Hodie Christus natus est!

Wishing all who have visited this blog over that last few months God's blessings this Christmas. I will remember you all at Mass in the coming days.

This is a frantic time of the year for all. For those of us in ministry there are many extra pressures. From school plays to, confessions, to sick calls; it is important to cover all bases. It is also a time of the year when we try to put the best foot forward when it comes to the preaching. At Christmas many people who rarely hear the preached Word come to Church. It is a time to preach Christ to a fresh audience almost. The Christmas story is so vivid, so powerful, so holy that it captures the imagination of young and old. If it were to remain in the realm of the fairly tale, however, it could lose some of its awesome power. I think the most important message to convey at Christmas is the fact that what we talk about is real. Matthew begins his account of the Nativity "This is how Jesus Christ came to be born". He is recounting something that happened; an event in time. In the Holy Mass we come face to face with the exact same Jesus that was born in Bethlehem. We adore the exact same Jesus who was to die and the Cross. We worship and love He who sits at the right hand of the Father in Glory - God with us - here and now.

The power of the Christian message is that we preach what we have seen with our own eyes and have experienced ourselves. This Christmas there is an opportunity to proclaim the greatness of God all over again. Our witness is the same as Christian witness has been since the beginning: Hodie Christus natus est pro nobis! Today Christ is born for us! We have seen His glory.

4th Sunday of Advent

Mt 1:18-24


"Joseph, do not be afraid to take Mary home as you wife."

St Joseph is a remarkable character. Not one word of his is uttered in the scriptures. After the first few chapters of Matthew and Luke we hear nothing more about him. Still he has managed to be a source of great devotion over the centuries. He is inextricably linked to the story of the Nativity. He is Mary's wife and the protector of the Holy Family. His life is thrown upside down at the Annunciation as much as Mary's is. Just like Mary he had to trust in the will of God; and after being reassured took Mary home as his wife.

St Joseph, I think, is a model for us at this moment in history. Here in Ireland, we have had a momentous year; and not always for positive reasons. There is a great sense of foreboding as we face the future. The world has not ended, and most people get on with their lives, but there is a general feeling of unease and disappointment in the ether. Of course this is not helped by the a constant bombardment of grave and serious news in the general media; 'it has never been as bad', 'it is going to get worse'.
What has this to do with St Joseph and the forth Sunday of Advent? Well, allot, it could be argued. Without any deep exegesis on the meaning of words, I would like to share with you my take on what is happening in the Gospel. St Joseph is terrified. All the social conventions and mores are clicking into place, because the woman he is hoping to spend the rest of his life with is pregnant; and all he knows is - he has nothing to do with it. Even if he is a man of honour he wants to run. The Angel in the dream reassures him and he stays.

If we as preachers believe in God-with-us, we have to reassure those to whom we speak that this is so. As we approach Christmas, every preacher at every Altar or in every pulpit must scream GOD IS WITH US! And no matter what should happen to us as individuals or as a community this does not change. The new and ever lasting covenant written in the blood of the Lamb is the guarantee of this. As we approach Christmas, this is what we celebrate. It is not a case of the Baby being born again, as if He is not here already. The Word as made flesh, and in that flesh we have become part of God's eternity. St Joseph had to believe that the plan of God unfolding in his life was blessed. He had to trust that what was happening to him was part of the plan God had for him too.

St Joseph was afraid. He was ready to skip town, but the voice of assurance that God was with him gave him strength and courage. May we who believe listen for the voice of the angel and reassure all with whom we share our journey know that the Virgin is with child - God is with us.

3rd Sunday of Advent

Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I say rejoice!

This is Gaudete Sunday. Gaudete, meaning 'rejoice ye', comes from the first word of the opening antiphnon of the Mass. St Paul tells us to 'rejoice in the Lord always' and if that was not enough he says 'again I say rejoice!' There is almost a break in the waiting of Advent, so we can jump up an dance around at the thoughts of what we are about to celebrate; the longing is about to be fulfilled - Christ is near. It is fair to say that Christmas looms large on the horizon; not in the cheep commercial sense of 'buy, buy, buy', but the real sense of God is with us!

So what is there to rejoice about? We could ask that question of St John the Baptist in prison. The great Prophet, languishing in his cell, asks of Jesus 'are you the one, or have we to wait for another?' Instead of a straight yes or no, the Lord asks in return 'what have you seen?' and lists out the signs associated with believers. He points out that the blind see, the deaf hear, the poor have the Good News proclaimed to them.

The Kingdom is not just announced by rhetoric, the kingdom is proclaimed by the Word which is active. Christ's Kingdom proclaimed makes itself effective. When God created the world He said 'Let there be light!' and there was light.  When the Kingdom is proclaimed it is made manifest in the action of believers. The Word also becomes flesh in the way we live.

As we rejoice in the fact that Christ is the one who has come, may our joy be infectious! May we proclaim what we believe in our hearts in the practice of our lives.

2nd Sunday of Advent

In his recent post-synodal Apostolic Extortion Verbum Domini, the Holy Father advises and encourages preachers not to give abstract and generic sermons that give more questions than answers. It is an easy trap to fall into; one I find myself tottering into myself. How do we make our sermons concrete? By rooting them in the scriptures, in the context of the lives of the people. In Ireland, for example, there is huge confusion about the future. Politics is in turmoil. Economies seem to be imploding. Society is sick and tired of disappointment. And still, Sunday after Sunday, preachers ascend the mighty steps of the Word of God. May the Holy Spirit always give us the strength, faith, conviction and integrity to make God's mighty deeds know - in so doing grow in discipleship and encourage our brothers and sisters in the faith.

******************

Soon and very soon we are going to see the King!
One of the choirs in the parish sing a very appropriate Advent hymn with a very catchy refrain "Soon and very soon, we are going to see the King". Its one of those tunes that gets into the brain, like a mantra, and helps me remember what Advent is all about. In this part of Advent we remember that as Jesus came among us as a man in humility, one day, maybe soon, he will return to judge the living and the dead - and 'all eyes will behold his glory'. There should be nothing abstract about that. The mystery of faith "Christ will come again!"

A brief thought on the 1st reading: Such beautiful thoughts from the Prophet. The child putting its hand in the hole of the snake. The cow and the bear being neighbours. The lion eating straw like the ox. We cannot imagine Heaven, but we can almost imagine these things. Take the Lion, for example, eating straw. A remarkable image, of peace. Not only does the Lion not eat the Ox, he shares in the Ox's meal of straw. Peace, gentleness, kindness are all Heavenly. And the thing is they are all around us if we have the faith to see and the courage to live them.

On the Gospel: Prepare a way for the Lord. Make His paths straight. In order for us to let Christ our light enter into our hearts: what bends do we have to take out of the roads? In my part of the country the local council spends a lot of time and effort taking corners of roads to make them safe and to help the free flow of traffic. Some bends can be so big that large vehicles cannot get through. Imagine if the Lord's train could not get round the bends of our hearts; would he have to turn back? He is knocking. Do we let him in?

