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.

30 Dec Lost in the Temple? (Luke 2:41-52)

In this Gospel we get a glimpse of Jesus as a young boy as he disappears for three days while the family are on pilgrimage to Jerusalem. Searching for a lost child for even 20 minutes is a most nerve wracking event for a parent. But to lose the Son of God for three days is something else. You might think that Jesus is even being disobedient to his parents in this story. We should remember that ancient writers often included a scene from the childhood of their hero in order to show the signs of great things to come. Jesus is eventually found sitting with the teachers in the Temple and is revealed as a very wise teacher.

While this gospel gives us a glimpse of the young boy Jesus, it is also a reminder of our own helplessness to do anything but let God’s dream be dreamed. Jesus knew this in a way that his parents could not fully grasp: “Why have you done this to us?” Mary and Joseph experience the tension between the anxieties of our world and the need to listen and live centred on God. Today we celebrate the feast of the Holy Family, we pray for families everywhere, for parents and children and ask God to be with them, to guide them and protect them. “The attraction of the journey is stronger than the pull of all the picnics on the way” ~ Margaret Silf.

"RABBI!... I want to see!" 30th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Mk 10:46-52

In today's Gospel we hear about Jesus' healing of Bartimaeus. What is remarkable about this story is the courage of Bartimaeus and his expectant faith. We pray for those who are on the margins of society and those who are suffering. Some of the crowd attempt to silence Bartimaeus. We pray for those who persecute others. We pray for those whose voices cannot be heard. Bartimaeus calls out louder because he has the kind of faith that speaks up and acts up. If Bartimaeus had believed quietly in Jesus, he would not have been noticed. We pray for those who are persistent in their faith and in their actions for healing and justice regardless of the consequences. Some of the crowd encourage Bartimaeus telling him to have courage and get up. We pray for those who work on the fringes of society, whose eyes and ears have been opened to the voiceless. Jesus asks "what do you want me to do for you?" We pray that we may have the courage to ask God for what we need no matter how impossible it may seem. Bartimaeus wants to see. We pray that we may all have our eyes opened to the realities of the world around us, that we too may take courage and ´get up´. We pray for those who do not want to have their eyes opened because they are afraid. Bartimaeus' healing is immediate and he follows Jesus on the way. We pray that we may receive the same insight as Bartimaeus so that we can follow Jesus on 'the way'.

Mission Sunday 2012

“For the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve” (Mark 10:35-45) Today, Mission Sunday, Catholics worldwide are asked to recommit themselves to mission, to the Gospel message. Many people think of missionaries as those who travel to so-called developing countries and dedicate their lives to serving the poor and spreading the Gospel. Today we pray especially for them but we also recommit ourselves to following the Gospel message in prayer, in our daily lives and relationships with others. We live in an extremely unequal world that is in desperate need of the Gospel message of hope, solidarity, peace, love and equality. The Mission month of October reminds us all that we are bearers of that message. We are all called to be missionaries wherever we live; we are all invited to love and serve God by loving and serving others. That’s how we share our faith with the world. The Mission month of October offers everyone the chance to renew their commitment to the Gospel message. Can we be missionaries to our own families and to the people around us?

The impossible is often the untried...

Today’s gospel (MK 10:17-27) reminds me of the Olympic games in London a few months back as I was literally glued to the TV for two weeks of good news stories, images of solidarity, humanity at its best and the universal language of sport breaking down all cultural and political barriers (if only for 16 days). What struck me most was the interview given by Katie Taylor right after she won her gold medal, her first words being “Where would I be without God in my life?” Katie decided aged 11 she would be Olympic champion and aged 26 that’s exactly what she achieved. Katie talks of the Bible as her psychological tool and Jesus as the strength in her life.

The man in today’s Gospel is a man of faith but he wants to know what rules to obey and what things to avoid so that he can simply get on with things and achieve some deeper existence without too much bother. The man goes away sad perhaps thinking about a goal he had set but not achieved because he was unwilling to give everything. What Jesus asks seems impossible to him. We are not given impossible tasks. We are given dreams that can be achieved but that will involve hard work, determination, perseverance and bouts along the way. There is no easy path to a deeper involvement with life, whether that be in our relationship with God or with a community, a cause or a lifelong dream. We are reminded that ‘all things are possible with God’.

October 7th Mark 10:2-16

In today’s Gospel Jesus is being tested again with a controversial question on remarriage. “Is it legal…?” this honour/shame spectacle is challenging Jesus’ interpretation of the Torah and Jesus immediately tries to take his questioners beyond the letter of the Law. He reminds us of God’s creation and the harmony that exists or that should exist in the world around us. While the questioning refers specifically to remarriage, Jesus’ response is that we are all equal and should strive to stay away from all that causes disharmony.

The story of the little children may appear a separate incident but it again involves human relationships. The word ‘children’ meaning ‘little ones’ is not referring solely to children but to those in society who are considered ‘little’. What does Jesus do for them? He welcomes the rejected, he blesses them, he shows us that they are unique and each have something to teach us. “Lord, there are many things in life which you have made complementary, not two, but together forming one reality: young and old in a community; men and women in relationships; people of different cultures in our one world; body and soul within each of us. It is difficult to make this unity, and so we allow ourselves to divorce these things from each other. We see them as opposed and in competition. We thank you for Jesus who taught us that it was not so at the beginning of creation, and what you have united we human beings have no right to divide” (Michael de Verteuil).