Sunday Reflection

January212012

Third Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B - 22nd January, 2012    

John was arrested; Jesus came to Galilee. The kingdom of God has drawn near. The disciples drop everything and follow him. Today’s gospel reading telescopes quite a few events into one narrative which is urgent and racing. This is the way the story is told by someone who has just witnessed an accident or by a child who has just discovered that Santa has come. Initial ....   Read More

November302011

2nd Sunday of Advent, Year B - December 4th, 2011    

Preachers, politicians and teachers are often reminded that if you want to hold the attention of your audience it is important to have a strong beginning which will arouse interest in the listeners and encourage them to pay attention.  Mark does this with his gospel although perhaps in a way that we are unable to appreciate.  The people of Mark's time knew that the Messiah was expected b ....   Read More

November252011

1st Sunday of Advent, Year B, 27th November 2011    

Today's gospel tells us very clearly to be awake, to be on the watch.  As we begin Advent this year we are, possibly, more aware of the need to be awake than usual.  The introduction of the new Roman Missal this Sunday is something that will surely keep us all on our toes as we try to get used to the new responses in the liturgy as well as the new format of prayers that have been familia ....   Read More

October092011

28th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A - 9th October 2011    

There are some things that, as a priest, I have come to dislike very much.  I dislike constant meetings; I find it a challenge to be pleasant to people all the time; and wedding planners, I really hate wedding planners. However, there are times when even I have to accept the advantage of having a wedding planner.  Today's gospel passage is one of those.  I mean, invitations to the ....   Read More

October012011

27th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A - October 2nd, 2011    

Today's gospel passage is one that can be read and understood from many points of view.  For the Jews it clearly evokes the imagery of Isaiah where the vine represents the people of Israel.  The message is very evident.  If the people that God has chosen do not live up to their side of the covenant; then God will find a people who will. For Christians, especially given the int ....   Read More

August062011

Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A - 7 August 2011    

Every child loves to be in the water.  Apparently, this may well have something to do with the fact that for nine months they have enjoyed the safety of the womb where they have floated in the intimacy of their mother's body.  Water recalls this safe experience. And yet, almost every child, at some stage, will have the experience of being knocked over by a wave; of swallowing too much w ....   Read More

July032011

Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A - 3rd July 2011    

Many people who have orthopaedic operations in hospital really do very well.  The surgeons do their work and the skilled nursing ensures that the patient is, quite literally, back on their feet very quickly.  When the patient is discharged becomes a very important time because as they are discharged they are invariably given a set of instructions that are to enhance their healing process ....   Read More

March122011

First Sunday of Lent, Year A - 13 March 2011    

Oscar Wilde famously said that he could resist everything except temptation.  With this phrase Wilde managed to do two things at the same time.  Firstly, as was his wont, he managed to come up with another of his famous aphorisms and secondly, he managed to appear to speak about temptation without actually doing so. Fundamentally, temptation is about choice.  Specifically it refe ....   Read More

March062011

Ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A - 6th March 2011    

Even the most dodgy of cowboy builders knows that if a house is to stand it will need solid foundations. Without foundations a building will always be ready to fall. The fact that the foundations are solid gives us peace of mind. Recently, however, I have begun to see things differently. Twice, over recent weeks, we have had two windows smashed – one by an attempted the ....   Read More

February192011

Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A - 20th February 2011    

To allow someone to walk all over you is never a good idea, and, no matter how it might seem, it is not what Jesus is suggesting for us in today's gospel passage either.  To offer the other cheek to the one who hits you and to pray for your enemies seems ridiculous but we really have to look on it in the context of what this passage is really about - love your neighbour as yourself. It is ....   Read More

February122011

Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A - 13th February 2011    

If it is true that the exception proves the rule, as is generally held, it is also probably true that too many exceptions can very quickly do away with the rule.  We have grown accustomed to seeing, in our legal system, people who seem to be excused from the normal punishment due to their crimes due to mitigating circumstances or technicalities.  People often get angry when this is the c ....   Read More

February052011

Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A - 6th February 2011    

Nowadays we are told to be careful of our salt intake as it can cause health problems.  However, we all know that without salt our food would be insipid and tasteless.  Jesus' remark, that we should be salt for the earth uses one of the most common elements of our kitchen cupboards to describe what Christians should be like. This seems, to me at least, to be significant.  Christian ....   Read More

