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   Number 1: Sunday 6 September 2026 - Love one another

   Sunday 6 September 2026 Today is Sunday the 6th of September, beginning the 23rd week of Ordinary Time. ‘God is nothing but love’. As you hear Paul Zach sing these words with The Porter’s Gate, notice how you feel about this idea: God is nothing but love. Let it fill your heart as you begin to pray. God is nothing but love Dare to give all for love Give yourselves without fear Today’s reading is from Saint Paul’s Letter to the Romans. Romans 13:8-10 Owe no one anything, except to love one another; for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. The commandments, ‘You shall not commit adultery; You shall not murder; You shall not steal; You shall not covet’; and any other commandment, are summed up in this word, ‘Love your neighbour as yourself.’ Love does no wrong to a neighbour; therefore, love is the fulfilling of the law. We are now coming very near to the end of Paul’s rather long and difficult letter to the Romans; and here he is getting them to think about how they might live together as Christians in Rome. Paul tells them that the only thing that matters is that they should “love one another”. What is your true response to hearing this? Paul tells them that love fulfils all the commandments. How does this kind of love play out in your life? As you listen again, simply reflect on the love of God in your life and how you reflect it to others... Romans 13:8-10 Owe no one anything, except to love one another; for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. The commandments, ‘You shall not commit adultery; You shall not murder; You shall not steal; You shall not covet’; and any other commandment, are summed up in this word, ‘Love your neighbour as yourself.’ Love does no wrong to a neighbour; therefore, love is the fulfilling of the law. What would you like to say to the Lord as this time of prayer comes to a close? Where is love prompting you today? 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

   September 06, 2026·12min
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   Number 2: Saturday 5 September 2026 - The movements of God

   Saturday 5 September 2026 On Saturdays we like to look prayerfully and reflectively back at how we have done during this week, in both our activities and our praying, to get used to seeing where God has been present. This time of Examen isn’t a memory test (many of us can barely remember yesterday!) Instead, this is a moment to let God show you the movements of God, and the movements of your heart. If you’re finding it hard, simply ask for help, or return to a point of gratitude you have. Take a moment to slow down. Become aware of your breathing. To begin, let up to three things surface in your mind, possibly, but not necessarily, three moments in prayer, when you felt the touch of God this week. Now recall just two things for which you would like to tell God that you are sorry. Finally, think of just one thing that you are being challenged to work on in the coming week, and ask for God’s help.

   September 05, 2026·8min
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   Number 3: Monday 7 September 2026 - Stretch out your hand

   Monday 7 September 2026 Today is Monday the 7th of September, the Martyrdom of Blessed Ralph Corby SJ, in the 23rd week of Ordinary Time. Leslie Jordan with The Porter’s Gate sings, ‘Have You Found the Lord’? As you enter into prayer, reflect on all the surprising places God has been found in your life recently... the kindness of a friend... in nature... a seemingly ordinary moment... Have you found the Lord? Is he in the wind? Yes, yes, yes, he’s in the wind Have you found the Lord? Is he in the storm? Yes, yes, yes, he’s in the storm Christ is in ten thousand places Ever-present, high and low Where could I, where could I Where could I go? Have you found the Lord? Is he in your tears? Yes, yes, yes, he’s in my tears Have you found the Lord As a patient friend? Yes, yes, yes, he is my friend Christ is in ten thousand places Ever-present, high and low Where could I, where could I Where could I go? Have you found the Lord? Is he always good? Yes, yes, yes, the Lord is good Today’s reading is from the Gospel of Luke. Luke 6:6-11 On another sabbath [Jesus] entered the synagogue and taught, and there was a man there whose right hand was withered. The scribes and the Pharisees watched him to see whether he would cure on the sabbath, so that they might find an accusation against him. Even though he knew what they were thinking, he said to the man who had the withered hand, ‘Come and stand here.’ He got up and stood there. Then Jesus said to them, ‘I ask you, is it lawful to do good or to do harm on the sabbath, to save life or to destroy it?’ After looking around at all of them, he said to him, ‘Stretch out your hand.’ He did so, and his hand was restored. But they were filled with fury and discussed with one another what they might do to Jesus. Jesus heals in full view of people who are watching only so as to catch him out, and he does not let their hostility hold him back. He puts the question that exposes what is really at stake: is it lawful to do good or to do harm on the sabbath, to save life or to destroy it? He places kindness above any rule that might get in kindness’s way. Is there a rule, a habit, or an expectation in your own life that sometimes gets in the way of your doing good? The man is told simply, ‘Stretch out your hand.’ He has to act, in trust, before he can know whether healing will follow. Grace so often asks something of us first, some small movement towards it, before we feel its effect. Is there a withered part of you, some capacity you have stopped trusting, that Jesus might be inviting you to stretch out today? As you hear the reading once more, notice what draws your attention this time. What do you feel as you watch this small, quiet act of courage and compassion? Luke 6:6-11 On another sabbath [Jesus] entered the synagogue and taught, and there was a man there whose right hand was withered. The scribes and the Pharisees watched him to see whether he would cure on the sabbath, so that they might find an accusation against him. Even though he knew what they were thinking, he said to the man who had the withered hand, ‘Come and stand here.’ He got up and stood there. Then Jesus said to them, ‘I ask you, is it lawful to do good or to do harm on the sabbath, to save life or to destroy it?’ After looking around at all of them, he said to him, ‘Stretch out your hand.’ He did so, and his hand was restored. But they were filled with fury and discussed with one another what they might do to Jesus. The leaders’ response to healing is fury rather than joy. Good news that should delight them instead threatens the control they cling to. Is there a corner of your own heart that resists good news because it asks you to let go of control? Take this to God now, as honestly as you can. 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

