Mark Twain wrote a story called “The Terrible Catastrophe”. It is about a group of people who get trapped in a tragic situation. They are doomed to die. They have no way of escape. Mark Twain didn’t want the story to end unhappily and so he concluded his story with these two sentences. ‘I have […]

Some years ago divers located a 400 year old sunken ship off the coast of Northern Ireland. Among the treasures they found on the ship was a man’s wedding ring. When they cleaned it up they found these words etched on it beneath the image off a hand holding a heart: I have nothing more […]

This past week there has been a lot of talk about climate change and we have seen dramatic and colourful images on different programmes of what will happen in our big cities, if we don’t act now. As we approach the end of the liturgical year, the words and images of today’s gospel are reminiscent […]

All the readings in today’s Mass speak to us about one of the eternal truths, namely eternal life. An old and infirm man was living in a shack on the edge of the forest. One winter’s morning he got up to find only one meal of porridge left, the fireplace empty, and snow on the […]

One of the disadvantages of social media is that it turns us all into spectators, onlookers, and bystanders. It’s very easy to pass judgement by posting something on Facebook or Instagram or tweet something we know very little about. Suppose you are a nature lover. Now, you don’t have to get your shoes dirty, or […]

One of the dreams and desires of many Christians is to visit the Holy Land, and retrace the landmarks associated with the life of Jesus Christ. One of the central building there is the Church of Nativity which is built over the cave in which Jesus was born. The entrance to that Church is through […]

In Ireland today we hear and see a lot of homelessness, and many times we come across homeless and poor people. In my former Parish in Borris the Parochial House was right beside the church on the main street and I would have got many callers to the house asking for money and many people […]

Story told of this wealthy person who lived in Scottish Highlands, he was richly endowed with worldly goods. Stately mansion, overlooking a beautiful valley.  There was a basic emptiness in his life. He had no religious beliefs; he was possessed by his possessions. At the entrance to his estate lived his herdsman, John. John was […]

The gospel today gives us three classic parables of Jesus, each one exploring the notion, which is at the heart of the spiritual life, namely that God is the one who searches for us. Today we speak a lot about searching for God but the Bible speaks to us about Gods quest for us. The […]

Discipleship is a costly business. We all know too well that to be a follower of Christ in the world today is a daunting task; sufferings, trials, temptations will be our constant companions. But Jesus never hid this fact from us; look at today’s gospel. Many times we would be tempted to say: ‘God I […]