Sunday 5 July 2026 - I will give you rest

Sunday 5 July 2026 - I will give you rest

Sunday 5 July 2026 Today is Sunday the 5th of July, beginning the 14th week of Ordinary Time. 'Come to me, all you who labour and are heavy-burdened; you shall find rest.' What are the labours that I am involved with as I try to pray today? What are the burdens I am carrying? As I enter into prayer, I take this moment to place all my concerns and all my burdens in God’s hands. Today’s reading is from the Gospel of Matthew. Matthew 11:25-30 At that time Jesus said, ‘I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and the intelligent and have revealed them to infants; yes, Father, for such was your gracious will. All things have been handed over to me by my Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him. ‘Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.’ It’s so easy to feel lumbered with needs, relationships, contradictions in our lives; hardships of all sorts, to feel all these as burdens weighing upon you ... Just for a moment, become aware of what those are for you - the things that are weighing most heavily on you at the moment. Yet the promise of Christ is that following Him brings a lightness of touch, not the heaviness of compulsion or duty. It’s not the relaxation we feel during a week on the beach. It’s more like a steady, realistic, day-by-day approach to 'life lived in the company of the Lord'. When have you felt the ease of Jesus’s company? - not having to try to be or to look different to how you really are? Listen to the words of Jesus once again: perhaps you can see him as he speaks – imagine him speaking to the people around you right now – how does it make you want to be with others seeing that this is how Jesus relates to people? Matthew 11:25-30 At that time Jesus said, ‘I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and the intelligent and have revealed them to infants; yes, Father, for such was your gracious will. All things have been handed over to me by my Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him. ‘Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.’ Now bring this time of prayer to a close now in the company of Jesus – talking to him about any burdens you feel right now, or about something that has come up in the last few minutes. Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be World without end Amen

Saturday 4 July 2026 - The presence of God

Saturday 4 July 2026 Welcome to the Saturday Examen. Take a moment to become still before God. Where can you recognise God wherever you are right now? Perhaps in another person... perhaps in creation or in something in your house... On Saturdays, we look back at the week with God. Don’t worry if you can’t remember everything (or anything)! This is about letting God open your eyes to the week. Begin to let the events of your week naturally rise to the surface of your mind. As you look back over this week of prayer, what really stands out for you? Did you at all feel the presence of God in your prayer this week? Was there one particular scripture passage or verse that really spoke to you this week? What do you think it is saying to you now? Was there a point when you really experienced a lightness of heart, and felt that God was there? Was there a moment when you had no sense at all of the presence of God? Why do you think that might have been? What do you think God is saying to you today in your prayer? How are you going to respond? Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be World without end Amen

Friday 3 July 2026 - Reach out your hand

Friday 3 July 2026 Today is Friday the 3rd of July, the feast of Saint Thomas, in the 13th week of Ordinary Time. The Kyiv Chamber Choir sing the Creed: “I believe in one God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth.” As I start this prayer today, can I join in with this strong, almost exuberant expression of faith? Can I begin by declaring my faith in my God, my creator, my heavenly Father? Today’s reading is from the Gospel of John. John 20:24-29 But Thomas (who was called the Twin), one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, ‘We have seen the Lord.’ But he said to them, ‘Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands, and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in his side, I will not believe.’ A week later his disciples were again in the house, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were shut, Jesus came and stood among them and said, ‘Peace be with you.’ Then he said to Thomas, ‘Put your finger here and see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it in my side. Do not doubt but believe.’ Thomas answered him, ‘My Lord and my God!’ Jesus said to him, ‘Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe.’ There is something important going on deep down inside for Thomas. In his gut there’s a scepticism about all this talk of resurrection. Maybe it’s just too good to be true? Mass hysteria? Something inside him resists a faith that is too easy, too much like a fairy-tale. If Jesus is truly risen, he must still bear the wounds of the Cross. You can’t just put something like that to one side and forget about it, can you? Do you sense those feelings in you too? Are there ‘dark places’ within you still needing to meet Jesus, risen from the dead? Spend a moment looking at the world you live in, places of poverty and hunger, suffering and loss. Can Jesus really be risen there? Look too at the broken places in your own life. What are the wounds that you need God to know about and to heal? As you listen again to the Gospel story, try to imagine Thomas’s face as he places his hands in the wounds of Jesus. This is no feel-good, happy ending – but real life out of real death. A hope so real you could base your life on it. A week later his disciples were again in the house, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were shut, Jesus came and stood among them and said, ‘Peace be with you.’ Then he said to Thomas, ‘Put your finger here and see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it in my side. Do not doubt but believe.’ Thomas answered him, ‘My Lord and my God!’ Jesus said to him, ‘Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe.’ See if you can find some spark of hope lighting up within you. Hold on to it. Let it grow. Tell the Lord about it and where it might take you. Can you say with Thomas, “My Lord and my God”? Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be World without end Amen

