My Jimdo Geocities Lifeboat
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A NOTE FROM FR JIM Lenihan Dec 2024 ...
As we come closer now to the end of our Advent season and as our prayer intensifies in our
excitement and anticipation in welcoming Jesus into our hearts, we reflect back on the
different characters the church introduced to us throughout Advent, the likes of Isaiah,
John the Baptist, Joseph and others. But now as we come to the 4th Sunday of Advent
we’re presented with the Advent figure par excellence, Our Blessed Mother Mary, the
Mother of God. So who are the two figures responsible for the coming of Christ in history?
The answer is found in the Nicene Creed. ‘We believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son our Lord,
conceived by the Holy Spirit and Incarnate of the Virgin Mary’. The Holy Spirit and the
Blessed Virgin Mary together bring the ‘Word’ (God) into this world. So as we get closer to
the commemoration of God being born into the world, we’re also praying that God will be
born into our hearts and lives, that God may take become present in us.
For this to happen, we obviously like the first coming need the power of the Holy Spirit and
the powerful intercession of Our Lady’s. Right throughout history Mary has never stopped
trying to get all her children to open up their hearts to God and bring us all back safely to
our heavenly home. During this month of December we’re so blessed to celebrate one of
those great missions of Mary where she in December 9th, 1531, appeared to a poor, 57-
year-old widower named Juan Diego in the hills outside Tenochtitlan, Guadalupe Mexico, Of
all Our Lady’s apparitions this for me is one of the most amazing. Jesus says you’ll know
them by their fruit and the fruit of this amazing miracle and apparition was the conversion
to Christ of some nine million Aztecs in just a few short years. The power of the image of
Our Lady of Guadalupe also took the peoples away from practicing human sacrifices. The
Miraculous image has baffled scientists since. I would really encourage you to read up on it
and discover the amazing heart of Mary and how she does all in her power to save us.
At present you’ll find on our Glenflesk Parish FB page a link to Scott Watts’ talk which he
gave us last May. I wish all of you every blessing this Christmas and as Mary wrapped Jesus
in swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger may she wrap us all in her mantle of love and
keep us safe over Christmas and in the new year.
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Tolpuddle Martyrs’ convictions.
Chris: Loveless writes from the coast of Van Diemen’s Land (modern day Tasmania) where he had been transported, separated from his comrades. It had taken 101 days to get there from Portsmouth and he was clearly glad that the arduous journey was behind him, and that he would soon go ashore and be ‘separated from the company I have been in for the last seventeen weeks’. He was, after all, a political prisoner, being treated like a common criminal.
Even across the world, though, Loveless endured persecution and conspiratorial suspicion for his legal trade union activity. He tells how he was examined before Magistrates on his arrival who threatened him with punishment, lest he ‘tell them by what sign the “Trades Union” could assemble in bodies all over the Kingdom at once’, as if they were a revolutionary army. Loveless remains defiant however, telling his supporters, ‘fear not Brother he that is for me is more than all that is against me’.
https://blog.nationalarchives.gov.uk/walking-through-colonial-histories-part-2/
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The international board of La Leche League recently directed all British affiliates to begin accommodating men who believe they are women.
https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/260487/two-leaders-resign-from-la-leche-league-over-shift-to-include-men-in-breastfeeding-groups?utm_campaign=CNA%20Daily&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=334091263&utm_content=334091263&utm_source=hs_email
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The brutal murder of nine-year-old-apprentice chimney sweep Patrick Usher didn’t cause much public stir in Dublin in 1777. “Climbing boys” like Usher were bruised, broken, burned, and killed regularly in their work in narrow, hot brick chimneys. And outside the flues, their poor treatment by their masters was taken for granted.
What was unusual about the case was that James Murphy, Usher’s master, was executed for the crime. Murphy had plenty of reason to think he’d not be found guilty; historian James Kelly writes that “society at large chose to overlook the abuses that were an inevitable consequence” of the necessity of chimney-sweeping. Most people were “largely accepting of the child injuries and, on occasion, child fatalities that were a feature of the trade.”
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None of us know how much time we have left on this earth. What is left in the end
are your actions, the memories you left behind and how you made people feel.
And what you want to leave behind is for people to remember you with love.
Somebody did not wake up today, but you did. That is enough reason to stop complaining, and that is enough to be thankful for. Never let your troubles
blind you to your daily blessings.
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FR. GERARD’S CORNER
GOD IS ON OUR SIDE
As Autumn leaves signal the end of another season and the approach of winter,
the church, on this weekend every November, invites us to pause momentarily for serious thought. It directs our attention to the end of our earthly journey, the last judgement and the Lord’s coming in glory. Every age has its share of false prophets, scare-mongering, predicting doom and calamity, so we may not take easily to such
a message. Scripture is not meant to frighten or threaten but to give consolation,
hope and encouragement in life’s difficulties. We are on an earthly pilgrimage and
at journey’s end we are hoping for an everlasting happiness. At the moment life’s mission is accomplished we will go forward to meet Christ face to face. Let us
prepare for that day by living upright and meaningful lives.
LAST WORD: After you climb to the top of the wall – don’t’ kick away
the ladder !!!
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Sean Sheehy November 2024
What’s Ahead for You?
What’s ahead for each of us is either the best or the worst, depending on whether we die as Jesus’ friends or His enemies. The best for each of us is to enjoy eternal happiness in the presence of God who is our Father, our Saviour, and our Sanctifier, accompanied by all the angels and saints. The worst is the loneliness and self-hatred of Hell that results from making someone or something else other than God the centre of our life here on earth. If we want the best, reason tells us that we should invest in the best, and there is no one better than Jesus Christ who is present in His Church. That entails lovingly obeying the Ten Commandments, the laws of Jesus’ Church, and humbly living the eight Beatitudes. Someone said that the only two things we can’t escape are death and taxes. Whatever about taxes there’s no escape from death. Regarding death Jesus warns us: “The Son of Man is coming at an hour you least expect” (Mt 24:44). Since none of us knows when we will die it makes sense to be ready every day to meet Jesus face to face as our Judge. Daily asking ourselves, “Am I following Jesus today in my thoughts and actions is like when you’re driving and you see a police car in your rear-view mirror you immediately check your speedometer.
The Holy Spirit revealed that: “Just as it is appointed that men die once, and after that be judged, so Christ was offered up once to take away the sins of many; He will appear a second time not to take away sin but to bring salvation to those who eagerly await Him” (Heb 9:27-28). At death each of us will be judged according to our deeds in this world. That judgment will bring us either the best or the worst, not just temporarily, but for all eternity.
God never stops warning us as to what lies ahead. Jesus’ Church reminds us that in the Old Testament He chose Daniel to encourage the people to continue to be faithful in the midst of persecution. He promised that because of their fidelity the best was still ahead for them. “At that time there shall arise Michael, the great prince, the guardian of your people … your people shall escape, everyone who is found written in the book” (Dan 12:1). God sent the Archangel Michael “to be our safeguard against the wickedness and snares of the devil” so that we might remain faithful to our Baptismal vows. The day we were baptized Jesus wrote our name in Heaven’s book as His adopted brother or sister. If we want to look forward to the best, we must strive to be a faithful and loyal brother or sister to Jesus by giving witness to our faith in Him to lead us through this world by the power of the Holy Spirit guiding us in His Church. As Jesus’ adopted brothers and sisters we proclaim daily in the words of the Psalmist: “O Lord… You it is who hold fast my lot. I set the Lord ever before me: with Him at my right hand I shall not be disturbed … You will show me the path to life, fullness of joys in Your presence, the delights of Your right hand forever” (Ps16:11).
God gave us the intellect to read the signs of the times and determine what choices we need to make in order to prepare ourselves for what’s to come. We’re able to read the signs that predict the coming of the seasons. We must also read the signs that tell us our end is near. Jesus reminds us that no one knows when the world will end. “But of the day or hour, no one knows, neither the angels in Heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father” (Mk 13:32). It makes sense to be prepared. We should prepare ourselves to do what’s necessary in order to receive a favourable verdict from Jesus on how we lived our life. How do we do that? By faithful membership in His Church where He transforms us through His Word and Sacraments. He reminds us that, “The heavens and the earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away” (Mk 13:31).
Everybody wants to bet on a winner. No one likes losing. If everything in this world will come to an end, betting on it or on anything in it means backing a loser. The only thing that lasts is God’s Word which becomes His flesh in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass celebrated by His Church? His Church will last because she is His Bride and He promised that “the gates of hell will not prevail against her” (Mt 16:18). Fidelity to Jesus in His Church means that evil cannot overpower us. Because God is everlasting everything He says and does is also everlasting. God’s word is God-become-flesh, Jesus Christ conqueror of sin and death, the One who alone promises an eternal life filled with joy. He is the only one who can assure us of winning in the end because he won in the end through His Resurrection. Does it make sense to invest our time and effort in anyone or in anything else? Jesus wants each of us to be a winner and to look forward to the best, namely to enjoy eternity in the presence of God and His angels and saints. This is why Jesus warns us that He is the true Messiah and there are no others. “If anyone tells you, ‘Look, the Messiah is here!’ ‘Look, he is there! – do not believe it. False messiahs and false prophets will appear performing signs and wonders to mislead, if it were possible, even the chosen. So be constantly on guard! I have told you about it beforehand” (Mk 13:21-23).
Finally, Jesus tells us not to waste our time worrying about when the world will end or even about when we might die. While He says there will be signs happening that remind us the end is coming but we mustn’t fall into the trap of predicting when the end will come. Our focus must be on living the Christian life in the present so that at the moment of death we’ll hopefully hear Jesus say to us: “Come, you have my Father’s blessing! Inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the creation of the world” (Mt 26:34). May these words of Jesus be ahead for all of us. So what’s ahead for you? It is up to you! (fr sean)
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Prayer for our Deceased
Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord
and let the perpetual light shine upon them.
May the souls of all the faithful departed,
through the mercy of God, rest in peace.
Amen.
Lord God, whose days are without end and whose mercies beyond counting,
keep us mindful that life is short and the hour of death unknown.
Let your Spirit guide our days on earth in the ways of holiness and justice,
that we may serve you in union with the whole Church, sure in faith, strong in hope, perfect in love.
And when our earthly journey is ended, lead us rejoicing into your kingdom,
where you live for ever and ever.
Amen.
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by Lavina D'Souza
October 29, 2024
A few months ago, a friend of mine received an award for her entrepreneurship skills. She is a kind person who reaches out to others with compassion. She also provided great support to the social center where I conducted programs for women on entrepreneurial skills. Therefore, I decided to give her a call to congratulate her on this occasion.
When I couldn't reach her by phone, I sent her a note of appreciation. I praised her for both the award she received and the person she is. The following day, she returned my call, apologized for the delay, and shared feeling overwhelmed that I still remembered her.
My "appreciation note" apparently meant a lot to her. After exchanging a few pleasantries, our conversation turned to personal issues. She confided that over the past few months, she had been struggling with difficulties on various fronts. This left her feeling a sense of emptiness and meaninglessness in life. Despite receiving her award, she did not feel happy and was, in fact, feeling more desperate than ever.
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12 most common signs of female inattensive ADHD, reports Gloucestershire Live.
Being easily distracted
Difficulty sustaining attention span for most tasks either at home, school or work - Dr Ajaz explained that it usually presents in all three scenarios
Trouble listening whilst others are talking
Difficulty in following through tasks or instructions, in other words procrastination
Trouble with time keeping, such as being late all the time; things taking way longer than expected to complete, or leaving important things until the last minute
Having a tendency to lose or mislay everyday items, such as a watch, keys or mobile phone
Making careless mistakes or poor attention to detail
Being forgetful about names, past events, future events, or what you’re supposed to be doing right now
Daydreaming excessively
Often complaining about being bored
Appearing unmotivated and apathetic to others
Being tired, sluggish or slow
Dr Ajaz mentioned: "If you have most of these signs most of the time, there's a good chance you may have ADHD."
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The Way I See It
By Domhnall de Barra
I have been citing the waste of tax-payers money by the government in recent weeks., much of it due to a culture of charging enormous amounts of money for public contracts. I thought I had heard it all until Monday morning when it was announced on the news that a government department was paying consultants to advise them on productivity. Two of theses consultants were earning €1,000 a day. Eamon DeValera once famously said that no man was worth £100 a week, well I say no advice is worth €1,000 a day. It seems that the first thing departments do is hire firms of consultants to give them advice. What for? If they are not up to the job themselves they should be fired or else we might as well hand over the running of the country to consultants altogether and cut out the middle man. I don’t blame the civil servants, I blame our elected representatives who either haven’t the guts or the ability do get the job done. I am, however, not totally surprised because our political system does not take ability into consideration when ministerial posts are handed out. Being a T.D. is one of the few jobs where you don’t need any qualifications at all to apply for the it, you just need enough votes and theses may be decided by how strong a particular party is in an area. Then the ministerial jobs are given, not on ability or qualification to do the job but, according to regional representation and party strength in a particular area. When these people go into their ministries, they very often know absolutely nothing about their portfolio and depend on the civil servants to guide them. There was a program ob English TV a few years ago which lampooned the relationship between elected politicians and the civil servants who ran rings around them. It was called “Yes Minister” and was a really good comedy but , alas, it wasn’t too far from the truth. I don’t blame the politicians entirely because they are ill prepared for the jobs they are supposed to do. Should anyone intending to run for election to the Dail have to study politics before being eligible? There is a case to be made for it and maybe then we wouldn’t need to be hiring the most expensive advice in the world.
I was at the Gary McMahon Singing Weekend concert and award ceremony at the GAA Clubhouse in Abbeyfeale on Sunday last along with Jerry Brouder, the Broderick family and Mike Barrett. We were providing a bit of music at intervals between the singing which was of a very high standard. Some of the singers came from as far away as the North of Ireland and it got me thinking about the importance of having events like the Gary McMahon weekend to give singers from all over the country an opportunity to come together and enjoy each other’s songs and different singing styles. Our traditional songs are like pages of history recording for us the happenings of bygone days. They tell us tales of love, war, emigration, sporting events and many comical happenings that brightened up many a winters night in the rambling houses of old Ireland. Athea was a haven of songs and song writers. Almost every townland had a poet or two who put pen to paper to record all the events of the day. Cairde Duchais made a collection of these over twenty years ago and there is a book of Athea songs from that collection. Unfortunately times have changed and there are no poets, that I know of, in the parish composing songs at the moment. That means we have no songs about the current times to pass on to those who come after us. We need contemporary composers, especially for younger singers who are now singing about times and events that are completely alien to them. We are fortunate in Athes to have a good traditional singing class organised by the local branch of Comhaltas and there are some really good young singers reaping the benefit of it but I fear that if we don’t have songs of this era, composed in the traditional style, we won’t have any in the future. I wonder why people have stopped composing poems and songs. Are we too busy on our mobile phones and social media that we haven’t the time to consider making a verse or two. I can’t believe the ability to make rhyme is dead and gone. Just a few years ago we had Paddy Faley, Pat Brosnan, Dan Keane and others who gave us a regular supply of new compositions. Alas they have gone to their eternal rewards and there is a void left. It would be a great pity if the talent that surely must be out there was not realised and encouraged. If any of you have any suggestions, please send them on to me and we will try to do something to keep alive a great tradition in our community. I am tempted to start a singing session once a month in Athea to give local singers a platform and maybe encourage others to learn a few songs. Music is a gift but most of us can sing a verse or two. You don’t have to be really good at it, just enjoy it. Let me know if you think it is a good idea or not and I will proceed accordingly.
Good to see The Gables getting a facelift along with other buildings in the village that have been lying idle for some time. It is a great sign of progress and a good omen for the future of our village.
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A NOTE FROM FR. JIM Lenihan
The very telling question asked by the rich young man in this weekend’s gospel:
‘What must I do to inherit eternal life?’ Mark 10:17 was our scripture passage for
week two in the Metanoia program. Many people spoke about the challenging
nature of our faith, which they have never heard before. Even though the young
man was sincere and desired eternal life and he did so well in living out the
commandments, he lacked what was essential. He couldn’t let go of the things of
this world. He, like us all, wants the best of both worlds. We want the pleasures
and comforts of this world without sacrifice or the Cross, as well as heaven for
eternity to follow. Recently, I read a brilliant but challenging article by Constance
T. Hull in Crisis Magazine. He said ‘It is time to engage in a serious examination of
conscience on the lack of conviction in Christians in the West. Growing up in the
United States and having attended Mass in parishes across the U.S. and parts of
Europe, I have repeatedly witnessed a deep lack of conviction. We as Christians
have failed in our evangelical mission. Our lack of conviction was the catalyst for
Christ being removed from the cultural throne of the West. Instead, we have
accepted a bland, banal, suburban counterfeit that requires very little sacrifice or
suffering. Like our pagan and atheistic counterparts, we are not willing to
sacrifice or suffer for our beliefs. If there is one way to best describe Western
Christianity, it is to say it is Cross-less. We have chosen a prosperity-gospel,
moralistic, therapeutic, deist counterfeit. We believe that the Gospel does not
require much of us. We can still live our worldly, consumer-driven way of life. We
can go to our suburban parishes, pat ourselves on the back, and pretend that we
are living the fullness of the Gospel. After all, the Lord wants us to be
comfortable and have good things, right? “So, therefore, whoever of you does not
renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple.” (Luke 14:33). The Lord tells us we
are not greater than the Master. Our Master died on the Cross for our salvation.
We are called to live crucified lives each day— without counting the cost—in the
hope that we will spend eternity with Him and bring countless others with us.
Nowhere does Christ tell us we get to live in comfort. I am as much to blame as
anyone else. For years, I didn’t grasp how radical the Gospel calling is for each one
of us. I still fail daily to live it.’ I would really encourage you to listen or read the
full article on the Glenflesk parish Facebook page.
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Go and invite everyone to the banquet!
This year, the Holy Father has announced the theme: ' Go and invite everyone to the banquet!' . Inspired by the Gospel of Matthew, this powerful message reminds us that the joy of Christ's Resurrection is a gift meant to be shared with the entire world. Everyone is welcome at God's table – everyone deserves to experience God's love, grace, and forgiveness, as part of both a local and a global faith family. God calls us to build communities that reflect his unconditional love, where all are welcome, and where our gifts are shared for the good of all. On World Mission Sunday, we remember that this call goes out to all God's people, and we can respond as a global family to the challenge of witnessing Jesus' words in our daily lives.
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Sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost
8th September 2024
Dear Friends of Sacred Heart Church,
On this 16th Sunday after Pentecost, the Gospel recounts the miracle of Jesus healing a man suffering from dropsy. This powerful event took place in the house of one of the leading Pharisees, and notably, on the Sabbath. It serves as a reminder that Christ’s compassion transcends societal expectations and rituals, offering healing and blessing to both the afflicted man and the Pharisee who witnessed the miracle.
The Nativity of Our Lady: We also remember today the feast of the Nativity of Our Lady. The Church only celebrates the nativity of three individuals. Do you know which ones? Do you know the reason?
Archbishop Eamon Martin’s Visit to Ardee
This Sunday, Archbishop Eamon Martin will be visiting our convent in Ardee, where my presence is required. This provides me with an ideal opportunity to continue the mammoth task involved in restoring the convent to its former glory whilst updating the various systems required to sustain both the building and those who live there. And so tomorrow promises to be a busy day as we engage with the various companies involved in this formidable project.
We are also blessed to welcome Canon Le Picard, who has traveled from Rome to be with us. You may remember him from his visit last summer. His presence is a great relief to Canon Henry, who also needs to celebrate Mass in Galway after Limerick. Thank you, Canon Le Picard, for coming!
Updates on Our Community Members
This Tuesday, we are pleased to announce the arrival of Canon Duarte and Abbé Malinowski, a deacon of our community of Polish origin who grew up in Canada.
We also welcome Abbé Lally, originally from Birr, who will begin the academic year with us in Limerick. He is currently working diligently to obtain his driving license.
You may have already met Luigi, a candidate for the oblatehood in our community. Originally from Sardinia, Luigi is discerning his path with us. Please keep these young souls in your prayers as they continue their spiritual journeys.
Mass for the Holy Souls – Tuesday, 10th September
This Tuesday, I will be celebrating our monthly Mass for the Holy Souls. If you have any special intentions you would like included, please send them to me. If your list remains unchanged from previous months, there is no need to resend it.
Feasts of the Week
This week is rich in beautiful feasts. On Tuesday, the 12th of September, we celebrate the Holy Name of Mary, a feast that reminds us of the power and grace associated with Mary’s name.
On Saturday, we honour the Exaltation of the Holy Cross. This feast commemorates two key events: The Discovery of the True Cross and the Dedication of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, which was built on the site where the True Cross was found.
Finally, on Sunday the 15th, we will also remember the Seven Sorrows of Our Lady, contemplating the profound grief she endured as the Mother of Christ.
Special Appeal for Volunteers
We are in need of volunteers to help watch over the church for a few hours during the week. Your assistance would be greatly appreciated. If you are able to help, please contact us.
Wishing you a blessed week,
Canon Lebocq
Prior of Sacred Heart Church
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On his knees before the Blessed Sacrament, Matheus Mendes proposed to Laura Maria Arges. The beautiful scene was captured in a video and went viral on social media.
Arges shared the beautiful surprise her boyfriend organized for her.
“The most anticipated order arrived… My reaction in the video proves how lost I was 😂,” she said.
In the recording, both young people enter the chapel decorated for the occasion, with candles and rose petals.
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The only thing worse than getting caught breaking the rules at school is being made to write a handwritten note about how, exactly, you broke the rules. And the only thing worse than that, of course, is for your school’s administration to archive those notes and digitize them over a century later for all to see. The Student Confessions collection from Millersville University of Pennsylvania brings together a collection of mostly handwritten student confessions written between 1889 and 1920 at Millersville Normal School. We’ve selected ten of our favorite confessions to share, but the entirety of the collection is freely available on JSTOR.
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By Jude Atemanke
Kinshasa, 05 September, 2024 / 11:00 pm (ACI Africa).
Catholic Bishops in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) have condemned ongoing violence, and massacres in the country, expressing concern about disregard for human dignity following a September 2 jailbreak that left hundreds dead.
On Monday, September 2, at least 129 people died following an attempt by inmates to break out of the Makala Prison in DRC’s capital, Kinshasa, BBC News reported.
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An essential part of being an awesome uncle is having a repertoire of tricks and jokes that will amaze your nieces and nephews, and crack them up. So from time to time we’ll be offering you current and future uncles out there a tutorial on some gags that’ll have them thinking you’re the coolest dude in the world. Check out all our Cool Uncle Tricks.
The French drop is a classic coin trick every cool uncle should have in his back pocket. It’s easy to do, and its visual effect always astonishes spectators. Whenever I have to entertain kids for more than a few minutes, it’s my go-to trick. A real crowd favorite.
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The Way I See It
By Domhnall de Barra
I was listening to a discussion on the radio recently about careers and how young people should try working in the hospitality industry for a while before they went into the “real world”. That is what they called it and it upset me because it inferred that those who make a living in the industry don’t have “real” jobs. It is an insult to the thousands of waiters, waitresses, bar staff, chambermaids and many, many more who take great pride in their work and have fulfilled lives. It is especially important at this time when Leaving results are announced and students are plotting their futures depending on the number of points they get. It is a crazy way to decide one’s future and something should be done about it. For instance, it takes a very high number of points to get into medicine but many of these points can be gained in subjects that will be totally irrelevant to their training in the future. Not getting enough points is seen as a failure but there is more to life than having a high powered job. The waitress who works hard at her job can close the door after her at the end of her shift and forget about work until the following day while a highly paid executive may be on call 24/7 and may end up with health problems through stress. Work should be about making enough money to live comfortably with a bit to spare rather than the accumulation of wealth being the goal. Young people should be encouraged to look at apprenticeships to see if that is the type of work they would like. Before the introduction of free education, Miss Woulfe had a private secondary school for girls in Abbeyfeale . She was a very astute woman who once said “he who has a trade has an estate”. There is always plenty of employment for electricians, plumbers, mechanics etc. with really good wages. It takes all kinds to make a world and everyone’s job is important. Perhaps it would be better if students, on finishing secondary school, had an opportunity to work in their chosen profession for a few months to see how they would like it, regardless of the amount of points they have. It would be much better than going into whatever course their points allowed to find out, a few years later that they weren’t happy in that profession. To get back to the discussion on the radio, I think they had a good point in saying young people should have experience in the hospitality industry. It will give them an insight into that life and maybe when they move on to their “real” jobs they will have more respect for those who serve them when they go out. Some people look down on others and don’t treat them as equals. I have seen some appalling behaviour in restaurants by customers like snapping their fingers for attention as if they were calling a dog. I have also heard them complaining about food etc. which is not the fault of the person serving them. This is simply not good enough and we should treat others in the way we would like to be treated ourselves. I would like to see changes in how people are paid. In too many cases, those working in hotels, bars and restaurants are on minimum wages and depend on the tips they get for a living wage. Unlike in America, not all customers tip in this country. In most establishments tips are placed in a single jar or glass and distributed equally between all employees at the end of the night. This is fair enough but in other places the owners take a cut as well. I would hate to see it change to the American way where you don’t have a choice. Your tip is built into the bill and is usually about 25%. It is just a way of getting cheap labour because the hourly rate is so low that employees depend on the tips to survive. I will always leave a tip if I get good service but I will not do so if I don’t. It should be a personal choice to tip or not and people working in the industry should not have to depend on it.
There was a mighty session at Batt’s Bar on Friday night last with musicians and singers from Athea and neighbouring areas. In attendance I thought I was coming down for a quiet few tunes so I was more than surprised to find out that the night was in my honour for getting the Árd Ollamh award at the Fleadh in Wexford. There was balloons, pizzas, sandwiches, chocolates, ,a lovely cake and plenty of booze to go with the music and song and I must admit I enjoyed the night far more than the one in Wexford. A sincere thank you to all involved in organising the event. You made it a very special occasion, one that I will cherish for the rest of my days. Thanks also to all those who gave me their good wishes and congratulations. It was much appreciated. There is something very special about a good session in Athea. You won’t find the atmosphere anywhere else and I think it is down to the fact that we are all friends and enjoy each others company. I think back to the early ‘seventies when the branch of Comhaltas was formed in Athea. We have gone from strength to strength ever since and I make no apology for saying this – we ran the most successful Fleadhanna Cheoil in the County on many, many occasions. A great feature of our sessions is the amount of young musicians who take part. They are the lifeblood of the branch and the future of music in Athea is very safe in their hands. Here’s to many more sessions.
Letter to the Editor
Domhnall de Barra awarded title of
Ollamh by Comhaltas
In my younger days the name Domhnall evolved affectionately into Danny Boy, and so it was with Domhnall de Barra. Domhnall was an intellectual prodigy so it was generally expected that he would go on to succeed academically in higher education. However, Domhnall had set his sights on a different career because from an early stage, music was his forte. He pursued his musical career, under the tuition of the Moloneys of Devon Road, in particular the button accordian. In the course of time he immigrated to England and pursued his musical career further by joining the Liverpool Céilí Band. Sometime afterwards he was appointed director and the founder of Céilí branches across Munster. The result was outstanding – old branches that were dormant came to life, new branches were formed and Domhnall acquired a strong reputation as an accompanist to dancers. In this regard, he piloted Athea set dancers under age and senior to All Ireland Scór success. He also directed several Scoraíocht branches, again to All Ireland success. Apart from his general Comhaltas activity, he formed and directed many outstanding Comhaltas touring groups. In the course of his career he became president of Comhaltas twice and was obviously highly revered for his continued involvement in traditional music. It was no surprise to those who would have followed his career that he was recently awarded the title of Ollamh by Comhaltas. This was a reward for his lifelong dedication to all things musical and Gaelic in general. Congratulations Domhnall and may you continue to wear your recently acquired title with pride.
Timmy Woulfe
https://www.athea.ie/category/news/
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Sunday Firesides: The 3 Horizons of Purpose
Brett & Kate McKay • August 17, 2024
When we think about purpose, we typically think of our life’s overarching aim; our true calling; the thing we were put on earth to do.
But each individual’s purpose encompasses more than this, and in fact exists across three horizons that stretch from the imminent and concrete to the distant and transcendent.
In the first horizon of purpose, our aim is to turn anarchy into order. We live to push back on a universe that is ever moving toward entropy. By engaging in small daily acts of upkeep — making the messy clean, the disheveled neat, the chaotic organized — we hold back the decay and disarray that would engulf us and others. While everything will endlessly revert to disorder, we live to create brief but shining moments when the world is set right.
In the second horizon of purpose, our aim is to convert intentions into actions. We live to transform potential energy into kinetic. Each of us regularly has ideas, both big (“I should start a business”) and small (“I should text so-and-so”), that we can either fulfill or ignore. We live to minimize life’s woulda, coulda, shouldas and maximize the satisfaction of following through.
The third horizon is where we find Purpose with a capital P. Herein lies the big why of our lives, the hope of making a unique, meaningful contribution to the world. This purpose arises from the intersection of a need and one’s particular gifts. That might involve creating a revolutionary invention or writing a bestselling book, but it could also take the form of being the parent of excellent humans, the buoyer or corraler of loved ones, the leader of a community.
LAST WORD: May you have the hindsight to know where you’re been, the foresight to know where you are going and finally the insight to know when you have gone too far.
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Take time each day to switch off – stop all activity and savour the silence.
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No candle loses its light while lighting another candle. Never stop sharing, caring and helping others because it makes our life more meaningful.
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Just a thought
Instead of saying, “I know what it feels like”,
Let’s say “I cannot imagine your heartbreak”.
Instead of saying, “You’re strong, you’ll get through this,
let’s say “You’ll hurt, and I’ll be here.
Instead of saying, “you look like you’re doing well,
Let’s say, “How are you holding up today?”.
Instead of saying, “Healing takes time”, Let's say “Healing has no timeline”.
Instead of saying, “Everything happens for a reason,
Let's say “This must feel so terribly senseless right now”.
And when there are no words to say at all. You don’t need to try and find some.
Love speaks in silences too.
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SOMETIMES it is the little things that we feel most grateful for – like a cup of coffee, a glimpse of sunshine on a cloudy day, an unexpected smile. And then when we remember that we can actually create these small moments for others, our power to do good is unleashed and the world is literally changed in an instant.
TALENTS
God bestows various talents on different people – and he does – then it is wise to do the thing for which we are best fitted. This is why it is best for the donkey to bray and the bird to sing – each has it own gift.
Success comes easier when we do what were cut out to do. The world never looks empty to the one who finds their place and fills it. Using our capability will make us more capable but burying our talent will start a cemetery in our lives. If you have a talent, use it in every way possible. Don’t hoard it. Don’t dole it out like a miser. Spend it lavishly like a millionaire intent on going broke.
Whatever age we are – we continue to learn – and this is what makes life so exciting.
==============================
I also make it a point to ask my living Priorities — the people impacted by my way of living — to see how they think I’m doing. Like my wife, children, boss, spiritual director, a friend. Oh my! That’s enlightening. Living mirrors. This practice, I believe, is so important because it is very often the case that, when my life is poorly ordered, others suffer for it far more than I do. And that’s a big deal.
After I do all this audit work, I seek God’s guidance in prayer as I reevaluate and make new decisions about what to change, what to eliminate and what to (re)start.
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Prayer for Families
Jesus, Lord and Saviour, you have shown us your love
in your care for all, especially those in need.
We ask you to show this love for our family,
those sick and well, at home and away.
May we live in your heart, young and old in our family,
as we make your home in the heart of each of us.
Make strong our faith in you and in each other.
Enliven our hope and make us joyful in love.
Protect us all and welcome home
those who have gone before us.
We pray this, in gratitude for our family life,
and with the prayers of Mary, our Mother. AMEN.
