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    Brendan Hoban: US Catholics must give Trump a wide berth              

    February 19 2026
    M G-B
    Trumps Immigration policy "will harm the most vulnerable among us." American cousins told of their young son returning from school in a state of utter dejection. With head bowed and through tears he explained that his best friend would not be coming back to school. His friend's mother would be driving all six of her American born children to Mexico in the morning. Not to worry she told her children as we have a place to stay and family in Mexico. The mother is undocumented and the father incarcerated.
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  • 5 comments

    Reminder: Zoom today (Thurs @ 8.00pm) – A Divine Calling – Soline Humbert with Mary McAleese

    February 10 2026
    Soline Humbert
    The recording of my Root&Branch Conversation with Mary McAleese is now available to watch. https://youtu.be/Ott2zGO1L0Y?is=23OiErw272aCzgCD
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    22 Feb 2026 – 1st Sunday of Lent (A)

    February 22 2026
    Thara Benedicta
    Key Message: When temptation is over, angels will come in. Homily: Testimony: In a church on Saturday there was First Confession, and the following Sunday was First Holy Communion. After Confession, the teachers told the kids "You are Holy now. Till you receive your first Holy Communion you should not sin". One of the children thought and thought about the sins she would likely commit. She understood that she may shout at her grandma. So before entering her house, she asked her mom to tell her grandma to be more kind with her till the next day, so that she will not have the opportunity to shout back. Now the story gets interesting. The mom updated her Grandma. But Grandma forgot too quickly and started shouting. The little now remembered that she should not shout back and started crying. The Grandma understood her mistake and both of them enjoyed peace with each other". After Baptism, the Holy Spirit led Lord Jesus into the desert to pray. And our Lord Jesus fasted and prayed for 40 days. Now the devil will not be excited and throw a red carpet welcome for Jesus to preach. He chose the weakest moment of our Lord Jesus to make all His fasting and prayers useless. Before every public ministry there comes a private testing. Have you ever said this? “Tomorrow I will not lose my temper.” “Tomorrow I will pray more.” “Tomorrow I will stop this habit.” And tomorrow comes… and somehow, we are back in the same cycle. Good intentions are not enough. The desert is not a punishment: God leads us to the desert to prepare us. The Israelites were 40 years in the desert to prepare for war. The Gospel says: “Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted.” The Holy Spirit led Him there. Sometimes we think temptation means God abandoned us. No, not at all. Are you dwelling in your desert days now? The desert is not where God leaves you. Desert is the place where God becomes close to you. If the other noises are very loud in your mind, then how can you listen to the silent soft voice of our God? The desert is a place where God can speak to you all alone. Testimony of a cancer survivor: "One day after my fifth chemotherapy, while I was sitting still, I felt the presence of God all around me. After that I started enjoying God's secret presence. The world does not see who is beside me, but now I know that my Jesus is real and my Jesus is always beside me. Now I truly enjoy His loving friendship." If you are in a desert season right now, dry, tired, tested you are not outside God’s will. You may be exactly where your transformation is happening. Temptation Is Subtle: We often think temptation is about big dramatic sins. But Satan does not trouble us with big temptations. He was subtle with Jesus. He said: “Turn stones into bread.”, “Throw yourself down.”, “Bow and I will give you everything.” These were not ugly offers. They were shortcuts. And that is how temptation works. Temptation is always subtle, like... The temptation to do what works instead of what is right. The temptation to do what is easy and quick. The temptation to serve yourself. Does this sound familiar? The devil rarely says, “Do something evil.” He always says, “Do something easier.” The Three Core Temptations: 1. Bread (Physical Appetite) Our Lord Jesus was hungry. There is nothing wrong with hunger. But Satan said, “Satisfy yourself outside of God’s timing.” Temptation often begins with a legitimate desire fulfilled in the wrong way, like food. Food is good. But he tempted to obtain in the wrong way. When desire becomes urgent and controlling, it becomes dangerous. 2. Jump (Pride): “Prove who you are.” Satan attacks identity. Satan says, “Show them”, “Prove yourself”, “Make them admire you.” But Jesus did not need to perform to be loved. And neither do you. 3. Power (Shortcut to Power or Glory) Satan tempted : “All this I will give you, without a cross, without suffering.” It was only instant success. The temptation to skip obedience and go straight to reward. How often do we want resurrection without crucifixion? How did our Lord Jesus win? By refocusing. HE did not argue nor panic. He refocused. Each time He said: “It is written...”, our Lord did not focus on the tempting words of Satan but He focussed on the Scripture. The more time we spend meditating on the temptation, the more likely we will yield to it. So at that time we should refocus on that action, which we were supposed to do. Practical Steps for Our Desert: Step 1: Identify your vulnerable areas: Do we analyse our weak areas and avoid them? Step 2: Plan to avoid unnecessary triggers. If something constantly pulls you down, do not stand next to it. Move. Wisdom is spiritual maturity. Step 3: Guard your heart. Temptation starts inside. Negative emotions within us like bitterness and anger tempt us to sin. Identify your negative emotions and do not yield to them. Step 4: Pray quickly Sometimes the most powerful prayer is one word: “Help!” God is not annoyed by your struggle. So pray quickly. If you are unable to pray, then you are saying what is there in your heart to our Lord Jesus. Step 5: Refocus Capture the thought. Shift your attention. Replace the lie with Scripture. You cannot always control how you feel. But you can control what you think about. The Gospel ends beautifully: “The devil left Him, and angels came and ministered to Him.” Temptation is not forever. When you stand firm, help comes.
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    Séamus Ahearne: Zelensky, Getting Older, Tolka Row and the Deli girl’s question…

    February 17 2026
    Joe O'Leary
    Yes, it is a miracle that parents keep going. I met a family of 6 in the local cafe yesterday, 4 quiet well-behaved boys aged 7, 5, 3, and 1, munching buns just as expensive as their parents' ones, a pledge that Japan despite its present doldrums has a bright future. It was taken for granted that Irish parents back in the day would handle 8 or more children without a murmur. How did they do it?
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