Fr. Joe’s writings and rumblings.
Loneliness is a killer disease. Loneliness is never desirable. Many people experience loneliness even whilst in a crowd. The truth is people can belong to a faith community such as ours and still feel very lonely. In fact it is not just people who live alone that are subject to this horrible Read more…
Various things have recently inspired me to think about the communal nature of our faith. The truth is we are called as community. Well, having said that it is true we are called by name, and of course we are called through our baptism to be engaged in a personal relationship with Read more…
As you read this, it is 24 th July. This is a very special day for me. On this day thirty-five years ago I left home. Thus began an adventure that has taken many twists and turns. I have been a Brother, a teacher, a retreat giver, and now a Read more…
A few months ago I heard that a major chocolate producer had decided not to call their famous Easter eggs, ‘ Easter eggs’ anymore as it may cause offence. When I heard this first I smiled as I thought it was, as they say, a bit of a wind-up. I thought that Read more…
Did you ever encounter the worst of religion? Did you ever wonder is it all just religious gobbledygook? Did anyone ever say to you that your religion is nothing more than an emotional crutch? Have you heard of the notion of ‘pie in the sky when you die’? Indeed these are amongst Read more…
I don’t know if it is the same for you, but I am surprised how quickly the time for the NCT, (National Car Test), comes around. This of course is equally true with regard to time for a service. I suppose life is so fast, that before we know it, oil Read more…
I was in a house recently, and the granny, who lived with the family, had asked me to bless a very old picture of the Sacred Heart, which she had brought with her, as one of a few prized possessions. She had come to live with her daughter, and her family. It Read more…
A while back, whilst celebrating a funeral Mass down the country, I had the experience of quite a number of people presenting to receive Holy Communion, who clearly were unsure, or simply did not know, how to respond, to being presented with the Body of Christ. Some nodded, some gave Read more…
I want to be up front with you from the beginning. I think you prefer that. I am asking you to consider this invitation. Please do not just discard it as another invitation. At least think about it. If you don’t mind me saying so, maybe even give it a little prayer Read more…
Amidst the bombs and bullets, that unfortunately were an almost daily feature of life in West Belfast in the 1970s, came the arrival of the beautiful statue of Our Lady of Fatima. I am unclear on the actual date, but I remember the great excitement that accompanied the procession through the streets. Read more…