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June 2024
The Way I See It
https://www.athea.ie/
By Domhnall de Barra
The recent fish kill in the Arrow River near Freemount in Co. Cork was a disaster for the area since great work had been done previously to rebalance the eco system in the locality. Salmon. trout, lampreys, eels and many more species were wiped out by a spillage at a local treatment plant that must have been really caustic because it stretched to about eight kilometres. I listened to one of the local anglers who had been fishing that river for over 50 years and you could feel the emotion in his voice as he described a river that had been totally sterilised. He recalled a time when, if he got thirsty, he could take a drink of water from the river but those days are gone. I remember my own young days fishing along the banks of the Ullach with a home made rod and line and a safety pin bent as a hook. Though they were rough and ready they did the job but you had to be extremely quick to pull out a fish as soon as you got a bite because there was no barb on the hook to keep it stuck. I fished that river for hours, sometimes losing track of time as I went from hole to hole, every moment expecting that tug on the line. The river was full of sprats and small brown trout as well as eels that I tried to avoid because they were very difficult to handle to get the hook out and sometimes would wriggle so much that they snagged all the line. On one occasion I pulled one out and it was twisting and turning on the end of the line. I noticed an electric fence nearby and, in my innocence, thought it a good idea to electrocute the eel. I manoeuvred the rod until the eel touched the fence and then a I got a mighty shot of electricity up my arm. It didn’t seem to bother the eel but I was in terrible pain. I didn’t try that trick anymore ! In those days the water in the river was as pure as spring and I often drank it. In the summertime we used to swim in a big natural pool in the river below Woulfe’s land. Of course we swallowed some of the water as we tried to swim and float and it never did us any harm. What has happened to our waterways? They have all become polluted by run offs from farm land treated with slurry and other fertilisers, domestic septic tanks and water treatment plants. Nobody does it intentionally and a lot of it could be avoided but the end result is that many of our rivers no longer can sustain fish life. There was a big push on, a few years ago, to upgrade all septic tanks and countrywide inspections were to take place but Covid got in the way and I haven’t heard too much from that plan lately. Some towns and villages have problems with ribbon development along approach roads. There are simply too many houses near each other with septic tanks. The ground is not able to cope with the sheer volume and local waterways are polluted as a result. These houses should be connected to the local sewage system but most of them are not fit for purpose and haven’t got the capacity to take any more. It is only in the last few years that our own system in Athea was upgraded but it still does not service many of the houses near the village. Great moves are being made by farmers to minimise the run off from fertiliser with new methods of spreading slurry and a cut back in the use of artificial fertilisers. It is hard to blame them for what is happening because they have followed the advice of the government agencies in how to maximise output from their farms. They were advised to remove hedgerows to make fields bigger and to use fertiliser to boost growth. Now they are being told that is all wrong so I think that they deserve to be compensated if they now do what is being asked of them to try and keep our planet alive for a long as possible. Water is the most precious commodity we have and sometimes we take for granted. Remember the old saying: “you’ll never miss the water ‘till the well runs dry.”
Going back to my days on the river, I smile now when I think of some of the things that happened. If the fishing was slow I would start praying that I would get a bite. One day I was on the bank and praying away to God to let me catch a fish. It wasn’t working so I said “please God, let me catch a fish and I will say a rosary when i get home”. There was a hole just behind Cratloe Creamery that was home to a fine trout. We would often see him jumping but could never catch him so, on this occasion , I promised two rosaries and then I spotted the elusive trout. Then, all of a sudden I got the tug on the line and I knew straight away that I had something big because I was unable to pull it out. I had to play it and hope it would not escape. Two rosaries quickly became three, then four and eventually five as the trout fought against me up and down the river. It was a good tussle and there was nobody prouder than me when I had him on the bank. I was over the moon on the way home until it suddenly dawned on me that I would be up all night saying rosaries! There is no questioning the power of prayer.
How many vacant houses are there in the parish? I know there are plenty in the village and it is a crying shame that, in a time when houses are scarce in other parts of the country, we have an abundance that could be used to house people. The more people we have in the place the better the community becomes and the more services that are required. There would e no problem with school numbers into the future and a bigger population means more shops etc. Perhaps Limerick County council should consider buying these properties and restoring them. Anything is better than leaving them idle.
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Asked everyone I spoke with today if there was anything they wanted to get off their chest about the movement. Max from Oakland, a supporter of BLM, had a measured critique he wanted to share.
https://x.com/lhfang/status/1797804194453496076?utm_medium=reason_email&utm_source=roundup&utm_campaign=reason_brand&utm_content=Distract+the+Voters&utm_term=&time=June+5th%2C+2024&mpid=7668
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Dear Friends of Sacred Heart Church,
Today, we celebrate the Feast of the Most Holy Trinity, a central mystery of our Catholic Faith. The Most Holy Trinity is the doctrine that defines God as three divine persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, who are one in essence, co-equal, and co-eternal. As the Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches: “The mystery of the Most Holy Trinity is the central mystery of Christian faith and life. It is the mystery of God in Himself. It is therefore the source of all the other mysteries of faith, the light that enlightens them.” (CCC 234)
To deepen our understanding of the Trinity, have you heard about the Athanasian Creed, also known as Quicumque? This ancient creed, attributed to St. Athanasius, is a profound statement of Trinitarian doctrine and Christology.
Eastertide Comes to a Close. This Sunday also marks the end of Eastertide. The Asperges now resumes before the High Mass and the Salve Regina now replaces the Regina Caeli.
Sacred Heart Novena.
This week, we begin the Sacred Heart Novena, nine days of prayers and devotions to prepare for the Feast of the Sacred Heart. Starting on Thursday, May 30th, Holy Mass and devotions will be offered daily at 10:30 am and 6 pm.
Highlight of the Week: Corpus Christi Procession
A highlight of this week will be the Corpus Christi Procession in the streets of Limerick after the 6 pm Mass on Thursday. This is a special occasion to publicly adore Our Lord truly present in the Holy Eucharist. Please invite your friends and family to join in this public witness of our Catholic Faith. Let us be apostles of charity, adoring Jesus in spirit and truth!
Special Guests, homilists, celebrants and confessors. We are blessed to have several priests, friends of our community, joining us for the Sacred Heart Novena. Additionally, the Sister Adorers will be present throughout the Novena, enriching our preparation time with their prayerful presence and help.
Speaking about the Sister Adorers, tomorrow, Monday, May 26th, they celebrate their patronal feast: St. Madeleine Sophie Barat. Let us be united in prayer with them on this special day.
Chartres Pilgrimage.
This year; 18,000 pilgrims walked, prayed and meditated on the 42nd pilgrimage from Paris to Chartres, among whom were three chapters of approximately 80 Irish pilgrims. The pilgrimage culminated in Solemn Pontifical High Mass offered by His Eminence Cardinal Muller. Thank you for your prayers assisting them to glorify God, to honour Our Lady and to witness to the beauty of Catholic tradition. Here is the video of the Mass. You may recognise some faces for well known Institute priests in the procession!
End of May Devotions.
As we conclude the month of May, dedicated to Our Lady, do not miss this coming Friday, May 31st,
for the 6 pm Mass, when we celebrate
the Queenship of Mary. Let us honour our Blessed Mother with the devotion she deserves.
It is with profound sorrow that we announce the passing of Tobias Goderski, the beloved brother of Sister James Marie, Superior of the Sister Adorers in Ardee. Tobias tragically lost his life in a car accident last Saturday. We respectfully request that you keep his soul in your prayers and extend your thoughts and prayers to his grieving family during this challenging time.
Sister James Marie has traveled to Germany to be with her family. A Requiem Mass will be celebrated for the repose of the soul of Tobias. Your heartfelt prayers and condolences for the family are deeply appreciated.
Canon Lebocq
Prior of Sacred Heart Church
Live stream from the Sacred Heart Church
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JACKSON HEIGHTS — Throughout World War I, Catholics in the French village of Ban-de-Laveline in the mountainous Voges region of the far northeast had no pastor.
In 1914, invading Germans arrested the local pastor, Abbé Pierrot, and held him hostage for the next four years. His captivity was to dissuade any guerilla uprisings at the neighboring village, Wisembach, about three miles east of Ban-de-Laveline.
Trench lines formed between the villages, with the French holding the west and the Germans on the east.
Artillery duels ensued, launching high-explosive rounds and poisonous gas shells.
Catholics in the crossfire at Ban-de-Laveline lost property and lives. They struggled through the calamity, but without their priest.
Still, they took courage from their statue of a 14th century national hero — Blessed Joan of Arc, who was not yet canonized. She was born in 1412 some 90 miles farther west at Domrémy.
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Pappin has also been a pivotal figure in the “post-liberal” movement, made up of Catholic intellectuals who have cited Catholic Church teaching to promote a vision of governance and political life organized around the common good instead of individual rights.
The Register interviewed Pappin last week on the sidelines of CPAC Hungary to get his take on the dynamics at play in Europe and the U.S. in the run-up to the elections.
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NAGASAKI, Japan
When Catholics were ferreted out, often by their own devotion, torture was extreme: They were boiled alive in hot springs; drowned slowly while tied to stakes; wrapped in mats and burned over fire; lowered upside down into vats of excrement. Execution for Christianity was only canceled in 1805.
Repression drove faith underground. Catholic images and sacramentals were either well hidden, in walls for example, or concealed in plain sight: Small white Buddhist statutes of Kannon, the Merciful One, became stand-ins for Mother Mary, known as Maria Kannon, venerated in secret.
Kakure Kirishitan, Hidden Christians, passed faith down from one generation to the next without priests. Baptism was the sole regular sacrament.
Some 50,000 visitors a year visit the Martyrs Museum — increasingly, pilgrims from Korea. According to Father de Luca, the respective bishops’ conferences of Japan and South Korea made a mutual commitment to increase understanding by encouraging these visits.
https://www.ncregister.com/news/nagasaki-martrydom-atomic-bomb-gaetan
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Newcastlewest Graveyard Churchtown
Also buried here are the victims of the Great Famine (1847-1848). A plaque commemorates Paddy Flanagan, who with Jim Quinn found the Ardagh Chalice on 25 September 1868.
Other graves include Jackie Pierce, the father of Sophie Pierce (1896-1939), the pioneering aviator from Newcastle West.
The grave of William Ayers, a local blacksmith who died in 1751, was inscribed:
My sledge and hammer lie reclined,
My bellows, too, has lost its wind,
My life extinct, my forge decayed,
My vices in the dust are laid.
My coal is spent, my iron gone,
My nails are drove, my work is done.
My fire-dried corpse lies here at rest,
My soul smoke like soars to the blest.
https://www.patrickcomerford.com/2018/10/amid-graves-and-tombs-ruins-of-saint.html
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Normandy 80 years ago
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Three Tenors Moyvane Nov 28 2017
<iframe src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/245076545?h=8d4f2d7ef0" width="640" height="360" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; fullscreen; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
<p><a href="https://vimeo.com/245076545">Three Tenors Moyvane Nov 28 2017</a> from <a href="https://vimeo.com/user15238636">Jer Kennelly</a> on <a href="https://vimeo.com">Vimeo</a>.</p>
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Reflect
Weekly Newsletter
Fifth Sunday after Easter
5th May 2024
Dear Friends of Sacred Heart Church,
The month of May invites us every year to deepen our devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Throughout this month, let us keep her in our hearts and minds, seeking her intercession and honouring Her with devotions.
We are very grateful to Canon Henry, Abbe Baxter and Emmanuel for their dedication in erecting the shrine in the sanctuary in Her honour and making it a fitting tribute to Her.
A heartfelt thank you to all the volunteers who have lovingly prepared flowersto adorn the shrine. Your efforts have contributed to the beauty and reverence of our devotion to Our Lady. It is uplifting for so many souls who visit our church: devotees of course but also many who are curious as well as tourists. Gob bless them!
Canon Lebocq is currently in Northern Ireland accompanying Monsignor Wach, Prior General of the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest. They have visited Our Sisters Adorers in Ardee and engaged in important meetings with local authorities. Monsignor also delivered a conference last night to the members of the Society of the Sacred Heart. He celebrates Holy Mass this Sunday in Belfast.
Monsignor will also be happy to make a private pilgrimage to Knock during these upcoming days. With Canon Lebocq, he will offer prayers to Our Lady and renew the consecration of the Institute to her as the Queen of Ireland.
This Thursday if the Feast of the Ascension. Please note that an additional Mass will be celebrated at 6 pm and followed by Benediction.
Join us this Saturday at 5 pm for a Marian procession through the streets of Limerick, followed by benediction.
Visit to Sacred Heart Church:
Monsignor Wach will be visiting the Sacred Heart Church next Sunday. It will be an important day with First Holy Communions taking place. Please keep these young souls in your prayers as they will also make their first confession this week.
We are thrilled with the enthusiastic response to our tennis table competition! Almost 30 participants, ranging from age 7 to 77, will compete in a spirit of fun and charity. Stay tuned for pictures next week.
Check out the schedule displayed in the corridor for upcoming events and opportunities to participate in activities led by
the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest.
May Our Lady bless each one of us as we journey through this special month dedicated to Her.
Canon Lebocq
Prior of Sacred Heart Church
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Corn Crake
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Weekend of excitement as Limerick’s pre-eminent festival returns to the city for its 20th anniversary celebration this May Bank Holiday weekend.
https://www.limerick.ie/riverfest
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Sr. Mary Agnes Patterson is a Benedictine Sister of Mount St. Scholastica in Atchison, Kansas. She shares the wisdom of mindfulness, to “be where you are and do what you’re doing,” which she received from her director, Sr. Imogene.
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1847 Distribution of American Famine Aid in West Cork
https://durrushistory.com/2024/04/23/1847-distribution-of-american-famine-aid-in-west-cork/
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Reflect
I’D LIKE TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE
God has given me a place on earth to be here for a while. I hope that as I’m passing through, I can make someone smile. I want to make life easier for all the ones I meet. I ask God for His blessings to the strangers on the Street.
I hope I’ll never fail a friend if I can help somehow -
I want to be as generous as my resources allow.
And when my life on earth is done, it will be my final plea.
Let someone, somewhere think or say – “You made a difference to me”.
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Count your blessings – then live a life that shows how much you appreciate them.
LAST WORD: If you don’t have time for things that matter - then stop doing things that don’t.
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Easter Prayer
Living Lord,
when we stand before the empty tomb
we don’t always feel the joy of resurrection.
We feel fear, doubt and distrust.
Our lives at times feel empty.
Help us to welcome new life.
Fill the emptiness with new light.
Call us to abundant new life.
Guide us in the light of your love. Amen.
=================================
St Pio Prayer Meeting Castleisland on Tuesday, April 9th at 7:30pm.
The ‘witness’ is one of the central aspects of each night’s proceedings and tonight Joan Hussey from Kilflynn is the invited guest.
Joan’s powerful, experience backed message is one of hope from the darkest possible place. She and her husband Pat lost their 11 year old son David in a road traffic accident in 1990.
Sense of Hope
Their sense of hope was bolstered by the fact that David’s donated organs gave life and hope to another.
“I’m not a public speaker or anything like it and my message is always that we just have to have hope. Without hope we just could not survive and that’s the message I’m bringing to Castleisland tonight,” said Joan during a telephone chat this morning.
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he Late Tadhg Quinn, Purt Yard, Abbeyfeale, Co. Limerick
Posted on February 29th, 2024
The late Tadhg Quinn (centre right) being welcomed by Chairman Con Roche at the 2020 Post 2 United Nations Veterans annual general meeting at The Fountain Bar, Castleisland in the company of Matt Murphy, Killorglin (left) and Tom Twomey, Castleisland. ©Photograph: John Reidy 10-1-2020
The death has occurred of Tadhg Quinn, Purt Yard, Abbeyfeale, Co. Limerick.
Tadhg passed away peacefully at home, following a brief illness, in the care of his loving wife and family, on Wednesday, February 28th 2024.
Tadhg is very sadly missed by his loving wife Kathleen, his children: Donal, Diarmuid, Maria, Helena and Caitriona; daughters in law Angela and Thérèse; sons in law Stuart and David; grandchildren: Muireann, Cathal, Róisín, Sarah, Gearóid, Aoife, Niamh, Laoise, Conall, Danni-Mai and Fiadh, his brothers and sisters, nephews, nieces, neighbours and friends.
May he Rest In Peace.
A Real Live Irish Hero
At the 2020 annual general meeting of Post 2, of the Irish United Nations Veterans Association in Castleisland, post Chairman Con Roche welcomed Tadgh Quinn as a new member.
“Tadhg Quinn is a real live Irish hero who was part of the 157 strong A Company 35th Infantry Battalion – said post PRO, John Wade at the time as he expanded on the what Tadhg and his comrades experienced in the Congo in 1961 and, indeed, since.
“In September 1961 he was part of the Irish contingent of United Nations peacekeepers deployed in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) to stop the country descending into chaos.
Five Days in Jadotville
“What unfolded over five days in Jadotville was a little-known but amazing story of heroism, against-all-odds soldiering and feats of courage,” Mr. Wade continued.
“A film, The Siege of Jadotville, tells the true story of how these 157 Irishmen, led by a tactically astute commander, Cmdt. Pat Quinlan from Waterville, Co. Kerry, repelled a force of 3,000 attackers, killing 300 of them — while suffering no fatalities.
Party To A Civil War
“The U.N. forces found themselves party to a civil war between the central government and Katanga, which was also supported by Rhodesia and South Africa.
“As part of the U.N. mission, ‘A’ Company of the Irish Army’s 35th Infantry Battalion was dispatched to Jadotville, a strategic, mineral-rich town in Katanga, with orders to protect the mainly Belgian settlers.
A Life or Death Fight
“In a move that has never been explained, two companies of U.N. peacekeepers—one Swedish and one Irish—had been hastily withdrawn from Jadotville, days before A Company was sent in.
“What seemed like a simple mission, ended up in a desperate life or death fight, pitting the Irish against a well-armed enemy, which consisted of Katangan troops supported by European mercenaries and settlers who outnumbered them 20 to one.
Katangans Attacked
“While most of Quinlan’s men were at mass on September 13, the Katangans attacked, probably with the aim of taking the Irish as prisoners and using them as leverage in negotiations with the U.N.
“Sergeant John Monahan was the first to see the first wave of attackers coming. Monahan rushed to the nearest machine gun and opened fire….so began the battle.
“The Irish were hit by mortars and heavy machine gun fire and strafed by the Fouga jet.
Out of Water and Ammunition
“The same airplane later dropped bombs, damaging the Irish vehicles and buildings.
Surrounded and battling day and night for five days, the Irish troops ran out of water and ammunition and, to save his men from slaughter, Quinlan ordered them to lay down their arms. “They had killed 300 of their attackers and five Irish soldiers were wounded but all survived.
“They were kept prisoner’s for five weeks and when they returned home, in December, there was to be no hero’s welcome.
The ‘surrender’ of A Company was seen by some as a national embarrassment which completely overshadowed the men’s courage and competence.
Fight for Recognition
“The treatment of the Jadotville troops infuriated the soldiers and their families and led to a decades-long fight to recognize the importance of the battle.
Jadotville was swept under the carpet. These men should have been heroes, instead they were subject to humiliation and in some cases abuse for their involvement.
“The men’s bravery was finally acknowledged, awarded a Unit Citation and a specially struck medal – too late for many who had passed away, including the officer whose actions in defence are now taught in many military training establishments throughout the world,” Mr. Wade concluded.
His comrades from Post 2 of the Irish United Nations Veterans Association will accompany Tadhg’s remains to his final resting place in Abbeyfeale at the weekend.
Tadhg’s Funeral Arrangements
Reposing at Harnett’s Funeral Home, The Square, Abbeyfeale (V94 AK44) on Friday, 1st March 1st from 6pm. until 8pm.
Funeral cortège will depart Tadhg’s home on Saturday, March 2nd at 1.15 p.m. enroute to The Church of The Assumption, Abbeyfeale to arrive for Requiem Mass at 2pm.
Requiem Mass will be live streamed on the following link: www.churchservices.tv/abbeyfealeparish
Interment afterwards in St. Mary’s Cemetery, Abbeyfeale. Family flowers only please.
A donation in memory of Tadhg to either of the following charities would be greatly appreciated: The Irish Cancer Society: https://www.cancer.ie Milford Care Centre: https://milfordcarecentre.ie
Date Published: Wednesday, February 28th 2024. Date of Death: Wednesday, February 28th 2024.
http://www.mainevalleypost.com/2024/02/29/the-late-tadhg-quinn-purt-yard-abbeyfeale-co-limerick/
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CONGO: Tadhg Quinn, Purt Yard, Abbeyfeale
“In September 1961 he was part of the Irish contingent of United Nations peacekeepers deployed in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) to stop the country descending into chaos.
Five Days in Jadotville
“What unfolded over five days in Jadotville was a little-known but amazing story of heroism, against-all-odds soldiering and feats of courage,” Mr. Wade continued.
“A film, The Siege of Jadotville, tells the true story of how these 157 Irishmen, led by a tactically astute commander, Cmdt. Pat Quinlan from Waterville, Co. Kerry, repelled a force of 3,000 attackers, killing 300 of them — while suffering no fatalities.
Date Published: Wednesday, February 28th 2024. Date of Death: Wednesday, February 28th 2024.
http://www.mainevalleypost.com/2024/02/29/the-late-tadhg-quinn-purt-yard-abbeyfeale-co-limerick/
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By Agnes Aineah
Nairobi, 29 February, 2024 / 9:53 pm (ACI Africa).
Catholic Bishops in Germany have compiled biographies of over 30 German “martyrs”, who were reportedly “victims of violence in Africa” to ensure that their testimonies are not lost.
In a note he sent to ACI Africa, Mons. Helmut Moll, the representative of the German Catholic Bishops' Conference for the Martyrology of the 20th Century, said that the list includes missionaries who died in violent uprisings and political unrests in African communities.
“I would like to draw your attention to Christian missionaries as victims of violence in Africa who were violently killed in the last century and who should be saved from oblivion,” Mons. Moll said.
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MY MISSION
God has created me to do Him some definite services. He has committed some work to me which He has not committed to another. I have my mission – I may never know it in this life, but I shall be told it in the next. I am a link in a chain, a bond of connection between people. He has not created me for no reason. I shall do good. I shall do His work. Therefore, I will trust Him. Whatever, wherever I am, I cannot be thrown away. If I am sick, my sickness may serve Him. If I am in sorrow, my sorrow may serve Him. He does nothing in vain. He knows what He is about.
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THE POWER OF FRIENDSHIP
Friendship plays a key role in emotional growth and mental health. It boosts your happiness. Talking to a friend lowers blood pressure and reduces the risk of depression. Hugging, listening, sharing, connecting and celebrating life with friends decreases stress. That’s what friends are for They help you to live longer.
The pages of yesterday cannot be rewritten, but the pages of today and tomorrow are blank and you hold the pen. Make it an inspiring story.
LAST WORD: If you keep going, maintaining your hope and belief that something good will happen, it generally does. It’s called PERSISTENCE.
----------------------------------------
IRISH CATHOLIC BISHOPS' CONFERENCE STATEMENT ON THE FAMILY
AND CARE REFERENDUMS
The Family Amendment - 39th Amendment (amending Article 41)
We are concerned that the proposed Family amendment to the Constitution
diminishes the unique importance of the relationship between marriage and
family in the eyes of Society and State and is likely to lead to a weakening
of the incentive for young people to marry. While ‘Marriage’ entails a public and
legal commitment, the term ‘durable relationship’ is shrouded in legal uncertainty
and is open to wide interpretation. It does not make sense that such an ambiguous
reality would be considered ‘antecedent and superior to all positive law’ and
acquire the same ‘inalienable and imprescriptible’ rights as those ascribed to the
‘family founded on marriage’. Various commentators have suggested that the
term ‘durable relationship’ risks leading to unforeseen and unintended
consequences.
The Care Amendment - 40th Amendment (deleting Article 41.2 and inserting
a New Article 42B) The proposed amendment would have the effect of
abolishing all reference to motherhood in the Constitution and leave
unacknowledged the particular and incalculable societal contribution that
mothers in the home have made and continue to make in Ireland. The present
constitutional wording does not in any way inhibit women from working or taking
their proper place in social and public life. It does, however, respect the
complementary and distinct qualities that arise naturally within the Family.
The role of mothers should continue to be cherished in our Constitution
------------------------
PUBLIC INFORMATION / LEGAL INFORMATION EVENING for the upcoming
referendum on Family and Motherhood. Tuesday March 5th 7:30pm in The Great
Southern Hotel, Killarney.
-------------------------------------------------
Prayer For Lent
Bless me heavenly Father
forgive my erring ways.
Grant me the strength to serve Thee
put purpose in my days.
Give me understanding
enough to make me kind.
So I may judge all people
with my heart and not my mind.
Teach me to be patient
in everything I do.
Content to trust your wisdom
and to follow after You.
Help me when I falter
and hear me when I pray
and receive me in Thy kingdom
to dwell with Thee someday.
==============================
It has to be said, however, that we still don’t know how life in the Universe (or even on Earth) got its start, including whether life as we know it is common, rare, or a once-in-a-Universe proposition. But we can be certain that life came about in our cosmos at least once, and that it was built out of the heavy elements made from previous generations of stars. If we look at how stars theoretically form in young star clusters and early galaxies, we could reach that abundance threshold after several hundred million years; all that remains is putting those atoms together in a favorable-to-life arrangement.
https://bigthink.com/starts-with-a-bang/life-first-became-possible/?utm_source=pocket-newtab-en-gb
---------------------------------------------
https://www.facebook.com/odfreygodfrey
A must READ - Good morning said a woman as she walked up to the man sitting on the ground.
The man slowly looked up.
This was a woman clearly accustomed to the finer things of life. Her coat was new.. She looked like she had never missed a meal in her life.
His first thought was that she wanted to make fun of him, like so many others had done before.. "Leave me alone," he growled....
To his amazement, the woman continued standing.
She was smiling -- her even white teeth displayed in dazzling rows. "Are you hungry?" she asked.
"No," he answered sarcastically. "I've just come from dining with the president. Now go away."
The woman's smile became even broader. Suddenly the man felt a gentle hand under his arm.
"What are you doing, lady?" the man asked angrily. "I said to leave me alone.
Just then a policeman came up. "Is there any problem, ma'am?" he asked..
"No problem here, officer," the woman answered. "I'm just trying to get this man to his feet. Will you help me?"
The officer scratched his head. "That's old Jack. He's been a fixture around here for a couple of years. What do you want with him?"
"See that cafeteria over there?" she asked. "I'm going to get him something to eat and get him out of the cold for awhile."
"Are you crazy, lady?" the homeless man resisted. "I don't want to go in there!" Then he felt strong hands grab his other arm and lift him up. "Let me go, officer. I didn't do anything."
"This is a good deal for you, Jack" the officer answered. "Don't blow it.."
Finally, and with some difficulty, the woman and the police officer got Jack into the cafeteria and sat him at a table in a remote corner. It was the middle of the morning, so most of the breakfast crowd had already left and the lunch bunch had not yet arrived...
The manager strode across the cafeteria and stood by his table. "What's going on here, officer?" he asked. "What is all this, is this man in trouble?"
"This lady brought this man in here to be fed," the policeman answered.
"Not in here!" the manager replied angrily. "Having a person like that here is bad for business.."
Old Jack smiled a toothless grin. "See, lady. I told you so. Now if you'll let me go. I didn't want to come here in the first place."
The woman turned to the cafeteria manager and smiled....... "Sir, are you familiar with Eddy and Associates, the banking firm down the street?"
"Of course I am," the manager answered impatiently. "They hold their weekly meetings in one of my banquet rooms."
"And do you make a godly amount of money providing food at these weekly meetings?"
"What business is that of yours?"
I, sir, am Penelope Eddy, president and CEO of the company."
"Oh."
The woman smiled again. "I thought that might make a difference." She glanced at the cop who was busy stifling a giggle. "Would you like to join us in a cup of coffee and a meal, officer?"
"No thanks, ma'am," the officer replied. "I'm on duty."
"Then, perhaps, a cup of coffee to go?"
"Yes, ma’am. That would be very nice."
The cafeteria manager turned on his heel, "I'll get your coffee for you right away, officer."
The officer watched him walk away. "You certainly put him in his place," he said.
"That was not my intent. Believe it or not, I have a reason for all this."
She sat down at the table across from her amazed dinner guest. She stared at him intently.. "Jack, do you remember me?"
Old Jack searched her face with his old, rheumy eyes. "I think so -- I mean you do look familiar."
"I'm a little older perhaps," she said. "Maybe I've even filled out more than in my younger days when you worked here, and I came through that very door, cold and hungry."
"Ma'am?" the officer said questioningly. He couldn't believe that such a magnificently turned out woman could ever have been hungry.
"I was just out of college," the woman began. "I had come to the city looking for a job, but I couldn't find anything. Finally I was down to my last few cents and had been kicked out of my apartment. I walked the streets for days. It was February and I was cold and nearly starving. I saw this place and walked in on the off chance that I could get something to eat."
Jack lit up with a smile. "Now I remember," he said.. "I was behind the serving counter. You came up and asked me if you could work for something to eat. I said that it was against company policy."
"I know," the woman continued. "Then you made me the biggest roast beef sandwich that I had ever seen, gave me a cup of coffee, and told me to go over to a corner table and enjoy it. I was afraid that you would get into trouble... Then, when I looked over and saw you put the price of my food in the cash register, I knew then that everything would be all right."
"So you started your own business?" Old Jack said.
"I got a job that very afternoon. I worked my way up. Eventually I started my own business that, with the help of God, prospered." She opened her purse and pulled out a business card.. "When you are finished here, I want you to pay a visit to a Mr. Lyons...He's the personnel director of my company. I'll go talk to him now and I'm certain he'll find something for you to do around the office." She smiled. "I think he might even find the funds to give you a little advance so that you can buy some clothes and get a place to live until you get on your feet... If you ever need anything, my door is always opened to you."
There were tears in the old man's eyes. "How can I ever thank you?" he said.
"Don't thank me," the woman answered. "To God goes the glory. Thank Jesus...... He led me to you."
Outside the cafeteria, the officer and the woman paused at the entrance before going their separate ways....
"Thank you for all your help, officer," she said.
"On the contrary, Ms. Eddy," he answered. "Thank you. I saw a miracle today, something that I will never forget. And.. And thank you for the coffee."
God is going to shift things around for you today and let things work in your favor.
If you believe, send it.
If you don't believe, delete it.
God closes doors no man can open & God opens doors no man can close..
If you need God to open some doors for you...send this on.
=============================
Katie reflects on the episodes of 2023 and asks the question: are we giving as much as we can? If generosity is the heart of a well lived life, how can we generously respond to the movements of the Spirit and say “yes, and…” in every aspect of our lives, especially our motherhood.
========================================
A CHRISTMAS MESSAGE FROM FR. JIM...
Dear parishioners I’d like to take this opportunity to wish you and your family
every blessing for this holy season and to thank you sincerely for the privilege of
being your priest. This is my second Christmas among you and I’m so grateful to
God for having me here. Be assured of my prayers for you and all your family
members who can’t make it home for Christmas. I’d also like to spare a thought
too for those of you who are dreading this time of the year. I know from listening
to some of you that Christmas 23 will be a struggle. Be it an empty chair, a broken
relationship, some bad news received or simply experiencing some sadness. Our
thoughts and prayers are very much with you at this time.
Christmas can be such a paradox we’re told. But should it be? What is a paradox?
The word Paradox comes from the Greek words: doxa, which essentially means “a
fact” Or “ a truth," para, "alongside." Paradox means "two truths laid alongside
each other that contradict. So on one hand you have everyone who seem to be in
great cheer, and you are not. You then have family celebrations everywhere and
you find yourself on your own. Flashing lights all around you and you’re in the
darkness of your own sadness. Everyone has great plans and you’ve nothing on. I
suppose that’s why they call it a paradox. But that’s why knowing the true meaning
of Christmas is so important. There should be no paradox. God has come to save us
from our pain and sadness. The pain and sadness comes from the evil one. Christ
comes to set us free from his tyranny. As C.S Lewis puts it, ‘Jesus was born
behind enemy lines’. He is here to sabotage the evil one’s plans and re-establish his
Kingdom of love, peace and justice. The happiness that this world offers is just
false hilarity that’s manufactured and meaningless. The true joy and happiness
comes from knowing that you are worth dying for. You are so special and unique
that God became Human to tell you how much He loves you. Let us contemplate
how far God has stooped down to bring us up to his divine life this Christmas. One
last shout out to Dan Murphy my (our) postman who is retiring this week. Firstly
to thank him for doing such a wonderful job for so many years and always so
obliging and always going beyond the call of duty to support the community and the
parish. You’ll be hugely missed Dan but on behalf of this community I wish you
every blessing on your retirement.
Fr. Jim Lenihan
===================================
Reflection
Prayer for Blessing a Christmas Tree
Lord God, amidst signs and wonders Christ Jesus was born in
Bethlehem of Judea: his birth brings joy to our hearts and
enlightenment to our minds.
