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Monthly Archives: December 2005

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Don’t take it personally!

For the fainthearted . . .

A project in which I have been very involved has not worked out and could be wound up in the next couple of months. Its failure brings a great deal of disappointment; I had made a heart and soul commitment to its work and had a great deal of hope in its success.

It was with a heavy heart that I ‘phoned another person involved to say that I thought we would have to call it a day.

“Don’t take it personally”, the person said.

But of course I take …

Accidie Days

For the fainthearted . . .

In the cold, dark and dead days after Christmas, there seems little cheer at the best of times. There is a feeling of an old year dying and a new year that will dawn as grey as the days preceding.

I heard yesterday tragic news of a young Dutch woman who came here to nurse her sick mother in the summer. Her mother, who had been a very active member of our church, eventually died in October, thirteen months after the sudden death of her father. The woman, who was …

Sermon for Christmas Eve 2005

For the fainthearted . . .

Sermon at Saint Matthias’ Church, Killiney Co Dublin on Saturday, 24th December 2005

“ . . . they sing for joy; for in plain sight they see the return of the LORD to Zion”

Isaiah 52:8

I was driving between Shankill and Ballybrack on Tuesday and there was a young couple, I would guess they were both about eighteen, waiting at a bus stop for a bus towards Bray. They seemed very in love and gloriously happy. They were laughing and smiling; the world for them was full of hope …

Welcoming Mary and Joseph

For the fainthearted . . .

There is an old Irish tradition of leaving a lighted candle in the window of your house on Christmas Eve to show that the Holy Family is welcome at your home.

The tradition of hospitality that such candles represented is becoming a thing of the past in the new Ireland. Sometimes, one needs to travel out of Dublin to remember such traditions.

I remember getting a phone call during the summer of last year from from someone I hadn’t seen for at least eight years, a man who had lived …

Words for Kevin

For the fainthearted . . .

Kevin Coyle – 24th December 1984-15th December 2005

St Matthias’ Church, Killiney, Co Dublin 20-12-05

” When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them” Mark 6:34

No words will be enough for today. Nothing anyone could say would for one moment take away the pain and the heartbreak.

Kevin had his whole life in front of him, so many possibilities, so much potential, so much that could be done.

Kevin was in the first confirmation group when I came to the parish. He was an …

Sermon for Fourth Sunday in Advent 2005

For the fainthearted . . .

Sermon at Saint Matthias’ Church, Killiney, Co Dublin on 18th December 2005

“I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May it be to me as you have said.” Luke 1:38

Protestants don’t do Mary; which always leave me feeling slightly bemused and at a loose end when I’m at some of the great cathedrals. Next summer we are spending five day in Paris, the stay will include a visit to Notre Dame, the cathedral of Our Lady, a wonderful medieval building on an island in the river Seine.

We’ve twice …

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