Storms can often assail us in life, whether it be a personal crisis or global events. The Gospel reminds us that Jesus is always with us in the midst of the storm and will lead us to a place of calm. Fr Richard reflects on today’s readings from Mass.

Readings for Tuesday of the 13th week of ordinary time can be found here.

The British, it is often said, love to talk about the weather. Perhaps the reason is that our climate is so changeable. One minute we are complaining that it’s too wet and chilly for early June, then a couple of weeks later we are all moaning that it’s far too hot. No doubt in a week or two we will all be asking when it will stop raining. “It’s one extreme or the other”, we say; “there’s no happy medium.”

Those who were used to fishing on the Sea of Galilee knew all about changeable weather. The lake’s location, lying 700 feet below sea level and surrounded by hills and valleys, mean that storms can suddenly arise out of nowhere. The storm we read about in today’s Gospel was surely very real, and very scary. But it can also stand as an image for the storms of life that can suddenly come along and disrupt us, just like a sudden British downpour can spoil a lovely spell of warmth and sunshine.

Amos writes of the storms that will engulf the nation of Israel because of its disobedience to God. “I will punish you for all your iniquities”, God says through the prophet, and then asks “Does disaster come to a city, unless the Lord has done it?”. We might balk at the talk of God punishing a nation for its sins with defeats and disasters. And yet, we cannot deny that in many cases it is the actions of sinful humanity that bring about the storms of catastrophe we see around us today. If people wage war, it should be no surprise that casualties increase and refugees multiply. If we poison the air with pollution, we can hardly complain if climate change results. Yet we often act like these storms come out of nowhere.

In the midst of all the storms we face, personal and global, today’s Gospel reading gives us hope. Jesus is always with us in the midst of the storm. It rages around us and around him, but he gently encourages us to have faith – the faith that he will always be with us, and the faith that he will us through the storm to a time of great calm.

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.

It can be all too easy to put off important things, such as following Jesus wholeheartedly and working for justice in the world. However, God calls us to immediate service, and will equip us for the challenge. Fr Richard reflects on today’s readings from Mass.

Readings for Monday of week 13 in ordinary time can be found here.

Like many of us, my father was renowned for putting off tasks – fixing a shelf, servicing the car, or calling the plumber. “I’ll do that when I get a round to it”, was his refrain. One day in a novelty shop I bought him a decorated plate with the inscription “A ROUND TUIT”. Underneath the title were the following words: “This is an indispensable item. It will help you to accomplish all those things you put off until you got a Round Tuit”. Now he had no excuse! Of course, the danger with putting things off is that we forget to do them entirely, and so important tasks never get done.

In our first reading the prophet Amos criticises the nation of Israel for neglecting one of the most fundamental commands of the law, namely treating everyone with justice and equity. They have forgotten to do those important things which God expects of them. Just like ourselves, when watching the TV or scrolling the internet seems more attractive than cleaning thre fridge, the leaders of Israel have enriched themselves instead of looking after others. They have let other things get in the way of doing what is right. “…They have sold the virtuous man for silver and the poor man for a pair of sandals … they trample on the heads of ordinary people”, Amos says.

In the Gospel, a would-be disciple wants to follow Jesus, but not yet. He wants to go and bury his father first. Jesus’ reply, “leave the dead to bury their dead” seems harsh, but it reminds us of the demands of following Jesus – there can be no delay, no question of saying “let me just do this first”. Jesus’ comment also remind us that discipleship is challenging. In fact, any time we stop our delaying tactics and get on with an important job, in can be tough. The task at hand might be difficult, messy, or not to our liking. In a similar way, working for justice, which Amos reminds us is crucial, can also be hard. So is always putting Jesus first, and not letting other things get in the way. Thanksfully, we always have God’s grace, given in this sacrament, to help us and to sustain us. 

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.

Every nation is founded on a set of values. Jesus calls us to be faithful to God and to seek his kingdom, which means loving and caring for all, not fuelling division. Fr Richard reflects on today’s readings from Mass.

Readings for Saturday of week 11 of ordinary time can be found here.

