2015 articles 2014 articles 2013 articles 2012 articles
Chris McDonnell 2016 articles
Dec
28: The
end of another year
We
are entering a period of uncertainty that is possibly more
dangerous than the Cold War of the late 20th C. We have
to chart our course in the coming year with both care and prayer
Dec
24: The Jesus Child
Pass
on and stand before the telling of the story of the Jesus
Child
Dec
21: A
cold coming we had of it
Her
new-born baby was in our nativity crib. No-one knew the
baby was real until the baby decided to wave his
hand
Dec
14: In
a time of preparation: The Great Antiphons of Advent
It
has been said that they create ‘a poetry that fills
the liturgy with splendour’
Dec
7: What
ever happened
to the Easter People?
We
might ask how many diocesan bishops have a lay pastoral
council, where views might be exchanged and opinions
offered? (Also published at ACP)
Nov
30: It’s
journey time again
The
Christ-child, helpless and dependent, whose journey from
Nov
23: A tune is lost in the morning chill
A
reflection on the life of Leonard
Cohen, the Canadian poet and singer who died
recently
Nov
16: The
simple beauty of place
We all have moments
and places that we recognise for their simplicity and
beauty, places of calm where we can bring our troubled
selves before the
Lo
Nov
9: Sorry
isn't' simply a word
We
live in a time when saying sorry for past events is not
uncommon
Nov
3: How
small is small?
When
we start to make judgements on others, we step on stones
that are slippery and insecure.
Also
published here
Oct
26: An
exchange of views
We
have only a few days left before what has supposedly been
presidential dialogue but has often degenerated to the
level of insult, is concluded with an election result
Oct
19: When
the tax-man called
Our
atmosphere is fragile and incredibly thin. We are careless
at our peril. The phrase ‘global warming’ was unheard
until recent years. Now it is with us.
Oct
15: The
tax-collector c.f.
Hurricane Matthew
Oct
12: Dates
we remember…
It
is in the life of Jesus that we find a truth to live by in
the turmoil of a modern world
Oct
5: In
the early hours
There
is something about the stillness of dawn that is special
Sep
28: The
recall of memory
Memory
is a strange experience and often as we grow older, even
though our short term memory is not wonderful, our long
term memory of earlier years remains strong
Sep
21: Understanding,
questions and answers
Those
who ask questions, serious questions, do so from within
family of the Church, not seeking to be destructive but
asking for a greater understanding of issues and
situations
Sep
14: Repairing
the damaged
beam before it fails
There
are times when you need to challenge in order to come to
a deeper understanding of truth
Sep
13: Fifteen
decades on
Fifteen
haikus after 9/11
Sep
7: When
ice flows melt
Too
much had happened to prevent a complete return to pre-conciliar days.
Aug
31: To
have and to hold and to give
There should be a place
in the Church for a married priesthood
Aug
24: The
River What
is the pull that water, especially running water, has over us?
Aug 24: A lovely poem: Come again
Aug
17: A man remembered
...
Fr Edward Daly, waving a blood-stained white handkerchief,
leading a small group of men carrying a fatally wounded man ...
Aug
10: The
Sturgeon Moon
Some
Native American tribes knew that the Sturgeon of the Great Lakes
were most readily caught during this full Moon, so they called
it the Sturgeon Moon
Aug
9: Afternoon
stillness
Written
after a visit to nuns of a small Benedictine house near Chester
UK
August
3: A long time passing
This
week is marked by two significant dates from 1945, the use of
the atomic weapons first on the city of Hiroshima on August 6th
and three days later on Nagasaki
August
1: Say
nothing
- poem re Pope at Auschwitz
July
29: Mid-week
Eucharist
Reflection on the savage murder of 85 year
old Fr Jacques Hamel
in Normandy on July 26
July
23: UK Catholic Times
"Talking point" feature July 22, 2016
Courageous outlook needed to tackle the clergy shortage
crisis (also published here)
July
20: Fit
for purpose
I
have known parishes where the parish priest and people have been imaginative
in their acceptance of a deacon as part of the community. And it has worked
well, to the greater pastoral benefit of all. And others…? we all know the
story.
July 17 (after attack in Nice, France): Darkening Skies
July
13: Repairing
broken friendships
As
Christians we have to be positive in our contribution to the healing of peoples
that must now be undertaken
July 6: Walking away from the crowd Our political structure is in a state of melt down. Those elected by the people have become distanced from public opinion.
June
29: Between
here and gone
Brexit:
How sad that selfishness and xenophobia have
won the day
June
22: Icons,
East and West
We
have got into the habit of being loose with language, careless
of original usage, extravagant in our claims for words whose
history we forget.
