Advent ~ Swords into ploughshares

Advent has come around again. If we are 'bored' of Christmas by the time it arrives then we haven't done Advent at all. It is a great season of hope, light, joy, and peace. These are not just buzzwords we throw around at this time of year. Imagine what it would mean to breathe each of these gifts into our lives. 'Hope refers to a desire and expectations that goals that seem difficult to achieve may somehow be realized' (Harrington). And today's first reading asks us to dream big. It is from Isaiah and it is powerful. "They shall beat their swords into ploughshares..." (Isa 2:4). Imagine a world where we turned every single weapon into something useful... peacefully useful. It is not as daft as it seems. Imagine a world without weapons. Some people have tried it. Take a look at this pic of musical instruments made from weapons....

Or this one:

Or pull up a seat and look closer at this:

If you want to hear more about a community who spend some of their time turning AK47s into gardening tools, then check this out: http://www.redletterchristians.org/beating-ak47s-into-shovels/

The cliché is that 'another world is possible'. This is what Advent tells us and dares us to believe. Pray for peace this Advent season, peace in our hearts, our communities, our families.... oh and 'happy new church year'. SHALOM. MARANATHA.

November 24th ~ Christ the King

What is our image of a King? The picture painted by Luke in today’s gospel is hardly the stuff of kingship! Or is it? This account of Jesus’ death gives us an opportunity to lay aside a lot of cultural baggage about kings, leaders and kingdoms. Jesus’ kingdom is unlike the one that Pilate, or many other earthly leaders know. It is a kingdom built on love, service, justice, reconciliation and peace. Very few of today’s so called kings can measure up to this: responding to violence with forgiveness, giving those with no hope a reason to hope.
Look at the following examples from the past century and ask who are the more living examples of this type of kingship: Mahatma Gandhi, Pope Francis, Nelson Mandela, Mother Teresa, local community leaders who make daily sacrifices in endless service to those around them.

We sometimes ask where is God? Today we are given an answer: God is on the cross, in a broken body asking us to climb up there with him and to look at the world from an entirely different perspective. Today’s Gospel gives a powerful image of Jesus as servant King, like a beacon light for society in today’s world.

“The power of truth, of honesty, of forgiveness – with no frills! How different the world would be if it was governed by this kind of power.” Michel de Verteuil

Fashion Changes; Style Endures Luke 21:5-19

We are reading the final chapters of Luke’s Gospel for Year C. Jesus is in Jerusalem and the passages we hear are talking about end times. The people gathered are obviously excited having seen how magnificent the Temple is, having come ‘up from the country’ and Jesus is trying to calm them down. The time for excitement might not be just yet. Jesus reminds them, and us, that these things are short-lived and we should not be too bothered about ‘fine stonework’ and ‘votive offerings’. These things do not last.
Jesus’ main warning is not to believe many who will come claiming to know when the end times will be.

A series of quotations from Jesus follows in which he gives comfort to the people about various crisis that will happen. Luke is almost giving us a subsequent history of the Christian community. It is not all doom and gloom, but we need to take perspective and look at the bigger picture. Endurance is the message of today’s gospel. The people of Jerusalem will witness the destruction of the Temple, the disciples will face persecution, people of faith will have tough times ahead. Whatever crisis may come, Jesus is affirming us to keep going, to stay focused and not be afraid.


“Lord, when we are young we think that we become great through our achievements. Life has taught us the truth of Jesus’ words: it is by endurance that we win our lives” Michel de Verteuil

Will my body look old in this? Luke 20:27-38

This Sunday's Gospel is difficult. The Sadducees, are trying to trap Jesus with questions about resurrection, even though they did not believe in resurrection. They are specifically concerned with childless women marrying their brother-in-laws to keep the deceased husbands name alive. Their case-study is slightly absurd and exaggerated. A situation where women can be ‘given’ and owned will not exist in the next life, nor will any other instances of slavery or the realities of this world. In a place of peace, justice and freedom, people are not ‘owned’ or ‘given’. We should not be too preoccupied with questions like theirs: ‘Whose wife will she be?’ or ‘Will I look old?’ ‘Will I have a body?’ We can trust in God.