January292011

Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A - 30th January 2011    

Many authors have written about the fact that the Beatitudes are the magna carta for the disciples of Jesus.  Whereas the ten commandments frame the experience of following God in terms of "don'ts" the Beatitudes present the experience of discipleship in terms of what we should do - or, more accurately, in terms of how we should be. There is a very important difference between bein ....   Read More

January012011

Second Sunday after Christmas Year A - 2nd January 2011    

Today's gospel reading presents with one of the most poetic passages of the entire New Testament.  John's words about the beginning evoke the first lines of the book of Genesis when God's spirit moved over the waters in the act of creation. This ongoing creation begun by God reaches its climax in the proclamation that the word became flesh.  In the first creation God burst forth in a sp ....   Read More

December182010

Fourth Sunday of Advent, Year A - 19th December 2010    

This Sunday marks the culmination of our Advent preparations.  We are now on the cusp of celebrating what, in so many ways, seems to be the main event.  However, if Advent teaches us anything it is that the waiting is just as important as the event itself.  Our waiting is not one of patient endurance; nor is it the formal waiting which we might experience while awaiting our turn to ....   Read More

December112010

Gaudete Sunday, Third Sunday of Advent Year A - 12th December 2010    

Today is the third Sunday of Advent and is known as Gaudete Sunday.  Gaudete is a Latin word which means "Rejoice".  This Sunday's special name comes from the opening hymn that was sung on this day when the mass was in Latin.  Today is distinguished from the other Sundays of Advent by the fact that the priest wears pink vestments during the mass although many parishes do n ....   Read More

December032010

2nd Sunday of Advent, Year A - 5th December 2010    

Today's gospel passage presents us with the figure of John the Baptist.  This is the one of whom Jesus said that no one greater had been born of woman.  He is often referred to as the precursor of Jesus and the greatest of all the prophets. Despite his many titles John is a figure that remains distant from most modern experience.  If he were to appear today he would probably be dis ....   Read More

November262010

1st Sunday of Advent Year A - 28 November 2010    

And so, once again, we begin the liturgical year of the Church.  It's quite interesting to think that the beginning reminds us to focus on the end and on being ready. While in one sense Advent is closely related to Christmas it also has a significance of its own.  This is a penetential time and like all Christian penance the emphasis is on preparing oneself, not on making onself suffe ....   Read More

November132010

Thirty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C - 14 November 2010    

We often hear people speaking about the pace of life being very fast.  Older people will often comment on how things were simpler in their day.  If you try to think back over what you did during the past week (not to mention the past month or year) it will probably be difficult to remember everything.  Part of the reason for this is that our modern world is always "becoming ....   Read More

November052010

32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C - 7 November 2010    

There are many types of question.  Some people ask questions so as to show others what they already know; others ask questions to because they are seeking information; some people use questions to embarass others.  Each of these types of question is far removed from the most sincere type of question which seeks the truth. In today's gospel passage we see Jesus being cornered publicall ....   Read More

October212010

30th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C - 24th October, 2010    

There is a story that tells of a man who went into a church and prayed in the following way: "O Lord, I am such an unworthy sinner and yet you love me.  Your mercy surpasses anything I could ever deserve.  Your love for me gives me strength and courage." After a short while another man came in to the same church and said: "O Lord, I am such an unworthy sinner and yet you ....   Read More

October162010

Twenty-ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C - 17th October 2010    

The fight for justice is never an easy one.  By its nature, to have to fight for justice means that the one fighting is the underdog and underdogs always have to work harder.  The story that Jesus tells us in this passage uses the image of the widow who was looking for justice from an unjust judge and eventually gets her way by continuing to insist.  The message is that if you perse ....   Read More

October032010

Twenty Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C - 3 October 2010    

Today's gospel passage raises many possible questions but the one that stands out for me is: "Who is in charge?"  Do we who see ourselves as followers of Christ believe, really believe, that Christ should direct our lives or do we think that we ourselves should be the ones who are the focus of our lives? Today's gospel uses a lot of language about masters and servants.  This i ....   Read More

