Witness Christ: Walking through life with God

Some thoughts about Pentecost

2013-05-14T17:27:00.002+01:00

We are now in the time between the Ascension and Pentecost. Last Sundays Gospel narrated the story of Jesus taking leave of the disciples and being carried up into heaven. The nine days between Ascension Thursday and Pentecost Sunday is the first novena which was ever prayed, in which the disciples gathered together with Our Lady to pray for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit.

In this Sundays Gospel Jesus says that He will sent down what the Father has promised, the Holy Spirit, but what does this mean? If the ordinary comprehension of the disciples of what Jesus is about is an indication I would suggest they didn’t have a clue either. And while they were full of joy when they saw Jesus being taken up into the clouds, we can read in the Gospel of Luke that when Pentecost came they were afraid as usual and locked themselves up in the upper room. However we now know what happened to them, and how it transferred the disciples from being hidden and locked up by themselves into the preachers which stand up boldly and address the crowds telling them that Jesus has risen!

Does this event have any relation to my own praying of the novena for this outpouring of the Holy Spirit, do I regard it as something that is actually going to happen, or an event in the past only held in a memorial? That is a difficult question. And a related question is really if I want it to happen. Do I really want to be a preacher like Saint Peter and Paul, being persecuted, flogged, scorched, stoned and eventually killed for my witness to the Good News? It is something to think about I think...

In the difference between reflecting on the outpouring of the Holy Spirit as a past event, and the desire to receive the grace to go out and make disciples of all the nations lies a fundamental difference. The one can maybe be said to focus on me, and my direct surroundings, and can maybe be seen to be more inward. The second however is concerned with the outgoing to the outside, to spread out. It strikes me that the commandment to “go and make disciples of all the nations” is something that needs to be taken serious, and has to be taken literary. We need to go out and make disciples. We need to go out and tell people about Jesus. We need to go out and share the joy we ourselves discover when we try and live an authentic Christian life in communion with God!

It is very easy to become inward looking, to focus on what our own direct surroundings or our own community in the Church. I dare to say that the fact that a lot of ‘ministry’ is only seen as being related to the liturgical celebrations is one of the effects of this. But instead of looking inwardly, we are called to look outward, to go out and to share. It is not about gathering up what we have and create our own comfortable place in the world, but in stead a calling to go out and gather those who are not part yet of the fold.

The joy which it is to know Jesus is something which should set out heart on fire. It puts our heart on fire to share with others who might not have experience this as yet, be in near to us, or farther afield. This time between ascension and Pentecost is maybe a time to pray especially for the grace to be able to stand up for our faith, and to have the courage as the apostles did after their Pentecost!

Credo Series - Episode 4

2013-05-10T10:56:00.000+01:00

In this forth episode in our series on the Nicene Creed we look at the phrase: "I believe in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Only Begotten Son of God, born of the Father before all ages. God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, consubstantial with the Father."

Bro. Conor McDonough OP talks with Dr. Carol Brown who will shed some new light for us.

Please share this series if you like it with your friends. We will release a new expisode every week until we have gone through all the articles contained in the Creed.

Through accepting Jesus’ love we automatically accept His life giving message

2013-05-08T10:56:00.001+01:00

Sixth Sunday of Easter (Year C)

Last Sundays Gospel, taken from the 14th chapter of the Gospel according to John, is part of the farewell discourse Jesus gave to His disciples to prepare them for the change which is about to happen; Jesus is going to be crucified and die for the sins of the world, but He will rise on the third day to open Heaven and allow us to become children of God. Jesus’ passing opens a complete new reality for us, and Jesus is preparing His disciples so “when it does happen [they] believe.” For us too, now in the time of preparation for Pentecost, it is a chance to think again about what it means that Jesus is risen and that He is with us, that it too might strengthen our own belief.

Earlier in the chapter Jesus said “I am the way, the truth and the life, no one can come to the Father except by me”. Only through Jesus can we come to the Father and to eternal life; only by listening to Him can we accept and grasp the meaning of what it is to be true children of God. It is however not an easy thing to understand how we can become children of God, and how God is going to live in us! Indeed it is a teaching that can only be understood through faith.

The encounter with Jesus is an encounter with genuine love, and an encounter which can open our hearts to accept the Truth He is offering to us. Through accepting Jesus’ love we automatically accept His life giving message, and through this acceptance we receive the grace we need to see and understand reality as it really is.

If we love Jesus we automatically accept His message, we automatically keep His word. There is no separation between who Jesus is and what He teaches. While for people who do not have faith Jesus’ teaching can be obscure and unacceptable, for those close to Him they are life giving, and they indeed recognised it as the teachings of God Himself.

When I discovered my faith about 10 years ago this was exactly what happened in my life. The encounter with the Truth suddenly makes so many things which were obscure before as clear as glass. For me the initial encounter was through reading the Word of God, especially the Gospels, and through the love of Jesus experienced in prayer. This new discovery opened up for me a whole new perspective of the world. It changes everything!

If we listen to the Word of God and keep it, then God really comes to dwell within us! He comes to us and helps us to become the persons we are really meant to be, the persons we are as God intended us to be when He made us. By allowing God into our lives we open ourselves up to a new reality in which our daily lives are not limited to the finitude of our day to day business. No, it opens up our experience to already participate in some of the blessings we will receive in Heaven.