Let your blessing come upon us as we illumine this tree.
May the light and cheer it gives
be a sign of the joy that fills our hearts.
With this
===============================
=============================
Nobody will remember –
Your salary – How “Busy” you were – How may hours you worked,
How many Gucci bags you owned.
People will remember –
How you made them feel – The time you spent with them - If you kept your word –
If they could count on you.
LAST WORD: When you aim for perfection, you usually discover
it is a moving target.
-------------------------------
A NOTE FROM FR. JIM Lenihan.
In our second reading this weekend from St. Paul’s 1st Letter to the
Thessalonians. We read: ‘Be happy at all times; pray constantly; and for all things
give thanks to God, because this is what God expects you to do in Christ Jesus’.
For a long time in my life I found this passage hard to understand. It’s a command
to be happy! At all times?!! How can you command happiness? Today the Third
Sunday of Advent is called ‘Gaudéte’ Sunday’ ‘Rejoicing’ Sunday. It’s a command.
As Christians were commanded to be joyful as we are commanded to love! We’re
not commanded to ‘Like’ but we are commanded to ‘Love’ because it’s a decision of
the Will. Love is not a feeling primarily but rather a decision. Likewise as
Christians we understand Joy not as a feeling but rather a spiritual place because
of our decision to live in Christ. In medieval Churches throughout the centuries
you’d find what’s called ‘The Wheel of Fortune’. And at the centre of the wheel
you’ll find the image of Christ. However at the
Rim of the wheel we find a man with a crown at
the top, I Reign! Then the crown comes off and
he becomes a ‘has-been’ I have Reigned. Then
he becomes a pauper,I have no Kingdom. And
finally we see him climbing the ladder of
success, I will Reign. At all times his happiness
depends on life’s circumstances. When we live
on the Rim of the wheel we’re up and down.
Where as for the Christian we live with Christ
at the centre unchanging, constant. This brings
us peace and Joy is the fruit of peace. Put
Jesus at the centre of you life and no matter
what happens good or peace and then you’ll
experience true joy. ‘
Gaudéte'
================================
PARISH PASTORAL UNIT
ABBEYFEALE, ATHEA, TEMPLEGLANTINE, TOURNAFULLA, MOUNTCOLLINS
3rd Dec 2023 www.abbeyfealeparish.ie email fealechurch@eircom.net Church Sacristy 068 - 51915 Parish Office 089/2646772 Anne 11am to 1pm
Invitation of Advent
The first invitation of Advent is -
to allow ourselves to be awakened by the numerous calls of others,
to open our eyes with courage and confidence,
to find ourselves hidden reserves of energy,
to find hope in life, and confidence again in people,
to be enlivened again with the morning of a new day,
because the Light is chasing the night with its phantoms away.
Points for reflection
Do I allow the Light of God into the darkness of my life?
What good can I do with the life, the strength, the energy that I have as I prepare
for Christmas?
Feast of the Immaculate Conception: F riday next is the 8th of December and the
Feast of the Immaculate Conception. Vigil Mass on Thursday night at 7.00pm.
Mass on Friday 8th at 10.00am and at 7.00p.m.
Prayer for Peace. Prayers for Peace in the world will continue for the season of
Advent every Tuesday morning after 10.00am Mass until 12noon. Adoration of
the Blessed Sacrament in the main church will begin immediately after the
celebration of Mass.
Papal Award. The Holy Father, Pope Francis has awarded the Benemerenti
Medal to Dee Dennison for his services to the celebration of the liturgy and church
music in Our Lady of the Assumption Church, Abbeyfeale. Dee was director of
the Adult Choir for over 40 years since its formation in October 1979 and retired
recently. The Papal medal will be presented to Dee at the Vigil Mass for the Feast
of the Immaculate Conception on Thursday night next 7th of December.
Mass will begin at 7.00pm. All parishioners are welcome.
Trócaire: As Christmas approaches Trócaire is once again running its
Christmas gifts appeal, Global Gift. In keeping with the spirit of Christmas
Trócaire offers a range of ethical Christmas gifts that people can buy to change the
lives of vulnerable families and communities in the developing world. Since this
appeal began nine years ago, over 535,000 Christmas gifts have been purchased
around Ireland to help the world’s poorest people. These Christmas gifts have
helped parents feed their children, families to build a safe home and communities
to work their way out of poverty. Log onto www.trocaire.org/globalgift or call
save Trócaire at 1850 408 408
Light up a Memory: Milford Care Centre, Limerick are running their Light up
a Memory this December. It will be held in Our Lady Help of Christians Church,
Milford, Castletroy, Limerick, Eircode V94X832 on Sunday 3rd December at
4.00pm. To sponsor a light in a loved ones memory, log on to
www.milfordcarecentre.ie. By doing so you can support the special work of
Milford Care Centre.
Support the work of Charities this Christmas
St Vincent De Paul: The Annual Church Gate Collection in support of
St Vincent DePaul will take place at Abbeyfeale weekend the 9th/10th of December.
Vincent DePaul are appealing for your help.
Any donations you can give will be greatly appreciated
=================================
=========================================
=============================
Reflect; A Prayer for the Synod in Rome
Holy Spirit, breath of Pentecost, you send us to proclaim Christ and to welcome into our communities those who do not yet know him. Come down, we pray, upon the participants of the Synod and upon all who are present in this church, filling them with your wisdom and courage in order to be servants of communion and bold witnesses of your forgiveness in today’s world! We make this prayer through Christ our Lord, Amen.
Prayer for our Deceased
Grant them eternal rest O’ Lord and let perpetual light shine upon them.
========================
Prayer to Blessed Carlo Acutis - Patron of Youth and Computer Programmers.
Born 3 May 1991 and entered into Eternal Life on 12 October 2006. Beatified in
October 2020 on behalf of Pope Francis.
O God our Father, we thank You for giving us Carlo, a model of life for young people,
and a message of love for all.
You made him fall in love with Your son Jesus, making the Eucharist his ‘highway to
heaven’.
You gave him Mary as a beloved mother, and You made him, through the Rosary, a
cantor of her tenderness. Receive his prayer for us.
Look above all upon the poor, whom he loved and assisted. Grant me too, through
his intercession, the grace that I need (mention your intention). And make our joy
full, raising Carlo among the saints of Your Church, so that his smile shines again for
us to the glory of Your name.
Amen.
-----------------------------------------
A NOTE FROM FR. JIM Lenihan ...
As we continue our Rescue Project we again this week reflect on being 'Rescued'.
Fr. John gives us an analogy of being in a violent and dysfunctional home. No peace,
no love, no joy just constant hatred and abuse. And across the street you see a
child in a loving home. The father of that house provides all the material blessings
they want plus all the love and emotional support they need. There is love, joy and
peace constantly coming out of that home. Till one day the Father from across the
street comes to your door and says I know how much you’re suffering so do you
want to be part of our family. You don’t even pack. You say definitely. Being
rescued is the Good News of our faith. And it happens in many ways. Jesus has: 1.
Humiliated the enemy. 2. Transferred humanity from one dominion to another. 3.
Rendered Sin impotent. 4. Destroyed the power of Death. 5. Cancelled our debt. 6.
Recreated us. 7. Given us access to the Father. 8. Given us authority over the
enemy. 9. Sent us on mission to get his world back. 10. Divinized us. This is a
beautiful episode. Please take the time and watch it back and rediscover the
wonder hope our faith brings in the midst of this violent and dysfunctional world
we live in.
-----------------
Those we love can never be more than a thought apart. For as long
as there is a memory, they will live forever in our hearts.
The first step toward change is acceptance. Once you accept yourself, you open the door to change. That’s all you have to do. Change is not something you do, it is something your allow.
LAST WORD: A contented person is one who enjoys the scenery along the detours!!
-----------------------------------
NOTE TO SELF: I don’t have to take this day all at once, but rather one step, one breath and one moment at the time. I am only one person. Things will get done when they get done.
Eternal rest grant unto them whose earthly lives are past,
Perpetual light shine down on them, may they rest in peace at last.
Eternal life grant unto them whose laughter now we have lost,
Whose presence and whose smiles we miss – but never mind the cost.
Eternal joy grant unto them, whose sufferings now are through,
Their pain and illness finally gone, their minds and hearts renew.
Eternal peace grant unto them, all friends and foes alike.
Forgive them all their trespasses, may they rest in peace forever. Amen.
-----------------------------
================================
John Jagoe, (c 1770-c1834), Extended Family Network, Youngs, Gosnells, O’Connor, O’Driscoll, Coughlan, Dowe, McCarthy.
durrushistory
Oct 18
Click here:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1rUdGCfdeEbJn6ShqXrwqtxFd3GNOhAaSJneNt9NtSKY/edit
hn Jagoe, family background p. 1
Son John Jagoe BL (barrister), p.6
Wife Ann Dowe, marriage settlement, p. 11
Fishery business, p. 14
Manor Courts, p. 22
Losses Through Failure of Spanish Bank 1641, p. 29
Extended Jagoe Family p. 30
Sale Jagoe/O’Connor Estate Landed Estates Court, p.31
Dr. Bryan O’Connor, United Irishman, transported to Australia, p. 35
Rev. John Jagoe, Schull son of Abraham p.32
Figures in early 19th century Bantry and West Carbery Politics p. 36
1844, Dowe/Coughlan litigation p. 56
Marriage, 1795 Possibly Skibbereen John Jagoe Margaret O'Connor (she a Catholic) He Bantry she Skibbereen. His father John Jagoe Dunmanway mother Ellen Young Young's Point Bantry fishing family, Son John Councillor m Ann Dowe 1826 possible daughter Esther m Desmond Attorney "John Jagoe son John and his wife on the UK census, living in London, he also died in London, John Jagoe died on Oct. 20th 1851 in Westminster Hospital, London. He is down as 54 years old. Witness Samuel Jagoe, living in 12, Danvers St, Chelsea. Probably John’s son, Samuel, born c 1832, emigrated to Australia in 1852. Re. John Jagoe in London, he was certainly there in 1851, the whole family was on the UK 1851 census, He was there from about 1848 until his death in 1857. He was buried in Battersea, St Marys.
1818 Witness here John Jagoe reputedly had a shop in Barrack St at this period. From Bantry, Liberal Protestant, a mixed marriage his brother in law Dr. Bryan O’Connor exiled to Australia for United Irishmen ‘offences’; allowed later to return later to a GP in Clonakilty, three of his brothers officers in the British Army. John Jagoes mother of the Bantry Young fish merchant family related by marriage to the Gosnells.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1rUdGCfdeEbJn6ShqXrwqtxFd3GNOhAaSJneNt9NtSKY/edit?pli=1
==============================
Reflection
NOVENA TO ST. MARTIN – 26TH OCTOBER – 3RD NOVEMBER.
Most humble St. Martin, whose burning charity embraces all, but especially those
who are sick, afflicted, or in need, we turn to thee for help in our present difficulties
and we implore thee to obtain for us from God health of soul and body, and in particular the favour we now ask … (pause to ask favours). May we, by imitating thy charity and humility, find quiet and contentment all our days, and cheerful submission to God’s holy will in all the trials and difficulties of life. Amen.
The beauty of life is, while we cannot undo what is done, we can see it, understand it, learn from it and change, so that every moment is spent not in regret, guilt or fear, but in wisdom understanding and love.
----------------------------------
NOVENA TO ST. JUDE – 20th – 28th OCTOBER:
Most Holy Apostle St. Jude Thaddeus, faithful servant and friend of Jesus, the name of
the traitor has caused you to be forgotten by many, but the Church honours and invokes you universally as the patron of hopeless cases and of things despaired of. Pray for me who am so needy; make use, I implore you of that particular privilege accorded to you to bring visible and speedy help where help is almost despaired. Come to my assistance in this great need that I may receive the consolations and succour of heaven in all my necessities, tribulations, and sufferings particularly (here mention your petition) and that I may bless God with you and all the elect throughout eternity. I promise you, O blessed St. Jude to be ever mindful of this great favour, and I will never cease to honour you as my special and powerful patron and to do all in my power to encourage devotion to you. Amen.
LAST WORD: To make a difference in someone’s life you don’t have
to be brilliant, rich, beautiful or perfect. You just have to CARE.
------------------------------------
A NOTE FROM FR. JIM Lenihan ......
Here is a summary of our Tuesday night’s 4th week of our ‘Rescue Project’. We
continued focusing on being Captured. Again we remind ourselves of our four
words which sum up our Faith Story. Created, Captured, Rescued and Response.
These weeks we’re focusing on being ‘Captured’. Fr. John reminds us that we won’t
appreciate how good the Good News is until we understand how bad the Bad News
is. He said we must pray for the ‘Grace of Despair’. This might sound strange but
we must ask God to reveal to us how utterly awful and hopeless life would be if
Jesus didn’t do something. At the beginning we had the ‘Fall’ which has separated
us from God which means we were sold into slavery by our first parents. The
catechism puts it this way: By our first parents' sin, the devil has acquired a
certain DOMINATION over man even though man remains free. But Domination
can be translated as-LORD - AUTHORITY - POWER - CONTROL.
The two powers that now control and dominate us are SIN and DEATH. Adam and
Eve had it all, they were gifted with everything, they lived in paradise, yet the
devil convinced them that God wasn’t to be trusted. Now if the evil one could do
that to Adam and Eve who had no reason to distrust God, what hope have we who
might have been abused or we’re sick or lost a child or a husband. The evil one has
tonnes of events that he can use to convince us that God must be bad. Fr. John
uses the analogy of being taken into human slavery or trafficking. Try to use your
imagination to feel what it would be like to owned by someone who hates you and
uses you. Every bit of freedom has been taken from you. You’re cut off from life.
Try to imagine how awful and hopeless that would be. This is how we might be now
but unaware of it. But God doesn’t what us to be Captured. He has come to rescue
us. But we need to know that we are Captured by Sin and Death and a desire to be
set free. Program continues Tuesday night at 8pm on Glenflesk Parish Facebook
============================
PRAYER FOR THE SYNOD IN ROME
Holy Spirit, breath of Pentecost,
you send us to proclaim Christ
and to welcome into our communities
those who do not yet know him.
Come down, we pray, upon the participants of the
Synod and upon all who are present in this church,
filling them with your wisdom and courage
in order to be servants of communion and bold
witnesses of your forgiveness
in today’s world!
We make this prayer through
Christ our Lord,
Amen.
==========================
PRAYERS OF THE FAITHFUL
Priest: Let us pray that we may respond to God’s goodness and produce the fruits of right
living.
1. For the Christian community that it may produce the fruits of justice, love and peace.
Lord, hear us.
2. For the Israeli and Palestinian peoples that they may live in harmony and peace.
Lord, hear us.
3. For those who have been the victims of ingratitude and unjust treatment: that they
may find healing and peace. Lord, hear us.
4. For our deceased relatives and friends that Lord may bring them into the light no
darkness can overpower. Lord, hear us.
5. For our own special needs. Lord, hear us.
Priest: God of love, in your unfailing compassion, watch over your Church, and by your
grace turn us away for all that is wrong, and direct us into the way of what is right. We
make this prayer through Christ our Lord. Amen.
==================================
Here is a possible 8 step programme to follow or adapt to your own situation. The music suggestions are taken from the Emmanuel 2020 Progamme for second level schools in the Archdiocese of
Dublin. They are available on iTunes and Spotify.
Slow Me Down Lord (Bernadette Egan) will set the scene for this time of reflection
https://limerickdiocese.org/sites/ld/assets/File/2020/Resources/Press_the_Pause_Button.pdf
==========================
MISSION: The task of evangelizing all people constitutes the essential mission of the Church. It is a task and mission which the vast and profound changes of present-day society make all the more urgent. Evangelizing is in fact the grace and vocation proper to the Church, her deepest identity. She exists in order to evangelize.
https://www.franciscans.ie/life-mission/missions-overseas/
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(New York Jewish Week) – As Allison and Rebecca Kestenbaum stood in front of a building in Greenwich Village on Wednesday, they were thinking about another set of sisters: their relatives Celia and Bess Eisenberg, who, as teenagers, worked at the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory.
Bess called in sick on the day that a horrific fire tore through the garment factory. Celia died, along with 145 others.
The tragedy transformed U.S. labor law and the building that housed the factory, now a New York University science building, was designated a National Historic Landmark in 2003. But until this week, there had never been a permanent memorial paying tribute to the fire’s victims.
==========================
Shannon Mullen Editorial
October 13, 2023
When longtime California Sen. Dianne Feinstein died on Sept. 29, one of the more remarkable tributes paid to her came from a surprising source: Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone of San Francisco.
Feinstein, of course, was the ardently pro-abortion senator who in 2017 famously remarked to Amy Coney Barrett, then a nominee for the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals, that the “the dogma lives loudly within you.” She was referring, and none too kindly, to Barrett’s devotion to her Catholic faith and to her adherence to what that faith teaches about the sanctity of human life.
And Archbishop Cordileone, as we know, is the Catholic prelate who cared enough about the immortal soul of one of his flock — U.S. Rep. Nancy Pelosi — to accept the scorn he knew would come, even from within the Church, by publicly instructing her last year not to present herself for Communion in the San Francisco Archdiocese until she repudiated her advocacy of abortion and confessed and received absolution “of this grave sin” in the sacrament of penance.
Considering this, one would have thought the archbishop simply would have offered his prayers for Feinstein and her family and made a few perfunctory remarks in recognition of Feinstein’s long career in public service.
In fact, his statement, which is posted in full here, begins just this way.
“As our state and nation mourn the passing of Senator Dianne Feinstein,” he writes, “I would like to express the sympathy of the Catholic community of San Francisco and assure her family of our prayers for her and for them.”
He might have ended there. Instead, he continued for another 391 words.
“The senator was an alumna of the Convent of the Sacred Heart,” the archbishop goes on, “and from those formative years she forged deep and abiding friendships with many Catholics. Tragic circumstances placed her at the helm of San Francisco in a time of great turmoil and anger. During her tenure as mayor, she had to face many challenges, and I am told by those who lived here in those days that she met them with courage, compassion, and poise.”
In 1978, Feinstein was 45 years old and stuck in the rather unglamorous role of president of San Francisco’s Board of Supervisors, the city-county legislature. She had run for mayor twice, losing both times. And she’d survived an assassination attempt: A bomb, which mercifully didn’t explode, had been planted at her home, allegedly by members of the New World Liberation Front. The New York Times recounts what happened next:
==================================
Reflect
THE FRUITS OF HONESTY
If you plant honesty, you will reap trust. If you plant goodness, you will reap friends. If you plant humility, you will reap greatness. If you plant perseverance, you will reap victory. If you plant consideration, you will reap harmony. If you plant hard work, you will reap success. If you plant forgiveness, you will reap reconciliation. If you plant openness, you will reap intimacy. If you plant faith, you will reap miracles.
FORGIVENESS can free us from the burden of the past. Remember the other person is doing the very best they can, the same as you. If they could have done better, they would have.
Education is when you read the fine print. Experience is what you get if you don’t !!
A relationship is like a rose. It has petals and thorns. Put your attention on the beautiful petals and ignore the thorns. What we put our attention on tends to manifest more in our lives.
Each day is a new canvas to paint upon. Make sure your picture
is full of life and happiness, and at the end of the day, you don’t look at it and wish you had painted something different.
LAST WORD: Age is an issue of mind over matter. If you don’t mind it doesn’t matter!!
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Just a Thought
You should never be ashamed to admit you have been wrong. It only proves you are wiser today than yesterday. Jonathan Swift
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By: Matthew Wills
October 1, 2023
4 minutes
The icon indicates free access to the linked research on JSTOR.
This year marks the bicentennial of the birth of Alfred Russel Wallace, explorer, naturalist, and co-developer of the theory of evolution by natural selection. Wallace was self-effacing about his fundamental contributions to evolution—he even titled his major book on the subject Darwinism—but it was mostly his whole-hearted support for spiritualism, and his interests in socialism, radical land redistribution, women’s rights, and other causes and fads that dimmed or diluted his scientific reputation after his death in 1913.
================================
Florence Baker, Unsung Survivor -------------------
Explorer Sir Samuel Baker’s words about his wife, Florence, paint a picture of a delicate Victorian lady. One imagines she would be happier creating watercolors and little airs on the harpsichord than exploring uncharted Africa on horseback.
The reality is that Barbara Maria Szász (as Florence was born) was probably better prepared for “the miseries of Africa” than her husband, who was born into a wealthy London family and had spent most of his adult life hunting big game. By the age of fourteen, Florence had already survived the slaughter of her parents in the Hungarian revolution, spent years in refugee camps, been kidnapped and groomed for a Turkish harem, and been sold at a slave auction.
The details remain unclear but numerous sources agree Samuel Baker attended the auction out of curiosity while on a hunting trip along the Danube. He pitied the blue-eyed blonde and attempted to buy her. Although he was outbid by the Pasha of Vidin, it seems he bribed the guards to “liberate” her…into his own bed, naturally.
=======================
September 20, 2023
An Indian Catholic nun has won accolades with an award-winning short film and photographic documentation of tribal life in one of the last few surviving forests in the financial capital of the country.
For Sr. Josefina Albuquerque, from the congregation of Religious of Jesus and Mary in Mumbai, it's a dream come true after a 20-year stint teaching in top-ranked schools and being the principal of two high schools.
Her zero-budget movie, titled "D for Dumbo?" which was shot on a simple mobile phone, won the first prize awarded by the St. Paul's Communication Centre in Bandra, Mumbai, on Aug. 14.
The seven-minute film about a fourth grader who has difficulty learning math but excels in storytelling has also been selected for screening at the online ALP International Film Festival, showcasing independent films on Sept. 23-24.
"I am very humbled by the award and recognition," the 45-year-old Goan nun told UCA News.
More at
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Over the years, stories of the extraordinary miracles of Saint Padre Pio have spread from east to west, transforming the hearts and minds of many who hear of his phenomenal gifts, graces, powers, and unwavering faith.
But one story remains unsung: the story of Saint Padre Pio and young Brian.
The late Anne McGinn Cillis originally wrote this moving story in her book excerpt, "Brian: The Marvellous Story of Padre Pio and a Little Anglican Boy."
McGinn was one of Padre Pio’s spiritual daughters and a Canadian Catholic writer.
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The Church allows an individual to gain an indulgence on behalf of a Holy Soul in Purgatory. One easy way of doing this is by spending 30 minutes praying in front of the Blessed Sacrament, in addition to the other conditions: 1) be in the state of grace, 2) be detached from sin, 3) go to Confession and receive Holy Communion, and 4) pray prayers for the Holy Father. Consider spending at least 30 minutes praying before Jesus in the Eucharist and gaining an indulgence for a Holy Soul between now and All Souls Day.
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===========================
An estimated 23.5 million Americans, including my husband, suffer from an autoimmune condition — and their numbers are growing, though researchers don’t know why. You’ve likely heard of the most common autoimmune diseases — including type 1 diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis, lupus, celiac disease, psoriasis, inflamatory bowel disease and Crohn’s disease — but you might be unaware that there are more than 80 named but lesser-known types. Through working as a nutritionist and living with my husband, I’ve learned the importance of diet in battling these disorders.
================================
The night before the promotion was to be announced, his boss came in to talk to him and told him that, with his new rank, it was time for him to “join up,” whatever that meant. It soon became clear he was being offered membership in the Freemasons, which he graciously declined, pointing out that he was a Catholic and absolutely prohibited.
The conversation escalated from there, Martin used to tell the story with great animation, and the two parted crossways. The next morning he walked into the office and was greeted like a ghost. Tacked on his office door was a notice he’d been demoted to foot patrol on the other side of the city. He later left the force and became a prison chaplain.
===========================
Reflect
Prayer for our Earth
All powerful God, you are present in the whole universe
And in the smallest of our creatures.
Pour out upon us the power of our love,
That we may protect life and beauty.
Bring healing to our lives that we may protect
The world and not prey on it,
That we may sow beauty, not pollution and destruction.
Amen
-----------------------
DIOCESAN PRAYER FOR VOCATIONS
Blessed Trinity, Father, Son and Spirit, we worship and praise You.
Father, through the Holy Spirit you give to every Christian a unique calling
as you provide and care for the needs of your people.
Hear our prayers for our needs as parish communities.
Bless our efforts to strengthen lay ministry.
In our diocese and in all our parishes give to each person the grace
to discern, follow and live their calling.
Call forth from among us vocations to the diocesan priesthood.
Fill the hearts of our priests and deacons with renewed Peace and Joy.
Father, in all things ‘Thy will be done’. We entrust our prayers to you
through Christ our Lord. Amen
--------------------------------------
TIMING IS EVERYTHING
If it is meant to happen it will, at the right time for the right reason. Every bad situation will have something positive. Even a dead clock shows the right time twice a day. No matter how long it takes, when God works, it is always worth the wait. His timing is perfect. May not be the timing we want, but it is the timing we need. God knows what is best for us. – Stay positive – trust in Him.
Life is like a book. Some chapters are sad, some are happy, and some are exciting, but if you never turn the pages, you will never know what the next chapter has in store for you.
IF WE DON’T START, IT IS CERTAIN WE CANNOT ARRIVE.
-----------------------
The 5 W’s of life
WHO you are is what make you special – do not change for anyone.
WHAT lies ahead will always be a mystery, do not be afraid to explore.
WHERE there are choices to make, make one and don’t regret.
WHEN life pushes you over, you push back harder.
WHY things happen will never be certain, take it in your stride
And move forward.
One of the most tragic things about human nature is that all of us tend to
put off living. We are all dreaming of some magical rose garden over the horizon, instead of enjoying the roses that are blooming outside our windows today
LAST WORD: Half the troubles in life can be traced to saying yes too
quickly and not saying no soon enough.
--------------------------------
Weekly Newsletter
13th Sunday after Pentecost
27th August 2023
Dear Friends of Sacred Heart Church,
In the cycle of the Sundays after Pentecost, the Church brings to our attention, sometimes under one aspect, sometimes under another, the merciful action of Jesus on our souls. Two weeks ago she told us about the deaf-mute; last Sunday, the kindness of the good Samaritan; today, the touching scene of the ten lepers whom Jesus cured. It is in this way that the Church tries to awaken in us humble consideration of our misery and to show us the immense need we continually have of the redemptive work ofJesus; at the same time, she wants to make us feel that this work is always in action and that we are living under its influence every day, every moment. The passage in the Gospel (Lk 17, 11-19) chosen for today’s Mass is especially effective in making clear the chief purpose of the Redemption: the healing of souls from the leprosy of sin. From ancient times leprosy has been considered the most fitting figure to represent the hideousness of sin, and indeed it would be difficult to picture anything more horrible and repulsive. Yet, while everybody has such a great dread of leprosy of the body, how indifferent and easy-going even Christians are in regard to leprosy of the soul. How far we are from the deep realisation that the saints had of what an offense against God really is! “Oh!” St. Teresa of Avila exclaimed, “why can we not realise that sin is a pitched battle fought against God with all our senses and the faculties of the soul; the stronger the soul is, the more ways it invents to betray its King” (Exc, 14). One of the fruits of today’s Gospel is that of awakening in us a great horror of sin, of arousing again in our souls a lively and efficacious repentance for the sins we have committed and a feeling of profound humility upon recognising our misery. Let us go with the ten lepers to Our Lord and cry out: “Jesus, Master, have Mercy on us!”
Canon Coggeshall will be the celebrant and homilist for the Solemn High Mass. Since moving on from his assignment in Limerick, he has assumed the role as Prior of one of our biggest apostolates in America, Saint Louis Oratory in Saint Louis, Missouri. This beautiful church was given to the care of the Institute of Christ the King by the then Archbishop who is our beloved Prince of the Church, His Eminence Raymond Cardinal Burke. Please give him a warm Irish welcome at tea after Mass.
We also welcome Father Horgan and Abbé Poucin who will be here while the Canons go to our annual Chapter meeting. We are grateful that the faithful will have the continual presence a priest and the Sacraments in our absence. Daily adoration will resume as per usual this week.
The Chapter meeting is an annual event where all the Canons of the Institute flock back to the motherhouse in Gricigliano; the seminary where they were formed to be priest. This week allows the family of the Institute to rekindle the fire of fraternal charity and to meet with our dear Prior General, Msgr Wach. The divine liturgy, being the center of our priestly life, will be solemnised daily along with sermons and conferences. All in all, it will be a week of grace: imagine more than 130 Canons celebrating their private Masses daily!
Lastly, we wish to inform you that after nine years of much use, the 2008 Mitsubishi Lancer has finally given up on us and we have providentially found an affordable a replacement in order to be able to serve our apostolate in Galway weekly.
Wishing you a blessed week,
Canon Lebocq
Prior of Sacred Heart Church
Live stream from the Sacred Heart Church
======================
Boston Pilot (1838-1857), Volume 20, Number 1, 3 January 1857
Mary, wife of J. Winter, Esq., formerly of Rathgar, county Dublin. November' 19, at Listowel, aged 98 years,
----------------
THE BATTLE OF THE ALMA.
Boston Pilot (1838-1857), Volume 17, Number 44, 4 November 1854
Total killed and wounded 1,978
Amongst the Irish officers who suffered we may mention General Sir De Lacy Evans?, commander of the 2nd division; ..ord Ennismore, eldest son of the Earl of Listowel; Captain Hare, nephew of the Rev. Dr. Hare, Senior Fellow of Trinity College, Dublin ; the Honourable Captain Monck, brother of Lord Monck ; Captain William Fitzgerald, son of Lord William Fitzgerald, and nephew of the Duke of Leinster; the Hon. Mr. Annesley, brother of the Earl of Annesley; Captain Connolly, brother of Mr. Thomas Connolly, M.P.; and another captain of the same name; Lieutenant Worthington, son of a respected citizen of Dublin; the Hon. Mr. Crofton, brother of Lord Crofton; Major Rose, Captain Watson, Major Gough, Captain Packenham, Captain Schaw, Lieutenant Dowdall, Lieutenant D. Persse, Lieutenant P. J. Coney, Lieutenant H. Butler, Major M‘Gee, Ensign Moore, &c &e.
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enemy fled to the south east, leaving three generals, drums, three guns, 700 prisoners, and 4,000 wounded behind them. The battle of Alma was won. It is won with a loss of nearly 3,000 killed and wounded on our side. The Russian’s retreat was covered by their cavalry, but if we had an adequate force we could have captured many guns and multitudes of prisoners.
====================
That appears to conflict with a second consequence of Hawking’s calculation. As the black hole radiates particles, it eventually evaporates away completely. After untold eons, only the cloud of radiation remains. But because each exterior partner shares one bit with its interior partner, the Hawking radiation alone makes as little sense as a piggy bank full of one-sided coins. The qubits of information inside the black hole, which record the life of the black hole and all that has fallen into it, seemingly disappear — a preposterous development.
=========================
DEAD SEA, Israel (JTA) — As the owner of the second boat to sail the Dead Sea in the past 75 years, Noam Bedein knows its salty waters better than almost anyone. But lately, his excursions have led him to discover sites neither he nor anyone else has ever seen.
A few days before World Water Day in late March, Bedein came upon a bubbling brook feeding into the sea, which he named the Jerusalem River. The stream, the animals surrounding it and the beach it flows through were submerged underwater as recently as the mid-2000s. Bedein and his partner, Ari Fruchter, believe they are the first people ever to set foot there.
It’s an experience Bedein keeps having, and for him, it’s a paradoxical one: His mission is to save the Dead Sea. But as it dries up, it reveals new wonders to him.
======================
Among the Kerry Ladies football team is Ally Buckley- Club: Listowel Emmets- Age: 21
Height: 5’ 1’’ Occupation: Student – Nursing.
=========================
Tim Healy Bantry
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1qTE1YKCh3wdnXHBjQZ-jXWUi-_LZuDWU5MyuTmywg04/edit
1909 Bantry Feis. Patrons include Canon (Church of Ireland) O’Grady, James Gilhooley, M.P., Tim Healy King’s Counsel, M.P., Maurice Healy, M.P., The Earl of Kenmare, Magistrates, Dr. O’Mahony, Benjamin O’Connor, M. O’Driscoll, William Martin Murphy, Alexander Martin Sullivan, King’s Counsel, Dr. M. J. McCarthy, Patrick (Rocky Mountain) O’Brien, Dromore. Prizewinners, Industrial Section.
https://wordpress.com/post/durrushistory.com/40015?s=Tim+Healy
==============================
Irish Trip
https://wordpress.com/read/blogs/214065703/posts/380
Travel Blog
https://wordpress.com/read/feeds/137584762
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Reflection
Almudena Martínez-Bordiú/ACI Prensa/CNA World
August 7, 2023
“I opened my eyes and I could see perfectly,” said Jimena, a 16-year-old Spanish World Youth Day (WYD) pilgrim who said she miraculously recovered her sight after receiving the Eucharist at Fátima, Portugal, during a Mass there.
