Newsletter

Dear Friends, The Gospel reading about the feeding of the five thousand is a peg on which St John hangs his discourse on Jesus, the bread of life. The Gospel today ends with Jesus’ words: ‘the bread that I shall give is my flesh, for the life of the world’. It is a radical statement from which the Church draws its belief in the Real Presence of the Risen Christ in the … [Read more...] about Newsletter 09.08.15.

Dear Friends, The Gospel reading last Sunday (the feeding of the five thousand) leads to today's statement made by Jesus: ‘I am the bread of life’. This is what he wished to reveal in the multiplied bread - the real purpose of the miraculous meal. In the reading from Exodus God is revealed as feeding the people’s physical hunger: ‘the Lord gave them bread from heaven’ we … [Read more...] about Newsletter 02.08.15.

Dear Friends, Today’s Gospel reading tells the story of how Jesus fed a great crowd of people with just a few loaves and fish. St John wrote this account 60 years after the event for the Christian community that would have made the connection with what it did every Sunday at the Eucharist. Just as Jesus ‘took the loaves, gave thanks and gave them out to all’ so the celebrant … [Read more...] about Newsletter 26.07.15.

Dear Friends, In today’s Gospel the Twelve return from their missionary journey to report back to Jesus and they expect to have some quiet time. But the crowds have other ideas! They follow Jesus and the apostles to a desert place - in fact they are there before them! Jesus is moved with pity for these sheep without a shepherd. He does so, partly because he sees how real is … [Read more...] about Newsletter 19.07.15.

Dear Friends, The key word in today’s readings is ‘chosen’. Amos is chosen by God to prophesy to the people of Israel; the twelve apostles are chosen by Jesus and sent out to preach; and St Paul reminds us that ‘we are claimed as God’s own, chosen from the beginning’. For us that choice brings the responsibility, like the apostles, to have a share in proclaiming the message … [Read more...] about Newsletter 12.07.15.