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Archive for the month “March, 2025”

29 Mar 2025

4th Sunday of Lent

This weekend we celebrate the fourth Sunday of Lent In the First Reading  Israel enters the promised land they celebrate the Passover in their new home which gives them food from its soil and rest from their wandering. The Israelites celebrated Passover at Gilgal and ate the produce of Canaan. The manna ceased, and they no longer had manna as they ate the land’s produce. In the Second Reading Paul tells the Corinthian church that anyone who lives in Christ is a new creation. They are ambassadors for Christ whom God uses to call others to reconciliation. God reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the message of reconciliation.

We are called to be  reconciled to God through Christ. In the Gospel we hear the story of the Prodigal Son, the contrast between the two brothers is quite sharp. After wasting his share of his father’s fortune the younger brother recognizes the mistakes he has made and returns home looking for the mercy of his father when he says: “Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I no longer deserve to be called your son” (Lk 15: 18-19, 21).  The older brother takes a different sort of attitude one of arrogance not only towards his brother but also towards his father! His scolding is in great contrast with the tenderness of the father who comes out of the house and goes to meet him to ask him to go into the house (Lk 15: 20, 28) The big question that we should ask ourselves when we hear this story is what does God do when we turn away from him like the younger son in the Gospel?  He does exactly the same as the Father in the gospel story did he waits and when we return he goes out to meet the returning Son or Daughter with endless love as the psalms put it  great is his love, love without end.

The gospel story of the Prodigal Son is an image of God the Father who invites us to experience his love and return when we go far away from him as he gives us a second chance, Of course being given a second chance is not always fair or just and we see this from the reaction of the older son who complains in a big way about his Father not giving him something to celebrate with his friends. When we look at ourselves we can probably see parts of each of the three characters in us. There is the part of the father who has a keen eye for those who are lost and a good nose for when a party is needed. There is the part of the younger son who which wants to grab everything we can and try everything we shouldn’t. And there is the part of the elder brother which makes other people pay for our loveless fidelity. All three characters are within us, competing to shape the lives we lead when it should be our father in heaven shaping our lives.  This gospel Is all about second chances we remember that second chances are invitations to move forward with hope In our hearts as we leave our old selves behind.

May we not be afraid as pilgrims of hope to come back for we will be received like the Prodigal Son with open arms. like the Father in the Gospel story god will come out to meet us for his compassion and love is without measure.

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22 Mar 2025

3rd Sunday of Lent

We  are at the third Sunday of Lent and I really cannot believe that we are at this point in our journey.  During this time there are  many recurring themes but the one we hear most about is repentance change and coming back. In our first reading from Exodus Moses encounters God in a burning bush at Horeb. Instructed to remove his sandals on holy ground, he is tasked to rescue Israelites from Egypt, armed with God’s name, “I AM.” In the responsorial psalm  we  praise the Lord for His kindness: forgiving sins, healing diseases, rescuing lives, and crowning us with love. He is righteous, merciful, and gracious, with boundless mercy.

In the second reading from 1 Corinthians Our forefathers, guided by a cloud and sea, were baptized into Moses, shared spiritual sustenance, and drank from Christ, the spiritual rock. Their failures in the wilderness warn us against evil and complacency especially today with all we see going on around us and in the world. In our Gospel reading for this Sunday Jesus urges those who are listening to him to use the time that is available for repentance. In the parable of the fig-tree it is stressed that the time will come for a last chance  for us to bear fruit.  This parable is a wakeup call and it tells us that this is a favourable time to make the changes we have been putting off and know we must do in order to bear spiritual fruit. The gardener asked the owner of the vineyard to give the barren fig tree another chance to produce fruit. He promised to dig around it and manure it, to give it one last chance to prove itself. So it is with us God gives us this annual time of Lent to prove ourselves as there are many things in our lives that we need to change.  It is a time for us to consider our way of living our lives and what it means to be a Christian. It is a time when the word of the Lord will lift us up and encourage us to blossom and bear spiritual fruit.

People and societies that live without ever questioning themselves have ruin as their only destination. Conversion, on the other hand, while not preserving us from problems and misfortunes, allows us to face the problems that arise  in a different “way”. When we die to sin we identify ourselves in a real and concrete way with the redemptive power of Christ who died on the cross and rose again at Easter.  Our calling, is to be strong, giving witness to our faith as we go forward to Holy Week and Easter  so that others will see and know what we believe and as a result of our example they might even have the courage to take up the challenge that Jesus gives to all of us to follow him as pilgrims of hope during this year.

