"Happy is the person who has placed their trust in the Lord." What a beautiful saying. Live it, and find peace. The famous ‘Sermon on the Mount’ in Matthew, suddenly becomes the ‘Sermon on the Plain’ in Luke, where Jesus speaks more directly to the people…"Happy are YOU...” etc. Rich or poor, we are all called to put our trust in the Lord. We will become like Jeremiah says: "He will be like a tree by the waterside ….when the pressure is on he has no fear, he stays green, and never ceases to bear fruit. "Happy indeed is the person who has placed his/her trust in the Lord." This is why listening to the voice of the church is so important, because when we seek Jesus apart from the community of the Church, we end up with a Jesus who looks and sounds like us.

Two boats filled with fish to sinking point. What is all that about, except the magnificent generosity of Jesus. When will we get it into our heart and soul and mind, that our God is a God of reckless over-abundance? And the only way we can appreciate it, is by trying to imitate Him. Even the poorest of the poorest are generous. So no matter how poor we are, we all have something to give. Don't be shy. AND IN GIVING WE RECEIVE. Other things we learn from Peter:- 1. He did not give up with failure. 2. He was rewarded for trying. 3. He was aware of his sinfulness. 4 He was preaching to the locals. St Augustine asked God for two things:- 1. To know Him. 2. To know himself.

Priests should be moved about every two years! Because, like in Jesus' day, familiarity breeds contempt. "We know what he is going to say”. "Ah yes, that's Fr So and So”. Equally, from each other, we grow callous and cold. We have decided what, or who a person is, or will say and we do not even listen. We need to be open to the Spirit, He is around every corner. "Out of the mouths of babes” etc. The people eventually got so callous with Jesus that they wanted to kill Him. In today’s gospel, he challenged their own hypocrisy and they did not like it. None of us do. And often that is why it is difficult to move on. Have a look at the second reading again and Paul's great practical advice as to what love is. Those who only think of number one, should remember it is next to nothing.

There are many forms of addiction: smoking, alcohol, drugs, food, hobbies, Ipads, tablets (both kinds), computers, the list is endless. I think it’s fair to say some addictions are better than others, but all addictions are bad. Nothing should control my life apart from myself. And even then I can be addicted to myself, my own importance, which can be the most toxic of addictions and obsessions: Addicted to my own way of doing things and thinking. Jesus went to the synagogue and the Spirit of the Lord was upon him. He anointed him for a job - "to bring the Good news to the poor." To take Him out of himself as it were. To move Him onto God's Agenda. Honesty and humility are needed to bring us on to God's Agenda. I often think my thoughts are reality. - Don't believe everything you think. At mass, through the power of the Holy Spirit, bread is changed into the body of Christ. We in receiving the Body become what we receive. We are changed into the Body of Christ, but we need to listen to Christ to truly become his body, to be freed from our addiction.

A few very significant facts in today's Cana story. Sadly many people see only the miracle, but this is Jesus’ launch of his ministry so:- 1 Wine is flowing out the door. Meaning: THE IMMENSE GENEROSITY OF JESUS. 2. "They have no wine...” Jesus listens to his mother. 3. Jesus’ passionate care for other people. Sure they could have survived without wine! 4. All the water is changed into wine. What about those who come late....they have no water to wash. All rituals of the past are done away with and now Jesus rushes in a totally new era. An era of love and concern. I can't change water into wine but I can do most of the above. Be generous. Listen to Mary. Care for other people. Care about people out of love, not because I have to.

Often, when parents want children baptised and I ask them ‘Why?’ sometimes there are strange answers, often they border on selfishness. 'Want him to go to heaven.' ‘Want her to know God.' 'Want him to get into a Catholic school.' 'Want her to be safe.' All about the child!!! Jesus today is baptised, he is commissioned by the Father to start his public ministry, to go out and preach the love of the Father and to tell us how to live. He came to establish the Kingdom of God on Earth, to show us how to live, so that we too may make the world a better place. You join the army to fight for your country, you are baptised to become a soldier of Jesus Christ and join his army of people who want to make the world a better place for all of us. We are baptised so that we can help Jesus to make the world a better place, so that we may help our brothers and sisters to find happiness by GIVING.

The wise men met Jesus. They went home by a different way. In simple English it just means "If we do meet Jesus, nothing can ever still be the same, things change, I change. If I don't change then, I believe, you have really got to ask a serious question, "Have I really met Jesus?" Meeting Jesus puts most if not all things in perspective. I see things with new glasses. I thought I saw before, but in the light of Jesus, new things have really taken over my life. More important things possess me. I know Christmas is gone, or has it? Yes the glitz and the food and presents have gone which means you really have missed Christmas. But Christmas is about Jesus which means He will be with us all the year around. For the Christian, every day is Christmas Day. Enjoy the peace of the Lord with you and share it with others. Give peace as a present to others every day of the week.

