Celebrating the Birth of the Blessed Virgin Mary

 Reflection at morning worship with the Community of Brendan the Navigator on Tuesday 8th September 2026

The Birth of Mary, by the Master of the Life of the Virgin, late C15th 

In our church calendar, today is the Feast of the Birth of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

The NT tells us absolutely nothing about Mary’s birth, not even who her parents were. Indeed, it tells us nothing at all about Mary before the angel announces that she will give birth to Jesus, and Mary responds in the words of the Magnificat we have just heard. However, one thing we can be sure of is that Mary was carried in her mother’s womb and born, just as every human baby is.

There was a tradition in the early church that her mother was called Anne and her father Joachim. The apocryphal Gospel of James, written towards the end of 2^nd century AD, seems to be the earliest mention of them. It is a kind of prequel to the canonical Gospels, telling the story of Mary’s family, childhood, education, and eventual betrothal to Joseph. St Jerome accused it of containing absurdities, and popes condemned it as untrustworthy in the 4^th and 5^th centuries AD, so it was excluded from the New Testament canon.

Pious Christians in the early church came to believe that the Son of God could not have been born of a woman tainted by original sin, which was believed to be transmitted through sexual intercourse. So they imagined that Mary must have been conceived of Anne by God’s action without the help of Joachim, in much the same way as Jesus was conceived of Mary.

The Gospel of James has this to say. Anne and Joachim are distressed to be childless, Joachim goes out into the wilderness to pray, leaving Anne by herself to lament not having a child. God hears Anne’s lament, angels announce she will give birth, and 7 months later Mary is born. Anne dedicates Mary to God, and at 3 years old she is sent to be brought up in the Temple. The story is clearly modelled on that of Hannah and Samuel in the 1^st Book of Samuel in the Old Testament.

While excluded from the NT, the apocryphal Gospel of James supported belief in the Immaculate Conception, that Mary was free from original sin from the moment of her conception. Since those times, some but not all Christians have continued to believe in Mary’s immaculate conception. The Eastern Orthodox Churches did not, but the medieval Western Church was divided, with Franciscan ‘Scotists’ in favour, and Dominican ‘Thomists’ against. After the Reformation, Protestant churches denied the Immaculate Conception, teaching that Mary was a sinner saved through grace like all believers, though some Anglo-Catholics hold it as an optional pious belief. As Marian devotion increased in the Roman Catholic Church in the 16^th and 17^th centuries, pressure increased for it to be believed as an article of faith, and in 1854 Pope Pius IX promulgated it as a dogma, something all Catholics must believe.

Now I myself do not believe in the Immaculate Conception. It is not supported by canonical scripture, and church traditions differ. But I think it would be ungracious to our RC brothers and sisters in Christ, who are required to believe it, to reject it as a heresy. Better by far to consider it a pious belief which Christians may choose to believe or not, rather than something that must divide us.

What matters, surely, is that we should all give Mary the honour due to her. She willingly accepted the responsibility of carrying Jesus in her womb. She gave birth to him, nurtured him as an infant and raised him to manhood. She stayed with him through his ministry, and finally she stood nearby at his crucifixion, as her heart was pierced with sorrow to see her beautiful child tortured to death.

It is surely right for us to celebrate her birthday today.

Giving thanks in the Season of Creation

Article in the November issue of Grapevine, the parish newsletter of the Nenagh Union of Parishes

I am writing this on 1^st September, the first day of autumn in the meteorological calendar. We are in the season of ‘mists and mellow fruitfulness’, as John Keats put it in his Ode to Autumn.

It is my favourite season, I think. The garden is adorned with fruit and nuts, more than I can possibly eat, so I shall have a surplus to give away to family and friends. The apples have rosy cheeks, the pears are golden, the wild damsons in the roadside hedge have gone blue, and the filbert nuts are ready for picking. Such a harvest of good things, thanks be to God!

1^st September is also the first day of the Season of Creation, which lasts right through to 4^th October, the feast day of St Francis. It is a special season where we celebrate God as Creator, and acknowledge Creation as the divine continuing act that summons us as collaborators to love and care for the gift of all that is created.

