What kind of community, city or world would we create? And what of God’s designs? Here’s today’s reflection from the daily Mass.
BIBLE READINGS: You can find the readings for Monday of the Fourth Week of Lent can be found here
Plans to build Wales’s tallest building were given the go ahead last week.
Standing 110m high, the 50-storey building will be the second tallest building in the UK outside of London, and part of the Central Square development next to Central Station, the BBC studios and the Principality Stadium. Cities never stand still. They are always being redeveloped, rebuilt, growing upwards and outwards.
The prophet Isaiah unveils God’s masterplan for creating a new heaven and a new earth. “Be glad and rejoice for ever in that which I create; for behold, I create Jerusalem to be a joy, and her people to be a gladness.” He talks of a city with no weeping or distress, where there are houses to live in, space for food to be grown, and where vineyards are fruitful. There will be life for all. It is a world transformed from mourning into dancing, when nighttime tears give way to joy at dawn.
If we created our own masterplan for our local communities or city, or wrote our own manifesto for our country, or even our designs and desires for the whole world, what would it contain? How would we start? What vision would we have? And how would it compare to God’s designs? We may think that we are in an impossible situation to achieve any change for the good. But we can begin where we are, working with one another and, as St Paul says, as “co-workers of Christ.” To use more of his imagery, as members of the church, we are part of a building with Christ as the cornerstone, we are God’s household. We are temples of the spirit. We are God’s garden. That may be enough building metaphors to get us started—after all, Christ has already laid the foundations.
Mass today is at S Dyfrig and S Samson Church at 6.30pm
DAY BY DAY
If you’d like more resources for daily prayer then check out our DAY BY DAY pages.
God would much rather that we are honest with him in prayer, even if that honesty reveals aspects of ourselves we would rather keep hidden. Fr Richard reflects on today’s readings from mass.
Readings for Saturday of the third week of Lent can be found here.
There’s a story about a group of schoolboys who manage to steal the foreign-language exam paper the night before a test. Delighted with their success, they gather secretly to look at it. They open the paper and read the first question, which to their consternation says “Translate into French the following proverb: ‘Honesty is the best policy’”. The boys are faced with the absurdity of the sitaution – they are condemned by the very question they have cheated in order to reveal.
Jesus seems to value the brutal honesty of the tax collector’s prayer over the desire to get ahead shown by the Pharisee. Not only is the prayer of the tax collector searingly honest, it is also to the point – he uses just seven words while the Pharisee’s prayer contains 32. Just as with stealing an exam paper, being anything other than honest in prayer is a case of cheating yourself. God already knows the secrets of our hearts, so there’s little point pretending, or trying to impress him with many words or self-justification. An average test result achieved honestly is better than a perfect score attained through cheating; and in the same way, God surely values honesty more than pretence.
A similar theme is present in our first reading from Hosea. The people were fastidious with the outward show of religion, offering sacrifices and burnt offerings. But their faith wasn’t making a difference deep down in the heart, or in the way they treated others. They were trying to cheat their way into God’s favour, not bothering to do the hard work of inner conversion. The externals of our faith such as those mentioned by the Pharisee are not unimportant. Worship is central to the life of the Christian as are the Lent disciplines of fasting and almsgiving. Yet on their own they are not enough. They should draw us into a deeper relationship with God, where we have the courage to lay ourselves bare before him, be truly honest, and so receive his mercy and compassion.
Mass today is in St Mary’s at 11.30am (preceded by Stations of the Cross at 11am).
If you’d like more resources for daily prayer then check out our Day By Day pages.
Sometimes we find it hard to notice what is right in front of us, including God’s word. In today’s reflection on the daily mass readings, Fr Richard considers how we might pay more attention to what God is saying to us.
Readings for Thursday of the third week of Lent can be found here.
The aviation industry is famously safety conscious, meaning that travelling by air is one of the safest forms of transport. Yet occasionally astonishing mistakes can be made. In 1983 Air Canada switched from using imperial units to metric for calculating fuel. Despite warning notices in the cockpit, the pilots forgot this, used pounds instead of kilograms and had to make an emergency landing when they began to run out of fuel. In 2009, two pilots got chatting and overflew their intended airport by 100 miles. When the cockpit recording was played back, it turned out they somehow ignored multiple warning sirens. In both cases ignorance wasn’t the problem – the pilots knew what they should have been doing. Instead they failed to notice of what was right in front of them.
