De Omnibus Dubitandum Est.

The Church was born of the Paschal mystery and thus the Eucharist, the Sacrament of the Paschal mystery, stands at the centre of the Church’s life. (Ecclesia De Eucharistia, n. 3) For St. Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274),The source and summit of the whole Christian life is Christ. So this Sacrament [the Eucharist] perfects the others by joining us to Christ. (In SentIV d.8 q.1 art.1.)

The Second Vatican Council reiterates what St. Thomas says: that the Eucharist constitutes “the source and summit of the Christian life”. (LG 11, c.f. Ecclesia De Eucharistia, n. 1.) The Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy,Sacrosanctum Concilium, explained four ways in which we encounter Christ in His Church; through the actions of the priest, “His minister”, through the proclamation of His Word and when the Church prays and sings (c.f. Matt 18:20), but special emphasis is placed on the fact that Christ is present “especially under the Eucharistic species.” (SC 7, CCC 1373). This post will examine what St. Thoma…

Welcome to this, the fifth of my posts talking about the theology of the Sunday readings at Mass. Thank you for taking the time to read it. I sincerely hope that reading my reflection on the Scripture readings this Sunday will inspire you and help you to see how fantastic Sacred Scripture is and what a carefully considered part of the Mass. If you want to know how these posts came about, please read my first post in this series here.
This Sunday the theme for the readings could best be summed up as:
The Gift of True Nourishment: The Eucharist

The readings are:
First Reading: Proverbs 9: 1-6Psalm: 33:2-3, 10-15; Response: v. 9Second Reading: Ephesians 5:15-20Gospel: John 6: 51-58First, a little preliminary survey of each of the books.
I will post the same, or similar prelims week on week, for each book as we encounter them. This week I have added a bit of detail on the Proverbs reading as I thought it was very relevant.


The Book of Proverbs is one of the books of the Bible which are known co…

This is the fourth of my posts talking about the theology of the Sunday readings at Mass. Thank you for taking the time to read it. I sincerely hope that reading my reflection on the Scripture readings this Sunday will inspire you and help you to see how fantastic Sacred Scripture is. If you want to know how these posts came about, please read my first post in this series here.
 This Sunday the theme for the readings could best be summed up as:


God's Love in the Ordinariness of Life
The readings are:
First Reading: 1 Kings 19: 4-8Psalm: 33: 2-9; Response: v. 9Second Reading: Ephesians 4: 30-5:2Gospel: John 6: 41-51First, a little preliminary survey of each of the books.
I will post the same, or similar prelims week on week, for each book as we encounter them.


1 Kings is the first part of the Deuteronomist's chronicle of the rueful story of Israel's decline from the height of magnificence under Solomon to the depths of ruin in the Exile. Everything that Solomon constructs in t…

This is the third of my posts talking about the theology of the Sunday readings at Mass. This has been a most eventful week for me. Last Sunday was the anniversary of my daughter Ruth's tragic death, we were blessed with the gift of a new baby daughter last Friday, Mary Therese, and my mum went into hospital on Tuesday for an operation. I would appreciate it if you could remember us in your prayers! For these reason, I may not have the time to be as thorough as I would like this week, but I'll certainly do my best. This Sunday the theme for the readings could best be summed up as:


The Bread of Heaven
The readings are:
First Reading: Exodus 16:2-4Psalm: 77: 3-4, 23-25, 54; Response: v. 24Second Reading: Ephesians 4: 17, 20-24Gospel: John 6: 24-35First, a little preliminary survey of each of the books.
I will post the same, or similar prelims week on week, for each book as we encounter them.


Exodus is about freedom and covenant. The Greek word is exodos— ἔξοδος —which translates …