Here you can find a collection of reflections about Sunday Mass themes or other topical items. The most recent is shown first. Older items can be found in the archives.

Excluded - What miracle might happen if I were to feel sorry, stretch out my hand and touch?

Follow Me - He loves us and chooses us just as we are.

Inner Peace - Finding God in those places that cause anxiety brings us peace.

Teach me Your Paths - Responding to God brings peace, walking away or excluding God brings disaster.

Come and see where I live. It's such an innocent invitation. But if we accept it, we'd better be ready for some big changes.

Epiphany - God's Revelation - Some years ago a friend of mine sent me this beautiful reflection by a grandmother which I want to share with you as we conclude the Christmas season.

The God who called you will not fail you - Take some time this week to pull away and let God speak to your inner Child.

The Lord is Near - Dismiss all worry, all anxiety from your minds. Bring your needs to God in every form of prayer. Then God's own peace, which is beyond all understanding, will stand guard over your hearts and minds.

Prepare the Way - ... change will not come by the waving of a divine magic wand. It will come when we prepare ourselves for it, when we open our minds and hearts to the gift that is offered to us...

Advent - Advent is asking us to abandon the struggle of trying to do everything and instead focus on our relationship with God.

Our Shepherd King - there is only one real failure in life - failure to love.

Use it or Lose it - ...invest yourself in the gift of the Gospel.

Expect the Unexpected - Running out of material goods can be unpleasant, but how are we as regards our spiritual stocks?

Servant Leadership - ... change will begin from the grass roots and not from the top ...

Made to Love - Jesus calls us to Love others as you love yourself.

World Youth Day 2011 - essentially we were all now actively living our faith in every moment: it is vital to our lives and permeates through all we do.

Be Faithful and Fruitful - The kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people that will produce its fruit."

Friday Abstinence - an extract from Bishop Regan's pastoral letter to the people of the Diocese of Wrexham.

You shall love the Lord your God - Choose God once more as our only ideal, as the all of our life, putting him back in the first place, living his will with perfection in the present moment.

9-11 Ten Years Later - Grant that those whose lives were spared may live so that the lives lost may not have been lost in vain.

See, I have come to do your will (Heb 10:9) -...We live in an age that exalts the ego and promotes self-sufficiency, freedom as an aim in itself, self-gratification as the fulfilment of the person, pleasure as the guide for making personal choices and as the secret of happiness. But we all know the disastrous results that come from pursuing such a culture...

Give them something to eat yourselves - The disciples ... first reaction was to point out the difficulties. Jesus would not accept that viewpoint.

Not a Thing to Wear - Our preparation for Mass should anticipate this great moment of communion with God.

The Kingdom is within you - If we consider others as beyond the pale, outside the community, then we are becoming judgemental and self-righteous. We must leave the judgement to God.

Our Lady and the European Flag - Perhaps without realising it, the delegates of the European Ministers officially adopted the design on the feast of Our Lady, 8th December 1955. Is it just coincidence?

Bread of Life - The Eucharist, like all interpersonal relationships, works myster-iously, not magically. To participate fully in this meal we must constantly strive to put on the mind and heart of Christ.

The Mystery of Love - The call to belong is deep in the human psyche.

Send forth Your Spirit - The great gift ... is that God does not leave us to our own resources ...

The Ascension of our Lord - The ascension is not an end, but a beginning: the beginning of a new manner of Christ's activity among the apostles and in us his church.

We are the Church - Today, it is still our personal stories rather than theological debates or doctrines that attract most people to Christ.

Trust in God - In the Gospel the risen Christ, who is about to depart from his disciples, urges them not to be afraid: 'Trust in God still, and trust in me'.

Our Children - let us give thanks for good parents and friends along the way who have incarnated the presence of the Good Shepherd in our lives.

Fourteen Stations of Light - It is far easier for us to comprehend Christ's suffering and death, than his resurrection...

