Christmas Day (Vigil) Luke 2:1-14

“Glory to God in the highest heaven!”

Tonight we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, our Lord. This account of his birth from Luke shows Jesus being born into a situation of total oppression. Luke reminds us of the political regime which controls the land and the effect this has on the people. Mary must still travel to Bethlehem even though she is about to give birth. The shepherds, only found in Luke’s account, are social outcasts due to their profession. It is not a romantic or tranquil setting as the shepherds would have suffered all kinds of deprivations and dangers. Everything about this story is provocative and uneasy. Into this ‘mess’ God is born; this saviour, the Lord, a homeless child, is one who will turn the situations of people upside down, who promises release to captives and sight to the blind. The angels rejoice with the Shepherds, the ‘highest’ and the ‘lowest’. The poor and marginalised will be the first to experience the abundance of God’s hospitality and the shepherds come in their name.

We are invited to Bethlehem today, to open up our hearts to the One who has come. We return, like the shepherds ‘glorifying and praising God for all they have seen and heard’. All are welcome to the manger. May we welcome all as God does, with compassion and love. Shalom.

“O Come, O Come, Emmanuel, come forth from deep within me with Christmas luminous beauty. For my heart has become the sacred crib, the birthing place of God-among-us.”(Edward Hays)

Third Sunday of Advent - JOY

Last week we were introduced to John the Baptist as part of our Advent journey. We hear his story again today and in this account, from the fourth Gospel, we hear John’s voice and his testimony about Jesus. Light and darkness is a key theme of the fourth Gospel and in its opening verses proclaims that this light has always shone in the dark; the darkness cannot overpower it. The evangelist goes on to tell us that John the Baptist’s mission is that he has been sent by God to ‘speak for the light’. John is a light bearer, he is not the light, but he points to the light. He is a witness to the light of God in our world, a light that cannot be put out.

We celebrate this light today on Gaudete Sunday, Gaudete which means ‘rejoice’, we light the pink candle and we celebrate with joy. It might be a good opportunity to ask today ‘who have been the light bearers on your own faith journey’? Who testified to the Light of God and passed the torch on to you? We thank God for them.

“Lord there is much darkness in society and in our church… We become cynical and settle for mediocrity. We thank you that someone always comes on the scene, sent by you as a witness to speak for the light….teachers, community leaders, grandparents, children, a friend….they bear witness to the rest of us that somewhere in the dark a light shines that darkness cannot overcome.”(Michel de Verteuil)

First Sunday of Advent ~ 2nd Dec 2017

"Keep Awake"

We are surrounded these days by the commercial ‘circus’ of Christmas shopping and ‘getting ready’? It might seem far removed from the story that we are celebrating; the story of a poor refugee family 2,000 years ago who had a very special delivery. The story of God choosing to intervene in human history in such an intimate and shocking way; God choosing to be born into a situation of poverty and danger. It is good to ask ourselves at this time of year, what are we getting ready for? Advent is a wonderful season which invites us to use our waiting to grow spiritually. We are invited to make space for ourselves and for God in the midst of the rushing. Can we stop and be still and ask ourselves: ‘Where do I see God being born around me today?’ In those I meet? In kind words and gestures, in my community, in my own heart? 

Have a more ‘aware’ advent. Be mindful in all you do. Be aware in your rushing, be aware as you stand in that queue, be aware as you eat, be aware of your feelings, be aware of your thoughts. By watching all of this we become more awake, more able to recognise our true selves and more able to see God being born continuously each day within us and around us. Our awe and wonder grows and we can be prepared for the coming of the Gift himself. How we prepare determines what will be. 

Sunday 19th Feb 2017: Matthew 5:38-48 ‘Turn the other cheek’

Today we hear and read one of the most famous passages in the Gospels: love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you. It is a radical text and not so easy. How can we be expected to love those who have hurt us or done harm to us? Anthony de Mello, an Indian Jesuit, who wrote many books on spirituality, spoke often about the concept of ‘loving enemies’. When someone hurts us, when someone triggers emotional pain in us, de Mello suggests that we try to come to the realisation that we are ‘standing before our benefactor’. The situation is a reminder that we are still to grow and we are hurt because someone has not met our expectations. It is these expectations that we must let go of. We can learn from the other who has wronged us: how has this affected me? What do I need to let go of?