The same thing is happening in our readings today. Jeremiah says that God has given his people the law, shown them the way they should walk, and even sent his prophets to reinforce the message. “Yet they did not listen to me or incline their ear, but stiffened their neck”, says God, and you can almost hear the frustration in his voice. Despite all the messages and all the warnings, the people just will not do the right thing. In the Gospel, people are seeing Jesus’ power in front of their very eyes. He is casting out a demon and so demonstrating that the kingdom of God has broken into this world. Yet the people are somehow unable to accept this, instead suggesting that Jesus is in league with the devil.
We might laugh at the airline pilots who made such basic mistakes, or the people in our readings who ignored God’s clear message right in front of them. Yet we should ask ourselves whether we are sometimes just as guilty. God’s word is always before us; the challenge for us is to be attentive to what he might be saying. As Lent continues, may we listen for his voice, hear what he is saying to us, and then follow where he leads.
Mass today is in St Dyfrig and St Samson, Grangetown, at 10am.
If you’d like more resources for daily prayer, then check out our Day By Day pages.
Connecting you to the churches of South Cardiff Ministry Area across Butetown, Grangetown and Splott. Our vision is to be a creative and resourceful community which is welcoming, faithful and just!
This Week
Lent continues with our Christian Aid “Act on Poverty Course,” Stations of the Cross and Lent Lunches, as well as the usual daily Mass.
We’re also looking forward to Mothering Sunday in a few days time, and also – further ahead – the South Wales Walsingham Pilgrimage in July, and the Walsingham Youth Pilgrimage in August, with lots more in between!
We look back on a great OMG! Event at St Saviours and a wonderful confirmation celebration at St Paul’s.
Keep scrolling to find out more!
Act on Poverty
This Lent, we are taking part in Christian Aid’s Lent course, Act on Poverty – every Tuesday at 7pm in St Mary’s, following the 6.30pm Mass.
Next Tuesdays Session asks “Where do you think Jesus would place himself in your community?”
What happens when an area is labelled ‘deprived’? Or a country is labelled ‘poor’? The way we see our community and the way it is perceived by others matters.
This session will help us think together about where Jesus chose to locate himself and about our experience of place and community.
Lenten Charity
An important part of Lent is charitable giving and our Lenten charity this year is Christian Aid.
Offertory boxes are available in all our churches.
Stations of the Cross
Join us on a devotional journey each week through Lent as we pray the Stations of the Cross
take place on Monday at 7pm in St Dyfrig and St Samson (following the 6.30pm Mass), and in St Mary’s on Saturday at 11am (before the 11.30am Mass).W
We have many resources online that you can use at home. Why not check out this “Just Stations of the Cross” published a few years ago.
This Sunday, as well as being the Fourth Sunday of Lent is also, of course, Mothering Sunday with Mass at the usual times.
We’ll be blessing and distributing flowers and giving thanks for all mothers, living and departed.
Remembering a mother’s love
What’s the best piece of advice your mum ever gave you?
Mothering Sunday can bring back memories of love, care and guidance. It can also be a difficult day for those missing their mum, grandmother or mother figure who helped shape who they are today.
By giving to Christian Aid in memory this Mothering Sunday, you can honour her life through a gift that supports mothers and families living through poverty, conflict and injustice.
Our latest OMG! Event for young people took place on Sunday 1 March in St Saviour’s Church.
As it was St David’s Day, Fr Dean reminded us of St David’s saying about doing the little things in life. Everyone was invited to draw or write little things which give them joy on post-it notes and then stick them on the high altar as a sign of thanksgiving. Afterwards we enjoyed delicious leek and potato soup, Welsh cakes and bara brith. Watch the video below to see more.
OMG! usually takes place on the first Sunday of the month, but since the first Sunday of April is Easter Day, and the first Sunday of May is bank holiday weekend, our next event will be on Sunday 26 April at 5pm in St Saviour’s.
Our next charity coffee morning takes place on Saturday 21 March in St Paul’s Church.
This time we are raising funds for the Motor Neurone Disease Association. As usual there will be plenty of delicious cakes as well as tea, coffee, and a chance to catch up with friends. Everyone is welcome.
Young people aged 11-18 are invited to join us for the Walsingham Youth Pilgrimage from 3-7 August.
