Saturday 31 March 2018



PAT'S EASTER HOMILY


THE JESUS WHO REFUSES TO BE RESTRAINED!

I went to live in St. Peter's Cathedral on the very troubled Fall's Road in 1978 and spent five interesting and challenging years there.

I found myself living with a group of priests who were convinced that the parish and area were hopeless and who thought that the best thing to do was to lie low and wait for the bishop to send them to a better and more "normal" parish.

At 26 I could not do that and threw myself wholeheartedly into meeting the spiritual and social needs of my thousands of parishioners. 

That meant that I had callers at the presbytery door at all hours of the day and the night.

Eventually, the senior priest brought me into his room for a ticking off and he said: "This used to be a respectable presbytery before you came. Now every down and out, whore, queer and crazy is ringing the doorbell".

I tried to discuss it rationally with him and got nowhere. Then I said to him: "Vincent, what did Jesus say? He said he came not for the virtuous but for the sinner".

My fellow priest's jugular veins nearly burst and bringing his fist down on his desk he screamed: "Don't you dare drag Jesus into this "bleep bleep" argument".


Vincent had done what many so-called Christians do. Jesus was only for the inside of the church and had nothing to do with our daily life.


The Catholics lock Jesus up in the tabernacle where he is safe and does not disturb our daily living - the so-called "Prisoner of the tabernacle".

The Protestants lock Jesus up between the covers of their big Bibles where He can be opened and closed at their will.

The Muslims keep Him in their Koran where he takes second place to the Prophet Mahommad, May His Name be Blessed.

President Trump confines him at Breakfast Prayer meetings in the White House where he does not interfere with American foreign policies or gun laws.

The Pope and Bishops have Him all tied up in their man-made canon laws. 

Some people keep Him around their necks in medals and scapulars and locked up in bottles of holy water.

Sinn Fein doesn't want Him getting involved in their demand for an Irish language act.

The good Christians of the DUP don't want Him having His say on same-sex marriage.

And they all live happily ever after.

Jesus is under control!

It would be very dangerous if he was not!


And so it was on the first Holy Week in Jerusalem. The people of Jerusalem began the week by making Him their King convinced he was a political Messiah who was going to kick the Romans out of Israel and let them rule their own patch again.

And Jesus disappointed them severely!

He told them He was a king - but not their kind of king.

He stood firm against Herod and Pilate.

He exposed the rank hypocrisy of the Chief Priests, Scribes and Pharisees.

He failed to give the Crowd the show they had hoped for.

So He had become a disappointment, dangerous, insolent.

So he needed flogging. crowning, mocking and crucifying.


And even when he died they needed to confine Him. So they tied His body up with restraining cloths and rolled a massive, immovable boulder over the entrance to the grave.

But He cast off those binding cloths and moved the immovable boulder.

Jesus never has and never will allow Himself to be confined either by those who think they are doing the right thing or by those who want to keep Him under "control".

Jesus is most certainly the One who will comfort the disturbed.

But He is equally the One who will most certainly disturb the comfortable.


And so, at Holy Week and Easter each of us is presented with a challenging series of questions.

1. Are there any ways that I as a Christian want to confine Jesus to a safe and comfortable corned of my life?

2. Am I content with confining Him to my attendance at Sunday Mass and my morning and night prayers?

3. What do I do every day for those He has told me to care for

- the hungry?

- the thirsty?

- the naked?

- the sick?

- those in prison?

- strangers?

In challenging words in the New Testament Jesus tells us the amount that we give out will be the amount that He will give us back.

Does that mean if we are "stingy" with Him He will be stingy with us?

Does that mean if we give Him and others our "loose change" He will give us His loose change?

Yes. It does!


When Jesus Came to Belfast / Dublin / London

G. A. Studdert-Kennedy 

When Jesus came to Golgotha, they hanged Him on a tree, 
They drove great nails through hands and feet, and made a Calvary; 
They crowned Him with a crown of thorns, red were His wounds and deep, 
For those were crude and cruel days, and human flesh was cheap. 

When Jesus came to Belfast, they simply passed Him by. 
They would not hurt a hair of Him, they only let Him die; 
For men had grown more tender, and they would not give Him pain, 
They only just passed down the street and left Him in the rain. 

Still, Jesus cried, 'Forgive them, for they know not what they do, ' 
And still it rained the winter rain that drenched Him through and through; 
The crowds went home and left the streets without a soul to see, 
And Jesus crouched against a wall and cried for Calvary. 

