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Fr John’s reflection for Sunday 5 Oct 2025

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Increase our Faith

The belief that faith is an external product that can be obtained is contrasted by Jesus’ statement that if our faith were the size of a mustard seed, it could move a mountain. This is more than wishful thinking or magic but rather a willingness to hear his voice and not to harden our hearts. We discover that we are part of the transformation process. In being called to the table of the Lord, this is not just about indulgence but rather participation in preparing the meal. We are called to be people who are ready to see our whole life as an act of service born out of love.

This is not a spirit of timidity but rather a spirit of power, love and self-control. This is not just about having the strength of our convictions, but also about a willingness to witness to the Lord, even though we may face many difficulties in life. This is where the flame of faith is called to burn deep within us so that we may share the goodness of the gift that we have received.

Being people of justice and compassion is not just about acknowledging that we are powerless against the things that oppress us and others. When we look at the violence and outrage in the world, it is easy to become overwhelmed. To believe that this is the way of the world rather than the way we have made this world. We are called to be faithful and be eager for the fulfilment of the vision of God. That no one is abandoned to their own failures, but that God reaches out to heal, reconcile and nourish those who do not harden their hearts to the voice of God.

De colores! God bless you.

Fr. John Armstrong

Fr John’s reflection for Sunday 28 Sept 2025

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More than skin deep

I remember once attending the musical ‘Les Misérables’ that deeply touched my life. This modern-day parable touches the reality of both justice and redemption through compassion. The way the story unfolds invites the person to notice the contrary forces present in the human heart. This story is told by Victor Hugo as a way of seeing how the good news touches every human life and invites a response about where we find hope and meaning.

Yet at the end of the performance, we can walk out of the theatre into the reality of our daily life. We can observe the contradictions of our own day, where we are free to attend such moving performances, yet also witness the unfolding tragedies in the world. The stark reality is that these events do affect who we become both as individuals and as a global community. We are called to be people who prayerfully consider how what happens to another does influence how we respond. We cannot close our eyes and ears to the suffering of others.

The question then is, how can we respond with hope? The call by Pope Leo to pray for peace in the world during October by praying the rosary is a crucial opportunity to hold this intention in our hearts. There is also an opportunity to explore ways to alleviate the suffering of others. This may be achieved by making a donation to charity or by being informed about what can bring peace to a part of the world experiencing conflict. Lastly, we can consider what first step we may take to become people who nourish, forgive, and heal others that we encounter each day.

Fr. John Armstrong

Fr John’s reflection for Sunday 21 Sept 2025

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How do we spend our time? How do we spend our money?

When we spend time in prayer and reflection, do we consider what God may be guiding us towards? So often, we can focus on how much money we have and how little time we have in which to spend it. The pressure can cause us to spend more of our time seeking greater wealth so that we can relax and take it easy! Yet there are only 24 hours in a day!! This calls us to consider what is most important to us and what actually brings us life.

In an age where we face the reality of being able to afford the necessities of life, it is easy to see how our focus can be on earning a decent wage. People need to have the security to make good choices. Yet when we stake everything on money, we can start to lose a sense of our own worth. If we measure our success or our status on something that is here today and gone tomorrow, we can start to feel like we are victims of circumstances beyond our control.

What we value and treasure can more easily direct our choices. This will allow us to become wise and good stewards of the gifts that we have been entrusted. Such an approach enables us to recognise the value and worth of each life and person. When this is at the heart of our living, we can start to be people who transform the community in which we live.

In Coventry Cathedral in England, they pray the following Litany of Reconciliation each day at noon.

Litany of Reconciliation

All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.

The hatred which divides nation from nation, race from race, class from class,

Father forgive.

The covetous desires of people and nations to possess what is not their own,

Father, forgive.

The greed which exploits the work of human hands and lays waste the earth,

Father, forgive.

Our envy of the welfare and happiness of others,

Father, forgive.