We could interpret ‘taking wives and husbands’ as the many projects, titles, schemes we use to promote our own interests as ‘children of this world’. ‘Children of the resurrection’ don’t do this. They make huge sacrifices for people they work with, whether on the margins, for the liberation of people around them and those who are oppressed in any way. They ‘cannot die’ even though they can be condemned by society. You might recall someone who has passed away, but who is very much alive because of their influence on people, their generosity and kindness and the difference they made to those around them. They are ‘children of the resurrection’.

“You were born a child of light’s wonderful secret— you return to the beauty you have always been.” ― Aberjhani,.

Zacchaeus Restored

It was because of the crowd that Zacchaeus could not see Jesus. Today’s Gospel brings up questions for us about who we are preventing having an experience of Jesus because we deem them unworthy or ‘sinner’. Zacchaeus as a chief Roman tax collector would have been seen as part of the Roman regime and an exploiter. Zacchaeus does not let that stop him, and climbs a tree to make sure he can get a glimpse of the preacher that everyone is talking about. Jesus seeks out the lost and sees Zacchaeus. He reaches out to him immediately and with urgency saying he ‘must’ stay at Zacchaeus’ house. It is God’s plan, it is a necessity.

Zacchaeus offers the strictest requirement in the OT for restitution ‘four times the amount’. But notice that Jesus reaches out before Zacchaeus offers compensation for his crimes. God’s love is unconditional and eternal. The encounter with Jesus has led Zacchaeus to be witness to restoration and solidarity. He wants to restore justice to the situations he has created. Whether it was the crowd, greed, politics or corruption that was preventing Zacchaeus from seeing Jesus, he has been welcomed back to the table with urgency. Jesus is waiting to be invited in ‘today’. The complaints and negativity continue in the background, suggesting he is not good enough… but none of that matters. This man is a ‘son of Abraham’. It was the affection of Christ, not the condemnation of the town that reversed the situation.

The Rich Man and Lazarus Luke 16:19-31

A major theme in Luke’s Gospel is ‘reversal’. We see a clear example of this in today’s Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus. Notice how the rich man is not given a name. This is significant as names were important for people who were considered to be of high status, it gave them recognition. It is the poor outcast beggar who does have a name – Lazarus. Names are significant. Lazarus means “God helps”. The lives of these two men are radically different. The rich man wears purple robes, the most expensive colour dye at that time, and he feasts every day. A gate also separates these two men, the rich man is far above Lazarus in terms of status and wealth. The rich man does not even see Lazarus. When they die, their situations are completely reversed and we are reminded of the Magnificat in the first chapter of Luke (1:52-53) “He has brought down the powerful from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly; he has filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away empty”. The rich man is unwilling to change, even in the afterlife he wants Lazarus sent, ordered, to go to his brothers. It is not proof or special signs that they need. Their vision has been blinded by wealth and dreams.

“The moment we cease to hold each other, the moment we break faith with one another, the sea engulfs us and the light goes out” (James Baldwin).

Sunday 22nd Sept ~ Gospel Economics

One of the most scandalous economic stories in the Gospels is the teaching in today’s parable. A manager is about to get fired by the CEO because he has not made the highest profit. But is Jesus really condoning using money to buy friends and stealing from employers?! What is the manager doing? He is telling his debtors to falsify their bills so that they can be free from their debt. Some owe huge amounts. The manager is using the position he is in to recklessly release people from debt, to even up the tables. This will of course win him everlasting friends, their hearts and minds.

The manager is praised for his astuteness, he has his priorities straight, he is happy to let debt go, to redistribute the load. Ok there is still some self-interest there but Jesus is telling us that the only value the money really has is in the way it is disposed of – to make friends with the poor. The manager won’t be the most successful man on the planet compared to the ‘children of the light’ who are more concerned with accounts than with real people. He can be trusted to value what is really important. Yes he is a bit of a scoundrel, but Jesus liked scoundrels, once their efforts were put to good use.