-----------------------------



If you and I  are not moved by these thoughts - and propelled into action by them

Is there any hope for you and I?

In the here? And the hereafter?

A sobering thought indeed!


92 comments:

  1. He is risen. Alleluia

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  2. Lots of Catholics ,both clergy and laity bring Christ into the market place of their work and daily lives..right from (Saint) Mother Teresa down to our local St Vincent de Paul newest worker. You are not the only one who does that, Pat and don't forget you introduce a lot of ridicule and slander to balance things out sadly...

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    1. @00:11
      "You bring a lot of ridicule"... pot, kettle, black.

      Happy Easter, you cheery Christain.

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    2. "... Christian..."

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  3. Ah, Jeez! Just for once: give 'im a lie-in, will ya? Alleuia!😆

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  4. Happy feast day, Magna ...

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  5. ah give it a rest 00:11. Happy Easter to you all x

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    1. @00.11
      An important truth... Thanking you and blessings of Easter on everyone.

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  6. If it were not for the Church, you and I would never have heard about Jesus. The Church has its uses. Just because it has fallen into the current hands of people who are (often, but sometimes certainly not) venal, corrupt and self-serving does not detract from the many saints (including yourself, of course) and good works that have been and continue to be among its fruits. Look at the work of the Missionaries of the Poor and their founder for one example.

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    1. Amen to that! (@ 1.07)

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    2. If it weren't for God's love (Jn 3: 16), none of us, including 'the Church', would have heard about Jesus, for their would have been no incarnation.

      The Church is not your God.

      In future, remember to whom you really owe thanks.

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    3. Your really are a patronising person, MC. Did anything I say indicate that the Church is my 'God', of course not. Don't answer points that haven't been made to satisfy your own wish to be superior. You have problems, mate.

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    4. Mags, 12.32 yesterday, Easter Sunday. Wasn't the Church and parishes saved from the harm and abuse you'd have inflicted with your fat headed, stubborn and bullying nature? Wise decisions were made to fling you out the gates of the seminary...very wise indeed. Now, go and sober up....

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    5. Can you imagine the damage if he was in a parish?

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  7. Friends the tomb is empty. the lord is risen. may the resurrection be our hope

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  8. Easter blessings to one and All

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    1. Happy Easter to you too, Sean !

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    2. Thanks, Sean.

      To you as well.

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    3. Magna and Sean, you're both behaving like children with your childish greetings. Whatever about Sean, but Magna's greetings are laughable and derisory considering he spends all his time being utterly obnoxious and destructive. Not very much evidence of Christ in his words or actions!

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    4. 14:12, a grateful human heart is a graced heart. And a graced human heart is one touched by God.

      God is gratitude, and this is expressed, in the Trinity, in a never-ending configuration of praise: Father to Son, and Son to Father; and each to the Spirit and back.

      You have much to learn, and so little time left to learn it. So, waste no more of your precious time pointing an accusing and condemnatory finger at others. Instead, offer your whole hand in help.😆

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    5. Magna 15.00: I speak of you from the vitriolic, hatefilled and condemnatory words you use against all before you. You show no respect for others. You write long explanatory comments as if all are ignorant and philistines. That's arrogance. Because much - if not most - of what you write is so virulently nasty and unkind, it is difficult to attribute any Christian quality to you. But you bear the name of Christ : now you should carry him truly in your heart.

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  9. Well done Pat. A challenging homily that connects the spiritual to the realities of everyday life. I've always thought that churches have sanitized the real challenging message of JC. This is spirituality for the coal face.

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  10. Happy Easter. May the resurrection of the Lord bring hope to each and everyone of us.

    In the words of St Augustine - “God had one son on earth without sin, but never one without suffering.”

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    1. Poor Augustine, he kept getting things (the most important things) wrong. He ought to have said: 'God had one son on earth without sin, but never one without...love (because of which he would suffer).

      Too many of the saints focus exclusively on Jesus' suffering, and thus made suffering the path to redemption.

      Suffering cannot redeem, for God is love, not pain.

      Happy Easter.

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    2. So “Magna Carta” thinks it knows better than St Augustine now???

      Let’s see, who will I go with?

      The wisdom of a great saint revered from antiquity and respected by equally great thinkers?

      Or the cloying attempts at homilising by an internet troll?

      Sancte Augustine, ora pro nobis!

      Happy Easter one and all.

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    3. So God is suffering rather than love? Or God is more suffering than love?