Around 500 young people from all over the UK camp in a field just outside the village of Walsingham. Worship takes place in a large marquee led by the excellent worship band CJM. There are also lots of different activities for young people to take part in during the week.
As part of the Welsh camp, all tents are provided and you will be fully catered for. All you need to bring is a sleeping bag, air bed, clothes and toiletries. For more information, please contact Fr Richard and also take a look at the link below to find out more.
We are delighted to announce that St Paul’s Church (meeting in the community hall) has now been licensed for weddings.
This means that our modern, flexible worship space can now be used for your special day! Here’s an idea of what it might look like decorated for your wedding. And then why not have the reception in our well-appointed and spacious hall….. no travelling required!
If you live in Grangetown (or have a qualifying connection to St Paul’s) and would like to get married in St Paul’s, please contact Fr Richard on 0333 301 1850 or RichardGreen@cinw.org.uk
Check out the link below about weddings in our churches:
Mass is celebrated each day across our churches. Here’s our pattern of prayer for the week ahead.
Wednesday 11 March 10.00am: Mass at St Paul's with St Paul's School 11.00am: Mass at St Mary's with St Mary's School
Thursday 12 March 10.00am: Mass at Ss Dyfrig & St Samson
Friday 13 March 1.30pm: Funeral Mass of Gina Dukes NB: There is no morning Mass at St Saviour's today
Saturday 14 March 10.50am: Morning Prayer at St Mary's 11.00am: Stations of the Cross at St Mary's 11.30am Mass at St Mary's 12 noon: Sacrament of Reconciliation
Sunday 15 March | Lent 4 | Mothering Sunday 9.30am: Sung Mass at Ss Dyfrig & Samson 9.30am: Sung Mass at St Saviour’s 11.00am: Sung Mass at St Paul's 11.00am: Solemn Mass at St Mary's
Monday 16 March 6.30pm: Mass at Ss Dyfrig & Samson 7.00pm: Stations of the Cross at Ss Dyfrig & Samson
Tuesday 17 March 6.30pm: Mass at St Mary’s
You can discover more about our regular pattern of worship through the week at
Sometimes the world seems to be a bleak place. Yet the Gospel, and God’s promise of forgiveness, offers the hope of renewal. Fr Richard reflects on today’s readings from Mass.
Readings for Tuesday of the third week of Lent can be found here.
Recently I was talking to a friend who is the same age as me. We were reflecting on how good it was to have come of age in the 1990s. It seemed like a time full of optimism and hope. The Cold War had ended, the Berlin Wall had come down, the Soviet Union had collapsed and it appeared that Russia was heading towards democracy. Apartheid had ended in South Africa without any bloodshed, peace looked to have come to Northern Ireland, and the economy was booming after years of recession. Since then, however, it feels like things have been falling apart. We’ve had 9/11, wars in Iraq, Afghanistan, Ukraine, Gaza and now Iran; the financial crash, Brexit, Trump, Covid …. Sometimes the world appears to be a bleak place.
Azariah in our first reading is also in a bleak place. For a start he has just been thrown into the fiery furnace, and then describes what has happened to the nation of Israel: “… there is no prince or prophet or leader, no whole burnt offering or sacrifice or oblation or incense, no place to make an offering before you…” The servant in the parable that Jesus tells is also facing a bleak future. Owing 10,000 talents – equivalent to 150,000 years of wages – he and his family are about to be sold as slaves. Yet the servant and his loved ones are saved because of the mercy and compassion of the king, who in this parable of course represents God. It is the boundless love of God, expressed in the Gospel through forgiveness, and in the book of Daniel through God’s mighty power, which brings renewal when all seems lost.
Jesus is clear that we are called to be agents of God’s renewal and hope in what might seem like a bleak world by passing on the forgiveness we ourselves have received. Unlike the servant in the parable, who later refuses to forgive a paltry debt – only 100 days’ wages – we are to forgive like God, without limit. Ultimately, this is the only way in which our world can be lifted from the sorry state it’s in, so that God’s renewal and hope may truly begin to flourish.
Mass tonight is in St Mary’s at 6.30pm, followed by our Lent course at 7pm.
If you’d like more resources for daily prayer, please check out our Day By Day pages.
Humans often put up barriers between different groups, but God breaks them down. Here is today’s reflection on the daily mass readings from Fr Richard.
