Fr. Joe’s writings and rumblings.
Dear Ben, First of all thanks for your lovely letter. I had hoped you might write. I know you have been struggling for a while. Your letter is so fresh, so honest. It is great when we can be as real as that with each other. I smiled at the idea that Read more…
I think looking back on it, even as a child, when some of my older relatives said things like, ‘he has a Protestant face, look how close his eyes are’ or ‘look at her nose and especially the jaw-line, you would know straight away she is one of the other side’, I Read more…
‘I get to bed early and stay there until it’s all over’, ‘ it’s the loneliest night of the year’, ‘it’s the most expensive night in the year’, ‘there’s too much hype about it’ these were just some of the phrases I heard used in the few days before New Year’s Eve. Read more…
NOTE: Ideally this should be read around the Crib before sitting down for dinner or alternatively around a lighted candle. (How about holding hands?) Each person could take a line and then everybody else shout out WE THANK YOU. or One person could read it with everybody then coming in on WE THANK Read more…
Well the mince pie season is in full swing and I am delighted, though I must confess I find the mince pie is getting more and more like the sausage: it is quite difficult to get a really good one. Actually come to think of it the sausage is worse. Unfortunately more Read more…
‘We have tested and tasted too much, lover – Through a chink too wide there comes in no wonder. But here in the Advent – darkened room Where the dry black bread and the sugarless tea Of penance will charm back the luxury Of a child’s soul, we’ll return to Read more…
If you had a ‘swear box’ in the kitchen or the car and every time you used the name of Jesus you had to put in two euro, would there be much in it at the end of the day? The end of the week? I actually believe it is the worst Read more…
That’s exactly what she said. It was just after a funeral Mass. It was a lady that has visited St. Matthew’s a few times. I think she comes up from down the country. This was the comment she made to me when she came over to say thanks. We had a little Read more…
You’re the devil in disguise Oh yes you are….. (Elvis Presley) I know now, at least I think I know now, the story I was told as a young fella was just an old wives tale prompted by our fixation with being frightened and at times being the one who does the Read more…
Who’s that knocking on the door: who’s that ringing on the bell? Did you ever live in fear of the Sheriff coming to your door. That’s not a nice place to be. If he was coming, you would know he was coming. If that was the case that was quite literally Read more…