      You 'go with' Augustine if you wish. (Wasn't he the guy who bequeathed to the Chuch hellfire for the souls of unbabtised children and adults?)

      I'll go with truth, because Scripture (as well as Jesus himself, living Scripture) informs us that God is love, not suffering.

      Why do Roman Catholics always place the word of mere men, like Augustine, over the Word of God itself?

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    4. Well expressed 13.16. We should all ignore the fake Magna, pretending to have some christian spirit in him. He is a disgusting, hate filled troll. St. Augustine, St. Padre Pio, St. Terssa of Avila, St. Benedict - wondetful saints. Mags, you'll never measure up, ever! May the Risen Christ bless you with kindness, common sense, decency and respect for others.

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    5. 14:17, is Scripture fake? Because my post is based on it, and on the example set by Jesus himself: 'THE WORD MADE FLESH'

      Where does Scripture claim God as suffering rather than love? I'm willing to be persuaded.

      I'm not pretending anything. But I did speak the truth about God's nature. You, on the other hand, from your denunciation of me would claim to be speaking the truth. So what did I say about God that is not true and not already declared in Scripture? Hmm?😆

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    6. Very clearly, the Carta troll has a very limited grasp of the thought of St Augustine. That’s understandabl though. St Augustine’s theology is lofty. Poor troll Carta.

      Delete
  11. Beautiful service on RTÉ One from the Church of Ireland Kilternan Parish.

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    Replies
    1. Risen is now on RTÉ One. Started at 13:10pm.

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  12. Happy Easter Pat

    Don’t tell anybody I sent you these Easter wishes. You’re sworn to secrecy.

    Sean Baptiste Brady

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  13. “(Wasn't he the guy who bequeathed to the Chuch hellfire for the souls of unbabtised children and adults?)”

    In a word, Troll Carta NO.

    Clearly, you have no understanding of St Augustine. Too rich in his thinking for you one expects.

    And I’m Anglican - not RC.

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    1. Actually, it WAS Augustine's doctrine, that the souls of unbaptized children would go to hell:

      'It was only when Pelagianism denied these fundamental Christian truths (that salvation depends on baptism and, therefore, on belonging to the Church), and asserted in proof of its views that God does not deny access to the kingdom of heaven to unbaptized children...that Augustine put forward the doctrine, which went uncontested for centuries, that these children are condemned to the real (though mitigated) pains of hell.' (Peter Gumpel in 'Limbo', from Encyclopedia of Theology, ed by Karl Rahner)

      This evil teaching (evil because it was wrought from Augustine not through love, but from his naked hostility to, and hatred of, the Romano-British monk, Pelagius) went uncontested in the Church for centuries and was held as de facto doctrine by successive magisteria.

      Anselm of Canterbury, and, later, all of the major Scholastics, sided with Augustine. However, they tempered his vengeful, theological extremism with the notion that these souls, instead of suffering eternal damnation, were gathered in a somewhat more benign (though none speculates how) afterlife, Limbo, where they might never experience the joys of heaven, but at least would not suffer the eternal pain of hell.

      I don't care what your faith is, 15:30. And there really was no need to declare yourself an Anglican. So whomever you were trying to impress, and ingratiate yourself with (the Roman Catholics who read this blog?), has been eclipsed by your immature need for affirmation.

      There is only one thing here that impresses me, and it isn't a person's belief, but their intellect and knowledge. And you've missed the mark on both.

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    2. Magna - 17.20: Isn't Wikipedia very useful for lengthy lectures? You should reveal your sources. What a sad Easter you must be having to spend your time on this blog...

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    3. This blog is MC's social life. It's tragic or care in the community by Pat, depending on your point of view.

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    4. Ha ha! - Yes... and then MC actually lectured others posters on the importance of brevity!

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    5. 19.55: It's TRAGIC - for all of us too!

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    6. MC - a piece of advice - 'When in a hole, stop digging'. That could change your life.

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  14. I feel your heartbeat

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  15. I was listening to Dermo on RTÉ Radio One with Miriam today. The man has a heart of gold. He was emotional discussing the Tuam issue. It’s a pity he’s 73 years of age.

    He has a very difficult job on his hands.

    He mentioned how the day before he ordained two priests for Dublin on 14th November - St Laurence O’Toole feast day he did a mass for the 15 priests who passed away. The two new priests are priests for today’s church and have a different ministry than the 15 other had in their day respectively.

    I really hope the WMOF goes well for him.

    Happy Easter.