Many people at the moment are taking part in World Cup sweepstakes, at home, in the office, or even at church. For a modest sum you draw one or more teams at random, and if yours wins the whole tournament, you get a cash prize. Some people take the opportunity to find out something about the history and culture of the countries they have drawn. Every country has a set of values which shapes the kind of society it is today. They may be founded on an ancient civilization, have been forged through revolution, or won independence from a colonial power.

The ancient Kingdom of Judah was supposed to be based on fidelity to God, who had led his people to the promised land and founded a royal dynasty with King David. However, King Joash abandoned these values and led the people into worship of idols. Even the witness of Zechariah, who tried to bring the people back to God, had no effect, and Joash had him killed. The result of Judah abandoning its founding principles was defeat and disaster for the nation.

Jesus challenges his disciples and by extension us to consider the values that we follow. He is clear that we must make a choice, for we cannot both follow God and a path that is opposed to his will. The Great Get Together, our Mass intention for this Saturday of Refugee Week, reminds us of the important values which ought to shape us as a society. These values are summed up in Jo Cox’s famous words from her maiden speech in the House of Commons, that as a nation we have more in common than that which divides us. We live in difficult and anxious times, and when anxiety takes root the temptation is to find someone to blame for our problems. Often the target ends up being the most vulnerable in society, such as refugees. This in turn breeds division rather than unity. In the Gospel Jesus tells us not to be anxious about the future but to “seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness”. May we hold fast to those values as we seek to build a society where everyone has an honoured place.

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

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

We can all view the same situation in different ways. As Christians we are called to look upon all people – including refugees – with the eyes of love, compassion and hospitality. Fr Richard reflects on today’s readings from Mass.

Readings for Friday of week 11 of ordinary time can be found here.

Have you ever seen one of those optical illusions where one picture contains two different images at the same time? At first glance, you may think it is a picture of an ornate white vase; but look again and you can also see the outline of two faces in shadow looking at each other. Another one might look initially like a duck with a long beak; or seen in a different way, a rabbit with long ears! Often in life, how we view a situation will depend on the eyes, or the attitude that we bring to it.

Athaliah the queen mother of Israel sees her infant grandson Joash as a rival in her bid for power. To her, he is not a beloved relative but a problem to be eliminated. She would rather that he be killed along with the rest of the royal family. Joash’s aunt, Jehosheba, sees him through quite different eyes. To her he is a vulnerable child, the heir to the throne, and someone who must be protected. She hides Joash away in the Temple. Fittingly for this week, Joash becomes a refugee in his own country, his safety dependent on the love, courage, and hospitality of another. Throughout this week, as we have reflected on the daily Mass readings in the light of Refugee Week, an important theme has emerged: how do we see refugees? With what eyes do we view them? Are they a political football, to be used to score points in our ever more divisive national debates? Are they a problem to be gotten rid of? Or do we view them as human beings, as Jehosheba did with Joash, who need love, support, and a safe place in which to live? The latter is surely the attitude of organisations such as Oasis whom we pray for in our Mass intention today.

Jesus says “the eye is the lamp of the body … if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light, but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness.” How we view others not only affects them, important as that is. It also says something fundamental about ourselves. Are we full of light or full of darkness in the way we look upon the most vulnerable in our world? 

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.

The Lord’s Prayer contains some of the most radical lines in any prayer. Yet it is not just a formula of words to be recited, but also a call to action to transform the world. Fr Richard reflects on today’s readings from Mass.

Readings for Thursday of week 11 of ordinary time can be found here.

Imagine that a community decides to build a new playground for children. Many meetings are held to discuss the location, the facilities, how the money will be raised, and who will do the work. And then … nothing actually happens. So much talk, and no action. Everyone would be left feeling very frustrated and disappointed. However, if after all those meetings and discussion, everyone got on and built a splendid playground, the feeling instead would be one of accomplishment and satisfaction.

In today’s Gospel, Jesus gives his followers a formula of words to say when they pray. No doubt several sermons could be preached on every line of the Lord’s Prayer, but there is one part which is striking because it is so radical, even revolutionary. “Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as in heaven” is calling for nothing less than the transformation of this world into the life of heaven. This means the removal of everything from our present world which is contrary to the will of God – no more war, hatred, violence or suffering. We may say these words several times every day, but how do we move from words to action, like our imaginary team building that playground? How do we build God’s kingdom on earth?