Celebration of the Season has its roots in the Eastern Orthodox church, but has been taken up in recent years by all the major Christian traditions, including Roman Catholics, Methodists and our own Anglican Communion, through the efforts of the World Council of Churches. This year the theme of the liturgy they have developed for us is ‘Living Water’ based on the text Ezekiel 47:9,12.

⁹Wherever the river goes, every living creature that swarms will live, and there will be very many fish, once these waters reach there. It will become fresh; and everything will live where the river goes. ¹²On the banks, on both sides of the river, there will grow all kinds of trees for food. Their leaves will not wither nor their fruit fail, but they will bear fresh fruit every month, because the water for them flows from the sanctuary. Their fruit will be for food, and their leaves for healing."

Here in the Church of Ireland we have, of course, a long tradition of celebrating Creation and thanking God for feeding us through our Harvest Festivals. We will do so again this year, bringing into our churches the best fruits of the harvest. Wouldn’t it be marvellous if we could also join with Christians of all traditions in an ecumenical celebration of Creation on the banks of the Shannon, our own Living Water?

We have seen both damaging droughts and floods this year, a result of global heating we have caused ourselves by burning fossil fuels and foolish land use. As we give thanks for the blessings we have received, and pray for the good earth and all its creatures, we should also lament and repent of the damage we are doing to its ecosystems, including Lough Derg.

You know neither the day nor the hour

The parable of the wise and foolish virgins, William Blake (c1799-1800)

Reflection given at Morning Worship with the Community of Brendan the Navigator on Friday 28th August 2026 in St Flannan's Cathedral, Killaloe

Jesus tells his disciples stories taken from everyday life to illustrate his teaching. They are memorable, and his disciples ponder over them to extract the meaning. In church talk we call them parables, and we still ponder over them today. The reading we’ve just heard (Matthew 25:1-13) is one such.

The background to this one is the marriage customs of that time, quite different to our own. Today the bridegroom might go out on a stag night with his friends, and the bride might gather her friends together for a hen party, before the marriage ceremony is held in church or registry office, before a reception. Then the bridegroom went to the bride’s house to bring her to his own house. Her friends, the bridesmaids, would go out to meet him and accompany them both to his house. The bridegroom often contrived to be late, to catch the bride and her bridesmaids napping to surprise them. Then, after the marriage ceremony, came the celebration, the wedding banquet, which might go on for days.

Jesus’s story is full of humour, isn't it? Half of the 10 bridesmaids were wise, but the other half were foolish. The wise ones came prepared. They brought extra oil for their lamps in case the bridegroom arrived late at night, but the foolish ones did not. The wise ones would not share their oil with the foolish ones, in case they would not have enough for themselves. The wise sent the foolish ones away to buy their own. But the bridegroom came and carried the bride away to his house in the company of the wise ones before the foolish ones returned. When the foolish ones finally arrived at the bridegroom’s house, he turned them away, saying ‘I do not know you’. So they missed the wedding and the banquet.

Jesus tells his disciples, ‘The Kingdom of heaven will be like this… Keep awake therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour’. He tells them they must be prepared. I’m reminded of the Girl Guides’ motto. 

This story is traditionally interpreted as about the last days, the second coming of Christ. Christ Jesus is the bridegroom, the Church his bride, the bridesmaids ordinary folk like you and me, and the wedding banquet the eternal life in heaven we are promised as faithful Christians. Because we do not know the day or the hour, we must be like wise bridesmaids who are at all times prepared for the second coming. If we are foolish, if we are unprepared, we will hear the bridegroom say, ‘I do not know you’, and we will be shut out of eternal life. 

Now, I do not believe in the Rapture, the belief that at any moment those that are predestined to be saved will be drawn up into heaven, while the damned are left behind. I see it as heresy. 

