Faith

Daily Lenten reflections to your inbox from Fr Robert Barron

Filed in Spirituality by on March 5, 2014 0 Comments
Daily Lenten reflections to your inbox from Fr Robert Barron

Take a look at the Lenten Reflections website, where you can sign up to receive a daily reflection by email from Fr Robert Barron.

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Letting the heart be transformed this Lent

Filed in Spirituality by on March 4, 2014 0 Comments
Letting the heart be transformed this Lent

  Ash Wednesday begins with an entreaty from God, one that has been heard down through the generations. It is an appeal from the very heart of God. He is calling his wayward children to […]

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The vocation to love, part 3: God’s call in the Old Testament

Filed in Spirituality by on March 4, 2014 0 Comments
The vocation to love, part 3: God’s call in the Old Testament

The language of vocation, of being called to a way of life, has its origin in the Bible. The God of the Jews is both supremely Other – the sole origin and ruler of everything […]

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Forming intentional disciples

Filed in Catholic by on February 28, 2014 17 Comments
Forming intentional disciples

I’m re-reading Forming Intentional Disciples, people… Yes, in fact, I think I could read it three or four times. You might want to revisit with me some of the key points, because often we can […]

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Desert Island Priests at Brentwood Cathedral

Filed in Spirituality by on February 24, 2014 0 Comments
Desert Island Priests at Brentwood Cathedral

In this series of interviews Fr Martin Boland will be speaking to six priests of the Brentwood Diocese about books which have influenced them in their spiritual journey. Thursday 6 March Fr Kevin Hale (Leigh-on-Sea) .. Journal […]

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The vocation to love, part 1: an invitation

Filed in Spirituality by on February 17, 2014 6 Comments
The vocation to love, part 1: an invitation

What is the best-kept secret of the Second Vatican Council? Many of the Council’s radical ideas are now so integrated into our lives that we forget how new they were. But some of its riches […]

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The difficulty of communicating the inner experience of faith

Filed in Spirituality by on February 13, 2014 2 Comments
The difficulty of communicating the inner experience of faith

Is it possible to communicate the inner experience of faith? Take a look at this article by David Brook’s of the New York Times. There is a strong vein of hostility against orthodox religious believers […]

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“Let’s just stop catechising children”

Filed in Catholic by on February 7, 2014 4 Comments
“Let’s just stop catechising children”

Joanne McPortland over at Patheos has been causing something of a stir… She is proposing that what is wrong with the parish formation set-up is that it has, for too long, been catechising the wrong people […]

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The wisdom and continuing relevance of St Thomas Aquinas

Filed in Spirituality by on February 5, 2014 2 Comments
The wisdom and continuing relevance of St Thomas Aquinas

The feastday of St Thomas Aquinas passed by unnoticed to most of the world last week, but for those who have come to know him as a steady guide in thinking about the biggest questions […]

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The longing of the human heart for God

Filed in Spirituality by on February 3, 2014 1 Comment
The longing of the human heart for God

A homily by Fr Stephen Wang about the longing of the human heart for God, from the Garden of Eden to the End of Time; given at Newman House, 2 February 2014, on the Feast […]

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Candlemas: The Feast of the Presentation of the Lord

Filed in Spirituality by on February 2, 2014 0 Comments
Candlemas: The Feast of the Presentation of the Lord

Today we celebrate the feast of Candlemas which incorporates two feasts, the Presentation of Our Lord and the Purification of the Blessed Virgin. Both rites were obliged by Jewish law. You can read about them […]

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St John Bosco – patron saint of young people

Filed in Spirituality by on January 31, 2014 2 Comments
St John Bosco – patron saint of young people

St John Bosco is one of those saints who can really appeal to children, especially boys. Born August 16th 1815 he was the youngest son of Francis and Margaret Bosco. He lived on a small […]

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The art of patience: waiting while you wait

Filed in Spirituality by on January 31, 2014 2 Comments
The art of patience: waiting while you wait

I just came across this lovely phrase from St Francis de Sales. In a letter to St Jane de Chantal, when there is a hitch and she can’t take a journey at the time she […]

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Do Catholics really know their bibles?

Filed in Spirituality by on January 26, 2014 3 Comments
Do Catholics really know their bibles?

Earlier this week, in our Catholic parish, we began ‘A Quick Journey through the Bible‘, the Great Adventure eight-session course; and we were maxed out with around 70 participants showing up. I was excited to […]

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How to evangelise: practical tips for everyday life

Filed in Catholic by on January 23, 2014 2 Comments
How to evangelise: practical tips for everyday life

Here are some practical tips for ordinary people about how we can evangelise in everyday life. A homily by Fr Stephen Wang.

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Traditions on the Feast of St Agnes

Filed in Spirituality by on January 21, 2014 0 Comments
Traditions on the Feast of St Agnes

Agnes, a young Christian convert, is honored as one of the four great virgin martyrs of the Christian Church. She died for her faith in the early fourth century during the reign of Diocletian (284-305), […]

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How to deepen your faith

Filed in Catholic by on January 11, 2014 2 Comments
How to deepen your faith

How to deepen your faith: a homily by Fr Stephen Wang, given at Newman House Catholic Chaplaincy

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Christmas: sacred and profane

Filed in Spirituality by on December 24, 2013 0 Comments
Christmas: sacred and profane

Happy Christmas from everyone at Jericho Tree! We are taking a Christmas break and will be back in the new year. The image above is from a shop window on Tottenham Court Road; the image […]

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Christmas traditions: the breaking of the Oplatki bread

Filed in Spirituality by on December 24, 2013 0 Comments
Christmas traditions: the breaking of the Oplatki bread

One of the loveliest traditions we started on Christmas Eve is one we took from our Polish friends, the breaking of the Oplatki bread. This tradition starts just before the evening meal. While the adults […]

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Life in Christ: a 45 session DVD resource

Filed in Catholic by on December 23, 2013 1 Comment
Life in Christ: a 45 session DVD resource

I’ve just received my complimentary copy of the new Life in Christ DVD resource from the Southwark Catholic Youth Service (I do one of the sessions on prayer). It’s a mammoth undertaking: 45 sessions with […]

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