The Gospel reading on this Sunday deals with the ministry of John the Baptist.  The theme of his preaching was this “Reform your lives for the Kingdom of Heaven is close at hand”.  How does one do that?  It will do little good for us to say, I will now reform my life.  Nothing constructive is likely to come from that.  I suggest two ideas that I think are essential if we are to experience a personal reformation.

First, we must take an honest look at ourselves, which is not any easy thing to do. The last person on earth that each of us really wants to meet is himself or herself.  So we master the art of hiding ourselves from ourselves.  The Pharisees and Sadducees had convinced themselves that they were the finest people on earth but John called them “a brood of vibers” which to us sounds harsh but there was actually an element of mercy in it.  John knew that they were hiding from themselves and nothing would change until they took an honest look at their own lives.  The same is true of us as well.

The second suggestion is this – to have a personal reformation we must remain self critical, which is true of all of us.  We are weak and make mistakes.  We are not always right, no one ever is.  One of the finest things that any of us could do is face the fact that we are sometimes wrong and admit it.

My final thought is this – do something different, take some action.  John said to the Pharisees and Sadducees “Give some evidence that you intend to reform”.  How easy it is for our lives to get in ruts and remain there day after day, week after week.  It is not our intention, it just happens.

Advent can be a time of personal reformation.  It can be and will be if we take an honest look at ourselves and have the courage to do something good that we don’t ordinarily do.  “Reform your lives for the Kingdom of Heaven is close at hand”.

                                                                                                             Fr John

The Feast of Christ the King gives us an opportunity to lay aside a lot of cultural baggage we may have about kings, leaders and kingdoms. Jesus’ kingdom is unlike the one that Pilate, or many other earthly leaders know. It is a kingdom built on love, service, justice, reconciliation and peace. Few ‘kings’ can measure up to this: responding to violence with forgiveness, giving those with no hope a reason to hope, putting the crisis of the world before financial gain or power. Who do you know in our world today who is the more living example of this type of kingship, making daily sacrifices in endless service to those around them?

© Jane Mellett, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., Intercom Magazine, Veritas Ireland.

Looking to give a gift that really makes a difference this Christmas? Then consider becoming a blood donor and giving blood over the coming weeks.  It will cost you nothing more than an hour of your time and it will make an enormous difference in someone else’s life. 

67% of all blood donations go to cancer patients who get transfusions as part of their treatment, 27% of blood is used in surgery and emergency room situations, 6% of blood is used for treatment of new-born babies and birth complications.

3,000 donations are needed each week in Ireland to keep up with the constant demand for blood and this demand is met by ordinary people, like you and I, choosing to donate blood.  The Irish Blood Transfusion Service has a permanent clinic in St Finbarr’s Hospital. There will also be a Blood Donation Clinic this Monday and Tuesday, 2^nd & 3^rd December 2019 from 5.00 p.m. to 8.30 p.m. in Carrigaline GAA Hall. One in four of us will need a blood donation at some point in our lives.  If you enjoy good health and are able to donate blood please consider becoming a blood donor.  For more information see www.giveblood.ie

It is hard to think of a better gift that you can give this Christmas!                Fr Seán   

We are reading the final chapters of Luke’s Gospel for Year C. Jesus is in Jerusalem and the passages we hear are talking about end times. The people gathered are obviously excited, having seen how magnificent the Temple is, but the time for excitement might not be just yet. Jesus reminds them, and us, that these things are short-lived and we should not be too bothered about ‘fine stonework’ and ‘votive offerings.’ These things do not last.

At some point, we have all seen and heard someone shouting on the street or on the internet about the end of the world. You’d be forgiven for thinking that today’s Gospel is trying to achieve the same thing. Jesus tries to comfort the people regarding various crises that will happen; the call is to take a broader perspective, to look at the bigger picture. Endurance is the message of today’s gospel. The people of Jerusalem will witness the destruction of the Temple, the disciples will face persecution. He warns that for people of faith, there are tough times ahead. Whatever crisis may come, Jesus is asking people to keep going, to stay focused and not be afraid. Michel de Verteuil once wrote: ‘Lord, when we are young we think that we become great through our achievements. Life has taught us the truth of Jesus’ words: it is by endurance that we win our lives.’

© Jane Mellett, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., Intercom Magazine, Veritas Ireland.

The last Sunday of the year is always celebrated as the Feast of Christ the King and each year we are invited to ponder some aspect of Christ’s rule over the church and indeed all creation. In Year C we have been reading the Gospel of Luke over many Sundays and have been privileged to see how the great mystery of God’s universal love and mercy is revealed in the person of Jesus. It is appropriate then on this feast to focus on Jesus on the cross granting pardon to the repentant thief. For Luke this aspect of the kingdom of God has been central: Jesus has come to bring the healing forgiveness of God to all who seek it.

‘If you are the king of the Jews then save yourself.’ This cry of mockery from the crowds on Calvary is worthy of our reflection on a feast such as today’s. It is precisely because he is the king of the Jews, and indeed king of the whole world, that Jesus does not save himself. He is more concerned to save others. This he does, not by the majestic use of power or a dramatic manifestation of his glory, but rather through a humble giving of himself in which the mercy of God is offered to everyone in an act of overwhelming generosity. Today we celebrate a king whose wealth lies in his love for all, and whose authority is exercised through service of those who are considered the least important of all. Jesus does not seek servants who grovel before his throne in the hope of being granted favours, he is looking for disciples who can stand before the cross and see there their own worth and the worth of every other human being, and who will be prepared to do what they can to uphold the dignity of their brothers and sisters

© Seán Goan, Let the Reader Understand, www.columba.ie

In today’s Gospel Jesus comes into a room full of fear. Sometimes it is fear itself that makes us close the door on others and on God. Occasionally in life a person comes along with the gift of breaking through our closed doors, a person who comes to be with us in our fears. Pentecost is an invitation to acknowledge those who have come to us and stood with us in times of fear, those who have brought us peace in a time of anxiety.  Likewise Jesus showed his wounds to his friends. Moments of grace can occur when another person shows us their vulnerable side, or when we do so with them. Sometimes our vulnerability and our own experience of brokenness opens us to others and to God and allows the Spirit to breathe new life into our souls.                         © John Byrne OSA, Intercom Magazine, Veritas Ireland.