The true light comes into our lives and sheds light on aspects we did not notice before or maybe rather did not want to see. In my own personal experience I have seen this in the whole Pro-life struggle here in Ireland. When I grew up in the Netherlands there was never a hint of the baby in the womb being a person. It was just something which was never mentioned, a question never asked, and something never thought about. It was one of those things which was hidden in the dark, in the shadowy corners of the world, to be left ignored and left obscure. But with God in our lives it becomes clear.

The closer we are to God the better we can see what is really happening around us. This gives a security, and indeed a peace which Jesus promises us. A peace which the world cannot give. Even though seeing everything clearly is not always the easiest, it is much better to go through life in daylight then stumbling all the time in the half dark, not knowing exactly where we are going.

If we don’t accept Jesus’ Word, and do no accept His teaching, or when we reject God and close our hearts to His love we somehow lose the sense of this reality, we shun the light which can enlighten the half-dark corners of this world. Reality lived in the shadows is not real anymore but becomes an enclosed world centred on ourselves where we cannot see much further then what is within our reach. Instead of living a life which is opened by love, we live an enclosed life. This is a life which is incompatible with a life with Jesus at its centre, and by its very fact of that way of living it is possible to shut God out and reject the gifts He wants to give us. When we do accept Jesus in our lives then we find the peace Jesus promises, a peace which if we look for it in the world we cannot find, a peace the world cannot give.

This is true, and this is real. I stand up to it myself, and wouldn’t be here if I did not belief it. Walking in the light is not always easy, and sometimes we prefer the dark. However, God is always there to help and guide us. He wants to be with us, and he wants to help us, He wants to be our light. Moreover, God has sent His Holy Spirit to guide us and enlighten us. As he promised in todays Gospel, the Holy Spirit will always guides us in finding the true way, to help us to understand, and remind us of what Jesus is saying to us and who will teach us to become better people.

Finally, we are not alone, there are many people around us who have discovered the treasure of our faith too. They too have encountered the Word, and embraced it! They have found this peace Jesus is offering. They are the people who are described as kind and gentile, and they radiate a happiness which seems to some almost unreal. This is what is offered by God, only to be accepted by us as a gift.

Credo Series - Episode 3

2013-05-03T17:27:00.000+01:00

In this third episode on our series on the Nicene Creed we talk about creation in the article: "maker of heaven and earth". Bro. Conor McDonough OP joins us this week to give some new insights.

Please share this series if you like it with your friends. We will release a new expisode every week until we have gone through all the articles contained in the Creed.

The Year of Faith: Refocus on the Faith that is given us

2013-05-02T20:25:00.001+01:00

Pope Benedict XVI has called this year the 'Year of Faith' to put a renewed focus on the importance of what faith really is. As I have only come to believe in God about 10 years ago, I can still clearly remember what it is to discover the gift of faith. The experience that suddenly everything I knew is transformed into a new fuller reality which can only be seen through the eyes of faith. It is the light shining in the darkness, making clear so many things which were vague or unknown before. It is through faith that we discovery and come to experience that God really exists and that He loves us and wants to know us. Everything we experience in this world is subsequently coloured from this perspective. This initially experience can be almost overwhelming!

However then, over time the ‘newness’ wears off and the excitement of the encounter can turn into a dull routine. This year is an opportunity to make an effort to once more be touched and surprised by the encounter of faith. To grow in faith and communion with our Lord Jesus Christ.

But when considering what faith really is, it raises questions. Is it a belief, is it knowledge, or something more supernatural? My own initial reaction was that it seems that faith is equivalent to belief. To belief is to accept a piece of fact as a result of the witness of another. To belief is in a way not to have seen, not to have a first hand experience of a fact, yet it is to accept that piece of information as a fact. A friend of my often points this out when I am talking about the scientific probability that God exists. He keeps saying that it is impossible to know the existence of God and still call it a belief. While this seems linguistically correct it is putting the horse behind the cart, limiting the search for God because of a dictionary definition. However, it also points in the direction that there is a what faith really is is something more then belief, and that there is a clear distinction between faith and belief.

Faith is a theological virtue. This means that faith is a gift of God, given in grace. As such it is a participation in the knowledge of God, which God shares with us. This is why faith is certain, because certainty is proportional to the credibility of the giver, and as God is the most credible, faith is the most sure. This also points to a difference with ordinary belief as there is the difference of grace. Faith is a gift, given to us in baptism. Baptism, as it were, gives us a capacity to know God more personally, to know Him as a friend. The gift of faith comes with the gift of this capacity. It leaves us more prepared to encounter God and to really get to know Him. In the introduction to the Year of Faith Pope Benedict XVI wrote “The ‘door of faith’ (Acts 14:27) is always open for us, ushering us into the life of communion with God and offering entry into his Church.” Through faith we are able to see reality as it is in all its splendour.

But how do I experience my faith today? It is so easy to get used to something, to the effect of not realising it is there anymore. Sometimes it are the things closest to us which we don’t notice. If the light of Christ shines in our lives and enlightens our path, does there come a point that even this seems a little dull?

That question is very real to me in my own daily life, and it is at the core of any normal Christian living. The experience of God is for nobody the same, and the sensual intensity of the encounter with Christ normally varies from time to time, but apart from these normal fluctuations it is also easy to become lukewarm, and to slowly but surely strive less and less for the gifts that are given us. Sometimes there is too much work, or sometimes we just plainly don’t feel like running what seems an uphill race all the time.

