Choose all that will bring life
Recently a friend working with refugees, told me “We are getting asylum seekers now from Syria and Iraq”. The United Nations Refugee Agency reported...
St Parick – Immigrant and Saint
Each year on March 17, Irish people the world over celebrate the feast of St. Patrick. His own life seems to fade out...
Overcoming Frontiers
January 2015 has seen little easing of violence in the world at large. And not just “far away”. Not many weeks ago there was...
Would I, be prepared to give them shelter?
Would I be prepared to give them shelter?We have begun a new year: 2015. What will we celebrate and what will we hope for?...
May it be a “Happy Christmas” for everyone.
In the midst of the deafening roar of pre- Christmas shopping: “Black Friday”, “Cyber Monday”, cut-price temptations everywhere, it is very hard to perceive...
Walk in their Shoes
Walk in their Shoes
Official Ireland has always regarded immigrants and asylum seekers as problems. That is why legislation emanating from the Department of...
We are not powerless to begin in the process of global healing
We are not powerless to begin in the process of global healing
The story of refugees throughout the world in the 21st century is not...
Bringing Great Gifts
Bringing great gifts
It is often forgotten that migrants bring with them skills, energy, determination and talent. A recent edition The Big Issue, highlighted the...
Asylum seekers deserve the right to cook for themselves
Asylum seekers deserve the right to cook for themselvesTue 27th May Yet another article critical of the Direct Provision system. This one, from the...
The Globalisation of Indifference
“The Globalisation of Indifference”..
On the Island of Lampedusa last October and following the drowning of many migrants Pope Francis said: “Who is responsible...
Harden not your Hearts
Harden not your HeartsFebruary, traditionally the first month of spring in ancient Ireland, still looks...
Signs of the Times
Signs of the TimesThe record breaking and terrifying Typhoon Haiyan which swept with such destructive force across the centre of the Philippines last month...
I was a strager and you did not make me welcome
I was a strager and you did not make me welcome - Mt 25:43 ReflectionThe practice of granting asylum to people fleeing persecution in...
Climate Change – Migration and St Francis
A recent SMA Justice Briefing wrote about Climate Change and its implications for Africa. It is also an issue that has a direct bearing...
A situation of grave injustice
Reflection for September 2013
During the past six months or so various national newspapers have carried reports regarding the situation of asylum seekers in Ireland. ...
Solidarity or Indifference
Reflection for August 2013In July 2013 Pope Frances took off for his first visit outside the Vatican to the small island of Lampedusa,...
Don’t go back to work, and above all, don’t go home!
Reflection for July 2013
Imagine waking up one morning, doing the usual routine, breakfast, helping to get the children out to school and setting...
Reflection June
REFLECTION FOR JUNE 2013Recently it was discovered that, due to human activity, the concentration of carbon dioxide in the earth's atmosphere was 2% higher...
BARGAINS COST MORE THAN WE PAY
The labourer is worthy of his reward. 1 Tim.5:18
We all get a thrill when we find a good bargain, whether it's clothes, fruit and...
New Life – Alleluia Alleluia
The hours of daylight are at last getting longer. The return of light and of sun was anxiously awaited in early human society and...
“The weak can never forgive.
“The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong”, Mahatma Gandhi. We are often amazed and moved by stories about forgiveness. ...
Beefburgers? – Who Pays
Beefburgers? – Who Pays The recent discovery of horse DNA in some beef burgers produced in Ireland raise questions way beyond finding the source...
Blessed are the peacemakers
Blessed are the peacemakers The renowned Buddhist monk and peace activist, Thich Nhat Hanh was once asked this question: “Who caused the war in...
An uncertain future
What is it like to be an asylum seeker, forced to leave all that you love? It is to end up a...
SCIPTURE SPEAKS TO OUR REALITY
“If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other. “ Mother Teresa.
Deuteronomy 10:19 You shall love...
Famine, Water – from Syria to Jordan
It's sobering to realise that in the 1840's it was weather like we've had this past summer that paved the way for the...
Inspiration
Mo Farah is now a household name. But not until this year's Olympic Games in London, where he won two gold medals in running...
Let Peace begin with me
On the 20th of July Muslims throughout the world began celebrating Ramadan. This lasts for one lunar month, about 28 days, and is a...
The least we can offer
The least we can offer
The theme of the recently held International Eucharistic Congress was “Communion with Christ and with One Another”. There is...
A place at the Table
With all the media focus in recent months and weeks on the Euro crisis and the terrible events in Syria, there is a danger...
Be Faithful Desciples
As the month of May begins, Christians are continuing to celebrate the feast of Easter and all that followed it. But the Easter event...
Values for Life
The Western World first began paying attention to refugees after World War II, when hundreds of thousands of civilians in mainland Europe were displaced...
MAKE ALL THINGS NEW
Old Testament, the prophets spoke about a Jubilee year, a time when debts were forgiven, slaves set free, and right relationships restored. A Jubilee...
No man is an Island
Back in 2000, 191 countries in the United Nations made an important decision to aim at radically improving the lives and environment of the...
We live in each other’s Shadow
We live in each other’s Shadow At the start of a new year it’s always a help to take...
A NICE CUP OF COFFEE
You may have noticed the last time you bought coffee that its price had risen and wondered why. Another sneaky price rise...
The Earth is not a gift from our parents, it is a loan from...
The Earth is not a gift from our parents, it is a loan from our children - Kenyan Proverb On October 31 a...
STAND IN THEIR SHOES
We are seeing strange and unwelcome weather changes here in Ireland, a prolonged winter, very cool summer, and not much sun around. Is this...
The Colour of Equality
Strange that, in lands and countries quite unknown,We find, not others’ strangeness, but our own;That is one use of journeys; if one delvesDifferently, one’s...
