Lough Derg

 A friend contacted me a while ago telling me that Lough Derg was looking for help with school retreats. She was unable to help due to work commitments. But she thought of me due to my experience of delivering school retreats. She sent me off to think about it.

Working on Lough Derg was my friend's dream but I was not quite sure that it was mine. In 2024 I was in Lough Derg briefly for an interview. In the short time I was there I noticed that there was no phone signal. This made sense considering Lough Derg is a small island. I was not sure I would be comfortable with that. But that was a bridge I could cross if I got offered the job. I did not get the job in 2024 but Lough Derg stayed in my heart. Here I was almost two years later with an opportunity to work on Lough Derg crossing my path again. I was still unsure though, I did not want to be totally cut off from the world. The more I thought about it the more it appealed to me. My friend passed on my details and as the saying goes, 'the rest is history'. 

My first retreat was on March 20th. When I arrived in the village and was shown where I was staying I went out towards the Island. There was a mix up with the boat. While I waited for it I decided to sit on the pier and take in the lovely view of the island. I felt so at peace, at home. I literally had ten minutes on the island, not long but long enough to experience the pure peacefulness of it. I decided to go for a small walk on the lakeshore before returning to my accommodation. It was lovely, the island was visible along a lot of my walk. At one point I even found a spot to sit and bask in the peacefulness.

On Friday morning I was both anxious and relaxed going over to the island. But everybody was lovely. The retreat went very well and I really enjoyed it. I travelled back to the mainland with the school. Because the weather was so nice I decided to sit on the pier and pray, I was not ready to leave the peacefulness of the place I was in. While I sat looking over at the island I was surprised as I welled up and tears started to fall. But these were tears of joy, gladness. I felt so blessed to be where I was. One retreat done and Lough Derg was already leaving it's mark. Before starting in Lough Derg I already had a strong relationship with God. Lough Derg was validating this relationship. I just felt something really special as I sat on the pier that afternoon. Loved, cherished, in communion with God. At the end of my first stint working on Lough Derg I had the opportunity to stay on the island. I was blown away by the peacefulness I felt and was looking forward to my next stay before I even left. Lough Derg is truly a blessed place. 

Now if I was offered a job on Lough Derg I would immediately accept if I didn't have a job I really liked. After the experience I had I would not say no to working there. And as it happened I was one of a few who actually had phone signal on the island, limited but I knew where to go. But I didn't look for it much. The night I stayed I was happy to just be present. 

Thank you Lough Derg. Thank you God. 

Storms of Life

 Today in Ireland storm Dave was forecasted. This morning I was in Wexford, down in Lady's Island. Despite the fact that it was very windy and there was intermittent rain I was going walking. I put on my wet trousers, my hiking shoes, my heavy rain jacket and my hat and away I went. For the first part of my walk I was walking against the high winds, even some of the birds were struggling to get airborne. I stopped at one point to let the flock of birds that came out of nowhere to fly over and I was lucky I was strongly rooted. But then I turned a corner and the wind was comfortably on my back, much easier to walk. When I was coming towards the end of the path I decided that I would turn around and walk the path again. This time going back on what I had already walked. 

The first thing I was struck by when I walked back was the wind. From this side it felt so much stronger. As I fought the winds I thought of how this was a bit like the storms of life. When we are going through the challenges of life, the storms, it can really feel like a struggle. Sometimes it can feel impossible to get through it, a fight, like the wind I was trying to get through today. But like stormy weather the storms of life too will pass. We need to apply the same strategies we would for moving through stormy weather, slow and steady. I wore my heavy coat not because it was overly cold. I wore it to help me negotiate through the wind. I thought of that along my walk and how the coat acted a bit like a shield against the wind. What supports can you use in life that will help you through the struggles and the storms? At a few points of my walk I felt like running. However, I knew running against such strong winds would not have been wise. Even if I was strong enough to run against that wind it would not have been long before I returned to walking pace and the effort needed to run into the wind could have forced me to a complete stop. And so it is in life. Life is a marathon, not a sprint. We need to pace ourselves in order to get to the end. When we are in the thick of our storms we just want to get through them. But we cannot rush through the storms either. To rush through them can be more damaging. Just like the wind today would have been if I rushed through it. The body needs time to process. We need to give our body's the time and care they need to do this.

So, when the storms of life are raging, remember, you will get through them just like we get through stormy weather. Some storms take longer to get through than others but that is okay. Pace yourself in each storm of life and it will end. Arm yourself with the supports to help you through the storms. Slow and steady is the key, just like getting through stormy weather.

