Tuesday, 2 December 2025
"The King of Love My Shepherd Is" - Why I Have A Line From This Hymn On This Blog
How Would You Like Our Father, Son, Holy Spirit, our Blessed Mother Mary and All the Angels and Saints to Rejoice for You? Wouldn't that be a great Christmas gift to you?
Monday, 1 December 2025
The 24/7 Catholic Monthly - With A FREE Gift - 1st December 2025 – Advent: Watching, Waiting, Hoping
Welcome to the December edition of The 24/7 Catholic Monthly... with a free gift!
The shops may be in full Christmas mode, but the Church offers something deeper, quieter, holier: Advent, a sacred time of longing, preparation, and hope.
This is not yet Christmas - it is the season to watch and wait. We recall the ancient people of Israel, yearning for the Messiah. We prepare our hearts to welcome Christ not only as a baby in Bethlehem, but also as King of glory at the end of time.
Saturday, 29 November 2025
Am I the only one who struggles with 1 Corinthians 10:13?

Monday, 24 November 2025
We Crave To Meet Our Lord Face To Face
There is a longing within every Christian soul that words rarely manage to capture. It is the deep, aching desire to meet Our Lord face to face.
We imagine that moment when the veil is lifted and we finally see the One who made us, the One who loved us into existence, the One who carried us through every hardship.
That desire is written into us because God Himself placed it there. When we feel the tug of heaven, it is the tug of home. We know that heaven is where we belong because heaven is where He is.
Although this encounter in its fullness is reserved for eternity, there are moments even now when we draw astonishingly close to Him, closer than we allow ourselves to grasp. These moments are not only spiritual but profoundly physical, because the God who took flesh in Bethlehem still gives Himself in flesh and blood.
Friday, 21 November 2025
An easy prayer to remember...
A prayer that can help us to pray unceasingly? Well, maybe.
The saints across the centuries have taught us that unceasing prayer is not necessarily about being on our knees every second of the day. It is more about cultivating a spirit of prayer — a readiness of heart that continually turns to God. St Augustine put it beautifully when he said, "Your desire is your prayer; if your desire continues, your prayer continues." Prayer, then, is more than words. It is the lifting up of the heart to God.
But sometimes we need words — and simple words at that. In our weakness, our minds wander and our hearts grow distracted. A small, memorable prayer can become like a companion that helps us stay attuned to God's presence in the midst of daily life.
Thursday, 20 November 2025
Green dinosaurs wearing Santa hats but not a crib in sight - A reflection on the true meaning of Christmas
It was supposed to be a simple, cheerful visit to a local well-known garden centre. You know the kind — enormous, bustling, and bursting with Christmas spirit even before the first frosts have properly set in.
Rows upon rows of glittering baubles, dancing reindeer, and tinsel that sparkles under soft festive lighting. The familiar scent of pine mingles with mulled spice candles, and for a moment you can almost hear the faint echo of “O Come, All Ye Faithful” in the air.
But as I wandered deeper into the displays, something began to dawn on me — a quiet, unsettling realisation.
Among the mountains of merchandise and mechanical snowmen, there was not a single crib. Not one.
Wednesday, 19 November 2025
Why can't we just... wait?
Our modern world has turned speed into a virtue. We can have almost anything instantly—whether it is a meal, a gadget, a garment, or entertainment streamed in seconds.
So why can't we just… wait?
Monday, 17 November 2025
Five Quiet Miracles We Might Miss Each Day
Have we ever stopped mid-rush, wondering if God is truly present in the little moments of our day?
When life feels hectic and noisy, we might be tempted to think that miracles only happen in grand, extraordinary ways.
Yet what if the most beautiful miracles are actually happening quietly around us — in the unnoticed, the overlooked, the everyday?
This reflection invites us to slow down and open our eyes to five simple but profound miracles that may be passing us by.
These aren’t the flashy, headline-grabbing signs from heaven; they’re gentle reminders of God’s love quietly weaving itself through the fabric of our daily life.
Saturday, 15 November 2025
Jonah – The Opposite of Jesus?
Friday, 14 November 2025
An easy prayer to remember...
"Peace be with you", our Lord tells us,
as He grants His peace to me and you,
Lord help me live this peace You give,
in all I think.. and say... and do.
Wednesday, 12 November 2025
When a Talking Carrot Becomes a More Recognisable Symbol of Christmas than a Crib
There was a time when December meant Nativity plays, Advent calendars filled with scripture verses, and the simple joy of seeing a small crib placed in the window or on the mantelpiece.