When Jesus talks about the end times, I believe he is talking about a time which will come to us all; our own death. Then our God, who is not constrained by the four dimensions of space and time, will see us as we truly are, from our very beginning through to our final end. He will judge us by the love we have shown throughout our lives to him, to our fellow human beings, and to all his good creation. Then, firmly held in his loving embrace, we will enjoy eternal life. But we will also suffer the shame of remembering those times when our love has been insufficient, when we have failed to repent, when we have not sought his forgiveness. Even in the security of his eternal love for us, we will be pierced by his words, ‘Truly I tell you, I did not know you then’.

We know neither the day nor the hour, so we must at all times be prepared. We must not put off examining our conscience, repenting, and seeking God’s forgiveness. We must be wise, not foolish.

Humble children and the good shepherd

Christ showing a little child as the emblem of heaven, Benjamin West, 1790

Reflection on Matthew 18: 1-5, 10, 12-14 at morning worship with the Community of Brendan the Navigator 0n 11th August 2026

‘(Which of us) is the greatest in the Kingdom of heaven?’, the disciples ask Jesus.

He does not reply directly. Instead, he calls a child to him, and tells them, ‘Whoever becomes humble like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven’.

The world in Jesus’s time was just as competitive as our own. People were just as ambitious. They jostled for position and recognition, just as we do. And Jesus’s disciples were no different. Each one of them wished to be the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. They still did not understand the nature of the kingdom.

We often make the mistake of thinking that our children are guileless, completely innocent. But those of us who have had the privilege of raising children know this is not true. Children are often wilful, spiteful and jealous, they find it hard to share, and they tell lies. Even so we love them. And as they grow to adulthood, they learn from our own behaviour to become good, generous, and loving adults. We owe so much to our loving parents, don’t we?

So, what is it that makes this particular child a candidate for greatness in the kingdom of heaven, a model for the disciples to follow? Surely not because s(he) is a model of goodness. Rather, this child is humble, meaning I think, (s)he is shy. (S)he does not push herself forward, unlike the disciples pressing Jesus to tell them who is the greatest. In the kingdom of heaven, the first shall be last, and the last first.

As Christian disciples, we are on the wrong track if we push ourselves forward as better than our fellows. Those who do deceive themselves. We must be humble. We must acknowledge our failings. And we must never despise those who are not pushy, but shy and modest in professing their faith. Because Jesus tells us, ‘In heaven their angels continually see the face of (their) Father in heaven’. It was a common belief in Jesus’s time that each person had a guardian angel who spoke for them before God, and guided them in the right way. We may use different words today, but I believe the Holy Spirit works within each one of us through our God given conscience to do just that.

Jesus goes on to tell the parable of the lost sheep. Sheep are valuable, but in some ways they are childlike, skittish, liable to stray. If one goes missing, a good shepherd will go in search of it, to bring it back to the safety of the fold. And he will rejoice when he does so. In just the same way our Father in heaven will seek us out, his little ones – he will even hunt us down – when we stray from him.

I finish with this comforting thought, in Jesus’s own words. ‘It is not the will of our Father in heaven that (even) one of these little ones should be lost.’

 

Walking on water

Jesus and Peter on the water, Gustave Brion, 1863  

Address given at St Mary's Nenagh and Killodiernan Church on Sunday 9th August 2026, the 10th after Trinity

Have you ever been out on the water at night in a small boat in a gale? If so, were you frightened? I have been, and I can tell you I was terrified!

I was a teenager, and it was a wild night. To get back to a cottage on an island in Lough Derg, my mother and I had to row less than a hundred yards. It was blowing a gale, with a big sea running, and waves breaking. With one oar each, side by side, we pulled against the wind, inching forward, often being thrown sideways as the wind caught the side of the boat, shipping water all the while. We made several attempts and were thrown back, but eventually we made it to calmer waters, and arrived safely on the other shore. By that time I was shaking like a leaf. My mother probably was too, though she never let me see it of course. It taught me a lesson I’ve never forgotten: respect for the water. It’s not our native element, and we underestimate the power of wind and wave at our peril.