This possible miracle has moved hearts and filled with hope all those who have been following the events at WYD, which brought together more than a million young people in the Portuguese capital last week.
Jimena travelled to Lisbon from Madrid with a group from Opus Dei. During the days prior, relatives and acquaintances of the young woman organized a novena to pray to Our Lady of the Snows, whose feast day is commemorated Aug. 5, the same day she recovered her sight.
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The journalists in the mainstream press have never known what to do with this event. This is, after all, a positive gathering that brings together millions of people, mostly young Catholics. This is not an everyday thing. It shows young Catholics happy to embrace the church, while celebrating its teachings — a stark contrast to the secular world and the messages of hopelessness and sin we get each day.
As a result, the mainstream press covers World Youth Day and the pope’s appearances through a lens of scandal and (#ShockedShocked) politics.
Doctrine, as is often the case, is simply swept aside. Anything positive that can be gleaned from the gathering of so many young people is tossed aside. World Youth Day is a snapshot of the church’s future — but you wouldn’t know it from much of the coverage of the last week. For example, going to confession (with the pope helping out) is a major part of the World Youth Day experience. Valid story?
For great — and complete — World Youth Day coverage, the Catholic press did its job, once again. Places such as Crux, The Pillar on Substack and Catholic News Agency created pages where all their stories could be found. In other words, a one-stop-shop for all things World Youth Day.
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JUST A THOUGHT
Recently, we celebrated the Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and traditionally most homes displaced an image in a central place within their home. We know physically the heart is a muscle and it is a central and vital organ within our body. Every cell in our body relies on the work of our heart. Your heart beats about 100,000 times in one day and about 35 million times in a year. What an amazing organ within our body. So, if our heart is central to life and being alive, then it comes as no surprise that the image of the Sacred Heart has been given to Jesus. He is the one who has tremendous love for us. No heart has loved more than the heart of Jesus. He loves us in ways that no words can describe. His love for us reminds us beautifully how we are precious, special and unique. Nothing will ever change his beautiful love of us.
The beautiful short prayer: “O Sacred Heart of Jesus I place all my trust in you” must surely be one of the most beautiful prayers we have. So, when prayer is difficult or challenging all we have to do is whisper the beautiful words: “O Sacred Heart of Jesus I place all my trust in you.”
They can be our first words in the morning, our last words at night, our words when we are afraid or worried, our words as we think of a loved one, our words when we hear bad news, our words when we are standing in a queue, our words before we receive Holy Communion, our words when we are grateful for blessings received
And so, let’s celebrate Jesus as our shepherd as the one who is always looking after us. Be proud to display his image in your home. What a beautiful reminder of God’s love for you.
O Sacred Heart of Jesus I place all my trust in you.
Fr. Declan
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Rock (c.1295 – 1327) - (Feast Day: 16th August) It is believed that Saint Rock
was born in Montpellier, France and that’s where he died. While on pilgrimage in
Italy he healed many people – apparently miraculously – in different places, who
were suffering from the plague which was ravaging the country at that time. Hence,
for many decades he has been invoked to protect people from cancer, which is one
of the plagues of our time. We continue to invoke his intercession against the most
recent ‘plague’, the coronavirus COVID–19, which has caused so many deaths and
suffering throughout the world. We pray that it may be brought under control in the
very near future. (Many people would also be interested to hear that Saint Rock is
also the patron saint of dogs!)
Prayer to Saint Rock (Feast Day – 16th August)
O God, who by the ministry of an angel didst give to glorious Saint Rock a promise
engraved on a tablet, that whosoever would invoke his name should be preserved
from pestilence and all mortal and contagious diseases. Grant that we who revere
his memory, may through his intercession be delivered in soul and body from all
mortal and contagious diseases through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen. Saint Rock,
please pray for us and preserve us from all mortal and contagious diseases, including
the coronavirus COVID-19. Amen
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NOVENA PRAYER – OUR LADY OF KNOCK
Our Lady of Knock, Queen of Ireland, you gave hope to your people in a time of distress and comforted them in their sorrow. You have inspired countless pilgrims to pray with confidence to your Divine Son, remembering his promise, “Ask and you shall receive, Seek and you shall find.”
Help me to remember that we are all pilgrims on the road to Heaven. Fill me with love and concern for my brothers and sisters in Christ, especially those who live with me. Comfort me when I am sick, lonely or depressed. Teach me to take part more reverently in the Holy Mass. Give me a greater love of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. Pray for me now, and at the hour of my death. Amen.
A CHANCE
Every day is a Chance to be a better person, A Chance to enjoy life to its fullest, A Chance to correct mistakes. A Chance to forgive and to ask for forgiveness. A Chance to love and be loved. Don’t miss the Chance you received from God as you wake up this day,
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Poster found in a Church in France (translated)
When you enter this Church, it may be possible that you hear ‘ the call of God’. However, it is unlikely that He will call you on your mobile. Thank
you for turning off your phones. If you want to talk to God, enter, choose
a quiet place and talk to Him. If you want to see Him, send Him a text while driving!!
Sometimes you need to distance yourself from people. If they care, they will notice. If they don’t, you will know where you stand!
LAST WORD: When we like to consult only ourselves, we often tend to hear only what we like to hear.
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DIOCESAN PRAYER FOR VOCATIONS
Blessed Trinity, Father, Son and Spirit,
we worship and praise You.
Father, through the Holy Spirit you give to every
Christian a unique calling as you provide and care
for the needs of your people.
Hear our prayers for our needs as parish
communities.
Bless our efforts to strengthen lay ministry.
In our diocese and in all our parishes
give to each person the grace
to discern, follow and live their calling.
Call forth from among us
vocations to the diocesan priesthood.
Fill the hearts of our priests
and deacons with renewed
Peace and Joy.
Father, in all things ‘Thy will
be done’.
We entrust our prayers to
you through Christ our Lord.
Amen
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Reflect
I’ve been listening to a lot of podcasts lately. Specifically, healing podcasts. Because everybody needs healing. Perhaps me most of all.
Of course, I don’t need all of the types of healing I’m learning about. For instance, recently I listened to a series on “healing in marriage.” When it comes to marriage I have lots of theories, but no actual spouse. Nevertheless, I found it fascinating to hear how the other half (well, more like the other 90% or so) lives and works and heals in the context of marriage.
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Saint Alphonsus Liguori (1696 – 1787): Feast Day 1st August. On Tuesday, 1st August 2023, we celebrate the Feast Day of Saint Alphonsus Liguori (1696 – 1787). He was Italian and practised as a lawyer before becoming a priest, being ordained in 1726. He founded the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer or the Redemptorists, as they are more commonly known, in 1732. The order was
dedicated to preaching God’s word through missions, retreats and other spiritual ministries. He was the first superior of the order. He suffered greatly in the latter part of his life before he died on 1st August 1787 at Nocera In Italy. He was beatified on 15th September 1816 and canonised on 26th May 1839.
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Nobody understands the reason why we all meet in the Journey of Life.
We may not be related by blood. We may not know each other from the beginning. But God puts us together to be wonderful relations by heart.
When we honestly ask ourselves which person in our lives means the most to us, we often find that it is those who, instead of giving advice, solutions, or cures, have chosen to share our pain and touch our
wounds with a warm and tender hand.
WHY COMPLICATE LIFE?
Missing someone? – Call. Want to meet up? – Invite.
Want to be understood? - Explain. Have questions? – Ask.
Don’t like something? – Say it. Like something? – State it.
Want or need something? Ask for it. Love someone? Tell them.
LAST WORD: One of the most serious forms of respect is actually listening to what the other person has to say.
As we grow up we realise it becomes less important to have a ton of friends, and more important to have Real Ones.
DID is a word of achievement – WON’T is a word of retreat.
MIGHT is a word of bereavement – CAN’T is a word of defeat.
OUGHT is a word of duty – TRY is a word each hour.
CAN is a word of what’s possible – WILL is a word of power.
Yesterday is not ours to recover – but tomorrow is ours to win or lose.
If You believe that feeling bad or worrying long enough will change a past or future event, then you are residing on another planet with a different reality system !!
BOREDOM ONLY LASTS AS LONG AS YOU DO NOTHING ABOUT IT.
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EUROPEAN FAMILY WEEKEND, CO. KILDARE, 25 – 27 AUGUST 2023: The
Family Weekend offers families the opportunity to energise their relationships,
using a language and an approach suitable for all ages (6 years and older). We
request a non-refundable deposit of €50 (£45) per family (towards the cost of
the venue). We will simply ask families to donate what they can afford at the end
of the weekend. Register your interest on MarriageEncounter.NI@outlook.com
A NOTE FROM FR. JIM Lenihan .....
What is the pearl of great price? It’s God’s Wisdom. Our readings this weekend
speak of the priceless and elusive nature of this Wisdom. It’s a Wisdom that’s so
precious that one should dedicate their own life in finding and be willing to sell
everything they have to gain it. We often confuse this divine Wisdom with our own
human wisdom of what we call common sense or intelligence. But the Wisdom God
offers us is a spiritual gift that God desires that we all share in but it’s a Wisdom
that we must desire. The problem is that we are competing with our lower
instincts which are wired to seek pleasure and avoid pain but sometimes pleasure
is the worst thing for us and sometimes pain is just what we need because God can
use it for our good. That's why our higher faculties such as our will and our
intellect are able to move beyond our instincts and choose what is true, good, just
and right. Gods Wisdom is wanting the right things and the right things are those
that help you become more fully alive and fully human the things that help you love
God and neighbour and the things that help you become the best version of
yourself. What happens when one doesn’t have this Gift of Wisdom. During the
week I listened to a talk on the ‘Wisdom of Enough’. Which is part of this divine
Wisdom. He took the example of money but it could be any created thing. Clothes,
cars, handbags, cows, success, opportunities or whatever! But just take money. He
said people who earn €30,000 a year say if they had another €10,000 they’d have
enough. People who earn €90,000 felt if they had another €30,000 they’d have
enough. As we saw in recent times how The Committee of Public Accounts (PAC) in
our own country saw how celebrities who earn up to half a million feels it isn’t
enough. The Pearl of great price which is God and His wisdom brings contentment
and peace. This week let us pray for this great gift of Wisdom
====================
Prayer for Grandparents
Lord Jesus,
you were born of the Virgin Mary,
the daughter of Saints Joachim and Anne.
Look with love on grandparents the world over.
Protect them! They are a source of enrichment
for families, for the church and for all of society.
Support them! As they grow older,
may they continue to be for their families
strong pillars of the Gospel faith, guardian of noble domestic ideals,
living treasuries of sound religious traditions.
Make them teachers of wisdom and courage,
that they may pass on to future generations the fruits
of their mature human and spiritual experience.
Lord Jesus,
help families and society to value the presence and roles of grandparents.
May they never be ignored or excluded,
but always encounter respect and love.
Help them to live serenely and to feel welcomed
in all the years of life which you give them.
Mary, Mother of all the living,
keep grandparents constantly in your care,
accompany them on their earthly pilgrimage,
and by your prayers grant that all families
may one day be reunited in our heavenly homeland
where you await all humanity for the great
embrace of life without end. AMEN
========================
Bear Fruit
God desires his Word of love to go into your heart so it can bear fruit. Allow his Word to grow in your heart today.
----------------------
Expanding Your Heart
Jesus is doing something radically new that will require your heart to expand. Allow him to challenge you and cause you to grow.
Believing not Seeing
God calls you to believe even what you cannot see. Yet the Lord promises a greater blessing because of your belief. Today, ask for the intercession of St. Thomas the Apostle as you pray for those who struggle in their faith.
Turning from Anxiety
Is your faith greater than your fears, or is it the other way around? Consider what makes you anxious and how the Lord is bigger than any of those things. How can you grow in your faith to realize this truth more?
Hope and Healing
Today, pray for those who struggle with mental health. Reflect on how the readings encourage hope and trust in the Lord's healing.
Eyes to See
Abraham, called by God, is called to offer his son Isaac to the Lord. There is a lesson for Abraham in this suffering. When God tests you, can you receive God's instruction?
Hospitality
How are you serving God's servants? The Lord rewards every act of kindness you make for others. Through your hospitality, you can help build up the kingdom of God.
---------------------
Knowing the Lord
In today's reading, God reveals himself as relational. He has a deep relationship with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and wants to have a relationship with you. Allow God to reveal himself to you in the intimate relationship he desires.
I Am Who Am
God is being itself. What does this mean? The Lord is not part of creation but transcends being as existence itself. Yet he also enters into creation to be with Moses, Jacob, Abraham, and you.
The Value of Life
In the Old Testament, God's first punishment to the Egyptians is a reminder of their bloodguilt. Pray about the importance of life and for the pro-life movement today.
Drawing Out the Good
The Lord allows the bad to draw out a greater good, which is evident in the story of Moses' life. Consider how God's providence has worked in your own life.
Kindness
In today's reading, Joseph is a model for forgiving others even when they mean evil against you. Reflect on who you can reach out to with forgiveness and kindness.
Prayer
Lord God,
whose days are without end
and whose mercies beyond counting,
keep us mindful
that life is short and the hour of death unknown.
Let your Spirit guide our days on earth
in the ways of holiness and justice,
that we may serve you
in union with the whole Church,
sure in faith, strong in hope, perfect in love.
And when our earthly journey is ended,
lead us rejoicing into your kingdom,
where you live for ever and ever. Amen.
---------------------------------------------
Bocelli issued a recorded statement prior to the event. He expresses his love for Our Lady of Lourdes and recounts a visit he made with his mother and grandmother as a child.
"I was eight years old when I went to Lourdes with my mother and grandmother. The one time I was able to visit this holy place, I had the privilege of bathing in the waters of Lourdes," Bocelli shares.
The singer then expresses his gratitude for the opportunity to share his "gift from heaven" (his voice) at Lourdes. Bocelli also shares his love for Our Lady of Lourdes.
Weekly Newsletter
Seventh Sunday after Pentecost
16th July 2023
Dear Friends of Sacred Heart Church,
Both the Epistle (Rom 6, 19-23) and the Gospel (Mt 7, 15-21) for today speak of the true fruits of the Christian life and invite us to ask ourselves what fruit we have produced so far. “When you were the servants of sin,” says St. Paul, you brought forth the fruits of death, “but now, being made free from sin and become servants of God, you have your fruit unto sanctification.” Our sanctification should be the fruit ofour Christian life, and we must examine ourselves on this point. What progress are we making in virtue? Are we faithful to our good resolutions?
Every Christian may consider himself a tree in the Lord’s vineyard; the divine gardener, Jesus Himself, has planted it in good, fertile, productive ground in the garden of the Church, where it is watered by the living water of grace. He has given it the most tender care, cut off its useless branches by means of trials, cured its diseases by His Passion and death, and watered its roots with His precious Blood. He has taken such good care of it that He can say: “What is there that I ought to do more to My vineyard, that I have not done to it?” (Is 5,4). After all this solicitude, one day Jesus comes to see what kind of fruit this tree is bearing, and by its fruit He judges it, for “a good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can an evil tree bring forth good fruit.” Before the Redemption, mankind was like a wild tree which could bring forth only fruits of death; but with the Redemption, we have been grafted into Christ, and Christ, who nourishes us with His own Blood, has every right to find in us fruits of sanctity, of eternal life. This is why words and sighs and even faith are not enough, for “faith. . . if it have not works, is dead in itself” (Jas 2,17). Works as well as the fulfillment of God’s will are necessary, because “not everyone that says to Me ‘Lord, Lord!’ shall enter into the kingdom of heaven, but he that doth the will of My Father who is in heaven.”
Consummatum est. The year of a seminarian of the Institute of Christ the King begins in with the chilling winds of Fall and ends with the Italian summer heat. Between the beginning and the end, the seminarians go through the daily motions of the liturgical Life of Christ while being formed in the heart and mind to be an Alter Christus. The year is always with its ups and downs: the ups would always somehow be humbled by the limitations of our fallen human nature and the downs uplifted by God's grace and the ever-changing beauty of the Liturgy. Such is the life of the seminarians of Gricigliano. The year, rich with life experience, self-knowledge and the glories of Divine Grace, ends with a character of the Sacrament of Holy Order, sealed in an unworthy soul called to be a minister of Christ's Church.
And so we congratulate the seminarians for all their hardwork and perseverance and we thank God for the grace-filled ordination week. We would like to congratulate the Irish seminarians and those who laboured in the Emerald Isle during the year, especially our very own Abbé Bocci who received the order of Exorcist. We also welcome Abbé Lacken who is stationed in Limerick for his summer assignment. Please greet him at tea after Mass. Lastly, Canon Lebocq will be at home in France until Saturday for a much-needed break.
Wishing you a blessed week,
Canon Lebocq
Prior of Sacred Heart Church
===============================
Why I Like Retirement
Why I Like Retirement!
Question: How many days in a week?
Answer: 6 Saturdays, 1 Sunday
Question: When is a retiree's bedtime?
Answer: Two hours after falling asleep on the couch.
Question: How many retirees does it take to change a light bulb?
Answer: Only one, but it might take all day.
Question: What's the biggest gripe of retirees?
Answer: There is not enough time to get everything done.
Question: Why don't retirees mind being called Seniors?
Answer: The term comes with a 10% discount.
Question: Among retirees, what is considered formal attire?
Answer: Tied shoes.
Question: Why do retirees count pennies?
Answer: They are the only ones who have the time.
Question: What is the common term for someone who enjoys work and refuses to retire?
Answer: NUTS!
Question: Why are retirees so slow to clean out the basement, attic or garage?
Answer: They know that as soon as they do, one of their adult kids will want to store stuff there.
Question: What do retirees call a long lunch?
Answer: Normal.
Question: What is the best way to describe retirement?
Answer: The never-ending Coffee Break.
Question: What's the biggest advantage of going back to school as a retiree?
Answer: If you cut classes, no one calls your parents.
And, my very favorite....
QUESTION: What do you do all week?
Answer: Monday through Friday, NOTHING. Saturday & Sunday, I rest.
Always Remember This:
You don't stop laughing because you grow old,
You grow old because you stop laughing!
==================================
The Way I See It
Donald Trump and Boris Johnson.
By Domhnall de Barra
It hasn’t been a great week for two people who have held high office despite the fact that both of them were totally unsuited to the job. They both are, to say the least, very economical with the truth, out of touch with reality as everyone else knows it and have thrown common decency out of the window. They have huge egos and think they are above the rest of us normal beings and are exempt from the laws of the land. They have succeeded in creating divisions in politics and have adherents who will not hear a bad word said about them and will continue to support them no matter how much wrong they do. They are of course the two men with the most ridiculous hairstyles, or lack of same, on the planet, Donald Trump and Boris Johnson. How anyone can ever believe a word that comes out of Donald Trump’s mouth baffles me. He has lied and continues to do so, about the election results and the presidency being “stolen” from him despite the fact that court after court have found to the contrary. He is now in court himself for the second time but he does not appear to accept the legitimacy of the judiciary who are supposed to dispense justice without fear or favour. He casts aspersions on judges and it is all, according to him, a witch hunt created by Joe Biden to prevent him running in the next presidential election. He should never have been elected in the first place and it is a sad indictment of the American political system that he was. There is something wrong with a system where Hillary Clinton got 3,000,000 more votes from the people of the US than Donald Trump but still lost the election. That is a matter for another time. He had no background in politics, a poor grasp of language and no great plans except to build a wall on the Mexican border. This latest court case could, however, means the end of the road for him. The charges against him, regarding the keeping of secret state papers in his home after he was defeated, are very serious and carry heavy penalties, including a lengthy jail sentence if he is found guilty. The case against him seems to be watertight even though he claims he is innocent like he is of all other allegations of misconduct against him. He is right, everyone else is wrong. With any bit of luck he will soon be out of the picture.
Boris Johnson has more in common than the colour of his hair with Donald Trump. He does not accept that he has ever done something wrong and believes that he is the only one capable of being Prime Minister. It was plain to all of us that he was telling “porkies” about the parties at Downing Street that did not obey the lockdown rules during the Covid pandemic. Now, a select committee of the House of Commons have published a report that basically calls him a liar and says he deliberately misled Parliament. When he got wind of this he jumped before he was pushed but this is not the first time he has told lies. He led the Brexit campaign and told the British public that the health service would benefit to the tune of 3.5 Billion if Europe was ditched. He also said Britain would “prosper mightily” from new trading partners. All this has been shown to be false and even some hard brexiters are now beginning to realize that Brexit has been a disaster which has left the country in a very bad state indeed. Johnson, by resigning, has avoided the humiliation of being suspended for 90 days which would have triggered a bi-election. Though his political career seems to be over he will continue to be a thorn in The Government’s side by writing a weekly column where he will have free reign to attack his political enemies, as he sees them. Both Trump and Johnson will continue to play the martyr and though their loyal supporters will continue to support them, the general public will gradually turn away from them. Their legacy to the world of politics is not a good one, something we hope will not be repeated in the future.
https://www.athea.ie/category/news/
=======================
Reflect
The Presbytery, Abbeydorney. (066 7135146; 087 6807197)
abbeydorney@dioceseofkerry.ie
18th June, 2023. 11th Sunday in Ordinary Time.
On 21st April 2023, in St. Patrick’s Cathedral, Armagh, Archbishop Eamon
Martin celebrated the 10th anniversary of his episcopal ordination. The
word ‘episcopal’ has its roots, as have many of our English words, in the
Latin language, with the word ‘episcopus’ being the Latin for bishop. In the
June issue of Intercom magazine, the editor, Fr. Paul Clayton-Lea (PCL),
himself a priest of Armagh Diocese, interviews Archbishop Martin. Inside
this ‘Dear Parishioner’, you have a chance to see three of the questions put
to and answered by Archbishop Martin. Two of the questions that Fr.
Clayton-Lea asked were on topic of the ‘Synodal Pathway’ and the chal-
lenges facing both communities in Northern Ireland ‘to achieve the conflict
transformation envisioned by the Good Friday Agreement.’ A further
three questions included the topic of ‘Training lay catechists’ (religion
teachers, outside of schools) as a hopeful way forward for evangelisation
and Archbishop Martin’s assessment of the current situation regarding the
liturgy in Ireland. (Liturgy is the word we use to describe the public worship
of the Church, weekend and daily Masses, funerals and weddings and other
church gatherings.)
The third of those questions was phrased as follows: Would you share with
Intercom readers some of your own spiritual insights that guide you as
bishop and pastor? Part of Archbishop Martin’s answer to that question
was: “During the Easter season, I read over and over again that beautiful
passage about the two disciples on the road to Emmaus. Jesus was walk-
ing with them; he was accompanying them all the time, but they did not
recognise him. For me, as an individual believer, and also as a priest and a
bishop, I find great comfort in knowing that Christ walks beside me every
moment of every day, as St. Patrick might have put it – ‘Christ on my right,
Christ on my left.’” Careful readers of ‘Dear Parishioner’ might have no-
ticed that the interview with Archbishop Eamon Martin is the third arch-
bishop of Armagh to be featured in the space of six weeks. He differs
from the other two because he is alive but also because he is not a cardi-
nal. Very often a diocese, like Armagh, whose archbishop is traditionally a
cardinal. does not have a Cardinal as Archbishop, if his predecessor is still
alive. The last archbishop of Armagh, Cardinal Sean Brady is alive and well.
(Fr. Denis O’Mahony)
---------------------------
Intercom Interviews: Archbishop Eamon Martin Reflects
PCL: Pope Francis recently spoke of the Church as being a place where the
world’s wounded should find a home. Throughout your years of episcopal
ministry and responsibility you have personally met with people wounded
and permanently scarred by abuse within the Church. You have clearly
been moved and motivated to action by these encounters. Is there more
we can and should do as a Church to help heal the wounds of abuse
survivors?
+EM: One of the many challenging, humbling, and rewarding experiences
of my 10 years, as a bishop has been to meet with so many survivors of
abuse, and to hear first-hand about how they were hurt and violated, and
how their young lives were turned into a nightmare by people who
betrayed a sacred trust. I have learned about how abuse devastates self-
confidence, relationships, family and well-being. Abuse breaks both
heart and spirit and the Church failed survivors on too many occasions by
not listening, not understanding, and not doing what is right and just.
Survivors want to know the truth and for the Church to say sorry. They
rightly demand complete transparency and prompt co-operation with
police and statutory authorities. They expect us to maintain the most
robust efforts and standards for the protection of children. They want us
to continue to fflly involve lay women and men in deciding and over-seeing
best practice, and to keep independently auditing our progress so that we
never become complacent. They want justice and accountability. On a
positive note, many survivors have told me how much they have
appreciated the counselling and support services offered by ‘Towards
Healing’ and others who have personally and pastorally reached out to
them. We should never forget that abuse survivors are members of the
Body of Christ who deserve to be believed, loved and cherished – not
isolated or seen as a threat. I know that nothing I say can undo the terrible
wrong they have endured. Still, we must all commit to doing all that we
can to ensure that Church activities are as safe as possible for children
and vulnerable people.
PCL: During the visit of the U.S. President Joe Biden in April much media
commentary focused on the way Ireland had changed since the president’s
ancestors left the country for the U.S two centuries ago. In your ‘view’ is
Ireland indeed another country now in spiritual and religious terms? Can
traditional values co-exist with values of the ‘new Ireland’ which seems to
be so much at odds with and even intolerant of Church teaching in the area
of right to life and human sexuality and relationships?
+EM: There is absolutely no doubt that Ireland has changed - changed
utterly indeed. The relationship between Church and state bears little or
no resemblance to the early decades after the foundation of the state. I
sometimes wonder, however, if we could have a more mature
relationship which would recognise that faith has a legitimate role in
public discourse. There is a tendency nowadays to almost eliminate the
voices of people who hold sincere religious beliefs about many matters in
the public square. Faith is not simply a private affair. It entails a social
duty because it presents a vision of the dignity and vocation of the human
person which is linked to the common good. People of faith will want to
speak into public discourse about, for example, the sacredness of human
life and the dignity of the person, the centrality of the family, the need for
solidarity and a fair distribution of goods in the world and the care of the
earth, our common home. Our vision is of a society marked by a culture of
peace, justice and care for all, especially the most vulnerable, but as the
late Pope Benedict said, the Church ‘cannot and must not replace the
state’. The Church recognises the reality of secularisation and supports the
rightful ‘….autonomy of earthly affairs…’ but we see this as being very
different from ‘secularism’, which, at times, quite aggressively seeks to
exclude altogether the voice of faith and religion from the public square. I
think we still have a lot to do in Ireland, both north and south in finding a
constructive voice for faith, and for the churches in supporting the
common good alongside our public representatives.
PCL: This year until next April has been dedicated as a year to pray for and
promote vocations to the diocesan priesthood. Bishop Alphonsus Cullinan
described the call to priesthood as a ‘counter-cultural and courageous
decision’ and that future priests need support in order to discern a
vocation. Have you any particular thoughts on how families, schools and
parishes could be more supportive and encouraging of vocations? What
might you say to someone wondering if God is calling them?
+EM: I think it’s really important over the coming year if our priests share
their own personal vocation stories with their congregations and with
young people in schools, because it’s the real life experiences of vocation
that speak to both young and older. It’s important for young people today
to realise that God calls you, just as you are, and God gives you all the
graces you need to answer his call. I also think it’s important to present a
call from God nowadays as something challenging and exciting but
something achievable with the support of family, friends and parishioners.
I am sad when I hear a brother priest saying he would never encourage a
young person to be a priest nowadays. Yes, there are challenges facing our
Church. Yes, priesthood no longer has the kind of status that it once had in
Ireland. but we priests hold a treasure, in earthen vessels, and that
treasure is Christ, the Lord. The prevalence of despair, the lack of hope
and purpose, and the awful scourge of nihilism and relativism which is
leading to many of our young people to taking their own lives shows us
that there is perhaps a greater need than ever to explain our reasons for
living, our reasons for hoping. The life of a priest can be challenging of
course, but it is a great way to serve God, to serve others, and to try to
make this troubled world into a better place. I believe that young people
will respond if we encourage them to listen to the voice of the spirit in their
hearts. Remember it is God who calls. We simply facilitate that call; we
nourish the little flame of vocation that might be kindling in someone’s
heart; we then support them and accompany them as they discern their
response and, later, we try to sustain their vocation by our prayers and
encouragement.
Seeing Your Life Through The Lens of The Gospel
John Byrne OSA (Intercom June 2023)
1.Jesus allowed himself to be touched by the needs of the crowd.
When you are with people, what difference does it make to the way you
relate to them when you have empathy with them?
2. The commission Jesus gave the twelve ‘to cure all kinds of diseases and
sickness’ is a reminder to us that we all have the capacity to be an influence
for good in the lives of others. In this we continue the mission of Jesus.
When have you experienced yourself as having a healing or life-giving influ-
ence on another person? Who has had that influence on you?
3. At a first glance it might seem that Jesus made some bad choices in his
twelve apostles. One will deny Jesus, another will betray him and others
are only interested in who will be first. All of them will run away in the
end.
This reminds us that all kinds can share in the mission of Jesus,
no matter how we see ourselves.
4. The instructions Jesus gave the disciples before he sent them out have a
note of urgency about them. What difference does it make for you when
you approach a task with a sense of urgency ?
=============================
Good news alert! 6 positive things that happened this week
To make you smile, laugh and feel hopeful...
Updated: 09 June 2023
==========================
By Jude Atemanke
Kinshasa, 22 May, 2023 / 8:48 pm (ACI Africa).
Catholic Bishops of the Ecclesiastical Province of Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) have urged those behind persistent clashes between members of the Yaka and Teke communities in Kwamouth territory to save the Metropolitan See from bloodshed.
In their collective statement issued Sunday, May 21 following their latest Provincial Episcopal Assembly of Kinshasa (ASSEPKIN), the Catholic Bishops urge relevant authorities to “act responsibly to protect” the population.
“Paraphrasing Pope Francis, we say loud and clear to the conscience of those who are truly responsible for these conflicts and massacres: Take your bloodstained hands off our Province,” members of ASSEPKIN say.
==========================
Saint Rita's life is a testament to her deep faith, as she endured numerous trials and hardships. Her unwavering faith and devotion have inspired many people around the world to turn to her intercession and guidance in times of difficulty.
Here are eight things to know and share about the life of Saint Rita of Cascia:
Caroline Perkins, ChurchPOP
1) Married at a young age and had twin boys.
Her prayers did not prevent her husband's death due to political turmoil. Her sons almost followed in his footsteps but were saved!
2) Entered a convent after her husband's death.
She was accepted into the Augustinian Order of nuns in Cascia, Italy.
Saint Rita
Caroline Perkins, ChurchPOP
3) Often depicted with a wound on her forehead
…which represents a thorn from Christ’s crown. She received this wound during one of many mystical experiences.
4) Known as a peacemaker
…and persuaded her husband to reconcile with his many enemies before his death.
Caroline Perkins, ChurchPOP
5) Shortly after she died in 1457, her body was found to be incorruptible
…meaning it did not decay as expected!
6) She is buried at the Basilica of St. Rita in Cascia, Italy.
There you can find several relics related to her life, including her wedding ring. It is said she miraculously removed it from her finger before entering the convent.
Caroline Perkins, ChurchPOP
7) Canonized by Pope Leo XIII in 1900
St. Rita, pray for us!
8) Patron saint of desperate situations and impossible causes
…as well as a saint for feuding families, healing, and mothers.
=============================
Reflection
Katya Fitzpatrick Blogs
May 3, 2023
Having a loved one who doesn’t believe in God is soul-crushing. Not to be able to share the joy of the Mass with that person or to share anything about the Faith, for that matter, can be incredibly lonely and can bring a person to the brink of despair.
Take heart, though, and never give up praying for your loved one because “for God, all things are possible” (Matthew 19:26).
The incredible story of Félix and Élisabeth Leseur is a great testament to the power of sacrificial love and Divine Providence.
The young French couple were madly in love when they married on July 31, 1889. Both Félix and Élisabeth came from Catholic homes, but Félix had renounced his faith while in medical school — a confession he made to his bride just before taking their vows. Élisabeth loved Félix so much that she resolved to bring him back to Christ. Félix adored Élisabeth and promised himself to free her from her “religious superstitions.”