However, through faith we know God is always close, and in those times I find it good to look back and see what God has done for me, what He is doing now, and to see where I am and where I am going. The gift of faith is the first step to allow us to embark on the exiting journey to come to know God more fully, but the journey of Faith is a long one; a life long one. It is not enough to just accept the fact that God is there, it is a continuous journey in which we discover more and more of the beauty of the reality as it is revealed to us. God wants to lead us from a life in the dry desert in which we can be wandering around without having found any real happiness, to the fullness of joy and love which we discover when we encounter Jesus Christ as a person in our lives and stay close to Him.

This journey towards God does involve a continual letting go of ourselves and hand our lives over to God, asking Him to lead us to the truth and returning to Him when we have drawn back a little. It is in letting go of ourselves that we discover ourselves more fully. We have to open our hearts to let God in and to let Him shape us and make us complete. Saint Paul in the letter to the Romans says “Man believes with his heart and so is justified, and he confesses with his lips and so is saved” (Rom 10:10). Simply knowing the content of our faith is not sufficient unless the heart, the authentic sacred space within the person, is opened by grace that allows the eyes to see below the surface and to understand that what was previously hidden in God. Faith should result in a much deeper transformation then an accepted belief is.

Only through believing does faith grow and become stronger. Ultimately our end is communion with God, and God is love. Faith is closely connected with love, through faith we come to love more. Love strengthens and invigorates anything we do, and so also in return our faith. Faith without love bears no fruit, while love without faith would be a sentiment constantly at the mercy of doubt. When we grow in faith we grow in love, and people will notice this. They will wonder what it is that is different in us, and this then we can explain to be our faith in God. God, who is the source of our love. By discovering our own faith we don't just influence our own lives but the lives of those around us as well.

Jesus is the “pioneer and perfecter of our faith”, let us go back to Him, find Him, talk to Him, and discover what he has to offer to us.

Credo Series - Episode 2

2013-04-27T11:08:00.000+01:00

In this second episode on our series on the Nicene Creed we look at the very first article: "I believe in one God the Father almighty". Dr. Carol Brown joins us this week to give some new insights.

Please share this series if you like it with your friends. We will release a new expisode every week until we have gone through all the articles contained in the Creed.

Credo Series - Episode 1

2013-04-25T19:06:00.004+01:00

In this first eposode on our new 13 part series explaining aspects of the Nicene Creed we look at the very first word: "Credo: I believe". Fr. Joseph Dineen O.P. will tell us a bit about the history of the Creed.

Please share this series if you like it with your friends. We will release a new expisode every week until we have gone through all the articles contained in the Creed.

The Annunciation

2013-04-08T12:36:00.004+01:00

This year the Annunciation of the Lord is celebrated on the 8th of April, instead of the 25th of March because the 25th of March fell on Holy Thursday.

This story is one of the most astonishing passages of scripture to contemplate; just for a moment think of what really happened in the little house in Nazareth. In the current basilica of the Annunciation, where the Angel appeared to Mary, it reads on the altar front ‘Verbum caro hic factum est’; ‘here the Word was made flesh’. It is this feast which celebrates the point when it all started, when God became man, when Jesus was conceived in the womb of the Virgin, when the all-powerful Word became flesh to dwell humbly among us!

At the moment when Mary said ‘yes’ Jesus became flesh in order to die and save us from our sins. He took from us our human nature so as to renew us in his divine nature. This is moving especially now after Easter when we have just celebrated the culmination of the incarnation in the crucifixion and resurrection: Jesus gave himself completely for us. This was the divine plan from the beginning, and it all started in this little town in Galilee called Nazareth.

Mary is a great example for us, and shows us what faith is really about. She did not doubt, she did not hesitate, she accepted God’s will. It seems such an opposite to our normal daily human experience. In the last week we have heard the various Gospel accounts of what happened in the days after the Resurrection. While the disciples close to Jesus must have known Him very well, it is clear that they did not grasp the reality which was before them. The risen Lord does not appear to them in a way they can recognise Him. We have Mary Magdalene who doesn’t recognise Jesus who is standing in front of her at the tomb until He speaks to her. Neither do the two disciples on the road to Emmaus until the breaking of the bread. Later when the disciples are together think He is a ghost and even the third time Jesus showed himself standing at the shore of the Sea of Tiberius they fail to recognise Him.

So the fact that the disciples did live with Jesus did not mean they recognised Him, this too can often be the experience we have in our daily lives. Do we recognise Jesus when He comes to us?

But Mary is different, she must have been so in tune with God’s reality as she accepted it for what it was. She accepted to become the Mother of God. Without any apparent proof she accepted the message of the Angel. The only difficulty she had was the fact that she was a virgin, and that it seemed unconceivable to her that she was to be pregnant at that moment. But even this doubt is erased by a single word from the angel. Mary believes and says: “I am the handmaid of the Lord, let what you have said be done to me”!

So when it seems normal to miss what God is really doing in our lives we can identify with the disciples who were so slow to understand that He was risen from the dead and really present to them as now He is to us. This is a great consolation, but this should not stop us trying to find Jesus. It is therefore a great consolation that Mary is always there to help us on the way to recognise Jesus. She is always in prayer with us to help us and encourage us to do the Lord’s will, to say “Yes” to Him as she did. Let us therefore pray to her, ask her help, and allow her to bring us to her Son. Then when she points Him out He can speak to us as He did to Mary Magdalene when “she did not recognise [Jesus]” but Jesus said “Mary!” and she knew Him then.