Today’s reading from St Matthew’s Gospel (Matthew 14:22-33) brings this memory back to me. The same event is recorded in Mark’s and John’s Gospels. I feel I can identify with the disciples, even though I suppose I wasn’t in real danger, as they must have been. The Sea of Galilee is renowned for the fierce and dangerous storms that suddenly appear out of nowhere, and abate just as quickly. I see it in my minds eye as rather like our Lough Derg – it’s about 40% bigger in area and wider, but not so long. And sailors know how quickly a squall can blow up on Lough Derg.

The disciples had got into trouble in one of Galilee’s notorious storms.

Immediately after feeding the 5000, Jesus sent the disciples off in a boat, while he told the crowds to go home, and went off up the mountain to pray by himself.

The disciples had set out in the evening light, unaware of the coming storm. Mark tells us that Jesus ‘saw that they were straining at the oars against an adverse wind’. I imagine the night was bright and moonlit for Jesus to be able to see the little boat.

‘Early in the morning’, Matthew tells us, Jesus ‘came walking toward them on the lake’. The Greek words translated as ‘early in the morning’ literally mean ‘in the 4^th watch of the night’. In those days, with no clocks, time during the night was counted in 4 watches of 3 hours each. So sometime between 3 and 6 am, just before dawn, Jesus, walking on the high ground after praying all night, saw the little boat struggling through waves and spray, and came down to help.

But what is this about Jesus walking on the lake?

Should we imagine Jesus far from land, in the middle of the lake, walking on the water, stepping over the waves? This is how most Christians have imagined the scene, and many artists have depicted it. But we should be aware of a possible problem with translation here. The Greek words translated as ‘on the lake’ could equally mean ‘towards the lake’, or ‘at the lake’, that is by the lake shore.

The truth is that there are two perfectly reasonable interpretations of this passage. The first describes Jesus miraculously walking on the water in the middle of the lake. In the second, the disciples’ boat is driven by the wind to the shore, Jesus comes down from the mountain to help when he sees them struggling in the dim light of dawn, and Jesus walks through the surf towards the boat. Both interpretations are equally valid, I suggest. Some will prefer one and some the other.

When the disciples saw Jesus they were terrified, believing him to be a ghost, until Jesus spoke to them, saying, ‘Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid’. However we interpret the story, the significance to the disciples is perfectly clear: In the hour of their need, Jesus came to them, to help and reassure them.

Only Matthew adds the detail about Peter trying to walk on the water too.

It’s a charming vignette, and so in character for Peter, from the other things we know of him. He was brave and impetuous, but he often found it hard to live up to his good intentions. Remember, it was Peter who swore undying loyalty to Jesus, only to deny 3 times that he knew him the very next day.

When Jesus said ‘Come’, Peter bravely ‘got out of the boat, started walking on the water, and came toward Jesus’, we are told. But his courage failed him and he started to sink. ‘Lord, save me!’ he shouted, and ‘Jesus immediately reached out his hand and caught him, saying to him, “You of little faith, why did you doubt?”’

Whether Jesus was miraculously walking on water, or whether he came through the surf on the shore to help the disciples in the boat, Peter surely learned this: It is not always easy to follow Jesus, but Jesus is always there to catch you when you stumble and sink.

Is there anything we can learn from this story today, 2000 years on?

Well, surely the same things that Peter and the disciples learned! They were privileged to know Jesus the man and to sail the Sea of Galilee with him. When Jesus saved them, they ‘worshipped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God”’. But we are privileged too, to know the spiritual reality of the living Christ.

In life the wind is often against us. Life for every one of us sometimes feels like a desperate struggle, with ourselves, with our circumstances, with temptations, with sorrow, with the consequences of decisions made. But none of us need struggle alone. In the hour of our need, Jesus will come to us as he did to the disciples long ago, to help and reassure us. Just listen for  his voice saying, ‘Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid’!

If we seek to follow Jesus, we will find like Peter that it is not always easy. It will test our faith at times. Our faith will not always be enough and we will have doubts. But when we feel ourselves going under, if we cry out ‘Lord save me’, Jesus will be there for us, just as he was for Peter, reaching out his hand to catch us. Jesus is always there to save us when we are sinking. Just listen for his voice saying, ‘You of little faith, why did you doubt?’

