy availability of thousands of records online. During the first Covid lockdown I got into my family history in a big way. Just as interesting as going back in time was discovering present-day relations. My grandmother had 31 first cousins, all of whom had multiple children and grandchildren. I started counting how many cousins I have of my own generation but stopped when it got over 200! I considered trying to contact some of them but soon realised, having never met the majority, we’d probably have little in common. I’m much more interested in spending time with friends who I share interests with and who care about me. They are much more like family than a list of names on a family tree.

In today’s Gospel Jesus also talks about two different kinds of family. Like all of us, he had blood relations, such as his mother and brothers and sisters who he is told want to see him. But then he describes another kind of family, a bit like me and my close friends. These are the people who show their commitment and their care not through genealogy but through their actions. Of course there can be an overlap. I have family members I am close to, as well as those hundreds of anonymous cousins. Mary, Jesus’ own mother, is surely an example of one who heard the word of God and did it; she received the angel’s message and then played her crucial part in bringing salvation to the world through giving birth to God’s Son. In Luke’s second volume, Acts, we see Mary taking her place with Jesus’ wider family, the apostles, on the day of Pentecost.

Throughout Scripture there is an emphasis on words being matched with deeds. Our reading from Proverbs today says that “To do righteousness and justice is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice”. Here in the Mass, we offer the sacrifice, and we praise God with our lips. Let us take to hearts the command at the end of every Mass, to go out and serve the Lord, as his beloved brothers and sisters.

Mass today is in St Mary’s at 6.30pm.

If you’d like more resources for daily prayer, check out our Day By Day pages.

Why did Jesus call Matthew, the hated tax collector to follow him, and why did he have dinner with outcasts and sinners? Fr Richard reflects on today’s readings from Mass.

Readings for the Feast of St Matthew the Apostle can be found here.

Next month King Charles will receive the Sultan of Oman on a state visit to the UK. Hosting such visits is a regular duty of the monarch, and the centrepiece is always a grand state banquet at Buckingham Palace or Windsor Castle. Drawing up the guest list for such a banquet is a diplomatic balancing act. Normally people in the UK with a connection to the visiting country are invited, but not any who have offended that government. The great and the good from the UK are always there, along with people who have achieved significant things in their particular field. Sometimes there’s criticism in the media about who has or hasn’t been invited.

The guest list at the dinner Jesus attended in today’s Gospel was rather different from a state banquet, but still attracted criticism. ‘Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?’, the Pharisees ask Jesus’ disciples. This guests at this dinner were certainly not the great and the good, the well-connected and the high fliers. They were the outcasts, those who were looked down upon. Tax collectors in Jesus’ day were particularly hated as they were seen as collaborating with the Roman Empire. One such Jesus had just called to be an apostle, Matthew whom we honour today on his Feast.

Why did Jesus call Matthew to follow him on that particular day as he passed the tax booth on the way out of Capernaum? Maybe he sensed something in Matthew that was yearning for something more, and a way out of the life he’s found himself in. Maybe Jesus knew that as a hated outsider himself who has suddenly been shown love and acceptance, Matthew was well placed to reach out to other outcasts.

The calling of Matthew gives a model for the church’s mission. Our table should be surrounded by all manner of folk – sinners, rebels, outcasts, and misfits. Unlike a grand state banquet, at our Eucharistic feast there should be room for all. And Matthew’s response to Jesus is a model for discipleship – responding to his call to serve, and following without delay, knowing we are loved and accepted for who we are.

Mass today is in St Dyfrig & St Samson at 6.30pm.

If you’d like more resources for daily prayer, check out our Day By Day pages.

Many aspects of our faith cannot be seen – our union with Christ, the working of the Holy Spirit, an abundance of grace. Yet the results of these things – the solid foundations of faith – can be seen in our lives and the lives of others. Fr Richard reflects on today’s readings from Mass.

Readings for Saturday of week 23 of ordinary time (memorial of the Most Holy Name of Mary) can be found here.

One of the more challenging aspects of preparing children for Confirmation is trying to explain to them how God can be real when we cannot see him. A fun way to explore this mystery is to ask them to make a list of things in everyday life that we cannot see but know exist because we feel its effects. They often come up with an ingenious range of things, such as gravity, electricity, the wind, smells, love, hate … and so it goes on.

Our readings today also delve into this aspect of our faith. A title for Paul’s discussion on the Eucharist could be “you are what you eat”. And indeed, food and eating is another area where something unseen (food being digested by the body) has visible effects (making us fat or thin). For Paul, the Mass has two important effects. First, there is union between the believer and Christ – it results in a participation in Jesus’ body and blood. Second, it brings about unity among believers – “we who are many are one body”. These things cannot be seen with the human eye, but they are represented by the visible elements of bread and wine. 

In the Gospel, Jesus gives us two images where something inward and unseen later manifests itself in a visible way. The health or otherwise of a tree cannot usually be detected until the fruit appears, and then we see whether it is good or bad. Similarly, you cannot see whether a house’s foundations are solid or shaky – it’s not until a crisis occurs, such as a flash flood, that this becomes apparent. 

Few people in the outside world will ever witness us, gathered here celebrating the Eucharist. Fewer still will be able to see the mystical union that takes place as a result of this sacrament, between us and Jesus, and between us and each other. Yet if we have that good fruit, that solid foundation which starts here in the Mass, then the whole world will be able to see the fruits it generates, as we become people filled with God’s love and eager to share it with all.

Mass today is in St Mary’s at 11.30am (preceded by morning prayer at 10.50 and the Rosary at 11am).

If you’d like more resources for daily prayer, check out our Day By Day pages.