Unusual families

 

Sunday 28 December 2025

 Lectio Divina:*

Sirach 3:2-14

Psalm 127 (128)

Colossians 3:12-21

Matthew 2:13-23

 

Meditatio:

“...remain there until I tell you” (Matthew 2:13)

 

Commentary:

So you think your family is among the most unusual in the world—especially after the cabin fever of Christmastide? Take a look at the Bible and listen to the stories of the “Holy Family,” celebrated in the Catholic calendar this Sunday. Trace the families of the Old Testament and you may find comfort in the recurring truth that God writes straight with crooked lines, working through ordinary, vulnerable, fragile human beings.

He pitched his tent among us

 

Thursday 25 December 2025

 

Lectio Divina:*

Isaiah 52:7-10

Psalm 97

 Hebrews 1:1-6

 John 1:1-18

 

Meditatio:

“And the Word became flesh and lived among us.” (John 1:14)

 

Commentary:

Of the four Gospels, John is the most reflective. Where Matthew opens with a long Jewish genealogy and Luke begins with pregnancy and birth narratives, John starts with a contemplative, high‑theology genealogy of the Divine: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”

The Gospel opens like a hymn to the Logos — the very utterance of God‑who‑is‑love. Eastern and Asiatic mysticism could recognise here the manifestation of the Seed that gives life to many other seeds. John knows how to speak to a Jewish audience and, equally, to a Hellenistic‑Greek one. The Logos (the Word) is identified with Sophia (Wisdom); it is our life, our light, and the ground in which we are rooted. The Word is also linked with the Torah given through Moses. Yet this Word — this New Law — becomes a defining theme throughout John’s writings, including the Letters attributed to him, which we hear at the daily Eucharist in these closing days of a troubled 2025.

Ready to receive

 

Sunday 21 December 2025

 

Lectio Divina:*

 Isaiah 7:10-14

Psalm 24

 Romans 1:1-7

 Matthew 1:18-24

 

Meditatio:

“…Her husband Joseph, being a righteous man and unwilling to expose her to public disgrace, planned to dismiss her quietly ….” (Matthew 1:19)

 

Commentary:

Another week to go! Those cards, those presents, those visits, hiding the toys in the attic or with the neighbours, those last-minute things…`

Or maybe ….

Ready to witness

 

Lectio Divina:*

Isaiah 35:1-10

Psalm 146

 James 5:7-10

 Matthew 11:2-11

 

Meditatio:

“…blessed is anyone who takes no offence at me ….” (Matthew 11:6)

 

Commentary (1,162 words):

On this, the third Sunday of Advent, we are moving closer to that great feast of the Saviour’s birthday. However, the warnings of John the Baptist gave way to a new phase in our history of salvation.  Now, the focus turns towards the cousin of John. In terms of the Gospel story we skip forward from John at the river Jordan preaching, warning, baptising and clearing the way for someone who is to come to John who is in prison awaiting trial and, presumably, execution. 

The Gospel of Matthew places a strong emphasis on the Messiah (or the Christ).  This emphasis would not have been lost on his Jewish audience since the transition from a baptism with water and prophecy as with Elijah must now, decisively, give way to a new baptism in the Spirit and a new definitive revelation of God.  All of history leads to this event, this era, this teaching, this prophecy. It was no longer just a question of Jesus the extraordinary and ordinary cousin of John but it was a matter of Jesus Christ the ‘he-who-saves’ (Jeshua in Aramaic) and the Christ or Messiah (Christou in Greek).

Ready to change

 

Lectio Divina:*

Isaiah 11:1-10

Psalm 72

Romans 15:4-9

Matthew 3:1-12

 

Meditatio:

“…Prepare the way of the Lord….” (Matthew 3:3)

 

Commentary:

Hope runs through today’s readings. After a time of ruin for the Jewish people, Isaiah speaks of renewed leadership and a reign of peace where the vulnerable are protected. The Psalm echoes this vision with its promise of universal salvation. Paul, in the second reading, reminds us that salvation is rooted in Israel but extends to the whole earth. There is continuity from the Old to the New Testament, with John the Baptist heralding a new order.

