Heavenly Father, help me lament the loss of the aborted little baby but continue to love it’s mother… Lord Jesus, help me to proclaim the beauty of your gift of sexuality and not shun my transgender fellow pilgrim… Holy Spirit, help me to be faithful to my life of faith Read more…
‘Sit there and keep quiet!’ How often did you hear that as a child? Or a variation of it. ‘Children should be seen and not heard’. Sometimes it might have been more specific. ‘You haven’t a note in your head’ or ‘you can’t dance, you have no rhythm’. Most of Read more…
I met Sinead about three months ago now, and even though I feel a bit strange telling ‘rumbling’ readers this, the truth is I haven’t really got over it. I suppose to say she was gorgeous is a real cliche, but I am trying to find words and, unusually for me, Read more…
Even the sound of the word has a ring to it. It sounds a serious business, which of course it is. ‘Get out of here you blasphemers!!’ What is a blasphemer? Somebody who blasphemes? Well yes, but what is that? What does it mean to blaspheme? Blasphemy is to insult or denigrate Read more…
‘They are neither in the Church, nor out of it. Neither fish nor flesh. These are the modern curse of the Church, these a la carte Catholics. They tick the box. They pick and choose. They use us when they need us, and don’t bother with us the rest of Read more…
‘They are neither in the Church, nor out of it. Neither fish nor flesh. These are the modern curse of the Church, these a la carte Catholics. They tick the box. They pick and choose. They use us when they need us, and don’t bother with us the rest of the time. 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, 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 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, Read more…
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…