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    Replies
    1. "pity he's 73" - well he's already had 15 years and did nothing. You'd think to listen to him that he's an external observer with no responsibility for the Church in Ireland.

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    2. Dermo always sounds like a Religious Affairs correspondent for some media outlet. He's long on analysis and problem-identifying but short on providing solutions.

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    3. 16.44 I have seen Dermo ill treat people for years and I have seen him make a man homeless. By the way, that man is still homeless. That's my reply to your 'heart of gold' comment.

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    4. Not surprised. Dermo has a heart of cast iron. He should have stayed in Rome. He had a cheek, with no pastoral experience, taking over such a major, troubled archdiocese of Dublin.

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    5. @21.27 - sorry to hear that someone has become homeless. I think there must be more to that story than meets the eye. Dermo is all over homelessness as he has a charity in the Diocese for that. Maybe that man should have been referred to their hostel ?

      If someone was taken out of ministry or is not a priest of good standing then that is a different story.

      Dermo is well clued in. He even said that someone isnt taken out of ministry because they have the flu.....

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    6. 23.11 Why should a man that Dermo has cheated out of his livelihood be referred to a homeless hostel? Dermo should be in jail for what he facilitated. He was well clued in alright, so he has no excuses. We will see what the pope says.

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    7. Mag Carta at 17:20, you silly sausage, all you show is your extremely superficial and paltry knowledge of the great Augustine - and, indeed, of the sacred science of Theology in general. Laughable really. Silly silly little man.

      You are a sad, really sad, little vicious troll. Do you seriously expect anyone, in their right mind, to listen to the likes of you, over one of the greatest intellects in Christian history? An internet troll, a failed sem, with no balls? Lol

      Delete
  16. I was looking for a phone number of a priest on the Waterford and Lismore
    Diocesan list and noticed that Fr Richard Geoghegan's name (aka Shirley Bassey) is missing. Any news of him?

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  17. Clogher curate1 April 2018 at 18:09

    It didn't take long for MC to highjack the blog and descend it into farce and abuse. In a as as yet unpublished post on yesterday's blog I reveal that MC was in Maynooth from 1993-1998.

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    1. Magna, 20.04: Those of us who were with you in seminary and who persevered can attest to the truth of your obnoxious, bullying and crass behaviour. You couldn't even then befriend anyone in a meaningful way. You were flung out and sadly, it has left an indelibly, deep hurt. But, you've been kindly advised so often to seek therapy. That you should do without hesitation.

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    2. Clogher curate1 April 2018 at 22:51

      He was a total gossip. Aware of the risk of sounding sexist I didn't think that was very manly. I much prefered the sems from Kerry, Raphoe, Clogher or Derry who would have public rows in the ref, even in the case of the current PP of Fintona an exchange of blows at the big tea urns in the middle of the ref.

      Even in his day, twenty years ago, MC used to go round saying that 50% of the Maynooth seminarian community was gay.

      The topic was considered beneath the salt but he carried on regardless.

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    3. Now I'm fascinated. Was he 18 when he entered? He seems the sought who would be, although the thought of him now only being 40 is incredible...

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    4. Given that Magna is alleged to have been in "Maynooth" in 1993 means that he wasnt a Dublin seminarian as Clonliffe only closed in 2001.

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    5. There were occasionally Dublin students in Maynooth even in the Clonliffe days, usually doing the Sem course.

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    6. Clogher curate2 April 2018 at 09:19

      In response to 23:07, Magna Carta entered Maynooth aged 18. He's 42 or 43 now. He still considers himself to be a young man.

      Delete
    7. @Clogher Curate
      Thank you.
      Hmmm... So angst ridden yet.
      23:07

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    8. Lol I remember the fist fight at the tea urns in the Maynooth ref. In the blue corner was Jim Moore, now PP of Fintona and in the red corner was a fellow member of the Aula Maxims committee, whose name escapes me.

      It all kicked off with Jim's challenge shouting "hi Moore what's your fucking problem?"

      Jim: "you"

      Then the badinage ended. The Kerry seminarians thought it was great craic and it was broken up by one of the IV Divines.

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  18. Nice thoughtful Urbi et Orbi from Francis earlier, but big gaps in the Square, with the lowest turn-out in living memory.

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    1. Really??? It looked pretty packed to us - - in fact it still is to some extent. Colder than expected though

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    2. Big gaps towards the back. They certainly weren't packed in. Roman sources tell me that Vatican News was phoning up Roman contents to ask that the nuns turn out to make up the numbers.