…I would like to ask you, dear families: Do you pray together from time to time as a family? Some of you do, I know. But so many people say to me: But how can we? …But in the family how is this done? After all, prayer seems to be something personal and besides there is never a good time, a moment of peace… Yes, all that is true enough, but it is also a matter of humility, of realising that we need God… all of us! We need his help, his strength, his blessing, his mercy, his forgiveness. And we need simplicity to pray as a family: simplicity is necessary! Praying the Our Father together, around the table, is not something extraordinary: it’s easy. And praying the Rosary together, as a family, is very beautiful and a source of great strength! And also praying for one another! The husband for his wife, the wife for her husband, both together for their children, the children for their grandparents, praying for each other. This is what it means to pray in the family and it is what makes the family strong: prayer.

The great season is on us again. Many things to notice, but just let’s look at a few. 1. Mary was overshadowed by the spirit. 2. An angel appeared and SHE LISTENED. 3. She heard because her heart was prepared. 4. Through her, the WORD became flesh. I would like to think that we are always overshadowed by the spirit. The word is always speaking to us in the daily event of our life. In the bible, in the joy of meeting another, in nature, in some TV programmes, in the mass, in the joy of my children, etc. Big question......DO I LISTEN? Has my heart been prepared especially by PREPARING THE READINGS FOR MASS? If so, the word will also take flesh in me. A gardener prepares the land for many months before he plants seed. Failure to prepare is failure to achieve good results. We don't prepare to fail. We fail to prepare.

Why is Christmas so wonderful? Why are you so wonderful? If you do not believe me read the readings for today. Surely Our God is a wonderful God. That is the reason for the greatness of everything. 1 R. "Shout for joy, shout aloud. The Lord has repealed your sentence; the Lord has driven your enemies away." Psalm: "God is my salvation, God is my strength, God is my Saviour." 2 R. "Be happy, all I want is your happiness, Let your tolerance be evident to everyone." Gospel: After seeing such wonderfulness as above, the only way we can enjoy it, is by sharing it with others.....UBUNTU. If we don't, we will never enjoy the joy that I talk about above. "If you have two tunics, give one away." If you have money to buy a new pair of shoes, buy them for someone else. If you want to buy a bottle of whiskey for me, buy a goat for someone else. Just because you have money, remember you are only its caretaker. BUY FOR OTHERS. Soldiers: "No intimidation, no extortion." Play fair. Members of St James’: Support parish activities. Many people contribute much and many contribute NOTHING.

Thousands of years ago Baruch had a beautiful vision, a vision of a great time to come: ‘Put on the dress of a bride and not a funeral dress. Put a crown of gold on your head.’ He has unbelievable hope; things are going to get better. Jesus still picked up on this, with a slight difference I would say - Hope through suffering - probably more realistic. "The grain of wheat must die before it can bring forth fruit." This is our time of advent, a time of preparation. A little penance/confession, a bit of fasting for appreciation of our fellow pilgrims in worse conditions. Preparing for the joy of the birth of the child within in us. Then Christmas can truly be Christmas, Christ within is. And that surely will bring about the reign of the Lord.

New Year, New Resolutions. 1. Today's first reading is a basic start. Am I a person of integrity? When I look in the mirror what do I see? I have to be honest that I am not a sham. 2. If I am to be serious about having a Christian spiritual journey, it is absolutely essential that I do something about helping the poor. The poor at home and abroad, spiritually and materially. 3. I must have community somewhere in my life. There is no communion without community. And this is Eucharist. 4. It is important that a person who is genuinely trying to be holy should have peacefulness and calm about them. They should be easy to live with. (Brian D'arcy)

Solitude and Loneliness I can see in your words that you are living a very unhappy life, closed in upon yourself. A person who does that cannot be happy, since the Lord has created us as people able to communicate with others who are made in his image and likeness. God never closes in on himself. God gives himself to the others, and the greatest proof we have of this is that he gave his own Son for the salvation of the others. That is exactly what he wants us to do, too. Christ’s suffering didn’t make him unhappy but, on the contrary, was the necessary step toward the resurrection – that is to say, toward life. I would advise you to begin to reflect seriously on your life. God created you to be happy. You will not find that happiness by yourself, losing heart with your problems. You will find it to the extent that you discover that there are other people who suffer like you and who need you, so that together you can find a positive sense to your life. (Oscar Romero)

For many people death and spooks have a fascination, but they would rather not think about their own death. We say there are four last things:- death, judgement, heaven and hell. The only certainty in life is death, so why not face up to it. HEAVEN........................... I believe in it DEATH............................. I believe in it. JUDGEMENT................... I believe in it. HELL................................ I believe in it. MERCY OF GOD............. I believe in it. JUSTICE OF GOD........... I believe in it. And funnily enough the bible talks about all of them, so I have it on good authority. Don't mess with God or eternity. Check out your credit. And don't forget St Francis' famous dictum, "The world is full of good people who do nothing." With your parish pack this weekend you will find a Cafod brochure. In there, there are gifts ranging from £4 to £4,000.  Something to suit everybody’s pocket, even the poorest. Pick one to suit your pocket. Send it to Cafod. Or give it to me in an envelope, by next weekend if possible and then we will be on time to get a card back for our Christmas tree.  A TREE FULL OF 500 GIFTS FOR OTHER PEOPLE. Don't forget to encourage the children to do their own gift from their pocket money. 