Yet, as the years have gone by, something has quietly shifted. For many, Christmas has become less about Christ and more about commercials — less about the Word made flesh and more about a talking carrot in a supermarket advert.
Friday, 7 November 2025
Saint Wiborada of St Gall – The Hidden Flame of Solitude and Scripture - PLUS FREE GIFT!
She lived and died in the tenth century, in what is now Switzerland, during a time of uncertainty and fear. Yet her legacy reminds us that holiness does not always stand on a grand stage; sometimes it kneels in a small, stone cell — praying unseen, loved by God alone.
Tuesday, 4 November 2025
Monday, 3 November 2025
As I love God so much, I find it hard to offer up my pains and troubles to him
There is a strange and quietly painful contradiction in the Christian life that we don’t often talk about. It’s this: sometimes the deeper our love for God becomes, the harder it feels to bring Him our sufferings.
It sounds illogical at first.
Shouldn’t love mean we share everything?
Shouldn’t a child run to their loving Father when they are hurting?
Yes, of course - and we know this in our heads. But in the depths of our hearts, many of us who are striving to live closely with Christ, especially in the Catholic tradition, can feel an invisible wall when it comes to offering up our own pains.
We hold
back, not because we don’t trust God, but because we love Him so
much that we simply don’t want to cause Him any more sorrow.
Sunday, 2 November 2025
An easy prayer to remember...
Praying for the souls in Purgatory
Saturday, 1 November 2025
The 24/7 Catholic Monthly - 1st November 2025 - All Saints and All Souls
Welcome to the November edition of The 24/7 Catholic Monthly.
This month, the Church turns her gaze toward heaven and eternity. It is a time of joyful honour and solemn prayer.
The glory of All Saints Day meets the compassion of All Souls Day, reminding us that we are all on a journey—pilgrims bound for glory, with the communion of saints cheering us on.
November is the month of the Holy Souls in Purgatory, a time to remember those who have gone before us, and to lift them in prayer and love. It is also a month to renew our own longing for heaven. The saints show us what we are called to be. The souls remind us to live well, and die in grace.
Monday, 27 October 2025
What If?
If we truly believed tomorrow was our final day, how many of us would hesitate to go to Confession today? How many of us would allow pride, embarrassment, or fear to keep us from this beautiful sacrament of mercy and healing?
Monday, 20 October 2025
He stays close to us, wanting us to obey him so that we can spend eternity with him.
Monday, 13 October 2025
The Golden Glow Of Autumn In Our Blessed Mother’s Garden
There are the days in October when sunlight feels almost sacred — when it lingers longer than expected on every leaf, softening the edges of the world. It is as though Heaven itself leans a little closer to the earth.
This is the golden glow of autumn — that brief and holy time when creation bows gracefully toward its rest, clothed in splendour before surrendering to stillness.
In such light, even the simplest corner of the parish can seem touched by eternity. Behind Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church in New Milton lies a quiet space that seems made for this season — Our Blessed Mother’s garden, wild yet peaceful, small yet filled with meaning.
It is
not the kind of garden you find in glossy books or perfect rows. It
is the kind of place where beauty whispers, where holiness hides
among fallen leaves, and where anyone weary in soul can sit for a
while and simply be.
Monday, 6 October 2025
Were the ‘Good Ol’ Days’ Really That Good? - What the Bible Tells Us About Harkening Back to Days Gone By
We find ourselves longing for a time when moral values seemed more widely shared, when church pews were full, and when children respected their elders. In many cases, there’s a sense of spiritual loss as well—especially in the face of today’s secular culture, where God is often sidelined in public life.But here’s the question: were the “good ol’ days” really that good? More importantly, what does Sacred Scripture say about nostalgia, longing for the past, and the temptation to believe that we’ve lost something irreplaceable?
Let’s take a deeper look.
Wednesday, 1 October 2025
The 24/7 Catholic Monthly - 1st October 2025 - Month of the Holy Rosary
As autumn settles in, the Church offers us two spiritual treasures to warm the soul: the Rosary, a meditation on Christ through the eyes of Mary, and the Little Way of St Thérèse of Lisieux, a humble path of trust and love.
In this month, we are called to childlike confidence and contemplative simplicity. The Rosary and the Little Way are not relics of the past—they are lifelines for today.
Monday, 29 September 2025
When Phones Go Off During Mass – Can’t We Connect to Our Father Without Disconnecting from Our Phones?
