Some Sundays and weekdays, I slip quietly into the chapel of the Poor Clare convent in Galway for Mass. There is something profoundly moving about beginning the Lord’s Day in such stillness, surrounded by women whose entire lives are given to prayer. Sitting in their simple chapel, I often sense that heaven is nearer than…
St Paul reminds us: “We are sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; poor, yet enriching many; having nothing, and yet possessing everything.” (2 Corinthians 6:10). The Christian life is paradoxical. We can name sorrow honestly, yet still hold fast to hope. We rejoice not because all is well, for it is not, but because Christ is present,…
Last week I had the privilege of attending the National Ploughing Championships in my home county of Offaly, where I represented Self Help Africa, the charity I work with. It was a joy to be part of the Global Solidarity Tent, supported by Irish Aid and launched by Minister Neale Richmond, alongside five other inspiring…
During his Sunday Angelus recently with pilgrims gathered in St Peter’s Square, Pope Leo gave us a call to love when he said, “Let us where we are, never miss an opportunity to love. This is the vigilance that Jesus asks of us, to get used to being attentive, available and sensitive to one another,…
Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice!” (Philippians 4:4). On Sunday last, the Church invited us to rejoice as two young men, St Carlo Acutis and St Pier Giorgio Frassati were declared saints. Born in different centuries, they lived very different lives, Carlo with computers and technology, Pier Giorgio with mountains and…
This week, as we mark the anniversary of the death of St Mother Teresa of Calcutta, our hearts turn toward a woman who dared to take the Gospel at its word and live it in the streets and gutters of our world. She challenges us to see beyond comfort and convenience. She reminds us that…