The Leseurs were intelligent, successful and well-connected. They shared a passion for travel, art and literature. They faced hardships, including infertility and Élisabeth’s chronic illness. Unbeknownst to Félix, though, more painful than her illness was Élisabeth’s spiritual isolation.
She lived a private interior life of prayer and mortification, constantly offering up her sufferings for the conversion of “souls,” especially for her husband’s:
=========================================
Reflect
The Presbytery, Abbeydorney. (066 7135146; 087 6807197)
abbeydorney@dioceseofkerry.ie
Sunday 23rd March 2023, 3rd Sunday of Easter.
Dear Parishioner,
When I saw the rather lengthy headline, ‘So many of us
are now just ‘cultural Catholics’ - are we poorer for the loss of religious
belief?, I recalled that recently, I had taken some material from columnist
with the Farming Independent, Jim O’Brien. It was three months ago, after
the death of West Kerry man, Seamus Begley, that he had written about
the musician’s connection with ‘land and lore.’ In his recent article, he told
readers that novelist, Graham Greene, described himself as a cultural
Catholic, as distinct from one who believed and practised. The journalist
went on to explain what is understood by the term ‘cultural Catholic’.
“These are people who are baptised, went to a school with a Catholic ethos,
were confirmed, possibly got married in a Catholic ceremony but, aside
from attending weddings and funerals, they will rarely have interaction
with the formal side of the religion they were born into.” O’Brien recalls his
youth when “people used to say religion in Europe was in ‘an appalling’
state, whereas in Ireland, not only was weekly attendance at church huge,
there was active engagement at missions, novenas, pilgrimages etc., while
organisations like the Legion of Mary boasted thousands of members from
every age group.”
“All that changed rapidly. All you have to do is to go to a wedding, these
days, and you quickly realise that the generation of people, currently in the
cockpit of society, are unaccustomed to being in church buildings. The
silence when it comes to congregational responses speaks volumes.
(Some readers may think that I stuck that sentence into Jim O’Brien’s
article!) “
The author of the article goes on to reflect that, despite the great change,
he has noticed that “other aspects of the culture have remained strong, as
evidenced in the widespread involvement in Gaelic games and traditional
music. In the same way, cultural Christianity continues to have an impact
on the society. There is plenty of evidence that the altruism associated with
Christian morality is alive and well across the generations. Irish people still
contribute generously to disaster aid and development aid across the globe.
Closer to home, there continues to be huge community solidarity for
families at the time of bereavement and loss, so the residue of belief
continues to be seen in the way we act in the world.” (Fr. Denis O’Mahony)
-------------------------------------------
Jesus Replied To The Good Thief, (Africa, April 2023)
‘This Day You Will Be With Me In Paradise.’ Luke 24:43
Seven priests from the Diocese of Minna in Northern Nigeria, who are now
working in Ireland, recently celebrated Mass and the Sacrament of the Sick
with Fr. Bill Greene SPS. He worked in MInna from 1969 to 2013. Fr. Bill is
seriously ill and they spoke with him about his sickness at this critical
moment in his life.
Q. Fr. Bill when did you discover you had oesophageal cancer?
Fr. Bill: About two and a half years ago. The cancer has spread to both
lungs now.
Q. What was your reaction?
Fr. Bill: Well in the beginning, I couldn’t swallow any food and I thought
that an earlier gastroscopy tube was the cause. When the oesophageal
surgeon saw me after having a barium swallow he just said, ‘You have
cancer.’ I shed a few tears at home, knowing that death was a pretty sure
possibility. However, radiotherapy and chemotherapy gave me hope until I
got pneumonia. The big shock was when the oncologist told me
unequivocally that the cancer was terminal and spreading. I couldn’t
believe it. The love and support of family and friends was vital. The Lord
was asking me to look at the priorities in my life. God’s love and mercy and
my own sinfulness dominated my thinking. I often say the prayer of St.
Peter ‘Lord be merciful to me for I am a sinful man.’ Cancer teaches one to
be humble and to accept God’s will, as we pray for others.
Q. You mentioned suffering. How does one cope with suffering?
Fr. Bill: I firmly believe in the promise of Jesus “I will be with you always.”
Christ learned obedience through suffering. Jesus did not suppress
suffering and neither did he abolish it. I try to unite my suffering with that
of Christ on Calvary and every person walks with their own cross to Calvary.
Motivation is always important in life threatening situations. The promise
of Jesus: “I am the resurrection and the life he who lives and believes in me
will never die” (John 11:26) is a wonderful sign of his compassion. Through
God’s help and Mother Mary’s, I was enabled to face the challenge of
letting go and abandoning myself into God’s merciful arms. The only
things I can bring to heaven, when I die, are the things I have given away.
My pastoral ministry is celebrating the community Eucharist and praying
with people who join with me over the phone while I’m lying down on my
bed. My friends are great to pray and I value their thoughtfulness and
spirituality, when I think of the suffering and hunger of the people of
Nigeria where I worked. I just say thank you God, we are blessed in
Ireland.
Q. is it true to say that love and mercy are the essence of the gospels for
you?
Fr. Bill: Without God’s mercy, love and prayer, I am nothing: he’s my best
friend and I’ve mediated on his word for the past 54 years. He chose me to
be his Kiltegan missionary priest when I was ordained on 6th April 1969.
‘The Lord is slow to anger full of compassion abounding in love and rich in
mercy’. Psalm 144. I thank God for all his love and mercy and for
protecting me from my own foolishness. God, for me, is the
compassionate one, the merciful one. As long as God is living in me and
I’m with God I’m happy. ‘Do not be afraid I am with you, I have called you
by name you are mine.’ Isaiah 43:2. My heart is full of gratitude for all
God’s blessings.
Q. Do you believe that missionary priests and sisters are precious in God’s
eyes?
Fr. Bill: They are special in leaving their own homes and family and those
they love for Christ’s sake and the kingdom. My mission was Christ’s
mission: the Lord chose me and sent me to Nigeria. ‘The spirit of the Lord
has been given to me, for he has anointed me, he has sent me to bring the
good news to the poor, to proclaim liberty to captives.’ Luke 4:18. I believe
the future for the Irish missionary church is in the hands of well instructed
lay people. We missionaries are always very grateful to our benefactors.
Q. Do you miss Nigeria?
Fr. Bill: Yes of course I do, coming and going there for 44 years. The poor
in Nigeria taught me how to share and how to love. The spirit of hospitality
was a dominant feature of all community and church festivals. Nigerians
are a celebratory people: joyful singing with samba beat. I miss the parish
laity councils who organised the harvest celebrations, the church building
projects, and the care of the old and the sick.
Q. Time is getting short Father. Are you read to meet your God in
heaven?
Fr. Bill: I wasn’t sure I’d be around to celebrate Christmas or New Year. I’m
in God’s hands. One can never be fully ready to meet God. He knows who
I am and all about me. I’m very hopeful because he is the merciful one.
At the same time, I’m a little anxious but confident that the gifts of the
Spirit, love, joy and peace will fill my heart when God calls. My sure hope is
God’s abiding love for me and our Blessed Mother’s care. ‘My little one,
am I not with you?’ Into your hands Lord I commend my spirit.’ Luke
23:46.
Seeing Your Life Through The Lens of The Gospel
John Byrne OSA (Intercom, April 2023)
1.Jesus joined the despondent disciples and listened to them. ‘We had
hoped...’.... When you have been upset or disappointed, who has joined
you along the road?
To whom have you been able to pour out your heart? Who was a ‘Jesus
person’ to you, listening to you in respectful silence? To whom have you
been a Jesus person?
2. Jesus then helps them to see things in another light by opening the
scriptures to them. When did you have the experience of finding your heart
‘burning within you’ with new hope for the future?
Who/what helped you to change after a setback?
3. The disciples invite Jesus to join them at table – there follows a
recognition of who he is. We meet many people on the road of life.
Usually, we meet and pass on. Occasionally, we meet someone whom we
invite into our homes, into our hearts, in a deeper way. In what way in
such relationships have you experienced the presence of God or of Jesus?
4. After Jesus had gone, the disciples went to bring the good news to
others. When have you met others who told you what happened to them
along their road? What effect did this sharing have on you? When have you
done this with others? When was such conversation ‘good news’ for you or
others?
Thought for the Day
The four speeds of prayer are slow, slower, pause and reverse.
God promises believers a safe landing but not a smooth passage. Jesus
does not just call believers. He calls disciples who will follow him through
suffering love to the cross. Prayer is more about trust and hope than
about arranging the world to suit me. I cannot work miracles, but, by
active loving, I can work healing all the time. It is always a mistake to do
nothing because I can do just a little. Before you sleep, name one thing for
which you are grateful that day. (Des O’Donnell OMI, Intercom April 2023)
A few thoughts about Jim O’Brien’s article on front of ‘Dear Parishioner’.
You might find yourself saying that ‘prayer gatherings of different kinds’
(e.g. (Padre Pio night in Castleisland) still have good attendances. While I
might not disagree strongly with him about those who attend weddings, I
feel that, even in the ‘answering congregation,’ most people are hesitant
about responding in a way that could be heard by others a few seats away
(D O’M)
-----------------------------
A NOTE FROM FR. JIM Lenihan ......
In recent years as a priest I’ve become quite concerned and worried about the
fact that as I am getting older and (due to the rapid drop in priests numbers in
the diocese) work is increasing. During the week I was reflecting on John’s Gospel
chapter 6: verses 1-15 where the disciples like myself made the mistake of looking
at the little they had (two little fish and five burger buns) in the face of five
thousand hungry mouths and feared that they didn’t have enough. Our strength
isn’t equal to the task before us. We face a situation that drains the hope right
out of us. What could we possibly offer Jesus except our disappointment over the
meagre amount in our hands? But Jesus welcomes even that. As He did with the
five loaves and two fish, He will take what is not enough and make it enough. The
important thing is for us to come to Jesus and offer Him what we have. Even if
it’s a broken heart, even if it’s the first stirrings of remorse after we sin, even if
it’s the tiniest expression of gratitude, He is pleased to accept what we give Him
once we trust that He can transform any situation in our lives. So often we gaze
upon the problems of our lives and glance at Jesus. Let us gaze upon Jesus and
glance at our problems.
-------------------------------------
The Good Shepherd
In Jesus’ time, being a shepherd was not a pleasant job. Sheep became easily lost and the shepherd’s job was to guide them back to safety. There were many dangers and the sheep were totally dependent on the shepherd. Shepherds would round up their sheep in the evening and guide them into their pen. But it had no gate, so the shepherd would lie across the space in case the sheep were attacked at night. The shepherds literally lay down their lives for their flock. John compares the sacrifice of the shepherd to the ‘hired hand’ who is not really committed to the flock. He does what he has to but flees at the first sign of trouble.
This Good Shepherd Sunday the Gospel describes Jesus as the ‘genuine’ Shepherd who wants a personal relationship with each one of us and who would lay down his life for us. The Gospel emphasises the importance of relationship as the shepherd knows his flock and cares for them. They ‘follow Him’ and it is not a Facebook or Twitter type of following, rather it is a genuine relationship. Everyone matters to the Good Shepherd, regardless of their situations. We are told ‘I know my own and my own know me’. We are called today to follow Jesus in a more personal more intimate way. Even when we stray off the path and get lost, it is then especially that the Good Shepherd comes looking for us.
-------------------------------------------------
Grace and Humility
Peter encourages Christians to deal with each other in a posture of great humility. Examine your conscience to see who you fail to interact with humility.
======================
“So we went over to the room, and someone had recommended the song by CeCe Winans Believe for It. And we went ahead, and we played that, and we are kind of listening, drifting off into a deep, deep prayer with Christ, just asking him to hold me and hold Mary. During this time, I had this vision of Mary in this little, tiny crib to operate. The cardiac surgeon was at the foot of her bed, and I saw Christ come down: Jesus came down, and he laid a hand over the surgeon’s hand that was over Mary’s Heart …”
And it was when this vision ended that the doctor came back into the room with the most amazing news. “He said, ‘She’s doing beautifully. Surviving, this baby is gonna do just fine,’” Bauer said, crying happy tears, adding, “I just knew, I knew no matter how many ups and downs we had in the hospital, that she was coming home with us. And really just so grateful for what he had done for us. And now, I look back and say, ‘Wow, you know, look how far she has come. She’s just beautiful.’”
A year later, Mary Elizabeth is now 18 months old, bubbly and brimming with a grace and happiness that the entire family of nine feels. The Bauers are convinced that the Divine Physician was at work, protecting their baby and healing her, along with the whole family. In those moments, they knew that his will was greater than theirs.
==============================
A NOTE FROM FR. JIM Lenihan......
A number of years ago I had a religious debate with an atheist friend of mine
from home. He sincerely felt pity for me for wasting my life in giving up marriage
and family life for something that didn’t exist. I can remember saying to him at
the time that I see it this way. If I’m wrong and you’re right I’d still prefer to be
where I am. Because even though I’ve wrongly followed a belief that is not true
and also realise that there’s no life here after, well at least my firm belief helped
me greatly to hope and persevere for a better future during the awful dark days
of my life especially the sickness and death of my loved ones. Something I told
him that without faith one is simply deprived. And if I’m right and he’s wrong well
it’s a real lose lose for him again. He neither experienced the great blessing of
peace and joy which comes from faith but also he will have to stand before a God
he didn’t get to know!! (Which could be problematic).
We’ve all struggled with faith. We’ve all doubted. For me one of my greatest
doubts came over me when studying for the priesthood. When we in philosophy
proved five ways that God doesn’t exist and we then proved the five ways that
God had to exist. In the heal of the hunt I lost my lovely childish faith given to me
by my parents. When in my struggle the Lord spoke to me within and asked me why
did all those frightened disciples huddled in the upper room, suddenly become
fearless leaders, who were willing to leave their homes to travel to foreign lands
to die for the risen Christ. All except John went
to their death for Jesus proclaiming ‘Christ is
Risen alleluia!!’ They all couldn’t have been mad. No
they truly experienced the living God. And
amazingly that’s exactly what our Bible professor
said the following day. Confirmation for me that
Jesus Christ is alive!!! He has Risen!! Wishing
everyone every blessing this Easter and thanks so
much for your kindness and support. Fr. Jim
---------------------
Reflect
Seeing God's Strength
Even amidst human frailty, the Church stands strong. With Christ as the head and the Holy Spirit as the guide, we can have faith in the Lord and his plan for the Church.
Following Christ
As the Church enters into Holy Week, take some time to reflect on the Paschal Mystery. Dedicate time this week to walking with Christ in his Passion through the Mass and readings.
Fighting Sin
Judas acts as an example of false piety. Consider how you can authentically love Christ and the poor more by rejecting the greed and pride of Judas.
Seeing Your Weaknesses
Believing in other people's weaknesses and seeing their faults is often easier than seeing your own. Like Peter, it is tempting to think that others will betray Christ, but not you. Reflect on your blind spot and how the Lord challenges you to see your weaknesses more clearly.
=======================================
Reflect
336 million abortions under China's one-child policy
More than half a billion birth control procedures, including at least 336 million abortions, have been performed in the name of the one-child policy, China's Health ministry revealed yesterday.
By Malcolm Moore 15 March 2013 • 5:20pm
336 million abortions under China's one-child policy
The incoming Chinese leadership has already moved to dismantle the Family Planning Commission
The figure illustrates the enormous impact that the one-child policy has had on China in the four decades since it began.
Official statistics showed that in addition to the terminations, Chinese doctors have sterilised 196 million men and women since 1971.
-------------------------------------------
On the road to healing & forgiveness
Social Justice- Choosing a Community- Religious Life- Blog Published: March 16, 2023
By Sister Lynn Caton, CSJ
----------------------------------
Dignity and Respect
The Lord desires to heal and bind your wounds. With that, he also calls you to understand the woundedness of others and treat them with dignity and respect. By approaching the Lord and all people with humility, you can truly honor and esteem them.
-------------------------------
From atheist and occultist to defender of the Catholic faith: the Virgin Mary changed his life!
In YouTube interview with Father Byron Cadmen’s “A Millennial Priest,” Toro told his conversion story, leaving a positive message for all those who are far from God.
During a more than hour-long conversation with Father Byron, Toro narrated important aspects of his life, such as a childhood marked by bullying, an adolescence that led him to rebellions and fights, and a youth that found him militant in atheism.
After a long period of studying leading atheist philosophers, he found interest in the occult. Thus, it was already difficult for him to accept that the world was reduced only to the material. However, his interest did not turn precisely to God, but to witchcraft.
He turned to occult practices, dabbled in magic, casted spells. Amid that confusion, however, he discovered love. This was his first step towards God.
https://www.churchpop.com/2023/03/20/from-atheist-occultist-to-defender-of-catholicism-how-our-lady-changed-his-life/?utm_campaign=ChurchPop&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=251071339&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-9AY1eyR73FucrqOKooXN5VGe00tMV-5ocTZafg7UBLCyuuD1sdfpu2pKl38zoQCPjmUTrjmsAGFfxdUoMh1nh5_z0NgQ&utm_content=251071339&utm_source=hs_email
==============================
Mental Health; In the past decade, there have been extensive efforts in the Western world to raise public awareness about mental health problems, with the goal of reducing or preventing these symptoms across the population. Despite these efforts, reported rates of mental health problems have increased in these countries over the same period. In this paper, we present the hypothesis that, paradoxically, awareness efforts are contributing to this reported increase in mental health problems. We term this the prevalence inflation hypothesis. First, we argue that mental health awareness efforts are leading to more accurate reporting of previously under-recognised symptoms, a beneficial outcome. Second, and more problematically, we propose that awareness efforts are leading some individuals to interpret and report milder forms of distress as mental health problems. We propose that this then leads some individuals to experience a genuine increase in symptoms, because labelling distress as a mental health problem can affect an individual's self-concept and behaviour in a way that is ultimately self-fulfilling
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0732118X2300003X?utm_medium=email
========================
Jury; One of the duties of being a citizen in the United States is serving on juries when summoned. Yes, jury duty is annoying, inconvenient, and often incredibly boring, but it’s a vital part of our justice system.
I’ve had the opportunity to do jury duty here in Oklahoma. I never got selected to work a trial, so it was pretty dull and uneventful.
Every state has different protocols on how jury duty works, but they all pretty much follow the same general guidelines. To give American readers the lowdown on how to fulfill your civic duty, I’ll go over some things to know the next time you’re called to serve.
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The Presbytery, Abbeydorney (066 7135146; 087 6807197)
abbeydorney@dioceseofkerry.ie
5th February 2023, 5th Sunday in Ordinary Time.
Dear Parishioner,
Page 24 of the Irish Catholic newspaper (26.1.2023) has a
large heading – World News. About one quarter of the page has an article
and a photograph of a man, Adam Smith-Connor, standing and praying.
The heading above the article is ‘Second person ensnared by UK ban on
prayer outside abortion clinics’. The article says, Mr Smith-Connor had
approached an abortion facility in Bournemouth, in south-west England.
He intended to pray for his unborn son, who had died in an abortion he
helped procure at a similar facility more than two decades ago. He stood
silently with his back to the clinic to respect the privacy of staff and visitors,
according to Alliance Defending Freedom UK. Safety officers asked him
what he was doing and he replied: “Praying for my son, who is deceased”.
His November 24th, 2022, encounter with the officers was recorded on his
phone. “I’m sorry for your loss” one officer replied, “but I have to go along
with the guidelines of the Public Space Protection Order, to say that we
believe you are in breach of clause 4a, which says about prayer, and also
acts of disapproval.........” “I am just standing praying” Mr. Smith-O’Connor
said. “I do understand that but the protection order is in place for a
reason and we have to follow through on those regulations”, the officer
replied.
The Pro-Life Movement’s Newsletter of 3rd February 2022 has a number of
items related to protest etc. One article has the heading ‘HSE fails to
provide a shred of evidence that pro-life protests involve harassment’. The
article says, ‘For the past three years, pro-abortion members of the
Oireachtas have been making wild and unfounded claims that pro-life
volunteers are consistently engaging in an abusive and harassing
behaviour outside abortion facilities. The claims are made on an almost
weekly basis and are amplified by the media coverage each new story
receives.......’ Later, in the article, we read, ‘On close inspection of a list of
21 events that had taken place since January 2019, in the vicinity of
abortion centres, produced by the HSE, there is not a shred of evidence that
the events listed were abusive or harassing in any way.’ The writer of the
article states, ‘The goal of certain politicians is to get legislation passed that
singles out pro-life volunteers and criminalises them and facts are not going
to be allowed stand in the way.’
(Fr. Denis O’Mahony)
--------------------------------
As the Master Desires (Intercom February 2023)
Madre Moretta - Patron Saint of Human Trafficking Survivors
International Day of Prayer and Awareness against Human Trafficking – 8th
February marks the feastday of Josephine Margaret Bakhita, FDCC
(ca.1869-8th February 1947), a Sudanese-Italian Canossian religious sister,
who lived in Italy for 45 years, after having been a slave in Sudan. In 2000,
she was declared a saint, the first black woman to receive the honour in
the modern era. She was born around 1869 in Darfur (now in western
Sudan) in the village of Olgossa, west of Nyala and close to Mount Agilerei.
She was one of the Daju people; her respected and reasonably prosperous
father was brother of the village chief. She was surrounded by a loving
family of three brothers and three sisters, as she says in her autobiography:
‘I lived a very happy and carefree life, without knowing what suffering was.’
When she was 7-8 years old, she was seized by an Arab slave trader, who
had abducted her elder sister two years earlier. She was forced to walk
barefoot about 960 kilometres (600 Miles) to El-Obeid and was sold and
bought twice before she arrived there. Over the course of twelve years
(1877-1899) she was sold three more times and then she was finally given
her freedom. She once said that the most terrifying of all her memories
there was, when she (along with other slaves) was marked by a process
resembling both scarification and tattooing, which was a traditional
practice throughout Sudan. As her mistress was watching her with a whip
in her hand, a dish of white flour, a dish of salt and a razor were brought
by a woman. She used the flour to draw patterns on her skin and then she
cut deeply along the lines before filling the wounds with salt to ensure
permanent scarring. A total of 114 intricate patterns were cut into her
breasts, belly and right arm.
On 29th November 1889, an Italian court ruled that because the British had
outlawed slavery in Sudan before Bakhita’s birth and because Italian law
had never recognised slavery as legal, Bakhita had never legally been a
slave. For the first time in her life, Bakhita found herself in control of her
own destiny. On 9th January 1890, Bakhita was baptised with the names of
‘Josephine Margaret’ and ‘Fortunata’ (the Latin translation of the Arabic
Bakhita). On the same day, she was also confirmed and received Holy
Communion from Archbishop Giuseppe Sarto, the Cardinal Patriarch of
Venice and later Pope Pius X. On 7th December 1893, Josephine Bakhita
entered the novitiate of
the Canossian Sisters and on 8th December 1896, she took her vows,
welcomed by Cardinal Sarto. In 1902, she was assigned to the Canossian
convent at Schio, in the northern Italian province of Vicenza, where she
spent the rest of her life. Her only extended time away was between 1935
and 1939, when she stayed at the Missionary Novitiate in Vimercate
(Milan); mostly visiting other Canossian communities in Italy, talking about
her experiences and helping to prepare young sisters for work in Africa. A
strong missionary drive animated her throughout her entire life –‘her mind
was always on God, and her heart in Africa’.
During her 42 years in Schio, Bakhita was employed as a cook, sacristan
and portress (doorkeeper) and was in frequent contact with the local
community. Her gentleness, calming voice, and ever-present smile became
well known and Vicenzans still refer to her as Sor Moretta (‘little brown
sister’) or Madre Moretta (‘black mother’). Her special charisma and
reputation for sanctity were noticed by her order, the first publication of
her story (Storia Meravigliosa by Ida Zanolini) in 1931, made her famous
throughout Italy. During the second World War (1939-1945) she shared
the fears and hopes of the townspeople, who considered her a saint and
felt protected in her presence. Bombs did not spare Schio, but the war
passed without a single casualty. Her last years were marked by pain and
sickness. She used a wheelchair but she retained her cheerfulness, and if
asked how she was, she would always smile and answer: ‘As the Mater
desires.’ In the extremity of her last hours, her mind was driven back to
her youth in slavery and she cried out: ‘The chains are too tight, loosen
them a little please!’ she died at 8.10 p.m. on 8th February 1947. For
three days, her body lay in repose while thousands of people arrived to pay
their respects. Her remains were translated to the Church of the Holy
Family of the Canossian convent of Schio in 1869.
On 1st December 1978, Pope John Paul 11 declared Josephine
Venerable, the first step towards canonisation. On 17th May 1992, she was
declared Blessed and given 8th February as her feastday. On 1st October
2000, she was canonised as Saint Josephine Bakhita. She is venerated as a
modern African saint, and as a statement against the brutal history of
slavery. She has been adopted as the patron saint of modern Sudan and
human trafficking survivors. Caritas Bakhita House in London, which
provides accommodation and support for women escaping human
trafficking, is named in her honour. Josephine is the patron saint of Sudan,
South Sudan and human trafficking survivors.
Points to Ponder (Intercom February 2023)
In this Sunday’s Gospel passage, immediately after the Beatitudes, Jesus
says to his disciples: ‘You are the salt of the earth... You are the light of the
world’ (Mt 5:13-14). Who were these disciples? They were fishermen,
simple people... but Jesus sees them with God’s eyes, and his assertion can
be understood precisely as a result of the Beatitudes. He wishes to say: if
you are poor in spirit, if you are meek, if you are pure of heart, if you are
merciful... you will be the salt of the earth and the light of the world!
We who are baptised Christians are missionary disciples and we are
called to become a living Gospel in the world: with a holy life we will
‘flavour’ different environments and defend them from decay, as salt
does; and we will carry the light of Christ through the witness of genuine
charity. The Christian should be a luminous person; one who brings light,
who always gives off light! A light that is not his, but a gift from God, a gift
from Jesus. We carry this light. If a Christian extinguishes this light, his life
has no meaning: he is a Christian by name only, who does not carry light;
his life has no meaning. I would like to ask you now, how do you want to
live?
As a lamp that is burning or one that is not? Burning or not? How would
you like to live? It is truly God who gives us this light and we must give it to
others. Shining lamps! This is the Christian vocation.
Seeing your Life through the Lens of the Gospel.
1. Jesus uses the image of salt as something that makes food tasty. Without
salt food can be tasteless. Who are the people who give zest to your life
and make it enjoyable? For whom have you done this? When have you
been particularly aware of your potential in this regard?
2. The second image is that of light. Who have been the people who have
been a light for you, particularly in moments of darkness? For whom have
you been a light? Recall these experiences and give thanks.
3. The images of salt and light can also be applied to communities to which
we belong, a family, a parish, or other group. Thinking of the groups of
which you are a member, how can their potential be enhanced to enrich
the lives of members and offer them a guiding light? How can you make a
contribution to this? (John Byrne, Intercom February 2023)
=============================
THOUGHT: Never mix bad words with bad moods. Remember you will have many opportunities to change a bad mood, but you will never get the opportunity to replace the words that you spoke.
Living another day on this earth with people who care about you with all their heart is one of the best gifts that we receive from God.
REAL FRIENDS ARE FAMILY WITHOUT A BIRTH CERTIFICATE
LIFE IS SO SHORT
We spend so much time sweating the small stuff; worrying, complaining, gossiping, comparing, wishing, wanting and waiting for something bigger and better instead of focusing on all the simple blessings that surround us every-day. Life is so fragile and all it takes is a single moment to change everything you take for granted. Focus on what is important and be grateful! You are blessed! Believe it! Live your life and leave no regrets.
LAST WORD: Never forget that on any one day you can step out the front door and your whole life can change forever.
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THE LEGACY OF ‘THE FOUR CHAPLAINS’
Troop Ship’s Demise 80 Years Ago Sparked Story of Faith, Heroism
January 26, 2023
By Bill Miller
NEWARK — Eighty years ago, pandemonium seized the crew and passengers of the SS Dorchester when a German torpedo blew a hole in the troop ship as it carried 900 men and four U.S. Army chaplains.
The Dorchester, a former luxury coastal steamship, had launched on Jan. 23, 1943, from Pier 11 on Staten Island with civilian defense workers and service members, including soldiers, sailors, and merchant seamen — all destined for U.S. military bases in Greenland.
But a German U-boat attacked the Dorchester on Feb. 3, 1943, about 150 miles from the ship’s destination, forcing a chaotic evacuation.
Without hesitation, a priest — Father John Washington, a native of Newark — a rabbi, and two Protestant ministers gave up their lives by shedding their own life jackets so that other men might use them to survive.
Father Joe Mancini, pastor of St. Stephen’s Parish in Kearny, New Jersey, where Father Washington served before joining the Army, said it’s a story everyone should know.
“Here are these four guys who didn’t know each other until they got to chaplains school,” Father Mancini said. “And they became friends.”
That kind of interaction between people of different faiths was not that common in the 1940s.
Father John Washington
Father Washington, who was 34 years old when he died, was born in Newark. While serving at St. Stephen’s Parish, he was appreciated for his youth ministry, not just for the parish kids but for others in the surrounding neighborhood. He would invite any kid, Catholic or not, to a parish dance.
Rev. George Fox, 42, from Lewistown, Pennsylvania, was the oldest of the four chaplains.
Rev. George Fox
He became an itinerant Methodist minister who preached in the Midwest and along the East Coast. Unlike the other Dorchester chaplains, he’d already had combat experience, having served as a teen soldier in World War I.
As an ambulance driver, he rescued numerous wounded troops and earned the Distinguished Service Cross, the Silver Star, and the Purple Heart. He was married with a teenage son and daughter.
Rabbi Alexander Goode
Rabbi Alexander Goode, 31, was born in Brooklyn but raised in Washington, D.C.
As the Dorchester sank, he stopped a man from returning below deck because he’d forgotten his gloves.
The rabbi gave him his own gloves and assured him that he had another pair — even though he did not. He was married with a baby daughter.
Rev. Clark Poling
Rev. Clark Poling, 32, was a minister in the Reformed Church of America who came from Columbus, Ohio.
He, too, was married with a son and daughter, but the little girl was born three months after his death.
Each received a commission to the rank of first lieutenant.
The four clergymen met at a chaplain training program held at Harvard University. And despite theological distrust among denominations that was common in the U.S. at the time, they became friends.
Their friendship flourished aboard the Dorchester, where they forged a commitment to interfaith cooperation.
For example, during the voyage, Rabbi Goode wanted to hold Sabbath services in a room near the kitchen. But standing in his way was a cook conducting a craps game — that is until Rev. Poling intervened and convinced the cook to wait until after the service.
The chaplains all had remarkable singing voices, and they harmonized well together.
They performed at an impromptu talent show held to ease ship-wide tension as the Dorchester entered waters known for being patrolled by German U-boats.
The fears became reality shortly after midnight on Feb. 3 when a German submarine, the U-223, launched the torpedo that penetrated the Dorchester beneath the waterline.
Dozens died immediately from the blast, which knocked out the ship’s electrical system, killing the lights. Panicked survivors reached the deck after pushing through the darkness, smoke, and sudden rush of flooding seawater.
Up top, they found the “Four Chaplains,” as they are now famously known, handing out life jackets — until there were none.
“You have to imagine the chaos,” said Marcia McManus, director of the U.S. Army Chaplain Corps Museum at Fort Jackson, South Carolina, a modern-day training base for chaplains. “There was only one shot fired, and it took the Dorchester about 20 to 30 minutes to sink.
“They gave up their life jackets to four other soldiers, but, of course, in the North Atlantic, in February, if you didn’t have a life preserver, you weren’t going to survive.” Of the 904 men aboard the Dorchester, 674 died.
The SS Dorchester was a luxury coastal steamship before it was turned into a troop transport ship during World War II. Before the war, it was a popular mode of transportation between the ports along the East Coast, from Boston to Florida. (Photo: Wikimedia Commons)
Coast Guard cutters responded to the Dorchester’s call for help and found hundreds of men floating in the water with small beacon lights flashing from their life jackets. Some survivors later remarked that the red beacons, bobbing up and down, reminded them of Christmas lights.
Still, by the time the cutters arrived, most of the floating men had succumbed to hypothermia in the dangerously cold water.
