ALL SAINTS

As I get older and more senile, I am discovering gaps in my memory, which is a little unsettling.  And it occurred to me that so many people are unsettled by the gaps in the year: the move from summer into autumn and winter, new year, mid-summer, mid-winter. The hour’s change in time which we

Bls. Terence O’Brien, O.P., & Peter Higgins, O.P.

On 22nd September 1992 Pope John Paul II beatified 17 Irish men and women who were martyred for their Catholic Faith.  Among them are two Dominican friars whose feast we celebrate today: Bishop Terence O’Brien who was hanged, drawn and quartered in Limerick on this day in 1651 and also Father Peter Higgins who was

Friday of Week 30 in Ordinary Time

Illness is a common experience that we all can relate to in varying degrees.  Illness is a time when we are vulnerable and at the mercy of others who we trust will take care of us.  For many people, illness is a time of economic, social and spiritual isolation.  It’s an experience that no one

Ss. Simon and Jude

Numerous films and TV miniseries have been made to portray the life of Jesus, and we know which of the Apostles have starring roles in these productions, the actors playing Peter, John, and Judas Iscariot would get top billing. But the actors playing some of the other Apostles, including Simon and Jude, would probably be

Wednesday of Week 30 in Ordinary Time

Saint Augustine once quipped: God has many that the Church does not have, and the Church has many that God does not have.  Our Gospel today reminds us that the ways of salvation are not as cut and dried as they may seem. Perhaps the best place to begin to reflect on this passage is

Tuesday of Week 30 in Ordinary Time

Some people interpret today’s gospel as a description of how the Kingdom of God starts out small and grows beyond all expectations.  But these parables have much more to tell us.  Like a mustard seed, yeast is small, and to the naked eye it’s pretty insignificant; yeast is composed of single-celled fungi that cause fermentation

Monday of Week 30 in Ordinary Time

Saint Luke tells us that the synagogue official was “indignant” that Our Lord worked a miracle of healing on the Sabbath day (Luke 13:14).  He wasn’t outraged or angry; but indignant, a reaction you might expect from someone who feels personally slighted or insulted.  Is it possible that this man became jealous of Our Lord

30th Sunday in Ordinary Time

The healing of Bartimaeus is the final healing miracle recorded in St. Mark’s Gospel.  Shortly after it Jesus enters Jerusalem to the acclamation of the crowd that we commemorate on Palm Sunday.  Our Lord begins his brief ministry in Jerusalem which is marked by controversies over his authority, and which in their turn leads inevitably

Saturday of Week 29 in Ordinary Time

You may have read about the horticulturalists who cultivate trees that grows apricots, plums, cherries, peaches, and nectarines: all on the same plant, and which has been called the Fruit Cocktail Tree.  The orchard owner we meet in today’s Gospel would have been astonished to ever see such a tree, especially since his own fig

Saint John Paul II

Today we honour the memory of Saint John Paul II, whom we all knew to some degree, and some of us had met.  Without doubt Pope John Paul’s teaching and example led many to faith.  His exceptional apostolic zeal, particularly for families, young people and the sick, led him to make numerous pastoral visits throughout