09 November, 2019. Dedication of the Lateran Basilica. Feast
How can we rekindle a spirit of joy and eagerness in our local community, to join together for worship in the house of God? …
08 November, 2019. Friday of Week 31
Paul was a tireless apostle, an international traveller,zealous preacher and prolific letter-writer, who contributed richly to our New Testament…
07 November, 2019. Thursday of Week 31
Like Jesus, we need to search for people too. Searching is one of life’s great gifts…
06 November, 2019. All the Saints of Ireland. Feast
Following the saints’ example of persevering in the race, we face the challenges of our own time, looking to Jesus the pioneer of our faith.
05 November, 2019. Tuesday of Week 31
Paul invites the Roman Christians to “Rejoice in hope.” We need to share with others, because we are “one body in Christ and members one of another.”
04 November, 2019. Monday of Week 31
Pharisees tended to eat only with their own kind, but Jesus says it would be good to include some guests from far outside their social circle…
Presider’s Page for 3 November (Ordinary Time 31)
Zacchaeus is the star of today’s Gospel, the man who has been called ‘everybody’s favourite underdog’. Zacchaeus took Jesus at his word and changed his life. We worship God, whose mercy for all people never fails, a mercy on which we rely as we remember our dead….
03 November, 2019. 31st Sunday (C)
The meeting with Zacchaeus higlights the mindset of Jesus towards ministry. He cames “to seek out and save what was lost.” If we recognise our “lostness.” ..
Presider’s Page for Saturday 2 November (All Souls)
On All Saints Day and today, we remember all the dead, those in heaven and those still be on the way there: God alone knows where each soul is. Today we pray for all souls, for the faithful departed still on the journey to their heavenly home.
02 November, 2019. All Souls’ Day
Why do we pray for people who have gone before us? It’s based on the hope taught by Jesus himself. He once said: “All that the Father gives me will come to me; and him who comes to me I will not cast out.”
Presider’s Page for Friday 1 November (All Saints)
Today and tomorrow we remember all the dead, those in heaven and those still be on the way there: God alone knows where each soul is. Today’s feast celebrates the saints in heaven, the holy men and women of every time and place: we hope some of our people are among them.
01 November, 2019. Feast of All Saints
Today’s feast is not about the canonised saints but about
all the good and holy people who have ever lived. …
31 October, 2019. Thursday of Week 30
Paul is eloquent about how Christ helps us in every circumstance. Whatever hardships we face, we can win through “because of him who loved us.” The love of Christ is the secret ingredient that tilts the balance in our favour…
30 October, 2019. Wednesday of Week 30
In contrast to the image of the narrow door, there are other Gospel sayings about the generous help of grace for our salvation. It is God’s will that people from east and west, north and south, will enter the Kingdom…
29 October, 2019. Tuesday of Week 30
Both parables, about the man (gardening) and the woman (baking), have the same moral teaching. Each contrasts very small beginnings with the great effect they can have. The mustard seed grows large encough to shelter nesting birds. A tiny pinch of leaven ferments a basin full of flour…
28 October, 2019. Saints Simon and Jude, Apostles
“You are no longer strangers and aliens, but .. members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets.” Simon and Jude were part of the foundations…
Presider’s Page for 27 October (Ordinary Time 30)
The Gospel story of the Pharisee and the tax collector is read today. It reminds us of the value of being humble before God. In today’s gathering, we praise God who is always merciful to us. Penitential Rite: To begin, we recall our sins in the context of divine mercy: (pause) I confess…
27 October, 2019. 30th Sunday (C)
Opposites can attract: In marriage and other human relationships we often notice how unlike personalities complement each other. But opposites can also be far apart, like the tax collector (far off), and the Pharisee, (confident and up-front)…
26 October, 2019. Saturday of Week 29
“If the Spirit dwells in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies also” Like the barren fig-tree, we too can hope for better things…
25 October, 2019. Friday of Week 29
“Wretched man that I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death?” Paul offers an existential view of hope. He describes his struggless not with calm detachment but in the emotional language of his own complicated self…