tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-76355499954418196502024-10-02T06:21:20.426+01:00St Peter's Parish in BiggleswadeSt Peter's Parish, Biggleswadehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04326675301177558859noreply@blogger.comBlogger626125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7635549995441819650.post-82632516867450627652023-03-28T07:46:00.001+01:002023-03-28T07:46:42.276+01:00 Numbers 21:4–9 • Psalm 100(102) • John 8:21–30https://www.soulshepherding.org/jesus-dark-night-of-the-soul/St John Chrysostom declared, “O only-begotten Son and Word of God, immortal being, you who deigned for our salvation to become incarnate of the holy Mother of God and ever-virgin Mary, you who without change became man and were crucified, O Christ our God, you who without change becameSt Peter's Parish, Biggleswadehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04326675301177558859noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7635549995441819650.post-89339428698900396912022-07-14T07:07:00.001+01:002022-07-14T07:07:19.535+01:00"Come to me, all you who are weary . . ."Matthew • 11:28-30 JULY 145 Life can be burdensome, what with illnesses, the stress of modern living, mortgage repayments, family troubles . . . the list is endless. It's part of the human condition to experience being weary and burdened by life at times.  Jesus shows us the remedy, and we would do well to digest each word he says carefully.   The key and central idea is, 'St Peter's Parish, Biggleswadehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04326675301177558859noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7635549995441819650.post-21025482051015142602022-06-05T07:14:00.001+01:002022-06-05T07:14:45.232+01:00PentecostActs 2:1–11     The outpouring of the Holy Spirit totally transformed the apostles, changing everything.  Once cowardly, confused and lacking in confidence, they became convinced, certain and clear after receiving the Holy Spirit.  The old creation gave way to the new.   The Spirit is given so that we can live out our vocation, so that we can live a life in the St Peter's Parish, Biggleswadehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04326675301177558859noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7635549995441819650.post-36396130977950206442022-04-18T06:44:00.001+01:002022-04-18T06:55:22.721+01:00The Church in its Beginning Matthew: 28:8–15Today we begin an exciting adventure, a quest, an odyssey, through the masterpiece we know as the Acts of the Apostles.  Essentially, it takes us into the early years of the Church's growth and expansion.  It's not called 'Acts' for nothing!Luke's narrative is action-packed, a thrilling, white-knuckle ride, a front row seat to the nascent Church's fight to St Peter's Parish, Biggleswadehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04326675301177558859noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7635549995441819650.post-15778957502981712182022-04-03T12:27:00.001+01:002022-04-03T12:27:42.436+01:00Who is Jesus?  John 7:40–52 In today's Gospel, Jesus makes a very telling comment and, ‘So there was a division among the people over him.' (v. 43). From the very beginning of his ministry, Jesus' words had two equal and opposite effects.  They either inspired, comforted and encouraged, or they aroused terrible hostility and bitterness. We meet these two opposites of opinion in St Peter's Parish, Biggleswadehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04326675301177558859noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7635549995441819650.post-86838562515021583082022-03-26T07:51:00.001+00:002022-03-26T08:03:17.888+00:00Pray with Humility Photo by threeshoes photography © 2021Luke 18:9-14Jesus says of the tax collector, 'I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other.' (v. 14). This is because the tax collector came to pray with a true realisation of his position before God.  The Catechism of the Catholic Church says, “But when we pray, do we speak from the height of our pride and will, or ‘St Peter's Parish, Biggleswadehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04326675301177558859noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7635549995441819650.post-89541117441226916252022-03-18T06:53:00.001+00:002022-03-18T06:53:18.202+00:00Soften our Hearts, FatherMatthew 21:33–43, 45–46 Jesus' ministry is drawing to a close.  Until now the chief priests and Pharisees have resolutely refused to listen to his teaching or come to faith in him. Their hearts and minds have remained firmly closed.  The Parable of the Tenants represents Jesus’s final attempt to break through the stubbornness of the Jewish leaders in the hope that theySt Peter's Parish, Biggleswadehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04326675301177558859noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7635549995441819650.post-7356027346082812672022-03-06T17:54:00.001+00:002022-03-06T17:54:57.307+00:00Tempted by Satan   Photo by Martino Pietropoli on Unsplash   1st Sunday of Lent The Spirit led Jesus into the desert for forty days to be tempted and tested.  During Lent we too are tested and tempted, although it's different for each of us. Some find food an overwhelming temptation, whilst others struggle instead with envy and jealousy.  In this sense temptations are a mystery: 'By the St Peter's Parish, Biggleswadehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04326675301177558859noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7635549995441819650.post-28748818942031227472022-02-24T06:48:00.001+00:002022-02-24T06:48:08.804+00:00The Dangers of SinWhat is sin?  