Just believe

There is a considerable temptation on the part of some devout souls to agonise over aspects of the mystery of the Divine Eucharist and the manner of Christ’s presence in the same.

I suspect that devout souls in England were perplexed by some of the controversies swirling around the realm at the time of the Reformation and subsequent political and theological battles that ensued.  In a widely used poem whose source is disputed but often attributed to John Donne (1573-1631) and which has alsobeen attributed to Queen Elizabeth I (of mixed memories in Ireland, let it be said) there is a flavour of this in the lovely quaint English:

He was the Word that spake it;
He took the bread and brake it;
And what that Word did make it,
I do believe and take it.

Sinful men and the power of the word

Many people have been deeply wounded by the institutional Church, and this in at least two distinct but related ways.

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.

Celebrating in communion with the whole church

 

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:

Preparing for Pentecost

Ascension Sunday

Sunday 17 May 2026

Lectio Divina:*

Acts 1:1-11 Psalm 47(46)

Ephesians 1:17-23 Matthew 28:16-20

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.

 

Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament

Adoracja z Niepokalanowa

This day 109 years ago an important event took place in the midst of World War 1.  It is said that the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to three shepherd children in Fatima in southern Portugal.

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:

1. There is an interesting connection between the name Fatima and the world of Islam.  Muslims honour Mary as the virginal mother of the prophet Jesus.  Mary is a bridge to bring the children of Abraham together. (see ‘Nothing ever happens out of heaven except with a finesse of all details).
2. “The Feast of Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament is on May 13 because it is the day St. Peter Julian Eymard, that great saint of the Eucharist, founded the Congregation of the Most Blessed Sacrament and told his novices to pray: ‘Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament, pray for us who have recourse to thee.’” [see here]

Grateful memories from the past and a concern for the future

 

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.

We have lots of friends in the Eucharist

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.

The fruits of the Eucharist

 

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.

Eucharistic Presence – an Eastern perspective

 

By Velopilger - Own work, Public Domain

In yesterday’s blog I wrote about areas of agreement between Roman Catholics and Anglicans regarding the Eucharist, and in particular the mystery of Christ’s real presence in the consecrated bread and wine. It should be noted, of course, that Anglicans represent only one strand of Christianity that emerged from the Reformation of the sixteenth century. Moreover, there are arguably as many theologies of the Eucharist among Anglicans as there are among Christians across all denominations.

We are not alone

 

Sunday 10 May 2026

Lectio Divina:*

Acts 8:5-17 Psalm 66(65)

1 Peter 3:15-18 John 14:15-21

Meditatio:

‘ You know him, because he abides with you, and he will be in you’.   (John 14:17)

 Commentary:

We are drawing ever closer to that most wonderful of celebrations: Pentecost Sunday—the feast on which, once again and anew, the Holy Spirit comes among us in a special way, even as the Spirit is at work in our broken and wounded world day by day. As we remember the first great outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon the disciples and apostles shortly after the death and resurrection of Jesus—events that are inextricably bound together—we open ourselves to a fresh gift of the Spirit’s peace, joy, and freedom.

The real presence of Christ in the Eucharist #1

 

The Disputation of the Holy Sacrament (Raphael 1509-1510) depicts theologians debating, with Pope Gregory I and Jerome on the left, and Augustine and Ambrose on the right, Pope Julius II, Pope Sixtus IV, Savonarola and Dante Alighieri. Source: here

Christ is present to us in a number of important ways:

• in the person next to me here and now;
• in the poor;
• in his Word;
• where two or three are gathered in his name;
• in the minister sent by him;
• and in his Body and Blood, offered in the Eucharist and received in Holy Communion.

It is in this last sense that Catholics speak of the “Real Presence” – a very special presence that is regarded as unique, substantial, and enduring.

Some other Christians, including Anglicans, also speak of the Real Presence in the specific sacramental context of the Eucharist. Rather than descend into acrimonious historical controversies or disputes over terminology, it is more fruitful to note what Roman Catholics and Anglicans actually say—and, indeed, what they agree upon—concerning the Real Presence.

