We know the scene: the room, variously furnished, almost always a lectern, a book; always the tall lily. Arrived on solemn grandeur of great wings, the angelic ambassador, standing or hovering, whom she acknowledges, a guest. But we are told of meek obedience. No one mentions courage. The engendering Spirit did not enter her without […]
Sermon Topic: Saint Mary the Virgin
In this is love, not that we loved God but that he loved us.
Last Sunday, Father Spencer spoke movingly and poignantly about the struggle that he, and many of us, have experienced during this period of lockdown, and how it simply doesn’t seem to have an end in sight. A few days later, preaching at the Saturday monthly requiem, Fr. Spencer with that same honesty, shared how as […]
Mary's Yes to God; God's Yes to Her
My oldest daughter regularly repeats this mantra when she has some important news to share. Sometimes she has rehearsed a preamble, in the way a friend, doctor or family member aims to prepare us for the rollercoaster of emotion that will proceed from the sharing of life-changing news. In short, this pattern or ritual of […]
Jesus of Nazareth, God incarnate
Last year I had the great and distinct privilege of teaching an introductory theology class to an impressive group of undergraduate students at a nearby Roman Catholic university. As luck, or providence, would have it, this group of students was not meeting in the main classroom building on campus, but in an adjacent building, which […]
One Word.
Alleluia! Christ is Risen! The Lord is risen indeed, Alleluia! You see how easy that trips off the tongue? We know the end of the story and that means that even on Good Friday, we hear the Passion Gospel and even see that through the lens of the Resurrection. But to truly understand today’s Gospel, […]
Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart.
In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Last Christmas Eve my, now, Son-in-Law proposed to my youngest daughter on his knees in an Italian Restaurant around the corner of the Rectory. It was a very special Christmas for us and spent with their newly-born Son, my […]
Mary points to Jesus: "Do whatever he tells you."
“New York needs shrines; this crazy city needs such meeting places, silent and hidden from the heat and burden of the New York day.” [1] Words of John Andrew, 11th rector of St Thomas Church. Since we have had to relocate the image of our Lady of Fifth Avenue because of the great organ project, […]
Particular Plans
Over the past four months I have been living in temporary accommodation while the Rectory was refurbished. Every evening I have walked my dog around the block and past the St John’s Roman Catholic Church – I am always amused when I get to the priests’ house because right next door is a huge neon […]
Pieta
Henri Nouwen, reflecting on the death of his mother and the profound grief he experienced said this: “Eternity is born in time, and every time someone dies whom we have loved dearly, eternity can break into our mortal existence a little bit more.” (A letter of Consolation) It is because God has experienced death in […]
The Faith of Rebekah
It may have been difficult to tell what was going on in our first reading this evening, from the book of Genesis. We didn’t get very much background or introductory material which would have put it in context. Puzzling as it may have been in isolation, however, what we heard was a pivotal moment in […]
