The ACP Leadership Team welcome the publication by the Irish Bishops of a summary of the responses they received to the Synod survey, and note the similarity with the results produced by a similar survey on this website: all reveal a gap between church teaching and practice.
Now that we are ten days into the season of Lent, our goal is clarified in today’s liturgy. The Gospel of the Transfiguration reminds us that we are destined for glory. Like the disciples, we keep this glimpse of glory in our hearts in the dark days ahead. Resurection will follow, as surely as day follows night.
Gerry O’Hanlon SJ reviews Pope Francis’ first year and flags developments to watch out for. And he asks believers not simply to sit back and admire, but use the opportunities for dialogue Francis provides (first published in Irish Jesuit News).
Brendan Hoban argues that if a pre-nuptial agreement is part of the preparation for a marriage, then maybe it’s not a Christian marriage at all — because it implies the couple do not intend their marriage to last for life (first published in the Western People).
Bernard Cotter believes that reducing funeral liturgies to the question of whether or not they should include a eulogy misses the broader point: is a funeral Mass always pastorally appropriate?
Christa Pongratz-Lippitt reports Cardinal Lehmann’s challenging words, in this week’s Tablet
We celebrate the first Sunday of Lent. All over the world today, men and women are beginning a period of preparation for their baptism at the Easter Vigil. Like them, we spend Lent preparing to renew our baptismal vows at Easter, looking forward to our blessing with Easter water and to receiving the gift of a new start.
Kevin F Burke shares a reflection on blessings, which could form the basis of homiles during Lent/Easter.
Mary McAleese argues for the ‘imperative of collegiality’ in the Church, suggesting a reinvigoration of the Synod of Bishops as the way forward. (Delivered at the Von Hugel Institute, a Roman Catholic research institute of St Edmund’s College, University of Cambridge.)
The editors of America’s National Catholic Reporter share their open letter to Pope Francis, appealing to him to meet victims of clergy sex abuse.
Brendan Hoban believes that if the Church doesn’t soon reform Confession it will end up with one six sacraments instead of seven. He suggests that Rite Three be more generally available (first published in the Western People).
The Lord gathers us in to his loving embrace, the Lord who invites us not to worry about tomorrow. Setting our hearts on his kingdom, we entrust all our tomorrows to him and ask him to help us live for this, his day
Gay Catholic Voice Ireland announce a seminar for gay Catholics to be held in Dublin in April, which takes its inspiration from Pope Francis’ words on the plane from Rio: “Who am I to judge?”
Seamus Ahearne osa describes a dialogue that happened during Mass after the Gospel of Mark (10:1-12) was read last Friday morning
Eugene Cullen Kennedy argues that the sex abuse scrisis can be traced back to the hierarchicalmodel of the Church promoted by the Council of Trent (first published in the National Catholic Reporter on 20 February 2014: read the original article here).
The ACP Leadership Team recommends the latest edition of the Irish Jesuits’ magazine Studies, which is entirely taken up with the Murpny Report into abuse in Dublin diocese (www.studiesirishreview.ie)
Seamus Ahearne osa shares reflections from his early-morning walk in the Tolka Valley Park in Dublin, where he exercises daily, planning the day, praying and sorting things out. Problems with the new Missal came to mind as he walked, and creative solutions appeared also,
The ACP Leadership Team report on their meeting with representatives of ACP members in Irish dioceses on 25 February
Tony Flannery announces the schedule of talks being given by him for the next month or so, as part of his speaking tour
Loving the enemy and praying for those who make life difficult are two marks of a Christian, as Jesus teaches us today. We gather, aware of how difficult love can be, yet united by the saving mercy of God, on which we rely.
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