June
15: Changing
the Rules, disturbing the peace
We should come together respecting differences of opinion,
seeking the flexibility of love
June
8: Since
Pentecost, welcome to extraordinary time
Boff's
‘Come Holy Spirit’
explores our relationship with the coming of the Spirit at
Pentecost. Boff suggests the presence of the Spirit at times can
be clearly seen
June
1: This
is me
It has never
been easy for a small group or an individual to speak out when
there is urgent need to do so. But sometimes, there is little
choice. For the greater good the question has to be put, the
argument developed and reality faced. Ignorance is no longer an
option nor is inaction.
May
25: Let
us break bread together
The
smaller the number at the celebration the easier it would be to
enact the original table of the Lord, using a loaf of bread that
emphasises a sharing
May
18: A tile or two this summer
May
11: The
radical priests
Daniel
Berrigan and his brother Philip, with seven other Catholic
protesters, used homemade napalm to destroy 378 draft files on May 17, 1968. They became known as the Catonsville Nine
May
4: Staging
posts on the way
Wouldn’t it be a good idea if baptism dates were part of
family folklore and celebrated each year?
April
27: Anticipating
Spring and the changing Seasons
Pope Francis is basically asking “What are you
doing?
April
20: Rooted
in our past
The
cold construct of legalism that has edges so sharp that they cut
if you brush against them, has no place in a Christian faith
whose roots are deep and secure in well-watered ground
April
13: A bigger splash in black and white
You have only to read the press coverage of his washing of the
feet of Refugees this Easter to realise the twisting and turning
that has gone on over Francis' decision for this to be
inclusive.
In this action he wanted us to see another powerful,
Jesus-shaped, sign. For some, like Peter, it has all been too
much.
April
6: The
balancing act of friendship
Anniversaries
can be times of celebration or memorial, times of healing or the
renewal of old animosities.
March
30: Walking
a dusty road together
There
is something in the story of the road to Emmaus that is very
different from other Gospel narratives, different because of its
mystery and the very humanity of its experience.
March
23: When
a candle is lit
A
candle flame can become a still point in a turning world when
prayer is difficult and sometimes impossible.
March
17: Hans
Kung, recognition of a prophet
In
the last interview given by Cardinal Martini, and published
posthumously, the Cardinal spoke of the Church being 200 years
behind the times. Why can’t we listen to prophets whilst they
are still alive?
March
9: This
Lenten Island
We
have all met the occasional person who manages to live their
life at a gentler pace, those who have slowed down and show a
greater consideration for others, those whose response to a
question or comment is not rushed and ill-thought through but
values the quality of the exchange. In one of the Sherlock
Holmes stories, Watson is told by his friend that “this is a
two-pipe problem”. In other words, let me think about that a
bit.
March
2: The
folk singer
That
remarkable core of late 20th Century folk singing,
built on so many simple songs and singers of earlier years, is
no longer dominant in a commercially driven music world. Sad
though it is, but their sounds echo now in a different world.
Feb
24: Stone
upon stone
People
become attached to their local church, often the place of their
baptism and the home of their family. They treasure its
surrounding grounds, care for the churchyard and the burial
plots that go back many years. It has an importance in their
lives.
Feb
17: Broken Bridges
I
recently received this comment in an e-mail from a White Father
I know who is visiting
Feb
10: What
kind of place it is
Let
me declare an interest. I have been involved with education
since 1964, the last 24 years before retirement as the head of
three different schools, two of them local authority state
schools
Feb
3: Sharing
an intimate act of love
When
Francis visited the young men and women in the juvenile
detention centre in Rome on the first Holy Thursday after his
election in 2013 he gave a message that reverberated round the
world, not only for his action of kneeling to wash a
stranger’s feet, but for the inclusivity of what he did
Jan
27: Yet
another anniversary, questions remain
On
the Holocaust victims and survivors the Pope said: The
Holocaust teaches us that utmost vigilance is always needed to
be able to take prompt action in defence of human dignity and
peace.
Jan
20: The
sign of the Cross
Many
Christian prayers begin and end with the Sign of the Cross, a
finger-tip pattern that we trace on ourselves with the words,
‘Father, Son and Spirit’. Our rosaries and prayer beads
include the symbol of a small cross and in numerous other ways
that sign, that symbol, is important to us. Whatever the
suggested reason for its removal from display, its significance
cannot be overstated. There have been instances where the
wearing of a small cross in the work place has been deemed
unsuitable lest it be offensive to others and the wearers have
been sanctioned.
Jan
13: My
courteous Lord
Courtesy
is often found wanting in the many exchanges we make in the
market place of our society, be it in politics, sport, the media
or the general to and fro that arises when we attempt to live in
community