1st Sunday of Advent

Well, you know how it goes! You find yourself without the internet and your world crashes down. Not exactly true of course, but it is remarkable how accustomed you can get to technology it is only when it is absent you realise how important it is. Definitely a homily in that one. I regret that I have not had time to prepare as well as I should this week. It happens, as you know. It is a pity that it should happen as Advent begins. So in the absence of profound and original insights, I would like to post the Holy Father's homily for the Ist Vespers of Advent in Rome. It was an impassioned appeal for respect for life.  He notes "believing in Jesus also means a new outlook on man, a look of trust and hope" Trust and hope in Christ...that's the meaning of Advent.

With this evening's celebration, the Lord gives us the grace and joy of opening the new liturgical year beginning with its first stage: Advent, the period that commemorates the coming of God among us. Every beginning brings a special grace, because it is blessed by the Lord. In this Advent period we will once again experience the closeness of the One who created the world, who guides history and cared for us to the point of becoming a man. This great and fascinating mystery of God with us, moreover of God who becomes one of us, is what we celebrate in the coming weeks journeying towards holy Christmas. During the season of Advent we feel the Church that takes us by the hand and - in the image of the Blessed Virgin Mary - expresses her motherhood allowing us to experience the joyful expectation of the coming of the Lord, who embraces us all in his love that saves and consoles.

While our hearts reach out towards the annual celebration of the birth of Christ, the Church's liturgy directs our gaze to the final goal: our encounter with the Lord in the splendour of glory. This is why we, in every Eucharist, "announce his death, proclaim his resurrection until he comes again" we hold vigil in prayer. The liturgy does not cease to encourage and support us, putting on our lips, in the days of Advent, the cry with which the whole Bible concludes, the last page of the Revelation of Saint John: "Come, Lord Jesus "(22:20).

Dear brothers and sisters, our coming together this evening to begin the Advent journey is enriched by another important reason: with the entire Church, we want to solemnly celebrate a prayer vigil for unborn life. I wish to express my thanks to all who have taken up this invitation and those who are specifically dedicated to welcoming and safeguarding human life in different situations of fragility, especially in its early days and in its early stages. The beginning of the liturgical year helps us to relive the expectation of God made flesh in the womb of the Virgin Mary, God who makes himself small, He becomes a child, it speaks to us of the coming of a God who is near, who wanted to experience the life of man, from the very beginning, to save it completely, fully. And so the mystery of the Incarnation of the Lord and the beginning of human life are intimately connected and in harmony with each other within the one saving plan of God, the Lord of life of each and every one of us. The Incarnation reveals to us, with intense light and in an amazing way, that every human life has an incomparable, a most elevated dignity.

Man has an unmistakable originality compared to all other living beings that inhabit the earth. He presents himself as a unique and singular entity, endowed with intelligence and free will, as well as being composed of a material reality. He lives simultaneously and inseparably in the spiritual dimension and the corporal dimension. This is also suggested in the text of the First letter to the Thessalonians which was just proclaimed: "May the God of peace himself - St. Paul writes - make you perfectly holy and may you entirely, spirit, soul, and body, be preserved blameless for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ "(5:23). Therefore, we are spirit, soul and body. We are part of this world, tied to the possibilities and limits of our material condition, at the same time we are open to an infinite horizon, able to converse with God and to welcome Him in us. We operate in earthly realities and through them we can perceive the presence of God and seek Him, truth, goodness and absolute beauty. We savour fragments of life and happiness and we long for total fulfilment.

God loves us so deeply, totally, without distinction, He calls us to friendship with him, He makes us part of a reality beyond all imagination, thought and word; His own divine life. With emotion and gratitude we acknowledge the value of the incomparable dignity of every human person and the great responsibility we have toward all. " Christ, the final Adam, - says the Second Vatican Council - by the revelation of the mystery of the Father and His love, fully reveals man to man himself and makes his supreme calling clear.... by His incarnation the Son of God has united Himself in some fashion with every man. "(Gaudium et Spes, 22).

Believing in Jesus Christ also means having a new outlook on man, a look of trust and hope. Moreover, experience itself and reason show that the human being is a subject capable of discernment, self-conscious and free, unique and irreplaceable, the summit of all earthly things, that must be recognized in his innate value and always accepted with respect and love. He has the right not to be treated as an object of possession or something to manipulate at will, not to be reduced to a mere instrument for the benefit of others and their interests. The human person is a good in and of himself and his integral development should always be sought. Love for all, if it is sincere, naturally tends to become a preferential attention to the weakest and poorest. In this vein we find the Church's concern for the unborn, the most fragile, the most threatened by the selfishness of adults and the darkening of consciences. The Church continually reiterates what was declared by the Second Vatican Council against abortion and all violations of unborn life: "from the moment of its conception life must be guarded with the greatest care " (ibid., n. 51).

There are cultural tendencies that seek to anesthetize consciences with misleading motivations. With regard to the embryo in the womb, science itself highlights its autonomy capable of interaction with the mother, the coordination of biological processes, the continuity of development, the growing complexity of the organism. This is not an accumulation of biological material, but a new living being, dynamic and wonderfully ordered, a new unique human being. So was Jesus in Mary's womb, so it was for all of us in our mother's womb. With the ancient Christian writer Tertullian we can say: " he who will be a man is already one" (Apologeticum IX, 8), there is no reason not to consider him a person from conception.

Unfortunately, even after birth, the lives of children continue to be exposed to abandonment, hunger, poverty, disease, abuse, violence or exploitation. The many violations of their rights that are committed in the world sorely hurt the conscience of every man of good will. Before the sad landscape of the injustices committed against human life, before and after birth, I make mine Pope John Paul II's passionate appeal to the responsibility of each and every individual: " respect, protect, love and serve life, every human life! Only in this direction will you find justice, development, true freedom, peace and happiness!" (Evangelium vitae, 5). I urge the protagonists of politics, economic and social communications to do everything in their power to promote a culture which respects human life, to provide favorable conditions and support networks for the reception and development of life.

To the Virgin Mary, who welcomed the Son of God made man with faith, with her maternal womb, with loving care, with nurturing support and vibrant with love, we entrust our commitment and prayer in favour of unborn life . We do in the liturgy - which is the place where we live the truth and where truth lives with us - worshiping the divine Eucharist, we contemplate Christ's body, that body who took flesh from Mary by the Holy Spirit, and from her was born in Bethlehem for our salvation. Ave, verum Corpus, natum de Maria Virgine!

Thanks to http://communio.stblogs.org/2010/11/papal-vespers-2010.html

Solemnity of Christ the King

Gospel Lk 23: 35-43


Hail Redeemer King divine, 
Priest and lamb the throne is Thine, 
King whose reign shall never cease 
Prince of everlasting peace. 