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16 Mar 2025

Saint Patricks Day

With the Irish all over the world we celebrate the feast of Saint Patrick who was credited with bringing the faith to the Irish nation. I often wonder what St. Patrick who drove the snakes out of Ireland would do about the modern snakes that we have in Ireland today. I imagine he would look at what was going on around him and roll up his sleeves and get on with the job of proclaiming the Gospel. Jesus tells his disciples to go and make disciples of all nations in today’s reading from Matthew, that would sound absurd if taken literally in ancient Israel.

He was a small town prophet with a rag-tag group of disciples laying claim as the son of God. His own hometown rejected him. Why would the next town pay any attention, let alone the rest of the world? And yet, 2025 years later, that great commission to preach and teach the word of God continues. Christianity has spread all across the globe to every nation.  Patrick’s first trip to Ireland was when he was taken there as a slave. At age 16. For six years, he was held as a prisoner who cared for his master’s sheep. He prayed one hundred times every morning and one hundred times every evening for God’s protection.  By that time he was 22 years old. He was able to escape by ship, which he rode for three days before getting off and walking for the next month. Before he was taken as a slave, again. He was able to escape once more and then finally make his way home.  He then went back to Ireland.  He took what could have been the worst things to ever happen to him and turned them into inspiration for his life’s work.  Here we are so many years after Saint Patrick thinking about his message and how we can put it into action in our own lives and there is much to value in that message.  

The spirit of St Patrick affirms the worth of each human being. His Confession invites us all to personal conversion. His message was to draw people to follow Christ in the sharing spirit of the Gospel.  This mission is still an urgent one especially in today’s world were there are so many people who are experiencing a crisis of faith and many other crises as well. Saint Patrick proclaimed the message of salvation and many years later we and all the generations in between are the inheritors of faith that is the rich inheritance born of him.  Today we  give thanks to God for our faith and for sending St Patrick to us. It is also a day to reflect on and give thanks for the example of so many men and women who inspire us by their example. There are many things that are wrong in the world and there are many snakes out there looking to destroy what we hold as being good and honourable it is up to us to us to choose the right course; to be brave under trials; and make the Good News the hope for our salvation our message as we honour Saint Patrick on his feast day.

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15 Mar 2025

2nd Sunday of Lent

This weekend on the 2nd Sunday of Lent we think about how God is working in our lives and how we can let ourselves be transformed by the presence of . In the First Reading God promised Abram countless descendants and the land from Egypt to the Euphrates. Abram believed, and God made a covenant with him, marked by a ritual with animal sacrifices. The responsorial Psalm tells us that The Lord is our  light and salvation. We seek His presence and help, trusting we will see His goodness in the land of the living. In the second reading: we are told to Imitate those who follow Christ. Many focus on earthly things and face destruction. Our citizenship is in heaven, and Jesus will transform us.   Those who Stand firm in the Lord will not be shamed.

In the Gospel reading we hear about Jesus going up the mountain taking Peter James and John, with him and there they hear the voice of the Father identifying  Jesus as “my beloved Son.”  During Lent Jesus invites us to make a journey in  fact our lives if lived in faith should be an exciting journey from the moment we arrive in the world until we get to the pearly gates when we die. During Lent we explore the great depths of God’s love for us as we try to move and live in God’s Spirit as we climb the mountain of the Lord.  Every Lent our prayer and hope is to rise again from the ashes of our sins. Every year we take a journey through penance, self-discipline, prayer, and  good works that lead all of us to the refreshing baptismal waters of Easter. For many members of the RCIA their journey began last Sunday in the cathedral churches and they continue the journey to their Baptism at Easter as Catechumens over the next few weeks. The  Catechumens are led to the sacraments of initiation by means of the rite of election and enrolment  that took place on the first Sunday of Lent then the scrutinies and catechesis follow on the Sundays of lent.

The faithful, listening more intently to the word of God and devoting themselves to prayer accompany them on their journey. Then all of us the baptised who are continuing our own faith journeys renew our baptismal promises at the Easter Masses and bless ourselves with the Easter holy water.This Sunday’s Gospel completes the ‘little parable’ formed by the Gospels of the first two Sundays of Lent. These Gospel readings tell us what Lent and the Christian life is about: that is a journey from temptation and doubt to transfiguration and faith. This is a journey that takes us away from being tempted to allowing ourselves to do good by the action of God’s Holy Spirit within us.  The god who spoke to the disciples on the mountain also speaks to us and directs all of us to Jesus. The voice of the Father also  instructs us  to “listen to him” may we listen and take note of what he is saying and not be afraid to do what he asks of us especially during this Holy Year when we journey together as pilgrims of hope.