Lenten Commitment

 Yesterday, 18th February 2026, we started our Lenten journey with Ash Wednesday. As I was flicking through Facebook yesterday I noticed a news report video. As it was a priest who posted the video it caught my attention. The video interviewed people about they were doing for Lent. Instantly I thought of the Gospel passage which is proclaimed each year on Ash Wednesday from St Matthew. (Mt 6:1-6, 16-18) It is no coincidence that this particular passage is read on Ash Wednesday as we begin our Lenten journey. This passage tells us that we should not parade our good deeds in order to attract attention to ourselves. We should pray in secret, behind closed doors, where the prayer is just between us and God. We do not pray so that other people can see us pray. We pray to be in relationship with God. St Matthew also says that when we fast we do not do it with a gloomy face so that everybody knows that we are fasting. Again, our fasting is between us and God. 

As Christians, during the Lenten season we are called to fast, to give and to pray in order to prepare for Easter and to grow closer to God. What we decide to do for Lent is between us and God. The Gospel for Ash Wednesday reminds us of this. We go not give up sweets, chocolate, social media etc to look good to others or to get their approval. It is nobody's business but God's what we decide to do for Lent. I understand that some people may need support to carry out their Lenten commitments. If a person needs support it is fine to tell others what they are fasting from or what they are taking up. But as Christians we should not parade our actions in front of others as we hear in St Matthew's Gospel. The best support on our Lenten journey is God. So if you are struggling to keep your Lenten commitments talk to God, ask Him for help. 

This year I also think of Pope Leo's message at the start of Lent. Pope Leo invites us to ask the Lord to grant us true conversion of heart. This Lenten season let us accept Pope Leo's invitation and use our words kindly. Let us not speak bad of others or put them down. And let us show God's love to all that we meet. Don't get all caught up in giving up the material things. Be more concerned with giving up the bad words we use towards others. But don't look for praise for being kind. Remember, being kind with our words and our actions helps us to grow closer to God. 

The Sign of the Cross

 I was at Mass in Knock last weekend. I could not help but notice one of the Ministers of Holy Communion taking great care blessing herself after she received the Eucharist. The reverence that she used when blessing herself was lovely. It left me pondering. So often at Mass I see people quickly blessing themselves by making the sign of the Cross after receiving Holy Communion. More often than not they do it in a rushed manner. But why the rush? Why do people not bless themselves with care and purpose? 

When we bless ourselves, making the sign of the Cross, we say, 'In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.' We bless ourselves as a sign of reverence and for protection. We do it in the name of the Trinity, three persons in one. We are asking the Father, Son and Holy Spirit to be with us and protect us. I do feel that care should be taken when blessing ourselves. It should be an intentional act not a rushed action done out of habit. If you ever notice how the priest gives the final blessing at Mass he does it with care and purpose. Or the Bishop making the sign of the cross as he blesses the congregation as he processes after Mass, it is done slowly. Why shouldn't we do the same when we bless ourselves with the sign of the Cross? We do not need to rush it. Afterall, it is a prayer, calling on the Trinity to protect and stay with us. Blessing ourselves is a sign of our relationship with God. Slow down and do it with reverence. As you bless yourself think of the Father, of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. And 'Amen' as bringing the three together. Think of how blessing yourself with the Sign of the Cross unites you with God. In a world where we are always rushing, let us slow down with this simple act. Whether you are doing it at the start or end of Mass, after receiving the Eucharist or as you pass a Church, don't rush it, bless yourself with intention. 

I remember seeing a video on TikTok a while ago where the poster was telling people how to bless themselves. He said that 'The Son', the second action, should be at your belly button. That is very low and I disagree. However, as I write this and think about it, he had a point. When we bless ourselves we are making the sign of the Cross, so forehead down to stomach makes sense, the long part of the Cross. But I would say the top of the stomach. Personally I try go to the bottom of the breast bone. You are still making the sign of the Cross this way as you come back up to your shoulders for the 'Holy Spirit'. If we go to the centre of the chest the shape is not a Cross as the chest is more in line with the shoulders. If we bless ourselves with intention we will notice how we do it and be more aware of making a Cross.

                                            

Pray, Hope and Don't Worry

'Pray, Hope and Don't Worry' is a quote from St Pio of Pietrelcina. It is a bit of a slogan used bythe Capuchin Friars. Afterall, St Pio was a Capuchin Friar himself. Many years ago the Capuchins in Ireland got wristbands made with this slogan on it. I was sent a wristband at the time by a Capuchin buddy. I can almost always be seen wearing it. 

When I look at the wristband or think of the slogan, 'Pray, Hope and Don't Worry' I often remember an encounter one night at scouts years ago and smile to myself. One night in the middle of our meeting one of the boys told me that I should do what my wristband said, 'Pray, Hope and Don't Worry'. He said this out of nowhere, I was not stressing at the time. I was taken aback that somebody, a child, at a non religious event took notice of the simple wristband that I was wearing. I didn't think that people actually noticed what wristbands said. From this brief encounter I truly believe that we can easily have an impact on a persons life by what we wear. Had we not been in the middle of an activity at the time this could have been a great opportunity for me to speak to the young lad about the slogan on the wristband.

