Rev Michael Cavanagh +353 (0)87 160 6312
Praying Together 17th May 2026

Praying Together 17th May 2026

So the commandment is a challenge. To love those who betray you. Those who jeer. Those who wield the whips embedded with flint, hammer in the nails, pierce your side.

Meditation Easter 7

Collect

O God the King of Glory, you have exalted your only Son Jesus Christ with great triumph to your kingdom in heaven: Mercifully give us faith to know that, as he promised, he abides with us on earth to the end of time; who is alive and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.

Verses from John 14

1 “Do not let your hearts be troubled. I go and prepare a place for you.
12 Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these,
16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever— 17 the Spirit of truth.
26 The Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things

and Matthew 28

20 “And I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.”

1 Peter 5: 6-11

6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. 7 Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.
8 Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. 9 Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings.
10 And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. 11 To him be the power for ever and ever. Amen.

Reflection

If St Peter had auditioned for the wonderful Musical Drama ‘West Side Story’, there is one role in which would fit him best – that of Tony, whose anticipation of ‘Something Coming’ mirrors Shakespeare’s Romeo in his dreams – and that of Peter himself, as he has heard Jesus mystifyingly talking about His departure and an ‘Advocate’ who will be sent by God. Peter trusts that Jesus’ promise to be with Him always will be fulfilled – but he can’t understand how, when or where.

He won’t have long to wait – He will watch Jesus ascend from the hill called Olivet, and has already shown leadership to the other disciples (Acts 1:15). But he can’t have expected the deafening wind and flames of fire that will give him the strength and power that he will need in his apostolic ministry. (of which more next week).

I suspect many of us have had the experience of knowing that ‘Something is coming’ without knowing exactly what it is – a feeling of expectation, but perhaps slightly fearful of what significant change might ensue. In Peter’s first letter, the author reflects on his calling to be the rock on which Christ’s Church is built and his gradual preparation for the task – involving repentance, forgiveness, mistakes and misunderstanding. From his own experience, he describes the ‘normal’ Christan life, with its ‘normal’ ups and downs – leading to the day when the ‘Something’ will be recognised as God’s Holy Spirit, our strength, encourager and guide to sustain us through the difficult times of worry, suffering and temptation to which Christ’s followers are all subject.

Peter’s story has parallels in each of our lives. When we accepted The Lord’s call, we became aware of what it involves, perhaps including difficulties and sadnesses as well as joy. But we are also promised the gift of power to be witnesses to Jesus loving salvation through all of the changing times of our lives. Our future awaits the Day of Pentecost, and as the song says,

‘Somethin’s comin’, don’t know what it is, but it is gonna be great’

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Praying Together 10th May 2026

Praying Together 10th May 2026

So the commandment is a challenge. To love those who betray you. Those who jeer. Those who wield the whips embedded with flint, hammer in the nails, pierce your side.

Meditation Easter 6

Collect

God our redeemer, you have delivered us from the power of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of your Son: Grant, that as by his death he has recalled us to life, so by his continual presence in us he may raise us to eternal joy; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Reflection

This week I offer a report of our Archbishop John’s Introductory address to this week’s General Synod. It speaks for itself. I wish certain political leaders would read it too.

Against a backdrop of a world which has become “atomised and angry” through new forms of digital communication and networking the vocation of the Church of Ireland is to witness to an alternative truth and to march to a different drum beat.

This witnessing and discipleship, he noted, is done primarily through the Church’s parishes. He also focused on issues which he believes will test discipleship and faithfulness in the days and years to come – artificial intelligence and the rise of the Christian right.

“In a world which is dominated in almost all its doings by the often sinister ambitions and networks of a very small number of very rich men who are infinitely more powerful than any Celtic chieftain or medieval magnate or elected Chief Minister, we have both the structures and the resources to march to a different beat and to create different societies,” he stated.

He continued: “The parish is the place that is big enough to require everyone to pull their weight and small enough for that mutual giving and receiving which is at the heart of communion; to be places that stand out in the world and which can change the landscape and the horizon.”

Artificial Intelligence

The Archbishop said that social media was supposed to have democratized the world but instead it has concentrated power in the hands of a few “grotesquely rich men”.

Their current emphasis on the development of AI is being heralded as a great leap forward in the liberation of humankind. But the truth is, he said, that such liberation only binds us further.

