First, some individual priests have been guilty of grievous
and, at times, heinous crimes.
Second, some bishops — including those in very senior positions — knowingly covered up wrongdoing and reassigned offenders, even when the risk of re‑offending was clearly grave.
It is therefore not surprising that many people cite these failures as reasons why they “walked away from the Church” long ago.
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The Eucharist is not a private affair. It is the gathering of believers who come together to hear the Word of God, proclaim the death and resurrection of Jesus, and receive his Body and Blood. It is an act of the whole Church. On his journey to martyrdom in Rome, sometime around 110 A.D. , Saint Ignatius of Antioch wrote to the Church at Smyrna:
Sunday 17 May 2026
Lectio Divina:*
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Meditatio:
‘ I am with you always. (Matthew 28:20)
Commentary:
What was formerly celebrated as Ascension
Thursday has become—at least in Ireland—Ascension Sunday. This is something of
a loss, as it interrupts the traditional and indeed biblical pattern of a nine‑day
period of prayerful preparation for the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost.
The first Christian novena was this very prayer to the Holy Spirit, made in the
company of the Apostles and Mary, the Mother of Jesus (cf. Acts 1:14).
This Sunday’s Gospel is taken from the very
closing section of the relatively long Gospel according to Matthew. While
written with a Jewish audience particularly in mind, it reminds us that the
universal call to salvation now extends to all nations. There are no privileged
groups or insiders now. All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to
the Lord Jesus Christ, who sends us out as his missionaries of healing and good
news.
The Ascension reminds us that while our
hearts are lifted to the heavenly places where Christ is seated at the right
hand of the Father, we are nonetheless mandated, commissioned, and sent to
continue the saving mission of Jesus in a broken and waiting world.
Matthew ends his Gospel by reporting these
words of Jesus:
“And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
Jesus—who is the eternal “I AM”—is with us
always. Always. Always. Including in those moments when we might feel that God
is absent or silent.
In contemporary Western post‑modern
culture, some adopt what might be called a practical atheism, living as
though God were irrelevant to life here and now. With genuine respect for those
who hold such views for pragmatic or experiential reasons, it must still be
said that the fullness of human meaning, identity, and purpose ultimately finds
its home in a trusting faith in a loving and personal God. More than that,
Christians believe that God seeks us, finds us, and meets us in Jesus Christ.
As St Irenaeus famously taught, “the glory of God is the human person fully
alive”—and our coming fully alive takes place in the light and truth of
God.
Even if our churches seem to be weakening
in parts of Europe, it may be that we are being led back, so to speak, to
Galilee: to the places of first encounter, original faith, and missionary
impulse, rather than relying on the spiritual prestige or security of former
centres of influence.
Along the way, we may have to contend with
doubt—but doubt need not prevent worship, for as Matthew tells us:
“When they saw him, they worshipped him;
but some doubted.” (Mt 28:17)
Our call is to be open to the fullness of
life given by the Holy Spirit. From that life and light, we are invited to
become bearers of hope – candles in the darkness - for others. This is our
commission, rooted in the sacrament of Baptism, nourished by the teaching of
the Word of God, and sustained by the mutual care that must be the hallmark of
a living, and not a dying, Church.
We are sent to bless the world not in three
separate names but in one Name—the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of
the Holy Spirit. And this Name is Love (cf. 1 John 4:8).
Some extras:
Collect
of the Word for this Sunday (Church of Ireland)
Eternal and gracious God, we believe your Son our Saviour Jesus Christ to have ascended with triumph into your kingdom in heaven; may we also in heart and mind
ascend to where he is, and with him continually dwell; who lives and reigns with you
and the Holy Spirit, one God now and for ever. Amen
Post-Communion
prayer (Church of Ireland)
God our Father, you have raised our humanity in Christ and feed us with the bread of heaven. Mercifully grant that, nourished with such spiritual blessings, we may set our hearts in the heavenly places; where he now lives and reigns for ever.
Post-Communion prayer (Roman Catholic missal of
1970)
Father, in this Eucharist we tough on the divine life you give to the world. Help us to follow Christ with love to eternal life where he is Lord for ever and ever.
Private prayer after Holy Communion
(from The Family Missal and Prayer Book
of the Church of the Holy Spirit, Ballyroan, Co. Dublin, 1976)
Lord Jesus, King of glory, you ascended in victory to the Father; but you do not leave us orphans. I treasure your promise “Know that I am with you always; yes, to the end of time. Stay with us, Lord. Lord Jesus, send the one you promised, the gift of the Father, the Holy Spirit, that your Church may spread your saving gospel to the ends of the earth.
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| Adoracja z Niepokalanowa |
It is not required of Catholics to believe in apparitions of
the Blessed Virgin Mary and other saints.