Let Mary teach us how to listen to the voice of His presence in our lives. She who said “Yes” invites us to say “Yes” in our turn.

Palm Sunday

2013-03-24T14:18:00.001Z

Today is Palm Sunday. It is a real marker at the beginning of our journey through Holy Week.

It is striking how the disciples coming with Jesus are shouting for joy "Hosanna in the highest" today while in a few days they will shout "Crucify Him", a contrast we encounter too in the reading today during Mass today.

Of all weeks in the year, this is a week to try and make some time for reflection. To make our own what happened nearly two thousand years ago, but also what happens now in our lives.

Our faith is not a distant event barely touching our daily lives, it is supposed to be an integral part of it. If it is not, we can be like the people who shout one moment "Hosanna" and the next "Crucify", swaying like barley in the wind. Not merely in our opinion or expression, but also in how we are, how we feel, or what our disposition is.

Instead, if we engage with Jesus, walking with Him especially during this week, we will be surprised what depth we can find in knowing Him. It strikes me a bit like Veronica as portrayed in the film the Passion. She is standing there contemplating the events unfolding, and without as yet having seen it, she senses what is happening. A deep connection with Jesus, and a deep understanding who Jesus really is is at the core. The fire of a longing of which He is the source and only fulfilment burs within her.

And so also with us, there is the flame which can be fuelled to become a burning furnace! This week is a week especially to engage with Jesus. To make the connection between joy and sorrow in a new reality that opens up for us providing the answer and fulfilment of the desires deep in our heart!

Video of the Diaconate Ordinations

2013-03-16T19:23:00.001Z

This is the video of our Diaconate Ordination:

Novena for Life

2013-03-10T16:53:00.002Z

This week was my turn to speak at the Novena for Life. Please find the recording and the text below. For other talks recorded at the novena please check Dominicans Interactive or the iDoms Portal App!

Talk at the Novena for Life

I didn’t grow up as a Catholic, and as such I still find it amazing sometimes to look back at the time before being baptised, just over ten years ago. While now in the light of the faith I have come to appreciate all the more the dignity of every human being from the moment of conception to natural death.

In the first 22 years of my life I completely accepted the cultural outlook which considered it normal to abort a pregnancy if it seemed convenient. Similarly I would have looked favourably on what is termed “mercy killing”, the killing of the handicapped or the elderly. Looking back now I find it scary how relativism and a lack of perception of true reality distorted my understanding of what is good, true and beautiful. While I would have seen myself as somebody open to logical thinking, it is only now after my encounter with the Gospel, with the person of Christ, that so many positions I held before seem so irrational.

In St. John’s Gospel we read that a delegation of representatives from Jerusalem came to the River Jordan to inquire about the preaching of this man named John the Baptist. After inquiring about his identity, and being unhappy with the answers and yet eager to bring a definitive reply to the authorities, the investigators push for a response and John said “I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness” (Jn 1:23 RSV)

Israel was a blessed nation; A nation which was called to completely trust in God in everything they did. However at the time of John the Baptist seemed to have lost sight of the reality which was enfolding around them; the reality that was indeed walking among them. The authorities did not want to accept John’s message in the midst of their political manoeuvrings, and they miss what John is really saying; what he is really pointing at: “the Word became flesh and dwelt among us” (Jn 1:14 RSV).

The situation at the time of Jesus seems to me to be strikingly similar in our own cultural situation. God is with us, with all of us, but is not anymore recognised or is even at times rejected because His message is not convenient anymore. This has consequences as we all know when we look around us.

When I reflect on my own experience when younger, and how acceptable for example abortion had become in the society I was brought up in, I am perplexed. How is it possible that a society once so religious can accept for example that a baby is not a baby unless somebody wants it to be, when a person only becomes a person by convention! Even though the understanding of the dignity of every human being is written on our hearts, it seems that the voice of conscience is lost. It seems that society can now decide what the truth is; decide when these cells conveniently become a human person, and adversely also when they cease to be. It seems that the truth is the truth which I, or a specific group, believe in. Any link with objectivity is lost, and any value is negotiable.

What is missing is the true light to enlighten our understanding and to inform our conscience. When we dwell in darkness, or in the fading light, it is hard to make clear distinctions, to see clearly what is happening around us. Everything becomes dim. We need therefore to return to the true light, and It is only in the encounter with God that this light comes to us. Without this light to enlighten our conscience, objective values become blurred. Opinions often grounded on well-intended emotional arguments are portrayed as truths.

I came to belief through the witness of another catholic. So what society needs most in these times, it seems to me, are witnesses to the light inviting people back to the light of Christ and to scatter the darkness in their lives.

I think it is therefore crucial that we realise that we need to be vocal. We need our voices to be heard. Through baptism, and especially through confirmation, we are called to be public people! Our voices need not to be raised in anger, but it can be something as simple as the good example of Christian living, the kind word or the odd comment to invite people back into the mystery which is the faith. It does not matter how much ‘society’ wants to push back our religion to the private sphere, it is up to us as believers to make it clear faith is not simply a private affair. That is why colourful manifestations as the last Pro Life Vigils are important to proclaim the message that we do believe in something that is worth fighting for, something worth living for. At the moment it is the right to life, but there are many other issue which also need to be defended and supported such as the rights of a family and its central role in society.

