During the Easter season the Church continues to celebrate Jesus’ resurrection from the dead, even in these pandemic days. Today, we join together to worship God, who has brought about the great victory over sin and death in which we hope.

Opening Comment

Even though Easter Week is now behind us, today’s liturgy is still filled with the joyful effects of Jesus’ resurrection. We continue to celebrate that great event for the next six weeks, until Pentecost Sunday on 23 May, … Read the rest

The liturgy that begins this Thursday evening continues until we reach Easter. We are at the start of a three-day celebration of the passion, death and resurrection of Jesus. We journey from the Last Supper to Gethsemane tonight, from there to Calvary tomorrow, and from the tomb to resurrection and new life at the Vigil of Easter Sunday.  

Today’s liturgy gives a preview of the events we will celebrate between Holy Thursday and Easter Sunday: the passion, death and resurrection of Jesus. These events are also the focus of this and every Sunday celebration. We ask for God’s help in understanding their significance.

Today, we pause from our lenten penances to honour Patrick, our national apostle. In our celebration of this solemn feast, we worship God, creator, redeemer and sanctifier, who brought our ancestors into the Christian fold through the preaching of St Patrick.

[In this year's Mass we remember especially the irish diaspora, those exiled abroad, and especially those members of our families who would love to be at home with us today.]

This Sunday we come to the midpoint of Lent. The season is half over, and the celebration of the death and resurrection of Jesus is nearer to us. On this midway Sunday, it is traditional to honour mothers, praying for those still with us and remembering those who have died.

We gather in continuing lockdown on this first Sunday of March in Ireland, praying that God will keep our hope alive during the Lenten spring. The Lord has the message of eternal life: we come to know this message during the Sunday online gathering and deepen our relationship with our Saviour.

As we continue to celebrate Lent, we keep the goal of our journey before us. The gospel of the transfiguration is read on this lenten Sunday each year, to remind us to hold firm to a vision of glory, even on dark days. Easter will follow this season of penance, just as freedom will eventually replace this tough time of lockdown. Hope keeps us going.

Today we celebrate the first Sunday of Lent. Lent is celebrated in lockdown this year, in this and most every country, as the world fights COVID-19. But though apart, we are united in worship and in prayer, looking forward to Easter and better days ahead.

Today we begin the journey of penance and reflection that will bring us to the celebration of the passion, death and resurrection of Jesus at Easter time. Let us pray for the grace to keep Lent faithfully..