The Tenth Hour

As a school year begins...a reflection on the vocation of teaching......... Gospel Jesus said to his disciples, “I came to bring fire to the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled! I have a baptism with which to be baptized, and what stress I am under until it is completed! Reflection Jesus saw Himself as something of a firestarter…He saw Himself not in terms of offering calm and quiet but lighting fires in our hearts, of giving us passion, energy, and enthusiasm for God, for justice, for peace and for all the values of His Kingdom. He invites each and every one of us, especially teachers in Catholic schools, to get involved in that project, to light fires in the hearts of all those around us, to give them something of our passion, our energy, and our enthusiasm. As one noted academic puts it, teachers are called to be ‘arsonists of the heart’ – I love that phrase. But as teachers, as educators what specific fires are we asked to engender and kindle right here and rig

We've all read books that have spoken to us at a particularly meaningful way at some time in our lives. I remember as a teenager reading  Shūsaku Endō 's Silence (recently made into a film). The book tells the story of two Jesuit missionaries working in Japan in the 17th Century. One of the book's central themes is the loss of idealism, enthusiasm and, indeed, faith among its central protagonists. They experience Japan as a 'swamp' where the seed of the Gospel can take no root and experience no growth. This approach is easily contrasted with the attitude of Jesus explored in chapter 11 of Matthew's Gospel. For Jesus the world is a fertile field waiting, expectantly, to be planted with God's word. How do we experience our community, our culture, and our country? Is it a swamp dead to the life of the Gospel or is it a fertile field waiting for God's word?  Swamp or field?  Are we weighed down by failure, by indifference or by spiritual fati

Margaret Carswell Funeral Homily This morning we gather as a family of faith to celebrate the Requiem Mass of Margaret , our dear sister in Christ.  A couple of days after Margaret passed from this life to eternity, Pope Francis put out a document to the entire Church. The document was entitled 'Christus Vivit' - Christ. Although in many ways the document is aimed primarily at young people, it speaks to all of us who are on the journey of faith. One of the ideas, Francis explores in that book is the idea or notion of beauty. The Pope asks what does it mean to be beautiful? Whee we do encounter beauty where encounter it? This may sound a bit abstract but the Pope is making an important point. He exhorts young people not to confuse beauty with appearances.  For him beauty isn't encountered in the pages of a magazine or in a picture on social media. Beauty is something more. For Pope Francis there is beauty  in the laborer who returns home grimy and unkempt, bu

Homily - The Fifth Sunday of Lent Today in our Gospel [1] , we encounter one of the most meaningful and symbolic episodes in the life of Jesus. Today he teaches us the value of compassion, the value of compassion and the value, the enduring value, of empathy. There is, however, one detail of this Gospel that always causes me great vexation and makes me indulge in pretty serious reflection – exactly what was Jesus was writing in the ground? What he was scrolling with His finger? Was he doodling or writing? The Academics give all sorts of answers. Some say he was writing down the Ten Commandments, others say he was writing down the names or, indeed, the sins of the woman’s many accusers. Still, others that He was writing the names of God. What then He was writing? Pope Francis often speaks of God as a story teller [2] . For him, God takes the many triumphs, failures, hopes, dreams, and regrets of our lives and makes into a story that is compelling, intriguing and captivati

I remember watching Mastermind as a kid and Magnus Magnuson posed to a contestant the following question - 'in the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus gives us the beattitudes on the Mount...where does He give them in Luke'. Ther answer is, as we've just heard, that in the Gospel of Luke, Jesus talks about the 'Beattitudes' - the values of God's Kingdom - not on a mountain but on the plain, on a piece of level ground. The question becomes why is there this difference? Why in Matthew does Jesus talk about the Beattitudes on the mountain and Luke place this episode on a piece of level of ground? It's not a mistake or a misunderstanding - something deeper is going on here. In the Scriptures, the Mountain is the place of encounter between God and humanity. It's the place where people talk to God, discern His will, receive his instruction and access His laws. The plain, the field, the level ground - that's different. That's the place where the dramas of hum

Homily There is a lot going on in this Sunday’s Gospel [1] . The passage is full of important lessons about vocation, about forgiveness and the possibilities offered by faith in Christ. But, I think, there is also an important lesson about evangelisation – about the business of sharing our faith, growing our community and transmitting our beliefs to future generations. Think for a moment about when the change takes place – the moment when Peter goes from failing at his job to catching all those fish – its precisely the moment when, following the instruction of Jesus, he begins to fish to ‘deep water’. When Jesus tells Peter to put into the deep – He isn’t simply giving an old fisherman useful tips – he’s speaking to us. He’s saying that if we want to be ‘fishers of men’, we have to avoid being shallow and superficial in how we live out and witness our faith. Once we do that – people will come, people will return. For Jesus if our faith is to be relevant, if it is to be serious,