The River Jordan is very grimy and muddy. It is also the lowest river in the world, ending in the dead sea at 1300 feet below sea level. Yet the Jordan was important for the Jewish people, for many reasons. Most importantly, they crossed over it to take possession of...
On the occasions when I spoke with Mary, either casually or when I would bring her the sacraments, I was always touched and edified by her great gentleness of heart. Her devotion in receiving the sacraments reminded me of my own Scots Irish mother (also called Mary Bridget). It was...
“For behold, darkness shall cover the earth … but the Lord will arise upon you, and his glory will be seen upon you. …. So, arise, shine, for your light has come.” What hope and joy these words of Isaiah give us! As we look around the world today, it...
God Himself is the original family, the original Holy Family. The Trinity is where life is eternally generated in love, where life and love are welcomed and reciprocated. It is where love’s fruits of unity, joy and peace are experienced in perfect fulness. It is where each person pours himself...
There is an unquenchable thirst in every human soul for a love and for a life which will never end – which will utterly satisfy, which will fulfil and complete our humanity and eliminate its terror of lovelessness and death. Our pilgrimage through the desert of life takes us to...
The first images I have of Kathleen are her leading the way in the Hogmanay party in the parish hall here at the end of December 2018, and her marching the children out of Sunday Mass to the children’s liturgy. They are images which speak to her love of social...
“Establish your heart, for the Lord’s coming is near.” Strange term = “ground, settle, strengthen, root, embed” the heart, the deepest core of your identity. Suggests deep conviction, peace “for” = Christ’s coming is the reason for establishing Opposite of establish = uncertain, erring, wandering, fearful, divided, all over the...
A winnowing fork is like a pitchfork. It is a long stick with half a dozen metal or wooden spikes about 6 inches long at the top. Once the edible part of the grain is separated from its protective stalk and husk in the process called threshing, you are left...
When the Scottish martyr, St. John Ogilvie, was imprisoned, the cruellest torture he received was sleep deprivation. He was poked with sticks to stop him from nodding off. The torturers wanted him to become mentally confused and start betraying the names of other Catholics, but he resisted. When Jesus and...
“When we eat this bread and drink this cup, we proclaim your death, O Lord, until you come again.” Is death really something worth proclaiming, though, as if it were good news? Usually not, but when it comes to the death of Christ, yes, it is, because his death means...
