Pilgrim progress- a disciple on a journey!

Saturday morning and a blog post designed simply to say ‘thank you’ because I am simply blessed, flows from a grateful heart. Yesterday, on the part of friends, family, residents and religious sisters, the event of celebrating another year of my life on this earth was marked by many delicate gestures. Yes, I am simply blessed. Simply blessed because at the moment that is the feeling that invades my soul. ‘Blessed’ not because life is easy or without its difficulties, but ‘blessed’ because, in the words of today’s liturgy for the Conversion of St. Paul: “For I know the one in whom I have put my trust, and I am sure that he is able to guard until that day what I have entrusted to him.” (2 Timothy 12:1). So celebrating a birthday is just counting how much I have already received. One of the cards which I received reminded me: “Count the blessings, not the candles”. Pretty good advice, if you ask me and that's what I intend to do! I am thankful to my parents for the gift of li...

Look up ordinary in the dictionary and you get ˈôrdnˌerē/: an adjective meaning ‘with no special or distinctive features’; ‘normal’. Synonyms offered are ‘usual’, ‘normal’, ‘standard’, ‘typical’, ‘common’, ‘customary’, ‘day-to-day’ and “the ordinary course of events.” Ask a canonist what ‘ordinary’ means and they will probably answer ‘who’ an ‘ordinary’ is, that is, the pope, bishop of the diocese or any other person equivalent to him in law, as well as major religious superiors of exempt orders and congregations. About a week ago, we began what we call Ordinary Time within the Liturgical Year. We get back into the ordinary course of events. Through the period of Ordinary Time following Christmas, we become increasingly aware that this marvel of birth and growth will mature into something challenging. However we need time to focus on this and we are gifted with the time of Lent which culminates in the great event of the Resurrection, the battle of life over death, light over dark...

I am sure we all have those days where we ask ourselves why do we even bother? Today the Gospel offered the story of the loaves and fishes. This miracle is the only miracle which is repeated in all four of the Gospels in the Bible. It was refreshing to hear the priest at Mass remind us that in ministry we are not called to feed the 5000 or even the 50,000. This is far beyond our capacity. We are called to try but to know and acknowledge that we are completely and utterly dependent on God to do this.  Time after time, the Lord puts us in positions where we are completely helpless or out of our depth: a sick relative or friend, a tragic death, a broken relationship. The world gives fame, and the world takes it away. We are rich today and poor tomorrow. We have a job and then we don’t. We are healthy and then cancer strikes. We have a happy family and then it seems to fall apart. Our friends say they are there for us and then they let us down. And then we ask: ‘why do I bothe...

Every year I have a mini-dilemma: should I ‘do’ resolutions? What do I want to change about myself? What do I need to do better? How can I be better, holier, freer? The list goes on. However I did come up with one life change for this year which I can share with you. Here comes 2014: a resolution- pray, simply pray and pray simply! God's in control. The New Year unfolds like pages in a book yet to be written, bringing hope and endless possibilities. When I look at 2013 and some of the things that went wrong or disappointments or let-downs which I felt, one word comes to mind: HOPE. I hope for better days. I hope that I can be true to myself. I hope. Hope comes from God and this is the only way that all things can be possible with Him if we do them in the name of Jesus his Son. For the Feast of the Holy Family, we had that lovely reading from the Letter to the Colossians (3,12-21), it reminds us: “ And whatever you do, in word or in deed, do everything in the name of the Lord...

Yes, it has been a while since the blog got something to eat so what better day to feed it than the last day of the year. Today is the day where social media goes a bit mental. People post their thoughts, their experiences, their joys, their sufferings of 2013. Many hope for a better 2014 and are quick to bid adieu to 2013. Some see the 1st of January just as 'another day' in the calendar to get through, nothing special. We are all very different when it comes to marking events. Personally, I see New Year's as being significant for stopping to take stock of life: to look at the year past and thank God, to entrust the coming year into His hands, come what may! Usually the 31st of December is a day of prayer and silence for many of our communities throughout the world. This helps us to cultivate gratitude and also our need for the Providence of God in all things. My last three New Year’s Eve and Day have been spent in three different countries and each of them ve...

Hallowed Art "BELOVED: I hear my love. See how he comes leaping on the mountains, bounding over the hills. My love is like a gazelle, like a young stag. See where he stands behind our wall. He looks in at the window, he peers through the opening. My love lifts up his voice, he says to me, 'Come then, my beloved, my lovely one, come. For see, winter is past, the rains are over and gone. 'Flowers are appearing on the earth. The season of glad songs has come, the cooing of the turtledove is heard in our land. The fig tree is forming its first figs and the blossoming vines give out their fragrance. Come then, my beloved, my lovely one, come. My dove, hiding in the clefts of the rock, in the coverts of the cliff, show me your face, let me hear your voice; for your voice is sweet and your face is lovely." (Song of Songs 2:8-14)- First Reading, 21st of December 2013. Yep, guess who got to read this today at Mass. Maybe it’s the Irishness in me but I was kind of ...

One word: Yes! A life programme! Surrender all! Fiat! Amen! Let it be done.   Believe it or not, the word YES is the most powerful prayer you can make. It’s saying that, “I believe God that you probably know what’s best for my life . . . for my life more than I do, and I’m willing to trust you with my life. And I’m willing to go along with what I understand to be your plans for my life.” Today, the liturgy had us meditate the scene of the Annunciation of the archangel Gabriel to Mary. Pope Francis reflecting on this Gospel back in October, sums up the Annunciation like this: “God surprises us, God asks us to be faithful and God is our strength.” He explains saying that God surprised Mary, but despite this she was able to say, “Here I am, the servant of the Lord, be it done onto me according to your word”. God does surprise us, he wreaks havoc with our plans, but he also says “trust me, do not be afraid”. In his second reflection “God asks us to be faithful” Pope Fra...