By re-introducing people to the Gospel, and by giving them a genuine encounter with the God who loves them, their lives too can be transformed. In the encounter with Jesus there is the discovery of the Truth which does exist and is objective. As I have experienced in my own story in this encounter our eyes are opened, our minds enlightened, and the reality which seemed so bleak and dim, becomes a life filled experience and an enjoyable journey to eternal happiness.

When I discovered that God existed, and more importantly, that He is a God whom we can know, my eyes were opened and suddenly everything that was obscure and dark had the light of light shining on it. When I started to pray and to know more about Jesus, when I started to talk to Him, that is when I had this gradual experience of the true reality being revealed.

Therefore let us try to be voices in the desert too like John the Baptist. In the desert of hopelessness and darkness, we can announce the living water to people who are thirsting for God. People who in many cases do not realise this. Like myself before I was a Catholic, I was searching, but was looking in the wrong places. I did not see what was right before my eyes. We can proclaim that the Lord is standing among us because we have met Him, He is with us. Jesus is always there knocking at each and everyone’s door. If only the knock is heard and the door opened amazing things can happen.

Ordination of three Dominican deacons

2013-02-19T14:36:00.003Z

Last Saturday Br. Colm Mannion OP, Br. Matthew Martinez OP and myself were ordained deacon by Archbishop of Dublin, Diarmuid Martin. The ordination ordination is for us yet another step on the road to priesthood.

Below are some images from the ordination ceremony, which are a usual provided by the Vocation Blog of the Irish Province.

Do not be afraid; from now on it is men you will catch

2013-02-10T15:32:00.002Z

This Sunday’s Gospel (Luke 5:1-11) ends with Jesus saying to Peter “Do not be afraid; from now on it is men you will catch”. Subsequently Peter, but also Andrew, James and John left everything and followed our Lord.

But why did these ordinary fishermen suddenly leave everything behind and follow this man Jesus? The beginning of the Gospel narrates that they are working away washing their nets and don’t even seem to be part of the crowd pressing around Jesus.

It also seems clear that at least John and James, here mentioned as the Peter’s partners, were probably well off. In Saint Mark’s account we read that they left their father in his boat with the hired men: they had some kind of a fishing business going on. We also know that there was a thriving fishing business in Capernaum. And moreover on Jesus’ instruction they had caught so many fish that both the boats began to sink because of the size of the catch. But instead of securing this treasure, they left it all behind and followed Jesus...

But why? One thing which can be noted in beginning of this passage from the Gospel is that the man which we know by the name of Peter is called Simon. However, after the encounter with Jesus we suddenly see that it is not just Simon anymore, but Simon Peter. Peter, as will be explained elsewhere, means ‘rock’ and it is on this rock that the Church is build. The reason for this change from an ordinary fisherman to the future leader of the Church lies in the fact that God loves us all and touches us all in a personal way. He touches us in a way that cuts to the heart, giving us the grace to get to know Him, to start a relationship with Him and to become His friend. In accepting this grace it can be noted that there is not a transition from Simon to Peter, but that it is now Simon Peter. The Lord does not take away from us, or changes us, but makes us complete and brings us to our full potential. This is what leads us to true happiness, it makes us feel whole and it brings us peace. If we accept the offer of God’s friendship then it makes sense to leave everything else behind.

But interestingly a little later Peter draws back from the Lord when he says “Leave me Lord; I am a sinful man”. By distancing ourselves from Jesus we reject the gift that is given to us, and so the completeness that is offered. As a result Simon Peter loses the addition of Peter to his name. But this was Peter’s own doing, and God is always calling us even if we draw back. At the subsequent summons of Jesus, Simon Peter leaves everything and follows the Lord.

All is grace, and maybe we don't realise enough how much grace is actually given to us. God shines out even in the midst of our weakness, as we can see in the example of Peter. But this is why we are called to trust in God, like Peter does despite the fact he feels so inadequate. Knowing God does make a real difference in our lives. It makes a difference when we have God near, but it in the same way makes it a difference when we turn ourselves away from Him. But God is always there, always waiting for us to turn back. It is only in turning back to Him that we can really feel complete and live life to the full.

Advent: a time to meet Jesus

2012-12-11T10:47:00.004Z

2^nd Sunday of Advent

Luke 3:1-6

Last Sunday was the first Sunday of Advent and the Gospel focussed on the second coming of Christ. In this the second Sunday of Advent the focus is on the announcement of the coming of Jesus to his public ministry with the appearance of John the Baptist.

Advent is a time of 'actively waiting', a time in which we wait for the Lord to come to us, while we prepare at the same time for His coming. This was very clear in the message last week, to be ready when Jesus comes. This week we read about John the Baptist, and his call to us to prepare the way and Saint Luke quotes here the prophesy of Isaiah saying "a voice cries in the wilderness: prepare a way for the Lord, make his paths straight".

But what does this mean, to prepare the way for the Lord? How do we make His path straight? The prophecy of Isaiah already contains the answer: we don't. It is not us who do it, but it is God himself who fills in every valley, lays low the hills and make the rough roads smooth. But what is our role then? It is to open our hearts to allow God to work with us. While the preparation for the second coming seems to lie in the future, the invitation this week is much more focussed on the present. Advent is a great time to step back for a moment and look where we are at. Where is God in our lives? Are we really listening to Him? Do we allow Him to make the sometimes winding and rough roads in our hearts straight and smooth?

