The Church founded by Jesus on Peter the Rock soon had to withstand dissension The disciples were still   human and individual and had much work to do, aided by the Holy Spirit and guided by their knowledge of the Risen Lord,, before  they could unify themselves into Christ's Mystical Body as willed by the Father. Paul and Barnabas had had a very long walk to face a huge disruption of passionate adversaries. There were no "airport bishops" or " monks" then.

Dear Lord  in these days of decline let us be fed by the Eucharist and strengthened by the Holy Spirit to know that we are together with all the world your children and nothing can come to pass that is not willed by you the source of all good.

Is it possible to be a grape on the vine without being in the Church? Can it be that everything that we know to be bad about the Catholic Church is part of God's plan for the Last Days.? Can I come to the Father alone but still be part of the Mystical Body? I know much about wrongs that were hidden but are now revealed although still unacknowledged openly.

Dear Lord send your Holy Spirit to enlighten your Church and let the scandals and sacrileges be sincerely atoned for; let your priests pray and thus come to Holiness that you demand. Let "we are all sinners" not be for our confessors a way of vocation; and let them teach that your Mercy follows sincere repentance and not because you are "nice".

 As I try to remember the great hardships suffered by men and women of this small country England for the sake of the Church of God I am always amazed how little it means to us here and now. I also remember the others those who did not stay true to the teachings of Church and followed the new  preaching; both groups were undoubtedly sincere. Today the Church of England would certainly be condemned by the leaders of the Reformation but we Catholics have accepted no changes to the belief preached by the Apostles. I am afraid that this continuity of belief and worship is no better than the "Lord, Lord" Jesus warned us of and the corruption that so rightly appalled Luther and many many others is still rampant and unchecked. 

Dear Lord listen to the prayers of your Mother as she intercedes for the children of her dowry. Let your will dominate the minds of your clergy that they act as true shepherds of your flock here in the UK.

The Lord promised his disciples that when they were harried by the authorities the Holy Spirit would speak through them. St Thomas More is renowned for his facing up to the king. The words of very few other English Martyrs are celebrated. Another aspect of the reformation is that it happened so quickly and easily. Some northerners rose in revolt but lacked the leadership to persevere. The leadership that could have been effective was appeased by the lands of the monasteries; it is ironic that many of present day aristocratic Catholic families are living on lands that came to them by  the shrewd apostacy of their ancestors.

Dear Lord all is known to you even me, tinier than the smallest virus, let your love come and fill my being so that I know that it is the only thing important in life; all the rest is dross.

 The Good News that Paul brought needs to be adhered to without any shifting away from its straight forward message. Today he is reinforcing the Corinthian Church and lists the witnesses who saw the living Lord. There is no weakening of his message nor deviation. All his foundations receive the same message that the Risen Lord will through the Holy Spirit guide us to the Father. we only have to believe and act faithfully on our believe. This is his message. We have to use our freedom to ask continually for the Grace that is Jesus' promise to his Church.

Dear Lord help me to overcome the moments when I stray away from the narrow path that leads to you and our heavenly Father.

Philip asks even as had Thomas and the following teaching is without an "if" or a "but". Jesus is not only the Way the Truth and the Life; he is also the goal of  our lives for he is also the Father. I work hard in an attempt to strengthen the faith which is in my mind. I do not know whether that known faith is entirely in my being so that I can automatically ask the Father and know that it will be mine. The truth is that I do not truly believe "If you ask for anything in my name I will do it."

Dear Lord help me to strengthen my belief and let my deeds this day bear witness to my following of you . Let me not put the Lord our God to the test.

 St Paul seems to have  repeated Jesus experience of his "own"; the Hellenists "knew him not " and  wanted to kill him. As a Roman Citizen of Tarsus St Paul's native tongue was undoubtedly Greek, but St Paul knew himself to be a Jew who had been steeped in the Scriptures; a Pharisee pupil of Gamaliel. We are not told what it was that caused his people to want him dead; it cannot have been a suspicion of his motives as Barnabas was quick in his defence but the threat must have been really serious as he was sent back to Tarsus. All these events of the first days are continued on an ever increasing scale until our times hence we can test our consciences by trying to understand Scriptures.

