Peter Costello
You Have the Words of Eternal Life
by Martin Hogan (Messenger Publications, €14.95/£13.95)
In these daily reflections for the liturgical year to come, Martin Hogan, who worked as a co-parish priest on the North side of Dublin, provides reflections on the Gospels of the day that arise directly out of the life and needs of the people he is there to help. In a way what he says supplements the insights of Fr Collins (see facing page) for he sees the Christ that is to be encountered in the words of scripture as having ‘a real presence’, analogous to that of the Eucharist.
This presents another aspect of the healing power of the divine word, which makes these daily readings in themselves a form of holistic healing. The book may be a great help to many to interiorise, to accept and to deal with what is going on around them. And to serve as a reminder that the sayings of Jesus are a gift for all times, and all nations, and all situations.