Reflections on the Daily Readings 20th February 2023

Webmaster • February 18, 2023

Monday 20th February


Either part of the problem, or . . .


Imagine being a lifelong Catholic—yet being refused admittance to a Catholic school. Or being asked to move to the back of the church at Mass because of your race. Professor Thomas Wyatt Turner (1877-1978) experienced plenty of discrimination, which is why he helped found the NAACP in 1909 as well as the Federated Colored Catholics in 1924. The latter group pledged their services to the church "for whatever good they were able to effect in the solution of the problems facing the group in church and country." On this World Day of Social Justice, be part of the solution.


Today's readings: Sirach 1:1-10; Mark 9:14-29 (341).

"‘Why could we not drive the spirit out?’ [Jesus] said to them, ‘This kind can only come out through prayer.’ "


Tuesday 21st February


Climb to holiness


Dante Alighieri, writing The Divine Comedy, paid Peter Damian the great honor of placing him in one of the highest circles of Paradise. In fact, Peter is the first of two important monastic figures to greet Dante in “seventh heaven,” the other being Saint Benedict of Nursia. Both represent this heavenly level: spiritual contemplatives who’ve lived a life of temperance and prayer. Dante has Peter and Benedict climbing up and down a golden ladder, reminiscent of the “Ladder of Humility” (12 steps) described in the Benedictine Rule and the “Ladder of Divine Ascent” (30 steps) written by monastic Saint John Climacus. If you need to build a Lenten practice, step up to the task tomorrow.


MEMORIAL OF PETER DAMIAN, BISHOP, DOCTOR OF THE CHURCH


Today's readings: Sirach 2:1-11; Mark 9:30-37 (342).

“If anyone wishes to be first, he shall be the last of all and the servant of all."


Wednesday 22nd February


Out of the ashes 


Happy Ash Wednesday! Yes, it can be a cause for celebration. Best known as the first day of Lent, this day remains sacred to Catholic communities in the West as a day of solemnity following the Carnival season, capped off yesterday with Mardi Gras (“Fat Tuesday”). Though most often associated with revelry and excess, the season just completed is also a holy one. Carnival is full of Catholic symbolism and festive acknowledgement of God and creation, in keeping with the church year and its marking of spiritual times and seasons. Now, as we enter a period of fasting and abstinence, let’s remember to continue seeking God’s goodness in the rich traditions of the faith. Don’t forget to stop by church for ashes today!


ASH WEDNESDAY; DAY OF FASTING AND ABSTINENCE


Today's readings: Joel 2:12-18; 2 Corinthians 5:20—6:2; Matthew 6:1-6, 16-18 (219).

“For our sake he made him to be sin who did not know sin, so that we might become the righteousness of God in him.”

Thursday 24th February


Emulate those who stood firm


Polycarp was a bishop, and his death the church’s first recorded martyrdom. He was born in 69, just a few years after Peter and Paul were executed, and Roman authorities burned him to death after what one account calls a “witty conversation” between Polycarp and Statius Quadratus, Roman proconsul. Polycarp became one of what would turn out to be a flood of Christians who have been put to death, and continue to be so, for not renouncing their faith. Sometimes “not renouncing” means publicly living Christian ethics against pressure; sometimes it means stating one’s belief in words. Strive to be a courageous witness for faith, as those who came before us have been.


MEMORIAL OF POLYCARP, BISHOP, MARTYR


Today's readings: Deuteronomy 30:15-20; Luke 9:22-25 (220).

“What profit is there for one to gain the whole world yet lose or forfeit himself?”


Friday 25th February


Fast approaching 


The practice of fasting during Lent finds its genesis in our Lord's journey into the desert where he fasted and prayed for 40 days and nights in preparation to begin his public ministry (Matthew 4:1-2; Luke 4:1-3). We observe the 40 days of Lent in imitation of Christ's time in the desert. We walk into the desert with Christ and fast so as to have the strength to do good and avoid evil, with the help of God's grace. We strive to atone for our sins and purify our lives in preparation for the celebration of Christ's glorious rising from the tomb.


FRIDAY AFTER ASH WEDNESDAY; DAY OF ABSTINENCE


Today's readings: Isaiah 58:1-9a; Matthew 9:14-15 (221).

“This, rather, is the fasting that I wish: . . . Clothing the naked when you see them, and not turning your back on your own.”



Saturday 26th February


What’s on your bookshelf? 


It is often said that Lent is a time to take spiritual inventory and do a “spring cleanup” as we renew our baptismal promises. The conjunction of Lent with Black History Month and Catholic Press Month affords us an unprecedented opportunity to take spiritual inventory of our bookshelves, too! What books do we have from the black Catholic community that can enrich us, expand our spiritual horizons, and even challenge us? This Lent, consider picking up Uncommon Faithfulness: The Black Catholic Experience (2009) or Black Catholic Studies Reader: History and Theology (2021). Make one of these books or a similar one part of your Lenten renewal.