Firstly it’s an offence against God, a rebellion against his love, where we turn our hearts away from him.  Sin is not a theory; it’s a daily reality to which our experience testifies: “What revelation makes known to us is confirmed by our own experience.  For when we look into our own hearts we find that we are drawn towards what is wrong and sunk St Peter's Parish, Biggleswadehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04326675301177558859noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7635549995441819650.post-35383547277244855922022-02-13T12:39:00.001+00:002022-02-13T12:39:21.695+00:00Blessed are . . .  Photo by Francesco Alberti on Unsplash Luke 6:17, 20–26 • Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time (C) The Beatitudes occur only in Matthew's and Luke's Gospels.  Matthew's version is delivered on a mountain (just as Moses delivered the Ten Commandments) and Luke's version on plain or level ground.  There are many comparisons to be made.  Luke's version doesn't have the &St Peter's Parish, Biggleswadehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04326675301177558859noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7635549995441819650.post-15136523042600835782022-02-12T07:16:00.001+00:002022-02-12T07:16:54.458+00:00Jesus and his disciples feed the 4,000   Photo by Neal E. Johnson on Unsplash   Jesus feeds the 4,000; he saw their need and was moved to feed them.  There’s a clear reminder here of God feeding his chosen people with manna in the wilderness after the Exodus (Exodus 16).  On that occasion he was moved by his infinite compassion because he loved them and wanted to demonstrate his love. Jesus’s cross andSt Peter's Parish, Biggleswadehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04326675301177558859noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7635549995441819650.post-34284637691989524382022-02-07T06:49:00.001+00:002022-02-07T06:49:47.202+00:00We are wounded    Photo by Mateus Campos Felipe on Unsplash Mark 6:53–56  The sick, weak and suffering pursued Jesus.  Such was their faith that they simply wanted to touch him, believing this would heal them (v. 56).  Jesus came to seek, save and heal the lost, and to restore a fractured and fallen humanity.  He himself said, “Those who are well have no need of a St Peter's Parish, Biggleswadehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04326675301177558859noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7635549995441819650.post-29492499903873753992022-01-07T14:55:00.001+00:002022-01-07T14:56:07.943+00:00Jesus and the Holy SpiritMatthew 4:12-17, 23-25 We can be easily swept along by the world's philosophical answers to life's fundamental questions.  The media often presents experts who proffer their answers to these, and we may feel lost in a world that is full of instant answers and strong opinions!  However, when we conform our attitudes to the truth of the Gospel and Jesus' teaching we can be confident that St Peter's Parish, Biggleswadehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04326675301177558859noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7635549995441819650.post-4944974456479651022021-12-31T07:31:00.001+00:002021-12-31T07:31:28.529+00:00Gratitude Photo by Mike Erskine on Unsplash New Year's Eve invites us to prayerful reflection and self-examination as we look back on the year passed and look to the coming one. The liturgy aids this process by presenting to us St John of the Cross’s Prologue for prayerful consideration. Today's Gospel helps us to understand that the search for meaning begins and ends with the coming of Jesus, St Peter's Parish, Biggleswadehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04326675301177558859noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7635549995441819650.post-29750102675506482912021-12-22T06:57:00.000+00:002021-12-23T07:01:03.831+00:00Magnificat Photo by Zoltan Tasi on Unsplash   Luke 1:46–56 “O King whom all the peoples desire, you are the cornerstone which makes all one.  O come and see man whom you made from clay.” The Magnificat is Mary’s special prayer which offers us a wonderful glimpse into the personality and very heart of Mary: her lively awareness of God as both her Lord and Saviour; her St Peter's Parish, Biggleswadehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04326675301177558859noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7635549995441819650.post-45233541074995645282021-12-09T22:24:00.001+00:002021-12-09T22:24:20.921+00:00Burdens  http://heartsofcompassioninternational.blogspot.com/2012/08/how-to-hear-from-god-part-1.html God knows that we carry many burdens, but what is our greatest burden?  God knows we have many troubles. but what is our greatest trouble? God knows we have many challenges, but what is our greatest challenge? We often think we are alone with our burdens, troubles or challenges, but perhaps St Peter's Parish, Biggleswadehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04326675301177558859noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7635549995441819650.post-37115001459910673702021-11-29T07:19:00.000+00:002021-11-30T07:24:42.274+00:00Faith with Humility and Trust in GodJesus was amazed at the centurion's faith. Nowhere in Israel had he found such faith as in this Gentile, a representative of a hated foreign oppressor. What was it in the centurion's behaviour that so impressed the Lord? The disposition with which he approached Jesus can be summed up in two words: faith and humility. He had complete confidence in Jesus's ability to heal his servant, and he was soSt Peter's Parish, Biggleswadehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04326675301177558859noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7635549995441819650.post-60453416672901538742021-11-18T06:59:00.001+00:002021-11-18T06:59:10.683+00:00Jesus's LoveJesus loved the people of Jerusalem and wept over their rejection of him.  