One of the great spiritual leaders of our time is the Indian Jesuit Anthony de Mello. Anthony D’Mello said he felt God’s call in his teens. When he asked his father for permission to become a priest, Tony’s dad said no. He had only two other children, both daughters. It was Tony’s duty to carry […]

Very often a book or a film begins with a story about somebody who is searching for somebody or something, a new land, a treasure, or a person.  One of the first books I read was Treasure Island by the Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson; and I will never forget the adventures, the excitement and […]

Flannery O’Connor was an American writer who lived in the early 20th century. She was a catholic and being born in Georgia she lived in the Bible Belt in the Southern states of USA. She wrote a moving story called “The River.” One scene in the story is very similar to today’s gospel reading. There’s […]

Christmas is coming to an end and before we finally end this season, we are invited once again to meditate on the true meaning of Christmas. One of the most meaningful phrases of the whole Christmas story for me came from the pen of Luke speaking about Mary: ‘Mary pondered all these things in her […]

The annual commemoration of the birth of Our Saviour occurs during the darkest days of December and at the end of the calendar year.  In fact, many of the seasonal greetings used at this time combine wishes for both Christmas and the New Year. Of all the celebrations in the calendar, Christmas is the one that […]

In our readings today we have the tale of three kings, and I am not talking about the Magi. These three kings are at the beginning the middle and the end of the Biblical story, Adam David and Jesus. These three kings are the key to understanding the whole Bible. 1. We read in the […]

Our readings today are full of joy and rejoicing. By proposing the figure of Saint John, the Baptist, the Gospel reminds us that full adherence to the Christian vocation, the response to God’s call, is the source of joy and allows us to arrive at the evening of life by living – like John the […]

One of the great landmarks, especially for people travelling to the USA, is the statue of liberty off the East Coast of America (which was donated by the French to commemorate the 100th. birthday of America). Barry Fitzgerald, an Irish Actor who was in the quiet man, going my way and Darby O’Gill and the […]

Many years ago in London, there was a man who wanted to be a missionary, to go to China and to preach the gospel. He then realised that in London, there were many poor children, and many of them were orphans. He could find his mission there, on his doorstep. He started a little home […]

There is an old Irish legend that goes back to the time when kings ruled Ireland. It seems that the reigning king had no children to succeed him on the throne. So, he had his messengers post signs in every town and village of his kingdom inviting young men to apply for an interview with […]