SATURDAY AFTER ASH WEDNESDAY


Today's readings: Isaiah 58:9b-14; Luke 5:27-32 (222).

“Then the LORD will guide you always and give you plenty even on the parched land.”

Prayers for the Sick

By Webmaster • February 14, 2026
Please pray for Our Sick : Margaret Callaghan Doreen Cleary, Michael Ritchie, Neil Boyle, John Rielly Molly Strang, James Clark, Fr. Michael McLaughlin, Patricia Henderson, Joanna Maier (Connecticut USA), Therese Gilgunn Tressy Callaghan, Suzanne McMurray, Mary Coyle, Lesley Watson (Spain) Maureen McHugh, Margaret Burke, Marie White, Kathleen Daly, John McGuire, Jill Brown, Karen Pritchatt, Louise Newton, Faith Lyndsey, Jill Brown, Marie McGuire, James Morton, Paul Kearney, Thomas Daly, Andrew McCluskey, Premature Baby Vincent McDowell, Bill Allan, Gudren Berk (Germany), Jaqueline McReynolds, Mary Morrison, Helen Howarth (Easterhouse), Margaret Loan, Avril McCluskey and all our sick.

Ash Wednesday

By Webmaster • February 14, 2026
Ash Wednesday 18th February What is Ash Wednesday? Ash Wednesday is the first day of Lent—and a wonderful opportunity to make yourself 100% available to God! How available to God are you? 50%? 75%? 96.4%? No matter what your answer, Ash Wednesday is the perfect time to decide that you will spend this Lent increasing that number. On Ash Wednesday, you can get your forehead blessed with ashes at Mass or a prayer service. These ashes are a reminder that we need to repent. Repentance is a powerful invitation. When John the Baptist first appeared in the desert of Judea, this was his message: “Repent, prepare the way of the Lord” (Matthew 3:2). Later, when Jesus began his ministry, he led with this message: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matthew 4:17). But what does it mean for us to repent, here and now, more than two thousand years later? It means the same as it did to the people walking around the dusty pathways in their sandals, trying to inch closer to Jesus as he passed through their town or village. Repent means “to turn back to God.” We all find ourselves needing to turn back to God many times a day, in ways small and large. It is not a matter of guilt and it is not a shameful thing. It is simply that we are a better version of ourselves when we return to his side!  Ash Wednesday Mass Times 18th February: Masses 7am, 10am & 6pm

This week's readings

By Webmaster • February 14, 2026
The Sermon on the Mount continues as the focus of the Gospel readings during Winter Ordinary Time, and today’s passage from Matthew chapter 5 contains some of the most challenging verses in the Gospel. Before turning to that teaching, however, let’s consider the other readings. The First Reading comes from the Book of Sirach, also known by its Latin title Ecclesiasticus, or “Church Book,” so called because the early Church made extensive use of this wisdom text in moral instruction for catechumens and the faithful. Sirach reflects powerfully on moral freedom: If you choose, you can keep the commandments; they will save you. Before you are life and death, good and evil; whichever you choose shall be given you. Freedom of the will is one of God’s greatest gifts. God places before us the choice between good and evil and invites us to choose life. What is equally clear is that God does not choose sin or injustice on our behalf. The responsibility for our moral choices rests with us. The Second Reading continues from Saint Paul’s First Letter to the Corinthians. Writing to a Christian community surrounded by moral confusion, Paul reminds them that true wisdom does not come from the world, but from God: What eye has not seen and ear has not heard… what God has prepared for those who love him, God has revealed through the Spirit.  This reading complements Sirach beautifully. If the First Reading emphasizes our freedom to choose, the Second reminds us that God does not leave us unassisted. Through the grace of the Holy Spirit, God prepares us to live according to divine wisdom rather than worldly standards. Together, these readings lead us into today’s Gospel. Jesus makes it clear that he has not come to abolish the Law, but to fulfill it. He then calls his disciples to a righteousness that surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees – not through legal technicalities, but through holiness of heart. Jesus’ striking examples – equating anger with murder and lust with adultery – may sound harsh to modern ears. Yet Matthew presents these teachings to a Jewish Christian community still shaped by strict legal interpretation. Jesus’ strong language is meant to awaken his listeners to the truth that holiness requires more than outward observance. It calls for an interior conversion, where the heart itself is transformed by God’s grace.

