A couple of days ago, I was struck by the vast number of pumpkins now available in a supermarket. In fact, there were so many that they had their own space on the shop floor rather than in the aisle with other fruit – where they belong – like tomatoes and cucumber. Oh, wait a minute… In most shops, those…

The official in the registrar’s office carefully removed the bubblewrap from the portrait of Queen Elizabeth and hung it on the wall (the portrait, not the bubblewrap). Then, he invited a lovely lady and me to stand in front of him and repeat the prescribed oath religiously, word by word. Seen from the side, it looked very much like a…

A group of people with a priest stood on the side of the road holding a banner that read: “You are on the way to perdition. Abandon it before it’s too late!” The priest’s frustration eventually reached boiling point as drivers completely ignored the group. “Why don’t they listen?!” – he burst out. One of the parishioners turned to him…

In the Sunday Gospel readings over the last couple of weeks, it seems Jesus has been challenging our built-in attitudes with his demands. Moreover, the challenges he sets for us are getting more demanding every week. Today’s non-negotiable demand to forgive every time we have been wronged is pretty much impossible. What’s next? Loving our enemies?

Since moving in a couple of days ago, I’ve met and talked to a number of parishioners. That was a really scary experience! The level of hope, expectations and undeserved (as yet) admiration was terrifying because I know I can’t possibly fulfil those hopes, meet those expectations or match that admiration. It is so because – to paraphrase the classic…