“I say this is ‘the truth’ on purpose: for we should be confident in the very existence of ‘truth’ and ‘fact’ – neither of these things can be artificially generated. Artificial Intelligence may relay information to us based on incredible calculations of probability and suitability, but we should not allow efficiency and convenience to become the primary values against which we measure whether this information is worth the resources expended to generate it. The costs are human and social as well as environmental, of course.”

AI integration is dangerous, not because it is manipulated by the powerful, he suggested, but because it is increasingly accepted by us as the logical choice.

He pointed out that Christianity is understood as an individual’s relationship with God, lived out in community. This, he stated, was wholly personal. He said that opportunities and challenges in the future would be to stick to the difficult path of deep and costly human relationships sustained by a closeness to God in prayer and moral discernment.

Migration

Archbishop McDowell said that our attitude to migration in Ireland, both north and south, is one of the great touchstones and tests of our Christian authenticity.

“It is possible to take a wide range of views on immigration policy which may be broadly consistent with belief in Christ and in the particular form of human equality which is articulated in the New Testament,” he said. “But it seems to me that there is a fairly simple imperative when it comes to the ‘stranger that is in your midst’, and that is to welcome him or her and to care for him or her,” he stated.

The Primate added that migrants to this island want what we all want – to bring up children in security and decency; to provide them with a good education and the chance of a stable future. They want to contribute to the communities in which they live. They bring with them enormous energy and fortitude and often scarce skills. For these and other reasons there is every rational reason to welcome them, he contended.

He decried statistics from the PSNI in Northern Ireland which in 2024–25 pointed to the worst recorded levels of racist violence since monitoring began in 2004. Meanwhile, in the Republic of Ireland Garda hate crime data showed a sustained multi year increase of racially motivated incidents.

“That increases in migration should be seized on by the extreme right who are bereft of any other ideas is not surprising, although it is less edifying when mainstream parties equivocate in the face of the horrendous violence which migrants suffer. However, from the Churches’ point of view, the more worrying development is the rise of the so–called Christian Right. These groups emphasise what they claim to be the undermining of ‘Christian civilisation’ or ‘Judeao–Christian’ values and the discrimination which they say Christians are subjected to. And they use the Cross – the very epitome of powerlessness, and what a very advanced ‘civilisation’ inflicted on Jesus – as some kind of symbol of their dominance and superiority,” Archbishop McDowell stated.

He asked which aspect of discipleship in Jesus Christ is being exercised by “baying outside a hostel while terrified children are inside. How is parading around the streets draped in a national flag representing the mind of the God of all the nations?”

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Praying Together 26th April 2026

Praying Together 26th April 2026

So the commandment is a challenge. To love those who betray you. Those who jeer. Those who wield the whips embedded with flint, hammer in the nails, pierce your side.

Collect for Easter 4

Almighty God, whose Son Jesus Christ is the resurrection and the life:
Raise us, who trust in him, from the death of sin to the life of righteousness,
that we may seek those things which are above, where he reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.

Reflection

1 Peter 2:19-25

For it is commendable if someone bears up under the pain of unjust suffering because they are conscious of God. 20 But how is it to your credit if you receive a beating for doing wrong and endure it? But if you suffer for doing good and you endure it, this is commendable before God. 21 To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps.

22 “He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth.”

23 When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly. 24 “He himself bore our sins” in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; “by his wounds you have been healed.” 25 For “you were like sheep going astray,” but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.

How Deep is the Father’s Love For Us (Hymn 80)

Over these few weeks, we’re looking at Peter’s first letter, written in Rome towards the end of his life, and directed to the fast-growing number of followers of Christ (only later termed ‘Christians’). It is a letter of encouragement and takes the reader into a better understanding of what being a follower entails. In the letter, Peter talks firstly about the faith that shields us now and in the future; he goes on to talk about holiness and ‘reverent fear’ – an awareness of being in the presence of an awesome God.

And now he turns to suffering. There are those who are justly punished for the things they have done wrong; there are those whose punishment is undeserved and unjust. These latter refer directly to women and men who will be persecuted for their faith (of whom in Rome and other places in Asia Minor there would be thousands, and still are). Their tenacity is made possible by their faithful aspiration to do God’s will. But they are nonetheless imperfect and in need of forgiveness– human beings can never be without sin no matter how much good they do. They are His children, and in their deeds and words, like sheep they go astray.