“If a white-collar criminal is smart enough to pull off this sort of stunt, imagine what the children of God can do! It is an invitation to holy mischief.” (Shane Claiborne)

Lost and Found: Lk 15

In today’s Gospel, we hear three parables, all about things that are lost and found. We see the ‘searcher’ portrayed as male and female as Luke strives for gender equality followed by the very human story of the Lost Son. These three parables of things lost and found emphasise the unending forgiveness of God and his rejoicing when we return to Him. But as with all parables, we are left thinking and wondering, disturbed even. A sheep and a coin we can rejoice over, but when it is a person who has done us harm, hurt us in some way, it is much easier to behave like the elder brother in the third parable.

The elder brother tries to disown his younger brother by saying ‘this son of yours’… the response he is given is ‘this brother of yours… was lost and now is found’. God restores all things, the sheep to the shepherd, the coin to the woman, the son to the Father and it is a frantic search in each parable. We are encouraged to search, to be ‘seekers’, to discover the lost and, when we need it, to let ourselves be found.

“The sheep may be lost in the fog or wandering aimlessly but the shepherd is always in search of it. No matter how desperate our plight we may always rely on the love which will never tire of seeking us out.” (Cardinal Basil Hume)

The Cost: Luke 14:25-33

This account is troubling. Surely Jesus does not expect us to hate our families, friends and even ourselves in order to be his followers? Maybe he didn’t really mean it? Crosses and possessions, we can understand that bit. Perhaps Jesus is making a point here about how we attach ourselves to things and to people, even to images of ourselves. Attachment can cause all sorts of suffering in our lives. If we are to grow, we move on from the comfortable. If we are to be agents of change, we let go of the familiar, and that can often be painful whether it be old rituals, a group we were once part of, friends who don’t understand. The two parables in this story remind us to think things through and weigh up the cost involved. This Kingdom of God stuff does involve sacrifice even though we would prefer to skip the bits that make us uncomfortable. It’s not so simple Jesus…. I find it difficult… and sometimes it feels like 20,000 against 10,000.

So this passage is a call to conversion and we read it from the various forms of discipleship that we are in: parenting, advocacy, political life, social work and so on. In order to achieve our goals we make sacrifices. Jesus ‘turned to them’, he is speaking from experience. Jesus’ words are harsh, but spend time with this text today, his words can be interpreted as passionate, urgent, focused and even offer us a great freedom and encouragement in whatever form of discipleship we have chosen.

September 1st: Luke 14:1, 7-11

Jesus is at table eating and drinking more times in Luke than in any of the other Gospels. In today’s Gospel Jesus is at the house of one of the Pharisees for a Sabbath meal. The parable which Jesus tells them concerns humility as he watched the guests take the places of honour at the table. The host in the parable is obviously the insightful one, one who is able to expose phoniness in the community. This doesn’t always have to be a negative, sometimes we need people like that to show us our weaknesses, to help us grow. In today’s world real humility can be interpreted as low self-esteem or even a false humility. Archbishop of Canterbury William Temple said, “Humility does not mean thinking less of yourself than of other people, nor does it mean having a low opinion of your own gifts. It means freedom from thinking about yourself at all.”

Hospitality to the stranger is the next topic of conversation as Jesus urges those present to invite, not those who are known to them, but those who are poor, crippled in some way. Real hospitality is the second lesson of this story, to invite people in and to do so without expecting reward. Through real hospitality to the stranger, humility is there.

“If we only pride ourselves on our service record and nothing more, we end up going wrong…We have to be humble, but with real humility, from head to toe” Pope Francis.

Sunday 28th July: Lord, teach us to pray!

The disciples in today’s Gospel are asking Jesus to teach them to pray – it is comforting to know that they too struggled with prayer. Jesus teaches them the Our Father, a manifesto for the coming of the Kingdom of God on earth. While dealing with Kingdom issues, this prayer also addresses the spiritual and physical concerns of those who pray it. In itself, it is a model for prayers of any kind. Luke also includes a parable about the Father’s care for his children. When a child asks a parent for something, do they say yes every time? Is it because they don’t love their children that they say no? Of course not! Yet Jesus says that everyone who asks receives. Luke places a special emphasis on the prayer life of Jesus in his Gospel, frequently mentioning that he was “in a certain place, praying”. There is also a special emphasis on the power of the Holy Spirit. Jesus’ message to the disciples is that if they ask for the Spirit to help them, they will not be refused.

