Sunday Homily
What a week it has been for all of us here in Cork and across Ireland. Who would have ever thought at the start of Easter week that we’d all run out of petrol and diesel in a few short few days. It has affected us all in some shape or form.
I had my Dad’s anniversary Mass in Millstreet last Friday evening and afterwards everyone gathers for the tea, food and chat after at home. It is almost as important as the prayers. But one by one all the extended family had to cancel and to mind what fuel they had in their cars. I think everyone here also has their own stories too from an eventful week.
It was also an eventful week too for all the friends of Jesus in our Gospel today, especially Thomas. He had his doubts and questions. They were real and for him everything he was hearing was not simply adding up. It did not make sense to him. I have always liked Thomas. He reminds me that it is totally ok to have questions and doubts. People sometimes think that priests have it all worked out and know and believe everything with absolute certainty.
Yes most of the time our faith is a hugely strong foundation. But there are times too when priests including myself have our questions and our doubts. Sometimes the flow of a Gospel story does not add up and it’s ok to ask why that is. There are other questions too. But I have always found and I am around a fair while now, that when you reflect on your questions and doubts, your faith actually grows and deepens.
This is exactly what happens to Thomas this today. He has his questions and his doubts. He doesn’t hide them but honestly shares them. He meets Jesus. It is a life changing moment for him.
We might say Thomas was lucky and privileged to have met Jesus personally and we don’t have that luxury. But we too can meet risen Jesus. It may not always be obvious first, but it is often in the smaller and quieter moments that we begin to notice. It could be the smile of someone, or an encouraging word spoken, a word of thanks or a simple gesture of kindness.
Like Thomas we sometimes don’t have it all worked out. And that’s totally ok. But Jesus still walks with us and we quietly notice the difference he makes in our lives.
*****************************************************************
Normally the early potatoes get planted around St Patrick’s Day but I only got mine in during the week. I hope that planting them during Easter week will work out well. There is nothing like growing your own potatoes. The advantage of the early potatoes is avoiding potato blight.
My latest video🎥
What a lovely surprise to see a butterfly in April in between showers and gusts of wind yesterday. It’s called ‘The Small Tortoise’ butterfly but I have never seen them in early April before.
For me there was a spiritual angle too. The day before I celebrated the funeral Mass of Mary Kelly in Carrigaline and the theme was butterflies 🦋 and her love of them and the beautiful colours she brought to so many people. For me it was a simple and beautiful sign of her presence. May she rest in peace🙏
Amen

 

If you would like to see a selection of my other videos on YouTube you are welcome to have a look at some of them here: https://www.youtube.com/@JamesMcSweeneyFr/videos

Spiritual Thought For The Week

Easter Sunday is a celebration of light, hope and new beginnings. The Resurrection of Jesus has shattered the darkness. It has no escape. In its place is a great sense of hope. We are not on our own. The invitation today is to roll back the stones in our own lives and let the Easter light touch our darkness. We are Easter people and without the light of the Resurrection we have nothing to hold onto. Life is meaningless without it.
Jesus is our foundation, our compass, our light, our hope, our inspiration, our friend, our lighthouse and our anchor in times of trouble. He is everything we could possibly want him to be. He is completely on our side. It is this same Jesus that we turn to on this Easter Sunday

The Thought For The Week is updated each Monday