Chris McDonnell 2014 articles
Dec
24: Proclaim
the Christ Child
In
this moment of quiet we
stand together at the turning of the year,
witness to the eternal God in the birth of the Christ Child
Dec
17: The
Jesus Child
This Proclamation of Christmas which I wrote a few years back is read in
a darkened church before the Gospel Reading on Christmas Eve. It may be
of help in your Christmas celebration
Dec
10: A monk of our time (also posted here
at Pray
Tell)
Thomas Merton OCSO, monk of the Abbey of Gethsemane in
Dec
5: Posted in The Tablet:
Commitment-shy
young people need mini tasters of consecrated life
Dec
3: The
Path is You
Last
week I picked a small book off my shelf by Thich Nhat Hanh entitled “The
long road turns to joy - a guide to walking
meditation” and
I have begun re-reading it. A short book, but a book full of meaningful
reflections on each page. Not about the past, nor the future but the now
of being, this moment, this place. It is a book that requires space and
time for considered reflection
Nov
26: The experience of change
It
would seem that when Francis acts in a Christ-like manner, offering
compassion and forgiveness, looking at the spirit of the law rather than
ruthless adherence to it, seeking to build loving relationships rather
than antagonistic positions, he is criticized. But then so was the
Nazarene in whose place he offers guidance
Nov
19: Light in the darkness (This article also published at
ACP)
We
cannot begin to understand the enormity of the God in whom we believe.
We can only appreciate those moments of blinding transformation when he
illuminates our lives and shows, for however brief a time, where we
presently are and where we might be heading. Such moments are graced
indeed on our own journey through the cosmos
Nov
12: What
price a piece of stone?
Francis has challenged us to reflect on our own
life styles, asking those tasked with the responsibility of care to
share their faith by the example they give. There are many instances of
people who put people first, whose lives are spent caring for the lives
of others. They do not value everything by a monetary price, for their
value system is different. It is a living experience of the Sermon on
the Mount
Nov
5: At
the start of November
Pope Francis began his address to the Pentecostal bishops visiting him
in
Oct
29: An empty seat
So
many cities have homeless rough sleepers whom we pass by and do not
notice. What questions must be asked of a society that accepts
homelessness and destitution alongside the glamour and extravagance of
an affluent society? No small wonder that this piece of street art has
become an embarrassment to so many
Oct
22: Stones
Still Standing
The Church
is an act of faith and its members, living examples of faith in action.
This
article also posted on website
of Association of Catholic Priests, Ireland
Oct
18: Married
Priesthood - letter in The
Tablet
Oct
15: Another
South American Voice
Leonardo
Boff has published a new book, Francis
of Rome, Francis of Assisi which looks
at two men with the same name, the earlier Francis of Assisi and the
present day Francis, the bishop of
Oct
8: Forgiven. Now start again
One
of the central issues for discussion at the Synod which opened in
Oct
1: A Faithful Family
This October, the Synod on the family begins its deliberation in
Sep
24: It
was YES or NO
The
coming months and years following the decision in
Sep
17: A reflection on the late Ian Paisley:
No,
never, maybe
"While
I welcome the fact that he ultimately embraced power sharing, it was too
little too late and should not be used to excuse the pain and suffering
that he inflicted on the people of Northern Ireland for the majority of
his political life"
Sep
12 (published in the UK's Catholic
Universe:
We
have an open Pope, now can we have an open Church to join him?
Sep
10: Manhattan
The
words that follow,
Sep
3: A
Chance Encounter
Maybe now we are fortunate to be offered the chance to live in a
changing Church that seeks faith in its founder rather than in the many
shades of clericalism that have dominated us in so many ways over recent
years.
Aug
27: A Distant View
Our
Bishop in
August
20: A place set apart
We
live in a largely noise-filled world where the anxiety of living creates
a continuous backdrop to the daily pattern of our experience. The urge
to get away, to seek the experience of quiet solitude is strong, a
necessary refreshment after the hubbub of the City
August
13: And
where to now?
There
was recently a short piece of mine on this site, later posted on Pray
Tell, called No,
it won’t do. It was written at the height of the bombardment
of Gaza.
