Pilgrim progress- a disciple on a journey!

  Emmaus- a destination away from the place of crushed dreams, crushed hopes, crushed belief. Jerusalem- the place of betrayal, of lies, of deceit, of a Messiah who was misunderstood, rejected, destroyed by weak men and women who did not know to whom they belonged- they were children, disciples, beloved. All thrown away with thirty silver pieces of our human pride and fickleness.  On the way to Emmaus, He will join them and ask: "What are these things you are discussing along the way?" He knew the answer but He allows them tell their story in that sacred space of listening. They stop and once more a story is told- of expectations, of hope, of disillusionment, of failure.  And under those clouds they walk away from...to....towards... Their story is our story- we dream, we hope, we believe and in an instance all can be crushed by those around us- the modern day Pilate or Calvary soldiers who wash their hands so as to avoid defending what is truth. We are betrayed, we are lied t

Mercy like rain, like a river.  Mercy like balm, an ointment that heals, revives.  Mercy like consolation, the silent voice of presence which nudges gently onwards when it seems that hope is lost, that darkness prevails, that love has lost the battle.  Mercy, a word and a metanoia- turning from and turning to.  Life will never be the same once that one word, that simple word, is heard- mercy! Jesus says: "I am...." Who are you for me, Lord? You are mercy.

Today we celebrate the 2nd Sunday of Easter, Domenica in Albis, also known as in the Church as Divine Mercy Sunday.  In our Congregation, it is the feastday of the novices so happy feastday to them all. The readings for the feastday, beginning with the Opening Prayer or Collect, encourage us to cast our focus on the redeeming “blood”, the washing away of sins in “water”, a new birth in the Spirit, the institution of Confession, and the importance of trusting in Jesus. God always wants to give us the fullness of his graces and his mercy, He never holds back. In my reflection of the Gospel today, three different biblical events come to mind. They all have something in common: that is, the story of grace of how our Creator Father can bring life from the side of Christ, be it the first man, Adam, to his Son Jesus, the new Adam. In one of the creation narratives in the Book of Genesis  (Gen 2:18-24), we are told that God fashioned woman from the side of Adam, that is, taking a rib f

If you ever wondered what the big icon in our Chapel of Adoration in Dublin signifies, here's the best explanation below. It's from the 2nd reading of the Office of Readings which we read on Holy Saturday. The icon was here in the Chapel, left by the Consolata Fathers, when we moved here in 1992. Before she died in June 2014, Sr. M. Paul O' Brien had restored it a little for Holy Saturday as the colours were beginning to fade. It was her last major art work, of which she had done many. When she painted, often she would be talking to people who would call her for advice, prayers or simply to be listened to. Conor McGee (now Fr. Conor) helped her with the restoration as did Edward Kavanagh who was great in spreading catechesis about the icon. Edward, like Sr. Paul, has since gone to his eternal reward. Conor, was ordained almost 7  years ago and used the icon on his ordination prayer card. It's amazing how one icon can unite lives in different ways. From the Offic

There is absolutely nothing we can do on Holy Saturday, and that is the point. It is a day of desolation and nothingness, a day of darkness and utter emptiness. The day is and should be the most calm and quiet day of the entire Church year, a day broken by no liturgical function. Christ lies in the grave, the Church sits near and mourns. After the great battle He is resting in peace, but upon Him we see the scars of intense suffering. The mortal wounds on His Body remain visible.  There is nothing to do now except wait… and waiting is the hardest part in this digital and instant age. Holy Saturday is the silent pause between what we have done and what God will do – what only God can do. On this day God is silent, yet God is still at work. Scripture tells us Holy Saturday is the day Christ descended and ministered to those in Hades, or the place of the dead. This is not a trivial or side matter, which is why “He descended to the dead” finds mention in the Apostles’ Creed. Christ goe

No-one wants to be betrayed, used, ghosted, thrown aside. Yet in this week which unfolds we will witness the greatest betrayal and the greatest love- side by side. On the journey of this Holy Week, we have arrived at the day which has come to be known as Spy Wednesday where Judas Iscariot finalises the plans which will cost Jesus his life.  Judas would betray and use. Yet, Jesus knew exactly who would betray Him but still He continued to love Judas. He cared intensely for Judas. He was discouraged. He hurt. He felt pain. He wept. He loved Judas even when Judas was enshrouded by darkness because: “the light shines in the darkness” (John 1:5).  The readings which we hear today at Mass, although heavy with the impending doom of the death of Jesus, should also bring us hope and relief.  God loves us so much.  We should be both overwhelmed by what our sinfulness has done to our relationship with God and also touched by the extremes to which God goes in order to bring us into a closer, resto

The woman caught in adultery know what it was like- the cold judgmental stares, condemning her guilty even before she could say anything. They held stones in their hands- cold, heavy, granite, ready to inflict pain, hurt, suffering, death. "She deserves it", they think, in their hardened minds. The Master continues to write in the sand, his finger writing in the soft grains. The impending death begins to close in as these men tighten their grip on their weapon of choice. She trembles in fear- who will defend her? The crowd waits and then the words which will strike the conscience of each one present: "Let he who is without sin cast the first stone". Silence, then the soft thud, then another and another. The stones hit the ground. Stones were intended for many things but not for killing. Not too long after this episode, Jesus would also be threatened by stoning. The corner stone rejected by the builders- they will try to eliminate Him. Jesus, Bridge between the Fathe

Every religious experience begins with a sense of emptiness, of life being bigger than us. We began the Lenten journey in the desert and we continue to walk, making the journey from Ashes to Alleluia. On Ash Wednesday we had ashes placed on our forehead and reflected on the words "Remember you are dust and to dust you will return" or the call to "repent and believe in the Gospel". There is yearly continuity in the liturgy where the burnt palms, symbol of the joy and majesty which accompanied Jesus during his entrance into Jerusalem, become the dust and ashes placed on our forehead at the beginning of our Lenten journey. Today we began the journey of Holy Week. Holy Week is holy, first and foremost, because of all Jesus Christ did during this week, from the triumphal entry into his city on Palm Sunday, to his teaching in the Temple, to the Last Supper, to his prayer in Gethsemane, to his arrest, torture, crucifixion and death on Good Friday, to his rest in the tomb,