This hymn is embossed in my heart and mind since childhood. Growing up, it was a hymn that the local choir in Church sung with great gusto. I particularly associate it with Palm Sunday. All the children were given palm branches and were sent walking around the church to the strains of this hymn. And strangely enough, my memory is of everyone singing along - quiet an unusual thing in rural Ireland, may I add!

Hail Redeemer King Divine. Today we celebrate the feast of Christ the Universal King. The King of the Universe, the King of Heaven and Earth. Wonder-councillor, might God, everlasting Father and Prince of Peace - as Isiaih 9 would put it. When Pius XI instituted the feast in 1925 kings were not exactly highly valued. In the first quarter of the twentieth century many of the crowned heads of Europe had vanished. Within a few years many more would be gone. Still he took the image of King as a metaphor for Our Lord. Paul VI changed the title to Universal King in 1969.

Why is Christ a king?  Well, in the traditional sense a King is an heir - a son. He is one who has inherited something in a dynasty. We know in human history many awful things were done to insure the an heir got the throne so a family could remain in power. A king was powerful, he had people at his beck and call. A king also gave definition to a state or people, a sort of visible point of unity for the ordering of society. Pomp, ceremony, power, deference; all these characteristics were associated with the King.

Does this sit well with our image of Jesus Christ? Not exactly the attributes of one 'who came to serve and not to be served'. Christ's kingdom is different. Behind the Altar of the Cathedral of my diocese, dedicated to Christ the King written in gold is REGNUM MEUM NON EST DE HOC MUNDO. His kingdom is not of this world. His throne is a cross, his courtiers St John, Mary the women and the centurion. His jewels are nails. His crown thorns. His banquet bread and wine. His law "Father forgive them"

Christ rules the world from the Cross, and in front of the Cross we can only be silent. In His love and suffering he wages the battle. All we have to do is turn up and take the spoils He has won for us. Christ is our King, in Him we are safe and secure. He defends us. He gives us our reference point. The King on  Calvary helps us ascend our mountains of fear, pain and disappointment. And not only does He point the way, but he helps us carry the Cross - for this King is different - this King is least of all and servant of all.

Vexilla Regis - The Banner of the King 

Vexilla regis prodeunt, fulget crucis mysterium, quo carne carnis conditor suspensus est patibulo.

(The banners of the king issue forth, doth flash the wonder of the cross,       where the preserver in flesh, of flesh by the cross-bar is hung.)

O Crux Ave spes unica. 

Homily for November 14, 2010: 33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time

The recent news of the death of so many Christians in the Cathedral of Our Lady of salvation in Baghdad came as a terrible, but not unprecedented shock. We pray for our brothers and sisters in that troubled part of the world. While we only hear of the revolutions and wars mentioned by Our Lord in the Gospel today, we remember so many who fulfil the Lord's prophesy of witnessing with their blood. 

Our Lady of Salvation - pray for them, pray for us. 

The following link comes from The Deacon's Bench blog

Homily for November 14, 2010: 33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time

33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time year C

Why do you do what you ? 


While some people were speaking about
how the temple was adorned with costly stones and votive offerings,
Jesus said, "All that you see here--
the days will come when there will not be left
a stone upon another stone that will not be thrown down."


Why do you do this? Why have you logged on to this blog? Why am I writing this in the first place? Haven't we enough things going on on in our personal lives, why do we go to the rounds of preaching and preparing for a Sunday liturgy? Wouldn't be easier just to crawl into an obscure hole and let the 'storms of destruction' pass by? After all, are there not forces at work in this world larger than I, what possible contribution could I really make that would make a difference. 


Well, there is only one answer to all this. I do these things, I pop my head above the parapet, I dare raise my voice because - I BELIEVE! That is the short and sweet of it, I believe.


I believe that no matter what happens in my life that God is present. I believe that I have been called into relationship with the He Who Is, and because of that all my weakness, all my sin, all my lacking is supplied for by He who loved me and gave Himself for me. 


Ask  yourself: if you were to walk away right now, would it make a difference to God? If you were to do the Pontius Pilate on it and wash your hands of Christ, would the whole plan of salvation grind to a halt, and the mission of Christ and His Church disappear from the record of human history. Of course not. If say, the whole of Ireland was to leave the Church en masse, would the Church cease to be? No, it would not. It would make headlines alright, it would create a but of a stir, but the world would keep turning and the Church would go on. We would be missed, but God's reign would not stop. But who would suffer? WE WOULD!


Our need for God is fundamental to our being. We need Him. As we need the care and affection of others, we need to be constantly open to the very source of our existence. So many forget that. In reality of fact, so few actually know it.  We forget ourselves. We are so silly that we forget that without God, without the essence of our lives, we are hollow. We lack so much. And the funny thing about it we often don't even realise what we are missing. Ill give you an example: there is a story told about an old couple in Ireland in the 1950s. At the time there was plan to bring electricity to all homes in the countryside, and the local priest was very important in driving the plan in their area. They got wired up and had the electricity installed. A few weeks later the priest called to the house. It was a winters evening and very dark. To his surprise there was no light on. He knocked at the door and found the old pair sitting by candle light, as they would have done for years upon years. He asked them why they did not put on the light. The woman said to the priest: "Father, I never realised how dirty the house was. I can't bear to see it when the electric is on, so I leave it so."


I believe and it brings light. I believe and gives me hope. I believe and I know that I am not in control of everything that I want to be in control of. But because I believe I know that I am free in what is important. Maybe a stone will not be left upon a stone, maybe everything will be taken from me - but I still know that I am loved by God and that will never change. I believe and it makes me happy - and that's why I do what I do. If I can help one other person experience the pure joy of being a Christian on this earthly journey.....well, wouldn't that be a life worth living!

32nd Sunday of Ordinary time year C

Luke 20: 27-38

"The souls of the virtuous are in the hands of God, no torment shall every touch them." This is an old testament reading that is very popular at funerals. The Book of Wisdom offers great hope in the face of death. The scriptures are in fact laden with examples of life giving words in the face of the great leveller death. In this month of November the Church invites us to reflect on death as a mystery that faces us all. Nature seems to echo this invitation as the last of the leaves and flowers give way to the grey of winter. Throughout the month Masses and prayers are offered throughout the world for those who have gone before us maked with the sign of faith.

We face death all the time. In the pastoral ministry so much time and energy goes into the care of the dying and the consolation of the bereaved. Funerals take a huge amount of spiritual and emotional effort. For me, choosing the right words at the time of death can be the most challenging of all endeavours. I can write stuff on a blog all I like, but when it comes to a 'real live' event, the power of the spoken words can be a source of great consolation- or maybe not.

The Gospel today invites us to think of death. The Sadduchees, who deny the resurrection of the body, try to trap Jesus with the question of the woman and the seven brothers, and to whom does she belong in the next world. Jesus points out that when we enter into Eternity life we will be completely transformed, in ways we cannot even being to imagine.