Seconds before the Dorchester’s final plunge, survivors in lifeboats saw the Four Chaplains — arms linked and braced against the slanting deck, offering prayers and singing hymns.
They disappeared with the ship, never to be seen again.
They were not the only military chaplains to die at sea during World War II.
Four days later, another German torpedo sank the USS Henry R. Mallory, bound for Iceland, this time with five chaplains lost.
Yet, the Dorchester’s Four Chaplains became widely known for their interreligious service aboard the ship. Survivors’ eyewitness accounts of the chaplains going down with the ship, arm in arm, enthralled a nation that had been divided by staunch theological arguments.
“They really are the major story in the Army chaplain corps,” McManus said. “It’s the ultimate sacrifice. They gave up their lives and went down with the ship.”
St. Stephen’s Parish has a memorial Mass for the chaplains each year on the first weekend in February. This year it’s on Feb. 5 at the church.
Over the years, as many as 150 World War II-era veterans have attended the Mass, according to Father Mancini, but their numbers grow smaller each year.
Still, he noted, the parish’s Scout troop promotes and attends the Mass, which draws other Scouts from throughout the United States.
Father Mancini said it’s important for the parish to keep the story going.
“These chaplains did not have one particular moment when they said, ‘Hey, let’s be heroes.’ It was their way of life,” Father Mancini said. “It was their connections to their faith, their relationship with God, that really formed their character and their virtue.
“That’s what we need to be striving for — that holiness.
He added that it’s important to keep their heroism and faith front and center.
“We may never be in their situation,” he said, “but we don’t want to forget what they did.”
This painting depicts the final moments of four U.S. Army chaplains spread aboard the SS Dorchester, which sunk quickly following a torpedo strike in the North Atlantic during World War II. They had spread out among the soldiers, calming the frightened, tending the wounded, and guiding the disoriented toward safety. They also gave up their own lifejackets so that others might live. They did not. (Photo: U.S. Army)
Tags: 80th Anniversary of the sinking of the Dorchester, SS Dorchester, The Four Chaplains, U.S. Army, World War II
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The most important thing about each of us
is the capacity for goodness.
We can be a source of light.
We have hands that can care,
eyes that can see,
ears that can hear,
tongues that can speak,
feet that can walk
and above all hearts that can love.
Unfortunately, through laziness, selfishness
and cowardice, our light can be dimmed,
so that we become shadows of the people we could be.
Lord, help us to believe in our own goodness
and let the light of that goodness shine.
On seeing this light others find their way
and you will be glorified.
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St Brigid – Feast Day: 1st February. Saint Brigid is the Secondary Patron of Ireland
and is renowned for her hospitality, almsgiving and care of the sick. She was born c
454 AD in Faughart near Dundalk, Co Louth. When she was young her father wished
to make a very suitable marriage for her but she insisted in consecrating her virginity
to God. She received the veil and spiritual formation probably from Saint Mel and
stayed for a period under his direction in Ardagh. Others followed her example and
this led her to found a double monastery in Kildare with the assistance of Bishop
Conleth. The tradition is that when Brigid approached a local chieftain in Kildare
looking for a piece of land on which she would build a monastery he refused her.
She then asked him if he would give her as much land as her cloak covered. He had
no problem with this and more or less laughed at her as she placed her cloak on the
ground. However, miraculously, her cloak expanded to cover a huge area! The
chieftain was a man of his word and gave her this land – enough for a double
monastery! The Saint Brigid’s Cross, in legend used by Brigid to explain the Christian
faith, remains a popular sign of God’s protection. The tradition regarding the Saint
Brigid’s Cross comes from the story that she was at the bedside of a pagan chieftain
who was dying. To pass the time she started to make a cross from the rushes on the
ground of the room where the chieftain and herself were. When he asked her what
she was doing, she replied that she was making a cross and explained how Jesus
died on a cross before rising from the dead and thereby saved the human race.
When he heard this, the pagan chieftain decided to become a Christian before he
died. Saint Brigid died in 524 AD and devotion to her is widespread not only
throughout Ireland but throughout the world. Fr Pat will bless St Brigid’s Crosses at
the 11 am Mass today and at 10 am Masses in Ardfert on Wednesday 1 February
and this week. St Brigid’s Crosses will be on sale before 11 am Mass this Sunday.
Donations gratefully accepted on Sunday and at all Masses this week for an
tAthair Donncha O’Laocha’s Missionary Project in Kenya._____________________
Saint Blaise: Friday 3 February is the Feast of Saint Blaise who was Bishop of
Sebastea in Armenia and was martyred in 315 AD. He is patron saint of people with
sore throats and sick cattle.
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Do the Will of God
Christians must swim against the tide of today's culture with fortitude and perseverance. Therefore it is essential to be faithful and have patient endurance to do the will of God. Through prayer, you can continue growing in this virtue and find strength in Christ.
A Blessing of Saint Brigid’s Crosses
Father of all creation and Lord of Light, you have
given us life and entrusted your creation
to us to use it and to care for it.
We ask you to bless these crosses made of green
rushes in memory of holy Brigid,
who used the cross to recall and to teach your Son’s
life, death and resurrection.
May these crosses be a sign of our sharing in the
Paschal Mystery of your Son and a sign of your
protection of our lives, our land and its creatures
through Brigid’s intercession
during the coming year and always.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.
The crosses are sprinkled with holy water:
May the blessing of God, Father, Son and Holy
Spirit be on these crosses and on the places where
they hang and on everyone who looks at them.
Amen.
--------------------
Prayer to St Brigid
You were a woman of peace.
You brought harmony where there was conflict.
You brought light to the darkness.
You brought hope to the downcast.
May the mantle of your peace
Cover those who are troubled and anxious,
and may peace be firmly rooted in our hearts and in our world.
Inspire us to act justly and to reverence all God has made.
Brigid you were a voice for the wounded and the weary.
Strengthen what is weak within us.
Calm us into a quietness that heals and listens.
May we grow each day into greater wholeness in mind, body
and spirit. Amen
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Father Ed: Rediscovering a holy priest and founding father of Alcoholics Anonymous
By Mark Judge
January 16, 2023 06:00 AM
FRED.png
On a cold night in November 1940 in New York, a meeting took place between two men. It would wind up affecting U.S. history and changing the lives of millions of people, most of them alcoholics .
The meeting was between Bill Wilson, who a few years earlier had founded a group called Alcoholics Anonymous, and a Jesuit priest named Father Ed Dowling. Wilson’s cause of helping drunks get sober was the result of a religious experience that freed him of his addiction to booze.
But the program was not going well. The “Big Book,” his Bible outlining his 12-Step program, was not selling. Wilson was tired of dealing with drunks. He was depressed.
Then a visitor arrived at his door. Dowling, a Jesuit priest, would be essential in helping Wilson gain the strength to carry on. He would also be essential in Wilson spreading the message of AA, a group that now is part of the fabric of American culture and history.
Dowling is the subject of a magnificent new biography, Father Ed: The Story of Bill W’s Spiritual Sponsor . Written by the talented and brilliant journalist and Catholic theologian Dawn Eden Goldstein, Father Ed is a wonderful read that elevates an inspiring spiritual leader to the status he deserves. Life would not be the same without Dowling, and his spiritual wisdom is essential for Christians and others curious about the richness that can come from wedding suffering and social purpose to Christ.
Dowling was born in St. Louis, Missouri, and the city was his home throughout his life. A talented baseball player and journalist, Dowling was a funny and energetic young man. He joined the Jesuits in 1919. When he was 23 years old, he was out walking with another Jesuit seminarian, and he felt a pain in his leg. It was the beginning of a disease called ankylosing spondylitis, a form of arthritis. Before he was 30, Dowling had to get around with a cane.
He was in his early 40s when a friend who was a journalist and an alcoholic was in desperate shape from drinking. He decided to visit an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting, which was then a brand new and struggling group of people. After getting over his initial bafflement — a bunch of drunks talking to other drunks to stay sober? — Fr. Ed began to understand “the program” could work.
==============================
Still, not everyone is so sure that the density/green space trade-off is mostly a myth. Shlomo Angel, an expert on urban density at New York University who wasn’t involved in the study, told me that his own research using different methods shows a stronger trade-off than this new study does. But he agrees that there are ways around the trade-off, including one that he says was not emphasized enough in the study: building high. By stacking urban residents one atop the other, land is spared for parks, trees, and gardens. That, he says, is Singapore’s real secret, not its green roofs. “In order to have more open space, you have to make it possible to build higher,” Angel said. “That’s the main way of removing that conflict.”
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Recycling can be complicated, and the rules outlining how to do it vary from city to city, which might be one reason why only about 32 percent of our trash gets recycled.
Only about six percent of the plastic—everything from plastic bottles to IV drips—produced in the U.S. in 2021 was recycled, according to a Greenpeace report. Some plastic items are designed in ways that make them difficult to recycle or recyclers struggle to find people who want to buy recycled material.
That’s an issue for the environment and human health—all that plastic breaks down into microscopic pieces and contaminates everything from the ocean to our bodies.
==========================
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Art of Manliness newsletter@artofmanliness.com via gmail.mcsv.net
From Overwhelmed to Empowered: How Labeling Your Emotions Can Help You Take Control
Brett & Kate McKay • January 05, 2023
Emotions play a central role in how you experience life.
If you frequently feel angry, depressed, and anxious, then your quality of life isn’t going to be great.
If you routinely feel content, confident, and joyful, you will likely have a much better time of things.
Emotional regulation — the ability to mitigate negative feelings, enhance positive ones, and manage one’s moods — is thus a critical factor in living a good, flourishing life.
Ancient philosophers understood this. Stoicism is about learning how to regulate emotions by understanding that while we can’t control what happens to us, we can control our response to what happens to us.
Aristotle believed we should regulate our emotions by finding the mean — dictated by the circumstances of a particular situation — between two extremes. He thought it was acceptable to get angry as long as it was for the right reason, at the right time, and in the right proportion.
Modern psychologists have picked up where ancient philosophers left off. Studies show that individuals who know how to regulate their emotions tend to fare better than those who don’t.
Your own experience likely corroborates this conclusion. Think of the times in your life when things went poorly for you. If you’re like me, your inability to regulate your emotions caused or exacerbated the problem.
While mastering emotional management may be crucial to a flourishing life, it’s not easy.
Trying to willpower your way out of a negative emotion usually backfires and just increases its strength.
Sometimes we’re successful in generating positive emotions, but then can’t figure out how to get these fleeting feelings to stay.
We can feel overwhelmed and yanked around by the whims of our minds and neurotransmitters. Rather than being able to use emotions as aids in our aims, we end up in servitude to them.
So what’s a guy to do? How can you better regulate your negative emotions and experience your positive emotions more fully?
It’s actually pretty simple. You just need to ask yourself, “How do I feel?”
The Power of Labeling Your Emotions
Studies show that labeling negative emotions as you experience them decreases their intensity and duration. Also known as “affect labeling,” the practice simply involves putting the feelings you’re experiencing into words: “I feel angry” or “I feel anxious.”
Why would labeling your negative emotions decrease their salience?
There’s nothing quite so disempowering as knowing there’s an influence working on your thoughts and behaviors, but not being able to register, recognize, and name what it is.
Labeling your emotions allows you to gain greater control over what often feels like an uncontrollable force. It puts you in proactivity mode.
As professor of psychology Christian Waugh explains, labeling your negative emotions gives you an added layer of distance from them, allowing you to assess them more objectively:
To put feelings into words, people must first identify their emotional experiences. To do that, they must self-reflect not only on what their feelings are, but also what may be causing their emotions (consideration of these precedents can be clarifying) and, in turn, we propose that this leads to automatic reflection on what could be the appropriate course of action to address the identified emotion(s).
In short, if you don’t know what you’re feeling, you can’t figure out why you’re feeling that way, and thus deal with the source of the feeling.
What about positive emotions? Does labeling those garner any benefits?
According to a study by Waugh, the answer is yes.
Instead of diminishing the intensity and duration of positive emotions, labeling increases their intensity and duration.
How can labeling lessen the power of negative emotions but magnify positive ones?
Waugh says that labeling solves the problem of the fleeting nature of positive emotions. Labeling positive emotions when you experience them causes you to self-reflect, deepening and extending these feelings.
There’s a reason why therapists spend a lot of time helping their clients label their emotions. It’s a powerful way to get a handle on them.
Labeling emotions is pretty dang easy.
When you’re feeling angry or happy, say to yourself (silently or out loud): “I’m feeling angry right now” or “I’m feeling happy.”
If you want to diminish the strength of negative emotions even more, put more psychological distance between you and them by saying something like, “I notice that I’m feeling angry.” According to Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), adding the “I notice that…” preface creates more distance between you and your emotions, further diminishing their strength.
That’s it.
Increase Your Emotional Vocabulary With Help From Aristotle and Nietzsche
If you want to maximize the benefit of emotional labeling, Waugh and his colleagues found that the more specific you can get with your labeling, the better.
This requires you to broaden your emotional vocabulary beyond “happy,” “sad,” and “angry.”
So how can you increase your emotional vocabulary? Pay a visit to Aristotle, Hume, and other long-dead philosophers.
In his Rhetoric, Aristotle pinpoints and describes a wide variety of human emotions. Kindness and unkindness. Admiration and envy. Rage and calmness. Fear and confidence. Reading his descriptions of how these different emotions feel and when we’re likely to experience them is a great way to educate your sentiments.
When your co-worker gets the promotion you wanted for yourself, instead of just saying, “I feel angry,” you can say, with greater accuracy, “I feel envy.” It’s a more specific label of the emotion you’re experiencing — pain at the good fortune of others.
David Hume understood that our emotions could shape our rational thinking, so if we want to think better, we need to understand our emotions better. Consequently, in his Treatise on Human Nature, Hume describes many human emotions, from benevolence and indignation to compassion and contempt. With all the emotions he describes, Hume attempts to capture how they feel and when we’re likely to experience them.
Other philosophers have tried to describe the experience of certain emotions as well. Nietzsche wrote about what joy and effervescence and being “in the flow” are like and also unpacked the feeling of malicious envy. Kierkegaard described anxiety as a fear we experience in the face of choice and despair as the feeling of not living up to our divine potential.
A more contemporary philosopher who devoted his life to studying emotions was Robert Solomon. In his book True to Our Feelings, Solomon maps the broad range of human emotions, including boredom, joy, shame, and compassion.
Reading the above philosophers will increase your emotional vocabulary and put you in a position to answer the question “How do I feel?” with greater specificity. The more accurately you can pinpoint your feelings, the easier time you’ll have in getting a handle on them.
In ancient myth, knowing the name of someone, particularly demons and other ethereal beings, gave you power over them. In a similar way, naming your emotions can help you bring them under your control.
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Priests for Life <FrFrankPavone@priestsforlife.org> Unsubscribe
Sun, Dec 18, 4:48 AM (3 days ago)
to me
December 17, 2022
James,
This week on ProLife PrimeTime News, co-anchors Theresa Watson and Leslie Palma report on a significant victory in an undercover journalist’s efforts to uncover the truth about taxpayer-funded experiments performed on aborted babies at the University of Washington.
Also on the show, we cover:
Sanctuary Cities for the Unborn. Mark Lee Dickson is the architect of the movement that encourages cities and towns to declare themselves abortion-free. The movement is spreading!
Turning VA hospitals into killing centers. Priests for Life is part of a coalition of nearly 50 pro-life groups asking members of the House and Senate to halt a Biden administration plan to turn Veterans Affairs hospitals into abortion businesses.
Ironic honor for abortion provider. The Human Rights Commission in Moorehead, Minnesota, is apparently so grateful that a North Dakota killing center has relocated there that it named the executive director its Person of the Year.
A satanic solution for poverty. Alex Schadenberg of the Euthanasia Prevention Coalition explains Canada’s efforts to kill even more of its citizens, including those living in poverty.
Arizona races not over yet. Candidates for two of Arizona’s top offices had hearings this week in their election-related legal challenges.
The male brain. Brad Mattes of the Life Issues Institute discusses intriguing new research that shows how fatherhood changes men’s brains.
ProLife PrimeTime News airs every Friday at 9 p.m. ET at EndAbortion.TV and all the social media platforms linked from there. You also can watch it right now at this link. https://youtu.be/I6gHk1zulao
Sincerely, Fr. Frank Pavone
National Director, Priests for Life
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Catholic News Headlines for Friday 12/02/22
December 2, 2022
Fontbonne Honors Memory of Sr. Ita Ford on Anniversary
The Tablet
Honoring Sister Ford’s legacy was the centerpiece of Bishop Robert Brennan’s visit to Fontbonne Hall Academy, the girls’ Catholic high school in Bay Ridge, on Friday, Dec. 2 — 42 years to the day she was killed.
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Sister Ita Ford
Sister Ita Ford “I never said, ‘Help, or save me, or I’m drowning’,” Ita told her mother on a tape she sent home describing her close call with death on August 23rd 1980 in a flash flood which took her friend, Sister Carol Piette, M.M. “Something was happening and I said, ‘Receive me, Lord, I’m coming.”
The Lord made her wait for three more months before he accepted the offering of her life. Much of Ita’s life had been spent waiting. When she was a child, she, her brother Bill, and her sister Irene often waited in hospital rooms to see their father who had tuberculosis. She missed his funeral in1973 because she had to wait for a visa to leave Chile in the midst of a military coup.
Her life in Maryknoll, too, was full of disappointments and years of waiting. Born in Brooklyn, New York, on April 23, 1940, Ita joined Maryknoll in 1961 after finishing college at Marymount, but was forced to leave after three years for health reasons. For the next seven years she worked as an editor with Sadlier Publishers while she searched for what she should do with her life. Her search brought her back to Maryknoll in 1971.
Ita arrived in Chile in 1973 during the days of unrest just before the military coup, and stayed to minister to the people in years of great hardship and persecution. Chile had a profound impact on her. It was here that her commitment to the poor grew, and that she learned what this demands.
What she learned from the poor in Chile challenged her to respond to Archbishop Romero’s call for help in El Salvador. She arrived there shortly after Archbishop Romero’s death. The new beginning was not easy. She missed the Sisters and her friends in Chile; the new work was not immediately clear, and it took time to gain acceptance and trust from the people who were being terrorized by the political situation.
The obstacles grew increasingly numerous as Ita and Carol responded to the needs of “the hurting,homeless, and hungry.” They were conscious of the political implications of feeding the hungry in this repressive society which was in a state of “undeclared civil war” and of the potential for ever greater conflict and growing U.S. involvement. In the midst of this already painful situation, Carol’s tragic death was a heavy blow to Ita. She questioned why she had been spared and grieved deeply for her friend and sister apostle.
Her fate, like that of the poor, was to follow in the footsteps of Christ to the bitter end. “This is how we know what love is: Christ gave his life for us. We too, then, ought to give our lives for our brothers.” (1 John 3:16). And so she did with three others on December 2, 1980.
Ita’s buoyant personality, her wit, and her sense of humor and fun were a striking contrast to the suffering and pain she experienced throughout her life. Her twinkling eyes and elfin grin would surface irrepressibly even in the midst of poverty and sorrow. Ita loved to sing and dance and was a welcome addition to any party. She had a gift with words which she probably inherited from her father whose letters were full of his own original words and phrases.
Though Ita and Maura spent less than a year in El Salvador and accomplished little in human terms– in their powerlessness, suffering, and death they will be remembered forever. As a telegram from the leaders of the Democratic Revolutionary Front of San Salvador so eloquently stated, “Their outstanding lives and their unjustified deaths will be part of the history of our people’s struggle for total liberation.” In our Maryknoll history, too, these martyrs for justice will have a special place.
Ita has touched all our lives with her many gifts and in death she leaves us the greatest gift of all –the witness of her life laid down in love. Ita found the purpose and meaning of life among God’s poor. Let us ask her to be with us as our guide and companion as we too search for that which she has found. We close with the words she wrote to her godchild and niece, Jennifer, on her 16th birthday:
https://www.maryknollsisters.org/40thanniversary/sister-ita-ford-2/
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These are great tips from an exorcist!
Exorcist Msgr. Stephen Rossetti of the St. Michael Center for Spiritual Renewal explains in a recent video how Catholics can safely celebrate Halloween, particularly in the supernatural sense.
The priest of the Diocese of Syracuse explains that even dressing as demons or witches isn’t the best idea.
“If you had any idea how ugly witchcraft is, or how incredibly evil demons are, you wouldn’t even think about that,” Msgr. Rossetti says.
He adds that the devil “is rampant” on Halloween. Praying rosaries, attending Mass, and Eucharistic adoration are the best ways to counteract satan on All Hallow’s Eve.
“On the eve of the Feast of All Saints, the demons try to take something holy like All Saints and pervert it,” Msgr. Rossetti continues. “Satanic inversion, we call that. And so to counteract that – prayer, mass, rosaries…”
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How the ancient Greeks and Romans defined virtue, and what it meant to them to live with arete, or excellence. We then look at case studies of philosophers who tried to shape men into being better leaders, including Socrates teaching Alcibiades, Aristotle tutoring Alexander the Great, and Seneca mentoring Nero. Massimo explains how these field experiments turned out, and the takeaways they offer on the question of whether virtue can be taught. We end our conversation with the ancient insights that have been confirmed by modern research that can help us become better people.
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By Peg Prendeville
https://www.athea.ie/
Sincere sympathies to the Barrett family Turraree on the death of Dan this Monday. May he rest in peace. I have lovely memories of visiting his house when I was young with my father. He and Dan’s father would be reciting and composing poetry.
What to Say to a Stroke Survivor?
Since Jim got his stroke I’ve had to learn so much of its effects. The main one in Jim’s case is his inability to put words together. He can understand speech but cannot think of the words himself. It is very frustrating from him and for everyone. I recently came across this article written by Larry Masterson, a stroke survivor and thought people might be interested in it. – Peg PrendevilleIf you’re wondering what to say to a stroke survivor, or how to cheer up a stroke survivor, start with that very word: survivor.
The term ‘stroke victim‘ is often perceived as a negative label. It’s much better to use the word ‘stroke survivor’; ‘stroke warrior’ or even ‘STROKE THRIVER’ – because that’s what these individuals are!
I am not stupid, I am wounded. Please respect me. Stroke does not affect someone’s intelligence.
A stroke is a “brain attack” that deprives different areas of the brain of oxygen-rich blood. The damage left behind can impair different skills, like language and speaking. This does not mean the person has lost intelligence. Rather, it means they might need more time to find the right words.
Do not shout. Do not yell. They can likely hear you just fine. Just be patient.
In fact… Be as patient with me the twentieth time you teach me something as you were the first.
Stroke recovery means relearning everything for the first time again. Many stroke survivors feel like they’re a child again, learning everything as if for the first time. You would not grow impatient with a child if you were teaching them how to ride a bike for the first time, so don’t grow impatient with your loved one either.
Protect my energy. No talk radio, TV, or nervous visitors. During stroke recovery, the brain needs stimulation in order to heal itself. But it needs specific stimulation – and not too much! For example, the stimulation of doing hand exercises is good. It helps the brain rewire itself and improve hand function. But the stimulation of background noise only drains on the limited energy that a healing brain has. This is one of the reasons why mindfulness is important during stroke recovery. Limit as many unnecessary distractions as you can.
Make eye contact with me. I am in here – come find me. Encourage me. If someone avoided eye contact with you, it would probably be upsetting, annoying, and hurtful. Everyone feels that way, including stroke survivors. In this light, you don’t need to worry about what to say to a stroke survivor. Instead, focus on how you say it: with eye contact.
Do not assess my cognitive ability by how fast I can think. After stroke, the brain is busy rewiring itself through neuroplasticity. During this process, the healthy areas of the brain begin to pick up the slack for the damaged areas – and this takes time. In the meantime, the brain is struggling to heal itself and it may take a survivor additional time to retrieve information. This does not mean they have lost their intelligence. They are simply experiencing a delay in gathering the information.
Repeat yourself – assume I know nothing and start from the beginning, over and over. As the brain heals from injury, it requires more energy to retrieve and relearn incoming information.
So when a survivor has a hard time understanding you, take the time to provide information in smaller steps. Putting the pieces together is an extra and unnecessary step. Instead, repeat everything and please be patient while you do it.
Stimulate my brain when I have energy, but know that small amounts may wear me out quickly.
It’s perfectly normal to require more sleep after a stroke. Survivors may find themselves wanting a nap immediately after rehab exercises or even right after getting ready in the morning. Tasks that once felt effortless may require a tremendous amount of effort now. Remember, the healing brain requires frequent rest periods to rewire! Stimulation is good (like with stroke rehabilitation exercises at home), and sleep afterwards is often necessary for recovery.
Please don’t raise your voice. I’m not deaf, I’m wounded. When a stroke survivor asks you to repeat yourself, they just want you to repeat yourself. They do NOT want you to repeat yourself louder, unless they ask. Saying something louder is not going to help them process it better.
Patience, compassion, and slowing down your speech are more effective ways of boosting communication.
My desire to sleep has everything to do with my healing brain; and it has nothing to do with laziness. Stroke causes damage to the brain that must be healed. Just like a broken leg requires time and energy to heal, so does the brain. When a stroke survivor desires sleep instead of doing something “productive,” it’s not because they’re being lazy. It’s because their brain is healing and requires rest to recover.
Please have patience with my memory. Stroke can affect a survivor’s short-term and/or long-term memory. It can also affect cognition. If a loved one doesn’t remember something that you told them a month/day/hour ago, please don’t take it personally. Be kind and patient with their recovery.
When I’m “stuck” try not to take over. During stroke recovery, a little coaching or suggesting can be helpful for a survivor. Taking over and doing something is NOT helpful. I may have ‘APHASIA.’ Respect me. Constantly doing everything for a survivor puts them at risk of a phenomenon called learned non-use. Essentially, functions that you stop using will eventually become completely lost as the brain lets go of unnecessary functions (i.e. functions it thinks are unnecessary because you’re not using them). Movement is key to recovery, so avoid taking over. Instead, help your loved one accomplish tasks with good form and safety.
12. I’m not being ’emotional.’ I’m recovering. Try to be compassionate if your loved one displays emotional changes. Sometimes stroke can affect the emotion centre of the brain and affect a survivor’s ability to manage their emotions. It’s a condition called emotional liability. Also, a stroke creates sudden life changes for a survivor. Meaningful activities like hobbies and jobs might be lost. This can lead to depression. Put yourself in the shoes of a stroke survivor. If everything suddenly changed, and you had no control over it, wouldn’t you feel emotion too?
13. I need you to love me, both for who I have been, and for who I might become. During stroke recovery, the goal is usually to get back to “normal.” However, for many stroke survivors, there is a “new normal.” There are many emotional, behavioural, and even personality changes that can occur after stroke. Sometimes, the changes go away. But other times, they’re here to stay. It’s important to find acceptance for the here and now. Caregivers should support their loved ones in finding this acceptance.
You can help by cherishing your loved one for who they are now, instead of what was in the past.
Larry Masterson – Stroke Survivor.
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AFRICA: The agency launched its ninth International Prize dubbed, “Communicating Africa”, in April last year, with a specific call on storytellers on the African continent to come forward to tell their own stories in the global contest.
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95 year old blogger Florence McGillicuddy is the Silver Surfer of 2019
Published 28/05/2019
95-Year-Old Blogger
Receives Overall Award
At
2019 Age Action Silver Surfer Awards
Supported by DCU Age-Friendly University
95 year-old Florence McGillicuddy from Rathfarnham, in Dublin, is the overall Age Action Silver Surfer Award winner. Florence who blogs on GrandadOnline.com was presented with his award in recognition of his contribution to community life through his use of technology, at a ceremony this morning in Dublin City University, who co-sponsored the Awards as part of the DCU Age-Friendly University Initiative.
Florence, who also won the Golden IT Award as one of the older nominees, has developed a unique relationship with the children in the local Ballyroan Boys’ School over the past three years through the internet. Florence brings history to life for the young students as he researches historic facts about their city and composes the lesson in an email which the children’s teacher helps the students read. The students have learned about what life was like in Dublin when Florence was growing up and events such as what happened to Nelson’s Pillar, an airplane crash in Terenure, and he even organises school tours to cigarette factories. In turn, the children will write back to Florence in old fashioned handwritten letter format which is a wonderful display of generations coming together and learning from each other.
With half of Irish people aged between 65 and 74 having never used the internet and internet use among those aged over 75 negligible, Age Action organises the Silver Surfer Awards to highlight digital literacy issues amongst older people. For those older people who do get online it has the potential to change their lives, as the Silver Surfer Awards demonstrate, with people participating in the digital economy, accessing public services, discovering new hobbies and maintaining an active role in their communities.
Paddy Connolly, CEO of Age Action, said: “Each nominee here today is an inspiration. They are challenging the stereotype of ageing, showing that there is no barrier you cannot overcome to life long learning as they have embraced new technologies, new ways to communicate and combat social exclusion. Access to the internet has the potential to transform lives, enabling us to keep in contact with family and old friends, or to make new ones, to explore new hobbies and interests, even empowering us to start businesses or to use our skills for the benefit of our communities. The Silver Surfers have not only transformed their own lives but, in doing so, they have shown that digital literacy is an important element of positive ageing.”
Professor Brian MacCraith, President DCU said: “These awards are a reminder of the hugely positive impact the internet can have on the lives of our older citizens. DCU is particularly pleased to host the tenth annual Silver Surfer Awards, as they resonate with the values of the Age Friendly University initiative, which was pioneered by DCU, and now has more than 50 member universities worldwide.”
Seven other awards were presented during the ceremony:
1.National Silver Surfer Award winner (and winner of the Golden IT Award)
Florence McGillicuddy
Florence McGillicuddy is 95 years of age and is a blogger from Rathfarnham in Dublin publishing Grandadonline.com. Motivated by his love of history and education, he uses his IT skills to research history and record his own reflections on growing up in Dublin which he shares via email with the children in the local Ballyroan Boys’ School. Bringing history to life for the young students has made Flor an integral part of the school community and fostered a rewarding intergenerational learning experience for all.
2.Community Champion Award
Margaret Culloty
Margaret Culloty from Firies Co Kerry is 77 years of age and is the County Secretary of Kerry Community Games for the past 23 years. As the National Community Games requires that all participating children be registered online, Margaret has had to learn how to do this for over 3000 children participating in sporting and cultural events at county level.
Margaret faced this challenge with vigour and is now responsible for the coordination of the online Kerry registration system ensuring that all children are registered for their individual or team events at local and National level as well as getting a web page up and running and a Facebook account. She has been described as one in a million and didn't let new technology put her out of the position of County Secretary.
3.Hobbies on the Net
Paddy McAuliffe, Paddy Tobin and Paddy Buckley
‘The 3 Paddy’s’ from Mallow in Co. Cork have learned how to shoot and edit short films, a skill they are now using to preserve a legacy of memories for peoples’ families to be passed on to future generations. They are documenting the memories of older people in their community, editing in photos or the person’s life and locality, to produce a film. The film covers the person’s life story which can then be shared digitally with the wider community and family members. To date they have recorded the life stories of almost 30 older people in the region.
4.Getting Started Award
Eleanor Lynch
Eleanor Lynch from Cork was profoundly deaf from the age of 40 to mid 60’s but 14 years ago, thanks to advances in medicine and technology, she had a cochlear implant operation. When she was “switched on” Eleanor had to learn how to hear again with the assistance of this new technology. It took lots of perseverance, but she mastered it and can now communicate fairly easily. After she mastered the implant technology, she had the confidence to learn how to use a mobile phone and now uses a smart phone like a teenager! The laptop has made living alone a lot easier as she does her all banking and pays all her bills online and does not have to go out on wet cold days. Technology and her own bravery and determination has made an amazing difference to Eleanor’s life.
5.IT Tutor of the Year Award
Sr. Margaret Kiely
Sr. Margaret is a Sister of Mercy who worked as a principal nurse tutor for 14 years at the Mercy Hospital in Cork. Following this she trained as an addiction counsellor in MN, USA. She founded Tabor Lodge - a treatment centre in Cork for persons with alcohol, drug and gambling addictions and it was here that she first saw the need for a computerised system. Following a few lessons she mastered the PC. Sr. Margaret observed that a number of staff and residents were struggling using smart phones and computers. She sourced funding for a tutor and initially she ran 10 four-week classes with 8 students per class. She is now a volunteer tutor with Age Action and manages the attendance records and presents certificates at the end of the courses.