In this narration Saint Luke starts by listing the important rulers of the whole known world at the time. He does this to indicate that while all these rulers lived in their splendid palaces, while having all types of entertainment in their exercise of power, it was at this precise moment in time that the Word of God was walking among them. While the wordily rulers had no notion of what was happening in their busy lives, the event which was to shape mankind forever, was unfolding under their noses, John was preaching in the wilderness. Jesus did not come to visit their palaces, a place where surely He was not invited, but the Word did come to John the Baptist in the wilderness.

It is very easy to get carried away by the world, but grace filled times like Advent are a strong invitation to stand back and reflect once more. It is an invitation to think deeper and pierce the secrets of which the answers can only be found in God. The first reading calls on Jerusalem to take off her dress of sorrow and distress, and to put on the beauty of the glory of God for ever. God will return to His Holy City, He comes to establish the Heavenly Jerusalem, and He asks us to be part of this. He will make the paths straight, the rough road smooth, if only we would allow Him to enter in and to let Him guide us.
Jesus is not just a person we will meet at the second coming, indeed He is a friend knocking on the door of our hearts today, wanting to meet us in our normal daily lives. Therefore, let us listen to the voice in the wilderness, who is calling us out of 'our noisy palaces' to His presence in the desert of Advent, to listen in the silence we find in the quietness of our hearts and to hear the Lord calling to us. He is coming, and He will not delay!

In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar—when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, Herod tetrarch of Galilee, his brother Philip tetrarch of Iturea and Traconitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene, during the high-priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the wilderness. He went into all the country around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. As it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet:

“A voice of one calling in the wilderness,
‘Prepare the way for the Lord,
    make straight paths for him.
Every valley shall be filled in,
    every mountain and hill made low.
The crooked roads shall become straight,
    the rough ways smooth.
And all people will see God’s salvation.’”
-Luke 3:1-6

Student discussion: IEC 2012

2012-12-03T10:13:00.000Z

<>Recently we had another student discussion as we have done in the past. This time we looked back on the International Eucharistic Congress, which was held here in Dublin in the month of June. This is a recording of our dicsussion, showing some of our views on the success of the congress.

Opening of the Academic Year 2012

2012-10-08T10:09:00.000+01:00

This is a recording of the homily given by Fr. John Harris OP on the occasion of the opening of the new Academic Year (2012). The theme of the homily is centered around the Year of Faith.

Do Not Keep Your Joy To Yourself

2012-09-29T10:13:00.000+01:00

On the Gospel of Mark 9:38-43, 45, 47-48

26th Sunday of the Year

At the beginning of this Sunday's Gospel we see some of the disciples trying to stop a man working miracles in Jesus' name. In the second part we hear about the risk of leading ourselves or others, astray.

Jesus makes clear that there is a distinction between people who work with Him for the cause of good, and those who work against Him. This reminds us that we are all called to help to bring others to know God, it is part of our calling we received at our baptism. The man in the Gospel cast out demons in Jesus' name thereby acknowledging that it is only Jesus who can release us from the burdens of life. Giving evidence to the sayings of Jesus that "my yoke is easy, and my burden is light" (Mt 11:30) and "I will give rest" (Mt 11:28). It is in the Lord that we find this liberation which sets us free.

Jesus continues with a strong message concerning the risk of looking for such release in the wrong places, not Christ. It is important to keep our eyes fixed on the road which leads to heaven: "It is better to enter the kingdom of God with one eye, than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell." While the analogies are addressed to us as individuals at the start of this passage Jesus warns people who cause harm to others, "anyone who is an obstacle to bring down one of these little ones, who have faith, would be better thrown down into the sea with great millstone round his neck." (MK 9:42) making it clear that there is a communal aspect of being a follower of Christ, and the responsibility which it brings with it.
It is important to realise the role we play in the life journey of other people. We can and do make a difference in a good way or a bad way. In contemporary culture faith is seen as something personal, it is clear from what Jesus says that the journey we make is a journey which we make together. While as we have seen the man casting out demons in Jesus' name is clearly giving a witness to the power and authority Jesus and is leading people to Him, it is also possible to lead people astray.

During this life we determine our eternal salvation. How we live does make a difference. That is why it is so important that we keep in touch with the road God has laid out for us. Some Gospel passages, like this one telling us to pluck out our eyes etc, are strong; to make it clear that how we live in this world does have consequences. We should look at our own spiritual journey and make sure we are not being led astray and also making sure we do not leading others astray. We should be acting always in the name and power of Jesus and leading others to Him.

It is only in Jesus that we can find true happiness, in this life and in the next. Do not keep such a joy to yourself, but share it with others in order that they might find this joy too!

“Teacher,” said John, “we saw someone driving out demons in your name and we told him to stop, because he was not one of us.” “Do not stop him,” Jesus said. “For no one who does a miracle in my name can in the next moment say anything bad about me, for whoever is not against us is for us. Truly I tell you, anyone who gives you a cup of water in my name because you belong to the Messiah will certainly not lose their reward. “If anyone causes one of these little ones—those who believe in me—to stumble, it would be better for them if a large millstone were hung around their neck and they were thrown into the sea. If your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life maimed than with two hands to go into hell, where the fire never goes out. And if your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life crippled than to have two feet and be thrown into hell. And if your eye causes you to stumble, pluck it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell, where the worms that eat them do not die, and the fire is not quenched."
- Mark 9:38-43, 45, 47-48

Habit Reception and First Professions 2012

2012-09-15T10:08:00.000+01:00

The 14th of September, the Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross, is the traditional day in which new novices in the Irish Province of the Dominicans receive their habit and start their noviciate year. It is then followed on the 15th of September, the Feast of Our Lady of Sorrows, by the simple profession of the novices who finished their noviciate year and who will subsequently move to the student house in St. Saviour's, Dublin.

