Pilgrim progress- a disciple on a journey!

I know I have blogged about Oscar Romero throughout the years but today, above all days, merits a blog post! Today, 23rd of May is the day when the Church proclaimed him as Blessed. Throughout history, the voice of the prophet is one of the vehicles through which God speaks to the community and to the world. Today, we commemorate one of these prophets. On the 24thof March 1980, 35 years ago, evil men in El Salvador tried to silence the voice of a prophet. Archbishop Romero gave his life, in the words of Pope John Paul II, “for the church and the people of his beloved country” of El Salvador. His death from an assassin’s bullet crowned a life of service as priest and bishop. I claim this date as being special to my life story because it was the month and the year that I was to grace the world. However God had another plan and myself being a little precocious, I arrived a little earlier on January 24th. It continues to be a day where I remember Archbishop Romero. His great motto was ...

I am just a grain of wheat, what can I do on my own? I can only worry if the bread that we are called to give to humanity will satisfy their hunger, after all I am only one grain. Yet together we form many grains that can nourish because we are willing to die, to lose the husk of pride, of envy, of egocentric living. ‘If the grain of wheat does not fall into the ground and die, it cannot produce fruit’   This is a real Eucharistic life, to become broken for others, it is a paradox, in our brokenness we generate life. During this week   I thought often of the disciples as they travelled on their way to Emmaus, searching for the Risen Lord, wanting to hear that voice that allowed Mary to cry out with joy ‘Master’ on that first Easter morning. Searching, searching on a road that leads anywhere once it leads away from Jerusalem, the horrible reminder of the scene of despair. The Stranger meets them on the road and walks with them. He is their Eucharist, helping to remembe...

Today as Disciples of the Divine Master, we celebrate many things. We allow the words of Blessed Timothy Giaccardo, our first Pauline priest, to bring us back to the founding charism for our Institute which burned in the heart of Bl. James Alberione. He writes:" I t was April 3, 1947 and it was Holy Thursday.  In the great church of St. Paul in Alba the rite of the canonical erection of the Pious Disciples as an autonomous Institute was held on that day.  Since the Founder could not be present, Fr. Timothy read aloud: <<In memory of his Passion, today, the Divine Master in his immense and infinite love instituted the Eucharist and the Priesthood.  In this priestly day, and in the same love, he brings to you a new, full and independent juridical life, and he calls you to offer to his Priesthood a contribution of prayer and apostolate, in accordance with your conditions and filled with love ." That evening he wrote the following prayer in his diary: "Blessed Jesus,...

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 t...

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 ...