The Widow’s Mite is a very familiar story, but, I fear that such a challenge can put most of us off and we dismiss it as an impossible dream. Not a good way to treat any part of the Bible. Jesus said it, so it must be worthy of our consideration. I say this because I know people who have done exactly as the widow, they have given their last bite. THE BIBLE IS GOD'S BOOK, ABOUT US. Helping us to live with a good attitude. I also see children after 10am mass grabbing six biscuits, as if no one else wants a biscuit. Instead, think about taking the black banana rather that the best one, as tomorrow the black one will be rotten and thrown out. Use water with respect, even though there seems to be an endless supply. How much waste do I throw out of my fridge every week? Do I drop litter as if I had my own private litter collector? The list is endless.. Add your own. Do I just spend because I have the money, or do I help others? Are others included in my shopping plans for Christmas? But my attitude about the above says much about me and my relationship to others and God.

I have never understood why God has allowed children to be born out of drunkenness, rape, basically out of lack of love. And sadly maybe that is why many of us, here in U.K. would say we have become a nanny state. Parents produce the children but do not rear them. Our lack of parenting skills is becoming very apparent. Maybe this is why the state had to move in. How many of the chicken shops are feeding your children? How many of our children have a breakfast at home? Do I leave the smart phone/screen/TV to raise my child? Do we expect the government, social services, churches, schools, youth clubs/centres to raise our children? Come on parents if God has given you a child, He trusted you to parent that child and bring him/her up as a descent child of His. Knowing, loving and serving Him as the First Commandment today. To know, love and serve God with all your heart. Why should I serve Him, since I don't love Him and how can I love him since I don't know him? And how can I know Him since we never say a meaningful prayer in our house?

The blind man is told by the crowd to keep quiet and not to be annoying Jesus. Yes, people with "less ability" are usually told to keep quiet and let the "more abled" people take control. This happened 2000 years ago, today there does not seem to be any great difference. Yet he is the one remembered today, 2000 years later.  Who were the people who told him to keep quiet?   The usual crowd who hid behind each other. And yet again, he is the one Jesus is looking for, like the woman who gave the mite in the temple. Yes, the people of Jesus’ line are usually the famous ones.  KEEP AN EYE OUT FOR THE LESS ABLED AND TALK TO THEM. Yet again the blind man is not greedy. He does not ask for his sight to be restored. He asks "That I might see." Most of us have sight and good sight.  But how much do we see?

We are all familiar with today’s gospel and Jesus telling us from time to time that we are called  TO SERVE. The washing of the feet is immediately linked to the Eucharist. Jesus wanted to make it quite clear that we dare not share in the Eucharist if we are not serving. The minute we separate them, we are depriving both of their meaning.   This is why I believe, that many people see the Eucharist as boring. It does not lead them to serve their brother or sister.  Hence mass can become an empty ritual for many people. So here in St James’ 1.  Will you be a reader at mass? 2.  Will you serve? 3.  Will you join the SVP to help people with small jobs, a bit of decorating, shopping or keeping them company for an hour a week? 4.  Join the Legion of Mary and call on people to help them live their faith? 5.  Clean the church once a month (with others), or form your own team? 6.  Wash church linen? 7.  Help teaching children? 8.  Run an event for some charity? 9.  Run a social event in the Hall? 10.  Help with the making of tea/coffee after mass? 11.  Be a hospitality person and welcome people at the back of the church? 12.  Play a musical instrument at 10am or 12 noon mass? 13.  Do you pray/teach your own children? 14. Or add your own special expertise and set the parish ablaze with the spirit? Aspire not to have more but to be more. (O. Romero)

Now you can argue away today's Gospel as much  as you like, but you cannot get away from the fact  of Jesus' challenge about money. I must give to the poor. Money itself is good. How I use it may be questionable! A few  thoughts; 1.  Governments collect taxes to redistribute money.      Fundamentally a good principle.  2.  I have been more gifted than others!  "Thank God." 3.  Many people, sadly, are not gifted, through no fault of their own.  Many more have been abused.  4.  Archbishop Romero, "Anything you have that you don't use you have stolen." 5.  Helder Camara, "When I feed the poor they call me a saint. When I ask why the poor are poor they call me a communist." 6.  Fr. Jack: Money fulfils my desires.  When I get rid of it to help others, it fulfils my needs. 7.  Jesus:   Sell your things. Get money. Buy food. Help the poor.  Go to heaven. “I was hungry and you gave me to eat.”

As Catholics we should define ourselves as what we are and what we believe in, rather than what we are up against. Marriage was created by God from the beginning as "two becoming one." Two becoming one mentally, spiritually, emotionally, psychologically and then and only then physically.  Sadly many people start the other way around, beginning with the physical.  Is it any wonder after a few years they look at each other and say "I do not know what I saw in you."  And they split. Intimacy seems to be missing in many relationships.  If it were not for the many good friends I have, both men and women, with whom I am intimate, "I would not be half the man I am."  For this intimacy the physical is not present. Consequently it can go to a much deeper level.  Give intimacy a chance in your life.