Fr Dominic’s Homily

Today we celebrate that he crucifix of death has become the means of our life. It has become the cross that saves rather than kills.

It’s strange when you think about it that we honour the cross which is really an instrument of torture to kill Jesus in a horrific way.

Yet the Cross becomes his throne which is why we honour it. We rejoice that something so terrible should have been transformed into a means of redemption for the whole human race. Through this cross our relationship with God the Father has been repaired forever…

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Fr Dominic’s Homily

Our Gospel today is John’s account of the Passion of Jesus. And of course the basic message is that because of our sinfulness instead of welcoming and following him we actually killed the very creator of Life.

Notice that right at the beginning Jesus says “I AM” in response to the soldiers sent to arrest him in the garden of Gethsemane. They are words in which Christ proclaims his divinity before the soldiers.

In saying “I AM” Jesus is using the same words that God used to describe himself to Moses on Mount Sinai. They are the words that describe the one who cannot be named, the one who cannot be controlled, the Creator of the universe.

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Fr Dominic’s Homily

There are many different images of Christ all around the world. If you think of all the paintings, they depict him in many different ways. From a tiny baby to the Good Shepherd to a crucified criminal.

But today we have one of the most striking images of Jesus – that of a humble servant washing the feet of his disciples. (Which covid stopped us doing for a while)

Here on his knees before others, his head lowered in humility and in love, doing the work of a slave – here is where you see the true image of Christ. Tonight, God gets down on his knees for us. He lowers himself and becomes a servant to the world — as humble as a slave.

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Fr Dominic’s Homily

Palms are used as a sign of welcoming a royal king. The people are hoping that Jesus is going to be a king like David and restore peace and justice. That he will use worldly power to fight off the Romans.

But he enters not as a warrior on a fine horse or a worldly king in his chariot. Instead he enters Jerusalem on a donkey.

He is the essence of humility and so is the exact opposite of worldly kings. He will be the true king of the world. But not in the way people expect.

Normally if somebody hurts us we sin in return. We retaliate. An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. This is the way of the world. But Jesus draws sin to himself so that he can take it away. He absorbs it and filters it.

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Our annual Easter Service was held at the Glastonbury Care Home. Although very few were present it was a very enjoyable and uplifting service. 

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Fr Dominic’s Homily

Today we hear about grains of wheat. If you think about them they are amazing packages of information. If protected they can last for hundreds of years. But unless it dies, in other words interacts with the soil and breaks open only then can it gives of itself. Only then can it yield its fruit.

In the first reading we have Jeremiah 31:31. It’s an easy reference to remember and central to the bible: “The days are coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel. I will place my law within them and write it on their hearts.”

It’s a central passage because it speaks of a new covenant with the house of Israel. It says that the covenant will be written in our hearts. Our hearts become packages of Gods information.

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Today, the Holy Father, Pope Francis, has accepted the resignation of the Right Reverend Declan Lang as Bishop of Clifton. Bishop Declan was ordained the ninth Bishop of Clifton on 28th March 2001 and has served the Diocese for 23 years as its bishop.

The Holy Father has appointed Rev. Canon Bosco MacDonald, a priest of the Diocese of Clifton, until now Dean of the Cathedral Church of St Peter and St Paul, Bristol, as the tenth Bishop of the Diocese of Clifton.

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Fr Dominic’s Homily

Today is Laetare Sunday. Rejoice Sunday. Joy is its theme because we are halfway through Lent and so very close to the joy of Easter. That's why we wear rose-coloured chasubles today.

We hear today that Jesus explains to Nicodemus that the "Son of Man" must be "lifted up" to bring God's forgiveness and healing to the world.

Now Nicodemus was a leader of the Jews. He was a man of good standing. He knows that Jesus is a holy man, but he can't quite understand why or how.

John's Gospel is all about light and darkness. In other words, the spiritual battle between good and evil. Nicodemus is just starting to reach the light...

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Fr Dominic’s Homily

Today’s gospel is set during the Jewish Passover. If you remember this Jewish feast celebrated and recalled the exile in Egypt and the escape of the Israelites from Pharaoh and so we know that this feast took place in spring.

