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From TheGospel of John (2003)   Directed by Philip Saville. Jesus played by Henry Ian Cusick; narrator, Christopher Plummer . Readings for Mass on Sunday (New American Bible: Philippines, USA) Gospel John 20:1-9 (Jerusalem Bible: Australia, England & Wales, India [optional], Ireland, New Zealand, Pakistan, Scotland, South Africa) It was very early on the first day of the week and still dark, when Mary of Magdala came to the tomb. She saw that the stone had been moved away from the tomb and came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved. 'They have taken the Lord out of the tomb' she said 'and we don't know where they have put him.'  So Peter set out with the other disciple to go to the tomb. They ran together, but the other disciple, running faster than Peter, reached the tomb first; he bent down and saw the linen cloths lying on the ground, but did not go in. Simon Peter who was following now came up, went right into the tomb,

Day 2 of Divine Mercy Novena  " Today bring to Me the Souls of Priests and Religious, and immerse them in My unfathomable mercy. It was they who gave me strength to endure My bitter Passion. Through them as through channels My mercy flows out upon mankind." Most Merciful Jesus, from whom comes all that is good, increase Your grace in men and women consecrated to Your service,* that they may perform worthy works of mercy; and that all who see them may glorify the Father of Mercy who is in heaven. Eternal Father, turn Your merciful gaze upon the company of chosen ones in Your vineyard -- upon the souls of priests and religious; and endow them with the strength of Your blessing. For the love of the Heart of Your Son in which they are enfolded, impart to them Your power and light, that they may be able to guide others in the way of salvation and with one voice sing praise to Your boundless mercy for ages without end. Amen. * In the original text, S

View from the Domestic Church: Start your Divine Mercy Novena today!

"You can sleep in another lifetime," my girlfriend told me Thursday afternoon, when I complained to her during my seventh period cafeteria duty that I was bone tired  and asked her if I should show up for my 12 year old's middle school baseball game. After all, I had been to a game yesterday and he had told me he didn't care if I showed up for this away one. "Really?" she said. "You know what that means. Go to the game." Read more here...

"Various lovers were present at the death of the Savior.  Among them, those having the greatest love had the greatest sorrow..... But His sweet Mother, who loved him more than all others, was more than all others pierced through and through by the sword of sorrow.  Her Son's sorrow at that time was a piercing sword that passed through the Mother's heart, for that Mother's heart was fastened, joined, and united to her Son in so perfect a union that nothing could wound the one without inflicting the keenest torture upon the other.  When her maternal bosom was thus wounded with love, Mary not only sought no cure for its wound but loved that wound more than any cure and deeply guarded the shafts of sorrow she had received because of the love that had sped them into her heart.  Continually she desired to die of them, because her Son died of them.  For, as all the Holy Scriptures and all the learned say, He died amid the flames of charity, a perfect holocaust for all the si

Two years ago I quoted this ode on my blog.   Today I noticed that several other bloggers are publishing it because Cardinal Dolan quoted it during his recent Chrism Mass homily, and something about it resonated with them, as it did with me.  My original post follows in brown font. I found this ode, written by an Italian spiritual writer in his old age.  It really states how I feel a lot of the time about the Catholic Church.  It's almost a love-hate relationship.  But on balance, it's love. Ode to the Church by Carlo Carretto How much I must criticize you, my church, and yet how much I love you! You have made me suffer more than anyone and yet I owe more to you than to anyone.  I should like to see you destroyed and yet I need your presence. You have given me much scandal and yet you alone have made me understand holiness.  Never in this world have I seen anything more compromised, more false, and yet I have never touched anything more pure, more gener

A moving approach to babies crying at Mass   well worth reading an amaxing insight from a Priest

Fiftysomething: A reflection for Holy Week : On Sunday we had a really nice day, the weather was lovely and sunny, we went to Palm Sunday morning Mass at our Parish Church, always a ...