To that end, here is an extended extract from the 1971 Agreed Statement on eucharistic doctrine (paragraphs 6-11):

Communion with Christ in the eucharist presupposes his true presence, effectually signified by the bread and wine which, in this mystery, become his body and blood. The real presence of his body and blood can, however, only be understood within the context of the redemptive activity whereby he gives himself, and in himself reconciliation, peace and life, to his own. On the one hand, the eucharistic gift springs out of the paschal mystery of Christ's death and resurrection, in which God's saving purpose has already been definitively realized. On the other hand, its purpose is to transmit the life of the crucified and risen Christ to his body, the Church, so that its members may be more fully united with Christ and with one another.  Christ is present and active, in various ways, in the entire eucharistic celebration. It is the same Lord who through the proclaimed word invites his people to his table, who through his minister presides at that table, and who gives himself sacramentally in the body and blood of his paschal sacrifice. It is the Lord present at the right hand of the Father, and therefore transcending the sacramental order, who thus offers to his Church, in the eucharistic signs, the special gift of himself.

The sacramental body and blood of the Saviour are present as an offering to the believer awaiting his welcome. When this offering is met by faith, a lifegiving encounter results. Through faith Christ's presence - which does not depend on the individual's faith in order to be the Lord's real gift of himself to his Church - becomes no longer just a presence for the believer, but also a presence with him. Thus, in considering the mystery of the eucharistic presence, we must recognize both the sacramental sign of Christ's presence and the personal relationship between Christ and the faithful which arises from that presence.

The Lord's words at the last supper, ‘Take and eat; this is my body’, do not allow us to dissociate the gift of the presence and the act of sacramental eating. The elements are not mere signs; Christ's body and blood become really present and are really given. But they are really present and given in order that, receiving them, believers may be united in communion with Christ the Lord.

According to the traditional order of the liturgy the consecratory prayer (anaphora) leads to the communion of the faithful. Through this prayer of thanksgiving, a word of faith addressed to the Father, the bread and wine become the body and blood of Christ by the action of the Holy Spirit, so that in communion we eat the flesh of Christ and drink his blood. The Lord who thus comes to his people in the power of the Holy Spirit is the Lord of glory. In the eucharistic celebration we anticipate the joys of the age to come. By the transforming action of the Spirit of God, earthly bread and wine become the heavenly manna and the new wine, the eschatological banquet for the new man: elements of the first creation become pledges and first fruits of the new heaven and the new earth.

End of extract, above

The Agreed Statement does not resolve all doctrinal differences regarding the Eucharist. Nevertheless, it establishes a significant measure of agreement on key essentials concerning both the nature of the eucharistic sacrifice and the real sacramental presence of the Lord in the consecrated bread and wine. It is important to note that the Statement is concerned primarily with what is affirmed about Christ’s presence and the transformation of the elements, rather than how that transformation is to be explained.

A fully systematic philosophical explanation of the how does not emerge until the second millennium, and then in response to particular heretical or overly literal and superstitious interpretations of eucharistic change. In this context, St Thomas Aquinas developed the doctrine of transubstantiation, drawing on concepts informed by classical Greek philosophy in order to counter mechanistic or crudely physical accounts of what occurs in the Eucharist. These latter approaches claimed that Jesus’s body replaced the bread in a measurable and biological way or that Christ was ‘cut up’ or multiplied like ordinary matter.  In other words, we are dealing, here, with mystery and not magic; with faith and not physics.

The term transubstantiation itself was already in theological use by the early eleventh century and was employed dogmatically by the Fourth Lateran Council in 1215; Aquinas did not invent the term but gave it its most influential philosophical exposition.

In this way, Catholic teaching developed as a faithful articulation of firmly held apostolic and patristic beliefs regarding the presence of Christ, using the language of transubstantiation from the Middle Ages onwards and drawing especially on the systematic theology of St Thomas Aquinas. For Catholics, this sacramental presence is uniquely substantial and enduring beyond the moment of reception, a reality the Church has solemnly defined using that terminology.