I recently saw a caption on Facebook which read: “God’s three answers to your prayers: 1. Yes. 2. Not yet! 3. I have something better in mind.” God knows our deepest desires and he knows what is best for each of us. While we are trying to figure out what that might be it would be useful to use the disciple’s prayer from the Gospel today: “Lord, teach us to pray.”

Sunday 21st July "Martha Ministers eh?" (Luke 10:38-42)

Mary and Martha are stressed out with all the work they have to do. Jesus has arrived, probably with an entourage who are no doubt hungry. This small passage has created much interest from biblical scholars over the years. For some, it suggests that Jesus is favouring prayer and reflection over action. For others, it justifies the role of women in the church as concerned with hospitality. Many would disagree, and see Mary’s place at Jesus’ feet as a clear sign of a disciple learning from their teacher. Luke places a special emphasis in his Gospel on the wider circle of Jesus’ disciples, and names the women who followed him.

Luke also uses a specific word to refer to the ‘many tasks’ that Martha was concerned about: diakonia – a word that he uses elsewhere in Luke and Acts to refer to ministry and service in a community. It is from this word that we get the word ‘deacon’. Whatever interpretation we want to make, this is a beautiful passage about service, the importance of prayer, discipleship and ministry in all its forms. When we are so bogged down in the craziness around us, Jesus is clear about the way forward. First, sit and listen to him. This is good advice. Then we may be better prepared for the challenges that we face, whether they be in our homes or our wider communities.

Outsider teaches the insider what the insider should have known - the Good Samaritan

Parables are never what they seem. They have a clever way of causing confusion and forcing you to figure out what is really going on beneath the surface. The Samaritan, an outcast, is made the hero of this story. This would have caused outrage amongst those who heard the parable. The oil and the wine have a significant part to play as the priest and Levite may have had such items with them for making sacrifices in the Temple. It is, however, the Samaritan who offers correct worship to God as he uses the oil and wine to clean the man’s wounds. Jesus spoke about a God who was not concerned with the constraints of the Temple, but God who was in the streets. Look at what the Samaritan does for the man on the road: bound his wounds, poured oil, took him to an inn etc. They are all action words. The emphasis in this parable is on action and on compassion. The lawyer is concerned with the limits to ‘love of neighbour’. But there are no limits, no boundaries, no outsiders in God’s Kingdom. Holiness is not separation from the marginalised, but proximity to them.

“Our prayer, our worship, our fasting are of little value to God if we have ignored those of God’s children who suffer on the margins of our societies. We are Christians who follow the message of Jesus, not because we say ‘Lord, Lord’… it is in our compassion that we imitate God who is compassion” (Peter McVerry)

The Seventy-Two ~ 7th July 2013

If you asked Pope Francis what was the most important day in his life: his pontifical inauguration or his baptism, what do you think he would say? Well, the correct answer would be his baptism. As baptised Christians we are all anointed and sent out into the world. In today’s Gospel Jesus sends out the seventy-two ‘ahead of him’ to all the surrounding towns and villages. In all our different roles in society we too are sent out ‘ahead of him’ as teachers, parents, ministers of various kinds, politicians, educators, social workers, students, nurses, whatever category we want to put ourselves into. The seventy-two in this passage are told to take nothing with them, no airs or graces, no judgements, no prejudices, just to go as they are and to meet the people where they are at.

We are all responsible for our Church, not just a select few. We all have different roles to play, we all have responsibilities. Instead of wondering what is going to happen in the future and why the “labourers are so few”, remember that Jesus sent out the seventy-two ahead of him and expects us all to play our role as leaders, as workers, as ministers, as people of God working together so that the ‘Kingdom of God is very near’.

“Do not be a ‘part-time’ Christian, at certain moments, in certain circumstances, in certain choices. Be a Christian at all times!” (Pope Francis)

Trinity Sunday

Elizabeth Johnson describes the Trinity as a flowering plant with its deep invisible root (God) its green stem reaching into the world from that root (Son), and its flower (Spirit) which opens to spread beauty and fragrance and to fructify the earth with fruit and seed. And it is all the one living plant.