Finally, I shall finish with the Collect of the Word set for today

Mighty God and ruler of all creation,
give new strength to our faith,
that we may recognise your presence
even when all hope seems lost.
Help us to face all trials with serenity
as we walk with Christ through the stormy seas of life
and come at the last to your eternal peace.
We ask this through Jesus Christ our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever. Amen

The Kingdom of heaven

A tiny quantity of yeast leavens a whole loaf of bread

Today’s reading from Matthew’s Gospel (13:31-33, 44-52) is about the Kingdom of Heaven.

The Kingdom of Heaven is a central part of Jesus’s teaching for Matthew. At the very start of his ministry Jesus proclaimed, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near’ (Matt 4:17). And when Jesus sent out the Twelve he instructed them, ‘As you go, proclaim the good news, “The kingdom of heaven has come near”’ (Matt 10:7). In Mark and Luke ‘the Kingdom of God’ is used to mean the same thing.

So, just what is this Kingdom of Heaven? As a skillful teacher, Jesus uses parables based on everyday experience to teach those who follow him. I think he wants his disciples to work out the truth for themselves, not just learn it parrot fashion without properly understanding it. He gives us clues in parables about the kingdom of heaven, which we are meant to think about deeply, and share what we find between us.

So let me tell you what I find in these parables.

The parables of the mustard seed and the yeast tell us how the Kingdom of Heaven grows.

·         God does not bring the Kingdom of Heaven into existence suddenly, fully formed, in a kind of spiritual ‘big bang’. Rather it grows organically, bit by bit, just as the tiny mustard seed grows almost imperceptibly into a tree, or a tiny quantity of yeast works to leaven a loaf.

·         Sometimes it may seem as if nothing is happening at all. Then suddenly we notice a new shoot bursting, or the dough expanding. And when we come back later we see whole new branches, or the dough rising above its container.

·         If we search for the Kingdom of Heaven we will find it really has come near. It grows all around us.

The parables of the hidden treasure and the pearl of great value tell us what it feels like to find the Kingdom of Heaven.

·         It is like a farmer finding treasure in a field, or a merchant the most perfect pearl. When they find it they joyfully trade everything else they value to obtain it.

·         We are so used to calculating what a thing is worth, aren't we. It is hard to imagine something that is beyond price. Yet there are some things that are worth infinitely more than money or possessions. The Kingdom of Heaven is literally priceless. To live as part of it, by its values, as it grows, will bring us more real joy than anything else possibly could.

The parable of the net tells us what happens if we don’t live by the values of the Kingdom of Heaven.

·         We live in a world full of people of every kind, good and bad, just as the sea holds fish that are good to eat, or not so good, or so-so. But it is not for us to decide which is which. Just as in the parable of the tares we heard last Sunday, it is for God and his angels at the end of the age to separate the evil from the righteous.

·         God’s generosity is stupendous, isn’t it? In God’s creation we have been given enough and more than enough for all to flourish, both the good and the bad. If you eliminate the fish that are not good to eat you damage the whole eco-system, and those that are good to eat will also suffer. If we exclude those we don’t like from our community, from our church, we impoverish it, and ourselves. And I don’t know about you, but I’m not entirely certain whether God’s angels will find me evil or righteous – or most likely a bit of both.

·         Our task is to seek out the Kingdom of Heaven, to help it grow, and to live by its values. But part of these values is to be inclusive and leave judgement to God.

So far, so good. But these parables don’t by themselves answer one crucial question, I think.

It is this: How are we to recognise the Kingdom of Heaven when we find it?

I think the Lord’s Prayer fills the gap. Jesus teaches us to pray to our heavenly Father, ‘your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven’.

We can recognise the Kingdom of Heaven because God’s will is done there. And Jesus shows us how to discern God’s will. To find the Kingdom of Heaven is to align our will with God’s will.

·         When any one of us does God’s will, in no matter how small a way – when we do what is right, or don’t do what is wrong - the Kingdom of Heaven grows accordingly. It is a bit like Pinocchio’s nose in reverse – in the children’s story, remember, his nose grew longer every time he told a lie.