The teachings in this passage are radical and go against what we hear around us in our world like calls for retribution and revenge. However Jesus has high expectations of his followers, to go against the grain. Jesus is not encouraging passiveness. He is inviting people to a ‘third way’: to make a non-violent stand when faced with persecution. By ‘offering the other cheek’ we allow for the potential of conversion of the other to a realisation of what they have done. The easy option is to retaliate, to not see our brother or sister standing before us. We can offer them an opportunity to see our own sacred humanity. ‘Loving our enemies’ is a call to constantly move towards restoring relationships, offering mercy and peace.  

‘An eye for an eye will leave the whole world blind’. Gandhi. 

Sunday 5th Feb 2017: Salt of the Earth ~ Light of the World (Mt 5:13-16)

In today’s Gospel we hear of two scenarios where salt is concerned: one is that we are called to be ‘salt of the earth’. What salt does for food, Christians are called to do for the world – to give life ‘taste’. You might recall someone who brought ‘taste’ to your own life, encouraging you on your journey, offering hope, a new insight or project, someone you followed and learned from. What gifts did they bring?

The other scenario in the Gospel today is where salt has lost its taste – how can it be restored? You might recall someone you placed great hope in, whether it be a family member, a public figure, a church leader or politician; someone who had vision and inspired others. Yet the ‘salt’ or the ‘taste’ was lost. We see this all around us in our world, when someone’s potential is lost.

There are many situations in our world today where people’s light is not allowed to shine. It is controlled, hidden, prevented from being used for the benefit of all because of jealousy or perhaps others are afraid of the consequences. Jesus tells us that these lights must shine, for all, and then we can give glory to God in heaven for the fruits it may produce. To help lights shine and to give flavour to the world is our task today. Another way of putting it might be: how are the effects of our encounter with Jesus Christ evident in our lives?

November 20th 2016: Luke 23:32-43 ‘Christ the King’

This is the final Sunday of Year C and as we draw to a close our reading of Luke’s Gospel we hear the account of Jesus’ crucifixion. It is the Feast of Christ the King and this Gospel certainly gives us an opportunity to lay aside a lot of cultural baggage we may have 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. Few ‘kings’ can measure up to this: responding to violence with forgiveness, giving those with no hope a reason to hope. Today’s Gospel gives a powerful image of Jesus as servant King, like a beacon light for society in today’s world. Who do you know in our world today who is the more living example of this type of kingship, making daily sacrifices in endless service to those around them?

 “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

Nov 13th - Luke 21:5-19 ‘Endurance’

At some point we have all seen and heard someone shouting on the street or on the internet about the end of the world. You’d be forgiven for thinking that today’s Gospel is trying to achieve the same thing. 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 tries to comfort the people regarding various crisis that will happen; the call is to take perspective, to 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 people 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

25th September: Luke 16:19-31 ‘Rich Man & Lazarus’.

Last Sunday’s Gospel reminded us of what economics according to God looks like – it spoke of a redistribution of wealth by a manager who realised that material wealth is only temporary; what we do with that wealth and how we distribute it is more important. Today’s parable is on a similar theme. The rich man is sorry but it is too late for him. He had not come to his senses as the manager last week had done. The rich man is unwilling to change; even in the afterlife he wants Lazarus sent, ordered, to go to his brothers to warn them. It is not proof or special signs that they need. Their vision has been blinded by wealth. They need to ‘see’ the poor who are at their gates.

God’s economics means striving for a world where the poor man Lazarus can sit down at the same table as the rich man. It is not simply enough to comfort the poor and say to them that they will be rewarded in heaven. This misses the point. Luke is pointing us to a great reversal that is so central to this Gospel, a call to turn the world as we know it upside down.

 ‘It is not God’s will for some to have everything and others to have nothing’. Oscar Romero

September 18th: Luke 16:1-13 ‘Kingdom Economics’

If you think that all the parables that Jesus told were nice stories about people of integrity then today’s parable will surely make you think again. This is a parable about a scoundrel, yet it praises him and his wisdom.

The manager has been given notice by his CEO and he decides to even up the tables, while he still can, for those who are struggling to pay their debts to the company. The manager is praised for his astuteness, he has his priorities straight, he is happy to let debt go, to redistribute the load. Of course there is self-interest on his part but Jesus is telling us that the only value the money really has is in the way it is disposed of and in doing this the manager wins the hearts and minds of the workers.

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. The manager is free-spirited and can be trusted to value what is really important. He knows that none of this material wealth is permanent and uses the authority that he has to relieve the suffering of those who are indebted to his company. Yes he is a bit of a scoundrel, but Jesus liked scoundrels, once their efforts were put to good use.

