The Tenth Hour

Thoughts on the Parable of the Mustard Seed One of the central concerns of Jesus throughout the Gospels is to change the way people perceive God. At the time of Jesus, God was a very distant entity. As long as you ate the right food, performed the right ritual and ticked the right boxes, God was quite happy. He was a kind of celestial health and safety official. Jesus wanted to change that - He wants us to understand that God is interested and is invested in every part of our lives. For him the minutiae of our daily lives really does matter. Bering a good neighbor, being a good listener, being compassionate, passionate - to God these things matter. As we hear in our Gospel, its from these small acts of kindness, of solidarity, of empathy  that God's kingdom grows - providing shelter and meaning for humanity. Today, as we continue our journey of faith, what small acts of kindness and compassion can we perform? What mustard seeds can we sow by the way we act, the way we bel...

Homily for Third Sunday of Ordinary Time (Year A) #findyourgalilee In the Gospels, geography is really, really important. It matters where things happen, where things are said and where miracles are performed. We hear in this weekend's Gospel that Jesus begins his ministry in the region of Galilee. Galilee is a region in northern Israel. Its known for its mountains, its greenery and its natural beauty. In the New Testament its the place where the ministry of Jesus begins and is arguably most successful. Galilee is the place of teaching, of miracles and of faith. It's the place where the message of Jesus is accepted and celebrated. Contrast with Jerusalem. In the big city, the message of Jesus encounters plentiful opposition. The religious, political and economic elites reject Him and eventually succeed in killing Him. If Galilee is the land of faith, Jerusalem is the city of unbelief, of doubt and of skepticism. I dare say we encounter our own Jerusalems everyday. ...

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, ...

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, ...

Reflections on John 1:35-39 Read the text over a few times and reflect on the questions below………………… " The next day again John was standing with two of his disciples, and he looked at Jesus as he walked by and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God!”The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus. Jesus turned and saw them following and said to them, “What are you seeking?” And they said to him, “Rabbi” (which means Teacher), “where are you staying?” He said to them, “Come and you will see.” So they came and saw where he was staying, and they stayed with him that day, for it was about the tenth hour.[a]   John the Baptist In John’s Gospel – the Baptist is a somewhat enigmatic figure. The contours of his life, his message and his ministry are perhaps given more definition by Matthew, Mark and Luke. But what is important, in John’s Gospel, is that He points the way to Christ. His task, his noble task, is to guide others to Christ. Reflect on our text - its J...

Today's Gospel - Luke 12:35-38 The belief that Jesus will return is central to the Christian faith but when He comes again what we will be doing? How will He find us? Wasting time on social media (oops)? Gossiping about our colleagues? Re-living the pain of the past? Or He will find us in prayer or serving others or living out His plan for our lives?

Pope Francis is no stranger to provocative and alluring metaphors...........not least when it comes to reflecting on the theme of Vocation. Want to discern your vocation? Want to work out how to serve God in your life? In the words of Pope Francis, look at what you love! If you love your 'two mothers' - Our Lady and the Church - you could be being called to the priesthood or consecrated life. What are you called too? Look at what you love!!!!!!!

Monday of the Fourth Week of Lent 2017 Reflection Tourists just pass through. Pilgrims journey with God’s promise. People today tend to have a very static notion of faith. They think faith is a thing we own or possess or have like a house or a car or a pet. That’s certainly not the understanding of faith, we encounter in the Scriptures. Throughout the Bible faith is depicted and described as a journey, a pilgrimage and, dare I say, even an adventure. Faith is dynamic. If it’s healthy, sincere and profound it compels us to embark on a journey – a journey of self-discovery and a journey into the very mystery of God. That journey is always motivated, guided and directed by God’s promise. Before God asks anything of us He always makes a promise. Our destiny, our vocation and our calling to walk with God confident that His promises will become a reality. This morning’s Gospel is a case in point . The royal official goes and begs Jesus to come and save his son who was at the point of de...

Pentecost has arrived at last. Been a lot of hard work but hope things go ok tonight. We start at six please feel to come along!

Meeting again at 8.00pm this Wednesday as we prepare for Holy Week

Things went well last night thanks again to everyone for coming along!

This Wenesday, we'll lok at quite a neat prayer method - centering prayer. We'll see how it goes. The Method of Centering Prayer Contemplative Prayer We may think of prayer as thoughts or feelings expressed in words. But this is only one expression. In the Christian tradition Contemplative Prayer is considered to be the pure gift of God. It is the opening of mind and heart - our whole being - to God, the Ultimate Mystery, beyond thoughts, words, and emotions. Through grace we open our awareness to God whom we know by faith is within us, closer than breathing, closer than thinking, closer than choosing - closer than consciousness itself. Centering Prayer Centering Prayer is a method designed to facilitate the development of Contemplative Prayer by preparing our faculties to receive this gift. It is an attempt to present the teaching of earlier times in an updated form. Centering Prayer is not meant to replace other kinds of prayer: rather it casts a new light and depth of meanin...

The prayer group meets again tonight at 8pm. Hopefully see you there!

The first meeting of our group seemed to go well. Roll on Wednesday!!!!!

One sows, another reaps.....John 4:34

The soul of prayer is solitude.........................