September 19, 2021
God’s Image
This is a photo of a rosary made like a friendship bracelet. It was a gift from my best friend, and is one of the precious things that I carry everywhere with me.
September 12, 2021
A Necklace of Pearls
It is often said that the gospels are like necklaces of pearls. Each pearl is an element of the life or teaching of Jesus of Nazareth, and the thread is the evangelist’s writing. The evangelist has many elements of great value, given as a gift, and arranges them into a beautiful gift of their own for us.
September 8, 2021
Blessing and Woe
Woe to us”, says Jesus. A difficult start to a sermon, but one that seems to be necessary. We are the rich, full, laughing ones to whom Jesus says woe. You’re either hearing this over Zoom or reading it on my blog, which drastically increases your odds of being —globally speaking— rich, full, and happy. So, Jesus says emphatically, woe to you.
August 29, 2021
Like Us
In the shop where I work, we sell nativity sets. As a few customers have pointed out to me, we sell exclusively nativity sets where the baby Jesus is white.
August 8, 2021
Bread
“The eucharist is not a prize for the perfect, but a powerful medicine and nourishment for the sick.” – Pope Francis (Evangelii Gaudium)
August 1, 2021
The Rich Fool
I’m scared.
We live in a scary time and in a scary place, and I’m scared.
July 4, 2021
God will never leave you alone
Two big things happened to me this week. I moved back to the North West, and I wasn’t ordained deacon.
On Wednesday, I loaded all of my belongings into a van, drove them to Liverpool, and unloaded them again into my new house.
May 6, 2021
Womb
Throughout this time, I’ve found it easier and easier to think about God as my mother. Early on, when I could hardly hear God speak, Charlie prayed for me and received the prophetic image of me as a tiny point of righteous anger curled in on itself, as a baby kicking and screaming too hard and not staying still enough to feel loved, and of God around me: holding and enclosing me, and encouraging me to unravel so that I could feel her holding me, so that I could feel anything other than the white hot rage that I had curled in on.
November 25, 2020
Lazarus
A real death is the way to a real resurrection.
Death is absolutely terrifying. As modern neuroscientists have pointed out, there is no conceivable mechanism by which our consciousness might leave our body in tact when we die. Humans are not born with an immortal soul. Most likely, death is total oblivion, and if that doesn’t scare you then I don’t know what to say to you.
November 16, 2020
Mozart
Today, I am facing the prospect of having my training suspended. On Sunday, Mozart’s requiem was broadcast on BBC2.