And this connects this Gospel passage with us today as we are also now are well into the season of spring. As the Bishop reminded us on Wednesday in Cheddar the word lent actually comes from the old English word for spring.

So we hear that Jesus was going into the temple where he found the people selling sheep and pigeons and the money changers with their stalls. So these were the people who sold animals for sacrifice in the temple. At this time of year over a million Jews would arrive at the temple to celebrate this feast of the Passover.

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Fr Dominic’s Homily

On the first Sunday of Lent we heard about Jesus being in the desert where he was tested by the devil. The desert being a place of testing, a place of discernment, a place of temptation, a place of spiritual growth and a place of listening to God.

Today on this second Sunday of Lent we hear about Jesus being on a high mountain with Peter, James and John. This was probably mount Tabor not far from Jerusalem.

Mountains, of course, are places that allow you to see things from a higher viewpoint. They bring clarity and can give perspective on things. They are also places of listening. Important things always happen on mountains in the Old Testament: think of Noah and his ark. Think of Abraham and his son Isaac who was a pre-figurement of Jesus.

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Fr Dominic’s Homily

This gospel of 1st Sunday of lent is St Mark’s version of the temptation of Jesus in wilderness. It’s unlike Matthew’s and Luke’s with all the details of how the devil tempted Jesus. But it’s still powerful.

We hear that the spirit drove Jesus into the desert where he was tempted by the devil. Why on earth would the Holy Spirit do this? The Holy Spirit always encourages discernment. It was a time of testing and discernment for Jesus.

We know that Jesus is fully human. Like us in all things but sin. So he was tempted. But actually temptation can have value. Crisis is the mother of change. Temptation can strengthen and clarify who we are. This confrontation with Satan only clarifies for Jesus what his mission is.

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Fr Dominic’s Homily

Today we mark ourselves with ashes as a sign of our humility in front of God and that we will return to him at some point. We came from him and we will return to him. And this should form how we live our short span of life in this world.

And lent is a time of fasting when we think about maybe giving something up or taking something on that is good. 6 weeks or just over 40 days. 40 having significance of spiritual preparation in the Desert in the scriptures. We allow ourselves to enter the desert a little.

Lent of course is the old English word for spring. Because we have the lengthening of days. And Lent is a time to remind us of our complete dependence on God and not on other things.

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Fr Dominic’s Homily

This Wednesday is Ash Wednesday and the beginning of Lent. It’s a time when we can think about giving something up or taking something up in order to mortify ourselves a little on the run up to Easter.

Bishop Declan reminds us that Pope Francis recommends giving up gossip and slander within the parish and community and family life for lent as it can be so damaging. And instead maybe read a small passage of scripture every day.

This enables us to open the door of our hearts to God’s grace and listen to what he wants to tell us rather than listening to voices that can be unhealthy, detrimental and cause separation in our community.

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Fr Dominic’s Homily

On this fifth Sunday in Ordinary time we continue into the gospel of Mark. As we learnt last Sunday Jesus is showing is authority not just in his teaching but in his command over demons who all know exactly who he is. And with Mark we hear that things happen immediately and quickly in respect to the ministry of Jesus. There is a dynamism and sense of urgency in relation to his mission. He is intent on bringing the Kingdom of Heaven wherever he goes.

We hear a little about the personal life of Simon Peter today when Jesus goes to visit his Mother in Law. This reminds us that Peter was married at some point. It is thought that his wife must have died early and so Peter was a widow and someone who had suffered before he became a disciple of Jesus. Otherwise his wife would have been welcoming Jesus and the others rather than his Mother in Law because hospitality was a deeply cultural aspect of family life at that time. Just as was honour and shame that we often hear about in the gospels.

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The Clifton Diocese Pilgrimage to Lourdes is taking place this year in late August with pilgrims coming from all over the Diocese to embark on this journey. Details can be found on the Diocese website Lourdes | Clifton Diocese or by contacting lourdes@cliftondiocese.com /0117 902 5590 for an information pack.

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