John, the cousin of Jesus, points to a new way of life already breaking into our world. He was no ordinary figure. Clothed in camel’s hair with a leather belt, living on locusts and wild honey, he stood apart from the priests of the Temple and the leaders of society. His very presence was a reproach to the norms of his time—yet people flocked to him because his message carried weight and conviction.

Mindful and ready

 

Lectio Divina:*

Isaiah 2:1-5

Psalm 122

Romans 13:11-14

Matthew 24:37-44**

 

Meditatio:

“…Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour” (Matthew 24:44)

 

Commentary (1,082 words):

Stop.

Breathe.

Rest.

Six years ago, I wrote a blog here on the same readings for the first Sunday of Advent. Then, I reflected:

The best way to prepare for death is to live life to the full now and to live it well so that we leave a good memory and example and find our well-being in this thought.

No earthly kings

 

pic: 'No Kings' Victor Grigas

Lectio Divina:*

2 Sam 5:1-3

Psalm 122

 Colossians 1:12-20

Luke  23:35-43

 

Meditatio:

 ‘…Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom....’ (Luke 23:42)

 

Commentary (878 words):

The Kingdom, the Cross, and the Republic of Grace

The idea of royalty sits uneasily with many political sensibilities today. Even in private religious devotion, the image of the crowned, suffering servant on the cross resonates more deeply than that of a High King seated in judgment in the heavenly courts. Yet, we recite the Our Father daily, often without pausing to consider the implications of the phrase: “Thy Kingdom come.”

Like spring calves

 

Pic:  The 'End Things' are depicted in the painting of 

the 'Opening of the Sixth Seal' in the National Gallery in Dublin.

 

Lectio Divina:*

Malachi 4:1-3**

Psalm 98

2 Thessalonians 3:7-12

Luke 21:5-19

 

Meditatio:

‘By your endurance you will gain your souls.’ (Luke 21:19)

 

Commentary (954 words):

 Hope Amid Chaos: A Comforting Message in Scripture

There’s something strangely comforting about today’s readings. Though they unfold against a backdrop of chaos—trial, judgment, destruction, war, and pestilence – they carry an unmistakable undercurrent of hope. The Old Testament, the Gospel, and the Psalm all point to a higher power guiding us through darkness toward light, toward greener pastures.

I often feel a quiet sorrow for those who find solace in the rituals and stories of the Bible but struggle to believe in life beyond death—or even more poignantly, in life before death. For what is faith if not the conviction that joy and meaning can be found now even amid despair as well as forever?

Chosen to be one body

 

Lectio Divina:*

Ezechiel 47:1-12

Psalm 46

1 Corinthians 3:9-17

John 2:13-22

 

Meditatio:

‘Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you?  ’ (1 Cor 3:16)

 

Commentary (1,051)

This Sunday’s readings are steeped in rich symbolism, drawing us into a deeper understanding of Temple—both the ancient one in Jerusalem and the living temple of the Christian community. These texts were chosen for the Feast of the Dedication of the Basilica of St John Lateran (celebrated annually on November 9) which happens to fall on a Sunday this year. The next time this alignment occurs on a Sunday will be in 2031. So let’s pay close attention!

No life is wasted

 

Lectio Divina:*

Wisdom 3:1-9

Psalm 23

Romans 5:5-11

John 6:37-40

 

Meditatio:

‘..this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day. ’ (John 6:39)

 

Commentary 

Today we are experiencing a crisis of meaning. Although many benefit, more than ever, from education, income, wealth, travel and access to healthcare there is a widespread unease.  This sense of unfulfilled lives can spill over into depression, addictions as well as political and religious intolerance and extremism.  We seek for meaning where none is to be found.  The other side of this coin is a widely shared sense that our lives are a waste.  We come from nowhere, we are not heading anywhere even beyond death and, essentially, our lives have no meaning other than whatever fleeting or momentary meaning we decide to give it at this time – or so we think.  In the Northern hemisphere, the arrival of winter and the presence of damp, cold and rain signal a season of decline and death.

