2014 articles 2013 articles 2012 articles
Chris McDonnell 2015 articles
Dec
30: A snug fit
Sometimes
we make a contact with others that is smooth and comfortable, at other times,
spiky and edgy. But that is the nature of human relationships. Our understanding
of each other, our tolerance and appreciation shows enormous variance. In spite
of everything we are part of a pilgrim church and we must do our best together.
Dec
23: "It’s
time we were moving,
it’s time we were gone”
Dec
16: Advent
leads to Nativity
Advent
hurries on apace and leads us to Nativity, the birth of the
Jesus Child and the fulfilment of prophecy. It was a time of
peace. This year is very different, with the pain and strife of
terrorism and war giving rise to an unending ache across our planet.
Dec
9: If
ever there was need to be merciful
One
powerful symbol of the start of the Holy Year of Jubilee, is the
opening of a door, the way in, where crossing the threshold from
the street, access is made to share in the hospitality of the
house. To shut a door in someone’s face is an unfriendly,
hostile action that makes very clear our intention of not wishing
to talk or listen.
Dec
2: You
will bear a son
Pope
Francis told churchgoers that Christmas this year was going to
be a “charade”
because “the whole world is at
war.”
Nov
25: What
happens next?
When
violence becomes the language that replaces talking, then we
have failed
Nov 19: Paris massacre - a reflection: Imagine
Nov
18: Change
ain’t easy
By
the time John Paul and Benedict occupied the See of Rome, the
energy of the Council was in decline. During those decades,
there was a concerted attempt to apply the brakes, to look back
and seek the holy comfort zone of history as a place for refuge
Nov
11: Let’s
have a conversation
The
Ministry of Fear, to borrow the title of Seamus Heaney’s poem,
has no place within the Christian community. If there are some
who cannot speak for fear of consequence, then those for whom
consequence is of no matter must speak for them and, willingly,
be identified
Nov
4: Out
in the open?
During
these last few days I have re-read Fr. Don Cozzens book, Notes
from the Underground, published in 2013. In many ways
it succinctly touches on points highlighted by the Synod
deliberations.
Oct
28: A bumpy ride
To
those countless people whose hope in the outcomes of the Synod
directly affects their Christian experience of faith in Jesus of
Galilee, we pray that doors will not be closed and discussion
ended
Oct 21: Set
in stone
Our appreciation of the gift of Francis must be shown by our
patience with his struggle. The Bishop of Rome requires our
help, loyalty and prayer.
October
7: Who
shall be heard? The Synod, 2015
But what struck me most of all was the
preponderance of images of men earnestly talking or listening.
There was hardly a woman in sight. Something made me feel
uncomfortable. Great
assemblies benefit from the contributions of both men and women.
It would be unthinkable that the
September
30: Americans
remembered
An article on the life of Thomas Merton was excluded from the
recent edition of the American Catechism. You can only speculate
what they must now feel with the inclusion of Merton by Francis
in his Congress speech. Merton himself would no doubt find his
name being written in to the record of Congress the occasion for
a wry smile
September
23: Give
me to drink
Just as the Church, since Francis' arrival in the
See of Peter, has experienced a new way of being Church, so will
the people of the
September
16: Give
me to eat
Still
they come, knocking at the door of
September
9: A never ending road
Many thousands of words have been written in recent days,
discussing the plight of refugees from the
This
article also published in The
Tablet:
Will
a picture wake us from our slumber over refugee crisis?
September
2: On
the move
Where do we go from here, how can the Christian
people offer sustenance to those whose lives have been disrupted
and now seek shelter and safety with us?
August
26: Roger
of Taize: May
1915 – August 2005
His reception of the Eucharistic Christ is well documented. It
was a natural continuation of his personal search for a
Christian unity where the intention and understanding over-rides
rules, seeking a deeper faith that is life-giving. The
forthcoming Synod would do well to be reminded of his
example. c.f. NCR article: Taizé
today: A ‘new solidarity’
August
19: Let's
go fly a kite or two
The Net has opened up discussion within the Church in a totally
new way, for all have access and all can contribute. No longer
are the issues of faith the preserve of a clerical caste, using
esoteric language. Others, speaking from a different experience,
have access to the exchange. And that is good. Ownership of a
principle, after public examination, is a surer way to faith
commitment than the imposition of an idea, with no questions
asked.
August
12: Spirit-seeking
lanterns
One man who was there when the first bomb
exploded over
August
5: Some
seventy years later…
The days that led up to that fateful morning of
August 6th when the
July
29: A much needed place
That Donald Nicholls steered the Tantur Institute through such a
hazardous path is to his abiding credit. And today the Institute
continues to flourish, its need never greater, its presence
all-important in a troubled world
July
22: A man remembered. Dom Helder Camara
If ever a man walked the path that
Pope Francis is advocating for his fellow bishops, it was Camara.
He was an inspiration not only to his people in
July
15: Ordination
and Marriage; Exclusive options?