Heaven! We spend so little time thinking about it, and even less preaching about it. But at the end of the day it is the only thing that matters; our eternal salvation in Jesus Christ!"Seek first the Kingdom of God and its righteousness and all else will be given to you". If Heaven is our goal, total and complete eternal union with God, then there is no fear that we will make the wrong decisions in this life that would forfeit such gift. And if we fall, we have the courage and strength to get back up and keep striving onward.

In this month of November, we should remember how short life is, and that Eternity is only a heartbeat away. We pray and do penance for all who are on their journey to Heaven in Purgatory. As we pray for them, let us also remember that on November 2nd next year, we are the ones who could be prayed for! We joyfully wait for "what no eye has seen and no ear has heard" the joys that wait for us in the Father's house.

May the angels lead you into Paradise.

May the martyrs come to greet you on the way.

May they lead you home to the holy city,

to the new and eternal Jerusalem.

May the choirs of angels come to welcome you.

May they take you to the arms of Abraham,

where Lazarus is poor no longer,

and there may you find rest, rest eternal.

November 1st. Feast of All Saints

The Gospel for the Solemnity of All the Saints is the Beatitudes. We are called to be saints. With such a 'great crowd of witnesses' all around us, we a spurred on to our heavenly inheritance. We pray that as the saints in their heroic or hidden ways earned their eternal rest, we too will remain faithful to Christ. When we live the Beatitudes, by God's grace, the Kingdom of Heaven is present.

Zacchaeus was a greedy little man!

If any of you, like myself, were schooled in the 'Children of God' series you may remember a little song on the Zacchaeus of the Gospel. It was a cute little song and painted a picture of who this tax collector was. It went: "Zacchaeus was a greedy little man, he cheated all the people in the land. If they said they wouldn't pay, he would take their farms away, and their furniture and anything they had....etc" I remember that song very well, and I am sure his role in the religion course has propelled him to fame. Nearly everyone knows Zacchaeus.
So who was he? A tax collector and a wealth man; a nasty bit of stuff it would seem. He collected the tax for the Romans and helped himself to whatever he wanted himself. At the time a tax collector had so much to collect, and whatever else he managed to take himself was fine. Not too many checks and balances there. He was also small; he had to climb a sycamore tree to get a view of the Lord as he passed by. He wanted to see Jesus; he was curious. He may not have been to interested in what Jesus had to say, but still he wanted to get a glimps of Him as he passed by. But did he expect to get the attention from Christ that he did? I expect not.
Zacchaeus climbed up a tree, he wanted to see the One everyone was talking about. He was aware, no doubt, that he was not a popular person - to understate it. But like everyone else, he was intrigued by Jesus and he wanted part of the action. Jesus saw him, called him down and told him not only did he want to see him, he wanted to dine with him. I am struck by one thing. Jesus had his mind made up. It wast a case of looking up and seeing a small man in a tree; he saw him as if he knew him already and wanted to go to his house. Zacchaeus was called and he had to come down and his life was changed.
Sometimes we prefer to live in the trees. Off up in the air, secure on our own. The Lord invites us to climb down to meet Him, to be close to Him, to dine with Him. Our smallness maybe sin. It may be regret, guilt, disappointment. It may be pride, when we think that we are just fine up in the tree.
Up in the tree there are only a few branches and leaves, maybe a bird or two.  Its lonely up there, and there is little room to move. To be on the ground, with the Lord, opens up for us a whole new world.
Christ calls us close. When we meet him we change. Our stature is changed and we no longer fear. Jesus wants to dine with us, are we coming down or are we happy aloof by ourselves?

31st Sunday in Ordinary time year C

Wis 11:22-12:2
2 Thes 1: 11-2:2
Lk 19:1-10

Salvation has come to this house.  The story of Zacchaeus conversion reminds us that we are all in need of the salvation of God, and that no one is beyond the reach of God's forgiveness and mercy

30th Sunday in Ordinary time year C

Going home at peace with God.

Never ending bad news! I don't know why I am so determined to get the news every night before I go to bed. Its a habit, I suppose. I just can't miss it, either on the telly or on the radio, I have to listen to the news headlines. But why? There is always bad news. If its not the economy, its a murder. If not a murder some other woe that seems to overwhelm us all. The weather is often the icing on the cake! No one seems to be at peace with each other, never mind with God.

The Gospel of the Pharisee and the tax-collector is one of my personal favorites. It is one of those special pericopes that gives me great hope. Sometimes I see myself as the Pharisee, other times as the tax collector. Which one would I rather be? If I was given a choice, if I could be one of the characters which would I choose? Say if I were the Pharisee; a good man, trying to do my best and seemingly succeeding well at it. I would be guilty of all the right things - fasting, praying, giving to the poor. Okay, maybe I am a bit arrogant, but so what?! I am arrogant about the proper things, right? Why would I want to be a tax-collector? After all these guys were not the cute little cartoon characters like Zaccheus in our school religion books- they were nasty, mean and most of all they were traitors. Who in their right minds would want to be one. But still, he was the one that went home at peace with God. And why? He realised that he didn't have it all together. He knew his need for forgiveness and mercy. He knew that he was not the master of the game.

When we forget that we need the Redeemer we become like the Pharisee. To forget that we are the ones that are in need of God and not the other way around, can only bring us emptiness and the opposite of  fulfillment. I think one reason that we have found ourselves in the current economic and social turmoil is that we easily forget that we are bought and paid for. We arrogantly think that we are the only ones that matter and anything or anyone that reminds us of another reality is wrong. Peace of mind and heart is what we sacrifice if we get our real priorities wrong.

The tax collector went home at peace with God, the other did not, no matter how secure he felt in himself. The Gospel reminds us that we are the children and God is God.

30th Sunday of Ordinary Time year C

Sir 35: 12-14,16-18

2Tm 4: 6-8,16-18

Lk 18: 9-14

The tax-collector dared not look up, but said "God, be merciful a sinner". In his humility he went home at peace with God.

Further thought for this Sunday

Praying without getting weary; it was wonderful to see the safe rescue of the miners in Chile. I can only imagine what an ordeal they went through. There was alot of prayer asked and offered for the men, and thank God, there was a happy ending. Sometimes people closest to us are trapped in the mines of life; there are countless examples of this. Sometimes we are the ones trapped with no hope of escape. "Lord, save us for we are going down". God is our refuge and our strength, he guides us along. With Him we are not alone. Is that wishful thinking? Something to tell children and simple folk? It is not, it is the truth of our faith. His love and care surrounds us. Only in the next life will we understand fully.

Praying always without being weary.

I had the good fortune of seeing a dramatised version of CS Lewis 'The Screwtape Letters'. I think there will be weeks of homilies in that one. Its amazing how different the storyline of a book can be when it is acted out. Of course, there is always a risk that a film version, or a stage production of a great work will not do justice to the original; and there a countless examples of that. The original is always so much better, particularly with a book. You can savor certain passages, mull over them and re-read them, letting your imagination create all kinds of images that are as unique as the ideas of the author. But this was different, is was almost a word for word dramatisation and it brought to life ideas and images in a way a reading might just miss. Often you have to listen carefully to the source to get real meaning.