A Time of Grace - Easter is the greatest feast in the Church's calendar. This is the feast from which all others stem. The Resurrection is so important that the Lord's followers observe every Sunday as the Lord's Day, as a 'little Easter'.

The Lord is truly risen, Alleluia! - In Easter light, and in that light alone, the shadows and darkness of life receive new meaning.

No greater love than this! - Let us open our hearts, in faith, to the transforming power of God's love.

Called now to Eternal Life - If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, then he who raised Christ from the dead will bring your mortal bodies to life also through his Spirit dwelling in you" (Romans 8:11)..

Lenten Service of Reconciliation - The emphasis is now on being more honest, in contrast to the human temptation to disguise and hide away from failings, and to become more Christ-centred in relationships with others.

Learning to Trust - Let us not demand that God solve all our problems but seek rather to hear what God is saying to us in and through a difficult situation.

Fasting and Feasting - rather than focusing on the negative let us focus on the positive.

My sin is always before me? - Perhaps the first step is to be honest with ourselves and with God.

Welcoming the Revised Roman Missal - Times of change are always a challenge. But from this challenge can come a deeper appreciation of who we are as the Body of Christ...

Revised Edition of the Roman Missal. - Pope Benedict's desire is that this edition will restore greater mystery, transcendence, and reverence to the Mass and better communicate the mysteries of salvation.

Lectio Divina - This method is truly "capable of opening up to the faithful the treasures of God's word, but also of bringing about an encounter with Christ, the living word of God".

Scripture and Mary - (Mary's) will is one with the will of God. Thus, what took place for Mary can daily take place in each of us...

The Word of God and the Holy Spirit - The word of God is thus expressed in human words thanks to the working of the Holy Spirit.

Christ, the Word of God - in Christ the word of God is present as a person.

Creation - The realist is the one who recognizes in the word of God the foundation of all things.

Logos - The Word - the Word ... reveals God himself in the dialogue of love between the divine persons, and invites us to share in that love.

Verbum Domini - ... may we allow ourselves to be led by the Holy Spirit to an ever greater love of the word of God.

A Time to Choose! - God is asking for our yes.

Do not lose faith - It is important to keep listening to Jesus, praying to God and allowing the Holy Spirit to transform us.

Living in Joyful Hope - It is not the media that ultimately decides the future, God does.

Our Lady and the European Flag - Perhaps without realising it, the delegates of the European Ministers officially adopted the design on the feast of Our Lady, 8th December 1955. Is it just coincidence?

Christ our King - Honouring Christ as king means more than chanting slogans or waving banners. It means working for a kingdom of truth and life ... holiness and grace ...a kingdom of justice, love and peace.

The Lord Comes - The choice is ours: we can see only the evil around us and become discouraged, or we can also recognise the good that is present in so many ways and join with all people and all of creation in a wondrous song of joy.

All are Alive - The resurrection in Christ is our ultimate goal. It is the goal of the relatives and friends who have gone before us and whom we remember especially during November - the month of the Holy Souls.

The Communion of Saints - All Saints Day is a reminder that we become what we choose to be.

Be true to yourself - ... He lost all awareness of his need of God. There is no greater loss.

The Pope's Visit - I felt a strong sense of faith and I feel honoured that I was involved in the day. It was a once in a lifetime chance to take part and see the Pope.

A Time of Blessings - To stop short at the gifts we receive and revel only in them is to miss out on the real gift, who is Jesus.

Saying the Rosary - ... there is no "'correct" way of saying this prayer. What is important is that we use it to express our love for Our Lady and our praise of God.

Vincentian Jubilee Year - The Vincentian ethos lived out in Mill Hill and in Kenya.

David's Story - It is a challenging time to become a Catholic, but ... "no-one is perfect; but we have a set of beliefs and values and we know where we are going and who we are following as Christians. The fact is that people make mistakes; by facing them, we learn from them. This is one of the things that attracted me to the Church."