St Augustine Washing the Feet of the Redeemer , Guercino Tomorrow I will concelebrate the Chrism Mass in San Sebastian Cathedral, Bacolod City, with Bishop Vicente M. Navarra, whose Golden Jubilee of ordination to the priesthood falls on Holy Saturday. We will celebrate that on Easter Monday in the Cathedral. During the Chrism Mass the priests renew their commitment in the presence of the bishop and of the people. My brother alerted me to a beautiful tribute by rugby correspondent Matt Williams in yesterday's Irish Times to a recently deceased priest-uncle, Fr Brian Ryan of the Archdiocese of Sydney, Let's hear it for the Uncle Brians of this world . Fr Ryan, the son of Irish immigrants, was 85. His death led his nephew to reflect on his uncle's vocation to the priesthood .   The sports section of a daily newspaper is not where you'd expect to find a reflection on the vocation of the priest! You can read my full post here .

Dear St Joseph, please present our prayers to God.  For Andrew For a return to the Faith of lapsed family members for healing of a family rift for a sufferer from alcoholism and their loved ones for candidates for First Holy Communion for Nick in Afghanistan   Trusting in the Holy and Undivided Trinity Father, Son and Holy Spirit.     Thy Will Be Done O God, Amen

This is Holy Week; the last lap of the Lenten marathon in our effort to go deeper in our faith,  grow stronger in our spirituality, and to get closer to God; now Christ’s passion is upon us.  We have been talking about death, an aspect of our lives that we tend to avoid at all costs for the most part.  If you have been attending the Stations of the Cross on Fridays during these weeks, you relive the passion of Christ and if you have gone more than once, you relive it over and over.  Does it get any better, easier to hear?  Do you picture this event as a bystander in the crowd?  Have you ever tried to put yourself in the place of Mary, watching her son in the midst of His passion?  Could you bare it any better than she?  How about Veronica, have you ever thought about her role?  I totally admire her!  Here on the road to Christ’s crucifixion, she fights through the angry crowd, probably shoves a guard or two getting to Jesus to wipe His face.  Her love and devotion, mourning and te

Fr Robert McCulloch with his Sitara-e-Quaid-e-Azam award.    Pakistan's highest civilian award for foreign nationals, the Sitara-e-Quaid-Azam was presented to Fr Robert McCulloch by the Governor of Sindh, Dr Ishrat ul Ebad Khan, on 23 March, Pakistan Day, at Government House in Karachi. Governor Ishrat ul Ebal Khan of Sindh conferring the award on Fr McCulloch You can read the full post on Misyononline.com, the online magazine I edit for the Columbans in the Philippines, here and on Bangor to Bobbio here .

Video made at Madonna House , Combermere, Ontario, Canada I have visited the Madonna House community in Whitehorse, Yukon Territory, Canada, a number of times, in 1985 and in 2005. One of many blessings was meeting and working with a priest of Madonna House, the late Monsignor Art Bukowski, from Michigan, USA, in Kentucky during the summers of 1969 and 1970, when I was a young priest studying in the USA. He was much older than me and when I first met him he had just finished 29 years as president of Aquinas College, Grand Rapids. He later, I think, spent some time in Latin America. He died in 1989. I remember him for his quiet, missionary zeal as a priest and his driest of the dry humour. I also remember the Madonna House cross that he wore.   Monsignor Arthur F. Bukowski The video, which begins with part of the gospel for Holy Thursday, highlights the consecration of Catherine de Hueck (de HUEeck) Doherty and her husband to Jesus through Mary. This consecration comes form the teac

One of my favorite principles in the formation,  Disciples of Jesus and Mary , is that we are all unique. Each of us are made for God in our own unique way. We are all called to follow a unique path to holiness and ultimately to Heaven. God also chooses to speak to us in specific ways custom fit for our individual souls. What reaches my heart may do nothing for you, and vice versa. Do not misunderstand me, I do not mean to say there is not an absolute truth that we are all bound to. There is only one God, one Church, one Way. But God is infinite, and being made in His image, there are an infinite number of ways we can relate to Him and Him to us. I have discovered over a long period of time, that God most effectively reaches me through music and art. I can be running away from Him in all directions, in my mind, heart, and my soul, but then out of the blue, he invades my personal space, with a song. It is like he grabs my face in his hands, turns it towards His and says, "

Dear St Joseph, please present our prayers to God.  For Andrew For a return to the Faith of lapsed family members for healing of a family rift for a sufferer from alcoholism and their loved ones Trusting in the Holy and Undivided Trinity Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Thy Will Be Done O God, Amen

BBC News - London 2012: How do the Olympics handle religion?