Jesus encourages us to pray. Just think about that for a moment. Jesus encourages his disciples to pray always without getting weary. The image of the widow and the unjust judge of the Gospel paints a very vivid picture, but go back a step - pray without getting weary.

I get weary praying. I try, I really do, but I just can't manage to get the art as much as I desire to. The Divine Office, fine, the Rosary in this month, very powerful, adoration of the Eucharist and Mass- all part of life, but, I don't seem to be able to do what the Lord asks - pray without ceasing, without becoming weary. But that is the invitation, the Lord wishes us to pray without getting weary.
I am always struck about the image of St Patrick on the mountain when it comes to prayer - actually there were a number of mountains - but there are two I am thinking of. The first was when he was slave. I presume he was very young, a boy, or a teenager. He was taken slave and landed on a mountainside minding the animals. In his Confessions, he tells us that here he learned to pray up to a hundred times a day and night. He was 'cut off from the land of the living', and all he could depend on was God. And he tells us himself that before this time he did not know God. He prayed- he talked to God- and he found him and became a saint. The second mountain was when he was a missionary in Ireland. This time he spent forty days on the mountain we call Crough Patrick. This time he went himself into exile to pray and fast and find God in his prayer and his penance. The first mountain helped him find God, the second helped him keep him in contact with Him whom he had found.
Prayer can be wearysome - no voices, no visions, not revelations, often no comfort. But we keep doing it, we keep doing it, because we love the one we come in contact with. In our transitory world, if it does not 'feel' good, it is often disregarded as broken. If we do not get sensory feeling of pleasure or whatever we are looking for we dismiss it. Prayer does not always guarantee us a feeling of elation, but as long as we pray we are putting ourselves in the line of God's grace. He forms us, often in silence. Screwtape describes the road to hell as soft and steady, a gentle slope with not lights or signposts - prayer can often be the gentle and hidden - but it works.
This week, we are encouraged to pray without becoming weary. And if we are weary, all he have to do is look at Him whose arms are not held outstretched by two assistants, but by two nails.

28th Sunday of Ordinary Time Year C

This weeks post is later than planned, and I am sorry! I am away from base on a preaching course and some holidays, so structure has fallen down a bit. I am reminded of something Fulton J Sheen said about time. He was exhorting his priests to make a daily holy hour in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament. He reminded them that the most difficult time to fulfill such a devotion was when one was on holiday; "When we have all the time, we have no time. We will always excuse ourselves "I can do it later". Later of course never comes and our time is gone." So, I spent a week saying I'll do it later!
An interesting aspect of the course was the concept of preaching by ear. You know the way a musical instrument can be played by ear, the music seems to come from within rather than simply playing the notes; preaching can be done in the same way. A good homily will always appear to come from the heart, when it is disengaged from the preacher, it certainly will not engage with the the people who are listening. A sermon or a homily is a living entity. It is for a specific time and a specific place. It is a moment of grace where the the Word of God can become alive and active as it says in Hebrews in a very visible way. That is, of course, not to say the Word of God is not alive and active outside of the sermon. The Word of God is what it is, but when it is shared and experienced as an oral event it becomes tangible; for it was spoken before it was written. There is lots more that can be said about that, which I hope to in time.

Anyway, this Sundays readings, what can be said? As I am not preaching this Sunday the normal preparation process as has gone out the window, so I cannot admit to have deeply engaged with the text, so I do not feel as if I can expound on the mysteries as I should. The thought that struck me about this gospel, however, is one of gratitude which leads to faith. The sick are healed in the 1st reading and in the Gospel. Naaman acknowledges the God of Israel, the foreign leper seeks out the Lord to thank him. When I experience God in my life, either in trauma or in more gentle and hidden ways, I become aware   of the complete mystery of our life in Him. God made me! God, the creator of Heaven and Earth, of everything seen and unseen made me! Not only that, God become man and died so I could share His divine life. That should make us grateful, that in turn should make us joyful and awaken our desire to come close to him.
The characters in the readings had an experience of God in their lives that made them grateful. We should never stop giving thanks to God for all he has done for us. If only we were not so blind to see!

28th Sunday of Ordinary Time Year C

2 Kgs 5: 14-17
2 Tim 2: 8-13
Lk 17: 11-19



"Now I know that there is no God in all the earth,
except in Israel."



"Jesus Master, have pity on us!"


If you read the entire pericope of the first reading from the second Book of Kings, you will see Naaman fly into a fury because Elisha asked him to go and bathe in the waters seven times. His servant advised him that if the prophet had asked him to do something difficult he would not have hesitated to do it. So he goes, washes and is healed. Often we are not asked to huge and dramatic things in our faith; we are asked to have faith and trust. The Divine Mercy  teaches trust. Can we say with faith "Jesus I trust in you"?

27th Sunday of Ordinary Time year C

There have been some tremendous second readings in this cycle. A few weeks ago there was the celestial city in Hebrews remembering what we are all called to. And of late St Paul to Philemon and now to Timothy, constantly reminds us what we are about. What always strikes me about Paul is that he has faith. He constantly talks of Christ as someone he knows. It is the Risen Lord, after all, that Paul follows. The road to Damascus was post Resurrection. It is the same Christ we have come to know and love.

Over the last few days, we have had a Parish Mission here, preached by two Dominicans. The entire week was built around the presence of Jesus in the Sacraments and the Church. They both presented a God who saves and a God who is present in our midst. During one particular homily one of the preachers recounted a conversation he had with an old friend. This friend had been very successful in business, he was a real high flyer. And as things go, as he succeeded in his business life, he abandoned, or at least 'down graded' his spiritual life, and gave up on the Sacraments. One day the two friends were talking and religion came up. The priest's friend explained how he thought religion was a good idea, but that 'institutional' church was not something for him. He began to explain that he saw God as an energy, somewhere out there, a life force to be tapped into when you needed it. (A common enough idea, these days, by the way.) The learned Dominican retorted "How do you expect me to have a relationship with a battery?!"

The Gospel talks about faith; and all we need is the faith the size of a mustard seed. Our Christian faith is not a concept or a set of good ideas. Our faith is a relationship with God who is real and who has revealed himself completely in Jesus. Pope Benedict constantly refers to this in his writings. He talks of a profound and real friendship with Jesus Christ. We can have all the pastoral plans we want. We can devise the best schemes and attractions for people to come to the Church, but unless it is rooted in Jesus, it will not work. Simple as that; if it is not all about Jesus, it is a waste of time, money, effort and energy.

