Is it right to fear God? What is the difference between a destructive fear and a “holy trepidation”? An Advent homily by Fr Stephen Wang: Look around you at the chapel walls. Look at the […]
Relationships
When everything goes wrong and we are tempted to give up hope
When everything seems to go wrong and you get to the point where you are about to give up and rage and despair and collapse. That’s often the very moment when God wants to step […]
Holy Saturday: feeling His absence; yearning for His presence
Anyone visiting a church or chapel this Holy Saturday will meet the shock of an open and empty tabernacle, and an extinguished sanctuary lamp. We all know it’s coming, but each year it’s upsetting to […]
Catholic Church in England and Wales releases prayer to assist those seeking St Valentine’s Day soulmate
The Catholic Church in England and Wales has published a new prayer to assist those who want to meet their soulmate. Timed to coincide with the celebration of St Valentine’s Day – a day annually […]
Thinking Faith: A holiday and study week for Catholic students and young professionals
Thinking Faith – Faith and Creation A holiday and study week for Catholic students and young professionals Boarbank Hall, Cumbria 16th-23rd July 2016 Would you like: *An alternative to World Youth Day? *Daily prayer and liturgy […]
Prophecy: you have to open your mouth and speak
We have all been anointed at our baptism, to be prophets in the world, and especially to give testimony to the faith that we have received. A homily by Fr Stephen Wang.
Prophecy, truth, love
Last Sunday, the readings the Church gives us help us to reflect on a fundamental experience of God in our lives: the claim that truth makes on us [Jeremiah 1:4-5, 17-19; 1 Corinthians 12:31–13:13; Luke […]
What’s the point of walking through a Holy Door?!
What’s the point of walking through a Holy Door in this Year of Mercy? Don’t you have plenty of good doors of your own at home to walk through? A homily by Fr Stephen Wang […]
RCIA: Don’t stop with just a programme
As you all know, I’ve written tons and tons and tons on RCIA. When you are doing a year-round process with enquiry and Catechumenate running simultaneously, I find that fully responding to the Holy Spirit means that […]
Is your generosity spontaneous or strategic?
Is your generosity spontaneous or strategic? A homily by Fr Stephen Wang [You can listen to the audio here or read the text below] So the Year of Mercy has been inaugurated this week by […]
Marriage & Confirmation: new translations for the Catholic liturgy
The Sacraments of Confirmation and Marriage mark a new stage of life for those who receive them. The celebration of these sacraments are joyful occasions when families and friends come together to pray and give […]
Visiting the “new jungle” in Calais
A DAY TRIP TO CALAIS A main street. The only one. Around a jungle of tents and rubbish. Mud, restaurants, shops. I am in the afghan area together with four others for a day trip […]
Letting God’s love touch your life
Adam is walking in the Garden of Eden at the very dawn of creation. He is like the first year undergraduate at Freshers’ Fair, winding through the stalls. It is a world of infinite possibility; […]
Summary of new norms governing nullity procedures & press conference
The Vatican has released the following English-language summaries of the two documents promulgated today by Pope Francis reforming canonical processes for the declaration of nullity of marriage, in the Code of Canon Law (CIC) and the Code […]
Overcoming the fear of commitment
It feels as if we are part of an epic biblical scene: Two great tribes have gathered together from the four corners of the continent, at the place where the plain meets the mountains, to […]
Character: how to overcome fear and let your soul shine like the sun, Fr Stephen Wang
What is more important: the things you have achieved or the person you have become? A reflection on character and the fears that hold us back, by Fr Stephen Wang.
Grief to Grace, Healing the Wounds of Abuse: London retreat this June
The next UK Grief to Grace retreat takes place from 8 to 13 June at The Kairos Centre, Roehampton, London, SW15 4JA. See their website here for full details. General information about the programme follows here: Grief to Grace is a specialised […]
Is God calling fewer people?
In a Pastoral Letter to be read in all the churches of the Diocese on the weekend of 25/26 April, the Rt Rev Mark O’Toole, Bishop of Plymouth, challenges all in the Diocese to promote […]
Falling in love is not enough: the true meaning of marriage
I want you to imagine that you are on the top of Mount Nebo. This is where Moses is standing in the First Reading of the Mass today, surveying the Land that has been promised […]
When love is poured out through one person onto a whole community
For some people, a vocation arrives unexpectedly, even in the context of apparent tragedy. For Peter, it arrived when he was taken ill at the age of three. Suddenly, a normal, healthy, little boy was […]
Do Catholics need to have a “personal relationship with Jesus Christ”?
What does the language of ‘personal relationship’ and ‘encounter’ mean when we think about our friendship with the Lord? Is this kind of language helpful for Catholics who might have other ways of expressing their […]