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08 Mar 2025

1St Sunday of Lent

On the First Sunday of Lent having placed the ashes on our heads on Ash Wednesday we have embarked on our annual time of renewal. In every area of our lives there is an ongoing need for mending, renewing and refocusing. Lent is the annual spring clean of our spiritual lives renewing our faith as a preparation for celebrating the faith giving events of Holy Week and Easter. In the first reading  Moses instructs the people to offer their first  fruits to God, remembering their ancestors’ journey, oppression in Egypt, and God’s deliverance and gift of the promised land. The Responsorial Psalm  tells us to Trust in God, Our refuge, our stronghold who protects and rescues those who call on Him. He commands His angels to guard us and promises to be with us in trouble. In the second  reading  we are told to  Confess that Jesus is Lord and believe God raised him, and we will be saved. There is no distinction; all who call on the Lord will be saved.  

In our Gospel the reading from Luke details the temptation of Jesus in the dessert.  Before Jesus set out to do his Fathers work he went out into the dessert for forty days of fasting and prayer and during this time he was tempted by the devil. The devil tempted him to use his power to take care of himself, prove his identity by performing astounding signs and make alliances with political and military powers to get himself and his message across. It is immediately after His time in the desert that Christ began His work, of proclaiming the kingdom of God. In proclaiming the message of the Kingdom Jesus gives all of us the good news of truth, hope, peace, and salvation and this enables us to live life to the full and conquer sin. As well as this there is great encouragement for all of us to know that Jesus not only shared our human nature but, like us, he was subject to temptation. In the course of our daily lives we too face temptations to put comfort and material possessions over the sacrifices involved in being a disciple.  As we begin Lent we ask ourselves how do we face the temptations of life? When times get rough and we feel alone, do we still trust in God? When our life just seems empty, do we still believe in the Father who loves us? Are we willing to risk everything for the sake of the Gospel, or do we settle for guarding our own security? These are questions that all of us need to ask ourselves and Lent gives us the opportunity to do this.

God’s desire for us on this first Sunday of Lent in the Holy Year of hope is that we Come back to him with all our heart. God does not want empty words but full hearts. Hearts full of remorse for things that we shouldn’t have done; hearts full of trust as we face the realities about ourselves and our world; hearts full of love as we realize how much we are loved by those around  us our families and friends, and especially loved by God; hearts full of joyful hope as we journey towards Easter. Over the next few weeks may we make good use of our Lenten journey so at the end of Lent we will be able to hear and understand the messages that Holy Week and Easter  have for us renewed in heart mind and spirit and then put them into action in our own lives in the times ahead.

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04 Mar 2025

ASH WEDNESDAY

We start our annual  journey of repentance and conversion for 2025 with the Ashes of Ash Wednesday. The readings and the ashes call on us to change our lives in the spirit of conversion and renewal. There is a big question for all of us as we begin lent will the ashes of today help us to realise that we should have a change of heart and mind as we seek spiritual renewal in Lent, each individual will have the answer to that question for themselves. All of us will have many opportunities to strengthen our spiritual lives during  the 6 weeks of lent as we ponder what our faith really means to us as individuals and as a community.  Ashes hold deep symbolism in the Church, representing both our mortality and the need for repentance. This powerful symbol finds its roots in the Scriptures, where ashes were used as a sign of mourning and repentance. In the Old Testament, ashes were often associated with expressions of grief and sorrow. Job, for example, sat in ashes as a sign of his deep mourning and repentance before God.

The prophet Daniel also fasted and covered himself in ashes as a way of seeking God’s mercy and forgiveness for the sins of his people. These practices served as a visible reminder of our need to turn away from sin and return to God. On Ash Wednesday, we receive ashes on our foreheads as a sign of our own personal need of conversion and renewal of heart  and spirit. As the priest or minister applies the ashes, they say the words, “Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return.” This solemn reminder prompts us to reflect on the brevity of life and the importance of living in accordance with God’s will. The ashes are a call to return to god and let go of the things that hinder our relationship with God and embrace a life of holiness.