Our first reading reminds us of those great figures from the Old Testament, Elijah and Elisha, who were never afraid to speak the truth to power when God’s values and kingdom were being violated by kings and rulers. Christians today are called to follow in that great tradition, inspired by our daily reciting of the Lord’s Prayer. We are called not only to speak out when refugees are treated inhumanely, but also to build that world where no-one needs to become a refugee in the first place, a world where justice and peace prevail for everyone. This requires action, but action that must be fully rooted and steeped in prayer. 

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

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

Many people are not remembered in the pages of history, especially refugees who have died seeking safety far from home. However, God knows and loves everyone; our love should extend as far as his does. Fr Richard reflects on today’s readings from Mass.

Readings for Tuesday of week 11 of ordinary time can be found here.

In recent years there’s been a growing interest in oral history projects. This is where historians sit down with a tape recorder (or nowadays a mobile phone) and listen to the stories of ordinary people – soldiers, miners, factory workers, dinner ladies, shopkeepers and countless others. These are people whose name would never normally have been recorded by history, whose lives would never have been noticed. Yet oral historians recognise that history is not only made by the powerful and famous. Everyone’s story is important and deserves to be heard.

The name of Naboth would never normally have been remembered. He was not rich, influential or powerful. The ones who wielded power in the land, King Ahab and Queen Jezebel, had Naboth killed so they could steal his vineyard. They assumed he would soon be forgotten. Yet God knew who Naboth was, God remembered him and loved him. And so he sends the prophet Elijah to confront the king over what he had done. Jesus’ command to “love your enemies” comes from the idea that every life matters. It can be all too easy to divide up the world into those who are like us, deserving of our love, and those who are not. For Jesus, our circle of love extends far beyond those we know to embrace everyone, everywhere.

Many refugees who die in the process of fleeing war, persecution or terror will never be remembered by history. They may not even have a grave, and their families might not know what happened to them. But the God who remembered Naboth and was angered by his death, remembers and loves them all. In this Requiem Mass we claim that love for those who have died as refugees. We protest at a world that divides people up into those worthy of love and those not, a world that views some lives as expendable. And we pledge to extend our circle of love beyond those we know or who are like us, to all those forgotten by history but whose lives and stories are imprinted on the heart of God.

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.

Often in our world the rights of ordinary people get trampled over by the rich and powerful. Jesus shows us a radically different way to treat others. Fr Richard reflects on today’s readings from Mass.

Readings for Monday of the 11th week of ordinary time can be found here.

A priest friend of mine once experienced a burglary at the vicarage. The police called to examine the scene and went from room to room. One of the officers said to him “my goodness they’ve made a right mess of the study”, to which my friend, never the tidiest of people replied, “no, this is exactly how I left it”! Luckily I’ve never been burgled but if you have, or have had anything stolen, you will know the sense of violation that comes with it. Often people say it is the sentimental value of things stolen that saddens them the most. It is as though a part of their history has been taken; the thief shows a lack of respect for this, and by extension to the owner themselves.

In our first reading Ahab the king of Israel wants something that someone else owns – Naboth’s vineyard. As with an item of sentimental value, Naboth doesn’t want to let go of the vineyard, which he calls “the inheritance of my fathers”. The vineyard is more than an asset: it represents Naboth’s heritage and family history. But this matters little to Ahab’s wife Jezebel, who arranges to have Naboth killed so Ahab may have the vineyard. She has no respect for Naboth’s heritage, or even his very life. These are things she is willing to trample over in order to get her way. In the Gospel Jesus presents a radically different way of dealing with people. Even the one who has wronged us should be treated with respect, the respect due to every human being, rather than be crushed in our desire for revenge.

Very often, refugees are treated as less than human. They are the collateral damage of someone else’s war, a source of income for people traffickers, or the football of domestic political debates. Yet like Naboth they all have a history, a heritage, and something important to contribute to the places where they end up. This week let us pray for the grace to build communities where every person is valued, every story is listened to, and God’s justice and mercy can flourish.

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.