Daily Prayers

Prayer is Love, I want to Love

Fr Johns Weekly:

  • Church Abuse & Guilt (1)

    ‘Best Catholics in the World’ is a powerful book which looks perceptively and honestly at the Church in Ireland. The author wanted to understand how the horrors of child abuse, Magdalene laundries, Mother and Baby homes, had so long gone unquestioned. One of the searching chapters is about the families who disowned their daughters, afraid…

  • A Week Of Moments

    It has been a week of moments. The first was Vincent Doyle (hidden son of a priest) whose ‘Open Letter to Pope Francis’ was printed in The Tablet. The final paragraph reads: “Holy Father, until it faces these questions, your Church is failing the hidden children of your cardinals, bishops, priests and nuns and all…

  • Mind And Heart

    I attended a conference, heard a brilliant presentation, even breathtaking. At the break I was talking with his wife and said how good the talk had been. She agreed and she added “It comes at a price. He is so caught up in his wonderful work that the family is relatively unimportant. None of the…

  • Blessed Rutilio Grande, Nelson Lemus, Manuel Solorzano & Cosme Spessotto

    Last Saturday, 22nd January, in the main square of the capital city San Salvador and in front of the cathedral, four men were beatified – all murdered by orders of the military government of El Salvador. The ceremony represented a new spirit in the countries of Central and South America where right-wing military governments have…

  • Synod: 2021/23

    At the beginning of the week the World Health Organisation told us that half the population of the world has been vaccinated but that only 7% of the peoples of Africa have been. The following day India announced it would be producing one billion vaccines for Africa. That was wonderful to hear. No mention of…

  • Moral Compass (3)

    What has occupied your mind most this past week – the economy, the Church’s synod, climate change? What do you think has pre-occupied our Prime Minister most – living his Catholic Faith, carefully considering his cabinet so that none of them becomes a threat, wondering how long he can stay in power . . .…

  • Original Sin And The Immaculate Conception (3)

    Feast Of Immaculate Conception – 8th DECEMBER Were you born with original sin or in original sin? The difference is immense. Born with original sin means you are guilty; born in original sin you are innocent but surrounded by sin, becoming guilty only when you do wrong for the first time and then you share…

  • God’s Infinite Love

    ‘Hope for the Flowers’ is an adult fable, telling the story of a young buck caterpillar who finds himself in a heaving column of other caterpillars. He enjoys the struggle, pushing others out of the way, climbing over weaker ones smaller than he is. He hears a voice “Please, help me.” A young lady caterpillar…

  • Your Moral Compass (2)

    What has occupied your mind most this past week – the Budget, the Church’s Synod, Climate Change? What do you think has pre-occupied our Prime Minister most – living his Catholic Faith, carefully considering his cabinet so that none of them become a threat, wondering how far he can go in breaking agreements made about…

  • Family And Divorce

    You hid the truth. You lied. You are selfish. You didn’t care who was hurt as long as you had your own way. You did that out of jealousy and spite . . . Have you ever said those words or had them spoken to you? They are harsh – but the intention is clear:…

  • Pope Benedict Emeritus

    Pope Benedict is very frail now – the first Pope Emeritus in the history of the Church, waiting in silence and peace for the Lord. He is part of our future. His wonderful intelligence has served and will continue to serve the Church: science and religion, physics and metaphysics, thought and prayer, the beauty of…

  • “Small Is Beautiful” – E. F. Schumacher

    A good business makes a fair profit so that it may continue to grow, pay fair wages/salaries to employees who feel appreciated and are happy, and serve the people who are assured of value and honesty. So simple – the economic theory I studied for A level and later taught. That three-part analysis is an…