I cannot help feeling that we are nearing a tipping
point. It is now that the laity need support the ordained and make clear
that the matter is of some urgency and requires examination by a
commission on behalf the Church in
(Published
in The Tablet):
July
9: Why
necessity must be the father of invention
Against the backdrop of an ageing clergy and falling vocations, three
retired English bishops are calling for the prohibition on the
ordination of married men to be reconsidered
July
8: Amazing
Grace in
Mother
Those Christian people have much to teach us about the ever-present
grace of God brought to us by faith, after lives of difficulty and
struggle
(+ link to story: Confederate Flag to be
removed from State House grounds)
July
1: The
significance of flags
The
flying of a flag is a matter of significant consequence, it can have a
price to pay
June
24: Desolate
Everyone has times in their lives when things aren’t going well,
either at work, socially, within a marriage or within oneself, times
when long-held certainties are questioned and consolations in response
are few. To cover them all with the blanket term ‘desolation’ would
be an exaggeration, but just once in a while that is an appropriate term
June
17: Listening
The word
‘listen’ is an anagram of the word ‘silent’ and
there are indeed connections. We hear a lot of noise in the course of a
day, often a cacophony of sound is the backdrop to our waking hours, but
hearing is not listening.
June
10: Eucharist
Those
of us who experienced house masses in the aftermath of the Council remember the
familiarity they engendered which didn’t stop with the Dismissal but continued
over coffee and biscuits and friendly conversation. The extension of meal was
both natural and welcome.
June
3: When the people speak
The Referendum vote in Ireland
is a watershed in so many ways. The result, 62-38 in favour of gay marriage,
has changed not only the Irish politico-religious context but will also have
ramifications far beyond that small island nation bordering the eastern
May
27: The
symbol of Spirit
The consequences of the coming of the Holy Spirit to those
gathered in
May
20: We
all have bookshelves ...
How sad it is that so often books (and other historical artefacts) are
the target of those who seek violent overthrow of a state or a
community. Treasures are lost that cannot be replaced, something is
taken from the community that is part of its very life, where it came
from and how it might go forward. The burning of books has so often been
the mark of a totalitarian regime
May
13: Be
merciful like the Father
To
lose the stability of a relationship, often entered into at an immature
age, and later to find solace with another, is a painful experience. That
loneliness is only enhanced when sacramental exclusion is subsequently
imposed on individuals
May
6: The
simplicity of hands
Those who cannot physically undertake the Nepal recovery task, join
their hands in silent prayer for those who can. Be they Hindu or Muslim,
Christian or Buddhist, their prayerful action is shared in the face of
great tragedy. Let us join with them.
April
29: A
crowded, lonely journey
The contrast between the fisherman alone on the lake under an early
morning sun and the over-crowded vessels filled with anxious, frightened
humanity, couldn’t be greater.
April
22: A dry land without water
The need for rapid readjustment to changing circumstances is now a
matter of real concern for only when we lose something we have so long
taken for granted do we realize its value and our need
April
15: Feed
my lambs, feed my sheep
The black and white
sharp edged issue can, so easily with the passing years, be shown to have
a blurred boundary that was not at one time evident
April
8: April
come she will
We have to learn to accommodate different points of view, to be tolerant
when it would be easier to be otherwise. April to September is a short
time in song lyrics but a much longer time considered as a life
experience
April
1: Rabboni
We have reached the middle of Holy Week. The efforts and failures of
Lent are behind us. The entry into
March
25: The
Beach
Across the
March
18: It won’t go away, you know
Prayer should be a welcome into an open space for listening, not a
struggle to complete an obstacle course through a dense language jungle
March
11: After
the Curtain came down
The Church in
March
4: Iconoclasts
The
murderous treatment that we have seen in recent weeks in an attempt to
subjugate people and enforce control through fear has filled our screens
and newspapers, evil acts that belie the Moslem faith.
To destroy the historical and sacred links with their past only
adds to their indignity
Feb 27 (in The Tablet): Our evangelisation plans rest on outdated assumptions
Feb
22: Ever
Tried
That is the challenge that Francis presented to the Curia just before
Christmas, look at yourselves, ask the awkward questions, if there is a
problem, don’t rush to blame others
Feb
18: Lord,
I am not worthy but speak the word only
With Ash Wednesday and the start of the Season we call Lent there is a
call to spiritual awareness, an opportunity to strip down to the bare
essentials and see what really matters. Who we are, where we are and
where we might be heading
Feb
11: The
smoothness of stones
It was on this date, two years ago, that Benedict XVI showed enormous
courage in his resignation of the papacy, a decision that was to give
Francis to the Church. It is also the date when we celebrate the feast
of
Feb
4: Getting by
What
a practical way for the Church to show the caring love of Christ, by
offering a shower and a haircut to those who can afford neither
Jan
28: Worn
out days
Our attempts in the management of formation, both in their success and
in their failure, have brought us to a point where we can no longer just
accept things as they are. We must search for new ways of fostering
vocation
Jan
21: A gathering of peoples
The papal plea for reconciliation in Sri Lanka, a place where there has
been violent inter-community conflict over many years, as well as his
request for social justice in the Philippines, show us a fellow
human being willing to speak his mind in a courageous manner
Jan
12: Je
suis Charlie
In a democracy we have to tolerate
the views of those with whom we disagree, arguing our position but doing so
within the legal framework of the state
Jan
7: Epiphany,
a time of realization
From the time of that first Epiphany to our
present era so much has changed. Our individual responsibility is
enormous as we continue our journey. Let
us care for each other on the way