27th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A Reflection by Elsabe and John O’Leary for Sunday 4th October 2026 | Desplázate ↓ para ver la versión en español | Deslize ↓ para ver a versão em português | Tending the vineyards – this is something [...]

Sr Pádraigín Mc Kenna OP   “When Jesus saw the crowd, he felt sorry for them because they were like sheep without a shepherd” Many years ago, I was in Brazil and living in a very rural parish surrounded by sheep paths [...]

Pauline McGrath, OP 23rd SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME This Sunday’s gospel is very difficult for us “literal” people of the west .  Being called by Jesus to hate our father and mother, our wife and our children doesn’t  make sense to us. [...]

Feast of the Ascension Cora McCullagh, OP   The Ascension took place forty days after the Resurrection: the same period of time that Jesus spent in the dessert preparing for his mission. All the accounts of the Ascension agree that this event [...]

Edel Murphy OP Fifth Sunday of Easter 18th May 2025 First reading: Acts 14:21-27 Second reading: Apocalypse 21:1-5 Gospel: John 13:31-33,34-35 The readings for this Sunday, the 5th Sunday of Easter, are clear in announcing God’s active love among us. Once we [...]

Domingo de Pascuas April 20th Nancy Robledo OP En este año jubilar donde se nos invita a proclamar y vivir la Esperanza, las lecturas de Domingo de Pascuas son precisamente la proclamación de vivir el sentido más real, concreto nuestro ser cristiano [...]

Mairead Morrissey 4th Sunday of Lent 30th March 2025 The 4th Sunday of Lent ‘Laetare Sunday’ marks the halfway point in our preparation for Easter. It takes its name from the opening words in today's Mass 'Laetare, Jerusalem.'  So, the Church rejoices in [...]

  Mary Daly, OP 3rd Sunday of Lent - 23rd March 2025 Luke 13:1-9 Pilgrims of Hope is the motto, the central theme, that was chosen by Pope Francis for this Jubilee year 2025, to contribute ‘to restoring a climate of hope [...]

Vicky Villaverde, OP 2nd Sunday of Lent - 16th March 2025 Genesis 15:5-12, 17-18 Abran es conocido como el padre de la fe para varios pueblos. Es uno de los primeros patriarcas, del antiguo testamento, su vida fue de un constante peregrinar, [...]

Noreen Christian Kathleen Fitzsimons First Sunday of Lent March 9th, 2025   Noreen Christian and I sat down in the community room in the Dominican Convent in Falls Road yesterday. Together we read over the Gospel for the First Sunday [...]

Caitríona Gorman, OP 8th Sunday in Ordinary Time - 2nd March 2025 The Gospel of Luke 6:39-45     I knew I was struggling with the text of this Sunday’s Scripture readings, but had no idea why. Then a quotation from The [...]

Therese Lenehan O.P. Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time Lk. 6:27-38 Last week’s gospel gave us Luke’s version of the Beatitudes.  This week Luke gives us some indications of how one can live out the Beatitudes in one’s own life.  This teaching is [...]

Pauline McGrath, OP SIXTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME  LUKE 6:17, 20 – 26 This Sunday’s gospel begins with Jesus coming down the mountain with the twelve apostles and stopping at a piece of level ground.  Before we look at what happened next, [...]

Lucina Montague, OP 5th Sunday of Ordinary Time Readings: Isaiah 6:1-2, 3-8, Psalm 137, 1 Corinthians 15:1-11, Luke 5:1-11 Today’s readings bring two words to mind: spontaneity and simplicity. You might right say that there is nothing simple about Isaiah’s description of [...]

Catherine Campbell OP 2 February Presentation of the Lord:  Candlemas.  Malachi: 3: 1-4 & Luke : 22-40   Two rituals come to mind when the above Feast is mentioned:  Firstly Candles and secondly ‘Churching’. Our families brought Candles to the Church for [...]

Carla Correia 3rd Sunday of the Year     A primeira leitura, revela-nos não só a importância da palavra de Deus, como também a sua extensão a todos: universalidade e unicidade da mensagem Divina. O Povo escuta atentamente, curva-se diante da palavra [...]

Miriam Weir, OP 2nd Sunday of the Year January 19th, 2025 Today’s Gospel is the well-known story of the ‘Wedding feast at Cana’, which is one of the first miracles we hear about this Liturgical Year.  At one level it is a [...]

Bridget O'Driscoll OP                       12th January 2025, Feast of the Baptism of Our Lord Today, this feast of the Baptism of Jesus, marks the end of the Christmas Season. It’s all over [...]

Dympna Travers, OP Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph December 29th 2024 All three readings celebrate the theme of love today.  In the first reading from Samuel, we hear how Hannah longed for a child and eventually after [...]

Fionnuala Quinn O.P. The Nativity of the Lord December 25, 2024 For many reasons the theme of light and darkness is dazzling me as I consider these reflections for Christmas Day 2024. What a privilege it is to sit with this great [...]

4th Sunday of Advent       Sabine Schratz OP Children make all the difference at Christmas. They bring a sense of anticipation and excitement that transforms the days leading up to Christmas and the day itself. “Never worry about the size of your [...]

3rd SUNDAY IN ADVENT Ronnie Rafferty OP In a recent table conversation, someone commented that the prevalent malaise suffered by people all over the world is anxiety.  The safe future of the planet and the safe future of humanity seem to be [...]

2nd Sunday of Advent     Padraigín McKenna, OP “PREPARE THE WAY OF THE LORD"AND ALL PEOPLES SHALL SEE THE SALVATION OF OUR GOD       I remember very vividly the day, nearly fifty years ago, when this particular phrase from the Gospel made a lasting [...]

1st Sunday of Advent Elizabeth Ferguson, OP As we begin a new liturgical season and indeed a new year, it may seem surprising that the Gospel passage from Luke (21:25-28,34-) which is chosen for today speaks of doom, gloom, disaster and end [...]