The Lord uses a mustard seed. I remember in school thinking this was the most awful thing in the world. The only person I knew who ate mustard was my grand father. I wanted to taste it one day and he put a spoonful on a piece of bread, and I, like a fool gobbled it up. My mouth was on fire for days! It is not mustard, English mustard in a jar that is, that the Gospel refers to. It is the seed. Mustard seeds are tiny, but produce a large bush type vegetation. They also have extensive root systems which make them very hard to up root. From something tiny comes something very enduring.

I am often like the disciples. "Lord, give me more faith." The Lord says, "You have me, you have enough." This Sunday let us really believe in God who saves us. Let us rejoice and be glad in the reality of our faith; friendship with Jesus Christ. He will look after the rest.

27th Sunday of Ordinary Time year C

Hab 1: 2-3; 2: 2-4


2 Tim 1: 6-8, 13-14


Lk 17: 5-10




If you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you can move mountains. 
Jesus  came to serve and not to be served. He has given us an example to follow: faith is not only internal; it finds itself in the service of others. 

26th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Lazarus: Why did Jesus use the name Lazarus when he was telling the parable? Why for that matter did he name Lazarus at all? Many Gospel characters are not named and are  simply called homo quidem - a certain man. If you ever read the Ireland's Own ( a popular folk magazine published in Ireland) you will notice toward the back of the publication a page called 'The lilt of Irish laughter'; it is a page full of short funny stories. The characters in these stories always have names like 'Mulcahy' or 'McMahon' - random surnames that name the protagonist of the joke. Was the Lord doing the same? Could "There was a poor man named Lazarus" have been "There was a poor man named Ben Shemal". Names have significance and meaning.  Lazarus comes from Hebrew which means "My God helps." And throughout the story we are confronted with reality of the meaning of the name, God did indeed help him; bringing him to the bosom of Abraham. Often times we think only of the present reality and forget of the life that awaits us. We profess this in the Creed every Sunday after all - we believe in life of the world to come.

I was just looking at the opening scene from Gladiator, a great film. Hard to believe its 10 years old. Maximus (played by Russell Crowe) is preparing his cavalry for battle. He tells them to fight bravely and reminds them that "what we do in life echoes in eternity". That is not far off Christian thought. If the rich man (who is not named, curiously) had been a little kinder to the poor man he saw every day, what side of the great gulf could he have found himself?

The dogs used to come and lick Lazarus' sores. Because they were good little dogs? Dogs were unclean and for a dog to lick a man's wound, I presume,  would have been as low as you could get. Still he is Lazarus: "My God helps". In hard times I think it is most appropriate to keep in mind that God is still on our side.

Et vitam venturi saeculi - and the life of the world to come.

26th Sunday in Ordinary time C

Am 6: 1a, 4-7

1 Tim 6: 11-16

Lk 16:19-31

Where Lazarus is poor no longer.

The funeral liturgy has many beautiful prayers. Over the ages most haunting and moving music has been employed to high-light words that give so much hope in the face of the ancient enemy. One of the main characters in the Gospel is there in the enchanting In Paradisum "where Lazarus is poor no longer".  When I read this Gospel the first thing that comes to mind is the complacency of the rich that Amos decries in the first reading. We see the rich man paying in eternity for his riches; or maybe for his lack of concern for the poor man at his very door step. But on a deeper reflection on the the reading, I am beginning to see something else. The dialogue between Abraham and the rich man is interesting. "Let me go and warn my brothers, so that they will not end up in this dreadful place". Abraham says if they do not listen to the Law and prophets they will not even listen to someone who comes back from the dead. 

But that is who we listen to, the One who has come back from the dead; Jesus, who is our Lord and God. 

There is much talk about boycotts this week in Ireland. There is a move next week, in some quarters, to boycott the Mass in protest over many issues; including the role of women in the Church. It would be tragic if people stayed at home when they had a chance to hear the words of the One who has come back from the dead. He tells us of the what is in store for us if we stay close to Him. He gives us the promise of  a world made new, a world "where there is no more tears, no more sadness" because "we shall see [Him] as he really is' and become like Him.  The only thing we should boycott is sin; but of course that is not headline stuff. 

Paul to Timothy puts it very clearly: we are to remember who it is we give witness to; Jesus Christ. In him do our hearts find joy.

25th Sunday of the Ordinary Time C

You cannot be a slave of two masters.

Its very easy to get down these days. It seems that at every hands turn there is bad news and depression. If it's not in politics, it's in the Church. If there is not a crisis in a bank somewhere, there is a strike somewhere else because workers are being forced to tighten their belts. It is if there is a gaseous tension in air; everyone appears to be worried and cross. There seems to be no green pastures where we can just sit and rest.

I remember preaching on the Gospel appointed for today the last time it came up. It was 2007 and even then there was a feeling that the 'good-old-days' of what we called the Celtic Tiger (a time of tremendous economic growth in the Irish Economy) were coming to an end. I do not believe anyone expected the fortunes of our country to go down the tubes so quickly. But I remember passionately decrying the fact that as a nation we seemed to have been all caught up in a frenzy of spending and ludicrous debt. I remember afterwards thinking to myself, what was I thinking? Wouldn't we always have have enough? Time has proven that an illusion of wealth had been created and when world economic forces turned, a whole society has been affected.

Now I am no economist. Nor am I a sociologist. But I am preacher, and the burning question is "what have we to say to our people, in the light of the Gospel, about the situation we find ourselves?"

The accusation is often made that there is no leadership in the country (Church and state). How can we provide leadership for a people that are at best disgruntled, at worst despairing? The bushel has been lowered, the shekel raised, and there seems to be no-one like the man in the Gospel to cancel the debts.

These times are hard, as the song says. Lord tell us what to tell your people..............

What are you going to say?

25th Sunday of the Ordinary Time C

Father of the poor, defender of the widow. 


Amos 8: 4-7
1 Tim 2: 1-8
Luke 16: 1-13


At  a glance, next Sundays readings remind us of justice as response to faith. My Bishop often makes an interesting comment on what has been called the Church's 'option for the poor', a key part of her social teaching in recent decades. He points out that the Church's option should always be for Christ, which finds its expression in care for and solidarity with the poor. I think this is a good observation. All our out-reach, care, collections, charity must be rooted in Christ. Christians are not nice to people just for the sake of it 'tax collectors and sinners do the same, do they not.' We reach out to the poor, because we too were once poor, but have been made really rich, by our salvation in Christ.  


"Gold and silver, I have not" said Peter to the lame beggar at gate of the Temple, "But what I have I give you, in the name of Jesus walk." 

24th Ordinary Time

Ex 32: 7-11, 13- 14


1 Tim 1: 12-17


Lk 15: 1-32 or 15: 1-10


Why did the woman get so excited about finding a drachma? I am no expert on the financial systems of the ancient world, but I cannot imagine that a drachma was worth so much as to call everyone you know to celebrate? Even if it were that same as a days wage, our culture of plenty and waste would not really encourage us to jump up and down. Likewise, its almost illogical that the shepherd would leave all the other sheep alone in the wilderness to find one sheep who had wondered off. But they celebrate. 