All this said, what Catholics—both East and West—believe about the Real Presence and about the change in the “eucharistised” bread and wine is consistent with what has been believed since the earliest apostolic times, as explored in other reflections in this Bread for the Journey series. The Church is bound to the reality of transubstantiation, not to Aquinas’s particular philosophical system.

The rupture in doctrine, ministry, and authority that occurred at the time of the Reformation - including its English expression - remains a real difficulty for Roman Catholics. Much work remains to be done. More love is required, that we may learn again to see and to walk together in the Eucharist. Greater conformity to the values of the Gospel is needed if full communion is to be attained.

In the meantime, it is worth asking whether a greater generosity in eucharistic hospitality, attentive to local and personal circumstances and without breaking universal communion, might not be considered as we strive for ever deeper mutual understanding and agreement.

At the foot of the cross

 

Picture: The Grotto Portland

On Good Friday I wrote about how, only on that day, the Mass is not celebrated. Then, I wrote:

The Church contemplates the historical, once‑for‑all sacrifice, rather than its sacramental re‑presentation in the Mass. Because we are in mourning, the altars are stripped, statues veiled, and the sanctuary lamp – signifying the Real Presence – has already been extinguished since the Blessed Sacrament is typically removed to another place on Holy Thursday evening following the Mass of the Last Supper. It is a day for silence, stillness, and reverence before the mystery of death. The joy of the Resurrection is near, but not yet.

This naturally raises an important question: what, then, is the point of the Mass on the other 364 (or 365) days of the year, and especially on each Sunday? The answer is that the Mass exists to sacramentally make present the one, all‑sufficient sacrifice of Calvary (Hebrews 10:10-14), and to proclaim anew Christ’s death, resurrection, and final coming. It is not a repetition of the sacrifice, but a real participation in it. Through what is technically called the anamnesis, the power and grace of that unique historical event are made present to us here and now. The sacrifice itself is finished—“It is accomplished” (John 19:30)—and yet it is perpetuated in the Eucharist because, as Saint Paul teaches, “For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes” (1 Corinthians 11:26).

Sharing our goods with those in need

 

offertory-procession - Catechist's Journey

It is a good and longstanding custom to offer our thoughts, actions, and prayers to God each day, for ourselves and for the whole world. This offering may be made at any moment, but it is especially fitting at the very beginning of the day. In that sense, it becomes the key that opens the day, just as our final offering and prayers before turning out the light in the evening are the lock that closes it.

Eucharist in the life of Blessed Edmund Rice

The image to the left is that of an Icon of Edmund Rice created by the Irish artist Desmond Kyne, which was unveiled in Liverpool, England, in 1986. Edmund is depicted 'in prayer before the living God. The Star of David and the descending triangle of the Deity direct the viewer towards him, showing Edmund in adoration before the Eucharist, represented in imagery that is both muted and powerful'.

Blessed Edmund Rice (1762–1844), who is remembered today, was a Kilkenny man from the Callan district. Over the course of his life he was a businessman, husband, widower, father of a child with disabilities, advocate for the poor, and the founder of two religious congregations devoted to education: the Christian Brothers and the Presentation Brothers.

I had the good fortune to be educated at a Christian Brothers' school in Rathfarnham, County Dublin, from 1968 to 1974. Although vocations to the Brothers had begun to decline from the mid‑1960s and, as with other religious orders, there was a significant departure of members from religious life, I was taught by four different Brothers during my schooling.

The dignity of all human life in the Eucharist

Credit here

Earlier today, I had the opportunity to take part in the annual March for Life in Dublin along with some fellow members of the Irish chapter of Rehumanize International. The event, organised by the Pro‑LifeCampaign, seeks to uphold the rights of unborn children and to promote a broader culture of life. This includes support for other vulnerable people at a time when assisted suicide is being introduced in some jurisdictions and openly supported by a significant number of members of the Oireachtas (Irish parliament).

Support for life at every stage - from conception to natural death -  is a key and fundamental part of Catholic Social Teaching as solidarity with the poorest, weakest and most marginalised members of society. I also believe it sits within a wider consistent life ethic that can, and does, find support across a diversity of political and religious viewpoints, including among those who do not profess religious faith.