October022010

Article by Muireann from Drogheda    

  A BAD ROMANCE....?   As a twenty-something in today’s modern world, or moreover, today’s modern Ireland, there are countless ideologies and influences permeating life at what can sometimes seem like an unstoppable pace.   The boundless bombardment of social networking and the usurping tide of global media is something that provides its own constant ....   Read More

September252010

26th Sunday in Ordinary Time - 26th September 2010    

Today we revisit the famous story of Dives and Lazarus.  In fact, the rich man is not named in the gospel story.  Dives is the latin for "rich man".  Nonetheless, this is one of the best-known, and in many ways, most challenging of any of the stories to be found in the gospels. One of the reasons that it is so challenging is that we can all probably see something of ourse ....   Read More

March292010

Easter Triduum    

The highlight of the Church's year is the Easter Triduum which comprises the ceremonies of the Mass of the Lord's Supper (Holy Thursday), the Veneration of the Cross (Good Friday) and the Easter Vigil (Holy Saturday Night).  Many places will also have ancillary services such as the Stations of the Cross, Penetential Services and other moments which are designed to help us to reflect. ....   Read More

March252010

Palm Sunday - 28th March 2010    

Today marks the beginning of Holy Week which is the highlight of the Church's year.  Palm Sunday recalls Jesus entering Jerusalem to the acclaim of the multitude, the same multitude which would call for his crucifixion just a few days later.  This week focuses our attention particularly on the passion of the Lord and it does this in two ways.  Firstly, it presents us with the events ....   Read More

March232010

Turlough was a student with us for two years, he wrote this article to speak to current events    

  We Catholics are under a lot of pressure. Reading the press, listening to the news would make one believe that being a Catholic or supporting the Hierarchy is synonymous with being a paedophile. Of course everyone will say “No way!” but look a little deeper. Our faith and Church is mocked and vilified, our leaders are running round like headless chickens and we, the Faithful, a ....   Read More

March182010

5th Sunday of Lent Year C - 21st March 2010    

The story of the woman caught in the act of adultery has to be one of the most emblematic stories in all of the gospels.  It is interesting to note that this passage did not originally form part of John's gospel but was part of a "floating tradition" which was incorporated into the gospel at a later date.  This gives testimony to the power of this passage and the importance att ....   Read More

March152010

St. Patrick's Day - 17th March, 2010    

Every year we spend a lot of energy on commemorating St. Patrick's day which, in many ways, has taken on a life of it's own, quite apart from the saint whose name it bears.  Today is about more than recalling the evangelisation carried out by Patrick; it is just as much about celebrating what it means to be Irish.  This year, of course, with crises in the Church, in politics and in the e ....   Read More

March112010

4th Sunday of Lent Year C - 14th March 2010 - Laetare Sunday    

Today is the fourth Sunday of Lent and has been traditionally known as Laetare Sunday.  Laetare is a Latin word which means "to rejoice".  Christian penance is never about beating us down and making us sad.  Every Christian act is done in the light of the resurrection and in the presence and hope of the risen Lord.  That is why both of the periods in the Church's year ....   Read More

March062010

3rd Sunday of Lent, Year C - 7th of March 2010    

There are many ways of thinking about repentance.  We can look at it as a disciplne, as a restoration of a relationship, as an expression of being contrite or even as a matter of justice.  Whatever point of view you take it should remain clear that repentance is really about the person. Our acts cannot influence God and therefore, our repentance will not change God.  God loves ....   Read More

March022010

Interesting Reflection about God by Ben Stein    

I received this as an email from a friend and want to share it with you.  It made me think... might do the same for you Possidius The following was written by Ben Stein and recited by him on CBS Sunday  Morning Commentary. My confession:  I am a Jew, and every single one o ....   Read More

February252010

2nd Sunday of Lent, Year C    

Today’s gospel passage presents us with Luke’s account of the Transfiguration of Jesus.  I suppose it is hard for us to imagine what it must have been like to witness such an event but it certainly must have been one of those “Oh!!!” moments for the disciples when they began to grasp, however imperfectly,  that they were part of something much grea ....   Read More