Seek First the Kingdom of God - Jesus is putting before you the basic setup for your life: either you live for yourself or you live for God.

Stand Firm - You must grow as a Christian, and every growth in the spiritual life, can only come about in the midst of trials, obstacles and battles.

God will dwell with us - It is up to us Christians, even though we belong to different church communities, to let the world see 'one people' made up of every ethnic group, race, and culture, old and young, sick and healthy.

Who is my Neighbour? - They are to recognise goodness at work wherever it is to be found and to realise that no group has a monopoly on holiness and virtue.

Heart speaks to Heart - the theme of the papal visit.

Putting our hand to the plough - Jesus is so uncompromising in his demands, because he does not want his followers to imagine for one moment that this is some kind of 'soft option'.

Following Jesus - The cross and Christ are inseparable.

Contrasting Attitudes - How difficult it can be ... to really believe in the unconditional love and mercy of God for all.

Corpus Christi - It is highly fitting that Christ should have wanted to remain present to his Church in this unique way.

Papal Visit - Many people are asking about the arrangements for the papal visit and how they might get to see the Pope.

The Birthday of the Church - The Spirit is given for a purpose. The gift of the Spirit, as today's readings present it, sends us on a mission.

The Ascension of the Lord - ...it is not the task of Christians to 'stand looking up into the sky' either to mourn Jesus' departure from earth or to simply await his return.

"Peace is my farewell gift to you" - The notion of God making a home within us is one of the most peaceful and warming images of the whole Bible. Peace is much more than the absence of conflict.

A Fresh Start ... means a call to action. It doesn't ask for a new or elaborate strategy, but the will to take the first small step in reaching out to another.

Catholic Church and Child Welfare - A letter to The Times

Planning our Future - Jesus is alive and watching us from a nearby shore. He is not a name from the past or a picture on the wall.

I am the resurrection - This Life in the believer has the same nature as the risen Jesus and is, therefore, quite different from the human condition in which we find ourselves.

New Life - The Easter message is that Christ has risen. Life has conquered death. Don't give up!

Paschal Mystery - The effects of celebrating this holiest of times with your parish community can go far beyond what you anticipate.

Last Chance - ... a warning and a choice: you can go back to your old ways, or you can make a fresh start. It's up to you.

Homeward Bound - .. it might well be that for many of us the real challenge is to recognise in ourselves the desire to limit God's mercy to those we consider worthy.

Yet another call to repentance - .. if we refuse chance after chance, the day might come when all will be lost: not because God shut us out, but because we shut ourselves out.

High and Lows - It's wonderful when we meet him on the mountaintop, but most of the action is down here in the valley.

Inward Journey - The essence of these temptations was the idea that he could go it alone, that he could be entirely self sufficient.

Lent - ... is the season to realize that God is continually creating ...

Launch out into the Deep - In a world that demands perfection as a prerequisite for credibility, remember that it is not the world, but the Lord, Creator and Saviour who has confidence in you.

Blessings - During this coming week we celebrate two Feasts which have blessing rites connected with them.

Today this Scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing. - Undernourished faith quickly dies. Shared faith never dies.

Wine - ... we must be trusting as Mary was and listen to her advice to the servants "Do as he tells you".

Baptism - You and I are at our best ... when we're giving, especially when we're giving of ourselves.

Christmas Message from Archbishop Vincent - The eternal word assumes our flesh. This is the source of our hope, for now every human life is clearly of eternal significance.

The Christmas Season - Much of the Christian meaning behind the symbols of Christmas has faded from the memory of our society.

Celebrating the Sacrament of Reconciliation - ... we have discovered a new God - the God whose steadfast love endures for ever.

Preparing for Christ - If we begin to give of ourselves generously, the Lord will increase our love and help us to make progress in the kind of life we are meant to live.

Seek that which is above - May God guide your minds, and hearts this Advent that you will not forget or dismiss his blessings.