Reflections & Homilies

Fifth Sunday after Easter We have heard much about Pope Leo in the media since his election. A lot of it is speculative information, people opining on their favourite church themes, or others describing their connection with him. It's a natural enough tendency a lot of human beings have, of wanting to be part of an event, somehow, in some way, but I can't help feeling this isn't where we should be... Read More

Fr Sean Smith writes from Knock Shrine: "My hope", said Pope Francis, "is that following this Synod, Synodality may endure as a permanent mode of working within the Church, at all levels, permeating the hearts of all, pastors and faithful alike, until it becomes a shared 'ecclesial style'. However, achieving this demands that a change must occur within each of us, a true conversion." Bishops and p... Read More

Fourth Sunday after Easter Insights from Acts 13 Our reading from Acts, chapter 13, tells us that there is nothing new in discovering that dissension and hostility can be found within the faith community as well as opposition to its message and activities from outside. Disagreements between members of the community can be resolved, but open and aggressive attacks are far from ideal and give out a ... Read More

"We are called to bear witness to our joyful faith in Christ the Saviour..." Pope Leo XIV gave this heartfelt reminder during his first Mass as Pope today, with the Cardinal electors and other Cardinals, in the Sistine Chapel, where he had been elected yesterday, as the 267th Pope on the fourth ballot on Thursday afternoon. In his homily, the new Pope called for always better cultivating a persona... Read More

In his annual publication of prayer intentions for 2025, Pope Francis invited us to pray during the month of May "For working conditions." Due to his death, the format for the video accompanying this prayer intention has changed. It offers for our reflection a few words on this topic from the last three Popes - John Paul II, Benedict XVI and Francis. The Pope Video for May, produced with the sup... Read More

His Excellency Archbishop Miguel Maury Buendía, the Apostolic Nuncio to Great Britain, has given a homily in Westminster Cathedral ahead of the Conclave to elect Pope Francis' successor. Speaking at the Mass of the Holy Spirit, on Tuesday, 6 May, His Excellency asserts that the faithful should be united in prayer at this historic time for the Cardinal electors: "Let us pray that the Cardinal elec... Read More

"Where are you from?" is one of those questions which often catches me off guard as I'm never quite sure how to answer it. I end up thinking to myself is the questioner interested in which parish I serve as a parish priest, where I grew up, where I live now. It's an open question which can serve as a good invitation to a conversation in which you get to know a person a little but any specific answ... Read More

"Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer," the apostle Paul tells us, but what is hope and where does it begin? These are important questions and ones on which we reflect a great deal at Mary's Meals. Hope can feel hard to define. Its focus on the future means that it may not receive the same attention as the other great theological virtues: faith and love. But hope is no... Read More

Third Sunday of Easter In this intermediate period for the Church, when having bid adieu to Pope Francis and remember him in the official period of mourning, we are also anticipating the election of his successor as bishop of Rome, our hopes placed in the hand of a small number of cardinal electors. As is so very frequent in this age of mass communication, there are numerous attempts in our variou... Read More

Second Sunday of Easter - Divine Mercy Sunday 1. To please God very much This is a paschal week unlike any other, having proclaimed the resurrection, Pope Francis is called home to the Lord, his death mourned by many, but his words, teaching and presence vibrant in the touch of the Risen Christ, even his funeral bore the imprint of a humble servant, and we finish this week at his final resting pla... Read More

Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, Dean of the College of Cardinal gave the homily at the Requiem Mass of Pope Francis in St Peter's Square this morning. The ffficial English translation follows: In this majestic Saint Peter's Square, where Pope Francis celebrated the Eucharist so many times and presided over great gatherings over the past twelve years, we are gathered with sad hearts in prayer around... Read More

Cardinal Vincent Nichols gave this homily today at the Requiem Mass for Pope Francis held at Westminster Cathedral. The Mass was attended by the Papal Nuncio, Archbishop Miguel Maury Buendia together with representatives from other churches and faiths. This is a day of sadness as people everywhere learn of the death of His Holiness Pope Francis. Here many tributes are being paid to him, including... Read More

More than 5,000 pilgrims gathered for the Easter Vigil in St Peter's Basilica and outside in the Square last night. Pope Francis made a brief visit to the Basilica a couple of hours before the service began. He stopped to pray and greeted the faithful briefly. Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re presided over the Vigil, because the Holy Father is still recuperatiing from his recent illness. the Cardinal... Read More

The Resurrection of the Lord April 20th 2025 Readings from the Mass of Easter Day Lectionary: 42 Reading through the first reading of today's Mass of Easter day, these words of Peter's testament written for us in the Book of The Acts of the Apostles, struck me with a force that I need, he said: "We are witnesses of all that he did both in the country of the Jews and (in) Jerusalem. They put him t... Read More