Prayers for the recently dead, months, mind and Anniversaries

By Webmaster • February 14, 2026
Our Recently Dead Thomas Gallacher, Frank Cook, John Harkins, Bridie McKechnie, Mary Irvine, Frances Drummond, Mary McCrudden, Paul McGoldrick, Kevin McMahon, Christine Divers (Glasgow), Ellen Thomson (Glasgow), Eugene McVay, Catherine Chrighton (Holytown), James Neary, Campbell McFall (St. Ninian's), John Monaghan, John Collin Month Minds & Anniversaries John Corns, James, Ruby & Mary McDaide, Elizabeth & Stuart Johnston, Margaret Fox, Laraine Fox, Christine Archibald, Ann Rodgers, Hugh Rodgers, Giovanni Battiste Fionda, Marie Carmen Fionda, Johny D'Ambrosio, Margaret D'Ambrosio Please if you could make sure all month minds and anniversaries are handed in no later than Wednesday Night. If they come in after that they will be read out at Mass on Sunday. If the recently dead come in after the Wednesday deadline they too will be read out at Mass on the Sunday

Dates for your diary

By Webmaster • January 30, 2026
Mass of the Sick Saturday 14th February 10am Mass Ash Wednesday 18th February: Masses 7am, 10am & 6pm Sacramental Meetings Tuesday 24th February St. Peter's & St. Mark's 6pm First Confession 6.30pm First Communion  7pm Confirmation Meetings will take place in the Church

Gift Aid

By Webmaster • January 30, 2026
If you wish to sign up for Gift Aid. It is a great way to help the parish financially, costing you absolutely nothing. If you wish to sign up contact myself or Doreen Lee and we will give you the form and hand it back as you can and we can get it organised. As I said it costs you nothing, but helps the parish so much.

Powerpoint Remote Control:

By Webmaster • January 30, 2026
I am looking for Volunteers to move the power-points on during the Sunday Masses, Vigil 4pm, 9.30am & 11am. It is very easy to operate, if we get enough volunteers for each Mass we would put a wee rota together. It would take a wee bit of pressure off me.

Year of St Francis of Assisi

By Webmaster • January 24, 2026
The “Year of St Francis of Assisi”, was proclaimed by Pope Leo, in Rome to mark the 800th Anniversary of St Francis’ death in 2026. I am proposing to put a statue of St. Francis in the Church for this jubilee year. This is from EWTN Pope Leo XIV has proclaimed a “Special Year of St. Francis” to commemorate the 800th anniversary of the saint’s death. During this time of grace, which will extend until January 2027, the faithful are granted the opportunity to obtain a plenary indulgence . This Franciscan Jubilee Year, considered a gift for the entire Church and an occasion for authentic spiritual renewal, was inaugurated on Jan. 10 with a decree issued by the Apostolic Penitentiary of the Holy See. Until Jan. 10 of next year, the faithful can obtain this grace under the usual conditions — sacramental confession, Communion, and prayer for the intentions of the pope — by making a pilgrimage to any Franciscan conventual church or place of worship dedicated to St. Francis anywhere in the world. Furthermore, the elderly, the sick, and those who, for serious reasons, cannot leave their homes can obtain the plenary indulgence  by spiritually joining in the jubilee celebrations and offering their prayers, pains, or sufferings to God.

Mass of the sick

By Webmaster • January 17, 2026
Mass of the Sick Saturday 14th February 10am Mass Ash Wednesday 18th February more details to follow.

Second Sunday of Ordinary Time - 18th January

By Webmaster • January 17, 2026
The Second Sunday of the Year A, falling on January 18, 2026, is known as the Second Sunday in Ordinary Time, featuring readings from Isaiah (calling the Messiah a shoot from Jesse), 1 Corinthians (emphasizing unity in Christ), and John's Gospel (John the Baptist identifying Jesus as the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world). This Sunday marks a shift after Christmas and Epiphany into the regular flow of Ordinary Time, focusing on discipleship, God's calling, and Jesus's identity as revealed through the Baptist. Key Readings (Year A): ● First Reading : Isaiah 49:1-7 (The Servant Song, foretelling the Messiah's mission). ● Responsorial Psalm : Psalm 40 (A response of praise and commitment). ● Second Reading : 1 Corinthians 1:1-9 (Paul's greeting and call to unity). ● Gospel : John 1:29-42 (John the Baptist points to Jesus as the Lamb of God). Themes & Focus: ● The Calling of Disciples : The Gospel highlights Jesus's first disciples (Andrew and another) meeting and following Him. ● Identity of Jesus : The powerful declaration "Behold the Lamb of God" is central, connecting Jesus to sacrifice and redemption. ● Unity in Christ: 1 Corinthians speaks to the diverse people called to be saints, united in Christ. ● Ordinary Time : Moving from festive seasons into regular liturgical focus on Christian life and growth. Context: ● This Sunday often coincides with the start of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity.
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