Homilies

Homily for the Solemnity of St. John the Baptist - Patronal Feast of Pluscarden

The joy of Elizabeth and Zechariah spread: to their whole family, then their whole village, and then the whole world. This joy continues on, even 2000 years later, and we share in it especially today. We joyfully celebrate the birthday of St. John the Baptist, because it’s inextricably…

Homily for the Sacred Heart Year “A”, 19 June 2020: 1 Jn 4:7-16; Mt 11:25-30

I once saw a little wooden cross - maybe it was in our shop here, I don’t recall - the sort people wear unostentatiously around their neck, or perhaps on a lapel. This one was quite plain, except for the figure of a heart outlined, very simply, at its centre. I thought that a fine expression of the great truth…

Homily for Corpus Christi, 14 June 2020

For nearly everyone in this country, today’s Feast must be kept as a fast: yet another, in the long series. No Mass; no Holy Communion; no Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament; no Eucharistic Hymns; no solemn Procession; no final Benediction; no public communal celebration of the heart of our Catholic Faith. Our…

Catechesis for Trinity Sunday by Bishop Hugh

I would like to say something about the feast we keep this Sunday, the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity. We have just passed through the whole cycle of Lent and Easter, ending on a high note with Pentecost last Sunday. Now it’s ‘Green Time’, Ordinary Time, again and will…

Homily for Easter 7A, 24 May 2020, John 17:1-11

In the days between the Ascension and Pentecost, the Church offers for our meditation the 17th Chapter of St. John’s Gospel. The choice is a happy one, for the great Priestly Prayer of Jesus is especially well suited for these days. In the light of the mystery of the Ascension, this prayer points towards our heavenly destiny, and unveils…