Spirituality

Almost everyone in Ireland knows that May is a month dedicated to our Lady - culturally we ‘get’ it in Ireland! We probably all have memories of collecting flowers as children or learning a new hymn for Our Lady in school.

Recently at Mass one Sunday morning, I came across a prayer to Our Lady which began with the following words; “Take my hand O Blessed Mother, hold it gently lest I fall.

Sometimes we can arrive at Holy Week feeling like we’ve lost a bit of the stamina we had six weeks ago, and thus end up feeling a little deflated; like we could have done a bit better. But don’t lose heart - the race isn’t over yet! As St Irenaeus said “God’s power is shown most perfectly in weakness.” We still have time to accompany Him this week.

It’s hard to believe that it’s been five years since the country entered its first lockdown due to the pandemic. One thing that the pandemic brought to light was our tendency to normally be ‘on the go’ – to be busy with something, to be going somewhere, to be meeting someone, to be hurrying from one place to another.

The season of Lent is just around the corner. While some of us might have our resolutions for the next forty days set in stone, perhaps some of us are scrambling at the last minute to decide how to make the best use of this time to grow in our relationship with God.

Some of you may (or may not) remember from childhood the gospel hymn, When the Saints Go Marching In. In it there’s a line that says “I want to be in that number!” I was reminded of it recently when I took a visit to York Cathedral. It’s one of the most famous landmarks in Britain and it is remarkable.

This is the second post in a two part series on the virtue of humility. In the Gospel of Matthew Jesus tells us, “learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” (11:29).

One day in 2018 while on a visit to the Holy Land, I took a short day trip to Bethlehem. I joined a large queue outside the Basilica of the Maternity, a Byzantine-style church marking the birthplace of Christ. In front of me stood a woman in her mid-eighties very small in stature.

Our lives are measured by time, during which we change, grow old and die. No one is exempt from death. It affects everyone. St Ambrose once said, “death is the end of earthly life, but not of our existence since the soul is immortal.”