A Moment to Pause - a short daily audio reflection rooted in Sacred Scripture

Welcome to A Moment to Pause. We join Br Michael Moore OMI from Colwyn Bay, Wales .
In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen 
Good morning and welcome to our moment to pause with the Oblate Family…  
In the Gospel today, Jesus tells us that the kingdom of God is like the small mustard seed that when it grows becomes the biggest of trees. With God’s help, wonderous things come from humble beginnings. This applies to us as well. All our small acts of kindness, compassion, generosity and forgiveness are important and are needed if the Kingdom of God is to grow for ourselves and those around us. 
We offer our own intentions today to the Lord as we pray 
Our Father who art in heaven,hallowed be thy name.Thy kingdom come.Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.Give us this day our daily bread,and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us,and lead us not into temptation,but deliver us from evil.
Thank you for joining the Oblate Family for our moment to pause this morning: May God continue walk to with each of us this day. 
 

Welcome to A Moment to Pause. We join Fr Eduardo in the Tower Hill Mission, London.
Wherever this moment finds you, between meetings or on your commute, or visiting friends or family members, or simply taking a break in the middle of this busy day, welcome. Let these next few moments and be a space to rest, to listen, and to be reminded that God is already near. In today's gospel, Jesus compares the kingdom of heaven to a treasure hidden in a field and to a pearl of great value. When someone discovers it, everything else is seen differently. Not because the world has changed, but because our hearts have changed. The kingdom of God is discovered in quiet places, in the person who forgives instead of holding on to resentment, in the courage to choose what is right when no one is watching. In the friend who truly listens, in the few minutes we give to prayer before the world demands our attention. 
These moments may seem small, but they are pearls of infinite value. 
Perhaps today's invitation is not to search harder, but to notice more deeply. The treasure you long for may already be hidden within the ordinary moments of your life, waiting for your heart to recognise it. We pray. Lord, open my eyes to the treasure of your presence. Amen.
Thanks for joining us this morning!

Welcome to A Moment to Pause. We join Fr Eduardo in the Tower Hill Mission, London.
Take a moment to slow your breathing wherever you are in the office, on the train, walking through the city, or simply between tasks. Allow yourself these next few moments to rest in God's presence. Today's gospel is from Matthew to speaks about a sower who scatters seed. The say the seed is always good. It is generous, full of life, full of promise. The question is not whether God still speaks, the question is whether our hearts have a space to listen. 
There are seasons when life leaves our heart hard with disappointment, crowded, with no worries or distractions. Yet God never stops sowing. He never gives up on us. Patiently, quietly. He keeps planting hope, mercy and new beginnings. Perhaps today, the invitation is simply this: Let one word of God remain with you. Not too many words. Just one. 
Let it settle gently into your heart. Like a seed beneath the soil. Hidden at first almost unnoticed, but slowly transforms everything from within. Let us pray. Lord, soften the ground of my heart.
In the silence. Help me to hear your voice. Amen. Thank you for sharing this moment to pause. May the Lord bless your day nd may his word may continue to grow within you.
 
#parable #sower #seed #wordofgod #faith #bible

Good morning and welcome for our moment to pause. Today, we're going to take a short time to reflect on our gospel reading, which is taken from the Gospel of John, chapter 15 1 to 8.Jesus said, “I am the vine, you are the branches.”This is a beautiful image that illustrates our relationship with Jesus and also with one another.We can all picture a vine growing, producing fruit, many branches connected to one central stem, which Jesus tells us is him, the central stem of our lives together in faith and to remain part of that vine.We do this each day by prayer, by sacrifices, by partaking in the sacraments, by communion, and our relationships with one another. Acts of good work. All these things keep us connected to the vine.When Jesus speaks about pruning where the gardener removes disease or damaged areas or shoots that have grown in the wrong direction, maybe in our own lives, we felt this happening where through our prayer, through faith, we've changed. We've become different. We've altered how we live and deal with one another. Perhaps there were times where we were reluctant to let this happen, where we were reluctant to let go and to trust in God's will for our lives and forego our own. That might be what "pruning" looks like in our lives.It really is a beautiful image of Jesus's care and connection with us and with one another. And maybe we'll just take that with us as we go through our day to day and think of areas maybe in our lives that might need a bit of pruning or a bit of attention.Glory be to the father and the son and the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be. World without end. Amen.Thanks for joining us this morning!
 