Yet, bulbs are being sown for the spring and winter cuttings are stored in dry places inside.

This weekend marks at least two significant days in the church calendar – All Saints on Saturday 1 November and All Souls on 2 November in the case of Western Catholics.  In the East, prayers for the dead are said on various Saturdays of the year but not specifically this weekend.  The ancient pagan Celtic festival of Samhain which marked the end of harvest in a world marked by a thin veil between the living and the dead was appropriated by the early Christian church in Ireland.  The eve of All Saints (Halloween) was a time of prayer and purification just in advance of the Holy Day.  In recent times, a combination of neo-paganism and commercialism has switched the weekend back to something other than the Christian tradition. A feature of such celebrations is a strange focus on death, ghoulish spirits and dabbling in the darker recesses of myth and pagan custom with more than a hint of human sacrifice. Harmless and fun? perhaps. But this seems to be far from the message of Christ that death has been conquered and along with it fear. We are heaven-bound and called to the light as a communion of souls living and deceased.  This has radical implications for how we live and how we worship. Christian worship God and God alone.  However, we worship together as a communion and we can be assured that the Saints who have gone before us pray for us and rejoice with us not least in the celebration of the Eucharist.

There is the matter of purgatory – doctrine of the Roman Catholic church and still very much part of the practices and belief of Western Catholics. Indulgences, masses and visits to graveyards especially on 2 November are woven into the traditions of Catholics in the West. In the East, Catholics pray for the dead throughout the year – as in the West – but do not subscribe to a doctrine of purgatory understood as a place or state. However, Eastern Catholics do accept a purification after death as the soul meets Christ and is purified by God’s love (rather than simply subjected to punishment).

On the edges of life and death we encounter deep mysteries and doctrine can be a guide but not a definitive answer to what happens and how. It is in the practice of communal and private prayer that we are immersed in the love of God and can experience the consolation and hope of everlasting life.  In this sense it is entirely appropriate and in keeping with early Christian tradition to pray for the dead and in particular those we have known and loved and who have gone before us. It is a way of giving thanks for them but, also, helping them on their way to fullness of life in Christ. As today’s first reading says:

"Those who trust in him will understand truth, and the faithful will abide with him in love because grace and mercy are upon his holy ones, and he watches over his elect" (Wisdom 3:9)

“And hope does not disappoint us” (Romans 5:5) because we have submitted our questions, our doubts, our struggles to God who is love.

In approaching the throne of God’s grace, Jesus assures us that nobody will be turned away. No matter who we are and what we have done or failed to do God’s love seeks us out. He is unrelenting. For our part, we need  to be honest, to be open and to take seriously the commandment to love our neighbour as ourselves. This is the way to eternal life – faith and faith alone but not a faith that is divorced from loving deeds.

Even as the dark evenings close in and we batten down the hatches here in the northern hemisphere we can look to the light that Christ alone offers and that this world can never. Our celebration of new life beats the culture of death that seems to dominate the world.

Oratio

(Collect of the Word for this Sunday - Church of Ireland)

Almighty and eternal God, you have kindled the flame of love in the hearts of the saints: Grant to us the same faith and power of love, that, as we rejoice in their triumphs, we may be sustained by their example and fellowship; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Footnotes * 

 These readings are taken from the Sunday lectionary used in most Catholic churches. The source is BibleGateway.com: A searchable online Bible in over 150 versions and 50 languages (using the New Revised Standard Version - anglicised catholic edition). Psalms in this Blog are numbered according to the Hebrew (Masoretic) text with the Greek Septuagint/Vulgate numbering in parenthesis where applicable.

