This is the Sermon I preached on Sunday 28th December 2025, the Sunday after Christmas. The Holy Family in the rubble Herod will always stand as one of the most deplorable characters of The New Testament. He is a troubling illustration of self-absorption on steroids!   Herod typifies many people in our world today, evil dictators, just as you think they’re a thing of the past, so evil manifests itself through yet another Godless, corrupt, egocentric tyrant with a self-seeking

Mary the Theotokos gave her body to host the Son of God She gave her body for God's shrine, Her heart to piercing pain, And knew the cost of love divine When Jesus Christ was slain. REFUGEE - by Malcolm Guite We think of him as safe beneath the steeple, Or cosy in a crib beside the font, But he is with a million displaced people On the long road of weariness and want. For even as we sing our final carol His family is up and on that road, Fleeing the wrath of someone else’s

I have a particular devotion to Our Lady of Guadalupe . I hope it's not just because she is portrayed more-garishly than other manifestations. The festival of Nuestra Senora de Guadalupe  takes place today, 12th December, in honour of the apparition to Juan Diego, when thousands flock to the Basilica of Ville Madero. On December 9, 1531, while traveling along Tepeyac Hill, Juan Diego encountered a radiant young woman who revealed herself as the Virgin Mary, Mother of God. She

“Four Quartets” by T S Eliot – “Little Gidding”   “If you came this way, Taking any route, starting from anywhere, At any time or at any season, It would always be the same: you would have to put off Sense and notion. You are not here to verify, Instruct yourself, or inform curiosity Or carry report. You are here to kneel Where prayer has been valid.  And prayer is more Than an order of words, the conscious occupation Of the praying mind, or the sound of the voice praying. An

A MORNING RESOLVE I will try this day to live a simple, sincere and serene life, repelling promptly every thought of discontent, anxiety, discouragement, impurity, and self-seeking; cultivating cheerfulness, magnanimity, charity, and the habit of holy silence; exercising economy in expenditure, generosity in giving, carefulness in conversation, diligence in appointed service, fidelity to every trust, and a childlike faith. I will try to be faithful in those habits of prayer,

St. Martin of Tours , born in 316 AD in Pannonia (modern-day Hungary), grew up in a Roman pagan military family. Martin felt drawn to Christianity from a young age, and secretly began to study the faith.   Early Life and Conversion to Christianity As the son of a Roman officer, Martin was conscripted into military service at the age of 15, following in his father’s footsteps. Although he was committed to his duties, his Christian faith continued to grow. One of the most fam

There are 162 churches dedicated to St.Leonard in England today. It was my privilege to be the Rector of one of them, St Leonard Leverington (see above) . The Church is a magnificent building, and was built in post-Crusade times. Leverington is a large village on the outskirts of Wisbech in Cambridgeshire.   Who was Leonard?   Leonard was born at the end of the 5th century to a noble family near Orléans. His family, connected to the Frankish court, had ancient roots and proba

"Clutter is a disorderly collection of items or a state of disorder . It can refer to physical objects like a messy room or a cluttered desk, but also to abstract things like a large amount of confusing information. Causes often include sentimental value, lack of time, fear of throwing something out that we might need later. The effect of clutter can range from a cluttered living space to a negative impact on mental and physical health." I couldn't have put it better than AI!

SAINT TERESA OF ÁVILA - FEAST DAY, OCTOBER 15th It 's hard to pick a favourite saint. After all, I need as much help as I can get, so I'm happy to include any saint that's on offer! But - St. Teresa of Ávila (1515-82) will always have a special place in my heart, not least of all for her outspoken and honest relationship with God. Teresa was of small stature but feisty! on contemporary writer referred to her as "The diminutive Spanish spitfire"! Teresa was born in Avila

J esus left Judea and departed for Galilee, and to get there He had to pass through Samaria. He came to a town of Samaria called Sychar....

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All:    Glory be to the Father, and to the Son,           and to the Holy Spirit;           as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever...

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STATIONS OF THE CROSS - 4 - Jesus meets His Mother on The Via Dolorosa We adore you O Christ, and we praise you, because by your Holy...

YOU WERE AN INCOMER....... . before you first knocked on my door, You were a Stranger, far from home, and yet you made me feel that I was...

To Keep a True Lent - Robert Herrick 1648 Is this a fast, to keep The larder lean? And clean From fat of veals and sheep ? Is it to quit...