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    3. 18.16: How many thousands did you forget to count? Whatever you say about numbers, Pope Francis is hugely popular and is by far, as a recent survey showed, the most highly respected and influential world leader. So, puff you hate in some other direction.

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    4. Mass-going is plunging and the Catholic countries in Latin America are turning Evangelical one after another. Why even today a hotly tipped candidate for President of Costa Rica is an evangelical preacher.

      In case Francis-worshippers accuse me of lies check Urbi et Orbi Easter 2018 against Urbi et Orbi Easter 2012. There's a quare difference.

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    5. Popular with the itchy ears crowd. Yet my local Vigil Mass was the poorest attended in my lifetime.

      http://biblehub.com/2_timothy/4-3.htm

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  19. Ah he’s good at turning on the water works. Good job he doesn’t have to pay Irish Water.

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  20. I’ve been reading and watching talks by Richard Bennett - former Roman Catholic priest of the Dominican Order.

    He raises a lot of valid points about the Catholic Church and how they actually go against scripture.

    It reminds me of the contributions made here by Magna Carta. For example the points raised above about Augustine - that’s true what’s said here but some are too busy and almost blinded by the Church’s teaching and dogma to realise or at least conduct some independent research.

    The true word of God is in scripture and not Canon Law or what is on the lips of the Pontiff of the day.

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    1. Read something useful next time, not something written by a malcontent with an axe to grind.

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    2. Christ would have been considered 'a malcontent', too, 'with an axe to grind'.

      Maybe we all should stop reading Scripture, then, because Christ, as 'the Word', is God, and nothing that exists does so without his authorship. Er, this would include Scripture, wouldn't it?😆

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    3. Did he have a bit on the side? They usually do. Women until the mid 1980s, men ever since.

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    4. So 18:24, scripture state that those with faith will handle serpents and live. Some Christians in the southern states of the US do so (and some die). How about it then, 18:24? Will you post the video, I can't wait.

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    5. Poor old Bennett is an extremely unhappy and troubled little man. Suffers a lot with his bowels poor guy. He needs God’s peace.

      Happy Easter from the good ol US of A!

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    6. Christ "considered a malcontent too"? - Not by me he's not!

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  21. Christ is risen today
    For the comfort of all people.

    He endured death yesterday
    He suffered instead of Man.

    Women to the tomb
    Bring spices as gifts,

    Search for the Lord Jesus
    Who is Savior of Men.

    See a white angel
    Announces joy:

    Women oh trembling,
    Into Galilee proceed,

    To disciples they declare,
    That the king of glory is risen.

    Peter next and the others
    Appears to the apostles.

    In this paschal joy
    Bless the Lord.

    Glory to you, Lord,
    Who raised out of death.

    Praise holy Trinity
    We give thanks to God.

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  22. +Pat, will you doing another blog on that horrible old queen before her funeral on the 5th? I wonder.

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    1. Try to make it a "Who Was The Real Keith", a man of God, or just a dirty old man.

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    2. Or "KOB's Secret 'IVF' Love Child Revealed"... as Magna Carta!!!

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    3. 21.14: Keep your brain in you a**e. It's more beneficial there than spouting out your filth and abuse. You creep and despicable idiot.

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    4. How dare you!

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  23. Pat, With all due respect KOB is dead. You and others have had their say. Now just leave him alone to be buried and to rest in peace.

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  24. Now that we know MC’s dates of entry and exit can we find out which diocese he was studying for. Was he a unionist?

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    1. Maggie Carta was in Gaynooth in the 1980’s. She trusts nobody, not even Buckley, with her identity. As camp as Christmas and always an extremely conflicted creature.

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    2. Rofl - what we can say for sure is that Maggie's bad behaviour on here has now got enough people interested in Maggie hunting that it is only a matter of time before she's outed. I for one can't wait.
      My money remains on her being a sad lonely bitter and twisted middle aged (basically) hetero, though. Probably with pushy mother and aloof father, hence the conflict.

      Delete
    3. Clogher curate2 April 2018 at 14:32

      He's 42 or 43.

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    4. 02:59 That narrows the field somewhat. ��

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  25. I think 02:59 should just spit it out: exact years, diocese and MC's real initials and those of us who were in Maynooth then will work it out.

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    Replies
    1. Soon, Piggy Magna will be outed as a twisted, lonely, bigoted, bitter bitch. Who'll hunt her/it/he down?

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  26. +Pat, with the exception of family and former lovers, will others attending KOB's upcoming funeral will be considered "tainted" afterward? I wonder.

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