In the First Reading –Joel 2:12-18: The Lord urges a heartfelt return to him with fasting and repentance, highlighting His gracious and compassionate nature, Slow to anger abounding in love. A communal fast is called, involving everyone, with priests pleading for mercy, leading to God’s compassionate response as he had mercy on the people. In The Responsorial Psalm – Psalm 51  we hear that each person in acknowledging their own sinfulness, implores God’s mercy. As all of us seek a renewed heart and spirit, with God’s presence in our lives and the restoration of the joy found in salvation. The Second Reading  tells us that we are called to be reconciled with God. Christ bore our sins to make us righteous as we  Embrace God’s grace, for now is the time of salvation. As ambassadors of Christ we are called to be reconciled to him and through this reconciliation we are called to be reconciled to one another.

In the Gospel reading from  Matthew  Jesus emphasizes the importance of sincerity in the practice of faith. He advised against performing acts of charity, prayer, and fasting for public admiration, as such actions lack true spiritual value.  Instead, he encouraged discreet and private expressions of faith, assuring that God, who sees everything that is done  in a quiet prayerful way, will duly reward genuine devotion. Lent is all about moving forward in a spirit of conversion and prayerful return to god that is the spirit of metanoia. So the Church asks us at the beginning of Lent to renew our own lives through the great spiritual works of prayer, fasting and almsgiving, and to listen to Jesus’ advice in today’s Gospel. On ash Wednesday the ashes are a call for us to change our lives and how we live them. We begin our journey for lent 2025 and we receive the ashes as a sign that we are willing to return to god who says return to me with all your heart and we do that in a special way during this holy  year of hope.

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01 Mar 2025

8Th Sunday of ordinary time

Next week we begin the season of Lent with the Ashes on Ash Wednesday and we begin our annual  journey of repentance and conversion for 2025 as pilgrims of hope. All of us will have many opportunities to strengthen our spiritual lives over the 6 weeks of lent as we ponder what our faith really means to us as individuals and as a community. We also continue our prayers for the health and wellbeing of Pope Francis.

In the First Reading  this Sunday we are told that a persons  speech reveals their faults and true character. Do not praise someone before hearing them speak as this is the test of men. The Responsorial Psalm is  Psalm 91 and we hear that  It is good to thank and praise the Lord, whose kindness and faithfulness are constant. We are also told that the righteous flourish and bear fruit, proclaiming God’s justice and reliability to those around them. In our Second Reading  we are told that Through Jesus, we have victory over death. Again we are called to be steadfast and devoted to the Lord’s work, knowing all we do is not in vain even though sometimes it might look that way for in the Lord we do not labour in vain.

This Sunday in our Gospel Reading Jesus is coming to the end of what, in Luke, is called the “Sermon on the Plain”. He has instructed his disciples to love their enemies, turn the other cheek, treat others as they would want to be treated, not judge them, etc. Jesus is the wise person teaching the disciples a practical wisdom on how to live their lives as his disciples. Jesus says, in summary, a person’s words and actions will reveal their character. The Gospel tells us There is no sound tree that produces rotten fruit, nor again a rotten tree that produces sound fruit. For every tree can be told by its own fruit: people do not pick figs from thorns, nor gather grapes from brambles. A good man draws what is good from the store of goodness in his heart; a bad man draws what is bad from the store of badness. For a man’s words flow out of what fills his heart.’ God’s love is effective, it produces good fruit for the benefit of others. The good we do is the  way to spread the faith to others. Jesus sends us to be witnesses to the faith we profess to practice what we preach in all we do and say. Jesus words to us in this weekend’s gospel  show his concern for the integrity and quality of our lives. We cannot, he says, teach others if we ourselves are not witnesses to what we teach. There are many people out there who were witnesses to the truth of the gospel who have turned away and betrayed the truth and become rotten fruit.  Lent is the time to renew our  selves in terms of faith so that we are able to move forward in the certain knowledge and hope of being true witnesses to the faith. Lent is all about moving forward in a spirit of conversion and prayerful return the spirit of metanoia.

 During Lent we are provided with many opportunities for spiritual renewal but that will be for the weeks ahead. But for now let us stop and reflect on the good we do for others and how that becomes a way of  bringing the faith to the people where they are. As we continue our journey as pilgrims of hope we remember  that  God’s love is effective, and it produces good fruit for the benefit of others and we are called to show gods love through all we do and say for one another.

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