The Story of Bartolomeo de las Casas
Bartolomeo, an idealistic, wealthy young Spaniard, set out with his family to settle in Central America during the period when this vast southern continent...
Maybe she can be free
MAYBE SHE CAN BE FREE June 20 last was World Refugee Day. Have you ever thought about why people come here from other...
Perhaps Tomorrow
There is a saying that you don't know another person until you've walked around in their shoes. Perhaps this month we might try to...
A Time of Hope
Easter, the feast we have recently been celebrating, is about experiencing renewed life, promise, hope. "Christ is Risen!" is the greeting exchanged in...
Provide care to those seeking safety
A recent film that has gained extraordinary praise and popularity is the French film “Of Men and Of Gods”. It concerns the lives and...
Show Concern for the Plight of Migrants – March 2011
“The task of proclaiming the word of God, entrusted by Jesus to the Church, has been interwoven with the history of Christian emigration from...
Make Hospitality Your Special Care. Feb 2011
We are all on a Journey.“Make Hospitality your special care”, says St. Paul in a letter to one of his Christian communities. (Rom.12:13) Hospitality...
Christmas Reflection
Christmas Reflection We are accustomed to domesticating the Christmas story. We have our Mary dressed in blue, we have our Joseph brown and benign,...
The Love of Chirst towards Migrants
"urges us (cf. 2 Co 5:14) to look afresh at their problems, which are to be met with today all over the world....
THE MISSION OF MY LIFE – Reflection Oct 2010
The recent beatification of John Henry Newman by Pope Benedict XIV has brought renewed attention to his writings, hymns and prayers. Here we reproduce...
OLD WISDOM FOR TODAY’s WORLD
Reflection for September 2010 St Basil known for his care of the poor and underprivileged wrote - “ The bread you do not...
What Can We Do for Migrants?
To accompany people who were forced to move and are now far from home is highly demanding. It demands that we remain sensitive and...
LITTLE THINGS MATTER – July 2010
Another reflection from American journalist and social activist, Jim Forrest, based on his experience of working with Dorothy Day in the 1960’s. Take the...
DO LOVE WALK
DO, LOVE, WALK - Reflection for June 2010 For the next few months our Reflections will delve into the spirituality of Dorathy Day as...
LET US RENEW THE FACE OF THE EARTH – Reflection for May 2010
LET US RENEW THE FACE OF THE EARTH Reflection for May 2010 In the last month we had the eruption of the Icelandic Volcano,...
WE MUST BE THE CHANGE WE WANT TO SEE – Reflection for April 2010
EASTER MESSAGE - Reflection for April 2010 Easter has come, and Christians all over the world celebrate the new life, and the new...
THANK GOD FOR THE STRANGER
THANK GOD FOR THE STRANGER - Reflection for March All over the world, wherever the Irish are found, St. Patrick’s Day is...
IF YOU WANT TO CULTIVATE PEACE -Jan 2010
CULTIVATE PEACE, PROTECT CREATION - Reflection for January 2010 Can we disregard the growing phenomenon of "environmental refugees", people who are forced by...
REFLECTION FOR DECEMBER 2009
REFLECTION FOR DECEMBER 2009 Starting on December 7th, crucial UN sponsored Climate Change talks will begin in Copenhagen. While we are experiencing the worst...
REFLECTION FOR NOVEMBER 2009
REFLECTION FOR NOVEMBER 2009November is the first month of the winter season, a time when the earth seems to want to close down. ...
BROTHER SON, SISTER MOON – OCT 2009
BROTHER SUN, SISTER MOON - Reflection for October 2009 On the first Sunday of October this year, Christians celebrated the feast of...
THE EARTH THAT WE SHARE – SEPT 2009
THE EARTH WE SHARE -September Reflection 2009Climate change, caused by human action, is fast becoming a major cause of migration as peoples are...
CHARITY IN TRUTH – AUG 2009
CHARITY IN TRUTH - Reflection for August 2009 Has the Catholic Church anything to say about the dire economic situation we are all struggling...
AFRICAN WISDOM FOR WORRYING TIMES – JUN 2009
AFRICAN WISDOM FOR WORRYING TIMES - Reflection June 2009 The strange thing about us is that we so often forget to enjoy ourselves. We...
THE GOD OF ALL DIRECTIONS – MAY 2009
THE GOD OF ALL DIRECTIONS - Reflection for May 2009.Where do you go to look for God? To a Church? To...
WILL YOU TAKE THE TROUBLE TO HEAR – APRIL 2009
WILL YOU HEAR WHAT HE HAS TO SAY? Reflection April 2009 During Holy Week we remember the end of Chirst's life journey on this...
ST PATRICK – Reflection for March 2009
ST PATRICK - Reflection for March 2009March 17th is the feast day of Ireland's national Saint: St. Patrick. He is known throughout...
ALL ONE IN JESUS CHRIST – Reflection for February 2009
ALL ONE IN JESUS CHRIST - Reflection for February 2009This year has been established by the Church as the Year of St. Paul. It...
THE EXERCISE OF CHARITY – Jan 2009
THE EXERCISE OF CHARITY IS THE ESSENCE OF CHRISTIAN LIFE - Reflection for January 2009.The papers are full of gloomy economic news, not only...
CHRISTMAS REFLECTION – DEC 2008
HOW WELCOMING AM I? - Reflection for December 2008 What can the people of Bethlehem have thought on seeing a young man...
WE MUST CARE FOR THE OTHER – NOV 2008
WE MUST CARE FOR THE OTHER - Reflection for November 2008In our service of charity, we must be inspired and distinguished by a specific...
WHAT DO I THIRST FOR? – Reflection for October 2008
WHAT DO I THIRST FOR? - reflection for October WHAT DO I THIRST FOR? Have you ever experienced a...