However, many do and at some point most have been touched along the way
by memories, pilgrimages and readings.
The image of the ‘Lourdes Grotto’ has marked the Irish countryside from
inner city park corners to a field near where I live.
In 1917 three young children say they witnessed a series of
apparitions in which Our Lady imparted various warnings and important spiritual
messages. The context was set by the time when a vicious world war enveloped
Europe and more would be presaged.
At the centre of these apparitions and other similar ones
across the world (at least those that have been approved as worthy of belief by
the church) is the message of prayer, penance, conversion, reparation and trust
in God. Many miracles and
life-transforming experiences have been reported. I have no reason to doubt the
sincerity and validity of these witnesses. Nobody is required to believe or go
there but it can help.
Crucially, in one of the messages Our Lady told the
children:
“Pray the Rosary every day to obtain peace for the world and the end of the war.”
The next time we face a difficult or annoying chore or
unexpected email or visit we might consider this advice:
“O Jesus, it is for love of Thee, for the conversion of sinners, and in reparation of the sins committed against the Immaculate Heart of Mary.”
The little things matter along with the big. And even today,
as Ireland has come closer than ever to an all out assault on human life in the
womb we may join our prayers especially from before 8.30pm
when the vote will be taken on the second state of the ‘Reproductive Rights
(Amendment) Bill 2026’.
Where does the Eucharist enter in at Fatima?
Even before the 1917 apparitions, the children reported a
vision of an ‘Angel of Peace’ who visited them on three occasions the previous year.
On one occasion, the three children saw the angel prostrate
before a host and chalice that hung in the air. Worshiping
the Eucharist, the angel prayed:
“Most Holy Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, I adore You profoundly. I offer You the most precious Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ, present in all the tabernacles of the world in reparation for the outrages, sacrileges, and indifference by which He is offended. And, through the infinite merits of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I beg of You the conversion of sinners.”
While some question the theological basis of this prayer I
think that it offers a very simple and practical formula for all of us – lay
and ordained – to lift our minds and hearts to God especially but not
exclusively in the presence of the reserved Blessed Sacrament.
Just as Mary said yes to God in the incarnation she
continues to lead us to Jesus present in the sacrament of the Eucharist so that
we may become broken bread for a troubled world.
Just two additional
facts to be mindful of today:
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| Picture: Pugin's chapel, Loreto Abbey, Rathfarnham, Dublin - Patrick Comerford |
This morning, 62 years ago, there was great excitement in a house on the foothills of south Dublin. Together with my parents we were setting out on foot for Loreto Abbey in Rathfarnham for my First Holy Communion. I was dressed in pure white from head to toe. I remember particularly the sleeveless white jumper over the white shirt and tie, the white short trousers, long stockings, and the squeaky new white soft shoes.
Martyrdom of St Polycarp
Tomorrow, the church celebrates the memory of Saints Nereus
and Achilleus, early Christian Martyrs of Rome along with Saint Pancras. We do not know a lot about each of them
except that they were honoured and remembered in the liturgy of the early Roman
church.
By tradition, Nereus and Achilleus were soldiers who converted to Christ and were martyred around 100 A.D.. Pancras was a 14 year old boy who was beheaded during the Great Persecution associated with Diocletian in 303 on the Via Aurelia on the way out of Rome for having refused to offer sacrifice to the Roman gods.
Once again, I had occasion to visit my local cathedral for
Sunday Mass. One thing in particular struck me as I was leaving afterwards.
The celebrant—who would usually greet people at the door—was
sitting, still vested for Mass, in a pew, listening intently to a young woman.
I thought that she might be distressed. In any case, I had a strong sense that
this moment captured something essential:
…this is what it is all about – serving and loving each
person one by one as we are sent out into the world from the celebration.
For me it tied together three things from this morning’s
mass:
1 The ‘post-communion’
prayer for this Sunday which reads as follows:
Almighty, ever-living God, who restore us to eternal life in the Resurrection of Christ, increase in us, we pray, the fruits of this paschal Sacrament and pour into our hearts the strength of this saving food, through Christ our Lord. Amen
2 Today’s
daily reflection from the Focolare movement:
‘Isn’t it true that the world today wants to see people who truly give witness to the love of Jesus? Therefore, let us love with deeds, rather than with words, starting with the humble service asked of us every day by those right net to us’ (Chiara Lubich, May 1988).
3 Communion
reflections for the Sixth Sunday of Easter from an old missal I have kept:
Lord Jesus I reverence you in my heart. You sent the Holy Spirit to me at confirmation. May the Spirit of Truth help me to understand your words and strengthen me in my daily life to follow your example. Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and enkindle in us the fire of your love.