We are invited into community with God, to take our place at the table and embrace the relationship that is offered to us. God is community, a community built on love in all its forms. As we bless ourselves today, remember that we are symbolising that great mystery of God, that community of persons, the relationships of love that we are invited into, relationships of giving and receiving, relationships of community and life.

May 19th Pentecost (John 20:19-23)

We can probably recall times when we were afraid, bewildered, felt like everything was falling apart and the doors were firmly locked. Today’s Gospel shows us that even in those difficult times, there is always hope. Jesus came and stood amongst the disciples even though the doors were firmly closed. The peace that he gives them (Shalom) has a much more significant meaning than we first think. The peace that Jesus offers is a peace that this world cannot offer. It is a peace that comes from a loving relationship with God. It is a peace of body, of mind and of spirit.


In John’s Gospel the account of Pentecost is a lot less dramatic than Luke’s version. The Holy Spirit comes gently, in a breath. John emphasises the importance of forgiveness in the mission to come. The disciples are being sent out to reconcile people to God, to restore relationships in the world. Forgiveness is costly but it has the power to transform people and heals destruction in the world, it offer that peace, that Shalom. It is through the Spirit that God is present to us in the world, doors are opened, fear turns to courage as we are sent out to work for a Kingdom of love and justice.

If we could let go of our own obsession with what we think is the meaning of it all, we might be able to hear His call and follow Him in His mysterious, cosmic dance. (Thomas Merton)

May 12th: Luke 24:46-53

Today we celebrate the feast of the ascension and we hear Luke’s account of Jesus leaving the disciples, his final words and gestures to them. Jesus’ departure does not cause the disciples to be anxious, instead we are told that they return to Jerusalem and praise God in the Temple. For Luke, this is a celebration of the mission to come. Luke’s Gospel begins in the Temple and there it ends in anticipation of the Church’s mission, a mission that was meant to be rooted in prayer and service. We might pray these words of St. Teresa of Avila today:

“Christ has no body now but yours, No hands, no feet on earth but yours. Yours are the eyes through which he looks compassion on the world. Yours are the feet with which he walks to do good. Yours are the hands with which he blesses all the world.”

May the 4th/5th be Peace be With You

Today we hear from the Farewell Discourse in John’s Gospel. Jesus is replying to a question about why he does not show himself to the world. The disciples want fireworks, they want everyone to see who Jesus really is and are wondering why he does not put on some big performance for them. Jesus’ response is clear. You can learn all of his teachings off by heart but if you do not have a personal relationship with him, the rest is pointless. Knowing Jesus is about a relationship based on love.
Jesus is trying to explain to the disciples how they will experience him after his death. He is going away, but he is sending the Spirit to be with them and to teach them. He encourages them to not let their hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. “Peace” (Shalom) is more than a wish for a good evening or peaceful day. It expresses the desire that the person receiving the blessing might be whole in body, mind and spirit. It is not a peace that this world can give. It is a peace that comes only from a relationship with Him. Jesus is calling us into a personal relationship, not some superficial learning of key teachings or rituals, but into a real relationship of love.



"We can walk all we want, we can build many things, but if we don't proclaim Jesus Christ, something is wrong. We would become a compassionate NGO and not a Church which is the bride of Christ.” (Pope Francis).

Easter ~ Life always prevails

It is Mary Magdalene who discovers the empty tomb while it ‘was still dark’. The stone of the tomb is a symbol of all that is dark in this world and all those things which keep us from being free. An empty tomb is a powerful symbol, so impossible to explain that it really is a matter of faith. You can accept it or struggle with it or dismiss it entirely. Until you experience resurrection, none of it makes any sense. We can relate to the moments of resurrection in our own lives today remembering a time when we thought our world had ended because of a broken relationship or a tragedy. When we come through such experiences we can begin to understand something of resurrection. There is new life after the hardship has passed, even though we couldn’t see it at the time. Just as Jesus spent his earthly ministry breaking down barriers between people he has shown us that there is always hope in the darkest of situations. Nothing is impossible.

“There are wars and rumours of war, poverty and plague, hunger and pain. Still, the sap is rising, again there is the resurrection of spring, and God's continuing promise to us that He is with us always, with His comfort and joy, if we will only ask." Dorothy Day.