A real transformation #2

Picture: Bloomberg

In yesterday’s blog, I wrote about the transformation that takes place in the Mass. Scripture and the early Patristic writings –  the testimony of the great teachers of the Church in the centuries following the Resurrection of our Lord –  clearly affirm this reality. In harmony with the Bible and with Catholic tradition, we give our intellectual assent to this essential teaching of the faith.

A real transformation #1

* Source is shown below

Saint Athanasius, whose feast is commemorated today, was one of the most significant Christian figures of the fourth century. An Egyptian bishop and theologian, he died in A.D. 373 and is best remembered as the principal defender of Nicene orthodoxy against the Arian heresy, which sought to deny the full divinity of Jesus Christ. He is often described by the phrase Athanasius contra mundum –  ‘Athanasius against the world’ – reflecting his steadfast resistance to both ecclesiastical and imperial pressures in defence of the Catholic faith at a time when Arianism had gained influence throughout the Roman Empire, including among senior clergy.

The dignity of all human work in the Eucharist

Picture Credit:

Today is traditionally regarded as the first day of summer in Ireland. Lá Bealtaine, the 1st of May, marks an ancient turning point of the year. Today is also the feast of Saint Joseph the Worker, a feast day inaugurated in 1955 by Pope Pius XII in honour of Saint Joseph as a model of human labour and as an inspiration for workers throughout the world.

The choice of date was no accident. Originating in 1886, May Day has had significance in trade union and political calendars ever since. Over time, it became firmly associated with left‑wing, socialist and Marxist movements. In the febrile atmosphere of the 1950s, Christians and Catholics were under pressure to defend social and moral ground that was increasingly being contested by hostile ideologies—particularly, though not exclusively, in Italy, where communist and socialist movements were in the ascendant.

Women’s ordination – weighing up the arguments

Pic: Vatican News

I am not sure whether the US Vice-President, J. D. Vance, is taking time to read this blog series. Regardless, his advice to Pope Leo XIV — “I think it’s very, very important for the pope to be careful when he talks about matters of theology” — applies all the more to me, since I cannot claim any particular depth of theological training or experience. However, I am certain of at least one thing: neither the Vice-President nor I is the Pope.

Could women serve as deacons at the Eucharist in the Roman Catholic church? (#2)

Leading Liturgists Reaffirm the Ordination of Women to the Diaconate - Public Orthodoxy

Unlike the case of priestly ordination, objections to the ordination of women to the diaconate cannot rest on apostolic precedent or on Eucharistic sacramental symbolism. This raises the question of what, precisely, distinguishes a priest from a deacon within the catholic apostolic tradition—Roman Catholic, Orthodox, and Anglican.

Could women serve as deacons at the Eucharist in the Roman Catholic church? (#1)

Picture:  Codex Barberini gr. 336 (780 AD) with the opening of the ordination rite for women deacons

Let us set aside the question of the priesthood for the moment – I will return to it later. Today, I want to focus instead on the office and function of the diaconate within the Church’s three‑fold clerical order of deacon, priest, and bishop.

Sufficient evidence?

The lie detector machine

Sunday 3 May 2026

Acts 6:1-7 Psalm 33(32)

1 Peter 2:4-9 John 14:1-12

There are two questions I consider this Sunday: the how of belief and the so what of belief. 

 

Lectio Divina:*

Meditatio:

‘Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; but if you do not, then believe me because of the works themselves.’   (John 14:11)

 Commentary:

How do we know that God exists—and does it matter?

Joining the dawn chorus

I managed to get up reasonably early this morning (for a retired gentleman, that is) to inspect the world of nature outside before joining the monks for Lauds. The sun was rising and the birds were singing. Another day was in the offering.

Across the world, millions are already on the move in so many time zones - to and from schools and workplaces, hospitals and holiday destinations, visits both joyful and necessary. Millions more are still wrapped in sleep or waiting anxiously in some residential institution or place of care. Some, having no shelter, have passed the night beneath the open sky. Some live in constant terror of drones, missiles or violence.  Today is a wholly new day, rich with possibilities and marked also by challenges, hopes, and anxieties.