Our indifference to the plight of the imprisoned, the homeless, the refugee,

Father, forgive.

The lust which dishonours the bodies of men, women and children,

Father, forgive.

The pride which leads us to trust in ourselves and not in God,

Father, forgive.

Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.

(https://www.coventrycathedral.org.uk/reconciliation/reconciliation-ministry/litany-of-reconciliation)

 

Fr. John Armstrong

 

“The intellectual quest is exquisite, like pearls and coral. But it is not the same as the spiritual quest. The spiritual quest is on another level altogether. Spiritual wine has a subtler taste. The intellect and the senses investigate cause and effect. The spiritual seeker surrenders to wonder.” (Rumi Wisdom; trans. Timothy Freke)

Fr John’s reflection for Sunday 14 Sept 2025

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Encountering the Cross

Each of us will face challenges in life. This can often confront us with the reality of suffering and sin. We can start to ponder what has caused these events to occur and what remedies will lift this cross from our shoulders. Sometimes what we struggle with is the bad choices that we make in life, and how we tend to believe that the world revolves around us. This can especially narrow our perspective on things to what influences those choices and how we need to change our lives. It can tend to shut out other people and even shut out God. How can I be transformed in these moments?

Part of the mystery of the Cross is how we seek to live it out in the midst of our own suffering and sin. We often see the cause of our suffering as something to be eliminated from life. This can be especially prevalent when we seek out a priest for confession. We can often notice what burdens our hearts and what seems like a deadweight in our lives. We seek to confess our sin and change our lives, but we are usually drawn back to those short-term fixes that take away some of the pain. Yet we also notice how we can become addicted to these remedies that often seem hollow and counterfeit. We are called to confess our sins, not to create extra burdens, but to discover how God meets us in our struggles. This is also linked to our celebration of the anointing of the sick; God meets us in that suffering, not to condemn us but to share our burden. Thus, our lives are not called to be lived in frustration and despair but to discover how God meets us even in our darkest night.

I believe this is where the feast of the Triumph of the Cross helps us to encounter God. In the midst of the suffering, we discover a God who is willing to give everything for our good. In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus notices this meeting of what it means to be fully human and fully divine. It is not by walking away from suffering, but instead by allowing us to meet God in a rawness that reveals the reality of how deeply we are loved. This is not just calling us to a stoic resolve or a fatalistic resignation to the truth of sin and suffering. Rather, it seeks to notice how God does not abandon us at these moments. He became incarnate for us not because of us. This helps us to acknowledge that we are accompanied, especially at times of our greatest need.

As a Church community, we acknowledge how we seek to be people of justice and mercy. This is especially true when we seek to become communities that safeguard our most vulnerable, who can be so burdened by the reality of the sins of others and the suffering that they continue to endure. The fact that this feast is also commemorated as Safeguarding Sunday acknowledges that we can not take the Cross for granted. We learn ways not only to build communities that care for the sick and suffering but also seek to be places that heal and reconcile the darkness that can so easily affect our lives. In entering into the mystery of the Cross, we strive to be people who discover that our lives meet a God who sacrifices everything for our good so that we can find the reality of compassion. A God who does not abandon us to suffer or feel powerless against the cause of the suffering. We can be seen even when we feel lost, resurrected even when we feel close to death, and to discover that it is in our wounds that we are healed by Christ.

Fr. John Armstrong

 

“The intellectual quest is exquisite, like pearls and coral. But it is not the same as the spiritual quest. The spiritual quest is on another level altogether. Spiritual wine has a subtler taste. The intellect and the senses investigate cause and effect. The spiritual seeker surrenders to wonder.” (Rumi Wisdom; trans. Timothy Freke)

Fr John’s reflection for Sunday 7 Sept 2025

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Knowing the mind of God

I remember hearing an interview with Paul Davies, an English Physicist who had just written a book called “The Mind of God.” I remember the interviewer being enthralled by the discussion so much so that at the end of the hour that he apologised for going through the usual interludes for time checks, the news headlines and the usual announcements. What struck me in listening to the interview and later in reading the book was the author’s belief that mathematics was the language with which God wrote the universe. I hear the audible groans and memories that people may have had in learning mathematics as abstract and an arcane discipline. Yet I sense that God speaks in a language that can be understood and helps us to discover more about our universe. In fact, it may well be that quantum physicists may be helping us to deepen our understanding of how the mystery of God touches every aspect of our lives.