February172010

1st Sunday of Lent Year C - 28th of February 2010    

The gospel passage which we listen to today, the 1st Sunday of Lent, recalls the temptations of Jesus in the desert when he was tempted by the devil at the beginning of his public ministry. In fact, today’s reading is at the heart of what Lent is all about. Spending forty days (Lent is just over six weeks long) in preparation for what is the culmination of the whole Jesus event ....   Read More

February152010

My Experience of Attending International Augustinian Youth Festivals by John (Ballyboden)    

  I have been attending the International Augustinian Youth Festival since 1998. I have been very fortuitous in getting to see Munnserstadt 1998, Rome 2000 and Madrid 2003. Being very candid, the events have been some of the highlights of my life over the last 10 years. They are a fantastic occassion and bring a huge eclectic culture to your attention. Ive met people from all continents, all ....   Read More

February132010

6th Sunday of Ordinary Time    

Luke's version of the Beatitudes differs from Matthew's signficantly. Firstly, while Matthew says: "Blessed are the poor in spirit" while Luke has the much balder statment: "Blessed are the poor".  Luke does not leave room for spiritualising in what has to be the magna carta for Christians.  Why are the poor blessed? Certainly, after my experience in Ecuador I can s ....   Read More

February042010

5th Sunday in Ordinary Time - 7th of February 2010    

Dom Helder Camara, the famous bishop of Recife in Brazil quoted today's gospel passage when addressing Church leaders in Brazil.  The phrase he quoted was the sentence of Jesus: "Put out into the deep".  He was calling on the Brazilian Church to be courageous in its witness to justice and in its service of the poor. In so many ways it seems as if the Church in Ireland has lost ....   Read More

February032010

Feast of St. Blaise - 3rd of February    

The 3rd of February is the feast of St. Blaise and is traditionally associated with the blessing of the throat. This is a day that seems to have an enormous appeal to Irish people and many who rarely come to church will attend on this date to have their throats blessed. Little is known about Blaise other than that he was bishop of Sebastea and was martyred in Armenia in the year 315. ....   Read More

February022010

Youth retreat - Feedback from Niall (Drogheda)    

  Weekend review On Friday the 29th of January the Augustinian Youth Ministry held a retreat to review the year that had just passed and to map out the intentions for the year to come, namely the A.Y.E gathering in London. While numbers were well below average, those that made the effort to turn up decided from the off to just go and try and make the most out of the retreat and so aft ....   Read More

February012010

A Little Parable About Mothers    

  A Little Parable about mothers   The young mother set foot on the path of life.   “Is the way long?”  She asked. And the guide said: “Yes. And the way is hard. And you will be old before you reach the end of it. But the end will be better than the beginning.”   But the young mother was happy, and she could not believe that anythi ....   Read More

January282010

Fourth Sunday of the Year - 31st of January 2010    

  If prophets just went around predicting the future, today’s first and third readings wouldn’t make sense. I presume no one’s ever put a contract out on those persons who, at the end of each year, confidently tell us what to expect during the next year. Though such people are almost always wrong, they’re harmless. Real prophets are dangerous. Bruce Vawter called t ....   Read More

January252010

Prayer for Victims of Haiti Earthquake    

  A Prayer After the Earthquake in Haiti Lord, at times such as this, when we realize that the ground beneath our feet is not as solid as we had imagined, we plead for your mercy. As the things we have built crumble about us, we know too well how small we truly are on this ever-changing, ever-moving, fragile planet we call home. Yet you have promised never to forget us. Do not forg ....   Read More

January212010

Third Sunday of the Year - 24th of January 2010    

  I presume all religions can identify with the scene in today’s first reading. Just when we think we’re doing exactly what God wants us to do, something happens, and we discover things God wants that we haven’t been doing; things which were an essential part of our faith from the beginning, but through the years and centuries were pushed into the background of that faith. ....   Read More

January172010

Second Sunday of the Year - January 17th, 2010    

In the early Christian community, Jesus’ epiphany comprised three events, not just one. It commemorated the astrologers’ visit to Mary and Joseph’s home in Bethlehem, but it also included Jesus’ baptism and his turning water into wine at Cana in Galilee. The first Christians regarded each of these three as an epiphany - a sort of “coming out” - for Jesus. In eac ....   Read More

