Pilgrim progress- a disciple on a journey!

This talk was given to Ruah Prayer Group on the 27th of March 2015 in the Chapel of Adoration, Divine Master Convent, Blackrock, Co. Dublin. Hard as it to believe, our Lenten journey is coming to an end. This Sunday, we celebrate Palm Sunday, a celebration observed by virtually all Christians -- Protestant, Roman Catholics, and Eastern Orthodox.   But for the Roman Catholic Church it is also Passion Sunday, known because during the Mass on Sunday, we will read the whole account of the Passion of our Lord. This year, we read the Gospel of St. Mark for both the entrance Gospel and the account of the Passion. In Mark’s fast-paced style, we see three different days of Holy Week in chapter 11 alone. The first eleven verses are what we celebrate as Palm Sunday. In a way, this feast has a bitter sweet taste.  Though it celebrates our King's triumphant entry into Jerusalem, the procession leads straight to the Lord’s suffering and death on Calvary. This procession down to Jer

The following talk was given to the Charismatic Prayer Group Agape, Divine Master Chapel, 24th of March 2015   With the celebration of Vespers this evening, the Church begins the celebration of the Solemnity of the Annunciation. Indeed it is a celebration! The first word of Archangel Gabriel’s greeting to Mary was Rejoice . And the feast of Annunciation is, first of all, a feast of quiet heavenly joy—joy over reconciliation with God, joy over the return of grace to earth. Annunciation is also a feast of triumph of humility, purity and chastity , a feast of unshakable faith in the power of God and in His unlimited love toward us his children. We see this unlimited love every day as we look at the Cross, at the outpouring of Jesus for us. The Gospel which was given to us for the Fifth Sunday of Lent, was that of the Gospel of John, Chapter 12 which had the image of the grain of wheat. We read: “Unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains but a single grai

“It helps, now and then, to step back and take a long view.  The kingdom is not only beyond our efforts,  it is even beyond our vision.  We accomplish in our lifetime only a tiny fraction  of the magnificent enterprise that is God's work.  Nothing we do is complete, which is a way of saying  that the kingdom always lies beyond us.  No statement says all that could be said.  No prayer fully expresses our faith.  No confession brings perfection.  No pastoral visit brings wholeness.  No program accomplishes the church's mission.  No set of goals and objectives includes everything.  This is what we are about.  We plant the seeds that one day will grow.  We water seeds already planted,  knowing that they hold future promise.  We lay foundations that will need further development.  We provide yeast that produces far beyond our capabilities.  We cannot do everything, and there is a sense of liberation  in realizing that. This enables us to do something,  and to do it very well. It m

Talk given at the Provincial Congress of St. Joseph's Young Priests Society: 13th of March 2015 " During the summer, I was approached by some young lay people who were very interested in making a video about religious life . What you just saw was the finished product. I felt very privileged to be part of this endeavour and to work alongside other committed religious brothers and sisters. Launched on youtube on the 2 nd of February, it has already clocked up 11,000 hits or so. The video has drawn a very positive reaction from many areas, even from secular journalism, highlighting the fact that religious life does in fact still invite interest, even if at times, this interest is mere curiosity. Religious life has existed for thousands of years and in every major religion. Every human person of whatever race, culture or religion tends irresistibly towards what is holy, what is mystery. Some choose to live this search for God passionately. I call this a pilgrimage and ide