But he wasn’t weeping for his own sake: these tears expressed a tender love for them.  These language of tears offers us a wonderful insight to the very heart of God.  Jesus’s tears were not only for Jerusalem but also for all who reject God and rebel against him.  This is not a harsh or St Peter's Parish, Biggleswadehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04326675301177558859noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7635549995441819650.post-14053435907642019662021-11-17T07:13:00.001+00:002021-11-17T07:13:49.404+00:00The Parable of the King's Ten ServantsA slightly different account of today's Parable of the Talents appears in Matthew's Gospel (see 25:14-30).  Matthew mentions only three servants, whereas Luke has ten, and there is a substantial difference between the sums of money involved.  Furthermore, in Luke's version the servants are given an equal amount, whereas in Matthew's a differentiation is made. Luke is explicit about St Peter's Parish, Biggleswadehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04326675301177558859noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7635549995441819650.post-81980490126910072712021-11-13T06:48:00.001+00:002021-11-13T06:48:20.074+00:00WisdomWisdom 13:1 – 9   1 But all men are vain, who are not under the knowledge of God, and who, from these good things that are seen, were not able to understand he who is, nor, by paying attention to the works, did they acknowledge he who was the artisan. 2 Instead, they had considered either the fire, or the air, or the atmosphere, or the circle of stars, or the great sea, or the sun andSt Peter's Parish, Biggleswadehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04326675301177558859noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7635549995441819650.post-36902534490220417172021-11-11T07:06:00.001+00:002021-11-11T07:06:18.308+00:00The Kingdom of God – Jesus Wisdom 7:22–8:1 • Psalm 119:89–91, 130, 135, 175 • Luke 17:20–25   Paul taught us that the kingdom isn’t about rules or regulations but about our interior life of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit (see Romans 14:17).  And St Anthony of Egypt said, “There is no point in our travelling to find the kingdom of heaven . . . As the Lord St Peter's Parish, Biggleswadehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04326675301177558859noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7635549995441819650.post-71937986739267519812021-11-06T06:35:00.001+00:002021-11-06T06:36:04.700+00:00The Love of MoneyLuke 16:9–15   In Jesus’s encounter with the Pharisees in today’s Gospel, the gloves were well and truly off.  He knew that they loved wealth, possessions and status (v.14), and that by addressing the issue of being trustworthy with money or property he was striking a sensitive chord.  He would go on to condemn them for being greedy and self-indulgent.   Let St Peter's Parish, Biggleswadehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04326675301177558859noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7635549995441819650.post-20488431570371342132021-10-15T07:04:00.001+01:002021-10-15T07:04:12.355+01:00Faith and St Teresa of ÁvilaLuke 12:1–7 • St Teresa of Ávila (Memoria!)   Fear of God is not a virtue we often come across nowadays, but it was cherished by the ancients and seen as the beginning of wisdom. This great virtue needs to be recovered in our own time and lives. What does it mean to fear God? Consider that he – who governs the sun, moon, oceans, earth, stars and cosmos – also St Peter's Parish, Biggleswadehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04326675301177558859noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7635549995441819650.post-34675734495591302072021-10-11T06:53:00.001+01:002021-10-11T06:56:27.057+01:00The Sign of Jonah and Repentance http://www.ingodsimage.com/2016/04/the-sign-of-the-prophet-jonah/ Luke 11:29–32 On several occasions the Jews demanded miraculous signs (see Matt. 12:38; Mark 8:11), but Jesus rejected these requests because their motives were wrong.  In today’s passage Jesus says that those who demand a sign would indeed be given one – but only the sign of Jonah (v.29).  Jonah spentSt Peter's Parish, Biggleswadehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04326675301177558859noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7635549995441819650.post-65992750329419815612021-10-03T07:06:00.001+01:002021-10-03T07:16:19.430+01:00Guardian Angels   Photo by Zoltan Tasi on Unsplash Matthew 18:1-5, 10 Today we celebrate the feast of the Guardian Angels. The Catechism of the Catholic Church says: “From its beginning until death, human life is surrounded by their watchful care and intercession.  Beside each believer stands an angel as protector and shepherd leading him to life. Already here on earth the Christian life St Peter's Parish, Biggleswadehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04326675301177558859noreply@blogger.com0