2026 2nd Sunday in Ordinary Time ( A ) Have you ever had the experience of seeing someone glowing? I don’t mean because they are red in the face but there is something in their face that glows. I remember seeing this when I looked at my mother as she celebrated her 80th birthday. She was at a family party, she was carrying her grandchild in her arms and greeting people, and as I observed her from across the room, I saw she was radiantly happy, there seemed to be a glow coming from her.

2026 The Baptism of the Lord I was baptised very soon after my birth. So soon that my mother wasn’t there; she was still recovering in hospital. We did that in those days. There was a fear that if they child died unbaptised it would go to hell, or at least limbo. And so the baby was baptised as quickly as possible.

2026 2nd Sunday of Christmas ( A ) For many people Christmas has finished. When you walk around here you can see Christmas trees have been put outside to be collected, decorations and lights have been taken down; Christmas is over for another year. Now it’s the time to plan your summer holidays, to get back to normal after a long break.

2025 Feast of the Holy Family The gospel tells us about what happened to the holy family after the birth of Christ. How Joseph is warned in a dream about Herod. So, he takes his family, and they fly to Egypt. Just before Christmas I was in our school, and I talked to the childen about this; and I asked how many were on the flight to Egypt.

2025 Christmas Eve A child is born for us, says the prophet Isaiah. That child was born out of love for us, and when that child grows up he will give his life for us. St Paul tells Titus in our second reading that God is training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions and to live self-controlled, upright lives. Have you lived self-controlled and upright and godly lives?

2025 4th Week of Advent 2025 We are very close to Christmas, to the birth of Christ, to the most important event in the history of humankind. Those closest to the story, Mary and Joseph, don’t know this; they are just going about their ordinary lives, but excited because soon they are goingto be married. They have no idea what it is going to happen next; what is about to happen to them will change the world; how could they have known this?

2025 3rd Sunday of Advent ( A ) We read in the first reading from the prophet Isaiah this line: ‘the desert shall rejoice and blossom like the crocus’. As you know the crocus is a lovely little colourful flower. Now here’s a question for you, especially the younger ones, because I’ve been told you are very intelligent: do you know what the plural of crocus is?

2025 2nd Sunday of Advent When you listen to these readings, you could be forgiven for thinking that we are in the season of Lent, not Advent: “Repent for the Kingdom of God is at hand”, and ‘the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.’ So, is it a mistake? Isn’t Advent meant to be cheery, with us all looking forward to the birth of Christ?

2025 First Sunday of Advent ( A ) Today is the first Sunday of Advent. It means Christmas is close. And yet the tone of the readings today are not jolly and Christmassy. In fact, they are rather heavy; ‘stay awake for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming’. And ‘You also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect”.

2025 Feast of Christ the King ( C ) Today is the last Sunday of the Church’s year. And so, the Church wants us to finish on a high, with a fanfare, not with trumpets but something better: the feast of Christ the King. When you look at Christ’s life and death there is no semblance of him being a King.

2025 30th Sunday of the Year ( C ) If there is one virtue you need to get into heaven, it’s humility. If you are humble, you are guaranteed to get into heaven, because God adores the humble person. Yet it is hard to be truly humble. Because to be truly humble you have to overcome pride. The Pharisee in the gospel was full of pride.

2025 29 Sunday of the year ( C ) Jesus praises a widow who kept pestering a judge to give her justice against her adversary. Jesus uses this parable to encourage us to keep persevering in prayer, to keep knocking on the door, that in the end God will give in and answer your prayer. In some ways I am not the best person to speak about such prayer.

2025 28th Sunday of the Year ( C ) This is the second time in recent weeks that Jesus praises a Samaritan. You remember the first occasion was the story of the good Samaritan, the man who helped the person lying in the road when others passed by. When we think of Samaritans I imagine we think of good people. Still today we speak of a “good Samaritan”, someone who helps others.

2025 27th Sunday of the Year ( C ) I suspect that many a catholic says sometimes to God “increase my faith”, or words to that effect, words like “Lord, I do believe, help my unbelief”. This is what the Apostles ask of Christ: “increase our faith”. They have faith but they feel it’s not deep enough. Here they are chosen by Christ to be his disciples.

2022 19th Sunday ( C ) ‘Be like people waiting for their master to return from the wedding feast.’ So the master is away; there’s no one to check up on them; they can do what they like. We have an expression: ‘When the cats away the mice will play.’ It has the same meaning: when there is no one watching you can do what you like.

2025 17th Sunday of the Year ( C ) What would your reaction be if I were to say that you were all sinners..? Would it be anger: who does he think he’s talking to, and he’s only a visiting priest? Would it be surprise: how on earth does he know, he’s never been here before? Would it be curiosity: I wonder where he’s going with this?

2025 16TH Sunday of the Year ( C ) On Friday I watched an episode of ‘The Chosen’. If you haven’t seen it, it is about the life of the twelve apostles. Last Friday the story was about the scene we have just read in today’s gospel: the story of Martha and Mary. I thought the director handled it well. You can have two reactions to this story where Martha prepares food for Jesus while Mary sits and listens to him.

2025 15th Sunday of the Year ( C ) I went on the London run some weeks ago. It had been a long time since I had last been Part of me was curious to see if it was any different. The morning before we go , always a Monday, a group of mostly ladies prepare food for that evening: soup, sandwiches, chocolate bars, cakes, crisps and fruit.

2025 Saints Peter & Paul, Apostles For the last few months, I have been watching a series on tv called ‘The Chosen’. It’s the story of the 12 apostles. The film cleverly fills in the gaps that are left by the gospels; much of it is pure speculation but I find it to be authentic for the most part. The portrayal of Peter is interesting.

2025 Corpus Christi ( C ) “This is my body which is for you… do this in remembrance of me”. These are Christ’s words as the Last Supper. He wants us to remember him. How do we remember normally people? There are many ways. Yesterday I presided at a funeral of a man who had been a keen photographer. Afterwards, at the reception, we saw examples of his work.

2025 Trinity Sunday ( C ) Today we celebrate the feast of the Most Holy Trinity. From our earliest days we learned that God is three and God is one: three persons but one God. But why can’t God be just God; one person one God? Supposing this could happen, supposing that God could be just one God one person, which one would it be?

2025 Pentecost Sunday ( C ) “If you love me you will keep my commandments”, says Jesus. And he repeats this again a few lines later, only he says “you will keep my word”, rather than “commandment”. A few lines later he refers to those who don’t love him, “who ever does not love me does not keep my words.” Do you love God?

2025 7th Sunday in Eastertide ( C ) Jesus’ prayer that I just read was not just meant only for the people of his time for us too, two thousand years later. Listen to what Jesus says, “Holy Father I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word.” That’s us. It was as if Jesus could see into the future, to see people like us, sitting here in St Joseph’s Church, Chalfont St Peter.

2025 6th Sunday of Eastertide ( C ) I don’t know if you have watched a tv series called ‘The Chosen’. You can get it on ‘Prime Video’. It is an excellent presentation of the lives of the twelve apostles, focussing of them more than on Jesus. It is really excellent. The only negative observation I can make has to do with Mathew.