Growing apart from God or becoming closer to him rarely happens in an instant – it’s more often a gradual process we need to be aware of. Fr Richard reflects on today’s readings from Mass.

Readings for Monday of week 17 of ordinary time can be found here.

Do you enjoy shopping for shoes, clothes, or home furnishings? Some people love it, while others hate it. I definitely fall into the latter category, and only buy new clothes, a mattress or sofa when I absolutely have to. I wait until things are literally falling apart and really must be replaced. If you’re like me then no doubt you will have noticed something about how things wear out. Although they can suddenly tear or break, it’s usually more gradual. After miles and miles of walking, a favourite pair of shoes get more and more worn down until finally a hole appears in the sole – usually when it’s raining. A shirt or jacket we wear a lot becomes gradually more and more frayed until it really has to go in the bin.

In our first reading today God commands Jeremiah to buy a new item of clothing – a linen loincloth of all things! The loincloth – the equivalent of underwear – is something intimate, which clings to the waist. The cloth in this reading symbolises God’s people, and how he intended them to be close to him at all times. Then God tells Jeremiah to place his new garment in a hole in the rock near the River Euphrates. After leaving it there for many days, it is ruined. This symbolises how Judah has turned away from God and spoiled their relationship with him. Just like our clothes wearing out over time, the loincloth took a while to get spoiled in that hole. Similarly, Judah did not abandon God in one moment – it happened gradually over time, bit by bit.

In the Gospel we have two images of things happening gradually, but in the other direction. The kingdom of heaven, Jesus says, is like a mustard seed or like yeast. Both things are small and yet will do something remarkable: the seed turns into a great tree, while the yeast leavens the dough. Neither happens immediately, however. A seed takes time to sprout and grow, while dough must be left to prove before being baked so that the yeast can do its work. May we always be aware of the gradual nature of things – the small habits which can lead us away from God like the people of Judah, or those daily practices which help us to grow strong in our faith. Above all, may we be patient, knowing that God’s purposes will be fulfilled in God’s own time.

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.

Power can be used to control and oppress others, or it can used to heal and liberate. Jesus as the suffering servant offers a model for all those who wield power. Fr Richard reflects on today’s readings from Mass.

Readings for Saturday of week 15 of ordinary time can be found here.

Monday will see the United Kingdom gain a new prime minister, the sixth changeover in that office in 10 years. No doubt such a moment makes us think about power, especially those who seek it, what they want to do with it, and how they conduct themselves when they have it.

Micah has harsh words for those who lie as awake at night plotting how they might use their power to control and oppress others while enriching themselves. The prophet says that God will punish their wickedness. In the Gospel reading we see the Pharisees using their power to plot against Jesus so that they might destroy him. A sharp contrast is shown between the approach to power of the people Micah talks about and the Pharisees, and the approach shown by Jesus. As Son of God no human being has ever had as much power as him. Yet Matthew’s quotation from Isaiah shows that in Jesus this power is not used to oppress, to dominate or to control. Instead, it is all about bringing justice to those who need it, healing to those who are suffering and spreading God’s love in the world.

We may not be the new prime minister but all of us are able to exercise power in different ways. In all our dealings with others may we follow the servant model of Jesus and pray that our leaders will do likewise.

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.

The essence of faith is not blind adherence to rules or traditions but a living relationship with God and a desire to good. Fr Richard reflects on today’s readings from Mass.

Readings for Friday of week 15 of ordinary time can be found here.

Have you ever heard stories of people religiously following the directions of their car or lorry satnav, only for the journey to end in disaster? Sometimes people have followed the satnav down a road, past a “road closed” sign, and ended up in a ditch. Or lorry drivers have robotically followed the given route into the narrow streets of a town centre and got completely stuck. It’s a case of following instructions come what may and not allowing natural reason to play a part.