Today we join Fr Eduardo Nunez Yepez OMI in the Tower Hill Mission.
Welcome to A Moment to Pause wherever you are right now on your commute, taking a break from work or simply catching your breath. I'm glad you are here. Let's pause for a moment and let God speak to our heart. In today's gospel from Matthew, we find that when Jesus was told that his mother and relatives are looking for him, he responds with surprising words: “Whoever does the will of my father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.” We spend so much time local labs trying to find where we belong. We work hard to build a character. We hope people will notice our efforts. We chase success, approval and security, believing that once we achieve enough, it will finally feel like we've arrived. 
But somehow the finish line keeps moving into In today’s gospel, Jesus quietly shapes our perspective. He reminds us that our greatest identity isn't found in our job title, our achievements, or even what other people think of us. Our first identity is this: we belong to God, and belonging to God isn't something we earn. It's something we choose to live each day by saying yes to him. 
Sometimes God's will looks very ordinary. It looks like answering an email with kindness instead of frustration. Being honest when cutting corners would be easier. Giving your full attention to someone who needs to be heard. Choosing peace over pride. Taking a moment to pray before making a difficult decision. These moments may seem small, but they shape who we are. 
The world often asks whathave you accomplished? Jesus asks something different. Did you love? Did you trust me? Did you let me guide your heart today? Maybe that's all we need to focus on, not having everything figured out. Not becoming more impressive. Just taking the next faithful step with him. Because at the end of the day, what helps our lives meaning isn't how successful we become. But how closely we walk with the one who already calls us family. 
Lord Jesus, thank you for reminding me that my world is not measured by my achievement, but by your love. Help me to seek you your will in the ordinary moments of this day. Teach me to lead with a path that belongs completely to you. Amen. Thank you for joining me for a moment to pause and as you go through your day, remember this. 
You don't have to earn your place in God's family. You already have one. Simply walk with him one step at a time.

Welcome to our reflection today with Pauline Thomas from Anglesey, North Wales.
Welcome to A Moment to Pause today, the 20th of July. In today's gospel Matthew chapter 12, verses 38-42, we hear the Scribes and Pharisees asking Jesus for a sign. We might look for a sign to confirm if we can trust something or someone as being authentic or a fraud, real or a scam. Jesus is strong in his rebuttal. He says an evil and unfaithful generation seeks a sign, but no sign will be given it except the sign of Jonah the prophet: “Just as Jonah was in the belly of the whale, three days and three nights, so will the Son of Man be in the heart of the earth, three days and three nights.” He goes on to say at the Judgment, the people of Nineveh will arise with this generation and condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of Jonah. He goes on to point out to them that there is something greater than Jonah here. We are a people on a journey with God who makes all things new. When one is on a journey, one always finds new things. Things one does not know. This scripture questions me: Am I attached to my things, to my ideas? Am I closed? Am I a stationary person or a person on a journey with the God of surprises? Let us ask the Lord for a heart that loves the law. For the law is God's, but for a heart that also loves the God of surprises.Thanks for joining us this morning.