Dear God you are greater than my conscience send your Holy Spirit so that I may welcome your Word by following His teaching.

The vine is a favourite image of the God and His Church who saves us. We need to remember that our consciences must be formed by God and are not just a wishful thinking on our part. There are rules that must be followed by the whole earth. These rules were confirmed by Jesus and sealed by his  Death and Resurrection. Nobody can mock God and live. Clergy who ignore the sins of their sheep are mocking God . Are they not afraid? The fate of the dead branches is pretty graphic.

Dear Lord let me this day not prune myself from the living vine . Let me be able to grow the life you have given to me to be worthy of your love.

 The creation of the world was faultless until mankind chose to forget the rules of God who had made it and them. The World and Mankind cannot be recreated  in the image of Mankind. There cannot be an age of the perfect society. The devil is here with us in everything we do except for when we give God the Father ,the Son and Holy spirit their rightful place in our hearts. St Joseph knew this and was the perfect guardian of Mary and the Son of God.

Dear Lord let us all understand the greatness of St Joseph who was asked to put aside his human prejudices  and accept Mary who was with child he knew not to be his own. His "yes" complemented Mary's. May we too accept your will. 

Making use of the work of Your hands is a requirement for all living this present life on earth. We need to give praise to you for the wonders of the world and of life. We must not treat Jesus only as the "carpenters son". His life shares our humanity and so he knows our tendency to sin but leaves us covered with his Love to turn to in our human weakness. He is The Son of God.

Dear Lord let all the unholiness of man the manipulator be condemned by the Church. Let your vicar on earth be aware that he is truly the servant of the servants of God. Let him drive out the corruption of  mammon and of sin from his Vatican.

 St Paul who came to our attention as a persecutor of the Apostles' Good News had by seeing, on the road to Damascus,  the risen  Jesus amidst the Glory of the Lord come to an understanding of the meaning of the scriptures which he had previously studied. The Light first seen on the road to Damascus  had penetrated his being and he was totally committed to the mission he had there received.. He was able to follow the Roman roads and seaways to preach to the heart of the Roman Empire; "brining the Good News to the whole world". Today the preaching of the Good News can cover the whole of the digital world in seconds; in the synagogues the congregations couldn't avoid it  but turning to a more attractive website can be done in the twinkling of an eye .

Dear Jesus  help us who are continually distracted by the wonders of the electronic media know that you calling to our hearts is the Holy Spirit, is the only voice we need in this life to make ready for what The Father has prepared for us.

Thomas is again ready to bring a more brutal realism into the discourse of the Lord. He who worshipped "Lord and God" is still able to question in a direct challenge a mysterious saying of Jesus. Our Lord welcomes what another speaker could have found to be an interruption and expands the Good News into "Way Truth and Life the trinity that defines our 2nd person of the Trinity. Thanks be to God. 

Dear Lord let my ears be open to your words my eyes to your creation and my soul to the messages of the Holy Spirit. Let me be with you always even to the end of my life in this world and may the supplications of our Mother, Mary, help me to come to my place with the heavenly Father..

 I find the words about God written by John to be beyond beautiful. There is depth that cannot be "buted".The Light is where we know God and where we can commit ourselves.  We are liars if we deny this Truth and sinners if we fail to keep God in our minds to govern our words and deeds. We sinners, however, need not be afraid because there is always present the Jesus/Holy Spirit to plead for us, to lead us back to the Light through the Mercy won for us by  the Crucifixion of Jesus the Son of God.

Dear Lord let me always keep your Glory and teaching through the life of the Incarnation always in mind. let me not resist the promptings of conscience and do your will in all things. 

The mission of Jesus is an open book to those who are able to accept themselves as his children for they have been chosen by the Father. He is not here to inspire the great thoughts of scholars but to show us a simple way to Eternal Life by following his unburdensome Way . His way is easy for us to follow as his Cross has bought for us a "light Yoke" to guide us.

Dear Lord let me never forget that Jesus is, by his resurrected presence, guiding me on the way to Life.