·         When we experience the life and growth of the Kingdom of Heaven we feel a joy which encourages us to change our way of life for the better. That is why repentance is good for us.

·         We live more as part of the Kingdom of Heaven, we do more of God’s will, and we become better people. Our example may inspire others to do so too, and the Kingdom of Heaven grows some more.

·         Finally, at the end of the age, God’s angels will have less work to do to separate the evil from the righteous, there will be less weeping and less gnashing of teeth.

That is the story of our salvation.

Let me finish in prayer with the Collect of the Word set for today:

O God, the fount of wisdom,
you have revealed to us in Christ
the hidden treasure and the pearl of great price:
grant us your Spirit’s gift of discernment,
that, in the midst of the things of this world,
we may learn to value the priceless worth of your kingdom,
and be ready to renounce all else
for the sake of the precious gift you offer.
We ask this through Jesus Christ our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever. Amen

The Lovingkindness of our Good Shepherd

Fresco of the Good Shepherd from a restored burial chamber
in the Christian catacombs of St Domitilla in Rome

Reflection on Psalm 23, at Morning Worship with the Community of Brendan the Navigator on Friday 24th July 2026

Psalm 23 is so familiar to us, and so much loved, isn’t it? It is the song of someone who is completely secure in the knowledge of God’s love. Someone who knows they have nothing to fear in this world, because God has blessed them with enough and more than enough, and they can trust him to continue to do so.

Today, I’m going to reflect on the Psalm 23 verse by verse to tease out what it means to me.

1The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want.

The Israelites were a pastoral people, so it came naturally to them to see the lovingkindness of their God Yahweh as like that of a shepherd. Jesus uses this metaphor about himself. He declares, ‘I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep’ (John 10:11). As Christians, we have made the metaphor our own. Because God our loving Father has given us his own Son to be our Good Shepherd, we know we will always have enough, if perhaps a bit less than our greedy desires.

2He makes me lie down in green pastures; he leads me beside still waters;

In a pastoral society, sheep need a shepherd to lead them to good grazing and to find water. If we follow the Good Shepherd’s teaching, we can be sure that our basic needs will be met. But more than that, the pastures will be green and the water still - what a beautiful image of plenty!

3He restores my soul. He leads me in right paths for his name's sake.

Like sheep, we are wayward and headstrong creatures, always liable to do what we want, not what our loving Father wants of us. But if we only follow the example of our Good Shepherd, if we respond to his voice, we will not stray far from the right path.

4Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I fear no evil; for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

Older translations of Psalm 23 talk of ‘the valley of the shadow of death’, rather than ‘the darkest valley’, and metrical versions we sing as hymns talk of ‘death’s dark vale’. This is surely why Psalm 23 is used so often at funerals. But this version is better. We are not just anxious about the certainty of our own death. We may often be anxious about our personal relationships, about losing our homes and livelihoods, about change that seems threatening. But we can set aside all anxieties, we need not fear evil. The Holy Spirit, the rod and the staff of our Good Shepherd, speaks to us through our God given conscience, comforting and reassuring us. When we are faced with anxiety and depression, we hear his voice telling us, ‘You are loved. This too will pass.’

5You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.

Our enemies are not just people who hate us and wish us ill. They are our own very human fears and worries. But we can be certain that our Loving Father wants only to welcome us to a banquet of good things. Anointing the head with oil is an ancient symbol of blessing and welcome. Our cup will overflow with joy if we only respond to the Good Shepherd.

6Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD my whole life long.

We should not see ‘the house of the LORD’ as a building, as a temple or a church, I suggest. It is surely our own heart and soul, into which we welcome our Loving Father, the Good Shepherd, and the Holy Spirit. When we do so, we can be sure that the goodness and mercy of God will follow us, indeed it will hunt us down, all the days of our life.

Psalm 23 is traditionally ascribed to King David himself.

If so, he must have been a man of great faith. Yet, like us, he was deeply flawed, and walked many dark valleys. But he never ceased to believe in the lovingkindness of Yahweh.

And nor should we. However bad and unworthy we feel, we must never turn away from the loving kindness of our triune God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.