None of us chose to exist. We just do. That’s either by chance or by choice. If by chance, then the meaning of our life is chance; it can mean anything or nothing. But if by choice, then the meaning of our life is in the will of the One...

I was thinking how that reading from Ecclesiastes is a sort of A-Z of all the things in life that there is time for. Steve’s A-Z about his Dad is almost an echo of it. The alphabet of life is the alphabet of time and by the sounds of it...

I suppose there’s no question that whoever wrote that reading we heard from the Book of Ecclesiastes is right in saying that in life there’s a time for everything under the sun. No-one can deny, though, that some use their time better than others, and use it for better things...

Renewed thanks to Elaine for delivering the eulogy on Shaun. The first word that came to mind as I read over it yesterday was: simplicity. Shaun comes across as a straightforward man, without complexes, accepting and getting on with whatever blessings, joys, challenges and sufferings life gave him. It sounds...

What strikes me first about John Bernard Girkins, going by the family eulogy, is just how full, and rounded, a life he led. His Jesuit education was providentially given the slight corrective, if I may say so, of a short time with the Franciscans! He had serious experience in flying...

Before I say anything else, it has to be made abundantly clear that, in the sensitive matters of life and death related to the Gospel of Life, we cannot possibly condemn anyone. It’s simply not our prerogative to even begin to do so, since only God can judge the heart....

Edward Tuthill was one of the first people to welcome me to St. Mary’s. I remember his firm, warm handshake and the encouragement and twist of humour in his words. I loved the banter between him and Sadie and how, whenever I would go over to the confessional, they seemed...

Everything about our humanity speaks of being open. All our senses open us out to the big world out there, to both people and things. Our spiritual faculties are the same. We stunt our own growth if our minds and hearts are not open. Openness brings risks, of course. When...

“He has risen; He is not here.” These words of the angel are much more than information. They put into words the hallmark of all God’s saving ways with us. Isaac was to be sacrificed, but when Abraham’s knife eventually fell, Isaac wasn’t there. He had risen from the altar...

Sooner or later, every human being, no matter who they are, will have to come to the Crucified Christ. As Creator and Redeemer of all, He alone is the Judge of what we each have done in our lives and of who we have become as a result. That’s true...