“God’s dream for creation is different from Pharaoh’s dream or Rome’s dream or Wall Street’s dream. And at the centre of God’s economy is the idea of redistribution…It is an invitation to holy mischief!” (Shane Claiborne)

September 11th: Luke 15:1-32 ‘The Lost Parables’

The three parables of things lost and found emphasise the unending forgiveness of God and God’s rejoicing for those who return. In each of the situations there is a frantic search for that which is lost and a huge celebration when the lost is found.

In the third parable of the Lost Son there is much to reflect on. We hear that the younger brother eventually ‘came to his senses’. We might pray today that God shows us the aspects of our lives in which we also need to ‘come to our senses’.

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 a much deeper and more painful process. The elder brother in the third parable feels hard done by, is deeply hurt, full of anger and resentment. Luke, being the excellent storyteller that he is, does not tell us the outcome of the story; it is for us to finish for ourselves. The elder brother has two options: he can walk away full of resentment or he can try to let go of the anger he feels towards his brother. The latter is a more difficult path but it is the only one that leads to life, no matter how painful the journey may be. The Father stands there pleading for the elder brother to come in.

“Forgiveness isn’t about releasing someone from accountability for his actions. It is about us letting go of our anger and resentment.” 

April 17th 2016: Fourth Sunday of Easter ~ John 10:27-30

“I know them and they follow me”

During this Easter season we are celebrating the presence of the Risen Jesus in our lives and in our world. Jesus tells us that he knows his flock and because of this ‘knowing’, they follow him.

As Christians, we are called towards ‘knowing’ God more intimately and more deeply. Each of us, on our own journeys and paths, vocations and ministries, are part of this ‘flock’ because of the deep desire to ‘know’ God more deeply. It is a very special thing. No matter what our role is in our community, parish, church and so on, it is important to remember what it is that brings us together  – the desire to know God, to know God’s love and to share that love and ‘knowledge’ with others, especially those who are lost and at the margins.

Very often, those most ‘lost’ in our communities do not experience the presence of the Christian community as they should; they can be cast aside and excluded. Jesus tells us here, no one can snatch them out of His hand.  

This week can you try to recognise that deep desire within you to know God more fully? What does that mean for you? What does that mean for those you meet in your day to day life?

“If you have come to help me, you are wasting your time. But if you have come because your liberation is bound with mine, then let us go together” (Aboriginal Woman, anonymous). 

First Sunday of Advent 2015 (Luke 21: 25-28, 34-36)

Happy New (church) Year! Today is the First Sunday of Advent and we begin the season of ‘waiting’. 

The Gospel today has powerful (and perhaps distressing) images of great signs that will appear. For many of us this year we saw lots of signs that Christmas was coming, even as far back as September, which is more distressing than any of the images in the Gospel today. Some people love that feeling of expectancy, of waiting for someone or something to arrive. It can be quite an exciting time or even one of anxiety. Very often we are on high alert during such a time, and often quite creative. We are asked to enter into the season of preparation, to celebrate God in our lives and in our world. It is a season of great joy and of hope and while waiting is not always seen as a good thing, it can be an interesting time of growth. So, what will our preparations be like? In the middle of the crazy, busy days in the run up to Christmas, can we stop and invite God into our hearts and lives once more?

“As with madness we prepare for this festive time of year, as we rush and count the days, Advent passes in a haze, So may our feet take us to places where we will meet You” (Janet Lees)

Sunday November 22nd ~ Christ the King

The Feast of Christ the King is the final Sunday in the liturgical calendar. In the Gospel today, Pilate is concerned with what type of King Jesus is and what kind of Kingdom he is talking about? To understand what type of kingship Jesus is talking about we need to lay aside a lot of the cultural baggage that we have about Kings and Kingdoms. There are no palaces, no pomp and ceremony involved here. Jesus’ Kingdom is concerned with justice for the weak and the oppressed.

At our baptism we were each anointed as ‘priest, prophet and king’ and therefore we share in this kingship that Pilate is wondering about. We are called to show the world that Jesus’s followers are concerned with love and service of others; that Jesus’ Kingdom is built on a different kind of foundation. With so much brokenness in the world we are called to transformative service. There are no shortage of causes: the refugee crisis; homelessness; climate justice…

At the end of this month, world leaders gather in Paris at ‘COP21’ to try to come to a universal agreement on addressing climate change. We pray that the ‘Kings’ and ‘Presidents’ of this world take strong action to protect our planet. “We pray for the representatives of the nations meeting in Paris, and in every government everywhere—and all business leaders and consumers—that we will see nature as a magnificent book in which God speaks to us and grants us a glimpse of his infinite beauty and goodness. (LS 12)” #pray4cop21 

All Saints Day ~ Matthew 5:1-12.