'Pray, Hope and Don't Worry', do I live by this slogan or is it just another wristband for me to wear? The wristband is very important to me. When my first one snapped I reached out to a friar to see if he had any more. He was vocations director for the Order at the time and these wristbands were part of a vocations initiative. The friar sent me two. But I do not feel that I always live by the slogan. Yes, I always pray but in the modern world it can be hard to have hope when there is so much war and violence in the world. And it can be difficult not to worry about different events going on in our lives, big or small. However, as Christians we need to trust in God. We are called to 'Pray, Hope and Don't Worry' by trusting in God. Place your worries under the pillow of sleeping St Joseph or bring your worries to prayer and hand them to God directly. Worrying does not achieve anything in life, it is wasting energy. To worry is to not live our best lives as our energy is wasted worrying rather than being put to good use. When we are worried we are so preoccupied by what we are worrying about we miss the good things in life. Worrying about what has happened in the past is useless for we cannot change what has happened. Worrying about what might happen in the future is useless because we do not know what will happen in the future. We need to live in the present, not worrying about what is going on now but taking action to influence what happens in our lives. Life is too short to get bogged down in worry. If you find yourself in a state of anxiety, acknowledge it and take steps to deal with your anxiety to overcome it rather than get bogged down in it. The earlier you catch yourself in a 'low' the easier it will be to come out of it. 

If we don't have hope in life our lives will be miserable. We can have hope while remaining in touch with reality. I can be optimistic that x will happen but I also need to appreciate that x might not happen. If I appreciate that x might not happen I will not be too disappointed if it does not happen. Be a glass half full kind of person. Don't look at something not turning out the way you wanted as failure but as an opportunity to grow, Can I do something differently to get the outcome I desire? Or maybe a certain thing did not work out the way I would have liked because God has a plan and it has worked out how God wanted. In this incidence we need to trust God. You might not understand straight away what God's plan is but trust that His plan will be revealed to you in time. Remember that our time and God's time is different.  All will be well in the end. If all is not well it is not the end. 

So remember, 'Pray, Hope and Don't Worry'. Trust in God and hope will be part of your life. Turn to God in times of trouble and let Him hold your worry. Pray.

Unworthy

 On Sunday I was preparing to go out to Mass where I was due to read. As I was getting ready I was filled with a feeling of unworthiness. What right had I to read at Holy Mass? I am no Saint. If anything, I am a great sinner. But God is a great Saviour. Thinking of conversations I have had in the past, yes, I am unworthy, no one is worthy. We say it at Mass during the Eucharistic prayer, "Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof....." God loves us because we are his children, made in His image and likeness. God did not come to earth in the human form of Jesus for the people who were well, "I have come to call not the righteous but sinners to repentance" (Lk 5:32). During Mass last Sunday that part of the Eucharistic prayer struck me more than usual. Communion time came and they were short of Ministers. As a commissioned Minister I struggled to get up and help because I was still carrying this feeling of unworthiness. But then I remembered that as unworthy as I am, God loves me. I do not distribute Holy Communion because I am worthy but I do it in service of God because I am unworthy. 

When we think of being worthy we are thinking in human terms. However, God does not measure our worthiness in human terms. In God's eyes we are worthy no matter our faults and failures. So the next time you feel low and unworthy remember God loves you. And while you might feel unworthy, in God's eyes you are worth every bit of love that He has for you. And that is a lot of love because the love God has for each of us is unmeasurable. 

Gospel Reflection Thursday 4th December 2025 (Mt 7:21, 24-27)

 On Thursday I went to Mass down the country as I had an engagement in the locality. The Gospel was short but it really stuck a cord for me. The house founded on rock will not fall despite the hardships it endures. The person who listens to the words of the Lord and abides by these words is like the house built on the rock, stable. However, the person who does not pay heed to the Lord is like the man who built his house on sand with no stability. The Lord is our stability in faith and in life. 

But this Gospel struck a bit deeper for me. Even before the priest spoke about the importance of been in right relationship with self I was thinking about how this Gospel, for me, was speaking about the importance of our own foundations. The stronger our foundations the more stable we will be in life, able for all life throws at us. In life we all have baggage to work through. Maybe we did not have strong foundations growing up. But we have the ability within ourselves to work through our issues in order to strengthen our foundations and to get rid of the instability. For me that is what Thursday's Gospel message was saying, strengthen your foundations so that you can live your best life. The relationship that you have with yourself is the most important part of your foundation. Work to be in right relationship with self and the rest with be easier. And the Lord will be with you every step of the way. He is part of your foundation, the strength in the weakness. The hope in the despair,