Fr Dominic’s Homily

Today we remember the Apostles Peter and Paul. Both were martyred in Rome in the first century it is thought on the actual same day. They worked for the spread of the gospel, not only to the people of Israel, but to all the nations as well. They risked their lives in the process for which they were eventually martyred. As Paul stated in his second letter to Timothy, they courageously fought the good fight, finished the race, and kept the faith.

So were St Peter and St Paul heroes? Let’s start with Peter. St Peter is not really the model of a wise and noble hero. He professes faith in Jesus one minute and then blunders into error the next. He refuses to have his feet washed, and then, when the purpose is explained to him, wants to be washed all over. He walks on the water – but then panics and starts to sink. And, of course, he betrays Jesus soon after promising that he never will.

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Fr Dominic’s Homily

The Sea of Galilee is actually a freshwater lake and is about thirteen miles long, seven miles wide but only 150 feet deep, and because it is surrounded by mountains, it is susceptible to sudden storms. So it can be calm one minute and violent the next.

That’s the way life is too! One minute you can be enjoying fair weather and the next minute you find yourself in the middle of a terrible storm. But this shouldn’t surprise us. The Bible says that the storms will always come our way.

The disciples were frightened by the severity of this storm. The boat is rocking and is full of water and they are afraid it is about to sink.

It was a violent storm and it was night time too so they could not see how close they were to the shore or the other ships around them. They were in great danger, and they feared for their lives.

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On 11th June Fr Dominic led our parish pilgrimage to visit the Shrine to Our Lady of Walsingham.

We set out on a lovely sunny morning by coach to Elmham House where we would be staying.

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Fr Dominic’s Homily

Today we have two short parables from Jesus that are as ever not easy to understand. They are enigmatic in nature – in other words they conceal more than they reveal.

The first parable is about the mysterious seed. It slowly germinates overnight and starts to sprout leaves.

The farmer needs to have patience and wait. He has no real control over how it grows. All he has done is to have planted the seed and given it the right conditions. In other words it is a mysterious process. The seed seems to have an innate power that is invisible and incomprehensible.

Jesus is using this parable to explain what the kingdom of heaven is like to the crowds around him. The seeds are sown in the hearts of people and then time is needed.

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Fr Dominic’s Homily

Today we hear that some of the followers, family and friends of Jesus think that he might have gone crazy. That he has simply gone too far with his mission work.

Some of the Jewish leaders react strongly to Jesus' healings and exorcisms and they oppose him with fury. How could Jesus have the power and authority to release people from Satan? They assumed that he had to be in league with Satan. Beelzebul is an Aramaic word meaning Lord of the Flies or in effect Satan the Prince of death.

So Jesus clearly states that no kingdom divided against itself can survive for long. The idea of Satan working against himself is nonsense. If Satan uses his power against his own forces then he is finished.

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Fr Dominic’s Homily

Today is the feast of Corpus Christi - the body and blood of our Lord.

We hear about the last supper in the Gospel reading. It is the feast of the Passover and there are many people in Jerusalem. We hear it called the feast of unleavened bread. Passover was 1 day and then there was an octave of unleavened bread celebration.

A bit like the fact that we have Christmas that is one day followed by an octave or 8 days of celebration but whilst they are separate we call it all Christmas celebration. We lose that distinction. So it was with Passover/unleavened bread.

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Bishop Bosco MacDonald was Ordained the Tenth Bishop of Clifton at Clifton Cathedral on Wednesday 8th May 2024.

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Fr Dominic’s Homily

We are now in Ordinary Time. Next Sunday of course we celebrate Corpus Christi – body and blood of Christ. And today we celebrate the most central mystery of our Faith. The most holy Trinity.

Not the incarnation, not even the Eucharist – real presence. Source and summit of Christian life. But the Trinity is the foundation of all other mysteries because it about who God is.

We have celebrated many other feasts and celebrations about what God has done and what we have received from him. But this is who he is. Fr Son and Holy Spirit. God is a family. He has Fatherhood, son ship and the essence of love – the Holy Spirit. Today in a way is the Sum of all the feasts.