It happens too often to be surprising anymore.
Just as the priest elevates the Host, just as the congregation slips into that sacred silence before the “Behold the Lamb of God,” it happens....
... jarring ringtone...
... tinny pop song...
... notification chime...
The sanctuary, meant to echo heaven, is momentarily hijacked by the unmistakable sound of someone’s phone.
Embarrassed shuffling follows.
Sometimes a frantic hand reaching into a handbag. Sometimes a face that stares forward in stony denial. And sometimes, the person just answers it - yes, even in church.
We’ve grown so accustomed to this kind of intrusion that we may no longer notice the deeper question it raises:
Can we truly connect with our Heavenly Father… if we never disconnect from our phones?
Monday, 22 September 2025
Let’s Take a Closer Look at “Woman, My Hour Has Not Yet Come” (John 2:4)
“When the wine failed, the mother of Jesus said to him, ‘They have no wine.’And Jesus said to her, ‘O woman, what have you to do with me? My hour has not yet come.’ His mother said to the servants, ‘Do whatever he tells you.’” — John 2:3–5 (RSV-CE)
The Wedding at Cana is a story of joy, crisis, and divine intervention. It is a story of family, celebration, and the glory of Christ revealed in a quiet Galilean town. But at its heart lies a profound exchange between Jesus and His mother that has stirred the thoughts and prayers of Christians for centuries.
“Woman, my hour has not yet come.” What does Jesus mean? Why does He speak to His mother in this way? And why does Mary, after this seemingly hesitant reply, persist with the confident words: “Do whatever he tells you”?
This moment is not simply about wine at a wedding. It is about God’s plan of salvation, the unique role of Mary, and the faith to obey Christ. Let’s take a closer look.
Monday, 8 September 2025
Back to School with the Saints: Study Tips from Heaven
By now, students and pupils should all be back at school and colleges. The long summer holidays are over, and with sharpened pencils, fresh notebooks, and perhaps a little nervousness, young people across the country are returning to their studies.
For some, this is an exciting time of opportunity; for others, it is heavy with pressure and anxiety. Parents and teachers, too, share the challenge of nurturing minds and guiding hearts in a world that often makes education feel like a competition rather than a calling.
But as Catholics, we know we are never left to face these challenges alone. Heaven is full of helpers who once walked the road of life before us. The saints, our elder brothers and sisters in Christ, stand ready to guide us, encourage us, and intercede for us. They remind us that study is not merely about facts and exams, but about preparing our minds and souls to serve God.
In this reflection, we will look at what the saints teach us about study, perseverance, and prayer. We will draw upon Scripture (RSV-CE), explore practical tips for students, and close with a devotional and poems.
Saturday, 6 September 2025
Blessed Carlo Acutis – A Millennial Witness Of The Eucharist And Lessons For The Young And Old
Monday, 1 September 2025
The 24/7 Catholic Monthly - 1st September - Month of the Seven Sorrows of Mary
Welcome to the September edition of The 24/7 Catholic Monthly.
This month, we walk with Our Lady in her sorrows—not as a defeat, but as the pathway to the triumph of the Cross.
September is traditionally dedicated to Our Lady of Sorrows, whose feast is celebrated on 15 September, the day after the Exaltation of the Holy Cross.
Her pierced heart mirrors the heart of Christ: silent, faithful, enduring. Let us lean into that sorrow—not to wallow in pain, but to find meaning, love, and strength in suffering united with Jesus.
Friday, 22 August 2025
The Wild Garden Behind Our Lady of Lourdes Church in New Milton
It is a part of the parish grounds that most people pass without noticing — tucked behind the Catholic church, close to the church hall.
From the main road, there is nothing to suggest what lies there.
Parishioners and others walk by on their way to Mass or meetings, perhaps pausing to greet a friend or enter the hall itself for one of the many activities held there, many people not realising that just a few steps away is a place set apart, waiting in stillness... the wild garden of Our Lady Of Lourdes Catholic Church, New Milton — a space unlike any other in the parish.
Tuesday, 19 August 2025
A 10-Day Journey Through the Psalms to Lift Your Heart plus FREE gift!
He heals the brokenhearted,
and binds up their wounds." —
Psalm 147:3
(RSV-CE)
(Plus FREE GIFT)
Step into ten days of reflection, prayer, and poetry inspired by the Psalms — designed to refresh your soul, strengthen your spirit, and bring you closer to God.