Welcome to our reflection today with Pauline Thomas from Anglesey, North Wales.
Welcome to A Moment to Pause on this, the 19th of July. We hear today in the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 13, verses 24 to 43, Jesus laying before the crowds, three parables. In the first he likens the kingdom of heaven to a man who sowed good seed in his field. While everyone was asleep, his enemy came and sowed weeds all through the wheat, and then went off. As the crop grew, the weeds appeared as well. Instructions were given that the weeds were to be left to grow and not to be pulled up, lest the wheat be uprooted with them. At the harvest the weeds would be gathered and burned, but the wheat would be gathered into the barn. The second parable likens the Kingdom of Heaven to a mustard seed that a person sowed in a field.Although the smallest of seeds, it grows to be the largest of plants, and the birds of the sky come and dwell on its branches. The third parable likens the Kingdom of Heaven to yeast that a woman took and mixed with three measures of wheat flour until the whole batch was leavened. We hear the disciples go back to Jesus, asking him to explain to them the meaning of the parable of the good seed and the weeds. The gift of a parable is that it speaks to the heart of each person in an open ended way. Depending on our life experience, but nevertheless, it holds a precious truth that is worth grappling with. Lord, may your words speak this day to our heart, mind and soul. For they have the power to transform our lives.Thanks for joining us this morning.

Welcome to our reflection today with Pauline Thomas from Anglesey, North Wales.
Welcome to A Moment to Pause, Saturday, the 18th of July. The scripture today comes from the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 12, verses 14 to 21, when Jesus realised that the Pharisees had taken counsel against him to put him to death, he withdrew from that place. But even so, people followed him. And the passage says that he cured them all, warning them not to make him known. It struck me how he acted with prudence in the face of the threat and opposition. He, at the same time did not withdraw out of fear from those who came to him in need of healing. Matthew points out Jesus is fulfilling what had been spoken through Isaiah the prophet; “He will not contend or cry out, nor will anyone hear his voice in the streets, a bruised reed he will not break. A smoldering wick he will not quench.” This is Jesus, his way to act with gentleness but also firmness. Without shouting or reprimanding, without arrogance or imposition. People are not indifferent to him. He both challenges and attracts. Jesus models for us, his followers, how to walk in his way. Lord, help us to stay united with you in prayer and help us to respond with charity and patience to those whose lives we touched today. Let us pray that today, whatever is in need of healing in our lives will be healed so that we may be made whole through the mercy of God. May the knowledge of your closeness light our way, your way.Thanks for joining us this morning.

Welcome to our reflection today with Pauline Thomas from Anglesey, North Wales.
Welcome to A Moment to Pause. Today's scripture reading is from the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 12, verses 1 to 8. Jesus was going through a field of grain on the Sabbath, and his disciples were hungry and began to pick the heads of grain and eat them. On seeing this, the Pharisees confronted Jesus, saying, “See, your disciples are doing what is unlawful to do on the Sabbath.”Jesus reminds them of the words of the prophet Hosea: “Go and learn what this means: I desire mercy and not sacrifice.” If they understood these words, Jesus says, they would not have condemned these innocent men. He goes on to tell them, “I say to you, something greater than the temple is here.” Jesus returns the focus once again to the loyalty of a heart that recognises its need of healing and forgiveness, that mends its ways and returns with a humble, loving heart to the heart of God. Mercy takes the first place for Jesus, Lord of the Sabbath. Let us pray that today, whatever is in need of healing in our lives will be healed so that we may be made whole through the mercy of God.Thanks for joining us this morning.

Welcome to A Moment to Pause this Thursday 16th of July. How wonderful it is in everyday life when we actually have a moment to pause, to take some time out for yourself, a moment to slow down, to take a breather. These are always welcome and precious moments in our day when we can experience, even if fleetingly, a sense of stillness, peace and calm. 
In today's scripture reading from the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 11:28-30, Jesus invites us, saying, “Come to me, all you who labour and are burdened, and I will give you rest.” So much of life can be a series of tasks to be completed, appointments to attend, or simply struggling to get through the day or night where responsibilities, anxieties, sickness and loss can leave us with a feeling of life being an uphill struggle. 
My daughter, a young mother, asked me, “does it get easier?” I had to answer her honestly - “Well, it just changes.” But for me, I have found that when I invite the Lord into the toil, the struggle, the striving, when I'm troubled or weighed down or feel overloaded or fraught, that this does change things. Where I am given the graces I need to not feel overburdened, or where a sense of unexpected ease, peace, stillness and calmness floods in unexpectedly. So, Lord Jesus, help us this day to lean on you, to uphold us and refresh us with your saving help. Amen.
Thanks for joining us this morning.