Readings for Monday of the third week of Lent can be found here.
A few years ago a newspaper ran a light-hearted piece asking people to name the groups they found most annoying. The answers were quite revealing. Car drivers complained about cyclists getting in their way, while cyclists were annoyed by motorists coming too close or cutting them up. Some older people complained about noisy children on public transport, while parents found it irritating when folk pulled faces or tut-tutted about their children. We humans often like to divide up the world into “us” and “them”; and of course, “we” are in the right and “they” are in the wrong. More seriously, we see this tendency played out in our increasingly divisive politics and in the field of international relations.
The world of the Bible was not immune to this, but in our readings today we see how God breaks down barriers and overcomes division. Naaman would normally be regarded with suspicion by Israelites on three levels. First, he is a Gentile; second, he is suffering from leprosy; and third, he was the commander of an enemy army. We’re told he had even kidnapped an Israelite girl in one of the Syrian army’s raids. Yet the girl herself sees beyond these divisions; it is she who suggests that Naaman go to Elisha to seek healing. Elisha too is willing to overcome the differences between him and Naaman, even if he does just send a messenger rather than go himself.
Jesus refers to this story in today’s Gospel. His own people, in his hometown, have rejected him. He tells them that those they regard as inferior – the widow of Zarephath, and Naaman – often respond better to God than his own people. This does not go down well! Let us be aware of the barriers we often construct, or the attitude we form about others. Let us always be on the lookout for God at work in the lives of those who are different to us. We might end up being surprised, and it might help us to build a more tolerant and inclusive world.
Mass today is in St Dyfrig & St Samson, Grangetown, at 6.30pm, followed by Stations of the Cross at 7pm.
If you would like more resources for daily prayer, then check out our Day By Day pages.
Today’s readings at Mass explore a forgiving and loving God, full of mercy, who longs for the lost to return. Here’s today’s reflection from the daily Mass.
BIBLE READINGS: You can find the readings for Saturday of the Second Week of Lent can be found here
It’s impossible to escape commercials, particularly if we use the internet. All the time our data is being collected and used so that paying companies can reach their target audience.
So searching for a new phone or a new car on one page will later conveniently deliver an advert on our our social media timeline for the very thing we’ve shown an interest in.
In the gospel reading today, the religious leaders are disgruntled that Jesus is attracting the wrong kind of audience, that he is spending time and eating with them. What kind of rabbi is he, to allow himself to be tarnished by such people or to given them the time of day? The parable that Jesus then tells, displays a God who is loving and longing for his lost son to return, despite the mistakes he has made. He rejoices when a sinner returns, when the lost is found.
There is a story told of an old man who was praying by the River Ganges when he saw a scorpion struggling for its life, caught in the branches stretched over the water. As the old man reached out to save the scorpion, he was constantly stung. “You stupid old man,” shouted a passer by. “Don’t you know that the scorpion will kill you if you carry on trying to help it?” The old man replied, “Just because it is the nature of the scorpion to sting, why should I give up my nature to save?”
In the first reading, Micah cries out in praise of God, “Who is a God like you,” he says, “pardoning iniquity and passing over transgression?”
Mass today is at S Mary’s Church at 11.30am
DAY BY DAY
If you’d like more resources for daily prayer then check out our DAY BY DAY pages.
“The Kingdom of God will be given to a people producing its fruits,” said Jesus in today’s gospel reading. Here’s today’s reflection from the daily Mass.
BIBLE READINGS: You can find the readings for Friday of the Second Week of Lent can be found here
There are many famous speeches from history. Churchill’s “We will fight them on the beaches.” JFK’s “Ask not what you can do for your country, but what your country can do for you,” are just two.
Among the most famous is Martin Luther King’s “I have a dream,” speech delivered on the March to Washington for Jobs and Freedom in August 1963 becoming one of the most famous moments in the civil rights movement. Five years later he was shot dead on the balcony of his hotel a day after he delivered “I’ve been the mountaintop,” address.
In Genesis, the brothers of Joseph concoct a quick plan to kill him. As they see him approaching, “They said to one another, ‘Here comes this dreamer. Come now, let us kill him and throw him into one of the pits.” They are filled with jealousy, insecure of his position in the family, and how much his father loves him and so they turn to murder. Similarly, the story told by Jesus tells another garish incident, when the son of the vineyard’s owner is killed by the tenants, pointing to his own future suffering and death.