Thursday 2 July 2026 - Your sins are forgiven

Thursday 2 July 2026 Today is Thursday the 2nd of July, in the 13th week of Ordinary Time. 'Saviour of my soul, this day keep me whole.' As you listen to this song by Keith Duke, can you join in this prayer? Can you present yourself now to the One who forgives all our failings and shortcomings, who has given himself freely for our sake, and trust yourself entirely to his mercy? Today’s reading is from the Gospel of Matthew. Matthew 9:1-8 And after getting into a boat [Jesus] crossed the water and came to his own town. And just then some people were carrying a paralysed man lying on a bed. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, ‘Take heart, son; your sins are forgiven.’ Then some of the scribes said to themselves, ‘This man is blaspheming.’ But Jesus, perceiving their thoughts, said, ‘Why do you think evil in your hearts? For which is easier, to say, “Your sins are forgiven”, or to say, “Stand up and walk”? But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins’—he then said to the paralytic—‘Stand up, take your bed and go to your home.’ And he stood up and went to his home. When the crowds saw it, they were filled with awe, and they glorified God, who had given such authority to human beings. In today’s Gospel, Jesus relieves a man not just of his physical ailments, but first, of the burden of the past with simple but powerful words: ‘Take heart, son; your sins are forgiven’. Do you still carry the weight of past mistakes and sin? Feeling unforgiven can be like paralysis. When things can’t be put right, we can feel trapped, unable to move on. The future is closed. We can’t grow or walk free. Do you feel like that, or can you remember a time when you did? As you hear the story one more time, imagine yourself lying on that bed, unable to move, trapped in your past. Hear Jesus utter words of forgiveness with a gentle voice. And let him show his power to forgive by saying “stand up and walk”. Matthew 9:1-8 And after getting into a boat [Jesus] crossed the water and came to his own town. And just then some people were carrying a paralysed man lying on a bed. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, ‘Take heart, son; your sins are forgiven.’ Then some of the scribes said to themselves, ‘This man is blaspheming.’ But Jesus, perceiving their thoughts, said, ‘Why do you think evil in your hearts? For which is easier, to say, “Your sins are forgiven”, or to say, “Stand up and walk”? But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins’—he then said to the paralytic—‘Stand up, take your bed and go to your home.’ And he stood up and went to his home. When the crowds saw it, they were filled with awe, and they glorified God, who had given such authority to human beings. The gift of true forgiveness is always a doorway into deeper love. Maybe you want to express something of that now to the Lord? Or just stay in silence, with Jesus standing in front of you, looking on you with great love and tenderness. Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be World without end Amen

Thursday 2 July 2026 - Your sins are forgiven

Thursday 2 July 2026 Today is Thursday the 2nd of July, in the 13th week of Ordinary Time. 'Saviour of my soul, this day keep me whole.' As you listen to this song by Keith Duke, can you join in this prayer? Can you present yourself now to the One who forgives all our failings and shortcomings, who has given himself freely for our sake, and trust yourself entirely to his mercy? Today’s reading is from the Gospel of Matthew. Matthew 9:1-8 And after getting into a boat [Jesus] crossed the water and came to his own town. And just then some people were carrying a paralysed man lying on a bed. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, ‘Take heart, son; your sins are forgiven.’ Then some of the scribes said to themselves, ‘This man is blaspheming.’ But Jesus, perceiving their thoughts, said, ‘Why do you think evil in your hearts? For which is easier, to say, “Your sins are forgiven”, or to say, “Stand up and walk”? But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins’—he then said to the paralytic—‘Stand up, take your bed and go to your home.’ And he stood up and went to his home. When the crowds saw it, they were filled with awe, and they glorified God, who had given such authority to human beings. In today’s Gospel, Jesus relieves a man not just of his physical ailments, but first, of the burden of the past with simple but powerful words: ‘Take heart, son; your sins are forgiven’. Do you still carry the weight of past mistakes and sin? Feeling unforgiven can be like paralysis. When things can’t be put right, we can feel trapped, unable to move on. The future is closed. We can’t grow or walk free. Do you feel like that, or can you remember a time when you did? As you hear the story one more time, imagine yourself lying on that bed, unable to move, trapped in your past. Hear Jesus utter words of forgiveness with a gentle voice. And let him show his power to forgive by saying “stand up and walk”. Matthew 9:1-8 And after getting into a boat [Jesus] crossed the water and came to his own town. And just then some people were carrying a paralysed man lying on a bed. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, ‘Take heart, son; your sins are forgiven.’ Then some of the scribes said to themselves, ‘This man is blaspheming.’ But Jesus, perceiving their thoughts, said, ‘Why do you think evil in your hearts? For which is easier, to say, “Your sins are forgiven”, or to say, “Stand up and walk”? But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins’—he then said to the paralytic—‘Stand up, take your bed and go to your home.’ And he stood up and went to his home. When the crowds saw it, they were filled with awe, and they glorified God, who had given such authority to human beings. The gift of true forgiveness is always a doorway into deeper love. Maybe you want to express something of that now to the Lord? Or just stay in silence, with Jesus standing in front of you, looking on you with great love and tenderness. Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be World without end Amen