   September 07, 2026·14min
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   Number 4: Wednesday 2 September 2026 - You are God's field

   Wednesday 2 September 2026 Today is Wednesday the 2nd of September, in the 22nd week of Ordinary Time. The monks of Pluscarden Abbey sing Ecce quam bonum: “How good and how pleasant it is when brothers and sisters live together in unity! It is like precious oil on the head, running down upon the beard, on the beard of Aaron, running down over the collar of his robes.” As you listen, reflect on the joy of unity; on the consolation that community can bring. Today’s reading is from Saint Paul’s First Letter to the Corinthians. 1 Corinthians 3:1-9 And so, brothers and sisters, I could not speak to you as spiritual people, but rather as people of the flesh, as infants in Christ. I fed you with milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for solid food. Even now you are still not ready, for you are still of the flesh. For as long as there is jealousy and quarrelling among you, are you not of the flesh, and behaving according to human inclinations? For when one says, ‘I belong to Paul’, and another, ‘I belong to Apollos’, are you not merely human? What then is Apollos? What is Paul? Servants through whom you came to believe, as the Lord assigned to each. I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth. The one who plants and the one who waters have a common purpose, and each will receive wages according to the labour of each. For we are God’s servants, working together; you are God’s field, God’s building. The problem here is that the Corinthians have been squabbling. Does the passage resonate with any of your church or community experiences at all? It seems that there is tension in Corinth, about those who had preached the gospel to them; in this case it is “Paul” and “Apollos” who represent the different factions. How does Paul try to deal with the tension? As you hear the passage again, imagine you are hearing it afresh, as if you were a Corinthian receiving the message for the first time, with all the arguments happening around you... 1 Corinthians 3:1-9 And so, brothers and sisters, I could not speak to you as spiritual people, but rather as people of the flesh, as infants in Christ. I fed you with milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for solid food. Even now you are still not ready, for you are still of the flesh. For as long as there is jealousy and quarrelling among you, are you not of the flesh, and behaving according to human inclinations? For when one says, ‘I belong to Paul’, and another, ‘I belong to Apollos’, are you not merely human? What then is Apollos? What is Paul? Servants through whom you came to believe, as the Lord assigned to each. I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth. The one who plants and the one who waters have a common purpose, and each will receive wages according to the labour of each. For we are God’s servants, working together; you are God’s field, God’s building. In these closing moments, speak with God as one friend speaks to another about any tensions in your life concerning other people...listen to what God says in return... it could surprise you! 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

   September 02, 2026·13min
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   Number 5: Thursday 10 September 2026 - Be merciful

   Thursday 10 September 2026 Today is Thursday the 10th of September, in the 23rd week of Ordinary Time. Slow down as you enter into prayer today. Jon Guerra will guide us into today’s scripture with the song, ‘Love Your Enemies’. Draw to mind the ways in which God has loved you throughout your life so far, even during those moments you perhaps didn’t feel like you deserved it... Give to everyone who asks of you Be good to everybody, no matter who Do to them as you would have them do to you Love your enemies No greater love is there than this I laid down My life, and I would do it again I gave it to you, so give it to them Love your enemies Love, love Love your enemies And be children of your Father in Heaven Children of your Father in Heavеn Turn the other cheek, put down your fists Give up your coat if somеone asks for it What have you got that you were not given? Give everything And when the sun sets on your labour Turning the tides, but not in your favour Love is a rescue and it'll save you For love, love Love your enemies And be children of your Father in Heaven Children of your Father in Heaven If you love those who love you, what good is it? What good is it? What good is it? If you hate those who hate you, what good is it? Well, it's no good, no good at all If you love those who love you, what good is it? What good is it? What good is it? If you gain the whole world, but lose your soul Well, it's no good, no good at all It's no good, no good at all Oh, love, love Love your enemies And be children of your Father in Heaven Today’s reading is from the Gospel of Luke. Luke 6:27-38 ‘But I say to you that listen, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. If anyone strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also; and from anyone who takes away your coat do not withhold even your shirt. Give to everyone who begs from you; and if anyone takes away your goods, do not ask for them again. Do to others as you would have them do to you. ‘If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. If you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. If you lend to those from whom you hope to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, to receive as much again. But love your enemies, do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return. Your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High; for he is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. ‘Do not judge, and you will not be judged; do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven; give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap; for the measure you give will be the measure you get back.’ This is among the hardest teaching in the Gospels: love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, lend expecting nothing back. It asks for a freedom from calculation that does not come naturally to any of us. Who is the enemy, or the difficult person, who comes to mind as you hear this today? What would loving them without expecting anything in return look like, practically, this week? Jesus grounds this teaching not in willpower but in likeness: ‘Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.’ We are not asked to generate mercy out of nothing, but to let flow towards others something of the mercy we have already received. Can you remember a time when you were shown a mercy you had not earned? How did that change what you were able to give to someone else? Listen again, and notice which line feels most impossible, and which feels most like an invitation. What happens when you stay with both? Luke 6:27-38 ‘But I say to you that listen, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. If anyone strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also; and from anyone who takes away your coat do not withhold even your shirt. Give to everyone who begs from you; and if anyone takes away your goods, do not ask for them again. Do to others as you would have them do to you. ‘If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. If you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. If you lend to those from whom you hope to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, to receive as much again. But love your enemies, do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return. Your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High; for he is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. ‘Do not judge, and you will not be judged; do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven; give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap; for the measure you give will be the measure you get back.’ Speak honestly to God about where this teaching feels beyond you and ask for the grace to be made capable of it, little by little, rather than all at once. 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

   September 10, 2026·16min
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