It’s this attitude from the Pharisees that Jesus is criticising in today’s Gospel. They are keen to enforce the rule about not working on the Sabbath, but as Jesus points out they have ignored three crucial things staring them in the face. First, that the disciples’ need for food can outweigh the rule about the Sabbath – and Jesus quotes the example of David to back this up. Second, that priests in the Temple are allowed to work on the Sabbath so the rule is not absolute. Third, and most important, Jesus’ as God’s Son is Lord of the Sabbath, greater even than the Temple.

When King Hezekiah of Judah prays to God for healing, he does not cite his observance of rules, regulations and the law. Instead he says, “I have walked before you in faithfulness and with a whole heart, and have done what is good in your sight.” Hezekiah has understood the meaning of the Old Testament saying quoted by Jesus, that mercy is more important than rituals. In the church and the life of faith, rules traditions and customs have their place. But may they never get in the way of doing what is right or responding in to God at work in our midst.

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.

Jesus invites us to come to him with all our burdens and he promises to help us bear the load. Fr Richard reflects on today’s readings from Mass.

Readings for Thursday of week 15 of ordinary time can be found here.

Imagine that a person goes to the local garden centre to buy a large bag of compost. Unfortunately, there are no trolleys available, so the customer attempts to carry the compost to their car. However, it is far heavier than they expected, and they are unable to carry it properly. They try dragging it along the floor but even that is a struggle. Then suddenly another customer comes along and offers to help. The two each take one end of the compost bag and suddenly the task becomes much easier. They carry it successfully to the car and the customer is all set for a happy day of planting! The burden has not been totally removed but shared and so made much easier to bear.

In today’s Gospel Jesus issues an invitation to all those carrying heavy burdens, just like our friend at the garden centre. The burdens we carry are often much more significant than a bag of compost, however. They may be health concerns, financial problems, worries about families or friends, a sense of not being worthy, and much else besides. In all these situations, Jesus offers rest. He does not promise to remove the burden entirely but like with our kindly helper in the garden centre, he offers to share the burden and so make it easier to bear. But Jesus offers something else as well. He actually tells us to “shoulder my yoke”, that is to take something upon ourselves. This sounds odd, when he has just promised rest. But his yoke is not an additional burden. Instead, it is taking on a way of life, an assurance that we are loved no matter what, and that there is hope in every situation. That is a yoke to rejoice in!

In our first reading, Isaiah is acknowledging the human need of God. “At night my soul longs for you”, he says, and “Distressed, we search for you, Lord.” Isaiah is acknowledging that we cannot carry the burdens of life alone, much as we might try or think that we have to. Instead, God is always there, ready and willing to come to our aid. Let us not be too proud to long for him, to search for him, and allow him to share our burdens.

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.

Life is full of so many concerns and distractions that it can be easy to overlook where God at work among us. Fr Richard reflects on today’s readings from Mass.

Readings for Tuesday of the 15th week of ordinary time can be found here.

A famous psychology experiment once took place in which a group of people had to watch a video of students passing a basketball between them, some wearing white shirts and some wearing black. The viewers had to count how many times the players with black shirts touched the ball. After the video they were asked who noticed the gorilla. Half way through the video, someone wearing a gorilla costume walked through the scene, looked at the camera and beat their chest before walking off. Over half the viewers hadn’t spotted the gorilla.

Sometimes we are so focused on something we don’t notice what is before our eyes. That’s why we’re told not to use our mobile phone while driving. In our first reading King Ahaz of Judah is so fixated on the threat to his nation from the neighbouring kingdoms of Syria and Ephraim that he fails to notice the word of God which is right in his midst. Isaiah is trying to reassure Ahaz that God will come to his aid and will defeat his enemies. Yet later on in the book of Isaiah we learn that Ahaz refused to listen and instead tried to forge an alliance with Assyria, which ultimately ended in disaster.

