by Sr Ann Catherine Swailes
The observant among you will have noticed that at the moment the clothes worn by the priest at mass are not white, red or purple, but green, and, with a few interruptions, this will be the case until the beginning of Advent. What is the significance of all this?
A retreat given at Stone to the community of St Dominic's Convent, Stone, by Fr Nicholas Crowe on Wednesday May 25th 2016
Fr.Nick chose to take a look at discipleship – and in particular, religious life - from its New Testament roots. We have a responsibility to look at fundamentals, because we have to ‘stand in the shoes’ of younger people who are searching for their way ahead.
Jesus summons people in three ways to follow him:
by Cathrine Marie Keighly
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Sr Catherine Marie is part of a team on the Summer School Scripture course at the School of the Annunciation at Buckfast Abbey. The course runs from 1st-4th August. All enquiries to School of the Annunciation |
Sr Ann Catherine Swailes o.p
Ave Verum Corpus, natum de Maria Virgine: hail, true body, born of the Virgin Mary. When we hear these words, we think automatically of the Blessed Sacrament - as their anonymous Medieval author intended that we should. But in earlier centuries, the phrase “true body” was a way of referring less to the Eucharist than to those who gathered together to celebrate the Eucharist
Whichever way you look at it, the Ascension seems like an odd sort of a feast.
At first sight, after all, it commemorates a leave-taking; the dramatic departure of the Lord from the community which had so recently welcomed him back into their midst after his Passion and death. Psychological common sense would suggest, surely, that confusion and trauma, rather than rejoicing, would have been the disciples’ reaction, and there doesn’t seem much to celebrate in that.