Deacon Philip, Birmingham UK

Saint John pondered for many years on the meaning of the Crucifixion and the Resurrection. Then, as he came to the end of his long life, he wrote a best selling book on how he made sense of the many astonishing things he had experienced. His book changed the world. Dare you read it?

5th Sunday of Easter - I'm talking about Revelation (Apocalypse) 21: 1-5.

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This morning I had to take my father-in-law to the airport for a 6am book-in. It was a beautiful Spring morning and I thought, "I could go and say my morning prayers in the countryside. Why not?"

So I drove to nearby village of Meriden - said to be the exact centre of England - where I followed a track a short distance to find a low wall in a quiet field. To my surprise I was surrounded by sheep with their lambs. The sheep were very wary of me, and my prayers were accompanied by a cacophony of bleating. What a perfect accompaniment for today's gospel - the story of Jesus being "the gate to the sheepfold".

Three hours later, after proclaiming today's gospel, here's what I had to say to the little flock of 23 people who had come to church......

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The Friday of the Third Week of Easter. The readings are from Acts 9: 1-20 and John 6: 52-59

Listen here to a weekday homily  (the text is at www.deaconphilip.com)

The very familiar story of the conversion of Paul on the road to Damascus. The question that arose in my mind was ‘why was Paul (or Saul) going to Damascus?’

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Sometime the crowd just couldn't grasp the full significance of what Jesus was teaching them. After feeding the 5000, they track him down to the synagogue in Capernaum, trying to get more free food. They get more than they bargained for!

The relevant scripture is John 6:22-35

[ Read the text at www.deaconphilip.com ]

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Many people who criticize us Christians do so because they believe we are arrogant and hypocritical, that we judge other people and find them wanting. We must try to understand that, like both Peter and Paul, we may be weaker than we think, we may be wrong when we think we are right.

[You can read the text at www.deaconphilip.com]

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We have all done something selfish or foolish that has hurt somebody else. When we let someone down, we know we have let ourselves down. It is not a good feeling. We feel ashamed.

And then there's the dreadful embarrassment, shame and fear of meeting the person we have let down. How will they react to us?

Today's readings for "Divine Mercy Sunday" show how frightened people behave when they have done something shameful. And Jesus' reaction to being betrayed and abandoned is truly astonishing......

[ The readings are from Act 5: 12-16; Revelation 1:9-13, 17-19; and John 20:19-31 ]

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Second Sunday of Lent The readings this Sunday are Genesis 15: 5-12, 17-18; Philippians 3:17-4:1; Luke 9: 28-36.

People today seem to be fascinated by the ideas of travelling through space and time. Science fiction films and TV series are really popular.

We shouldn't be that surprised really, because the yearning to "get somewhere", to "be something", to live in "happier times" in built into us all. Deep down we all want to be back where we come from: back with God - in heaven, safe, and loved. We're always searching to find and then be with God.

My homily this week touches on these themes of space and time..... which come together in the Sacred Liturgy of the Catholic Church.......

[ You can also read this homily at www.deaconphilip.com ]

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This is very topical - we're about to have a new pope after Pope Benedict XVI retires at the end of the month, and the Catholic Church across the whole world has its annual celebration of the unity which is achieved through the office of the Papacy.

Hear what a very distinguished earlier Bishop of Rome has to say about being pope......

[The gospel is Matthew 16:13-19]

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Are you a bit unsure about how Abraham fits into Christianity? Find out here.....

This Sunday I preached at our local Baptist Church, and they asked me to talk about Abraham and his faith in God's promises.

If you prefer you can READ this sermon at www.deaconphilip.com

The main text is Genesis 12: 12-9

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Something here about the mystery of priesthood.... and something you may not have realised about miracles.

The references are Genesis 14:17 and  the Letter to the Hebrews 5:1-10

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