This wisdom helps us to understand how God is our refuge. We discover that this is not as a security blanket but a discovery of how God touches our hearts and our minds. It helps to allow us insight into the work of God that is ever creative and ever new. It transforms how we view ourselves as part of the unfolding of creation and builds on foundations that are eternal. It helps us appreciate how we can participate in that unfolding. This allows us the possibility to notice how we can have a positive influence on those around us and how we can be instruments of peace.

It also notices how everyday acts of compassion, justice and kindness can shape our lives. In Paul’s letter to Philemon, he focuses on his relationship with Onesimus. This is a practical story of forgiveness and reconciliation where a person is no longer considered as the property of another but rather as a brother in Christ. Thus, we see Paul encouraging Philemon to welcome Onesimus as though he was Paul. This shapes each of our encounters because it helps us to notice how we can meet Christ in the people with whom we share our lives. If we see the other person as Christ this realigns our everyday relationships that allows us Christ to be at the centre of our universe. In this we discover a new language that helps us to know the mind of God.

Fr. John Armstrong

 

“The intellectual quest is exquisite, like pearls and coral. But it is not the same as the spiritual quest. The spiritual quest is on another level altogether. Spiritual wine has a subtler taste. The intellect and the senses investigate cause and effect. The spiritual seeker surrenders to wonder.” (Rumi Wisdom; trans. Timothy Freke)

 

Fr John’s Reflection for Sunday 3 August 2025

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Giving Thanks for what we have

We live in an age where our success can be measured by how much we consume, how much we produce, or by the influence we have on others in our lives. The appeal of being useful can influence how we make decisions and how we allocate our time. We want someone to notice that we are making a contribution that rewards our efforts. Yet in Ecclesiastes, we are called to labour wisely and to see where our hearts are present to the task at hand. In the end, someone else will inherit all our hard work, over which we have stressed and worried. As Pope John XXIII once had the response in prayer when he wondered how he would resolve all the problems that the Church faced in the modern age, he received the answer in prayer that it was Christ’s Church and that he should get a good night’s rest!

Similarly, we can begin to plan for a future that has not yet occurred based on what we know in the present. But how will we discern the heart of God rather than our own desire for bigger, brighter, and better? We often want to outshine and outdo what has gone before. The danger with this is that we can be driven by external forces beyond our control into a return to a golden age that we have created in our imagination. This does not mean that we don’t try to improve the human condition, but we need to see what our treasure is and what makes us rich.

God seeks to bring us to live a life that is formed by a relationship that overflows with God’s love and kindness. We need to examine what brings life and hope to our age more than just fulfilling our own passions and indulgences. We are called to be renewed in the image of the creator, who does not look for artificial distinctions between people. Instead, it places on our hearts and minds to see Christ in everything and in everyone.

Fr. John Armstrong

“The intellectual quest is exquisite, like pearls and coral. But it is not the same as the spiritual quest. The spiritual quest is on another level altogether. Spiritual wine has a subtler taste. The intellect and the senses investigate cause and effect. The spiritual seeker surrenders to wonder.” (Rumi Wisdom; trans. Timothy Freke)

Fr John’s Reflection for Sunday 27 July 2025

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Unconditional Love

We live in a world where we are accustomed to making contracts with one another for specific goods and services. They have three essential elements: an agreement on what is to be exchanged, the time when it will be exchanged, and the method in which it will be exchanged. The difficulty with this way of living is that we can focus more on the exchange rather than the person we are called to be in relationship with. The utility of the transaction can overflow into the way we relate to each other.