January092010

Feast of the Baptism of the Lord - January 10th 2010    

Jesus is there anonymously in the crowd, coming forward with the rest to meet the famous John the Baptist. It's impossible for us to see him as an anonymous person; to us he stands out from every crowd and from the whole human race: above them, beyond them; we can't imagine him not yet majestic. But there he is, the village man, Jesus, known only to his family and neighbours. He's not yet famous. ....   Read More

January022010

Feast of the Epiphany - 3rd of January 2010    

Ours is not the first age to look east for wisdom; the East has always had a reputation for it.  The word ‘magi’ is translated here as “wise men.”  ‘Magus’ meant different things: a magus was a member of the Persian priestly caste; or one who possessed occult knowledge and power (this is the origin of our word ‘magic’).  If people had ....   Read More

December262009

Feast of the Holy Family - 27th December 2009    

Did you ever gaze at a distant house as the sun dropped over the hill? Did you ever notice the windows shining in the setting sun? Didn't they look like windows of gold? Didn't those houses seem to be bursting with gold? Did you ever hike over to see - to see whether those houses were really houses of gold? A ten-year-old boy once did that. From his house on the hill he saw another house on ano ....   Read More

December262009

Feast of the Holy Family - 27th December 2009    

Did you ever gaze at a distant house as the sun dropped over the hill? Did you ever notice the windows shining in the setting sun? Didn't they look like windows of gold? Didn't those houses seem to be bursting with gold? Did you ever hike over to see - to see whether those houses were really houses of gold? A ten-year-old boy once did that. From his house on the hill he saw another house on ano ....   Read More

December222009

Christmas - Feast of the Nativity of the Lord - 25th December 2009    

One Solitary Life   He was born in an obscure village, the son of a peasant woman. He grew up in another village, where he worked in a carpenter's shop until he was thirty. Then for three years he became a wandering preacher. He never wrote a book. He never held an office. He never had a family or owned a house. He didn't go to college. He never visited a big city. He never travelled ....   Read More

December182009

Fourth Sunday of Advent - 20th December 2009    

The dramatis personae of this Sunday's gospel passage don’t lead us to expect anything revolutionary.  They are an old woman and a young girl.  Both are to give birth, true, and the birth of a child is always a potential revolution; but the old woman is really beyond the age of child-bearing (Luke 1:7) and the young girl wasn’t expected to be there yet (Matthew 1:18). ....   Read More

December102009

3rd Sunday of Advent Year C - 13th December 2009    

To appreciate our regular Advent readings, it might help to have a split personality. When Paul, for instance, reminds the Philippian community, “The Lord is near!” he’s talking about something quite different from John the Baptizer’s statement, “ . . . One mightier than I is coming.” Though Jesus is the subject of both sentences, the two authors aren’t re ....   Read More

December042009

Second Sunday of Advent - 6th of December 2009    

“From shadows and symbols to the truth,” (ex umbris et imaginibus in veritatem): this was the personal motto of John Henry Newman (1801-1890).  Since ancient times Christian writers have used this expression, and others like it, to place Jesus in relation to the prophets who went before him.  In him there is a coming out into the light after the long night of darkness and hal ....   Read More

December032009

Augustine and Unity - Talk given by Noel to Augustinian Values Institute, Waterford, November 2009    

Talking about Saint Augustine is a proposition which is bound to fail. He wrote such an amount of works on such huge variety of subjects that it is extremely difficult to do him justice and not to leave something out. In fact, between books, letters and sermons we have over 1030 still in existence which is quite remarkable considering the amount of time that has passed since he lived. Bear in m ....   Read More

December022009

Floods and Murphy Report    

In the same week in which we saw the country flooded and people's homes destroyed by water we also learned of the extent to which many young people and children have had their lives destroyed by evil people masqueading as pastors. This abuse was compounded by the reckless incompetence of Church leaders who acted as if the problem of Child Sexual Abuse would just go away on its own. Obviously, th ....   Read More

November282009

First Sunday of Advent - 29th of November 2009    

Luke appears to be the first author of the Christian Scriptures to presume Jesus’ Parousia won’t take place during his lifetime. Paul and Luke’s two gospel predecessors - Mark and Matthew - faithfully held onto the hope that Jesus’ Second Coming was just around the corner. By the mid-80s, Luke has given up that hope. He takes for granted he and his readers will live their ....   Read More