Signs pointing beyond themselves

The first thing that strikes you on entering the public church of the Monastery of the Holy Cross is the water font immediately to the left of the entrance. Above it hangs a simple metal sign inscribed with the words: “One Lord, One Faith, One Baptism”—a direct quotation from Ephesians 4:5. Before a single word is spoken, the church proclaims the fundamental unity of Christian life grounded in baptism.

Moving into the body of the church, your eye is drawn in an unbroken line toward the altar, the true centre and focal point of the entire space. As you approach, you notice that the altar rises a little from a large circular base, solidly grounded and yet visually expansive. What immediately struck me was its resemblance to the Eucharistic host—one form composed of many parts. It called to mind Saint Paul’s words:

“Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread.” (1 Corinthians 10:17)

More please

 Sunday 26 April 2026

 Lectio Divina:*

Acts 2:36-41 Psalm 23(22)

1 Peter 2:20-25 John 10:1-10

Meditatio:

‘I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.’   (John 10:1-10)

Secret places

It took nearly fifteen years before I discovered a small secret within the monastery where I was staying. Just beside the monastic church there is a room: enter by its door and you find yourself in a sacred space where the Most Blessed Sacrament is reserved for adoration and private prayer, and, when the need arises, for the celebration of the Eucharist by small groups.

To be able to take time to enter such a space and simply be still is a real privilege. Today, churches are often locked in the evenings and sometimes even during the day. As a result, it can be difficult to find both the time and the space for a true “heart‑to‑heart” conversation with the Blessed Trinity in the presence of the reserved Blessed Sacrament.

Eucharistic hospitality

Eighteen years ago, very early on a cold February morning, I first arrived at the doors of Holy Cross Abbey, the Benedictine monastery nestled at the head of the Kilbroney Valley just outside Rostrevor, “where the mountains of Mourne sweep down to the sea.” Apart from a two‑year interruption during the Covid era, I have returned every year since.

What strikes me on each visit is, first of all, the magnificent beauty of the natural surroundings, and also the abbey’s quiet witness as a place of reconciliation and unity on an island with a deeply troubled history. From the grounds one can look across the border into the South, with the Cooley Mountains rising in the distance.

Seen but not heard? (#4)

A modern icon or Aghia Magdalini or Saint Mary Magdalene by Alexandra Kaouki in her workshop in Rethymnon (Photograph © Alexandra Kaouki)

Saint Paul is often blamed for attitudes that appear to relegate women to a wholly passive or subordinate role within society, the household, and the Church. One of the key passages cited in support of this view comes from his First Letter to the Corinthians (1 Corinthians 14:33–35):

Equal but different - the case for women priests #3

St Alban's Psalter

Credit: Wikimedia Commons

It seems to me that proponents of the status quo (a male‑only priesthood) and proponents of change (the inclusion of women in ordained ministry) are often talking past one another. Those who defend the current practice tend to rely on arguments from tradition, symbolism, and ecclesial order, while those calling for change focus on equality, power, and the elimination of discrimination. As a result, the debate frequently becomes polarised rather than genuinely dialogical.

What both sides generally agree on, however, is that men and women are created equally in the image of God (Genesis 1:27):

So God created humankind (’adam in the Hebrew), in his image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.

The role of cultural norms

It is clear that both Scripture and Tradition come to us expressed through particular historical and cultural contexts. The human authors and teachers through whom God chose to communicate His eternal and unchanging truth were themselves shaped by the assumptions, language and social structures of their time.

Accordingly, the ways in which believers think about God and articulate their faith are influenced by the cultural norms of the societies in which they live. It is therefore unsurprising that in biblical and New Testament times women did not occupy recognised positions of leadership in the synagogue, the Temple or the early Christian communities, although there is some evidence of women exercising significant and in certain cases possibly leading roles. This evidence will be considered later in relation to the question of the diaconate.