Plus a free gift in with final edition
Each day offers a short scripture, a heartfelt reflection, a guided prayer, and an original poem to help you:
• Find peace in the storms of life.
• Trust God’s timing and care.
• Heal from sorrow and brokenness.
• Delight in the Lord and lift your heart in praise.
Take ten days to pause, pray, and experience the Psalms in a fresh, life-giving way. Your heart and soul deserve this quiet, restorative journey with God.
This series is completely free, and your email is only used to send you these reflections — no marketing, no selling, no hidden agendas. Once the series ends, all email addresses are permanently deleted from the list used for this series
Monday, 18 August 2025
Missing the Beauty of God's Creation With Heads Bowed Down… but not to God...
Monday, 11 August 2025
Why The 24/7 Catholic?
I named this blog The 24/7 Catholic because it expresses a desire that I had tugging at my heart. I want to live my Catholic faith every day, every hour, every minute. All the time. Not just on Sundays, not just at Mass, not just when I’m feeling inspired - but 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. That’s what it means to follow Christ, right?
At least, that’s what I aspire to do...
... and yet, more often than not, I fall short...
This blog is for people like me - those of us who want to be saints, but who find ourselves slipping, stumbling, and sometimes just plain giving up. It’s for people who want to live the faith 24/7 but don’t always know how. People who go to Confession and mean it - but then snap at someone ten minutes later. People who say their Rosary while mentally ticking off their to-do list. People who love Jesus with all their hearts - but still struggle with doubt, distraction, despair, and daily demands.
This is The 24/7 Catholic - not because I’ve mastered it, but because I need to be reminded of it every single day...
Monday, 4 August 2025
10 Bible Verses That Show Jesus’ Sense of Humour. Yes, Our Lord Laughed Too!
When we think of Jesus, we rightly picture Him as the Good Shepherd, the Suffering Servant, and the Risen Lord.
Often overlooked is His quick wit, sharp irony, and well-timed humour.
Jesus wasn’t a gloomy figure. He enjoyed wedding feasts, told stories full of exaggeration and satire, and gently teased His disciples when they needed it.
After all, joy is a fruit of the Holy Spirit - and Christ was filled with it.
Laughter is part of love, and Jesus, who is love incarnate, used humour to reveal truth, disarm pride, and draw people closer.
Let’s
explore 10 moments from the Gospels that shine with Jesus’ holy
sense of humour.
Friday, 1 August 2025
The 24/7 Catholic Monthly - 1st August 2025 – Month of the Immaculate Heart of Mary
The Immaculate Heart of Mary
Daily Offering to the Immaculate Heart
“O Immaculate Heart of Mary, I consecrate myself to you. Take my heart and make it more like yours: pure, trusting, faithful, and surrendered to God. Intercede for me, and lead me always to your Son. Amen.”
This month, place your daily joys and trials into the heart that pondered all things, trusted God in all things, and stood faithful beneath the Cross.
Monday, 28 July 2025
To The Hebrews: - CC Galatians, Romans, Philippians
If St Paul had email, how different would his letters have been?
While his words are divinely inspired and timeless, one can only imagine how his correspondence might have looked in a world of inboxes, CCs, and dreaded spam filters.
So,
let’s have a little fun and picture an alternate reality where the
Apostle to the Gentiles had access to a first-century email accounts.
Tuesday, 22 July 2025
What Joy Is There in Being Regularly Late for Mass?
“Could you not watch one hour with me?” – Matthew 26:40
Mass begins. The choir sings the entrance hymn. The priest processes reverently to the altar.
The Sign of the Cross opens our sacred encounter with heaven... and… we're not there yet.
Maybe we’re rushing up the path, breathless and distracted. Maybe we’re just leaving home, thinking, “I’ll miss the beginning, but at least I’ll make it for Communion.” Maybe it’s become a habit. A harmless little habit - so we think.
But what joy is there in being regularly late for Mass?
No Ordinary Gathering
Let’s remind ourselves what we’re walking into when we attend Mass.
It’s not a club meeting or a lecture. It is the Holy Sacrifice. Christ offers Himself, through the hands of the priest, for the forgiveness of sins and the life of the world. Heaven breaks through. Angels surround the altar. The veil between this life and eternity is lifted.
And we are invited - not merely to observe, but to participate.
To be late is to step in halfway through a miracle!
Tuesday, 15 July 2025
It's Still Only July and TK Maxx is Already Stocking Halloween Products on Its Shelves! How Sad.