When Jesus teaches his disciples the Our Father, he emphasises the personal nature of holiness, which draws us towards prioritising relationship —that is, to desire God’s realm to be at the heart of our lives. This notices how we are called to be people who are nourished, forgiven and healed daily in our relationships with each other. Often, it seems that there are things that pull us away from being present to the needs of others and focus solely on our own wants.

This is where, in seeking good things, there is a persistence to ask, to seek and to desire the goods of God. At the heart of our prayer is the seeking not just a particular good or outcome but a relationship that can discern what is good. This moves us toward the heart of God, which seeks to be in an unconditional relationship with us, shaping how we reach out to God and to each other.

Fr. John Armstrong

“The intellectual quest is exquisite, like pearls and coral. But it is not the same as the spiritual quest. The spiritual quest is on another level altogether. Spiritual wine has a subtler taste. The intellect and the senses investigate cause and effect. The spiritual seeker surrenders to wonder.” (Rumi Wisdom; trans. Timothy Freke)

 

Fr John’s reflection for Sunday 26 Nov 2023

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To whom do we trust our lives?

The Solemnity of Christ the King allows us time to reflect on whose voice we listen to when seeking guidance for our lives. In an age where personal autonomy is king, there can be a sense of alienation towards bowing down to an external authority. Each person can tend to work within their system of government by paying taxes, obeying the local law, and participating in elections when they are held. Yet in many cases, we are not called to love our rulers rather we learn to accept them as a necessary part of life. Yet the feast we celebrate is not just about accepting external structures of governance but rather an interior conversion of heart towards the person of Christ. There is a call to holiness that abides with us so that we can become teachable and governable. I believe this lies at the heart of the recent Synod on Synodality. It is not just about a new external structure of Governance but rather a way of being present to God with listening ears. The call is to seek out the voice of God that is ever ancient and ever new. The voice that echoes through our liturgical prayer that gathers us together as one body. This is not just an effective manifestation of the presence of Jesus but also an affective presence that guides us still. The call to fall more deeply in love with God who has already fallen deeply in love with us. By seeking God in our daily life, we discover what it is to be prayerfully present to the issues of our day that seek for our hearts to beat in tune with God’s. This is not just seeking warm comforting feelings but rather a deeper desire to recognise the authentic voice of God spoken to our age. This process of sanctification allows us to seek holiness in a way that does not abstract us from the real problems of our age. It draws on the wisdom of our tradition, the insights into scripture, and the discernment of theologians to witness the golden thread that bears an authentic teaching that can be received for our time. This is not just about changing with the times but rather a reading of the signs of the time. It examines a line of inquiry that seeks to build on what is already known and allows for fresh insight of Christ into the teachable moments of our lives. Through this call to sanctification and becoming teachable the Church seeks to provide governance as an apostolic witness to the person of Christ. As a pilgrim people of God, we seek to journey together as people who through baptism are gifted with both the charism of Office and the charism of Mission. We seek to become people who articulate with our lives what we already believe that Christ is with us. Thus, as we celebrate this solemnity do we entrust our lives to Christ in whom we discover who we are and become evangelised by his life.
Fr. John Armstrong

Father John’s reflection for Sunday 19 Nov 2023

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Return to sender address unknown!

