Sermons
Fr John’s sermon, 3 November 2024
One of the joys of being involved with an auction is the way in which it can transport you to a moment of the past. A few months ago Bloomfield Auctions Belfast sold CS Lewis’s bath. I have walked down his road hundreds of times, I’ve often worshipped in St Mark’s Dundela where he was […]
Bishop Mark’s sermon on College Foundation day, 28th October
FOUNDATION DAY MASS 2024 This perpetual conversation, in which the past speaks to the present to create the future, is fundamental…….. Fundamental. “Fundamental to what?” you might ask. I think it is fundamental to the operation of tradition and neatly expressed in that little piece of signage from a museum in Florence. Tradition is much […]
Fr Nicolas’ sermon, 27 October 2024
“Son of David, have mercy on me” Today’s story of the healing of Bartimaeus must be one of our favourite gospel stories. It’s a beautifully told tale full of pathos, excitement and movement. Many artists have produced beautiful paintings of this story. It’s wonderful to pray through as an ignatian meditation; you can’t help but […]
Fr Oswin’s sermon, 13 October 2024
“Then who can be saved?” ************************ We are not at a time of great confidence. Even when numbers may be ticking up, people believe their lives are getting worse. Certainly the news seems to be getting worse. And this is true in the Church as well, even though there is an unreported uptick in numbers […]
Fr George’s sermon, 29 September 2024
It’s difficult to imagine salt that hasn’t got any saltness. It would be only appearances, with no taste behind the appearance. Christ is trying to focus our minds on essentials. This passage links up with the parable of the Sower, where some seed fell on rocky ground … it did not have much depth of […]
Br Patrick’s sermon, 1 September 2024
(Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23) ‘Why do your disciples not live according to the tradition of the elders, but eat with defiled hands?’ Given the events of the early 2020s, many of us may have some sympathy with these words of the Pharisees and scribes. After all, it isn’t a bad idea to wash your hands […]
Fr Nicolas’ sermon, 25 August 2024
“He who eats this bread will live forever” In about 30 minutes time we will all receive bread and wine, the Body and Blood of Christ. Why do we do it? Partly because Jesus said we should. “Do this as oft as ye shall drink it.” We do it because we know it is Jesus […]
Fr John’s sermon, 18 August 2024
The highlight of the holiday was my brother George’s 70th Birthday celebration. Many of you know George as the Auctioneer. He and his family are regular visitors to Mirfield. The meal was held at Stormont the home of the N.I. Assembly. There were 21 of us – all known to each other, all related either […]
Fr Nicolas’ sermon, 4 August 2024
I am the Bread of Life. John 6: 25-35 Bread. Our brother George once went to a conference on Bread and came back with three volumes of papers! There is so much that can be said about bread and so many different ways of making it. Bread means many different things, on different levels, so […]
Fr Charlie’s Festival Day Talk, 6 July 2024
Meeting the world with silence I’ve called this talk “Meeting the world with silence”, and in it I want to speak about what is sometimes referred to as “contemplative” prayer or simply contemplative “practice” and to say a bit about the great gift I think it is to us today. Part of the reason I […]