Father Coleridge Reader

Father Coleridge Reader

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Persecution and Catholics as a religious minority
Our Lord's warning that his followers would be 'put out of the synagogues' has extensive application even to us today.
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Fr Henry James Coleridge SJ
How Christ refers to Purgatory in his warning about sinful anger
In his treatment of the Fifth Commandment, Christ’s image of prison implies not necesaarily Hell, but Purgatory—a warning that we must pay the price of…
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Fr Henry James Coleridge SJ
Reconciliation must be sought before the Day of Judgment
Christ warns us not to delay reconciliation with God or neighbour, lest we face divine justice on the last day.
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Fr Henry James Coleridge SJ
5
Does non-Catholic worship please God?
Our Lord teaches that no worship can be acceptable while we harbour malice in our hearts, or stand outside the unity of the Church.
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Fr Henry James Coleridge SJ
2
What kind of anger deserves the fires of Hell?
Our Lord teaches that anger can be a grave sin against the order of charity he came to establish, and merit eternal punishment in Hell.
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Fr Henry James Coleridge SJ
1
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How Christ Harrowed Hell
 • Fr Henry James Coleridge SJ
Why the Church honours St Thomas despite his doubt
 • Fr Henry James Coleridge SJ
What does 'Feed My sheep' really mean for Peter’s role in the Church?
 • Fr Henry James Coleridge SJ
Why did Christ say his people 'hated both me and my Father'?
 • Fr Henry James Coleridge SJ
What Christ teaches about contempt, anger, and judgement of others
Christ condemns not just murder, but the anger, contempt, and malice that lead to it—revealing that justice must begin in the heart.
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Fr Henry James Coleridge SJ
1
Who is always at the centre of Christ's 'lake miracles'?
The miraculous draught was just the first of several 'lake miracles,' each of which offers symbolic meaning for the life of the Church.
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Fr Henry James Coleridge SJ
What do St Peter's bursting nets reveal about dangers to the Church?
Christ’s command to “launch out into the deep” taught the Apostles—and the Church—that success in saving souls does not on human strength.
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Fr Henry James Coleridge SJ
Why are zeal and effort not enough in apostolic work?
Christ’s command to “launch out into the deep” taught the Apostles—and the Church—that success in saving souls does not on human strength.
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Fr Henry James Coleridge SJ
How Christ turned Simon Peter's trade into a parable of Christian ministry
Before Simon Peter could become a fisher of men, Christ let him labour all night in vain—only to reward his obedience with abundance.
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Fr Henry James Coleridge SJ
How did the Visitation complete the mystery of the Annunciation?
By God’s design, the Visitation becomes both a sign and a solemn witness to what St Gabriel had foretold to Our Lady.
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Fr Henry James Coleridge SJ
The real reason why Judas’ treachery caused Our Lord such anguish
It was the only wound that Christ's love would not heal. Christ bore every blow, but the traitor’s final refusal may have been the greatest source of…
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Fr Henry James Coleridge SJ
How the Visitation made St John the Baptist the first to adore Christ
The power of Christ’s presence within Mary broke the chains of original sin for St John the Baptist, and begins the work of salvation.
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Fr Henry James Coleridge SJ
The fate of Judas after his treachery
Judas seems to have wandered alone with a deluded conscience, until the sight of Christ condemned shattered all his illusions: he was a traitor, guilty…
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Fr Henry James Coleridge SJ
Father Coleridge Reader
Father Coleridge Reader
Gospel-focused spiritual reading, based around the liturgical year and the life of Christ, by the English Catholic hero Fr Henry James Coleridge SJ.
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The Father Coleridge Reader is a project of The WM Review
Top posts
How Christ Harrowed Hell
 • Fr Henry James Coleridge SJ
Why the Church honours St Thomas despite his doubt
 • Fr Henry James Coleridge SJ
What does 'Feed My sheep' really mean for Peter’s role in the Church?
 • Fr Henry James Coleridge SJ
Why did Christ say his people 'hated both me and my Father'?
 • Fr Henry James Coleridge SJ
What do St Peter's bursting nets reveal about dangers to the Church?
 • Fr Henry James Coleridge SJ

Our Lady

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How did Jesus respond when he first beheld his humanity in Our Lady's womb?
Christ accepted the burden of the Cross at the first moment of life.
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Fr Henry James Coleridge SJ
What do we really know about the Angel Gabriel?
The Annunciation was not the first time the St Gabriel appeared in Holy Scripture—it was the fourth. What do these other appearances tell us about this…
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Fr Henry James Coleridge SJ
Were St Joseph and Our Lady married before the Annunciation?
Phrases in the Gospel might suggest that St Joseph and Our Lady were merely engaged at the time of the Annunciation—but is this the correct…
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Fr Henry James Coleridge SJ
3
What solitary mission priests teach us about the Incarnation
They stand as Our Lady stood after the Annunciation—alone in the hidden presence of God. They call us to join them before him.
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Fr Henry James Coleridge SJ
When did our Lady become the Mother of Sorrows?
Why does the Church read a prophecy of sorrow at Mass on the Sunday after Christmas, and what does this moment mean for the Gospel?
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Fr Henry James Coleridge SJ
The hidden presence of Saint Joseph at the Visitation
The Visitation account omits much—but not by accident. Even the Gospels' silences reveal more than we might realise.
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Fr Henry James Coleridge SJ
1
Why didn't Our Lady tell Saint Joseph about the Incarnation before the Visitation?
Our Lady's silence—and St Joseph's trial—are a central but subtle part of the Visitation.
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Fr Henry James Coleridge SJ
What does 'Feed My sheep' really mean for Peter’s role in the Church?
By the same lake where Peter was first called, Christ gave him the threefold commission to feed His sheep and bestowed on him the primacy over the whole…
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Fr Henry James Coleridge SJ
Why did Christ ask Peter three times, 'Lovest thou Me?'
After the Resurrection, the Apostles were being taught in new ways—with Christ using even apparently ordinary activities to reveal divine mysteries.
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Fr Henry James Coleridge SJ
2
The Church and the piercing of Christ's Sacred Heart
The Fathers saw in the blood and water from Christ’s side a profound mystery: the Church born from the New Adam, and the sacraments flowing from His…
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Fr Henry James Coleridge SJ
Why did blood and water flow from the Sacred Heart of Jesus?
Saint John saw it with his own eyes—and stopped his Gospel to tell us so. The spear did not simply wound a dead body. It unveiled the Sacred Heart.
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Fr Henry James Coleridge SJ
2
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