Fortunately, God’s love is not restricted to those who do good. He sent His only Son to save sinners – whoever they may be, whatever they may have done wrong. He bears their sins without complaint despite rejection, insults, torture and crucifixion, and through His Cross offers the opportunity to start again with the slate wiped clean for those who repent and seek forgiveness. It’s Grace – never our deeds – that leads us home.

p.s. Last week’s Gospel was the story of the Disciples on the road to Emmaus, and wasn’t the basis for our meditation. However, as I was reminded, we missed the opportunity to include the following remarkable song – so here it is. Be blessed as you hear it.

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Praying Together April 19th 2026

Praying Together April 19th 2026

So the commandment is a challenge. To love those who betray you. Those who jeer. Those who wield the whips embedded with flint, hammer in the nails, pierce your side.

Collect for Easter 3

Almighty Father, you have given your only Son to die for our sins and to rise again for our justification: Grant us so to put away the leaven of malice and wickedness that we may always serve you in pureness of living and truth;
through the merits of your Son Jesus Christ our Lord.

Reflection

1 Peter 1: 17-23

17 If you invoke as Father the one who judges all people impartially according to their deeds, live in reverent fear during the time of your exile.18 You know that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your ancestors, not with perishable things like silver or gold, 19 but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without defect or blemish. 20 He was destined before the foundation of the world, but was revealed for your sake at the end of the ages. 21Through him you have come to trust in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope are set on God.

22 Now that you have purified your souls by your obedience to the truth so that you have genuine mutual love, love one another deeply from the heart. 23 You have been born anew, not of perishable but of imperishable seed, through the living and enduring word of God.

To think about:

17 – all people impartially according to their deeds: Judgement is not restricted to either believers or non-believers – but All people

17 – reverent fear – not fear as in being frightened, but fear as in realising the enormity of what God’s only Son has done for His creation – and for you. And then aspiring to live in the understanding of what that means –  holiness, an awareness of being in the presence of God

18 – ransomed from the futile ways: the old order is gone; by the cross all things are made new

20 – before the foundation of the world: Before time began, Jesus is.  revealed for your sake: and He is made known to you

21 – raised him from the dead: in love, He died for you – in love, He lives for you.

22 – love one another deeply from the heart: And now you are to love one another – All people, as above, believers and non-believers alike

23 – born anew – you are a new creation through the living and enduring word of God – and nothing and no-one can take your new life away from you.

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Praying Together 12th April 2026

Praying Together 12th April 2026

So the commandment is a challenge. To love those who betray you. Those who jeer. Those who wield the whips embedded with flint, hammer in the nails, pierce your side.

Collect for Easter 2

Almighty Father, you have given your only Son to die for our sins and to rise again for our justification: Grant us so to put away the leaven of malice and wickedness that we may always serve you in pureness of living and truth;
through the merits of your Son Jesus Christ our Lord.

Reflection

Let’s talk about Peter, the ‘Rock’ on which Christ’s Church is built.

Seriously, would you have chosen him? Surely, one of the other Disciples would be the most highly qualified.

Thomas – the rationalist, who requested and received hard proof

John Mark – a young man to appeal to the young

John – the one whom Jesus loved, also offering theological understanding

Matthew – to explain to his own people, the Jews, that Messiah has come

Luke – the educated reporter bringing the stories together

Surely all the above are candidates to be the foundation on which the Church is to be built– but Peter?

Simon Peter – weak of will (even if momentarily), impulsive, a tendency toward vacillation and doubt, headstrong, somewhat overestimating his own capability. Walks on water – temporarily; denies he Knows Jesus when under pressure; jumps fully clothed into the sea; cuts off Malthus’ ear in the Garden of Gethsemane. But – and this is much more important – despite all the times he acts before his brain catches up, he is not afraid to proclaim his faith in public. And he doesn’t care who knows it.

“But what about you?” Jesus asked the disciples. “Who do you say I am?”

Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”

Saint Peter – embarrassingly human, with human fallibilities – but in faith, prepared to accept them and be forgiven for the things he gets wrong, whether intentional or unintentional. And it is this that makes him the right choice on which to found a worldwide church full of people who share the same weaknesses and faults, a church which accepts the imperfection of humanity but loves it nonetheless – even to the point of atoning self-sacrifice.

