Pilgrim progress- a disciple on a journey!

Just a few days ago, as Christ’s followers, we began the Lenten journey. Receiving ashes on our forehead we recalled that ‘we are dust and to dust we will return’. A certain sombreness seemed to descend upon us as we enter into the privileged desert time to walk the Exodus journey. However it was almost as if our liturgical journey was interrupted and we  seemed to be surrounded  by hearts, flowers, roses and the apparent commercialism that accompanies St. Valentine’s Day. I recalled one of Pope Emeritus Benedict’s phrases from one of the Angelus’: "Every human being is loved by God the Father. No one need feel forgotten, for every name is written in the Lord’s loving heart." Valentine’s  Day can be a hard time for some people who feel alone or have been hurt because of relationships or are afraid to open their hearts to love and trust someone. It can also be an awkward feastday for many. Single people often feel isolated. People in relationships feel obliged to show...

1. Get rid of the lazy addiction to evil - “[Lent] is a ‘powerful’ season, a turning point that can foster change and conversion in each of us. We all need to improve, to change for the better. Lent helps us and thus we leave behind old habits and the lazy addiction to the evil that deceives and ensnares us. ” – General Audience, March 5, 2014  2.  Do something that costs us- “Lent is a fitting time for self-denial; we would do well to ask ourselves what we can give up in order to help and enrich others by our own poverty. Let us not forget that real poverty hurts: no self-denial is real without this dimension of penance. I distrust a charity that costs nothing and does not hurt. ” – Lenten Message, 2014   3.  Don’t remain indifferent- “Indifference to our neighbour and to God also represents a real temptation for us Christians. Each year during Lent we need to hear once more the voice of the prophets who cry out and trouble our conscience. God is not in...

A few people have asked if I am going off Facebook and social media for Lent this year. The answer is no. Every year I toy with the idea. Some years I have fasted from Facebook and it has been good, I have to say. Each person knows what they have to do to make Lent more meaningful for themselves so as to arrive at Easter, a more committed disciple of Jesus, ready to celebrate the true meaning of Resurrection. It is a bigger challenge for me to post things which are signposts to God, pointing to the meaning of this blessed season. I am conscious that there are many of my friends here who don't go to Church yet appreciate some of the religious posts I put here. We can bring Good News. We are called to be saints! I have set myself the challenge to look at what I am posting, liking, sharing etc...and see if I can be less superficial and more wholesome. It is an invitation to post things which are positive and forward looking, honest yet respectful, life giving and not soul dest...

Today the Church offers us the memorial of St. Basil the Great and St. Gregory Nazianzen. By celebrating the feasts of St. Basil the Great and St. Gregory Nazianzen on the same day, the Church praises a virtue which has always been held in high esteem friendship. Born in Cappadocia around 330, Basil and Gregory first were schoolfriends, they studied together in Athens. Following this, they were co-defenders of the orthodox teaching on the Trinity. As the French say, “The more things change, the more they remain the same.” Basil and Gregory faced the same problems as modern Christians. Sainthood meant trying to preserve the spirit of Christ in such perplexing and painful problems as reform, organization, fighting for the poor, maintaining balance and peace in misunderstanding. For Gregory, we are reminded in The Church's Year of Grace by Pius Parsch that ‘during his life span the pendulum was continually swinging back and forth between contemplation and the active ministry. He ...

It's that time of year where nasty flu's, colds and viruses are in the air! But here is one virus that it would do some people good to get! Advent Virus: Be on the alert for symptoms of inner Hope, Peace, Joy and Love. The hearts of a great many have already been exposed to this virus and it is possible that people everywhere could come down with it in epidemic proportions. This could pose a serious threat to what has, up to now, been a fairly stable condition of conflict in the world. Some signs and symptoms of The Advent Virus: A tendency to think and act spontaneously rather than on fears based on past experiences. An unmistakable ability to enjoy each moment. A loss of interest in judging other people. A loss of interest in interpreting the actions of others. A loss of interest in conflict. A loss of the ability to worry. (This is a very serious symptom!) Frequent, overwhelming episodes of appreciation. Contented feelings of connectedness with others and nature....

The work is entitled: "Jose y Maria" Artist is a comic artist named Everett Patterson. Imagine the Christmas story Happening in our day: Mary and Joseph travelling on a bus on an Irish motorway. Instead of a bright and guiding star Only headlights from car, after car. The night: foggy, wet and cold. The bus they are in: rickety and old. Joseph: an anxious man, with fears since Mary, his beloved’s time is near. He spoke to the driver – a kindly man “Not to worry” he said “I’ll do what I can” He took the next exit and set them down At the local hospital in a busy town. The lady at the desk just shook her head “Due to HSE cuts, we just don’t have a bed. Perhaps you could go private at the local Nursing Home?” So then it was that Joseph and Mary begin to roam. Searching for shelter they went door to door Until it came that they could walk no more They stopped at a corner, welcomed by a homeless group Who smiled at them, offered some bread and shared from...

"The Pharisees saw this and said to his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” He heard this and said, “Those who are well do not need a physician, but the sick do. Go and learn the meaning of the words, ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ I did not come to call the righteous but sinners.”  —Matthew 9:11-13 God, who is merciful, desires our mercy. Here are 54 ways to keep to mercy during the Jubilee Year. Try randomly selecting one each week and putting it into practice. (We gave you two extra; mix them up!) 1) Resist sarcasm; it is the antithesis of mercy: “Set, O Lord, a guard over my mouth; keep watch, O Lord, at the door of my lips!” (Psalm 141:3). 2) Pare down possessions: share your things with the needy. 3) Call someone who you know is lonely, even if you understand why they’re lonely. Especially if you do. 4) Write a letter of forgiveness to someone. If you cannot send it, sprinkle it with holy water, ask Christ Jesus to have mercy on you bo...