It’s the middle of July. The summer holidays haven’t yet begun for many families. Schoolchildren are still trudging through their final weeks of the term.
The sun, though temperamental in Britain, is (at least occasionally) shining. And yet, in a corner of TK Maxx - among the discounted homeware and fashion bargains - sits an eerie and unwelcome sight: Halloween products. Pumpkins, skulls, witches’ hats, and cobwebbed ornaments fill the shelves like a swarm of locusts invading a peaceful land.
Isn’t
it sad? Not just strange, not just out of place - but genuinely sad.
Crystals... Planets... New Age? No. God's Intelligent Design
In a world increasingly drawn to New Age spirituality, there has been a marked fascination with crystals, planetary alignments, and mystical forces.
While many people see beauty and wonder in these things, some are tempted to attribute their origin and power to vague cosmic energies or impersonal universes.
For Catholics, these marvels are not sources of power in and of themselves. They are signposts - indicators of something far greater: the intelligent design of Almighty God.
Let’s set aside the incense burners and astrology charts for a moment. Instead, let’s look at the very same elements that enthral New Age followers - crystals, planets, patterns in nature - and marvel not at the creation, but at the Creator.
As St Paul wrote, “Ever since the creation of the world his invisible nature, namely, his eternal power and deity, has been clearly perceived in the things that have been made” (Romans 1:20, RSV-CE).
Tuesday, 8 July 2025
Come Home to the Catholic Church – The Door Is Still Open
Have you been away from the Church for a while?
Maybe it's been months. Maybe years. Maybe decades.
Or maybe… you never really left - you just sort of drifted.
You still believe in God (you think). You still consider yourself Catholic (more or less). You still light a candle now and again, perhaps whisper a prayer in the car. But something has held you back from stepping back through those doors - the ones of the church building, yes, but also of your faith life.
So this blog post is for you. Whether you feel lost, lapsed, unsure, afraid, or simply out of the habit… this is your gentle reminder:
The door is still open.
The Church is still here.
Christ is still waiting for you - with love, not judgement.
The
Church Isn't a Club for the Perfect - It's a Home for the Wounded
Saturday, 5 July 2025
A 10-Day Journey Through the Psalms to Lift Your Heart
"Be Still And know That I Am God"
(Psalm 46:10)
A 10-Day Journey Through the Psalms
to Lift Your Heart
(Plus FREE GIFT)
Friday, 4 July 2025
Prayer For The Continued Recovery Of Father Bill - (With the Intercession of Saint Thérèse of Lisieux)
O Lord, our Shepherd, strong and true,
In Your great love, we lift to You
Our Father Bill, Your servant dear,
Whose faith and heart bring us so near.
Restore his strength, renew his grace,
Surround him with Your warm embrace.
In every trial, may he find
Your healing peace, so sweet, so kind.
Saint Thérèse, with your gentle way,
“Little Flower,” hear our prayer today.
By your trust in God above,
Send to Father Bill your tender love.
Guide him through each weary night,
Fill his soul with holy light.
With your roses, grace impart,
And heal his body, mind, and heart.
Grant wisdom to those who care,
And lighten burdens he must bear.
May Mary’s mantle, pure and mild,
Protect our cherished priest and child.
Through Jesus Christ, our Lord and King,
Whose resurrection life does bring,
We pray for health, for hope, for peace,
That Father Bill’s pains may soon cease.
Amen.Tuesday, 1 July 2025
The 24/7 Catholic Monthly - 1st July 2025 - Offering Each Day to the Precious Blood
Welcome to the first post in a new monthly series: The 24/7 Catholic Monthly.
Each month, we journey deeper into the Catholic year, following the Church’s devotional themes, feasts, and fasts, drawing strength from Scripture, the lives of the saints, and the liturgical calendar.
These posts will include poetry, devotions, catechesis, a meditation, a challenging quiz, and a heartfelt invitation to live as a Catholic not just on Sundays - but every moment of every day.
To begin our journey, we turn to
July: the month devoted to the Precious Blood of Jesus.
Thursday, 26 June 2025
🌟 Coming Soon: The 24/7 Catholic Monthly
New Series Launches 1 July: The Blood That Saves Us
(And yes – regular blog posts will carry on as normal!)
There’s something new on the horizon - something designed to strengthen our spiritual life and help us live our Catholic faith more fully throughout the year.
Tuesday, 24 June 2025
A Prayer for Father Bill – For Strength and Healing
Amen.


























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