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Death is definitive and confronting, but not the last word. In fact, death is a gateway to eternal, resurrected life: On this mountain, the Lord will remove the mourning veil covering all peoples, and the shroud enwrapping all nations, he will destroy death forever. That day, it will be said: See, this is our God in whom we hoped for salvation. The Lord is the one in whom we hoped (Isaiah 25). Through our death, we are invited to the greatest wedding of all – our marriage wit

In France, in Notre Dame, Pope Leo XIV spoke to those in Holy Orders: To you who celebrate the Eucharist each day, I ask you to ensure that the liturgical celebrations are always carried out with dignity and reverence, even where smaller communities gather. Without the reverent and joyful celebration of the Eucharist, the pope went on, the ‘very meaning of any Church building would be compromised.’ The Eucharist is the ‘font and apex’ of the life of the Church, and the life o

Mark Twain (1835-1910) famously said: Ninety-Five Percent of my problems never happened. The mind is powerful, creating problems that don’t exist: There is no need to worry; but if there is anything you need, pray for it, asking God for it with prayer and thanksgiving (eυχαριστία) (Philippians 4). Note Paul’s employment of the word Eucharist. The Church makes a breathtaking claim about the Eucharist: The entire spiritual good of the Church is contained in the Eucharist (CCC 1

Pope Leo XIV is in France. An 80,000-seat stadium was ‘chock-a-block’ with young people. Tickets sold out in one hour. I kid you not. A young man asked the pope: What do I do with my anxiety? The pope answered: Gratitude. Can the pope be taken seriously? Anxiety is writ large in our time. What are the causes? They are legion. Will gratitude fix the problem? Maybe. Just maybe. Let’s take Jesus as an example shall we? During his passion he suffers physically. He is literally sl

Change is inevitable. We may like and embrace it. We may dislike it and try our best to avoid it. Change for change’s sake is not necessarily good, but change that improves our lot surely is a good thing. We hear this week of change that will benefit us. Moral change – conversion. Jesus instigates a debate with the chief priest and elders – the elite. I tell you solemnly, tax collectors and prostitutes are making their way into the kingdom of God before you (Matthew 21). Tax

Pope Leo XIV spoke more sense at the Diocesan Assembly in Rome: ‘The art of pastoral evaluation,’ he said, ‘does not ask us to do more.’ ‘Rather, it gives the Church permission to do less and do it better.’ All the research indicates that if we want renewal in our parishes and communities then we must relentlessly pursue not many things, but three things: Good community. Good teaching and preaching. Good music. In other words, this relentless pursuit involves helping people t