Lost and found, hidden and uncovered, dark and light. A typical Christian life is lead between these contrasts. One minute we are fine, riding high on grace, with no troubles, doubts or difficulties. In an instant that can all change and we can find ourselves  lost. 


Like the prodigal son and the lost sheep life can bring us to places that we do not want to go. It is often said 'where would we be without faith?'. A good question. When I preach, do people see and hear a disciple, or are they confronted with Paul's gong booming or empty noise on the wind? Faith in Christ gives us an anchor in the storms of life. No wonder the early Christians used the anchor as a symbol in the Catacombs.


But what of the sheep who do not want to be found? What of the sons and daughters who stay away from the loving Father? Is it enough to hope that they will come back? The Gospel always has an urgency about it. It has to be preached here and now. The Kingdom is in our very midst and the day of salvation is now. When we preach we have to constantly remind ourselves of this. We may never have the chance to proclaim it or hear it again.


There is more rejoicing over the return of one lost sheep. Will the sheep be feed this Sunday, or will the fare of the wild and dangerous places be more alluring?  'O that TODAY you would listen to his voice.'

Post pilgimage

I am back home after a very moving, if exerting, pilgrimage to some of the Shrines of France, culminating in Lourdes. I did not a chance to do much deep reflection, alas, on the readings for last Sunday, our Sunday Mass, however was notable for it beauty! It took place in the Poor Clare convent, across the bridge on the way to the town of Lourdes. There were about fifty of us. The Gospel spoke of leaving all to follow the Lord, which we had done, in a small way over the days of the pilgrimage, but I was struck by one thing in particular: those people who I was looking at have some faith!! It was an experience of the Catholic Church at its very best! Young and old, rich and poor, men and women, each with their own stories of joy and trouble, gathered as one with the priest to celebrate the wonders of God in Christ.

Preachers: encourage the brethren! Let them know that they are on to a good thing! I believe the fires of faith are far from extinguished, all that is needed is a little love to bandage the wounded and bring back the stray and a little energy help the weak. Christ is with us, he is all we need.

23rd Ordinary Time

Wis 9:13-18b

Phmn 9-10, 12-17


Lk 14:25-33


I am always impressed about the story of St Anthony the Abbot. He heard a passage of the Gospel being read in the Church-  and I am pretty sure its the one appointed for this Sunday- about giving away all possessions and following the Lord. He was so moved by it that's what he did. 

The Gospel is a radical call, and a radical response is needed. Every age has its St Anthony's who point the other way; the way of Christ. If only there were a few more. 


I am leading a pilgrimage to the Shrines of France this week, so reflections may be scant. I hope that you might be able to give a few ideas of your own on the Gospel. I often desperately need them!!

Saturday evening disaster!

Did you ever have the experience of going to preach, and mid way you ask yourself "what in the name of God am I saying?" All you want to do say is "We stand for the Creed!!!" Such was mine this evening. To my credit, I suppose, I was in another parish supplying, so I was out of my natural habitat, but still and all, it was one of my most disappointing attempts at breaking the Word.

I suppose God can make good with what seems to be a disaster, and I hope the poor ones in the pew will get what they need. All I could think of, as the sweat rolled down my back..."Is this the best a guy who has set himself up as a preaching blogger can do"!

Anyway, self pity aside.  I had intended to talk about Hebrews in a deeper way. I find that reading so magical. What we have come to! Not what we are going to to, but what we have come to. It reminds me of the office reading for St Augustine's  feast....God has found us! And when we breath in his love we pant for his peace. (cf The Confessions)

Ven John Henry Newman on self-emptying.

(John Henry  Card. Newman, to be beatified next month by the Holy Father in Birmingham)

"There is a mysterious connexion between real advancement and self-abasement. If you minister to the humble and despised, if you feed the hungry, tend the sick, succour the distressed; if you bear with the froward, submit to insult, endure ingratitude, render good for evil, you are, as by a divine charm, getting power over the world and rising among the creatures. God has established this law. Thus He does His wonderful works. His instruments are poor and despised; the world hardly knows their names, or not at all. They are busied about what the world thinks petty actions, and no one minds them. They are apparently set on no great works; nothing is seen to come of what they do: they seem to fail. Nay, even as regards religious objects which they themselves profess to desire, there is no natural and visible connexion between their doings and sufferings and these desirable ends; but there is an unseen connexion in the kingdom of God. They rise by falling. Plainly so, for no condescension can be so great as that of our Lord Himself. Now the more they abase themselves the more like they are to Him; and the more like they are to Him, the greater must be their power with Him."


Taken from Fr Thomas Rosica, Biblical Reflections for Sundays www.saltandlighttv.org

22nd Sunday of Ordinary Time: The Battle of Lourdes

Each year the Diocese of Meath, of which I am a priest, makes its annual pilgrimage to Lourdes. From the 12th to the 17th September, the Bishop with pilgrims and clergy in tow head to the Marian Shrine in France for five days of prayer and often refreshment. There are always thousands there at that time, as the pilgrimage season still has roughly another month and a half to go. Each year there is a peculiar event that never fails to amuse; something I call the battle of Lourdes. The lines are clear. There are the good guys: the pilgrims of Meath, with their storm-troopers; the blue clad brancardiers who look after the sick. There are the bad guys; everyone else, and in particular the Italian pilgrims that happen to be there at the time. With military precision, the boys in blue push there there way through the vast praying mob to insure Ecclesia Midensis gets to to the top of every queue, be it processions, the baths, or what ever else. Its very funny to hear our own lot complain about the 'Italians', how even the little old ladies seem to want to be first in line. The truth is, they want to have the audacity to do the same themselves!  Even if when we are on pilgrimage to a site dedicated to the Mother of He who came to serve and not to be served, the rat race and the desire to be first wins out. This, it seems, cannot be left at St Michael's or St Joseph's gate.

There is a innate desire in us to the first. Its our primal impulse. Even the best Christian has to struggle with putting God and others first. It is harrowing to see sights from Pakistan at the moment, of people trampling each other to get food from distributors. In such circumstances it is hard to blame them. But even in less life threatening moments there is always the temptation to go in for the kill. In the hunt for a job maybe, or preferment, its easy to push yourself at the expense of others. Survival of the fittest, right?

Both this Sunday and last Sunday, the Lord shows us the other way. First is last, last first. Can you imagine the embarrassment of the man in the Gospel who had to give up his place in front of everyone? Christ in His life and in His Passion reveals that self emptying is the only sure way to self fulfilment. To put yourself in the second place for the sake of the other is true discipleship

What would be the consequences of always putting others first? By the standards of the world you would be on to a looser straight away; a prey for unscrupulous people, an object of fun, maybe even scorn. Think, however, if everyone did the same? Everyone putting everyone else first? It would be the biggest social revolution imaginable. And the funny thing is, as it says in second reading 'you have not approached what cannot be touched!' It can be done, not without struggle, but it can be done.  Christ has given us the example we should follow. Listen to Him.  For what we have been called to is Mt Zion, the New Jerusalem, where everyone is a first born son.