Palm Sunday 2013

This Sunday we read Luke’s account of Jesus’ Passion and we may find ourselves asking, “Where do I stand?” Yes it is the long Gospel but try not to miss the journey that this offers us. Spend time with this gospel during Holy Week.

Simon of Cyrene is an interesting character (Luke 23:26-32) as he is someone who, through no fault of his own, is suddenly caught up in the immense suffering of politics and power. Cyrene is modern day Libya so perhaps Simon had made the pilgrimage from there to Jerusalem for the festival. He may have thought a parade was in progress and then the closer he came to the commotion realised what was happening. He is suddenly ‘seized’ by the soldiers, the cross is thrust upon him and he is forced to walk the path with Jesus. Simon did not choose this path and he has to find God in a suffering he did not expect. Simon is representative of all those caught up in wars and unexpected disasters, those left destitute, those who are bereaved.
Simon’s view then changes as he is not fully participative in Christ’s suffering, he shares in it to a point and then becomes a bystander. In that sense he is representative of people who share in someone’s suffering for a moment, are touched by it and then move on. Perhaps they are powerless to do anything or maybe they simply change the channel on their TV. We know how the story ends, but for now we stay with the brokenness.

Throwing Stones....

It is interesting that although it takes two people to commit adultery, there is no mention of the man in this story. A conspiracy is afoot here. Nevertheless the importance of the event lies in Jesus not condemning this woman to the death penalty as was demanded by Old Testament law (the man would have been subject to the same law by the way!) Once again the Pharisees are trying to trick Jesus. We may wonder what Jesus was writing on the ground as they continued to question him but he delivers a winning punch-line in this debate and the condemners are forced to leave one by one. I presume they had to think about it for a while before admitting defeat.
We live in a stone throwing society that cares little for circumstances that cause people to make wrong choices. We want someone to blame and the sooner the better. We only have to look at our economic situation in Ireland to see the blame game in progress daily. Those who accuse others often do so from a lack of self-knowledge and laziness, because it is very easy to be negative. We all need forgiveness and as we approach Easter we see more clearly what Jesus has done for us by freeing us from all these burdens. We make mistakes but we can always start again. When we relate compassionately to those who are in difficulty we can rediscover our common humanity.
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Break for the Border (4th Sunday of Lent ~ The Lost Son)

The problem with some stories is that we are so familiar with them we tend to switch off after the first few sentences and that would be a shame, especially when this is one of the great blockbuster parables. The Pharisees were a group obsessed with ritual purity and Jesus’ parables of things lost and found is his response to these barriers which excluded people from community and from God. The real challenge in this parable is what happens after the lost son returns. We can probably see more of the elder brother in ourselves than the younger brother. This loyal son deserves the best, he has worked hard, he has never asked for anything in return and would like to see some justice.
God forgives us even after our most stupid mistakes yet we often behave like the elder son: holding grudges, not willing or able to forgive one another. The hard part for the elder brother, for the Pharisees and for us, is recognising that when people seem to be outside of what we think is ‘right’ we need to reach out to them and forget our own petty judgements. God returns the lost to the community, regardless of the boundaries that we have put in place. Luke tells the story well as we are left wondering whether the elder brother joined the celebrations or stayed sulking in the corner.

“To forgive is to set a prisoner free and realise that the prisoner was you” ~ Lewis B. Smedes

Figs Anyone ~ Third Sunday of Lent 2013

The people in the Gospel today are wondering if the Galileans who were killed by Pilate had died because they deserved to. We can empathise with them as we know too well of accidents and tragedies of all kinds where we might ask the same question. Jesus insists that they have not done anything wrong. Their sudden death challenges those still alive to live to the full and to bear much fruit because life can end suddenly, life is fragile, no one is indestructible. The Galileans died because of Pilate, but the greater ‘sin’ here becomes inactivity. Jesus is calling us to action.


The image of the fruitless tree is a call to take a look at our lives and allow our comfortable lives be disturbed by the Gospel message. When the man comes looking for fruit on the fig tree what will he find? The call to follow Jesus is not an easy one. We need to look at ways to bring peace, hope, love, and justice into our communities every day. We use the gift of Lent as an opportunity to identify areas where we can produce more fruit. How are we living? What can we do to make the changes during this Lenten season and beyond?