Grace without boundaries or preconditions

 

Lectio Divina:*

2 Kings 5:14-17

Psalm 98

2 Timothy 2:8-13

Luke 17:11-19

 

Meditatio:

‘Get up and go on your way; your faith has made you well.’ (Luke 17:19)

 

Commentary (1,113 words):

Hanging out with the other side

One day Jesus was skirting the borders of Samaria and Galilee. This was troublesome territory on the borders between two very similar but ethnically, religiously and politically hostile communities. It was as if Jesus – a Jew and a Galilean - were walking up the Garvaghy Road in Portadown Northern Ireland or along the international frontier at Aughnacloy some miles to the West! Or, perhaps on the border of some area in Dublin or Colchester where political elements erect flags to claim territory and keep the others out. I strongly suspect that were Jesus, a brown-skinned Palestinian Jew, to walk by some of these man-made frontiers he would not be recognised and might very well be subjected to abuse or rejection.

Trust in the midst of darkness

 

Lectio Divina:*

Habakkuk 1:2-3;2:2-4

Psalm 95

2 Timothy 1:6-14

Luke 17:5-10

Meditatio:

“we have done only what we ought to have done” (Luke 17:10)

Commentary (798 words):

A lingering hope

Faith is a form of trust. Not any type of trust.

Faith is a lingering hope when all seems hopeless.

Faith is a stubborn conviction when the evidence seems thin. 

Faith is received more than it is given.

Faith is lived more than it is scripted.

Faith is grace – amazing grace – when we feel utterly lost.

Faith is the bar on which we manage to hang on.

Faith is more about a living and loving relationship of trust than intellectual assent to some doctrines (important as these may sometimes be).

The Comforter of the Afflicted and the Afflicter of the Comfortable

 

Migrants board a smuggler's boat in the English channel (AFP)

Lectio Divina:*

Amos 6:1-7

Psalm 146

1 Timothy 6:11-16

Luke 16:19-21

Meditatio:

“now he is comforted here, and you are in agony” (Luke 16:25)

Commentary (1,380 words):

 

Last March before Pope Francis died the Vatican announced the theme of the coming Sunday’s World Day of Migrants and Refugees (5^th October) as ‘Migrants, missionaries of hope’.  In a statement from the Vatican Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development migrants are described as ‘often contributing to revitalising their faith and promoting interreligious dialogue based on common values. They remind the Church of the ultimate goal of this earthly pilgrimage—the attainment of our future homeland’. Pope Leo XIV reinforces these themes in his message here for this Sunday.

To prefer nothing to the love of Christ

  Sunday 7 September 2025 

(Year C: 23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time)

Lectio Divina:*

Wisdom 9:13-18

Psalm 90(89)

Philemon 9-17

Luke 14:25-33

Meditatio:

“So therefore, none of you can become my disciple if you do not give up all your possessions”. (Luke 14:33)

Commentary (1,270 words):

The real meaning of service

 Sunday 31 August 2025 

(Year C: 22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time)

 ‘…For all who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted ..’ (Luke 14:11)

Lectio Divina*

Sirach 3:17-29

Psalm 68

Hebrews 12:18-24

Luke 14:1-14

Meditatio

In the Book of Sirach we encounter the message of humility as an antidote to human folly and pride.  Sirach reminds us that humility draws God's favour and help. Being humble - honest with ourselves and about ourselves - opens the way to wisdom.  Humility is shown in how we treat others.  This is true greatness and the world around us needs to see this in practice. God knows we have enough of egotism in public life, the church and media.

Finding your narrow door

Sunday 24 August 2025 

(Year C: 21st Sunday in Ordinary Time)

 ‘…some are last who will be first and some are first who will be last ..’ (Luke 13:30)

AN OVERVIEW OF THIS SUNDAY’S READINGS*

Isaiah 66:18-21

Psalm 117

Hebrews 12:5-13

Luke 13:22-30

Finding our way through life can be taxing.  There are so many choices and we may feel pulled in different directions.  The default position is to stay stuck in a particular place or situation fearing that change could bring something worse.  Or, we may feel the weight of pressure - family, friends and society - to conform and follow the main herd.  This Sunday's readings challenge us to find the way to happiness not through doing our own will but following the inner voice of conscience and reason.
It is good to enjoy the journey. But, we need to consider the end goal.