Now, after a period of cease fire, broken last Friday lunchtime, the
strife resumes.
It is time to examine the huge human cost when war comes to populated
cities
August
9: Gaza,
Iraq, MH17 & WWI Reflection
Misunderstandings
August
6: A
beautiful reflection for today's Feast of the Transfiguration:
Peter,
James and John
Richard
Rohr argues in his recent book “Falling Upward” that the
consequences of the first part of our lives are only realised in
the experience of the later years, that those years are, in a
significant manner, a completion and an understanding of earlier
times. He writes: “The
language of the first half of life and the language of the second
half of life are almost two different vocabularies, known only to
those who have been in both of them”.
July 31: Implications of a married priesthood (letter to Tablet)
July
30: Where
have all the flowers gone?
As we move towards the memorial of that First World War, our times
too are increasingly troubled and the pain of aggression abounds.
Words and more words follow loss of life, anger gives rise to
calls for retribution and with each step our safety is reduced
July 24: Gaza reflection - No, it won't do - also posted at Pray Tell
July
23: A Thursday in July
The
news gradually filtered through last Thursday of the loss of MH17,
blown apart in the sky, high over
July
16: Voices in times of confusion
Challenge
in times of change can give rise to clarity or cause confusion.
There is no doubt that the Church is at one of those critical
points, where continuing with the status quo is not an option
given the turbulence of the world about us; we need to clear
July
9: What
kind of place?
Gerard Hughes (him of the walks…) once commented “think
globally, act locally”. We should bear that in mind when we talk
about issues in the church at large for unless the small local bits we
presently call parishes function in a Christian spirit, we have little
chance of sorting out problems that go beyond diocesan and national
boundaries
July
2: Francis:
Faith beyond the fringe of fear
Francis
has not made sweeping statements that discard the roots of tradition,
nor offered a whole tranche of new ideas. But he has shown a willingness
to discuss our present difficulties, honestly and openly, in a spirit of
faith. This is the first stage towards crossing the fringe of fear. It
offers to all the opportunity to review, in the context of genuine
dialogue, the issues facing us in these early years of the 21st
Century
June
25: Broken for us
The forth-coming Synod on the Family must address the issue of sharing in
the Eucharist for those whose marriage has failed on the way. Just at the
time when the journey has got hard, we raise the bar and deny them the
Eucharistic Christ in their brokenness
June
18: Football
in the Favela
Don’t
let us forget, amid the excitement and drama of these international games,
with their world-wide television coverage, that survival for many millions
of people is not winning the next game but having enough to eat the next
day and a sheltering home for their family in the night time hours that
follow
June
11: Memories
Memory serves as a link between where we have come from and where we are.
It tells us our story, reinvigorates our lives and indicates the way
forward
June
4: The
division of walls (re Pope Francis at walls in
Jerusalem)
One of the
many murals painted on the Wall that still stretches across parts of
Chris also posted So the Story Continues at PrayTell
May
28: Augustine
of Canterbury
The Church recognises two men with the name Augustine, one Augustine of
Hippo and the other Augustine of Canterbury whose feast was celebrated
yesterday, May 27. It was to this man that the title of Apostle of England
belongs
May
21: That
they may be one
By
going to Jerusalem, by offering friendship to
Christians and those of other faiths, Francis is extending the conscious
belief of humankind, that thinking, believing, experiential consciousness
for which Teilhard de Chardin coined the term Noosphere
May
14: Tell
me about it!
We need a lot
more of that love and less of the charge that heresy lurks round the
corner. A life in faith is, in the end, about courageous risk-taking and
trust in the goodness of the Lord. That was what Thomas showed in his
words of gratitude
“You are my Lord and my God”
May
7: Come
and eat with me
The Eucharist is there not only for the good times, when everything is
fine and we feel right with the world and with the Lord. No, it is there
for the times of struggle and pain, when things have gone wrong, when we
have made mistakes, when we need the sustenance that is offered to us.
That is what makes the current discussion in respect of Marriage, the
event of its failure and reception of the sacramental gift so urgent. The
Eucharist is there as food for the journey, not as a gift for being good,
not as a prize for being well-behaved
April
30: Ecce
homo
In
the early days of the Church, the cross as a symbol did not feature the
figure of the Christ, but still became the sign of the Christian people.