22nd Sunday of Ordinary Time: initial thoughts

Following the Lord is not beyond us 

Sir 3:17-18, 20, 28-29


Humility and gratitude. 
Imagine, we are the children of the Most High!


Heb 12: 18-19, 22-24a


It is not in the drama the Lord comes to us.
 Not far beyond us, everywhere . Christ: all in all!


Lk 14: 1, 7-14


Move higher friend.
Last week, first and last, last and first. 

More thoughts for this Sunday

I was reflecting on the narrow door. A lot of people say that they do not need to go to Mass; they can pray in their own way. That's all well and good; but what about God's way, the way he has asked us to go In Christ.  If we cut ourselves off from the sacraments - either by sin or laziness- we are depriving ourselves of so much we cannot even begin to imagine. To say I don't need to go to Mass or confession to be close to God, is as foolish as saying I do not need to drink water or breath. The Sacraments give us life.

I have two hanging baskets. Both have done well this year; the good weather and  care I give them are the main reasons why they look so good. I was away last week for two days, and I was sure they had enough water to keep fresh. When I got back I was devastated to see that they had almost perished. I watered them, gave them plant food and put them in shelter. To my surprise, in the space of a few hours, they were coming back to bloom. Alright, some of the flowers did fall off, but the green had come back to life, and new flowers will come.

The Church, in Ireland at any rate, seems to be wilting. She constantly needs the freshness of the Word and Sacraments to be poured on her. God gives the growth. Isn't it wonderful to be in a ministry that can channel that Water of Everlasting life. "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in Christ."

Please read the last line of the second reading. My Dad has a phrase he repeats (even to my less than godly siblings!) 'Keep the faith!' Only our faith can give the life so many people are desperate to find. When we preach our hearers should be able to say; "That man has faith" and be spurred on. Many cynics, even in the clergy, would dismiss such as wishful thinking, but that is how it works. Inspiration, encouragement, challenge, love; all of these attributes help us, priests and people, as one to keep going on the road that is long and narrow - the road to life eternal.

Soli Deo gloria!!

21st Sunday of Ordinary Time: August 22, 2010

("My thoughts are not your thoughts" please leave your own ideas in the comment box)


The Narrow Door -
Chosen by God, encouraged in our call, challenged by the Gospel

 Is 66: 18-21


Faithfulness is not really prized in our world. Everything is up for grabs. Life long commitment to marriage, to ordained or consecrated service are no longer viewed as absolute or necessary by many. It is really sad when you come across a man or woman that you have journeyed with towards marriage to hear that not too long after the great day, they have separated from their spouse. I often think of the beauty of the celebration and the power of the words  spoken before the Altar. Forever does not seem to exist, with all the personal tragedy that goes with it.    The glory of the Lord is revealed in his faithfulness. As we celebrated in last weeks feast of the Assumption the faithfulness of God to his word, we should take heart that he has chosen us as his own. He brings us back rejoicing.  We have been chosen and called. 


The last line of the reading says "and some of them I will make priests and levites, says the Lord." Those of us who have been ordained for ministry; by our faithfulness are to give witness to faithfulness of God. Despite the challenges and criticisms, faithfulness 'will win you your life.'  As the Liturgy says "for the joy that lay in the future, He willingly went to the Cross". God stands by his chosen ones. His chosen can only relay on his strength.

Heb 12: 5-7, 11-12


"Have you forgotten that encouraging text in which you are addressed as sons?" Forgotten! The truth is most of the regulars that will hear you preach will have never heard the Good News in their lives! A dramatic assertion? I am reminded of Chesterton being asked why has Christianity failed. He responded, that it has not failed, it had not even been tried yet. Often we are not on fire with our faith.  The Word we proclaim, the life promised in the Sacraments, the wonder of being a child of God, not just a produce of nature is so spectacular it is always new. There will never be an earthly time when the Gospel will not speak to the depths of human reality.  When we know, or begin to know  this, everything should change. Obedience to God comes after he revels himself. The Law was given after the Exodus.


But what about suffering? Why do we have to always plough head on into suffering and accept it?People on the outside laugh at this. The Christian understanding of suffering is rooted in the fact that we live in a far from perfect word. Christ has redeemed us, by his own suffering; and the promise of a 'world made new.' Our faith is real world stuff. Cartoon book religion is fine when we are young; but as soon as the reality of life hits in it will be rejected. That is why we preach Christ, and Christ crucified. 


The last line of the reading gives hope to us all: "So hold up your limp arms and steady your trembling knees and smooth out the path you tread; then the injured limb will not be wrenched, it will grow strong again. 


Lk 13: 22-30


"Lord, open to us" "I do not know where you come from." "Will only a few be saved?"  "The last shall be first and the first shall be last"


The Gospel does not beat around the bush. If we have set our hand to the plough and have taken up the challenge of following the Lord, then we cannot hope to escape the chalice He had to drink. The road is long and narrow. 


Did you ever hear of Lough Derg? For those of you not familiar with the place it is an ancient centre of pilgrimage in Co Donegal in Ireland. The pilgrimage lasts three days, including fasting, walking around in your bear feet and countless prayers. [You really have to experience it for any word picture to do justice.] There is one part of the pilgrimage that is most challenging: the vigil. You literally keep vigil with the Lord , staying awake from 9.30 pm to 9.30 pm the following day. The night is long and often cold and wet, and even the interior of the Basilica where you spend the night in prayer, walking in your bare feet, trying to avoid the corners of oak pews and marble steps, lacks comfort. But the night passes, as every night passes, and the dawn and new day makes the vigil a little less difficult. The final goal is rest; and bed never feels as good as it does after a Lough Derg ordeal. Everything moves on; the hymn Immortal Invisible says: "We blossom and flourish like leaves on the tree, then wither and perish, but noth' changes thee."  Thinking of these readings the theme of God's faithfulness and constancy keeps coming to mind. The road may be long and difficult, still we travel on through the winding paths of life. Sometimes we feel like giving up, but we are not alone. The People of God, the Church throughout the world, as one people of faith move on in faith towards the rest of the Father's house. 


To be an authentic follower of Jesus Christ involves rejecting much of what the spirit of the world would have us accept. A Catholic cannot do what ever they feel like doing. Such a horrid suggestion! The world tells us that the yoke that is easy and the burden that is light is in fact a mill stone, drowning us is rules and out dated mores. "Lord to whom shall we go, you have the message of eternal life."  True freedom of the children of God breaks the fetters of sin and selfishness. The broad and the wide leads to emptiness and nothing. The Way of Shepherd through the valley of darkness is the only sure way to green pastures. Anything else is a lie. 


"The last will be first and the first last . " Be careful where you put yourself in the line!!