6.School IT Tutor of the Year Award
Bandon Grammar School
The students of the Transition Year class in Bandon Grammar School have been tutoring older learners how to get online. At every lesson, the young TY students teach their older learners something new from how to use Google Maps to downloading music, looking up Government websites which are all sites of great relevance and interest to the learners.
The intergenerational nature of the class creates an energetic atmosphere in which to learn. People have remarked that the school break-time is a favourite where the older learners and younger tutors engage in conversation and swap stories.
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Weekly Newsletter
Ninth Sunday after Pentecost
7th August 2022
Dear Friends of Sacred Heart Church,
The month of August is dedicated to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. We celebrate today the 9th Sunday after Pentecost during which we are invited to meditate on Jesus’ tears. This is an unexpected scene in Gospel: Jesus wept over Jerusalem.
Tears can express joy, but also sorrow, sadness, illness, lack of hope, anxiety… All can be turned in prayer.
This summer the Institute priests had to travel extensively to ensure that each of the apostolates in the Irish Province always had a priest available, particularly on a Sunday, to administer the sacraments to the people.
Canon Heppelle, stationed in Belfast, needed to spend a well deserved time in Canada with his family given the travel restrictions of the past two years. This necessitated Canon de Martin replacing him at the Church of the Immaculate Heart of Mary. In July, Canon Lebocq was the Chaplain for the Sister Adorers and the youth camps in Ardee, while Canon Gribbin was in UK and then in Limerick.
We are very grateful to all the priests who travelled making it possible that all the apostolate basis were covered. Canon de Martin will be back to Limerick this Friday after his short summer break and that will allow Canon Lebocq to have a few days off as well.
Usual confession times resume this week but there will be no Mass on Wednesday evening or on Thursday morning.
The Feast of the Assumption of Our Lady is approaching. Next Monday, 15th August, the 6 pm Mass will be followed by a procession and benediction.
The following Sunday, we will express our profound gratitude to Almighty God for the 10th anniversary of the purchase of the Sacred Heart Church by our community. There is no need to bring any birthday cake but just your hearts and prayers full of thanksgiving!
Do you remember that this church, opened by the Jesuit order in 1876 was closed and sold in 2006 and was supposed to be turned into a SPA and leisure centre? Thanks to lots of prayers, sacrifices and hard work, this building is still a Catholic church, for the Greater Glory of God and where souls can encounter Christ in the sacraments.
A Te Deum – hymn of thanksgiving – will be sung at the end of the 10:30 am Mass on Sunday 21st August.
Finally let us be united in prayer with our community in Belfast for they will celebrate their first Novena to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, from August 14th to 22nd.
Wishing you a blessed week,
Yours in Christ, Canon Lebocq- Prior of Sacred Heart Church.
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Old Calendar Orthodox Daily Digest for 8/7/2022
12h ago
BibleDaily ReadingsDevotionalOrthodoxyReading
Fasting Guidelines. 8th Sunday after Pentecost. Tone seven.
Today is fast-free!
Today’s Commemorations
https://wordpress.com/read/blogs/152326714/posts/4164
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Glory for God, that alone! The rest does not matter’: The legacy of Mother Trinidad
However, as a result of God’s direct communications to her soul from 1959 onward, she has left for the whole Church a great legacy comprising more than 1,000 audio or video recorded talks and more than 40 volumes of living theology, with a rich literary variety that includes thoughts, prose, and poetry,” he said.
All these volumes are simple but with a very profound language, which introduces us fully to how to live the mysteries of faith.
“It has already been a year since Mother Trinidad departed toward the Father’s house, to fulfill her desire to contemplate the face of her divine Spouse forever,” Bengoa said.
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I have a confession to make: I don’t make my bed. I never saw the point in it; I’m just going to mess up the covers again that night. I don’t spend much time in my bedroom, and my guests don’t spend any, so it’s not as if anyone has to keep looking at my bed’s “disheveled” appearance during the day.
I realize that not making your bed has a bit of slovenly shame associated with it. Making your bed seems more organized, more cleanly. In fact, when it comes to daily habits, it even has some cool cache. It’s the kind of foundational habit a four-star naval admiral could base a commencement address, and book, around, and even claim could very well help you change the world. It’s the kind of habit that makes you feel like a stoic soldier — an outward behavior that supposedly reflects the tidiness of an equally disciplined mind.
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Thieves Fearing Curse Return Stolen Relic of Christ’s Blood to “Indiana Jones of Art”
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Commemoration
Ballylongford Notes 29 June 2022
Many students from Ballylongford and Asdee attended St Ita’s Secondary School in Tarbert between 1940 and 1964.On Sunday 19th June last Patrick Lynch of Chapel Street, Tarbert presided as a commemorative plaque was unveiled by Margaret Sheehan (Née Coolahan) at the site of the school. This was followed by a memorial mass celebrated by Father John O’Connor and our former Parish Priest Father Phillip O’Connell, both past pupils of the school. In his oration, Padraig O Concubhair, former principal of Lenamore National School, explained how St. Ita’s, founded as a girls school in Glin in the 1930’s by Jane Agnes McKenna moved to the old Erasmus Smith Schoolhouse in Tarbert in 1940, became co-educational and was attended by many members of the local Church of Ireland community. When the Comprehensive school in Tarbert opened in 1975,it subsumed, as well as St. Ita’s, St Patrick’s in Glin founded by Master Dore, and Glin Vocational School. Padraig quoted Bishop Eamon Casey’s words at the opening of the Comprehensive School when he said “ Those who set up these little local schools made available locally a secondary education, which would otherwise be completely beyond the reach of a large proportion of the local young people”.
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25 May 2022
Military.com | By Patricia Kime
The Department of Veterans Affairs is launching a contest that will dole out $20 million in prizes to entrants with the best ideas for reducing the thousands of veteran suicides that occur in the U.S. each year.
The competition, called Mission Daybreak, seeks to bring in "fresh thinking, outside perspectives and innovative concepts" that the department could use to help save veterans. Top winners will take away prizes of $3 million and $1 million, while others will get $250,000 and $100,000 for chosen proposals, according to a website for the VA contest.
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Memories of an Influential Teacher
“And still they gazed and still the wonder grew
That one small head could carry all he knew.”
Oliver Goldsmith’s The Village Schoolmaster
The late John Molyneaux had a wealth of knowledge and he imparted it to cohorts of pupils in St. Michael’s. He had a prodigious knowledge of football, running and later golfing strategy.
One of his past pupils, David Kissane, published an obituary to his former teacher on line. I am including it here. As it is very long, I will give it to you in instalments.
Semper Invictus
A tribute to Mr John Molyneaux, St Michael’s College, Listowel
By David Kissane, Class of ’72
It is fifty years ago since a group of about thirty young fellas headed out the gates of St Michael’s College, Listowel and into the wide, wild and wonderful world of the 1970s. As a member of the class of ’72, there is a compulsion to remember the year and its hinterland. Its place in our layered lives. What contributed to what we are cannot go uncelebrated. It just keeps on keeping on.
But how can one capture the colours and contours, the shapes and shadows of half a century ago when the world had a very different texture to what we perceive now in the bóithríns of age? The ships we sailed out in may be wrecked or dismembered. The ports we set sail from are hidden in the mists of time and memory, and our fellow sailors are scattered.
So where does one begin?
The writer Colm Tóibín once asked the artist Barrie Cooke how he began his paintings. Cooke answered “I make a random mark on the canvas and see what happens”.
Just as I follow Cooke’s suggestion and type a random “J” on the screen, the phone rings. It is Jim Finnerty from Glouria. I look at my J and wonder if Cooke was right! “There’s a man you knew well after passing away in Listowel” Jim announced. Listowel, I thought out loud as Jim let the news simmer in the wok of my memories. A number of names came to mind before Jim said “John Molyneaux”.
And then my canvas began to fill in. I write the name of Mr John Molyneaux, my Latin and English teacher, my athletics and football coach, and the dam opens. For the five years I spent in St Michael’s College, Listowel, he was an enduring presence, a multi-dimensional man who had a huge influence in our lives for those budding years. An icon.
Of course the first question that challenged my memory was “when did I last see John Molyneaux?”
About three years ago I parked my van down by the Feale off the Square in Listowel. Near Carroll’s Yard. Near the entrance bridge to Listowel Racecourse where you’d hear “Throw me down something!” on race days in sepia Septembers. As I returned to the van with a brand new chimney cowl, I saw him coming along the bank of the river. Lively as always, thoughtful, loaded with intention, energised quietly by the magic of the Feale walk, eyes down. I knew immediately if was him although I hadn’t met him in thirty years or more.
I almost said “Sir”. There is something un-shielding about meeting our old teachers. For us teachers, there is often a similar feeling when we meet former students.
“Hallo”, I said. He looked up and at me and it was that same look that I had forgotten with the passing of the years. Stored in the subconscious though. A moment of silence. I heard myself say my name. “I know” he said and a pathway opened up between the two of us and five minutes of reacquaintance. The older face transformed itself back through the years and the voice reframed its undeniable Mr Molyneaux-ness.
“We might have a chat about athletics sometime?” I broached timidly and he nodded. I was talking to the man who helped discover Jerry Kiernan and a host of other athletes. We parted and my day was enriched and changed.
Time and Covid played their cruel games and the chat never took place.
I will regret that for as long as memory is my colleague.
A group of raw first year students entered St Michael’s College in September 1967 having done an entrance exam the previous May. From the hinterland of Listowel and the town itself. There were only two from Lisselton NS some eight miles away off the Ballybunion-Listowel road. Francis Kennelly and myself, coincidentally from the same townland of Lacca. And distantly related as well.
The novices of 1967 were the first beneficiaries of Donagh O’Malley’s free education bill with free transport and no fees. Up to then second-level education was the premise of the wealthy. Now we were part of a historical educational development which would change the face of Ireland forever. Educate that you may be free, Pádraig Pearse had said long before he was executed in 1916.
In we went to the famed, and sometimes feared St Michael’s College, imposing and immobile. Two storeys of history and education above the ground and one storey below looking out on our little minds. Long walk in like an estate house with manicured lawns and apple trees. We were told by those in the know that if we picked the apples that were growing on those trees that autumn that it would have worse repercussions than when Adam was persuaded by Eve to prove his manhood by picking the Granny Smiths in the Garden of Paradise. The principal, Fr Danny Long would punish the picker with impunity. We were herded up the spotted clackety marble stairs and looked down on the trees to our right and pondered the decree of ne tangere. Do not touch.
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David Kissane’s Tribute to his former teacher, John Molyneaux continued;
We take up the story here at David’s first days in St. Michael’s.
….
The teachers strode in in turn as the classes revealed themselves. In strode Mr John Molyneaux through the door on our left for our Latin class. Head down, full stride, total silence and up to put his back to the blackboard. He exuded authority. The type of authority that God had in the Old Testament. Lists of books and accoutrements were delivered and warnings about homework and dedication as Mr Molyneaux scanned the class for possible trouble. Or worse. Laziness. Yes sir, we understood what was required. The weight of the college began to be felt. We felt a funeral in our brains as Emily Dickinson had written to the west in the US.
And for the five years that most of our class of ’72 spent in the two upstairs rooms in St Michael’s College, John Molyneaux was a teacher. First and foremost as our Latin teacher, a subject he imparted with the timorem dei (fear of god) that the Roman emperors whom he taught us about had possessed. The amo, amas, amat, amamus, amatis, amant that was drilled into us, by both Mr Molyneaux and ourselves, frightened and excited us all at once as he word amo means “I love” and encouraged all sorts of possibilities in our hungry minds. He had an ice of character when teaching in those early days. Roman history was more interesting and the perusing of our text “The Story of the Roman People” by Tappan was immediately a hit with boys interested in war and fighting. We grew into the Latin and the other subjects by hook and by crook. Vercingetorix, Hannibal, Cato, Pompey, Crassus, Romulus and Remus, Lucullus, Cicero, Augustus, the Carthaginians and the Vandals. They became part of our psyche and brought us into a world of battles and wars of the past as the Vietnam war was part of our present in the late 1960s and early 1970s.
Mr Molyneaux also grew as a character and had his bridging nuances when required. One phrase of his became legendary: “Oh ho!” It was often uttered when a student had made a slip-up in an answer and could have unfortunate consequences but was also used in humorous tales that he would refer to in the course of an aside to the regular routine. When Julius Caesar was faced by daggers, and Brutus (his so-called friend) was among them, the emperor was heard to say “Oh ho!” before the eternal “Et tu, Brute!” According to Mr Molyneaux.
And then there were the English derivatives of Latin words that he usually found a funny angle to explain. When clarifying that the word bullet came from the Latin word for a locket, “bulla” he would have us know that a locket was a shell-like object with a charm inside, ie the gunpowder! Smiles and nods all round. A question about the Latin word “mappa” was answered by one student (from Lisselton) by stating that the word “nappy” derived from it, rather than napkin! Not far away though and Mr Molyneaux smiled at the verbal typo. One all.
Old Latin sayings are a treasure trove of knowledge and he provided the key more more than once. There was the “quis costodiet custodes?” one…who watches the watchers? He related a story about a meeting he was at the week before to appoint river wardens for the Feale and had used the saying to remind the meeting of the necessity to keep an eye on the wardens as well! It reminded us that Mr Molyneaux had another life outside teaching and revealed that in fact he was active in numerous committees. A multi-dimensional human being who contributed to the community that he was born into.
We discovered the further versatility of our Latin teacher when he became our English teacher for Inter Cert. He was immersed in the English language and we were amazed that there was another dimension to his classroom self. Shakespeare’s Merchant of Venice is especially remembered as the play he shared with us. He enunciated the central theme of the play with incredible expertise and for many of us that was our way into the genius that was Shakespeare: “How many things by season season’d are?” and “the quality of mercy is not strained” still taste to the memory lollipop.
I can see Mr Molyneaux now sitting on top of a desk at the head of our thick-walled classroom in St Michael’s on an April day with the world waking up outside and inner worlds waking up in all of us. The red-covered Merchant book in his hand and his gifts as a storyteller casting a spell over the hushed room. All teachers are storytellers and John Molyneaux was a gifted one. No videos or opportunities to see the actual play in those days. It was happening on the classroom stage and in the words of the teacher. The climax of the play had arrived. Shylock had demanded his pound of flesh for a loan not returned by Gratiano and the judge Portia had asked the shivering Gratiano to lay bare his chest for the knife of Shylock. We feasted on John Molyneaux’s words as Portia dramatically adds “But in the cutting, if thou dost shed one drop of Christian blood, thy lands and goods are confiscate unto the state of Venice”. We were showered with the magic of the words. And the world beyond time and place. Our new world.
The labels of Jew and Christian would be worked out later when our understanding of religion would be challenged in the years ahead, but something magical had happened that day in our English class. In fact, something magical happened in every class most days.
Gradually his influence came to bear in many other ways. His artistic style of hand-writing was emulated by some of us…a not-joined-up style with the peculiar three-pronged independent letter that was copied and used by this student for the rest of his life. The mention of hand-writing may be a mystery to modern students but in the heady days of 1967-1972 it as a status symbol in many ways. It was also the messaging system to girlfriends and pen pals and family.
One of the abiding memories of Mr Molyneaux’s classes is the Saturday morning westerns’ lends. What? Saturday morning? Yeah, we went to St Michael’s for a half day on Saturday for a few years! Westerns? Yeah! Every Saturday at the end of the Latin class, he would bring in a box of Westerns to lend to us for the week. The genre was very popular at the time with boys and men and authors like Zane Grey and Oliver Strange (the Sudden series) were among the most read. In my case my father always read the borrowed Westerns, and the father of my friend Gerard Neville from Inch likewise fed on the books.
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David Kissane’s Tribute to the late John Molyneaux concluded
On one particular occasion, my father hadn’t finished the Western he was reading and I went into the college on Saturday Western-less. Scared stiff and I had forgotten the name of the book! If you failed to bring back the book, Mr Molyneaux would ask you what the plot was and who the main characters were. He was not pleased if you weren’t reading these Westerns. Around he came to each desk to collect the books. I could sense a cloud coming over my desk as I struggled to remember the name of the book I hadn’t read! “Well, Kissane, what book have you been reading?” he boomed as I fumbled in my school bag under the desk for the book that wasn’t there. A thick, deep dark silence followed. My fate seemed obvious and inevitable, a feeling so very of those times. Red-cheeked and broken, I called out the name of the only Western I could remember, “Something to Hide” and added with embarrassment, “I think my father borrowed it!” A smile from the teacher and a titter around the class. He passed on but when he was distributing the Westerns a few minutes later for the coming week, he read out the titles so that the students would put up their hands to choose which one they wanted. “And we have one left” he said with a smirk, “Something to Hide”! A dead silence permeated the class and I was ready to sink down through the ground. He allowed the moment to expand as the class awaited an execution! But it was Saturday and all he said was “Kissane, I think you have something to hide all right!” and dropped the book on my desk as the bell was rung outside the door. The great escape.
I read every Western after that and began to manage the complexity that was John Molyneaux.
School days are happening days and very soon after starting in St Michael’s College, the sporting side of John Molyneaux revealed itself to us. It was then his dimensionality was fully experienced. First it was football. With Johnny O’Flaherty, there was a dynamic duo who were charged and innovative in training methodology and intensity. The two Johns taught the full forwards (I was corner forward) to get possession of the long balls sent in and, instead of turning, pass it quickly to the half forwards rushing in. It worked in the Dunloe Cup final against St Brendan’s Killarney in 1970. High ball in from Jerry Kiernan at centre field landed in my hands and I could hear John Molyneaux’s imperious voice on the sideline saying “To Carroll” and before I knew it, I had let the ball into Eamonn O’Carroll’s hands – he was like a jet plane when in flight – and the net was rattled. And the referees were not safe from a Molyneaux-boom if he considered that the whistler was incorrect in his blowing! Total engagement in everything he was involved in. That was the Molyneaux way.
And of course there was athletics. In the mid-1960s, John Molyneaux was the driving force behind the formation of a BLE club in Listowel, assisted by Pat Kiernan, Michael Crowley and Johnny O’Flaherty. St Michael’s College benefitted hugely from the club, and from having the club personnel on the staff. Jerry Kiernan and co were generated. Along with Kiernan, John O’Connell, Pat O’Connell, Eamonn O’Carroll, John Hartnett (our own classmate from the class of ’72) and Gerald Leahy were the young stars of the times. It wasn’t just running…the O’Connells and Hartnett were jumpers of the top calibre. John O’Connell won the All Ireland Colleges gold medal in Santry in June 1970 with a leap of 43 feet 11 and a half inches in the triple jump. There was a broad smile on John Molyneaux’s face that day and for years after. Kiernan’s career is well known and it took Eamonn Coghlan to best him in the All Ireland schools 1500m in 1971 but Jerry was soon to run into legend. Athletics fires lit by John Molyneaux burned for a long time.
From doing running on the football pitch, sometimes without the ball, I was asked by Johnny O’Flaherty to run cross country but compelled by John Molyneaux to compete. And track too and there was the 17 mins something I ran in the 1971 North Munster 5000m to snatch a silver medal at my first North Munster schools attempt behind Mick O’Shea. Hopes were high for the mystical quest of the Munsters but inexperience allowed me to look back a few times on a hot afternoon in Rockwell College track and I got a good look at the leaders pulling away from me. I was bereft. Immediately after the race, John Molyneaux approached me and suggested, with that glint in his eye that “we’ll have to provide you with blinkers the next time, Kissane!” Ice broken. Lesson learned.
But while dreams were shattered that Rockwell day, a love affair with athletics had begun. It was a treasure John Molyneaux and John O’Flaherty gave me for life.
On a fine June evening in 1972, our class walked past the budding apple trees outside St Michael’s College for the last time as students. The past had happened and the future was there for the taking. There was no formal goodbye to the teachers but it did dawn on us that something special was being left behind. And special people too, like John Molyneaux.
When the Leaving Cert results reached us in the burning August 1972, there was an A beside Latin on the paper. Vital for college and a grant. My after-vision of John Molyneaux increased even more and his name was mentioned in the celebrations that followed in a Birmingham night club. I even took Latin a subject in first year in UCC but the lectures there never reached the pitch of Mr Molyneaux’s classes and it was jettisoned for second year.
The next time I met John Molyneaux was in 1979. A fair few of the class of ’72 were also teachers now, scattered all over Ireland. The Clarence Hotel along the Liffey in Dublin and a meeting of the Dublin-based past pupils to assist with the centenary celebrations of the college. St Michael’s had been opened in 1879 in the recycled building that was the Fever Hospital. We never knew that while in the college as students!
John Molyneaux led the committee members who met us that rainy night in Dublin. A chat about how we were faring and it was only then we realised how proficient John Molyneaux was at golf. He was promoting the centenary golf event to be held later. In fact that year, 1979 he was a member of the Ballybunion Golf Club that won the Jimmy Bruen Shield in Portrush. An All Ireland winner. The first team from Kerry to win the honour and John was a key member along with such golfing names as Seán Walsh and Gerry Galvin. The college centenary celebrations were a huge success. Of course they were, with a committee man as effective as John Molyneaux on board.
Our paths were to cross again when I returned to Kerry as a teacher in 1984. I was representing Tarbert Comprehensive School on the Kerry Colleges Football Board and there was John across the table at my first meeting. A different John now, settled into age and not at the top of the class in front of me. Was still my past-teacher though and he regained his past visage as we got to re-know each other. He was proposing to start a “Silver Circle” fundraising scheme for the Colleges Board. This was something he had been a big fan of and had recruited his students to get involved in over the years. It brought out the sales acumen in many students and accentuated their business skills. It entailed selling lines but with a commitment of a month or so by the punters and an incentive of a percentage stake by the seller. Jerry Riordan from Dromerin was particularly adept at it during our years in the college, partly because the Riordan family had a shop in Dromerin and had a consistent supply of customers.
John retired in 1990 after a long stint at the profession. He had a long and productive retirement too. He was to be seen in The Town Park (aka the Cows’ Lawn) where he had spent the many happy hours coaching and training footballers and athletes. And he could be seen down by the Feale also. That’s where I met him on that day I last laid eyes on him.
When a relation, colleague, neighbour, teacher, friend passes away, it is felt by all who are or were acquaintances. When we are shoving on in years, their deaths mean an empty place in the world we know, the irreversible change that lessens what it means to live. That was the feeling I got in the church in Listowel a few weeks ago on the day that John Molyneaux was laid to rest. When Canon Declan O’Connor told the congregation that John Molyneaux was the only son of an only son, was born and died in the same house in Charles St in Listowel and was a hard-working parent and husband, as well as an energetic, resourceful and innovative community and club man, it seemed strange that we hadn’t known some of these facts before. As students we had known only a fraction of the man he was.
But many people who are gone still continue to grow in our existence. In our after-image of them, we often understand the whys behind the whats. Some of these people indeed become legends. John’s positivity for everything makes him eternal. As John Milton said “Hope proves a person deathless”.
John Molyneaux. Semper Invictus. Always undefeated.
https://listowelconnection.com/2022/04/
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A New Commandment
John’s Gospel, most likely written the last, highlights what was not covered by the other Gospels. In his Last Supper narrative, Jesus washes the feet of the Apostles. Given an example by which we are to live, we are called to serve others as Christ did, embracing the New Commandment to love as he has loved us.
The Tragic Apostle
St. John gives us a glimpse into the tragic life of Judas. Despite being in Christ's company for years, Judas continued to serve himself. He justified his sinfulness and eventually betrayed his Lord. Today, let us learn from Judas' mistakes and allow Christ to correct and heal us.
Hope Amidst Scandal
Today, we hear of Judas' betrayal after the Last Supper. Darkened by pride, the fallen Apostle welcomed Satan into his heart. In this reading, we see that scandal has been present in the Church from the very beginning. Nevertheless, we should not lose hope. God's plan triumphed over betrayal then, as it will now.
Love of Money
In today's Gospel, Judas haggles over the price of betrayal. In this interaction, Judas' greed becomes clear. He loves money more than Christ himself. With Judas' actions in mind, let us meditate on how we have valued material things over God. In what ways have we subordinated Christ to worldliness?
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There is a general agreement that the Harry Ferguson tractors of the post-war era were the most influential tractors ever produced.
All modern conventional tractors are now of the same layout and all have a three-point linkage, the geometry and functioning of which was invented by Harry Ferguson and his design engineer, Willie Sands.
https://www.agriland.ie/farming-news/machinery-focus-birth-of-the-massey-ferguson-100-series/
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Salesian Agricultural College: One college, many courses to choose from
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Prophetic Prediction
Looking forward to the death of Jesus, the First Reading illustrates the wicked's mindset. This prophetic passage from the Book of Wisdom describes the animosity the wicked have for the righteous, accurately predicting what will happen to the Righteous One, Jesus Christ. Repent of your wickedness and strive to be righteous through the power of God’s grace.
Why Do We Sin?
The readings speak into the reality of why we sin. It is simple. When we forget God and what he has done for us, we turn away from him toward sin. In Jesus, God poignantly reminds us of his saving works. Think of what God has done for you, recalling his good deeds in your life so that you might not wander into sin.
He Knows You
Today’s readings remind us of who God is. God, like a shepherd, desires to lead us into green pastures and repose. He has not forgotten us but is seeking us out, offering us his steadfast love, mercy, and forgiveness. Remain with him, confident of his love for you.
His Love Rejected
Though Christ is the new temple, the source of life-giving water, he is met with opposition. As we hear in today's Gospel, he is betrayed by the very man he heals. In this tragic scene, we get a glimpse of the Cross, the ultimate manifestation of Christ's sacrificial love.
When to Speak Up & When to Shut Up
By Dr. Michael D. Sedler
Using examples from the Bible and from modern life, this practical guide to conversation will help you decide when silence is the best response — and when it’s imperative to speak up!
Christian Nonfiction
After
By Dr. Bruce Greyson
“A major contribution to the study of what happens when we die” (New York Times bestselling author Raymond Moody): A physician presents evidence of near-death experiences in this fascinating “book that will challenge your understanding about how the world works” (The Independent).
Marine!
By Burke Davis
In a legendary career spanning two world wars, Lewis B. Puller became the most decorated Marine in US history. From his humble beginnings to his acts of heroism, readers will be captivated by this “valuable historical portrait for our time” (Kirkus Reviews).
History
The Light of Christ
By Thomas Joseph White
For readers interested in Catholicism, this thought-provoking guide provides an overview of the Church’s teachings about Jesus, the Trinity, the afterlife, and more. “Both beginners and serious academics will find much to savor in its pages” (Bishop Robert Barron, author of Catholicism).
Christian Nonfiction
I Am a Bacha Posh
By Ukmina Manoori with Stephanie Lebrun
Following a widespread cultural tradition in Afghanistan, Ukmina Manoori was dressed and raised as a boy. In this gripping memoir, she reveals how this practice affected her childhood — and reflects on her decision to defy expectations and continue donning menswear as an adult.
Biographies and Memoirs
Krakatoa
By Simon Winchester
From a New York Times bestselling author comes a gripping account of the devastating eruption at Krakatoa and its impact around the world. “Brilliant… One of the best books ever written about the history and significance of a natural disaster” (The New York Times).
History
Bishop Ray of Kerry; I suggest some simple things for this Lent: Check that you are happy with the time you give: to daily prayer and Sunday Eucharist- to keeping your faith fresh and strong to participation in parish activities, to being involved in some voluntary service to others. God Our Father asks us to have a special care for those who are poor or in some other need. Also, remember the Trócaire Lenten campaign.
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She spoke about the bishops’ 2018 pastoral letter, “Open Wide Our Hearts,” which deals with racism in American society.
“The bishops have realized that racism affects us all in different ways,” Grimes said.
“Part of our job is to frame racism in new ways. We need to look for new ways to frame the narrative about racism.”
Saying that “we sometimes don’t see how racism is in our institutions and structures,” she urged the clergy to preach about racism, not only from the pulpit, but also in Catholic schools, explaining that schools also allow an opportunity to speak about the history of the United States.
She asked priests to be mindful that diversity is represented in parish leadership positions and that they look for opportunities for parish groups to study the bishops’ pastoral letter and then discuss it. She also
asked that parishes employ minority-owned businesses.
She said that next year’s National Catholic Youth Conference will offer a listening session about diversity.
She recommended that Sept. 9, the Feast of St. Peter Claver, might be a good time to plan a celebration of diversity and suggested that liturgies be more culturally diverse to represent the different communities celebrating them.
“The pastoral letter is aimed at everyone,” she said. “There’s no silver bullet. But bringing small groups together is a start. Taking the time to listen to and validate others’ stories is very valuable.”
https://thetablet.org/msgr-quinns-sainthood-cause-advances-to-vatican/
https://fatherquinncause.files.wordpress.com/2018/11/frquinnbio-1888-19402.pdf
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Clearly there are many other problems that contribute to today’s high rate of divorce, but an overlooked root is the expectation of an ideal marriage. Yes, many want their marriage to be ideal, and if there is any ordeal, they want a new deal. (We would do well to remember that in a world full of adults behaving like this, it is the children who really get a raw deal.) This is a deeper and less discussed cultural root of our divorce problem, a deep wound of which we should become more aware.
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It may seem like a long time ago, distant to the interests of Americans today. Nonetheless, this was a crucial turning point for the world, for freedom and for faith. It is an inspiring history lesson worth taking to heart, especially this Christmas 2021, a time when so much of the news around the world is depressing. Here was something truly uplifting for those who love faith and freedom. Sometimes, there really are happy endings.
Paul Kengor
Paul Kengor Paul Kengor is professor of political science at Grove City College in Grove City, Pennsylvania. His books include A Pope and a President, The Divine Plan and The Politically Incorrect Guide to Communism, The Devil and Karl Marx: Communism's Long March of Death, Deception, and Infiltration.
https://www.ncregister.com/commentaries/christmas-1981-heralded-the-collapse-of-communism-in-poland?utm_campaign=NCR%202019&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=194855009&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-8Fwyh5y8yag9oIMBuEXKmlRzn3g7vDaH8G6fqZN4y2U4KwFB6CgPbyHEO_FQO3g9FNMhNuWEq0_dkXcAmKF4Wf7JaahQ&utm_content=194855009&utm_source=hs_email
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Later of that moment she said: “I embraced him to drop him into the heart of God. And [as I did so] he murmured: ‘Forgive me.’”
Whatever gift was given to Leo that day, another greater one was given to Girtanner. She had prayed for 40 years for the power to forgive. Because she knew that, by that act, she too would be set free. Of that day she would later say: “Forgiving him liberated me.”
In that wholly unforeseen encounter in 1984, the prayers of Maïti Girtanner were strangely answered.
K.V. Turley K.V. Turley is the Register’s U.K. correspondent. He writes from London.
https://www.ncregister.com/blog/what-happened-when-this-woman-met-her-nazi-torturer
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In the Tao Te Ching, Lao Tzu wrote, “Care about people’s approval / and you will be their prisoner.” He no doubt intended it as a dire warning. But as the years have passed, I have come to interpret it as more of a promise and an opportunity.
I have learned that the prison of others’ approval is actually one built by me, maintained by me, and guarded by me. This has led me to my own complementary verse to Lao Tzu’s original: “Disregard what others think and the prison door will swing open.” If you are stuck in the prison of shame and judgment, remember that you hold the key to your own freedom.
This is your last free article.
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How Not to Be Your Own Worst Enemy
Arthur Brooks and Dr. Shefali, a clinical psychologist and mindfulness expert, discuss the definition and dangers of self-objectification—and what it really means to be yourself.
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By
Grotto
We give a lot of thought to stories here at Grotto, and we’re always looking for ways to deepen the impact of the narratives we help craft and share. One way we’re taking a new approach to that task is by gathering stories together around a certain theme to put them in dialogue with one another.
When we started exploring this new direction, we wondered if we’d be able to find a marquee narrative that would set the focus for a whole edition — and then JD Kim’s story arrived. We immediately knew it was a story that we could build around because it was just so powerful.
This first edition gathers stories about gratitude in the face of hardship, and my goodness, we’re excited about this short feature documentary about JD called “5 Minutes.” Down to a person, each member of our team was moved by the pathway he’s found through adversity. The key that unlocked this transformation? Gratitude.
So give yourself 10 minutes to take this one in — it’s a story that will change your outlook on life.
(transcript posted below)
Video Transcript
Dr. Jihoon Kim: Life is full of unexpected things. It could come and go anytime, and when hardships or unexpected things happen to us, we often focus on the things that we do not have.
