Immaculate Conception, Clevedon

23/10/2026

Based on the gospel for 25 October, Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time,

Matthew 22:34-40
“Which is the great commandment?"

A lawyer is testing Jesus: which of the 613 precepts in the Law is the most important? Jesus’ reply is that we should love God with our whole being: heart, soul and mind. As we stand for the Gospel and make the sign of the cross on our head, lips and heart, we strive to live out God’s Word in all that we say, do and are.

Jesus’ second commandment also requires our total commitment, with no half measures. We are called to love our neighbour as ourselves. So, just as I would like to have enough to eat, have a roof over my head, live in safety and flourish, I should want the same for my neighbour, whoever and wherever they are.

I am struck by the term “commandment” together with “love”. God does not command what he does not already give. Our love of God and neighbour comes as a free response to having been first loved by God. God’s superabundant love for me, witnessed in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus and also in all creation, flows into and through my being as the Spirit of love to be returned to God and spread through all God’s creation.

Let’s pray …
Spirit of God, flow through us and empower us in our worship of God and care for our neighbour. Amen

Www.CAFOD.org.uk

16/10/2026

Based on the gospel for
18 October, Twenty-ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time,

Matthew 22:15-21
“Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's."

In asking if it is lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, the Pharisees and Herodians set a clever trap for Jesus. If Jesus supports the paying of the unpopular tax, he will be seen as supporting the oppressive Roman regime, especially problematic since the coin bears a graven image of the emperor, pictured as divine. If Jesus says it’s unlawful to pay the tax, he’ll put himself in jeopardy with the authorities.

So, what does Jesus do? Significantly, he does not himself possess one of these coins, so he asks for one. The image and name inscribed there settle the question. "Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's," Jesus says and then adds, "and to God the things that are God's."

The coin belongs to Caesar because it bears his stamped image so give him his metal back. But what belongs to God? We do! God's image is engraved on each human person and all we have is a gift from God. We cannot compartmentalise our lives, separating religion from politics or the sacred from secular. We are called to remember we belong to God and allow our faith to shape our politics, our work and our relationships.

Lord of all, remind me that I belong to you and help me to see your image in all my sisters and brothers. Trusting in your love and care, may I live a life of gratitude and generosity. In Jesus' name, Amen.

Www.CAFOD.org.uk

12/10/2026

This is going to be amazing!!

Sunday 18th October
730pm

Christchurch, Clevedon

Stage and Screen with Lights

Buy tickets – Estara Strings

09/10/2026

Based on the gospel for
Sunday 11 October,
Twenty-eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time:

Matthew 22:1-14
“Go therefore to the main roads and invite to the wedding feast as many as you find."

The parable in today’s Gospel reminds us that our Lord calls everyone into his Kingdom. We do not wish to be like those who rejected the invitation to the wedding feast because of the distractions of the world around them.

St Oscar Romero spoke of the diversity of those who accept Christ’s invitation to bring peace, love and justice into our world: “There are many Christian-spirited people who have no knowledge of the church but who perhaps live better lives than those who belong to the church. Christ overflows the church. Blessed be God that there are many good people, many very good people, outside the confines of the institutional church: Protestants, Jews, Muslims, etc."

These words resonate deeply for me reflecting on time spent visiting family in my local hospital over the past 12 months. It is where BBC 2's recent Emergency 24/7 programme was filmed. An uplifting memory, also witnessed in the programme, is the wonderful care given by a very diverse workforce, of different faiths or perhaps none.

Working with more than 300 diverse faith-based and non-religious partners throughout the world, CAFOD supports communities regardless of religion, culture or background. One of CAFOD’s partner organisations in Nigeria, the Social Justice and Human Development for Peace Initiative has recently launched a new project aimed at promoting cultural and religious cooperation. Fr Basil Kassam told CAFOD that “when we work together across communities, faiths and nations, we can overcome the challenges that divide us and build a future that sustains us all.”