Each of us is entrusted with gifts and talents for the good of the whole creation. We live in a country that has been blessed not only by great natural beauty but an abundance of opportunity. Yet this is not just for our private consumption or personal pleasure. We are part of a commonwealth that is called to share the goodness we have received for the common good. Each of us has a part to play in renewing the environment in which we live and caring for those who have been entrusted to us. We are called to entrust all things to God for the good of the whole community. This is especially necessary when we become aware of the forces that tear at that unity of purpose. When we see people seeking to profit from conflict, hatred, and violence the humanity of all is diminished. It recognises that we are called to profit in virtue not just external wealth that can be here today and gone tomorrow. This calls for an integrity of life that seeks to see all things as entrusted to us by God for a good purpose. In a world that seeks to emphasise personal autonomy at the expense of corporate responsibility, we can notice the attitude that creeps into the daily life of every person for themselves. Yet in the Gospel, we see a daily examen that calls us to reflect on how we have used these gifts to produce good fruits. This act of surrender is about a belief that everything is given to us for a good purpose. It calls us to a prayer that entrusts our whole life to God, seeks to discover in our own square metre what we are called to do today, and acts in a way that gives and receives with open hands. As we enter this Sunday this weekend, we need to ensure that we do not just send the gifts entrusted back to sender unused. Our reason for being is to develop a healthy detachment that allows us to discover God at work in all things!
Fr. John Armstrong

Fr John’s reflection for Sunday 12 Nov 2023

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Running on empty

When we set out on a journey there is always a need to ensure that we have enough fuel to reach our destination. This ensures that we make proximate plans to ensure that we know our time of departure and our time of arrival. If we are travelling by car, we seek to prepare the car so that it is roadworthy and that if it is a long distance, we plan adequate stops or have a co-driver to share the driving.

If we go by some other form of transport, we trust our lives to another, but we still need to make sure that know when we have to leave, how long it will take, and what we can expect when we arrive. This shows that we do not travel by chance but with a destination in mind. The Gospel shows this in great detail when it notices that the time of our departure is not known but the destination is.

How do we prepare for a journey when we are called to entrust ourselves to another. This is the heart of the words spoken by Jesus, we need to be ever-ready and have our house in order. This brings the readings of the last few weeks into sharp relief. Often it seeks to live our life on our own terms rather than on God’s. When we have so many seeming demands on our time, we can discover our energy being spent planning for the future or resolving historical events.

Both these approaches to life while necessary can distract us from being present to what will happen today. We can become distracted by anxiety or angst about what seems urgent but unimportant. This is where we are called to exercise wisdom that allows God to direct our attention on to what is important but not urgent. It calls us to become present to what is within the locus of our own intentions and within the ambit of our own environment.

So often we can become focussed on external events that demand urgent attention but are beyond our control. They can prevent us from being open to the ways that we can and need to be present. Our lives can seem to be out of control and devoid of meaning and purpose. This is where our lives are dispirited and we can seem to have spent all our oil on what does not enlighten us.

As we reflect on the Gospels, we are called to examine what keeps our lamps burning brightly and whether we provide ourselves with the best opportunity to have our flasks refilled. This is where we are called not to abstract ourselves from daily life and the challenges it can bring. It calls us to be prayerfully aware of how God is present in our own reality and how we are called to tend to our environment with God’s heart and eyes.

The danger is when we do not examine our own lives that we can become heavily influenced by the conflicts of others. We can be drawn into hostilities, conflicts, and violence that draw on history or animate our own anxiety about our own future. Thus, we can be drawn into reflections that focus on a deterministic view of the world that places ourselves at the heart of any conflict.

We know that this is a recipe for disaster because even with the best will in the world often it needs to be recognised that we need to reframe the question about how we should live in our world. When we allow that question to emerge from within us, from the heart of God our way of living changes. It calls us to see what we need to live by and how this becomes a rule of life for us.

No longer are our lives shaped solely by our own desires but rather by the loving call of God who seeks us out and comes at an hour we do not expect. It allows us the possibility that only God can fill our lives with meaning when we have an expectant longing that we are invited to sit down at the table and enjoy the banquet of life laid out for us.

Fr. John Armstrong   “The intellectual quest is exquisite, like pearls and coral. But it is not the same as the spiritual quest. The spiritual quest is on another level altogether. Spiritual wine has a subtler taste. The intellect and the senses investigate cause and effect. The spiritual seeker surrenders to wonder.” (Rumi Wisdom; trans. Timothy Freke)