Of all the Apostles, Peter the flawed man is the natural leader. Over the next few weeks, we shall look closely at his first letter in the New Testament, which describes the real-world Christian life. If you would like to prepare, the readings are:

12 April 1 Peter 1.3-9

19 April 1 Peter 1.17-23

26 April 1 Peter 2.19-25

3 May 1 Peter 2.2-10

10 May 1 Peter 3.13-22

17 May 1 Peter 4.12- 5:11

1 Peter 1: 3-9
3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, 5 who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. 6 In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. 7 These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. 8 Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, 9 for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

Key points:
v.4 – an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. We are given the gift of an indestructible inheritance of hope through Jesus the Christ. It is up to us whether we choose to accept it.
v.5 – through faith. It is faith that shields us now and in the future
v.6 – you greatly rejoice Because we have faith, we are capable of enduring whatever lies before us in this earthly life
v.7 – when Jesus Christ is revealed. When He comes, your endurance will be rewarded and your faith will be proven.
v.8 – even though you do not see him now, you believe. Hebrews 11:1 ‘Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.’
v.9 – the salvation of your souls. Despite our mistakes and weaknesses, like Peter, we are saved through the unconditional love God shows us through His son, Jesus the Christ.

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Praying Together Easter Sunday 2026

Praying Together Easter Sunday 2026

So the commandment is a challenge. To love those who betray you. Those who jeer. Those who wield the whips embedded with flint, hammer in the nails, pierce your side.

A Meditation for the First Sundy of Easter 2026

provided by the Revd. Barbara Irrgang-Buckley

… and I do not know where they have laid him.

Christ is risen! The Lord is risen indeed. Alleluia!

Hymn 271 – sing along if you like, see text below

1

Jesus Christ is risen today, alleluia! alleluia!

Our triumphant holy day, alleluia!

Who died once, upon the cross, alleluia!

Suffer to redeem our loss, alleluia! alleluia!

3

But the pains that he endured, alleluia!

Our salvation have procured, alleluia!

Now above the sky he’s king, alleluia!

Where the angels ever sing, alleluia!

2

Hymns of praise let us sing,

Unto Christ, our heavenly king,

Who endured the cross and

Sinners to redeem and save,

Collect for Easter Day

Almighty God, through your only-begotten Son Jesus Christ
you have overcome death and opened to us the gate of everlasting life:
Grant that, as by your grace going before us you put into our minds good desires,
so by your continual help we may bring them to good effect;
through Jesus Christ our risen Lord who is alive and reigns with you
and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Gloria – enjoy listening to Vivaldi’s Gloria in Excelsis

