COMMENTARY ON SUNDAY GOSPEL (TEA)

TEA: T stands for TEXT; E for EXPLANATION; A for APPLICATION. These are applied to the Sunday Gospel each week and are available to any who wish to prepare for Sunday Mass.

Fr. Paschal Seamus Tiernan OP, who is the author of most commentaries published here, began writing them in 2013. Each of his TEAs was written with great devotion. Regardless of whether he was fine or ill, regardless of whether he was at home or in the hospital, he did his best to prepare the weekly commentary for the website and bulletin meditation for our newsletter.

Because of the state of health, after 55 years in Trinidad, where he was greatly loved and admired, Fr Paschal had to return to Ireland (Tallaght) in 2011. Though he missed Trinidad he accepted his new situation in a spirit of faith and kept working as best he could. Anytime we went into his room he was either working or saying his prayers. Maybe that was his most eloquent sermon at all – great grace with which he lived with poor health – uniting himself with Jesus in his suffering.

He was totally committed to evangelisation. He wanted to use new ways of preaching making good use of new media such as the internet or Facebook.

Fr. Paschal died 21st August 2016.

We will remember him as a kind, generous, bosom friend.

A huge archive of his meditations and commentaries will be our treasury, out of which we will try to bring knowledge and wisdom. We will still publish his commentaries written in the last few years. Thanks to his texts and also – we hope – his prayers for us he will stay with us for good. (One day he promised that he would pray for all TEA readers daily.)

Let’s in return remember him thankfully in our prayers. May he rest in peace!