On a hill on the Aran islands there is possibly the smallest church of 'cill' in Ireland. it is that of Naomh Beanán or Saint Benan.  Getting in and out is a squeeze. On a good day such as when I took this photo one could see Mount Brandon in County Kerry as well as the cliffs of Moher in nearby county Clare. The trek to the top of the hill is easy but involves crossing some rocky ground and negotiating briars and cow dung on the way.  On a rainy and stormy night this place must be desolate and frightening. Nothing stands against the Atlantic except a carefully built Cill which has stood the test of almost 1,000 years.  St Benan about whom we know almost nothing is one witness to countless saints, lay people and monks who paved a pathway for us in the 21st century.

Gender matters

 Friday 15 August 2025 

(The Assumption of Mary)

 ‘…For behold, henceforth all generations will call me blessed ..’ (Luke 1:48)

Source: Dormition of the Virgin Mary

AN OVERVIEW OF THE READINGS*

Revelation 11:19, 12:1-10

Psalm 45

1 Corinthians 15:20-27

Luke 1:39-56

The 15th August was, traditionally, an important date in the calendar in Catholic countries across Europe. Secular France still clings to tradition and marks the day with a public holiday.  The image of Mary being taken up - body and soul - into heaven is part of the wider catholic tradition even if the matter was not defined as dogma in the Roman Catholic church until 1950.  Among Eastern Orthodox Catholics the celebration is referred to as the 'Dormition' or falling asleep of the Blessed Virgin Mary.  In the reformed traditions there is no mention of the matter as it is viewed as 'unscriptural' (though in some parts of the Anglican communion the feast day is marked on the calendar).

Why many of our churches are often empty

 Sunday 17 August 2025 

(Year C: 20th Sunday in Ordinary Time)

 ‘…I came to bring fire to the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled! ..’ (Luke 12:49)

AN OVERVIEW OF THIS SUNDAY’S READINGS*

Jeremiah 38:4-10

Psalm 40

Hebrews 12:1-4

Luke 12:49-53

Religion never had a great press. Yet, contrary to the ‘death of religion’ claimants religion refuses to go away. Technology, science, economic growth, state coercion or the latest wave of ‘religiously’ motivated hatred and terrorism has succeeded in removing religious consciousness and belonging from the landscape.  

When you least expect it

Sunday 10 August 2025 

(Year C: 19th Sunday in Ordinary Time)

AN OVERVIEW OF THIS SUNDAY’S READINGS*

Wisdom 18:6-9

Psalm 33

Hebrews 11:1-2,8-19

Luke 12:32-48

Something that makes life interesting if not excruciating is uncertainty.  Nobody can predict for sure what tomorrow will bring.  Suppose someone had predicted, for example, 40 years ago that:

• The Berlin Wall would be gone in a little over four years (and pretty much ‘without a shot’ being fired);
• The world trade system, 40 years later, would be in disarray as the White House slaps on tariffs at will and tears up previous agreements;

Needs vs wants

 Sunday 3 August 2025 

(Year C: 18th Sunday in Ordinary Time)

AN OVERVIEW OF THIS SUNDAY’S READINGS*

Ecclesiastes 1:1-2:26

Psalm 90

Colossians 3:1-11

Luke 12:13-21

Recently, we stepped into a small 'clochán' on Inis Mór in the Aran Islands for a little while.  This was a womb-like space in which a monk dwelt and prayed for some of the day. He or she remained still in the now and in the here. No sound, no voice and not much light. The short experience left me wondering....

Risk it; Dare you

 ‘…Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.’ (Luke 11:9)

Sunday 27 July 2025 

(Year C: 17th Sunday in Ordinary Time)

AN OVERVIEW OF THIS SUNDAY’S READINGS*


Genesis 18:20-32

Psalm 138

Colossians 2:12-14

Luke 11:1-13 

It is getting dark. You are on the other end of the city in a neighbourhood you are not familiar with. The GPS-Sat-Nav-google maps thing is not working here. Why does the Eircode on google maps not work anyway?  You have the address but have no idea exactly where you are and how to get to the address through a maze of endless roundabouts and similar looking housing estates with absolutely no signs at any junction (in other words, unless you happen to live there, you are somewhere on the western outskirts of Dublin!).