In the Gospel Jesus criticises the towns of Chorazin and Bethsaida for failing to recognise how God was at work in their midst through his own ministry. Even the heathen cities of Tyre and Sidon would have done better. As Christians today there is so much to distract and worry us, from threats of war to climate change to church politics and finances. It can be easy to lose sight of what really matters, to fail to notice how God is at work among us, and how he is speaking to us. Let us always make the time to be aware of his presence and his guidance, and then have the courage to follow where he is leading us.

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.

Faith is more than following certain rituals – it demands action which seeks to make a difference to the world around us. Fr Richard reflects on today’s readings from Mass.

Readings for Monday of week 15 of ordinary time can be found here.

Gym owners and personal trainers often report two moments in the year when interest surges from people wanting to join up. The first is on January 1st, as people make new year resolutions about wanting to get fit. The second is around now, as people realise their summer holiday is coming soon and they need to get into shape for the beach. However, the same gym owners and PTs also report a surprising drop-off from about February until July, and again from August through to December. Often, people will make all the right noises. They sign up, they buy new gym kit, and they may even visit the gym once or twice. But somehow all of this ritual doesn’t actually translate into action which makes a difference.

In today’s first reading Isaiah is castigating the people of Judah and Jerusalem for just such an attitude in relation to their faith. He even witheringly compares them to Sodom and Gomorrah, those places of sin and evil we read about in Genesis. The people are making all the sacrifices and pilgrimages required by Jewish law, but God says that he is sick of them, cannot endure them, and even hates them. Why such strong language? Because the people have neglected to do the most important things, namely searching for justice, helping the oppressed, being kind to the orphan and widow. They had made all the right noises, bought the gym kit and other paraphernalia, but didn’t follow through with real action that would change society for the better.

In the Gospel, Jesus is clear that being a Christian is tough and demanding. Sometimes it will lead to division within the family. Indeed, it must take precedence over family. We are to follow in Jesus’ own footsteps, taking up our cross and losing our life for his sake. But in the midst of all this challenge there is also a wonderful assurance. “Anyone who welcomes you welcomes me”, Jesus says. In other words, when we go about preaching the Gospel and continuing Jesus’ work, we represent him to the world and to others. Let us then not merely talk or think about being a Christian, but actually get on and do it, with all its many challenges but also with all its many rewards.

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

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

Recently, we held our Annual Vestry Meeting. Julian, our Ministry Area Treasurer, presented the annual accounts and highlighted the concern that, for the third year out of the four years of the Ministry Area, we have not broken even.

The accounts and Julian’s presentation can be found below.

Julian asked the meeting that, if all adults who attend our churches could give an extra £2 per week, this would bring each church additional income, and therefore the Ministry Area, an additional £10,000 per year. This would help us move closer to breaking even in the face of ever-increasing costs. 

If you like to discuss how you can support please contact Julian Jordan 07712894224or treasurer@southcardiffministryarea.co.uk

How can we create a community with gospel values at its heart? Fr Dean reflects on today’s readings from Mass.

Readings for St Benedict can be found here

Perhaps there is a time in the life of every generation, when they look at the world around them, and think that life has got worse not better. Yes, there will be advances in technology and medicine and the standard of living, but there will something in our own past that is better than that experienced by young people today. How many times have we said or heard said, “When I was a kid…?”

Benedict was born around 480, the son of a Roman noble of Nursia in Umbria. He was sent to Rome to study but was disappointed by the academic studies and life he encountered there. Seeking to escape the great and bustling life of the city, he settled in the mountainous regions, about forty miles away where, for three years, he carved out a life for himself as a hermit living in a cave. Eventually, he established twelve communities of monks in the region, finally establishing the monastery at Monte Casino and writing the rule of St Benedict which has earned him the title, the father of western monasticism.

In his own search for fulfilment and oneness with God, he had taken the teaching of Jesus in a literal and profound fashion—leaving behind all worldly attachments. Not all are called to live the religious life in such a way. But we are called to create a community, like St Benedict, where the gospel values are central, and our lives are centred on God.

Mass today is in St Mary’s at 1130am

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