Choose Luke this Lent

In today’s Gospel we hear Luke’s account of the Temptations of Jesus as he is led, by the Spirit into the wilderness for 40 days. As this is the first Sunday of Lent, we too are being invited into the desert. Wilderness is a great thing. I’m sure all of us cherish any time we can get going for walks in quiet areas, some peaceful part of the day, some timeout for ourselves or whatever it may be. Because let’s face it, our lives are full of noise, distractions, busyness, stress and noise, noise, noise, noise. That’s why I love lent. It is a real gift of a season because it gives each of us a chance to be still, to STOP, to BREATHE, to be still and to have a sort of spring clean. It is an opportunity to ask ourselves “How am I doing?” “Are there areas in my life which need a bit of attention?” Today’s Gospel speaks to us about letting God lead us into the quiet and about God giving us the opportunity to make right choices, to choose God, to choose life.





In this church year, we read from St. Luke’s gospel each Sunday and I want to extend an invitation to you today to explore this gospel in a little more detail. Two years ago 250,000 copies of the Gospel of Luke were distributed across all the parishes in the diocese and we still have hundreds of copies of this Gospel to be distributed over this weekend. Why the focus on Luke’s Gospel this year? There is a lot of talk these days about renewal in the Church in Ireland and it is important to remember that this renewal involves being true to the heart of Jesus’ message. How do we know what that message is? Jesus’ message has been preserved for us in the gospels and therefore we need to explore the Gospel. Archbishop Diarmuid Martin is always asking people whenever he gives a talk anywhere: “Do you really know Jesus?” And it is a good question to ask. We can get to know the person of Jesus through spending time with the gospel texts. So, if we are serious about renewal in our Church, we need to go back to the source of the message.
We might have many questions about the Bible and the gospels within it which we would like to ask but may not have had the opportunity before. For example, who was Luke, where did he get his information? It is thought that Luke wrote his gospel around 80 AD, more than 40 years after Jesus’ death. This fact alone brings questions for us. We may also want to ask, why are there differences in the gospels? Why were some gospels not included in the Bible? People get very excited about all of these questions and the various theories that are out there hoping that they can teach us something new about our faith.

Luke was a skilled writer and it is likely that he came from Syria. He is said to have accompanied St. Paul for some time on his missionary journeys around the Christian communities in the Mediterranean. Luke’s Gospel is one that focuses on the journey of Jesus to Jerusalem, the lives he touched along the way, the prayer life of Jesus and the action of the Holy Spirit. In Luke, there is an emphasis on seeing people, Jesus sees people who have been pushed aside, Jesus sees the marginalised, women, the sick, the outcast, people whom nobody else sees. It is from Luke that we received the great parables such as the Prodigal Son and the Good Samaritan. Luke also emphasises the role of women in Jesus’ ministry more than any other gospel, especially the role of Mary, the Mother of Jesus. Mary is the first disciple. It is from Luke that we get prayers such as the Magnificat and Hail Mary. Luke is concerned with a reversal of fortune between those who have and who have not, between religious hierarchy and God on the streets, a gospel cantered on justice and equality.


So I invite you to look at ways that we can understand more about this gospel text and ways we can pray with the gospel. Can this be one of your Lenten promises – to read St. Luke’s Gospel? And for those of you who fancy doing a bit more than that I invite you to join us on Wednesday night at 7.30pm in the Parish Centre (starting on February 20th) where we will begin to break open this text.
Our Ministers of the Word will distribute these Gospels after mass, please take one home with you, please take one for family or friends if you wish. The season of Lent is a transforming season. We want to arrive at Easter, a little bit changed, a little bit more nourished, a little bit closer to understanding what is at the heart of Jesus’ message for us. Spread the Word.

Hey Theopholis – lover of God?

