Posts by Fr Neil Chatfield

The Last Seven Words 5: “I thirst.”

Wednesday 16 April 2014

“I thirst,” stands alone as a stark statement of one who has suffered so much: the pain and suffering of the scourging; the sweat and toil of the Via Dolorosa; the blood lost and the struggle to breathe in the slow suffocation and the crucifixion. It is no surprise that the one crucified would seek […]

The Seven Last Words 4: “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?”

Monday 24 March 2014

My God, my God, Why have you forsaken me? This isn’t the last words uttered by Jesus from the cross but they are the most terrible. We have see in the first three saying something emerging. The first words speaks about forgiveness, the second about salvation and the joy of Paradise and the third about […]

The Seven Last Words 3: “Behold your Mother.”

Tuesday 18 March 2014

When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple he loved standing near, he said to his mother, “Woman, behold, your son!” Then he said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother!” In Jesus’ words we are drawn to focus on the wider scene of his crucifixion. What we glimpse is not an unfamiliar scene of distort […]

A righteousness greater than the Scribes and Pharisees?

Sunday 23 February 2014

Sunday 6th in Ordinary Time year A I’d like to begin this meeting by introducing myself. I am Fr Neil Chatfield, I’ve been a sinner for 48 years. For 41 of those years i’ve been personally responsible for my actions. I have to confess that many times over those years I’ve aligned my will with […]

Reflections on Trinity Sunday

Monday 4 June 2012

Too little have I walked by the sea and spent time in its presence, contemplating the vastness of it. The sea is ever present yet there is always something new to discover. There is a powerful beauty about the sea that draws you to it as you sit quietly hearing its rhythmic movements calling you. […]

Water Pistols, Hot Chocolate, Singing and Laughter.

Tuesday 1 May 2012

Lourdes is an intensely spiritual place: a place where many have found peace, reconciliation and healing. This was no less true for us in group 154. Wheel chairs were not abandoned or crutches throw away yet healing in a far less dramatic, and yet I would argue more important, way did take place within our […]