Brian Fahy's reflection on his own life's journey certainly proves that ministry is not confined to 'being a parish priest, or indeed a minster of religion, or a liturgical, sacramental operative.'
'My time in the Redemptorists was rich even as it was also difficult........ I am (now) learning how to be a good father and grandfather in these later years of my life. I am also learning how to be a widower at peace with the story of life that came to me.'

Seamus Ahearne reports of an interesting dialogue he had recently about the state of church and liturgy and sacraments.
"Much of Liturgy has evolved from the Monasteries. It has grown fat with the accretions of history. It has become something to endure or admire or look at. Despite all the changes of language; it can still be so passive as a Celebration. ......
The psychological reality is that there are too many words hurled at us. Any real psychology of praying is absent. There is no space for quiet; for sharing; for being still.....
Someone has to shout stop and strip off the accretions and reduce the Mass to its essentials and make space for God to speak and for us to be part of it. It is all noise and fuss and rush."

1st Reading: 1 Samuel 4:1-11

Despite having the Ark of the Covenant, Israel loses the battle

And the word of Samuel came to all Israel. In those days the Philistines mustered for war against Israel, and Israel went out to …