Christmas Novena. Day 2, 17th December

O Sapientia, quæ ex ore Altissimi prodisti, attingens a fine usque ad finem fortiter, suaviter disponensque omnia: veni ad docendum nos viam prudentiæ. O Wisdom, O holy Word of God, you govern all creation with your strong yet gentle care. Come and show your people the way of prudence. In our prayer today, we invoke the […]

Third Sunday of Advent

The third Sunday of Advent is called “Gaudete” or rejoice Sunday and it takes its name from St Paul’s invite in the second reading to “Rejoice always” (1 Thess 5:16) As we draw closer to the coming of the Lord, we have a reason to be filled with joy. The Church shows her joy by […]

Christmas Novena. Day 1, 16th December

Ecce Rex veniet Dominus terræ, et ipse auferet jugum captivitatis nostræ. Behold, the King will come, the Lord of the earth, and He will remove from us the yoke of our captivity. On the first day of Novena, the Lord is celebrated as King. He came to earth to establish the kingdom of the Father […]

Introduction to the Christmas Novena

Introduction to the Christmas Novena and the O Antiphons How can one explain the greatest, most singular event in human history? How can the extraordinary event of God becoming man in a Child be described? How do we account for the fact that God revealed His love in Jesus Christ? The Advent Liturgy invites us […]

Advent: Preparing for the coming of the Lord

Each year, on the 1st Sunday of Advent, the Church heralds the start of a new year. A new year is often a time of ‘resolutions’, ‘new start’ or even renewal. The Church’s year is no different! As the Lord prepared Israel for the coming of the Messiah over the course of 4,000 years, it […]

First Sunday of Advent

The first Sunday of Advent signals a time of waiting and preparation for the coming of Our Lord Jesus. The Advent wreath helps us to meditate on this ‘waiting’ period before the arrival of Christmas. It is circular to indicate the fact that God is eternal, without beginning or end. It is a crown made […]

A Meditation on the Gospel: Second Week of Advent

“Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!” (Mt 3:1). The heartfelt appeal of the man that from his mother’s womb was selected as the precursor, resonates more than ever in our time. The one that would straighten the tortuous path and the wayward road of the people of Israel, is the luminous figure […]