Reflections & Homilies

Archbishop Eamon Martin gave this homily during Mass in the Cathedral of Saint Patrick and Saint Coleman, Newry, on 13 September 2025. Dear friends, our commemoration today of the raising of the siege of Malta, on the 8 September 1565, is a reminder of the power of hope, faith, and spiritual steadfastness in the face of what sometimes seem impossible odds. For back in 1565 the people of Malta - sm... Read More

Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross Or in our Eastern Churches, Catholic and Orthodox: The Feast of The Triumph of the Cross (1,990th anniversary of its inception!) A short bit of history: There are several feasts of the Cross, all of which focus on the triumphant gift the Cross is for all Christians, the sign of our redemption through Christ's self offering, the key not only to our unders... Read More

Daniel Pretorius, from the Jesuit Institute South Africa, writes: Fyodor Dostoevsky's great novel, The Brothers Karamazov, published in 1880, explores timeless themes such as the human condition, morality, religion, faith, and doubt. Upon re-reading The Brothers Karamazov recently, I was struck by another recurring theme, perhaps an unlikely one for a novel written 145 years ago: ecology and th... Read More

23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time 1. The story of Onesimus I like the story of Onesimus, touched on in the second reading. Rather like the meaning of his name in English, translated from the Greek as useful or profitable, his small tale of conversion, forgiveness, and salvation is 'profitable for our souls' and although we may not be slaves in same way he once was, I am sure we can look to his story an... Read More

Bishop Denis Nulty, Bishop of Kildare and Leighlin, launched Why Sunday Matters at the 10.30 Mass in the Cathedral of the Assumption of Blessed Virgin Mary, Carlow on Sunday. Bishop Nulty said: "31 August has that sense of finality; while some schools re-open now around the 20th of the month, we can be guaranteed that all will have re-opened by tomorrow. For many there is that sense of new beg... Read More

Who was St Paul and why was he crucial to the early spread of the gospel? This new Biblical resource for September from the God Who Speaks project: St Paul's Travelogue: Man, Mission & Letters, written by Fr John Deehan and edited by Professor Susan Docherty, explores the Man and the Mission, the power of his Letters to the churches he founded throughout the Roman Empire, and his relevance to... Read More

22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time The demand of Christ's commitment to the little ones I am often troubled by the gap between what the Lord Christ has called us to become, as his disciples seeking the kingdom of God and its righteousness, and the more human fascination with the structures, rules and riches we discover in the Institutional Church . After 46 years as a priest, more when I add in my monas... Read More

During his Angelus address on Sunday, Pope Leo XIV reflected on the Gospel reading and how we are all called to pass through the "narrow door", living lives of authentic faith of words and deeds. "Strive to enter through the narrow door, for many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able." The Pope told pilgrims in St Peter's Square that this image might raise the question: "if God is t... Read More

Twenty First Sunday in Ordinary Time 1. What is the discipline of God? Is it useful to be reminded that we are loved as part of God's family and that any difficult circumstances particularly where we learn the Lord's discipline as a salutary lesson in life are then seen and understood as trials that will lead us onwards to greater understanding? Or as our second reading puts it : 'At the time, al... Read More

During his weekly General Audience on Wednesday, Pope Leo XIV reflected on how despite being betrayed, Jesus' love did not allow evil to have the last word, and "that there is always a way to continue to love, even when everything seems irredeemably compromised." "Let us ask today for the grace to be able to forgive, even when we do not feel understood, even when we feel abandoned." Back in Rome a... Read More

Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time I was listening carefully to an American broadcast in which one of the hosts, having declared that she was an atheist, proceeded to lecture the audience on the evil nature of religion and cited Christianity as one of the major causes of conflict and war. Now in listening to this diatribe I found far too many inaccurate statements were left unchallenged, most were ... Read More

"Mary's song, Magnificat, strengthens the hope of the humble, the hungry, the faithful servants of God." Pope Leo XIV gave this reminder during the Mass for the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary at the Pontifical Parish of Saint Thomas of Villanova in Castel Gandolfo on 15 August 2025. The Holy Father began his homily by observing that although today is not Sunday, "we celebr... Read More

During his Sunday Angelus with pilgrims gathered in St Peter's Square, Pope Leo reflected on the day's Gospel passage from Luke, inviting the faithful to ask themselves how they are investing the "treasure" of their lives. Quoting Jesus' words: "Sell what you own and give alms", the Pope urged Christians not to cling to the gifts they have received from God, but to use them generously for the goo... Read More

Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time 1. Faith and Hope. Our readings this Sunday divide neatly into two parts and two distinct themes. The first theme is that discovered in the letter to the Hebrews; 'Faith is the realization of what is hoped for and evidence* of things not seen'.(Heb 11:1)But it is also present in our first reading from the book of Wisdom where we are reminded of the importance of ... Read More