From The Gospel of John (2003). Directed by Philip Saville. Jesus played by Henry Ian Cusick; narrator, Christopher Plummer. Readings   (New American Bible: Philippines, USA) At the Procession of Palms either of these gospels may be used: Mark 11:1-10 or John 12:12-16. Gospel for Procession of Palms Mark 11:1-10 (Jerusalem Bible: Australia, England & Wales, India [optional], Ireland, New Zealand, Pakistan, Scotland, South Africa) When they were approaching Jerusalem, in sight of Bethphage and Bethany, close by the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two of his disciples and said to them, 'Go off to the village facing you, and as soon as you enter it you will find a tethered colt that no one has yet ridden. Untie it and bring it here. If anyone says to you, "What are you doing?" say, "The Master needs it and will send it back here directly." They went off and found a colt tethered near a door in the open street. As they untied it, some men standing ther

  Today we were talking about names and how, if one of our children became a nun they would take on a new name, or if baby brother became a priest he would be Fr. (insert last name here). I left the room and the Queen came up and said, "We want to know why the woman has to take the man's last name when they get married." "Um, that's a hard one." She left to announce my response as I said a quick prayer, "Come on Lord! help me out here!" Then it hit me. I walked back in the kitchen and took a deep breath. Read more...

Dear St Joseph, please present our prayers to God.  For Andrew in hospital that the operation goes well For a return to the Faith of lapsed family members for safe delivery of a baby for healing of a family rift for a sufferer from alcoholism and their loved ones Trusting in the Holy and Undivided Trinity Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Thy Will Be Done O God, Amen

My ordination day, 20 December 1967, with Dad, Mam and my brother Paddy.  My late Dad, John Coyle, was born 99 years ago today - or possibly yesterday. He was never quite sure whether his birthday was the 26th or 27th but finally opted for the latter. He is still the biggest influence in my life because of the quiet way he lived his deep faith as a husband, father, neighbour, carpenter and general foreman for many years on building sites. One of his strongest characteristics was his respect for others. He went to Mass every day, including the day he died suddenly, 11 August 1987.  Dad also influenced my taste in popular music. He loved a good tune. Sometimes he would 'doodle' on the piano but couldn't play it. One of his great favourites was Charlie Kunz, in the video above, an American-born bandleader and pianist who settled in England. He would sometimes tell me about the time he saw Charlie perform in the old Theatre Royal in Dublin before World War II. He and m

Dear St Joseph,  please present our prayers to God. For a return to the Faith of lapsed family members for safe delivery of a baby for  healing of a family rift Trusting in the Holy and Undivided Trinity Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Thy Will Be Done O God, Amen  

Lean your head on Mary's heart: Mary was necessary to God in the Incarnation of th... : Some words to ponder on the Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord: It was through Mary that God the Father gave His Only-begotten to t...

The Annunciation , Caravaggio , painted 1608-09 Luke 1:26-38 (Revised Standard Version - Catholic Edition) In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary. And he came to her and said, "Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you!" But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and considered in her mind what sort of greeting this might be. And the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there will be no end." And Mary said to the angel, "How shall this be, since I have no husband?&q

Of Your Charity Please Pray for:- Mothers to be and their unborn children   please pray that Catherine and Andy and Rachel and John return to the practice of their Catholic faith those afected by Dementia and Alzheimers and their families and carers Nick, that he return safely from duty in Afghanistan. Dear St Joseph, please present our prayers to God. Trusting in the Holy and Undivided Trinity Father, Son and Holy Spirit.    

From The Gospel of John (2003) Jesus Predicts His Death (12:20-36) Directed by Philip Saville. Jesus played by Henry Ian Cusick; narrator, Christopher Plummer. Readings    (New American Bible: Philippines, USA) Gospel John 12:20-33 (Jerusalem Bible: Australia, England & Wales, India [optional], Ireland, New Zealand, Pakistan, Scotland, South Africa) Among those who went up to worship at the festival were some Greeks. These approached Philip, who came from Bethsaida in Galilee, and put this request to him, 'Sir, we should like to see Jesus.' Philip went to tell Andrew, and Andrew and Philip together went to tell Jesus. Jesus replied to them: 'Now the hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. I tell you, most solemnly, unless a wheat grain falls on the ground and dies, it remains only a single grain; but if it dies, it yields a rich harvest. Anyone who loves his life loses it; anyone who hates his life in this world will keep it for the eternal life. If a