Conversion is not just following the letter of the LAw

2012-09-01T10:30:00.000+01:00

with unclean hands it is not that their hands were physically dirty, but that they didn’t observe the proper ritual. While ritual observances are not in themselves bad, and cleaning is especially good for hygienic purposes, the rituals had become an end in themselves; observance had the focus of religious practice without any connection with the original meaning of the ritual.

Ritual observances are not meant to be an end in themselves but a way to communion with God. The observances which Moses gave, as in the first reading from the Book of Deuteronomy, are not purely for the sake of obeying God. By them the people of Israel demonstrate their wisdom and understanding in the way they live their lives. Moses does not command mere external adherence to the letter of the law but a deeper internal observance. They are to be kept in a way that brings the people closer to God, a way that brings their lives more in conformity to His.

This closeness to God does not become visible through external behavior alone, but by an internal conversion of the heart. External behavior is a reflection of the internal conversion; an unmistakable and irresistible change which people notice. This is central in Jesus’ teaching, and in this Sunday’s Gospel He once more points out that it is not from external things that a man becomes unclean, but from within, from the heart.

So the message is that external observance alone is inadequate. I must be accompanied by a real living of the Gospel. Keeping up appearances is not going to change our lives and it even can have the adverse effect of making religion a burden.

Rather God is calling us to communion with Him. He is calling us to an intimate friendship. God gave us commandments to help us to become His friends and accept the invitation which God gives us. These commandments are not mere ritual observances but are much more, they are the recipe God has given us to discover how to become truly happy; to live life to the full.

St James points out in the second reading that God made us His children by giving the message of the truth. We need to listen to the Word of Truth which speaks in our heart, and do what it tells us. It is the Truth that leads us to freedom. Only by hearing this whisper, will we discover that the commandments from God do not limit our freedom, but instead set us truly free.

Episode out of the "Reunie"

2012-08-03T10:20:00.000+01:00

In spring I played a part in a Dutch television program called "the Reunie".

In this program a secondary school class is reassembled in the studio to see what has happened with the various people. As part of this, a short clip was filmed here in Dublin, which can be seen below. Unfortunately it is not in English but it gives an idea...

Als het niet mogelijk is Flash te installeren kunt u de video bekijken via deze link.

Finding rest in the Lord

2012-07-22T16:22:00.002+01:00

This Sunday's Gospel passage (Mark 6:30-34) continues the story of last week. Now the disciples come back from their active preaching mission, Jesus sees they need time away from the work and thus he wants to go away with his disciples to find a place to be alone in solitude. However, when Jesus and His disciples arrived at their destination, there are already crowds waiting for Him, and Jesus began to teach them.

This passage shows that Jesus tells us too that there is a need for a balance in our lives. Jesus and his disciples are very busy with preaching the Gospel, healing the sick and casting out demons. We read they don't even have time to eat! But now it becomes clear that it is not only about our activities and misistries. jesus is teaching all his disciples that there must be time away for prayer and relaxation. We can find examples in the Gospels of Jesus going to a lonely place to be alone so that he could pray,there are many such passages particularly in the Gospel of St. Luke in which Jesus himself gets up early to withdraw to pray, to spend time with His Father.

It is important to realize this, that even when we are doing work for God, we need to be careful not to become purely active. This has the risk of pushing Jesus in the background. When we don't spend time with God on a regular basis, when we don't talk to Him or listen to Him He might slowly become a stranger to us as we distance ourselves slowly from Him without realizing it. It is important that we are always content in our prayer, as St. Paul teaches us (Rom 12:12). This also helps us to focus on the fact that it is God's work and not our's. By giving him time in our lives we are also reminding ourselves that it all depends on Him and we are cooperating with His grace and His mission.

Off course some will object and say that just sitting silent in prayer will not get any practical things done. But it is important to realize that a balance is needed. Work can very easily become a replacement for prayer, to such an extent that in some cases, it can almost become a excuse not to pray. Praying can be hard sometimes, but it is our indispensable way of getting closer to God. Jesus sets about teaching the waiting crowd himself as they are like sheep without a shepherd. We need to realize that we are these sheep, and not shepherds, we too need to be taught and guided by the real Good Shepherd.

Moreover, the Gospel this week shows that even when the disciples take some time out, the crowd keeps following them. It is often, even though it is counter intuitive, that while we spend time with God in prayer we actually get more practical work done in the time following. Spending time with God does not diminish our outreach to others, but helps us to focus on what is essential. In prayer we grow in Grace, which is a participation in the love of God. This flows to all aspects of our being, of our lives, to the extend that everything we do becomes grace-filled, and as such we do it better. Jesus is the true light we bring to others.

So instead of moving towards pure activism and doing what we think God wants us to do, we move with God as our guide so He shows us what we should really do. Prayer enables us to be far more effective means of helping people on their journey of finding God and bringing them to the joy of fully knowing Him.

Bring the joy of knowing Christ to others!