Early figures showed, not a Christ in suffering but a Risen Christ
triumphant, a majestic Christ, in front of the cross and that image is
again evident in some churches
April
23: Walking
a dusty road together
The
Joy of the Gospel asks each one
of us to walk beside others whose journey may be difficult and whose feet
are sore. The arm to lean on, the hand on the shoulder, the attentive
listening to their story, all are reflective of the
April 18: Letter to The Tablet: Married priests. It’s time
April
16: Forgive
and start again
Yet
somehow we have to move on. Carrying the burden of anger, seeking further
revenge only serves to maintain the hurt. To see how people in different
parts of the world have sought to solve their pain of loss through
conflict by extending friendship, is an example to us all
April
10: A shepherd carries his sheep
The
vision of the Church that Francis has offered us in this last year:
care and concern for those less fortunate, a Church of the Poor, not
lorded over by Church princes but served by those who truly see
themselves as servants. This attitude should influence the manner in which Bishops treat
the priests of their Diocese, the relationship between priest and people
in our parishes and the way we Christians treat each other
April
2: Collegiality,
the un-opened gift of the Council
Change
can come from two directions, from above and below. Francis needs the
support of the whole Church to achieve this change. It is up to all of us,
finally, to open the unopened gift of the Council
March
26: Influencing
the vote
We
have to accept that no one generation has the final say and that we must
experience faith within the developing understanding of the society in
which we live. It was not without significance that Edward Schillebeeckx
bowed to the empty chair once occupied by Galileo when he too was called
to meet with the CDF
March
19: A principled man
Men and women of principle are needed more than ever in
a society that seeks a selfish goal. Maybe that is the underlying reason
for the huge impact that Francis has made in the year since his election
as Bishop of Rome, both within the Church and beyond
Chris' previous article A
thoughtful few days now also posted at Pray Tell
March 12: A thoughtful few daysThere is a strong argument therefore for Lent to be the ‘pause time’ for reflection, for thoughtfulness, for personal care and renewal. That time has to be created, carefully set aside and protected from intrusion
March
5: So
it is Lent again
It
is a time to ask questions, a pause time on a journey, a time when we might
re-examine the baggage we carry with us from month to month, maybe a time to
lighten the load.
We
have heard Francis speak frequently of his vision of the Church as a Church of
the Poor. Yet in many parts of our Planet Earth, the focus on financial return,
as much as possible, as often as possible, remains the focus of attention for so
many. The stark contrast remains between the few who have much and the many who
have little
Feb
26: On
the road
We
recognise the authentic person not just by what he or she says but who
they are, how real they are, the relationships they make. It is a
continuous thread throughout this book, how to get real, how to be
authentic.
That surely, is the
struggle that all priests face, in what ever context they exercise their
ministry. It is a struggle that all of us share with them as we journey
together
Feb
19: Time
for a change
A
few years ago, the pub near Westminster Cathedral, in London, named “The Cardinal”
in memory of Henry Manning, was going to change its name to The Windsor
Castle. Nichols and others led the campaign in opposition. They were
successful. The Cardinal remains the name of the pub and shortly Vincent
Nichols, the boy from Crosby who still supports the Reds, becomes the
Cardinal Archbishop of Westminster. May his time in office be blessed by
the Lord.
Feb
12: A silent reality
What is implied
in the title of Pramuk's article is the nature of real silence that is
sought out as a positive reality, not just the absence of noise.
For we do indeed live in a world that is forever noise filled, be it
the chatter of people in a room or the cacophony of city life. It is
hard to find silence.
There is something liberating about such silence. You are free to
dwell in it without the necessity to respond, just to be in that place and at
that time
Feb
5: Darkness
on the edge of town
We are approaching the first Anniversary of the resignation of
Benedict and the ‘storm’ that is Francis shows little sign of abating, thank
goodness. The Spirit has blessed the Church with a Bishop in Rome who is indeed
a pastor of his people. Change is in the air and we had better get used to it.
But more than that, we should positively welcome it