Feast of the Sacred Heart. 19/6/20 It was Pope Pius IX in 1856 who instituted this Feast for the Universal Church. Previously it had been celebrated in local churches, particularly in France due to the apparitions of the Sacred Heart to St Margaret Mary Alacoque. Pope Pius XII wrote about the Sacred Heart in his … [Read more…]
Matthew 6:19-23 “Do not store up treasures for yourselves on earth but store up treasures for yourselves in heaven”. This is a call by Jesus to decide between the fragile security and illusory joy of earthly wealth and the true riches of possessing God. Whatever you give most attention to is where your heart truly … [Read more…]
The Saints thoughts on Prayer St Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274) We set forth our petitions before God, not in order to make known to Him our needs and desires, but rather so that we ourselves may realize that in these things, it is necessary to turn to God for help.’ St. Teresa of Avila … [Read more…]
Matthew 6: 7-15 Jesus speaks to his disciples in the Gospel of today about prayer. Jesus first speaks about the pagans and how they pray. “In your prayers do not babble as the pagans do”. The gentiles or pagans would recite a long litany of divine names hoping to gain their attention. They believed that … [Read more…]
St. Richard of Chichester (1197-1253) ‘Satisfaction consists in the cutting off of the causes of the sin. Thus, fasting is the proper antidote to lust, prayer to pride, to envy, anger and sloth and alms to covetousness.’
Scottish National Blood Transfusion Service (NHS) You can donate Blood in St Thomas Hall on Monday the 29th June from 1.30pm-3.30pm and then from 5pm-7pm. Please note that if you wish to donate blood on the above date, you have to book an appointment online. This is mandatory.
Matthew 6:1-6. 16-18 Whenever we pray, fast and give alms, the only audience should be God. Jesus expects his followers to be doing these three righteous actions in their spiritual life and that is very clear when he states “when you fast, pray and give alms”. These should be three integral components in our life. … [Read more…]
Pope Benedict XVI “We, however, have a different goal: the Son of God, the true man. He is the measure of true humanism. An adult faith is not a faith that follows the trends of fashion and the latest novelty. A mature, adult faith is deeply rooted in friendship with Christ. It is this friendship … [Read more…]
Matthew 5: 43-48 “You have learnt how it was said, you must love your neighbour and hate your enemy, but I say this this to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you”. The people of Israel had a very narrow view of who was their neighbour. For them it was their … [Read more…]
Matthew 5: 38-42 “You have learnt how it was said, eye for eye and tooth for tooth, but I say this to you, offer the wicked man no resistance”. Now Jesus is not suggesting to passively submit to injustice, but to avoid escalating cycles of revenge and retribution. Jesus is asking us in the examples … [Read more…]