Lord, we thank you for all who work to bring about the peace, love and justice of your Kingdom. May we be united by our response to your call. Amen

Www.CAFOD.org.uk

02/10/2026

Based on the gospel for
Sunday 4 October,
Twenty Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time:

Matthew 21:33-43
“He will… let out the vineyard to other tenants who will give him the fruits in their seasons"

Envy is like a poison which taints everything in our lives. In the parable, the landlord leases his new vineyard to tenants, but when the harvest comes, the tenants are envious of the landowner’s wealth. They abuse the rent collectors and ultimately kill the heir to achieve their own ends. We, too, can be envious in many ways - of reputation, property, personality, talents, and even good looks.

This poison can take root when we forget that we are all tenants here on earth, taking care of God’s creation. We are called to share the fruits of our harvest, making sure we do not keep it all for ourselves. Yet, in today’s world of unbalanced wealth, so many people live on the edge of existence due to famine, war, and climate emergencies like devastating floods.

In the parable, the heir is put to death, and we can recognise that Jesus is foretelling his own death as his popularity becomes the envy of the leading authorities. It is a warning for us today that the destruction of human life is often the result of unbridled desire. We must always be on our guard against envy. Our prayer should be for the wellbeing of all, finding contentment as caretakers of God's world while producing fruits of peace and plenty for all people.

Dear God, you have given us so many good things to enjoy in our lives, give us generous hearts to share all that we possess with others so that our world will become a place for friendship, sharing and caring for all.
Amen.
Www.CAFOD.org.uk

25/09/2026

Based on the gospel for Sunday 27 September, Twenty-sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time:

Matthew 21:28-32
“Which of the two did the will of his father?"

Reflecting on the parable of two sons, we might ask how we have responded to our Lord’s calling in our lives to work in the vineyard of his creation? How have we used our God given talents to bring about love, peace and justice for all our brothers and sisters?

We hope not to have responded like the second brother. Despite his outward acceptance, he refuses to do his father’s bidding, rejecting his calling, refusing to serve, letting things get in the way of doing the will of God.

St Oscar Romero spoke of those in El Salvador who might outwardly observe their religion, but were not prepared to speak out and call for change. They may even have been complicit in injustice, or perpetrated wrongdoing towards others, clinging to and misusing their power and wealth.

We hope to have responded like the first brother ultimately does. St Oscar spoke of modelling ourselves on the kenosis of Christ, to empty ourselves of pride and self-interest, to humbly follow Christ's call to bring love and justice to his vineyard. He said “the glory of the church is… to bear in her inmost self the essence of the kenosis of Christ, that is why she must be humble and poor”

In this special Jubilee Year commemorating the 800th anniversary of Saint Francis of Assisi’s death, Pope Leo XIV calls us to follow St Francis’s example and become saints in our world. We can be inspired by someone who abandoned his wealthy background and worldly dreams, to embrace a life of radical poverty and Christian charity.

Loving God, may the example of St Francis spur all of us, each according to our possibilities to imitate the poor man of Assisi and form ourselves as far as possible on the model of Christ. Amen.
(Prayer based on Pope Leo’s official decree proclaiming the Jubilee Year of St Francis.)

Www.CAFOD.org.uk

18/09/2026

Based on the gospel for
Sunday 20 September,
Twenty-fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time:

Matthew 20:1-16
“You go into the vineyard too, and whatever is right I will give you."

Who decides what is fair or unjust? Pope Leo XIV reminds us that a truly just society recognises the dignity of every human life. Who was respected in this parable? Let's think about those labourers who found that the others had been paid as much as they had, even though they had toiled all day. Of course it didn't feel fair to them and we can probably identify with that. Yet they earned what they had been promised.

Do we even spare a thought for the people who seem to have had it easier, but stood in the market square all day? They had the heat of the sun beating down on them, the despair of not getting a job or earning money to feed their families or simply stay alive, and the ignominy of not being chosen.

Might we stop to think why they weren't chosen? Who are those today who find it hard to find work, or who work but are paid unjustly? What about the homeless on the street, those who don’t have access to basic hygiene, fresh clothing, or the means to prepare for job interviews? That really does not seem fair!