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Fr Dominic’s Homily

Today is the great feast of Pentecost where the Holy Spirit comes down in tongues of fire on Mary and the disciples. The name “Pentecost” comes from the Greek word meaning “fiftieth” as it is fifty days after Easter.

Today isn’t just the end of the Easter season! It’s the birthday of the church. It’s the feast of the Holy Spirit. It’s the start of something new.

Like all the major feasts of the Church, Pentecost arises from a Jewish feast. Through the person of Jesus all the Jewish feasts find their true meaning and fulfilment.

So it was the feast of Harvest festival and a time of pilgrimage. So it was a very good time for the Holy Spirit to come down and inspire the Apostles to preach to all nations because Jerusalem was filled with pilgrims from many countries.

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Fr Dominic’s homily

Today is the 7th Sunday of Easter. There are 7 weeks during Easter season which ends on the feast of Pentecost which is next weekend. Pentecost meaning 50 days because there are 7 weeks plus 1 day between Easter and Pentecost.

Today we hear this discourse that Jesus gives on the night of the last supper before his death. It’s one of the rare times that you actually hear Jesus truly praying to his Father. Plus, also he speaks clearly and openly without using parables or metaphors.

Jesus emphasises his relationship with the Father. Remember that God is a trinity composed of God the Father, the son and Holy Spirit which is a community of love.

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Fr Dominic’s Homily

Jesus appears to his disciples in Galilee for the 10th time after his resurrection and gives a cosmic commission and tells us to spread the good news not just to the whole world but to all creation. What is the good news? That the reign of Satan is over.

So these are the final instructions given to us by Jesus until we see him again at the end of time. He reminds us of the importance of Baptism and of Faith in him. Both are needed.

This is the final appearance of Jesus to his apostles. It’s the 10th apparition after his resurrection and it’s the 40th day after his resurrection.

The Ascension of Our Lord can be difficult to understand. It seems a bit ambiguous.

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Fr Dominic's Homily

Last Sunday we had the Gospel of Jesus describing himself as being the one true vine and of us being the branches. This not only had Eucharistic implications of reminding us of the wine that we use in Mass but also of routing our whole lives in Christ. We need to be grafted onto Christ so that everything we do is connected to him because without Jesus there is actually nothing we can do.

The scene we have today is still as the last supper. Jesus is describing to his disciples who he really is and how they need to have great faith in him as well as following his commandments. Faith plus good works. Never anywhere in the scriptures does Jesus say that faith alone is good enough. Never anywhere does he say that if you believe in me enough then suddenly you are saved. No both are needed in order for us to attain salvation.

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The SHCJ Ghana project was the charity that Sue and Maisie designated for the Lent Lunch. It was a very successful lunch, people were extremely generous and interested in the project. 

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Fr Dominic’s Homily

Today’s Gospel of John comes from the last supper discourse. When Jesus was saying this people were in Jerusalem for the feast of the Passover. They would be visiting the temple for their sacrifices. On the archway leading to the temple were enormous images of vines plated in gold as icons of the Promised Land. So by calling himself the true vine Jesus indicates that he is the true vine of the true temple.

We are as closely connected to Him as the branches of a vine are connected to its stem. So, we depend on Jesus for everything, starting with our very life. “For in Him we live and move and have our being”

Jesus doesn’t say that we can do some things pretty well but you need me to help now and then. He said that no branch can even live, let alone produce leaves and fruit, by itself. “Apart from me you can do nothing.”

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Fr Dominic’s Homily

Today we hear that Jesus compares himself to a shepherd and the church to sheep. The sheep hear him and know his voice. They follow him. This of course is a familiar scene in the ancient world and so would have created a clear image for his listeners. Perhaps not so familiar now with our more sophisticated lifestyles...

God is someone who knows us and calls us out of love. We are born to hear the voice of God and this is actually what ultimately defines us. We are the sheep born to recognise the voice of the shepherd. This is why our hearts burn within us when we hear his voice. Deep inside we recognise truth and beauty.

If you pluck a guitar string and hold it next to another one it begins to vibrate sympathetically with it. So, it is with us when we hear God's voice it makes our hearts resonate. We were born for it.

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