‘Oh Father, I couldn’t begin to tell you. Where do I start?’ This is not an uncommon line from someone speaking about their family. Often when I hear this comment it makes me smile and think of my own family. I especially think of a few years before my Mum died and I told her that I was doing a bit of work on the family tree, she was excited and looked forward to hearing Read more…
‘Oh Father, I couldn’t begin to tell you. Where do I start?’ This is not an uncommon line from someone speaking about their family. Often when I hear this comment it makes me smile and think of my own family. I especially think of a few years before my Mum died and I told her that I was doing a bit of work on the family tree, she was excited and looked forward to hearing more about it. Read more…
If you don’t remember the hit number one song with this title by The Clash, from 1981, I am sure in these Google days you will be able to get it. Should I stay or should I go now? Should I stay or should I go now? If I go, there will be trouble And if I stay it will be double…… In the past week or so I have met a lot of people who Read more…
This morning, Saturday, the day the votes in the referendum are being counted I was in the Phoenix Park. I was feeling pretty heavy hearted. As someone who wrote and preached and indeed voted no, whilst I was not surprised at the outcome, as I had fully expected the Yes campaign to win, I was indeed taken aback at the size of the victory. Here in Ballyfermot the gap between the Yes and No votes was huge. (we are Read more…
It’s amazing how often I meet people who say that the Trinity means nothing to them. They say that it’s too vague, too far away from them. Too complicated. They even say that it has no bearing on their life. It goes further. I have people say to me that their faith life is rooted in Jesus, which of course is marvelous, but then they go on to say that they have no connection with the Read more…
Weighing it up. I agree, that women’s health has and continues to have an appalling record in this country and we need to deal with this,that no woman should be pregnant and alone, that the ‘hard cases’, of rape / incest are appalling, that women ‘having to travel’ is heartbreaking, and I can understand slogans like ‘it’s my body.’ However let’s be clear, none of the above, on their own or collectively justifies the deliberate killing of the unborn baby, a beautiful Read more…
‘Abide with me; fast falls the even tide; The darkness deepens; Lord, with me abide; When other helpers fail and comforts flee, Help of the helpless, oh, abide with me.’ This is the first verse of the great and beautiful hymn that we often sing at Night Prayer. The world we live in today in 2018 is a very different world to that of Henry F. Lyte in 1847. In his day poverty and the threat of Read more…
N.B. Over the next four weeks the ‘rumblings’ will be taken up with the upcoming Referendum. The titles are as follows: Today: ‘Letter to the Women of Ireland’ May 6th: ’10 Questions about the Referendum’ May 13th: ‘Darkness Deepens?’ May 20th: ‘The Polling Booth’ Dear Sisters, I realise from the outset, with regard to the referendum, that as I am a man, and not only a man, but a man without wife or children, many would feel Read more…
Did you hear the one about the Motley Crew and the Pope? One of my favourite pieces of Gospel text is Matthews going away bash! (Matt 9:9-13) I am sure you remember it, he has just heard the invitation of Jesus, he has found enough in his heart to say some sort of yes. Like the fishermen, Peter, Andrew, James and John, he too got the special and personal invitation whilst at work. They were told to Read more…
I grew up with loud booming cries of ‘No Pope here!’ and ‘ We want an end to Popery!’ I think a lot of us can look back on that now with something of a wry smile, though for sure it was not particularly funny at the time. In 1979 when the Polish Pope, the man from behind the Iron Curtain, was telling us, the youth of Ireland, that he loved us, I was in the stand Read more…