Today we celebrate All Saint’s Day and to celebrate this feast the Gospel we read is The Beatitudes. It is an interesting passage to spend time with. Jesus is not moralising in this text, he is not telling us what to do. He is stating facts and we are invited into each Beatitude and given space to draw our own conclusions. The Beatitudes may shock us, but they force us to think and to ponder the paradox in each statement. There is much human experience within each one and as you read them you may recognise your local or ‘urban saints’.

This week can you spend time with each beatitude? There are seven so one per day is totally doable. Who are the peacemakers around you? Who are those who are persecuted? Who is mourning? The beatitudes call us to live life more fully, to see all as connected. Saints are all around us, pointing the way for us, teaching us something about God through their lives. They persevere in all they do for their families and communities, especially those on the margins. They are the blessed ones.

“Saints make our hypocrisy so apparent that we want to change our lives – not because of guilt but because we want to be alive, we want to be more like Jesus…[they] leave us the scent of God, the aroma of Christ. In God’s flirting with humanity, God occasionally drops a handkerchief – and these handkerchiefs are called saints” (Shane Claiborne). 

Sunday 6th September "Creation Time"

'EPHPHATHA’ (Mark 7:31-37)

Between 1 September and 4 October (the feast of St Francis of Assisi) Christian churches celebrate the season of ‘Creation Time’. It is an opportunity for us to reflect on the gift of our world and to look at our relationship with the planet. There is no better time for us as individuals and as parish communities to consider our responsibilities to act on climate change, especially in light of Pope Francis’ recent encyclical Laudato Si. 

In the Gospel today, as Jesus opens the ears of a deaf man, he says ‘Ephphatha – Be Opened’. May our ears be opened to the cries of the earth and to the poor who suffer the most because of climate injustice. What a wonderful and prophetic action it would be in celebration of ‘Creation Time’ if each parish community committed to beginning a JPiC (Justice, Peace & Integrity of Creation) group? Or perhaps thinking ahead to the feast of St Francis, ask ourselves how can we as parish communities celebrate the gift of creation? Great things can happen when small groups of people come together and act locally. How will your parish celebrate ‘Creation Time’? (For more info: http://ecocongregationireland.com/)

‘I wish to address every person living on this planet… I urgently appeal for a new dialogue about how we are shaping the future of our planet. We need a conversation which includes everyone, since the environmental challenge we are undergoing, and its human roots, concern and affect us all’.

Pope Francis, Laudato Si’, 1, 14

First Sunday of Lent ~ Mark 1: 9-15 "Urgent Wilderness"

The Gospel today sends us out into the ‘wilderness’. It may be a daunting concept with the ‘wild beasts’ but we need not worry. This short passage from Mark is clear about who is in charge; it is the Spirit who sends. Very often we need some ‘wilderness’ to help us stop and reflect on our lives and where we are going. In this sense Lent can be a very special season for many people and the Gospel texts offer a particular richness that invite us to transformation and real change. Each Lent we are invited to choose life; to choose the things that are life giving for us and to clear out the blocks that stand in our way.

This year we are asked to engage with the urgent issue of Climate Justice as Trocaire’s Lenten Campaign brings us to the ‘cradle of humanity’: Ethiopia. When we picture this amazing country we probably think of images of famine or hunger. This biased image does not do justice to what is a vibrant country with a reputation for amazing landscapes, an ancient culture, a diversity of languages and food; its unique Christian churches and saints. 

We are invited into this beautiful land this Lent, to listen to people’s stories, to hear their struggles and to think deeply about the kind of world we want for generations to come. Climate Change is having disastrous effects for people all over the world and we are having a direct impact with Ireland the second highest polluter per capita  in the EU. If we do anything this Lent, please let us think about how we can live more sustainable lives. There is a lot to reflect on as we enter the wilderness. 

“I wonder if I’ve been changed in the night? Let me think. Was I the same when I got up this morning? I almost think I can remember feeling a little different. But if I’m not the same, the next question is ‘Who in the world am I?’ Ah, that’s the great puzzle!” ( Lewis Carrol)

Talents ~ Sunday 16th November

The parable we read today is not a lesson in capitalism. We must bear in mind that Jesus is frustrated with those who had been entrusted with ministering to His people. They had excluded the people and laid heavy burdens upon them. When we read the parable in this sense we can understand the exasperation of the Master. The talents should have been used to transform people’s lives; used for embracing those on the margins; for standing up against injustice and inequality in the world. Yet many were afraid or blind to this, so they hid the talents and did not multiply them. It is a safer place to be.

