Last Sunday we heard one of the most moving exchanges in the Gospels. I find it difficult to resist the interplay between the imprisoned John the Baptist and Jesus at the height of his public ministry. I really feel for John the Baptist in this passage. He is an extraordinary figure. I Read more…
John the Baptist is a towering figure in Advent. In fact he dominates the gospel of last week and this week. Last week we got a good description of him, his dress, his food, and we heard him in full flow. This week he is in prison, and whilst his conviction and Read more…
‘On Guard!!’ This was our cry as young boys, with our left arm bent, hand on hip, the other hand brandishing our sword as we acted out a fencing scene from The Mark of Zorro or another swashbuckling epic. These sword fights were fast and furious and often ended in one or Read more…
On one of our first trips to the United States, Fr John and myself were working in a summer camp run by the Salesians. On our first day we asked the young people we were working with to queue up. They stared at us blankly. They had no clue what we were Read more…
I had a very unusual encounter with darkness just a few days ago. Unusual in the sense that such a thing rarely happens at least to the degree that it hit me the other day. It was quite intense. It is important to set the scene a little. I had been invited Read more…
‘There they go again, telling us what to do’, ‘They have little to worry them!’, ‘They are not going to tell me what to do with my loved ones ashes, nor my own for that matter!’ ‘My Mum’s ashes are on the sideboard and that’s where they are staying!’ These were just Read more…
Now that we are in the month of November our thoughts turn towards those that we have known, and sometimes loved, who have died. Our society is now less comfortable than ever with death. This is a natural consequence of the move away from organised religion and/or the decrease in faith. We Read more…
AN EVENT NOT TO BE MISSED A special evening in St Matthew’s. We are delighted to welcome Fr. Eamonn Mulcahy. Fr. Eamonn’s address will help us to mark in a fitting way the end of the Year of Mercy. A BRIEF BIOGRAPHY OF FR. EAMONN Fr. Eamonn Mulcahy is a Read more…
Did you ever feel fed up? Now I hasten to add I am not talking about when you are unwell, such as being tired or run down. I am of course not talking about depression, which is a clinical term which deserves both our respect and to be taken seriously. No, I Read more…
Have you any wounds? I mean a physical wound. Big or small. Maybe you got your appendix out. Maybe you are a mother and you have the singularly noble wound of a C-Section. I got my appendix out. I also have a little scar on my second smallest finger on my left Read more…