Today Jesus declares “‘the year of God’s favour”. This is one of the most powerful passages in the New Testament. If Jesus were running for president, this would be his campaign speech. The ‘year of God’s favour’ refers to a Jewish concept of Jubilee where all debts are cancelled and there is a redistribution of wealth and property amongst the community. In the OT this is said to have been declared every 50 years as God interrupts the human systems that create poverty. Imagine a community that lived in such a way. When things went wrong or when people got into trouble, we declared ‘Jubilee’ and started afresh. Jubilee is so called after the ram’s horn that was used to declare it. Jubilee was meant to dismantle structures of inequality. It shows us God’s unending compassion, mercy, generosity and justice. It was a year of restoration. Remember the year 2000 (Jubilee) ‘Drop the Debt campaign’? Imagine a world where every few decades we declared the year of God’s favour and all debts were cleared, slaves set free, and wealth redistributed amongst the community. That is economics according to God. That is how the early Christians tried to live. And so we continue a reading of Luke’s Gospel – one that is concerned with justice, poverty and the rights of all.

“Although they heard you Lord, they failed to listen. They heard only what they wanted to hear. The truth hurt them, you made them feel uncomfortable, and they rejected you…Show us how we may seek your Kingdom and help to bring peace to a troubled world” (Christian Aid ~ Tony Singleton). Jane Mellett ~ Intercom 2013

2nd Sunday in Ordinary Time ~ The Wedding Feast at Cana

As we leave behind the Christmas season, we move into the stories of Jesus’ earthly ministry. In the Church calendar we have entered into what is called ‘ordinary time’. However, there is nothing ‘ordinary’ about ‘ordinary time’ as it is during these weeks that we hear about all the extra-ordinary things that Jesus did during his earthly life. Today’s gospel of the Wedding at Cana is no exception. It follows on from the story of the Wise Men, and of Jesus’ Baptism in revealing to us who Jesus is. For Jews, a wedding was a great symbol of the Kingdom of God. John calls this account a sign, something that is pointing us to a deeper reality. We don’t know whose wedding it is and no one is addressed by their name apart from Jesus. It is a strange story. We can focus on the generosity of the gift in this story. Each stone jar could hold between 20 and 30 gallons of water, six of those would be 120 gallons of water. So how much wine did Jesus provide for the wedding? Let’s say about 120 gallons (500 litres!). This was no small amount of wine that Jesus gifts to the couple.

It is showing huge generosity and quality (he saved the best wine until last). We can thank God today for the abundance of gifts that he has given us – family, friends, creation, food, health. What else are you thankful for today? Jane Mellett Intercom 2013

Sunday 13th Jan 2013 ~ Be A Signpost

John the Baptist was a man whose life was driven by one mission: to point people to Jesus. We may think today of all of those people in our lives who have inspired us, strengthened our faith and pointed us to Jesus. Luke places a special emphasis on Jesus at prayer in his gospel. Jesus prays at the most important moments of his life. In today’s gospel, while Jesus is praying we hear that the heavens opened. That doesn’t mean it started lashing rain but in Jesus’ time it meant that the barrier between this world and the next had been opened. We get an image of the Trinity as God’s voice is heard and a dove descends. These are all signs to show us that Jesus is the Beloved Son of God, and that this is the beginning of his mission. We can think of our own baptism today and what that means. We are all sons and daughters of God and have been moved into the life of God at our baptism and at our Confirmation. That means that we have a responsibility to be part of God’s mission. We are called to take on that responsibility in our parishes, communities, families and in society. We have a responsibility, like John did, to point the way to God. Jane Mellett Intercom 2013

January 6th ~ The Epiphany

A new born baby usually tends to attract visitors and gifts. The Magi are described as wise men from the east. They may have been astronomers or philosophers but most definitely they were people who had their eyes, ears and minds open to the events going on around them, to the signs of their times. We see in today’s Gospel, how God is working through the people that we least expect. The wise men were not considered to be ‘religious’, or ‘the people of God’. Yet, God is working through them in lots of different ways. They may not have been considered ‘righteous’ in their time, but they are certainly people who have come to bow down and worship God. This story has a clear message: that Jesus has come for all people, not just a select few. Today, perhaps we can think about times when we found God in unexpected places. How did we react? What star, what guidance had brought us there? What gifts did we leave there? What gifts were we given there?

“Whenever the Christ in one of us meets the Christ in another, there will be an exchange of gifts. Let this thought protect us from the patronising attitude that we must ‘convert’ the other to our own way of living the Christ-life” Margaret Silf. Jane Mellett Intercom 2013.