All things to be done in unity

Rubrics in an illustrated Gradual - Wikipedia

In yesterday’s blog (Rightsand Rites), I distinguished between:

• the language used in the Mass
• the specific Rite (new, old, etc.)
• detailed rubrics

Rubrics derive from the Latin rubrica, meaning “red earth”, and refer to the red text in liturgical books that gives instructions about what is to be done during the Mass. They indicate, literally, the red writing on the page of the missal, describing what is to be done and how. These rubrics, and the detailed liturgical guidance they contain, are very important, but they belong to a different category of importance from the Rite itself.

Rites and Rights

 

My late mother used to say that one of the advantages of the ‘Old Latin Mass’ was that you could follow it more easily when you were abroad, as she experienced in the 1950s. She was no ‘traditionalist’ in the sense in which the term is used today to describe a small minority of Catholics who have rejected not only what they call the ‘New Mass’, but also some of the key teachings of the Second Vatican Council.

Salvation is on offer to all

Sunday 31 May 2026

Trinity Sunday

Lectio Divina:*

Exodus 34:4-9 Daniel 3:52-56

2 Corinthians 13:11-13 John 3:16-18

Meditatio:

‘..For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.’  (John 3:16)

 

Commentary:

This relatively short Gospel reading for Trinity Sunday contains one of the most beautiful passages in all Scripture:

“For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.” (John 3:16)

This is the heart of the Gospel: God’s love poured out for the world.

Celebrating the Eucharist: continuity, tradition and reform

 

Caption:  Pope Paul VI celebrates an open-air mass at Kololo Terrace in Kampala, during his historic three-day visit to Uganda in 1969.

One of the roles of the Pope, the Bishop of Rome, is to serve as a centre of unity for the worldwide Church. This role has developed over time, shaped by personal, political, and theological circumstances in each era. According to Roman Catholic understanding, the Pope is the visible head of the Church on earth and the Vicar of Christ – the one who represents Christ and exercises a unique ministry of leadership in His name.

What do you want?

In today’s Gospel reading for the Mass of the day we hear Jesus asking the blind man, Bartimaeus (Mark 10:46-52):

What do you want me to do for you. (Mark 10:51)

Each time we participate in the  Mass we need to prepare and still our souls in the time just before the celebration begins. He asks us, each time, ‘what do you want me to do for you today, N..?’

We should speak, heart to heart, with Jesus the lover our souls and say to him that we wish to grow in faith, hope and love. Perhaps we might add a special intention for someone. If we get what we ask for let’s thank Jesus for this. If we do not, or, if it is slow to happen or happens in a different and even surprising way let us thank Jesus for that too. He knows what is best for each one of us better than we know, ourselves.

Human dignity comes first

In our confused world, we question what is right or even what is true.  There are so many claims on our attention, our values and our behaviour.  Without a solid point of reference we risk losing our moorings and crashing on the rocks. For me and for millions of others Christ is the rock because He is the Way, the Truth and the Life (John 14:6). It is Christ who shows us our true worth and dignity.

In the Mass we meet the living bread who gives Himself to us in his Body and Blood. This is our source of life and this is the goal of our Christian living in a world thirsting for meaning and purpose.

In his recent encyclical, Pope Leo speaks of the Eucharist in these terms (#88):

For the Christian community, solidarity finds its source in the mystery of Christ and is nourished by the Eucharist. Solidarity emerges from communion in faith and the Sacraments: Baptism and Confirmation unite us in Christ, so that we may become one Body and one Spirit, one heart and one soul (cf. Eph 4:4; Acts 4:32). The Eucharist, which is the sacrament of unity, nurtures our belonging to the Body of Christ and teaches us how to share. The diverse sensibilities present in the Church and the strong convictions that animate each person are a source of richness if they remain anchored in the certainty that unity is a gift received and a responsibility to be fulfilled.

When we struggle to know the right path forward we must turn, first, to the Word of God proclaimed day after day in the Eucharist. There we find the source of true ‘intelligence’ and intelligence that surpasses all ideas and scripts designed to achieve short-term conquest, profit or ideology.  Rooted in Christ we can work with others to make technology work for us. However, this goes beyond any one nation state or global power alliance.  The human species’ very own survival is not to be taken for granted. It is urgent that we work for global justice and governance of what could enslave us and possibly ultimately destroy us

Artificial 'intelligence' and communion

Picture: Pope Leo XIV (Vatican)

Today we made the journey to Croatia for a break. Looking out at the grass outside where we are staying, a strange object is roaming about the lawn, somehow ‘knowing’ when to turn and cut the grass. A robotic lawnmower is only one of a myriad of new devices designed to make life easier.

Artificial ‘intelligence’ is transforming our world in countless ways. It resembles a new industrial revolution, accelerating communication and allowing access to information in seconds. It brings remarkable opportunities as well as serious challenges. I deliberately use quotation marks around the word ‘intelligence’ because it is not clear that these systems possess intelligence in the proper sense. Human beings reason, decide, feel, and act from their innate capacity to live for others and with others. Everything humans create—from chewing gum to computers to autonomous, AI‑guided military drones - is the fruit of human intelligence and freedom, ordered toward some purpose, whether for good or for harm.