Compare this outcome to the other servants. There is a beautiful verse in both cases which reads “enter into the joy of your master”. Is this not what happens when we find that path that is right for us? Joy! When we use our talents and gifts in work or projects that are life giving and meeting the needs of our communities? Joy is a fantastic emotion; a sign of God’s grace. Despite the frustrations of whatever work we are involved in, the presence of joy is one sign that we are on the Kingdom track. The challenge is not to be afraid to go out there. Pope Francis asks that we have the ‘smell of the sheep’ and calls us to “be courageous. A Church that does not go out of itself, sooner or later, sickens from the stale air of closed rooms”.

Sunday November 9th 2014 ~ Cleansing of the Temple

Today we celebrate the dedication of the Basilica of St. John Lateran, historically the oldest church in Rome. It was the residence of the Pope for centuries and remains his cathedral. It is considered the mother of all churches! Our Gospel passage for this feast almost seems to be in contradiction as it recalls Jesus cleansing the Temple in Jerusalem.

The theology of the Temple was such that to get to God you had to qualify culturally, socially and in terms of ‘purity’. The goods sold in the Temple markets were used in sacrifices so that people could meet the requirements to be ‘closer’ to God. You can understand why Jesus was angry and challenged this model. He tells people early on in John’s Gospel that HE is God’s Temple. God cannot be confined. Jesus’ words are too controversial for his listeners and challenging such powerful structures comes at a price.

We can take away many reflections from today’s feast: we celebrate the church as a place of encounter with God; we are also reminded that God is not confined to one building or the structures placed around it. We gather as community in prayer and worship in our churches united with Christians all over the world, yet we remember that it is the people who gather there in Jesus’ name who are the real church. The Temple of God is the Christian community, the body of Christ with Jesus as its foundation. This is pre-echoed in the second reading today from St. Paul when he says: “For the Temple of God is holy and you are that Temple”.

The Parable of the Two Sons & Homeless Jesus (Matthew 21:28-32)

The ‘Homeless Jesus’ statue was sculpted by Timothy Schmalz (sculpturebytps.com), to bring attention to the chronic problem of homelessness in Toronto and depicts a homeless person on a bench, covered in a blanket. On closer inspection there is a noticeable characteristic, the person bears the wounds of crucifixion. This is Jesus, the homeless wandering preacher. One particular parish were initially enthusiastic in having the sculpture outside their doors but after some reflection decided against it. Parishioners found it ‘offensive’; ‘provocative’ and ‘not an appropriate image’. One lady even called the police! What a debacle?! The ‘Homeless Jesus’ statue eventually found a home; a place where Christians were not afraid to acknowledge Jesus in the most marginalised. The work is now considered to be a meditation on Matthew 25.

Today’s parable reminded me of that story. The parable is a simple tale about two brothers, one who eventually shows through his actions that he has heard a message, the other who does not. The chief priests listening to the parable are forced to admit that it is the first brother who has acted correctly. However, they are behaving more like the second.

It is almost comical listening to Jesus say: ‘the tax collectors and prostitutes are going into the Kingdom ahead of you’.

‘I have long since come to believe that people never mean half of what they say, and that it is best to disregard their talk and judge only their actions.’
Dorothy Day

God's Love Is Just Different ~ Mt 20:1-16 (Sunday 21st September 2014)

In today’s parable Matthew is addressing an issue in the community where people are unhappy with certain groups being included in God’s Kingdom… they were there first! We can identify with the characters: times when we felt hard done by; times we made comparisons between ourselves and others. Whereas ‘THEY’? Well, ‘they’ are the cause of the problem, benefiting in some way from our perceived injustice.

“Friend, I am doing you no wrong.” This is a moment of grace where God is freeing people from jealousy; there is enough to go around, everyone has received what they were promised. Even in our relationships with one another, people sometimes want to possess and take all for themselves. In reality God (and people) can love others unconditionally without taking anything away from us. If we could liberate ourselves from such insecurities and not let them take hold, life would be a lot happier. Have you been wronged? Has an injustice occurred to anyone else? No, then why worry? The workers expect a judgemental God and often we too confine our image of God to a distributor of justice. God’s justice is more concerned with generosity and compassion, there is plenty for all. God’s love is just…different.

“True love is delicate and kind, full of gentle perception and understanding, full of beauty and grace, full of joy unutterable... With such a love one would see all things new; we would begin to see people as they really are, as God sees them.” ― Dorothy Day