After the death of Jesus, his followers were alone and afraid. A combination of grief and shock must have almost overwhelmed them, leaving them rudderless and lost. Most of them, it seems, reacted in the most natural way imaginable – they returned to the place where they were most comfortable and to the people...

  There is, for me, always a slight sense of anti-climax in the days immediately after Easter. It is probably inevitable given the emotions of the previous days. The starkness of Jesus’ suffering and death, the betrayals and denials, the grief of his mother standing under his cross, and the despair and hopelessness of his...

  “Christianity, unlike any other religion in the world, begins with catastrophe and defeat.” It was Fulton J. Sheen who said that. He didn’t finish there, of course, but I will leave his conclusion until the end of this piece. When I read those words first it struck me as odd that I hadn’t quite...

  After six weeks of waiting, we enter the central and most important week in the Christian calendar. It is the culmination of Jesus’ life and ministry and for those who believe it is the week that changed our world forever. Growing up in the sixties in Ireland it was so much easier to enter...

  What a beautiful encounter Jesus has with the woman in today’s Gospel. Even more beautiful is the God revealed to us in Jesus’ words and actions. Scripture experts tell us that this story was not in the early copies of John’s Gospel and was added at a later date, leading some to question whether...

  The parable of the Prodigal Son is probably the best remembered story in the Gospels. Even those of no faith, who might never open the Bible, will probably know and appreciate the story. The reason for this is not too difficult to understand. We all love books and movies with a ‘happy-ever-after’, second chance...

Why do bad things happen to good people?   The age old question which has exercised the minds of philosophers since sentient beings walked upon the earth. For those who believe in a God, particularly those who believe in one God who is omni (all)-everything (all-powerful, all-knowing, all-present, all-good, all-merciful, all-everything), the question becomes this:...

  All of us, at different times, face moments of crisis or stress. They might be the anxiety of making major life decisions, dealing with illness or bereavement, worrying about family members or simply facing the reality of getting older. No matter what causes them, they can cause turmoil in our lives, sometimes a turmoil...

  I read recently that if all the miracles, parables, and stories we have about Jesus happened one after another they would account for about seven days of his life! Put another way John tells us at the very conclusion of his Gospel, “Now there are many other things that Jesus did. If they were...

  When Jesus began his ministry his message was a simple one. “The time has come…” he said, “…The Kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the Good News.” (Mk 1:14-15) There is little doubt in my mind that Jesus, like many Jews of his time, believed that. Under the cruel, harsh rule of...