Reading from Acts 10: 34-43

Gospel according to John 20: 1-18

Reflection
Early on the Sunday morning (‘the first day of the week’) after the Crucifixion, before dawn, Mary Magdalene, who has been a witness to Christ’s death and burial, comes to the tomb and finds that the stone has been rolled away. Initially it seems she is on her own, for she alone is named. But later she describes her experiences using the word ‘we,’ which indicates she was with other women. In the Eastern Orthodox tradition, these women are known as the Holy Myrrhbearers (Μυροφόροι). The Myrrhbearers are traditionally listed as: Mary Magdalene, Mary, the mother of James and Joses, Mary, the wife of Cleopas, Martha of Bethany, sister of Lazarus, Mary of Bethany, sister of Lazarus, Joanna, the wife of Chuza the steward of Herod Antipas, and Salome, the mother of James and John, the sons of Zebedee, and Susanna, although it is generally said that there are other Myrrhbearers whose names are not known. Mary and these women run to tell Saint Peter and the other disciple (presumably Saint John the Evangelist) that they suspect someone has removed the body. The ‘other disciple’ may have been younger and fitter, for he outruns Saint Peter. The tidy way the linen wrappings and the shroud have been folded or rolled up shows that the body has not been stolen. They believe, yet they do not understand; they return home without any explanations. But Mary still thinks Christ’s body has been removed or stolen, and she returns to the cemetery. In her grief, she sees ‘two angels in white’ sitting where the body had been lying, one at the head, and one at the feet. They speak to her and then she turns around sees Christ, but only recognises him when he calls her by name. Peter and John have returned without seeing the Risen Lord. It is left to Mary to tell the Disciples that she has seen the Lord. Mary Magdalene is the first witness of the Resurrection. All four gospels are unanimous in telling us that the women are the earliest witnesses to the Risen Christ. In Saint John’s Gospel, the Risen Christ sends Mary Magdalene to tell the other disciples what she had seen. Mary becomes the apostle to the apostles. The word apostle comes from the Greek ἀπόστολος (apóstólos), formed from the prefix ἀπό- (apó-, ‘from’) and the root στέλλω (stéllō, ‘I send,’ ‘I depart’). So, the Greek word ἀπόστολος (apóstolos) or apostle means one who is sent. In addition, at the end of the reading (see verse 18), Mary comes announcing what she has seen. The word used here (ἀγγέλλουσα, angéllousa) is from the word that gives us the Annunciation, the proclamation of the good news, the proclamation of the Gospel (Εὐαγγέλιον, Evangélion). Mary, in her proclamation of the Gospel of the Resurrection, is not only the apostle to the apostles, but she is also the first of the evangelists. In the Western tradition of the Church, we seem to have contemplated the cross and then moved to the empty tomb. At times, the deep joys of the Resurrection have often been overshadowed in the Western Church by the way of the Cross, as though the Cross leads only to death. But what happened in Christ’s resting place, during the time in his tomb? The Orthodox Church thinks more than the Western about what happened while Christ’s body lay in the tomb, and it is remembered as the time during which he visited those who were dead. We are reminded God reaches into the deepest depths to pull forth souls into the kingdom of light. It reminds us also of what we are unable to comprehend – let alone take to heart as our own – the creedal statement about Christ’s descent into Hell – ‘He descended into Hell.’ The Early Church taught that after his death Christ descended into hell and rescued all the souls, starting with Adam and Eve, who had died under the Fall. The Harrowing of Hell is intimately bound up with the Resurrection, the Raising from the Dead, for as Christ is raised from the dead he also steps down into the depths to bring up, to raise up, those who are dead. The Harrowing of Hell carries us into the gap in time between Christ’s death and resurrection. In Orthodox icons of the Harrowing of Hell, Christ stands on the shattered doors of Hell. Sometimes, two angels are shown in the pit binding Satan. And we see Christ pulling out of Hell Adam and Eve, imprisoned there since their deaths, imprisoned along with all humanity because of sin. Christ breaks down the doors of Hell and leads the souls of the lost into Heaven. He descends into the depths of our sin and alienation from God; and by that he connects all that is lost and sinful with the radiance of divine goodness, joy and light. It is the most radical reversal we can imagine. Death does not have the last word, we need not live our lives entombed in fear. If Adam and Eve are forgiven, and the Sin of Adam is annulled and destroyed, who is beyond forgiveness? We can ask ourselves this morning: Is my hell in my heart of my own creation? Is hell in my mind, in my home, where I live and work, in my society, in this world? Is hell the nightmares from the past I cannot shake off, or the fears for the future when it looks gloomy and desolate for this planet? But is anything too hard for Christ? Where are the depths of my heart and my soul – where darkness prevails, and where I feel even Christ can find no welcome? I cannot produce or manufacture my own salvation from that deep, interior hell, hidden from others, and often hidden from myself. Christ breaks down the gates of Hell, of the place of death, the place where God is not, he rips all sinful humanity from the clutches of death. Let us not hesitate, let us ask him to take away all that denies life in us, whether it is a hell of our own making, a hell that has been forced on us, or a hell that surrounds us. Can we accept that Christ reaches down to lift us up with him in his Risen Glory? Now let us enjoy and embrace the brightness, the radiance and lightness, the singing and celebrating of Easter. Fully aware that we are Easter People, an Easter People. Christ died, descended, ascended and rose again for me, for you, for us, for all humanity. As the beginning of a new creation. Alleluia!

Music – Hallelujah: Christ ist erstanden.  Enjoy listening.

Music – Hymn 276 – Majesty, workshop His Majesty

a slightly different version. Sing along, the text is in the video – or relax and enjoy.

And finally, you might enjoy listening to Bach’s Easter Oratorio, BWV 249

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