The Sunday Gospel St Luke seems to have been fascinated by food! Even the Risen Lord asked the stunned disciples, “have you anything here to eat?” (Luke 24:41). Luke recalls ten meals, each with a distinctive setting and a special message. The last supper and the welcoming banquet for the return of the prodigal son…
Category: Your Faith
Dealing with internet addiction
The internet is a very recent development and not one without its dangers, writes Jason Osborne The weather this summer has left an awful lot to be desired and as a result, we may be inclined to spend more time indoors and on the internet than we would otherwise. Though a very recent innovation, the…
Pope Francis and the vital role of mothers
A Parent’s Perspective Pope Francis is a great champion of mothers. I’m sure his latest advice brought a smile to many faces. Speaking at a Mass to mark the conclusion of the 10th World Meeting of Families, he urged mothers to stop ironing their sons’ shirts and to encourage them to get married. I don’t…
Family News
Airbnb makes party-ban permanent Holiday rental company Airbnb is to make permanent its ban on parties in homes listed on its platform after it saw a significant drop in reports of unauthorised parties since the ban was put in place in August 2020. Airbnb announced that it had seen a 44% annual drop in the…
Our fellow believers – friends not foes
Denominational identity in me runs deep. Born, baptised, and raised a Roman Catholic, Roman Catholicism is my second nature, like a brand on my skin. I have no regrets about the congenital grip this has on me, even though now I think of it more as a foundation than as an endpoint in my faith…
Fanning the fire of young faith
Liam Fitzpatrick Personal profile Stepping off the plane at Dublin Airport and making his way to Shannon, Fr Francis Kochuveettil was nervous. He’d lived in India all his life, giving Mass 2-3 times a day, and heard horror stories about declining attendance and vigour in European churches. Fr Kochuveettil is one of many international priests…
The Good Samaritan saw, felt compassion and acted
The Sunday Gospel On the road to Jerusalem Jesus taught the way of discipleship. The spiritual life has been compared to a tripod supported on the legs of prayer, study of our religion and practical action. Today’s Gospel, the parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 15: 10-37), is about love in action. On the Sundays in…
A clever consideration of capillary action
Children’s Corner Water can certainly move in mysterious ways. It is paramount to life on earth and humans would certainly not be able to survive without it considering about 60% of our bodies are made up of the liquid! There are hundreds of experiments examining the miracle that is water and how it interacts with…
The role of religion in happiness
A great many people would probably acknowledge the pursuit of happiness as the goal undergirding many of the choices they make as they live out their lives. However, how many of us truly find it? It’s not as easy a thing to come by as many of us have heard our whole lives. So when someone…
For they shall be called children of God
In today’s Gospel (Luke 10:1-12. 17-20) the Lord sent out 72 disciples in pairs to prepare the towns he was to visit. His instruction was more about practical example than about talk. St Francis is reputed to have advised the brothers to preach at all times, sometimes using words. Actions speak more loudly than words.…



Maria Byrne

Fr Ronald Rolheiser


Chai Brady