2012-07-14T18:04:00.000+01:00

The Gospel this Sunday comes from Mark 6:7-13. In the Gospel Jesus sends out the twelve apostles to preach the Good News to the people and "gave them authority over the unclean spirits" (Mar 6:7 RSV) and "they cast out many demons, and anointed with oil many that were sick and healed them" (Mar 6:13 RSV). But one of the striking things is the fact that Jesus charged them "to take nothing for their journey except a staff; no bread;. no bag, no money in their belts" (Mk 6:8 RSV). There is an urgency in Jesus' charge to go out and preach the Gospel. The are to be no preparations for the journey but the bare minimum; the only thing to bring is the pilgrims staff.

We too are sent out to others too preach, and for us too there is an urgency. The urgency to preach the Gospel is so that "men should repent" (Mk 5:12 RSV). Repentance is leaving our ways which separate us from God, and returning to Him. The urgency to preach is an urgency out of love to bring others back to Christ. We should never forget what value our faith brings us, how it makes out lives complete, how it gives meaning and direction, but most of all the joy it brings to us. Faith changes our lives as it sheds light onto the darkness which we otherwise experience. It is the darkness of being separated from God, the darkness of missing something in our lives, a lack of completeness which can only be given by God. This call to bring light into peoples' lives is indeed an urgent need in the modern world.

Many people might look at Christianity as some kind of an endurance test, where we just keep going, grinding our teeth while putting up with life because of the future promise of Heaven. But this is a wrong idea. The promise of Heaven does indeed give us hope, but our relationship with God, with his Son Jesus Christ, in the life of the Holy Spirit, is already here and now a reality in this world. Accepting this reality makes all the difference.

When we accept God's invitation, when we open ourselves up to His grace, God starts to work in us, our hearts are slowly conformed more and more to the people we are called to be; through some private prayer, some reflection, or just some time spend with God in silence. This is not so that we work our way towards God, but this is building up our friendship with Him. We all know that time spend with a friend is the only way to bring the friendship to a higher level. When our friendship with God grows, we automatically want to share this newfound joy with others, and we too feel the urgency to go out and preach the Gospel.

Finally, Jesus says that when people "do not receive you and they refuse to hear you, when you leave, shake off the dust from your feet for a testimony against them." (Mk 6:11 RSV) Jesus is not condemning the people, but giving them a sign, a sign to get them thinking. The mission is to bring people the good news and to encourage them to repent. Repentance leads us to freedom, to the freedom of being children of God and to be close to Him. So many people do not know what it is to have God as a friend and live separated from him until somebody tells them the Good News that they are loved, that they are invited to find this joy that it is to know Jesus.

Spending some time in prayer

2012-07-07T15:53:00.000+01:00

It is now already two days ago, but Thursday I went to the are of the city where the Monstray of the Flagellation is and the Sister of Sion. It was very quite, and I enjoyed spending a few hours in the various churches.

Church of the Flagellation

Chapel of the Condemnation

It is nice to be able to spend some time in these places, places whereabout Jesus spend his final hours before his full giving sacrifice on the cross. While the past months have been busy, it is only when you have time to take a step back how much I realize I have missed some more quality time in prayer. It is great that when not being busy in the École Biblique it is possible just to walk into the Old City, and find the Sepulcher there within a 10 minute walk!

Stones which were part of the plaza where Jesus was presented to the crowd

Church of the Sister of Sion, with part of the 'Ecce Homo Arch'

Friday I participated in the way of the Cross, from near the Monastery of the Flagellation to the Holy Sepulcher. This morning I climbed the Mount of Olives before sunrise, but that can be for another day!

Jerusalem

2012-07-04T18:56:00.002+01:00

It has been very silent on my blog for a while once more... In the last few months, with essays, exams and the International Eucharistic Congress not much time remained for some reflection for my blog. But maybe I will try again to write some more. Yesterday I arrived in Jerusalem, and will be here for the next six weeks. I am still settling in and we will see what happens!

The Damascus Gate

The Entrance to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher

Closing Academic Year 2011-212: Archbishop Charles Brown

2012-06-04T10:16:00.000+01:00

Archbishop Charles Brown, Papal Nuncio to Ireland, celebrated the Mass for the closing of the Academic Year here in St. Saviour's Dominican Priory in Dublin. The video shows a recording of the homily during the Holy Mass.

Witness Christ: Walking through life with God

Some thoughts about Pentecost

Credo Series - Episode 4

Through accepting Jesus’ love we automatically accept His life giving message

Credo Series - Episode 3

The Year of Faith: Refocus on the Faith that is given us

Credo Series - Episode 2

Credo Series - Episode 1

The Annunciation

Palm Sunday

Video of the Diaconate Ordinations

Novena for Life

Ordination of three Dominican deacons

Do not be afraid; from now on it is men you will catch

Advent: a time to meet Jesus

2nd Sunday of Advent

Luke 3:1-6

Student discussion: IEC 2012

Opening of the Academic Year 2012

Do Not Keep Your Joy To Yourself

On the Gospel of Mark 9:38-43, 45, 47-48

26th Sunday of the Year

Habit Reception and First Professions 2012

Conversion is not just following the letter of the LAw

Episode out of the "Reunie"

Finding rest in the Lord

Bring the joy of knowing Christ to others!

Spending some time in prayer

Jerusalem

Closing Academic Year 2011-212: Archbishop Charles Brown

2^nd Sunday of Advent