Photo was taken in Col√°iste Choilm, Ballincollig, Co.Cork (Irl)

Today is the All Ireland Camoige Final between Cork and Wexford. Jenny O’Leary a member of Cork’s Camoige team and teacher in Col√°iste Choilm, Ballincollig, gets lots of luck from students and teachers ahead of the final later today.

Thought on Sunday – September – 16/09/2012

The following reflection is by Triona Doherty

‘Nobody said it was going to be easy.
Nobody said it was easy

No one ever said it would be this hard

Oh take me back to the start’

These lyrics from Coldplay’s song ‘The Scientist’ speak of a wish to return to a simpler time, to start over and do things differently this time. I wonder, knowing what they know now, would the disciples in today’s Gospel go ‘back to the start’? The early chapters of the Gospel of Mark are a whirl of activity as Jesus calls the disciples one by one to follow him. They don’t know what is to come. Did they think following Jesus would be an adventure, complete with rewards such as fame and admiration?

If they thought everything was going to be rosy, today’s Gospel sees Jesus bring the disciples back down to earth with a bang. The disciples are gradually discovering who Jesus is. ‘You are the Christ’ recognises Peter. Yet when Jesus begins to talk of the suffering and death he is to face, Peter is having none of it and tries to remonstrate with him. And finally Jesus drops the bombshell: discipleship is hard. If we want to follow him we must take up our crosses. There will not necessarily be rewards in this life. Given what they know now, would the disciples do it all over again?