Who decides what is fair and what we deserve? The answer is very clear in this parable: God loves us all. He wants the best for each of us and desires to be generous to us, while teaching us to be generous to one another. We thank God for all who are working tirelessly to end poverty and injustice, and to create a world where the dignity of everyone is protected and all are treated fairly.

We thank you, just and merciful God, that you love each one of us unconditionally. We pray to put aside earthly perceptions of what is fair and tune into you, Lord, who shows us how to love each other generously and value each other’s dignity.
Amen.

Www.CAFOD.org.uk

11/09/2026

Based on the gospel for Sunday 13 September, Twenty-fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time:

Matthew 18:21-35

“Should not you have had mercy on your fellow servant, as I had mercy on you?”

We are often very good at spotting the faults of others and less good at recognising our own failings. In this passage it is Peter, who often misunderstands Jesus and will need forgiveness when he denies him, who is the one who asks how many times he must forgive. But we’re not perfect, we’re all too human. As Jesus says in the story of the woman caught in adultery: “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone.” ��Sometimes it is not easy to forgive. We can bear grudges and bring up the fault again and again, but by so doing we imprison both ourselves and the wrongdoer and can find it difficult to move on. Forgiveness liberates and gives both parties a fresh start. ��In our world today, many poorer countries are imprisoned by crippling debt like the debtors in the parable. Rather than using money to fund health and education they are forced to make debt repayments at extortionate interest rates to private lenders. CAFOD is calling on the UK to use its presidency of the G20 to bring fast, fair and effective debt relief for countries in crisis so that they can be liberated from their burden and make a fresh start.

God of mercy, forgive us our debts as we forgive those who are in debt to us. Amen.

Www.CAFOD.org.uk

04/09/2026

Based on the gospel for
Sunday 6 September,
Twenty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time:

Matthew 18:15-20
“For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.”

We all have unique qualities and perspectives. God calls each one of us to serve him as part of a wider body, his church. Although God intended to unite us through our differences, it is easy for us to allow this to result in divergence and dispute. Conflicts are made even more challenging when compounded with wrongdoing in the church.

In today’s gospel, Jesus outlines how to handle misconduct in the community. We are called to privately bring attention to the sin, before escalating the matter to a few additional individuals if a resolution is not reached. The wise counsel of the wider community is presented as the final remedy for the wrongdoing.

Maintaining our moral integrity is important. As God’s children we are called to be custodians of his commandments and hold each other accountable with humility and honesty.

How do we react in the face of wrongdoing and injustice? Are our churches and global communities truly safe places of kindness, respect and dignity? Standing up for what is right can be frightening. Let us be courageous and remember that God is always with us, no matter how challenging the circumstance may be.

Dear God, thank you for the gift of your holy church. By your Spirit, please give us the courage to boldly love and support each other as we continue to grow in you. Amen.

Www.cafod.org.uk

28/08/2026

Based on the gospel for
Sunday 30 August (Twenty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time)

Matthew 16:21-27
“Then Jesus told his disciples, ‘If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.’”

This Sunday we hear Jesus say that if we want to follow him, we have to deny ourselves and take up our cross. And how many times have we felt that this is much easier said than done? A few years ago, this gospel made me ask myself, “In my life, am I following Jesus or am I asking him to follow me?” When I paused and realised that actually I want Jesus to lead me, I wondered: “What are the ways I can deny myself and take up my cross?” This is why I like the idea, put forth by a Benedictine monk, of the cross as “a signpost: it marks the parting of the ways.”

Jesus is asking us to depart from a path driven by worries and self-preoccupation, to choose the path he leads, sustained by compassion and action on behalf of our brothers and sisters. Engaging with CAFOD allows us to step into our global Catholic family and bear witness as we walk the road Christ calls us to travel.

At CAFOD, we work with communities in partnership, believing that a better world needs all of us playing our part. In sharing our time, resources, and hearts with our long-time partners, we walk with Jesus’ cross in solidarity.

We pray:
May we have the courage to leave what we know behind and devote ourselves to knowing God through the Cross of his Son.
Amen.

Www.CAFOD.org.uk