The Sacrament of the Present Moment

“…there is need of only one thing.’ (Luke 10:42)

Sunday 20 July 2025 

(Year C: 16th Sunday in Ordinary Time)

AN OVERVIEW OF THIS SUNDAY’S READINGS


Genesis 18:1-10

Psalm 15

Colossians 1:24-28

Luke 10:38-42


(v. 38) ‘Now as they went on their way, he entered a certain village, where a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home’.

Remember that a short while ago Jesus was instructing his disciples about the inevitability of meeting hostility in some places and villages where they must wipe the dust from their shoes (Luke 10:11). This was not the case in the house of Martha. Note that Martha welcomed Jesus but Jesus was with others. Martha probably had a full house on her hands.

(v. 39) ‘She had a sister named Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to what he was saying’.

Oh Oh! Does anyone have a sometimes ‘inactive’ spouse or partner? Or a teenage son or daughter? They might be sitting, like Mary, at the feet of a TV, a play station or smartphone!
(v. 40) ‘But Martha was distracted by her many tasks’.

Does anyone know of someone who is a go-go person? I mean the sort that sets an alarm clock early on a weekend morning; is involved in 9 different local community organisations and is scheduled to attend 4 meetings outside of work this coming week; is finishing a diploma; and has a perfect house and an almost perfect family? We get the picture.

(v.40 continued) ‘so she [Martha] came to him and asked, ‘Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to do all the work by myself?’

Sounds familiar? This is the story of the one who is running around minding her own children and the parents – his as well as her – while brothers and sisters are, shall we say, far away?
(v.40 continued) ‘Tell her then to help me.’

Martha did not need an assertiveness course. No please or would you but ‘tell her then to help me’. You know, parishes, families and workplaces are very like that except that for the most part we are less than blunt as Martha was.

(v.41) ‘But the Lord answered her, ‘Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things’.

He could have been speaking to you or me: ‘Tom,, Tom you are worried and distracted by many things’. I see thousands of people every day on train platforms, trains, buses, cars, footpaths, cycle lanes and at meetings or just sitting there or walking along – kind of worried some of the time and distracted by many things. Many things. Many things.

(v.42) ‘there is need of only one thing’.

Wow! Only one thing in life is essential. May I respectfully suggest, as a belated resolution for 2019, that you write your own obituary before others get to write it. The thing needed? Love! Easy? Not really. You see, worry – excessive worry – is the fruit of insecurity. Insecurity is the fruit of distrust and distrust is the fruit of closure and lack of relationship. Faith is relationship.

(v. 43) ‘Mary has chosen the better part, which will not be taken away from her.’ I remember half thinking that I had chosen the better part nearly 40 years ago when I joined an enclosed religious order for a few years. The truth is that God has chosen us – all of us – in love and truth and beauty before we were even conceived. The best-chosen part has been assigned by God to us and everyone else and it was Jesus who chose to stay at Martha and to talk with Mary and Martha just as he calls you and me to this place on this Sunday morning to listen and talk with God and with one another. (that’s why I love the bit after service where we mingle and talk and commune and partake of delicious homemade cakes! There is a Martha around here and there is more than one of them!)

And what is the Gospel saying to us this Sunday? Let us ask the Holy Spirit to open our hearts this morning and in the days to come to hear again the good news. Let us learn the art of welcoming and active service from Martha. Let us learn from Mary the art of loving listening in the midst of our business. Let us ask God to enable us to really listen. But, who or what should we listen to in the first place? We should listen to ourselves. There God is. We should listen to others. You know that the Voice of Love whispers to us every day in events, persons, conversations, emotions, thoughts, failures, joys and sorrows. Yes, even in suffering and maybe especially in suffering.

As one writer put it: ‘All that is asked of me is rapt attention, here, now, to others. And I’ll find the good life.’