We can dare to dream of a future which isn’t ‘pie in the sky’ or simple wishful thinking, but a reality based on the Kingdom of God. We can all too easily give up hope and give into those who have a very different vision of the world. Those whose dreams are based on selfish desires rather than the designs of God. Those who hold onto weapons of war and aggression or who take delight in disrupting what is good and honest. Those who are armed with derision and ridicule, undermining and taunting what is really possible if only we put our minds and hearts into it. It is not the easy path, but it is the the most fruitful and productive. Jesus said, “The Kingdom of God will be given to a people producing its fruits.” The fulfilment of God’s Kingdom has already begun, and it takes root in the fruits we produce, in the dreams we have.
Mass today is at S Saviour’s Church at 10am.
DAY BY DAY
If you’d like more resources for daily prayer then check out our DAY BY DAY pages.
“We can imagine the world that Jesus proclaims, which is the possibility of life with God for ever which begins with how we treat our fellow human beings here on earth.” Here’s today’s reflection from the daily Mass.
BIBLE READINGS: You can find the readings Thursday of the Second Week of Lent can be found here
“Imagine there’s no heaven. It’s easy if you try. No hell below us. Above us only sky.” So go the opening words of John’s Lennon’s song,
Imagine,’ which asks its listeners to imagine a world of many possibilities, including one without religion—just a world of people with no hunger, no need, no countries, no borders, a world living as one, but also a world without God.
In the gospel reading, Jesus turns his imagination to a world where there is a Heaven and a Hell. He tells a story. One person finds himself in the underworld, in Hades, a place of death and separation from God. The other, Lazarus, is at Abraham’s side, in a place we might call Heaven. The person in Hades wants to give a warning to his five brothers on earth so they don’t make the same mistake he did—living in selfish, self-indulgent luxury at the expense of the poor. But Abraham says they’ve already had their warning: through Moses and the prophets. If they don’t listen to them, then what more do they want? They’re not likely to believe even if someone rises from the dead.
We can imagine all kinds of possibilities. For us, as Christians, the possibility of life with God for ever has been made real through the death and resurrection of Christ. We can live in the world and behave as if there are no repercussions to our actions. Or we can turn to our fellow human being and treat them with compassion, kindness, and love. Like John Lennon, we can imagine a world without borders and boundaries. But, unlike John Lennon’s song, we can imagine the world that Jesus proclaims, which is the possibility of life with God for ever which begins with how we treat our fellow human beings here on earth.
Mass today is at S Dyfrig and S Samson Church at 10am.
DAY BY DAY
If you’d like more resources for daily prayer then check out our DAY BY DAY pages.
Working together, we can achieve far more and help to create a peaceful and just world. Here’s today’s reflection from the daily Mass.
BIBLE READINGS: You can find the readings Tuesday of the Second Week of Lent can be found here
“If you don’t have a seat at the table, you’re probably on the menu,” is a well-known phrase used in all kinds of settings—from the business world to community work, and has certainly been adopted by Citizens UK, a community organising alliance active in our own communities.
In the prophecy of Isaiah, God identifies the shortcomings of the people of Sodom and Gomorrah, and offers them a new way forward. “Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean; remove the evil of your deeds from before my eyes; cease to do evil, learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow’s cause.” But, more than simply denouncing their sinful ways and throwing down a set of rules to live by, he invites them into a situation which is even more dynamic, relational and engaging. “Come now, let us reason together, says the Lord.” He is willing to sit alongside them and work things out together.
In the gospel reading, Jesus establishes a level playing field. He refuses to be impressed by the outward show and hypocrisy of the Pharisees of the time, who use their power and position to burden others. Greatness is not achieved by clinging to power and keeping others in their place and away from the table, but by humbling ourselves and serving one another. Everyone should have a place at the table. It is that space of open dialogue, respect and care, as listen to one another and work things out together. On our own, we can do little. But together, we can build friendships and dispel fear. Jesus shows us how to do it, right here at the Eucharist, where all have a place at the table.
Mass today is at S Mary’s Church at 630pm, followed by our Lent Course at 7pm
DAY BY DAY
If you’d like more resources for daily prayer then check out our DAY BY DAY pages.