(Dr. Kim going through a library in a wheelchair)
Well, I had dreams, not like the dreams of Martin Luther king, Jr. or anything like that, but dreams to become a professional, and successful sushi chef, open up my own business, dreams to have fun with my friends, travel around the world.
Dr. Kim: Hi.
Librarian: Hi. I can check that out for you.
Dr. Kim: Thanks.
Librarian: What’s your last name?
Dr. Kim: Kim.
Librarian: And first name?
Dr. Kim: J-I-H-O-O-N.
My friends and I went snowboarding and we are having a great time. And as I was snowboarding, I went over the mogul and I was on the air, and I fell. And as soon as I fell, I heard sound going “beep”, and immediately I knew something was wrong. I tried to tell myself “It’s going to be okay. It’s going to be okay.” And then I slowly tried to move my body as usual, but something was different. My legs and my arms weren’t moving. I tried again, but they didn’t obey my command. And after two months, the doctor told me that because of my injury level, I’m not going to be able to walk for the rest of my life. And that was like a death sentence to me.
(Dr. Kim’s dad prepares a toothbrush for him and gives him a cup of water.)
I wanted to end my life. One of the most sad thing was I couldn’t even attempt to use any weapons to take away my life. But as I wanted to just fall myself down on the stairs at Craig Hospital, I remembered about the stories of Jesus, story of God loving us. And at that moment, I prayed to God, “Lord, I don’t even know if you really exist, I don’t even know that all the stories that are recorded in the Bible are truth or not, but, if you can still do something about my situation, if you can still do something for me, please help me. Please help me.”
(Dr. Kim underlines verses in his Bible.)
And at that moment, really, I felt comfort and peace and had the sensation of maybe God can do something about this situation. Maybe there is something more about my life.
Now, I have experienced, you know, many incidents where God will answer my prayers and gives me strength when I was going through really difficult time. But at the same time, I experienced many more troubles, even after my snowboarding accident. So I had to really wrestle with these issues. So if God is good, why does he allow suffering to my life? Over the years, through reflection, and prayers, and reading and research, I reached the conclusion that God is good and God loves us. But at the same time, the purpose of my life is not simply about overcoming suffering. Suffering is part of our lives. It is always there, but it is about how to respond to suffering with God. And that’s the reason how I was able to go through them and still trust in God and live with joy and gratitude.
I started my PhD study in 2016. After the graduation, I am teaching at Denver Seminary as an adjunct professor.
(dictating to computer) This week’s theological topic: Spend at least 15 minutes for your initial response.
And I also serve my own nonprofit organization, JD Kim Ministries. It is about sharing God’s love with others and helping people who are going through different types of sufferings.
(Dr. Kim and his dad pray in a foreign language before a meal)
So I was always so focused on what I cannot do. I complained that I couldn’t move my fingers, I couldn’t move my legs. But then I began to realize that some of the things that I can do, the movements that I have already, can be a blessing for some others. Some people that I have known over the years, they also had a spinal cord injury, but they couldn’t even move their wrist, they couldn’t even move their shoulders. They needed someone’s help to mobilize their wheelchairs. So as I began just thanking God and be more positive about the things that I had already, I was able to do things more gladly, and with gratitude and joy and hope.
Once I began focusing on what I can do already, it also changed my disadvantage as well. I need to recline my wheelchair every 15 minutes to prevent blood pressure. So when I study or research, and when I do that, it disrupts everything. And I used to complain about my condition, but then I changed my attitude. Even though I recline my wheelchair, what can I do in this moment? How can I use these five minutes? (Dr. Kim reclines his wheelchair outside in the sun) And I decided to pray to God for those five minutes. I may not be able to spend the many, many hours to pray to God, but I will use these five minutes to not just pray for myself, but I could pray for others, I could pray for my loved ones, and I will utilize these five minutes and do something about it instead of just focusing what I cannot do. So I encourage all of us to just focus what we can do for others or what we can do already instead of what we cannot do and what we do not have yet.
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After more than two months (66 days) at sea, the Pilgrims finally arrived at Cape Cod on November 11, 1620. A few weeks later, they sailed up the coast to Plymouth and started to build their town where a group of Wampanoag People had lived before (a sickness had killed most of them). The Pilgrims lived on the ship for a few more months, rowing ashore to build houses during the day, and returning to the ship at night. Many people began to get sick from the cold and the wet; after all, it was December! About half the people on Mayflower died that first winter from what they described as a “general sickness” of colds, coughs and fevers.
https://plimoth.org/for-students/homework-help/mayflower-and-mayflower-compact
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The Presbytery, Abbeydorney. (066 7135146)
abbeydorney@dioceseofkerry.ie
24th Sunday in Ordinary Time, 12th September 2021.
Dear Parishioner,
National and provincial newspapers in Ireland, as well as bringing stories from home and abroad to their readers, often have a regular columnist – more than one, in the case of daily and Sunday papers - who writes an article dealing with current happenings or reflecting on various events and changes in society that have taken place and that are happening at the present time. One such columnist for many years is Fr. Brendan Hoban, whose weekly article is published in the Western People, distributed in Co. Mayo. Many of the articles, that Fr. Brendan has written, are connected with the Catholic Church in Ireland and he is, sometimes, criticised by some people because of his pessimistic or dark view of things. The title of his most recent article is ‘The ties that bind us to the Catholic Church’. Ireland is not mentioned in the title but, from the beginning of the article, it is obvious that his focus is on his native country and, of course, his home area of Mayo gets special mention!
Fr. Brendan introduces his subject by referring to ‘A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man’, written by James Joyce in which Stephen Dedalus (Joyce) explains his renunciation of the Catholic faith to a friend. ‘I said I had lost the faith....but not that I had lost my self-respect.’ Fr. Brendan says that, in this context, self-respect means that there comes a point in life in which we decide what makes most sense to us – how we can be faithful to our deepest selves. He goes on to write, ‘This is a question, I suspect, that many people in Ireland – especially Catholics are asking themselves now: can I be faithful and true to the faith of my youth? Another way of putting it is: how can I reconcile the Catholic faith, that I grew up in, with other values that I have come to accept as an adult? Many of us went to schools with a marked Catholic ethos. We went to Mass every week, we received our First Communion and were confirmed. We accepted the broad outlines of a Catholic culture and, now, to jettison all of that seems to deny a reality that is part of the scaffolding that holds our lives together. It can seem a bridge too far. Not owning our Catholicism is a bit like a Mayo native cheering for Tyrone next Saturday. While few Mayo people will be conflicted in who they support in Croke Park, many Irish Catholics are conflicted over the effective discarding of their faith. It is a dilemma that many
experience, that many resist confronting but that hangs around the neck of
Catholic Ireland, like a bad smell. The ties that bind us to the Catholic Church.
This is particularly so, when some ardent, well-meaning Catholics are telling them that they are either a-la-carte Catholics or not really Catholics at all.’
(End of the piece taken from Fr. Brendan Hoban’s article.) I want to offer a thought on the full article. I think Fr. Brendan is trying to express what he thinks is going on in the minds of many Irish people, who have given up the practice of the Catholic faith (especially in relation to weekend Mass attendance) but who would not accept, if challenged, that they are not still members of the Catholic
Church. I am reminded of the time I invited a parishioner to accept a box of
Parish envelopes and he said he felt that, because he did not attend Mass, he
would be a hypocrite in taking the box, but, in answer to my question if he would expect to have a funeral Mass and Church burial, he said that he would definitely want that.
(Fr. Denis O’Mahony)
Season of Creation (Bishop Martin Hayes)
Laudato Si’ (LS) on ‘Care for our Common Home’ (Pope Francis, 24 May 2015) clearly outlines our interdependent relationship with each other and with all of creation as everything is closely interrelated (LS, par. 137). The purpose of the Season of Creation liturgy is to acknowledge God as creator, give thanks to God for the gift of creation that we have received, highlight that each creature reflects something of God, raise awareness of our responsibility to care for creation and ask God for help to fulfil our obligations in that regard. Also, as the custodians of creation we must acknowledge our failures to protect creation. The one phrase from Laudato Si’ which I have been alert to for some time is “We are not God” (LS, 67). Pope Francis is highlighting that our calling
to stewardship of the Earth has been misinterpreted as a licence to exercise domination over all other life forms. He reminds us that our preoccupation with absolute ownership runs counter to God’s gift of creation. He advocates a relationship whereby we take just enough to subsist and so provide for future generations (LS, 67). We are in a relationship of interdependency with all of life.
It means that we cannot see plant and animal life as just mere resources (LS, 33). Once we come to an appreciation of different species, we must take practical steps to ensure their survival so that each creature can give glory to God. In the Season of Creation, we want to celebrate, firstly, the beauty and diversity of all of creation which has been or is on display at this time of year and secondly, its fruitfulness as we move towards harvest time. The whole of
creation is speaking to us of God, revealing God as do the scriptures in the
Word of God.
What is the Word of God of this Sunday saying that is relevant to the celebration of the Season of Creation? When we consider ourselves as part of the interrelationship of creation, we are challenged to move beyond notions of individual salvation alone. I am drawn to reflect upon the invitation of Jesus in our Gospel of this Sunday to ‘renounce oneself and take up one’s cross and follow Him”. In the context of an interdependent relationship with all of
creation we are called to renounce the tendency to be those independent individuals who, in being self-centred, give rise to a collective selfishness. (LS, 204). The social teaching of the Church, forms the framework for Laudato Si’ as illustrated by Pope Francis when he states, “We have to realize that a true ecological approach always becomes a social approach; it must integrate questions of justice in debates on the environment, so as to hear both the cry of the earth and the cry of the poor.” (LS, 49). In caring for our ‘Common Home’,
we are addressing poverty caused by climate change. The implementation of the social teaching of Laudato Si’ can be understood as putting ‘faith into action’, the theme of our 2nd Reading from the Letter of St. James. We are told by St. James that if good works do not go with faith, it is quite dead. The invitation to put our faith into practice is enlarged by ‘Laudato Si’ to include care of all of created life, hence, it is challenging. It requires an ecological spirituality, indeed an ecological conversion, first heralded by St John Paul II, and reiterated by Pope Francis when he states, “the ecological crisis is also a summons to profound interior conversion ... Living our vocation to be protectors of God’s handiwork is essential to a life of virtue; it is not an optional or a secondary aspect of our Christian experience” (LS, 217)
Ecology: The study of the relationship between living organisms and their environment; The set of relationships between a living organism and its environment.
Ecological: Relating to ecology; (of a practice, policy, product etc.) tending to benefit or cause minimal damage to the environment.
Eco-centric: Having a serious concern for environmental issues.
Eco-friendly: Having a beneficial effect on the environment.
Seeing your Life through the Lens of the Gospel (John Byrne OSA.) 1.Who do you say that I am? Imagine Jesus putting this question to you. How would you answer it - not in words from a catechism or textbook, but from your own experience of the significance of Jesus in your life? What does Jesus mean to you? What does his Gospel message mean to you?
2. Jesus went on to teach his disciples that following him would be hard at times. There would be a price to pay. Perhaps you also have found that imitating the love and compassion of Jesus is not an easy road? Nor does it come easy to have the constant trust in God that Jesus had. Yet, Jesus tells us that this is the way to life. Would you agree?
3.There is a natural human tendency to shy away from what is painful or difficult. Yet, if that is our standard pattern of behaviour, we will not get far in reaching our potential. We will never find who we are capable of being. When have you found it worthwhile to face difficulties, persevere,‘carry your cross’ for a while to achieve some goal that was important to you?
(Intercom Magazine, September 2021) The Deep End (Tríona Doherty) Intercom Magazine, September 2021.
In the second reading today from St James we read, 'What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but do not have works?' In our Gospel reading we hear: 'The way you think is not God's way but man's...'. These are challenging texts which remind us to reflect on what path we are walking as followers of Jesus. Jesus' path was radically different to what people of his time expected of a Messiah. It was a path that would lead to much sacrifice. Being a Christian today means following Jesus' example, being counter-cultural and making sacrifices for a greater good. Today is also the second Sunday in the Season of Creation, a time we are called to explore our relationship with nature, God's creation. Pope Francis reminds us in Laudato Si' – ‘On Care for Our Common Home’ that 'We are not God' (LS, 67). He challenges us to re-examine our vocation to care for creation. In the past we misinterpreted God's words in Genesis to mean that we could have dominion over all of creation, own it and plunder it for our own use. Pope Francis invites us instead to explore our role as carers of creation and reminds us that the very first commandment we were ever given was to be protectors of this beautiful world. Yet, we know the earth cries out to us and that we are living through the sixth mass extinction of life on this earth due to human activity. Ecosystems are collapsing; biodiversity is in crisis. Laudato Si' is a hope-filled document, reminding us that we can set out on a new path, that we are capable of turning things around. One key action each of us can take this Season of Creation is to plant a native Irish tree. Each parish, diocese, family, school, university can engage in this symbolic action to help Restore Our Common Home.
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David Hurley 22 Sept 2021
Email: david.hurley@limerickleader.ie
A LIMERICK man who bravely saved a teenager from the sea last summer has been honoured by President Michael D Higgins.
In August 2020, Commandant Liam Halpin, who is originally from Woodview Park in the city, came to the rescue of the teenage girl who had gotten into difficulty after she was taken out by the tide near Doonbeg in County Clare.
Only for the quick-thinking and fast action of Mr Halpin, who was walking with his family, the outcome most certainly would have been very different.
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Podcast #735: The Conquering Father Who Made an Empire-Building Son
Brett & Kate McKay • August 25, 2021
If asked to think about the greatest generals of the ancient world, one name is likely to come to mind first: Alexander the Great — the incomparable military commander who amassed the world’s largest empire by the time he was but thirty years old. A name that probably won’t come to mind, however, is that of Philip the II, Alexander’s father.
But my guest today argues that if Philip hadn’t done all that he did, Alexander wouldn’t have been able to do all that he did. His name is Adrian Goldsworthy, and he’s a classical historian and the author of numerous books on antiquity, including Philip and Alexander: Kings and Conquerors. Adrian first surveys the state of the Macedonians before Philip assumed the throne, sharing how they differed from other Greeks, who actually weren’t sure Macedonians even counted as fellow Greeks, and how Macedon was burdened with political instability, a deficient army, and a palace full of deadly intrigue. Adrian then explains how Philip, despite having little political or military experience, was able to take control and turn his army and kingdom around, including the innovations in weaponry and tactics that allowed him to achieve domination in Greece. We then talk about the relationship between Philip and his son Alexander, and how Alexander inherited many things from his father that set him up for his own success, including the plan to invade the Persian Empire. We end our conversation exploring the question of whether Philip, if he had lived longer, could have achieved what Alexander did.
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Reflection
The Presbytery, Abbeydorney. (066 7135146)
abbeydorney@dioceseofkerry.ie
Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, 15.8.2021.
Dear Parishioner,
I ask myself now and then, ‘Do parishioners say to them-
selves, when they see me mentioning something about Africa, ‘Why does
he keeping talking about the place, where he spent a few years?’ I find
myself mentioning things that I feel are worth hearing about and that
might cause us to ask ourselves, ‘Where do I fit in all of this?’ Here I go
again with an African story. On Wednesday last, I got an email from Dr.
Katongole, a young man in Uganda (I didn’t work in Uganda, neighbour-
ing country to Kenya but I visited the country in 2017 and met the young
man, whom I just mentioned.) I had been communicating with him when
he was studying to be doctor. He depended on me and a few other kind
people to study medicine, because he was an orphan. When I met him
on the edge of Kampala, capital city of Uganda, he had been qualified
two years and he had started a clinic to treat sick people in the area. Un-
fortunately, as happens in many African countries Government hospitals
do not have the medicines and drugs needed to treat their patients. In
those situations, sick people try to gather a bit of money to go to a private
clinic, knowing that their complaint will be investigated and they will get
the medicine they need.
Back to the email that I got on Tuesday. Dr. Katongole wrote, “Yesterday,
I got the chance of getting my first dose of ‘Astra Zeneca.’ I did not get
until now because of the very limited supply of vaccines in Uganda. Very
many people are wanting to get vaccinated but doses are always few and
limited to elderly and medical workers. I will get my second dose two
months from now.” I can hear you saying ‘If he is a doctor, how come he
has only got the first vaccination months after vaccines first became
available?’ A possible reason is that because he runs a private clinic, he
is seen as competing with the Government hospitals. He went on to
write, ‘Many of my medical friends died from Covid 19, because of not
having protective clothing and equipment.’ I think most Irish people are
aware of the UNICEF campaign ‘Get a vaccine – Give a vaccine’ which is
being promoted to help the poorer countries in the world to get vaccines.
If you have given a contribution, I say ‘Well done to you.’ If not, you
might consider doing so without delay. Surely the poorer people in the
world deserve to get vaccinated as much as you and I do.
(Fr. Denis O’Mahony)
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Family & Relationships, Carmel Wynne
Are you desensitised to emotional abuse?
There is no excuse for the snide remark, the critical comment or
demeaning jokes that leave another person disrespected and abused.
On the day of his inauguration, as President of the USA, President Biden
told his staff, “If you’re ever working with me and I hear you treat an-
other with disrespect, talking down to someone, I will fire you on the
spot. No ifs, ands or buts.” Contrast his approach with the acceptance
in Irish society of the ‘put down’, which is often experienced as verbally
or emotionally abusive. Of course, there are differences in communica-
tion styles but those differences should never be an excuse for the snide
remark, the critical comment, the name-calling and the jokes that leave
a person feeling disrespected and verbally or emotionally abused. The
signs of emotional abuse are subtle and more difficult to detect than
physical abuse. Some scars from domestic abuse are visible. Bruising,
broken bones, cuts and other physical injuries leave marks on bodies.
Victims of ‘put downs’ and verbal abuse suffer emotional scars that are
not visible to the eye but cause trauma, such as sleepless nights and
diminished self- confidence, eroded self-esteem and a loss of self-worth.
There is a subtlety to emotional abuse, which is one reason why it often
goes undetected, even by the victims themselves. Hurtful words and
ridicule, disguised as jokes or banter, can be a form of emotionally abu-
sive behaviour. No form of abuse should ever be tolerated.
Say for example, that everyone in the family thinks Alex is a funny man.
It’s well known that there are times when he goes too far. He has a habit
of poking fun at his wife, Jenny, and initially, it is hilarious. It’s not so
funny when Jenny tells Alex that he is hurting her feelings. The general
ignorance of the traumatic effects of verbal and emotional abuse may
explain why members of Jenny’s family laugh or remain silent, rather
than challenge her abuser. The wrong belief that it is ‘fun’ may explain
why people who love them both remain silent. Alex did what abusers
do to their victims. He ignored the plea to stop and he cleverly manip-
ulated the situation to make Jenny look as if she were at fault. He made
her believe that she lacked a sense of humour and was far too serious for
her own good. In social situations, it is not possible for her to avoid
Alex. To create a safe distance between them, she has become skilled at
evasive manoeuvres, such as acting busy, tuning out and withdrawing
from the interaction. ‘Funny guys’ like Alex need to face reality. To ig-
nore someone’s request is, at best, being insensitive, at worst abusive.
Jenny many not think of herself as a victim. Alex may deny that he en-
gaged in abusive behaviour. What cannot be challenged is that Alex did
what perpetrators of abuse do – manipulate the victim into believing it
is their fault.
Some perpetrators of verbal and emotional abuse act out of ignorance,
unaware of the hurt they cause. They genuinely believe that the way
they poke fun at others is simply a bit of harmless banter, that people
who fail to see it their way have no sense of humour. The fear of ‘being
the butt of the next joke’ silences others into accepting unacceptable be-
haviour. A lack of insight into how ‘put downs’ name calling and ‘hilarious
jokes’ are experienced as demeaning, hurtful and toxic is not an accepta-
ble excuse. There is a wrong belief that if you and I speak the same lan-
guage, then we will attach the identical meaning to the words we use.
We don’t. Body language, eye contact, facial expressions and tone of
voice play a major role in the non-verbal communication that delivers
the whole communication.
People in loving families can be desensitised to verbal abuse and the
emotional pain it inflicts. They can truly state that it was never their in-
tention to inflict any kind of pain and feel validated in becoming defen-
sive if they are accused of causing hurt. Perception is reality. Tears can
be perceived as a sign of hurt, a genuine outpouring of grief or a manip-
ulation to achieve an outcome. I’m making an educational guess that
Joe Biden refrained from using terms like ‘verbally or emotionally abu-
sive’ because he had a clear and unambiguous message: you will be
sacked if you speak in a way that makes a member of staff feel disre-
spected. Perhaps you mean no harm with a ‘put down’ or a joke. What
if you wrongly believe that someone is over-sensitive but they are not?
Wouldn’t be awful to discover that you are the one who lacks sensitivity,
that you have failed to pick up on a reaction rather than a response?
Making wrong assumptions is easier than most of us recognise.
Reality Magazine, July/August, 2021.
My best friend is the one who brings out the best in me.
(Henry Ford in Reality Magazine, July/August 2021)
The Deep End (Tríona Doherty Intercom August 2021)
'Only God could say what this new spirit gradually forming within you will
be. Give Our Lord the benefit of believing that his hand is leading you,
and accept the anxiety of feeling yourself in suspense and incomplete.'
(Pierre Teilhard de Chardin) These beautiful words from French philoso-
pher Pierre Teilhard de Chardin SJ speak to the sometimes-tortuous ex-
perience of waiting. In it the author gives us permission to not have all
the answers, to allow our faith time to grow and develop. Above all, he
invites us to do that most difficult of things: live in the present moment,
and surrender ourselves to God in that moment.
This poem comes to mind as I think about today's celebration of the Feast
of the Assumption, when we recall Mary's role in the life of Jesus and in
salvation. In our Gospel extract we meet Mary, pregnant and celebrating
with her relative Elizabeth. Given the circumstances, it would be under-
standable if she was unsure and fearful. Her future is uncertain, as is that
of her soon-to-be-born son. She cannot yet comprehend the enormity
of what is to come but Mary seems content to wait. When Elizabeth pro-
claims Mary as 'blessed', Mary bursts into prayer, praising God for his
greatness and for 'looking upon his lowly handmaid'.
In modern terms, it is a lesson in mindfulness. When we find ourselves
impatient, struggling to comprehend or to trust God's ways, let us turn
to Mary who accepted God's plan with trust and hope, allowing it all to
unfold one step at a time.
Seeing your Life through the Lens of the Gospel John Byrne OSA
1. The story of the Visitation is a story of two pregnant women reaching
out to one another. For those of you who are mothers, perhaps you have
been in that situation. What blessings do you recall in such encounters?
2. The story and the song of Mary are both celebrating the work of God
in her life. When have you been particularly grateful for what was hap-
pening in your life? How did you express and celebrate your thanks?
3. Mary is praised for believing that God's promise to her would be
fulfilled. How has your trust in God's promise to be with you helped you
in your life?
4. Read the Magnificat a few times slowly and let your attention stay
with whatever words or phrase you are drawn to. Place yourself in the
position of the one saying the prayer. Let it be your prayer of thanksgiving
for your own life. (Intercom July/August 2021
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FR. FRANK REPORTS...
St. Margaret’s profound physical ailments teach a powerful lesson about how every life –
no matter how compromised, no matter how “imperfect” - has value and every person has a
contribution to make.
And the question that challenges us most deeply is, if we were there, and knew Margaret was
locked up in that cell, would we have spoken up?
St. Margaret’s canonization comes at an interesting time in the U.S., as more states are
passing laws to protect babies from abortion based on their sex, race or disability.
Prenatal testing now allows parents to know long before their baby is born if he or she
will be everything they have dreamed of and planned for. Babies falling short of that ideal
I invite everyone who believes in the sanctity of every human
life to join me in praying this prayer I wrote some years ago for
Margaret of Castello, the newest saint for the pro-life movement.
Father,
Your care extends to every human person,
And you uphold the dignity of every human life,
Regardless of the false ways that the world may calculate its
value.
You gave us St. Margaret of Castello as a sign and a
challenge.
You permitted your glory to shine through her human weakness,
And called those around her to love her
Despite her physical limitations.
Forgive us when we fail to defend the least among us.
Through the intercession of St. Margaret,
Give us grace to speak up for the outcast
and to welcome those who are rejected.
When this brief life is over,
Grant that we who have welcomed all our brothers and sisters,
May be welcomed by you into the life that never ends.
We pray through Christ our Lord. Amen.
(See ProLifePrayers.com.)
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SAINT Benedict (480 –547)–Feast Day: 11thJuly Saint Benedict is one of the six Patron Saints of Europe. The others are the two brothers from Thessalonika in Greece, Cyril (825 –869)and Methodius (826 –885), Bridget of Sweden (1303 –1373), Catherine of Siena in Italy (1347 –1380) and the German Saint Teresa Benedicta of the Cross or Edith Stein (1891 –1942). The Feast Day of Saint Cyril and Saint Methodius is 14th February, that of Saint Bridget of Sweden 23rd July, that of Saint Catherine of Siena 29th April and that of Saint Teresa Benedicta of the Cross 9thAugust.Saint Benedict(480 –547)and his twin sister Saint Scholastica (480 –543)are believed to have been born into a wealthy family in Norcia in the region of Umbria in Italy around the year 480. He received a very good education in Rome. However the low morals of the people in Rome at that time disgusted him and so he left the eternal city to settle in Enfide about 40 miles away. Then around 500 he went to the nearby wild and remote area of Subiaco and lived there as a hermit in a cave for the next three years. His life of prayer and solitude attracted people to him and over the next 20 years about 12 monasteries of monks opened in that area. In the year 530 having left the Subiaco area Benedict founded the great monastery of Monte Cassino which is on a hilltop between Rome and Naples. He was abbot of this monastery until his death on 21st March 547. Monte Cassino became the focal point for western monasticism. The monks there followed the Rule of Saint Benedict which he first wrote in 516 while in Subiaco. The Rule encouraged the monks to devote eight hours per day to prayer, eight hours to sleep and eight hours to manual work, sacred reading and/or works of charity.
===========================
CHILDREN
Dr. Dr. Ovid, pediatrician neurologist, warning of a silent tragedy that is growing today in our homes.
There is a silent tragedy that is growing today in our homes, and is about our most beautiful jewelry: our children. Our children are in a devastating emotional state! Over the past 15 years, researchers have given us increasingly alarming stats on a steady and acute increase in childhood mental illness now reaching epidemic proportions:
Stats don't lie:
• 1 out of 5 children have mental health issues
• A 43 % increase was seen in ADHD
• A 37 % increase in adolescent depression has been observed
• A 200 % increase in the suicide rate among children aged 10 to 14 years has been observed.
What is going on and what are we doing wrong?
Today's children are over-stimulated and over-donated with material items, but they are deprived of the foundations of a healthy childhood, such as:
• Emotionally available parents
• clearly defined limits
• responsibilities
• Balanced nutrition and adequate sleep
• Movement in general but especially outdoors
• Creative game, social interaction, informal gaming opportunities and spaces for boredom
Instead, these last few years have been filled to the children of:
• Digitally distracted parents
• Indulgent and permissive parents who let children ′′ rule the world ′′ and be the ones who put the rules
• A sense of law, to deserve everything without winning it or being responsible for getting it
• Inappropriate sleep and unbalanced nutrition
• A sedentary lifestyle
• Endless stimulation, tech nannies, instant gratification and no boring moments
What to do?
If we want our children to be happy and healthy individuals, we need to wake up and get back to basics. It's still possible! Many families are seeing immediate improvements after weeks of following recommendations:
• Set boundaries and remember you are the captain of the boat. Your children will feel safer knowing you are in control of the rudder.
• Give children a balanced lifestyle filled with what children need, not just what they want. Don't be afraid to say ′′ no ′′ to your kids if what they want isn't what they need.
• Provide nutritious food and limit junk food.
• Spend at least an hour a day outdoors doing activities like: Cycling, hiking, fishing, bird / bug watching
• Enjoy a daily family dinner without smartphones or technology that distracts them.
• Play family board games or if kids are too small for board games, get carried away by your interests and let them be them sending in the game
• Involve your children in a home stain or task depending on their age (folding clothes, order toys, hanging clothes, unpacking supplies, setting table, feeding dogs etc. The whole world
• Implement a consistent sleep routine to make sure your child sleeps long enough. Hours will be even more important for school age children.
• Teaching responsibility and independence. Don't protect them too much from frustration or error. Being wrong will help them develop resilience and learn how to overcome life's challenges,
• Don't load your kids backpack, don't carry your backpacks, don't take the stain they forgot, don't peel their bananas oranges if they can do it from themselves same (4-5 years). Instead of giving them the fish, show them to fish.
• Teach them how to wait and delay gratuity.
• Provide opportunities for ′′ boredom ", because boredom is the moment creativity wakes up. Don't feel responsible for always keeping kids entertaining.
• Don't use technology as a cure for boredom, nor offer it at the first second of inactivity.
• Avoid using technology during meals, in cars, restaurants, shopping centers. Use these moments as opportunities to socialize by thus training the brains to function when they are in mode: ′′ boredom ′′
• Help them create a ' Bottle of Boredom ' with activity ideas for when they're bored.
• Be emotionally available to connect with children and teach them self-regulation and social skills:
• Turn off phones at night when kids need to go to bed to avoid digital distraction.
• Become an emotional regulator or coach of your children. Teach them to recognize and deal with their own frustrations and anger.
• Show them to salute, take tricks, share without staying without anything, say thank you and please recognize the mistake and apologize (don't force them), be model of all these values he has instilled.
• Connect emotionally - smile, kiss, kiss, tickled, read, dance, jump, play or gate with them.
Article written by Dr. Luis Rojas Marcos, psychiatrist.
http://palermonline.com.ar/wordpress/?p=65783
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The Grumbler’s Guide to Giving Thanks
The Grumbler’s Guide to Giving Thanks
By Dustin Crowe
Practicing gratitude won’t just lift your spirits — it’s a path to know God! Using Scripture and tips to incorporate thankfulness into your everyday life, this guide will show you just how transformative the practice can be.
Christian Nonfiction
£1.99 £8.99
================================
THE founder of Irish Dresden Johanna Saar is to be laid to rest in the county she’s called home for the past 60 years tomorrow. Died 21 April 2021.
There is sadness across Limerick at the passing of Ms Sarr who alongside husband Oskar brought Müller Volkstedt over to the county and renamed it Irish Dresden in Dromcollogher.
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“She was an incredible woman with an incredible story. She was incredibly resilient, quiet and reserved in a lot of ways. But great stories to tell. A recognised businesswoman. You don’t get to where she got to without hard work, diligence and commitment,” he said.
In 1987, Johanna won the title of international businesswoman of the year, and earnt a slot on RTE’s Late Late Show as a result.
“At the time, it was massive. It was THE thing to be on at the time,” Cllr Butler recalled.
“When Irish Dresden came to Limerick, it put us on the map. It was an international, global brand. I know the people of Dromcollogher are very proud of the connection to it,” he said.
The family remained in the town near the Cork border.
Asked how he feels Johanna would like to be remembered, Cllr Butler said: “I think she’d like to be remembered as a mother and a grandmother first and foremost. Her family was most important to her. After that, I think she would like to be remembered as something of a trailblazer for her time. She led the way for businesswomen in Ireland to be able to say, look, this is what you can achieve as a woman in a male-dominated world. Her legacy is incredible.”
The chairman of Limerick’s County Board John Cregan, a native of Dromcollogher said: “She was an incredible woman who had a tremendous drive to succeed.”
He remembers in his youth, coachloads of tourists visiting the town for Irish Dresden.
“American visitors in particular would bring a lot of business to the factory. It was a success story as far as Dromcollogher was concerned. It put the town on the map. It became an international brand,” said the former Fianna Fail TD, “It’s a sad day for our community and the family.”
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20 Jun 2013,
37 Conversation Rules for Gentleman from 1875
By Brett & Kate McKay
Gentlemen
Editor’s note: The excerpt below comes from a book published in 1875: A Gentleman’s Guide to Etiquette by Cecil B. Hartley. Hartley’s rules may be over 100 years old, but they’re just as true today as they ever were. There are some real gems here — some of which truly gave me a chuckle.
1. Even if convinced that your opponent is utterly wrong, yield gracefully, decline further discussion, or dexterously turn the conversation, but do not obstinately defend your own opinion until you become angry…Many there are who, giving their opinion, not as an opinion but as a law, will defend their position by such phrases, as: “Well, if I were president, or governor, I would,” — and while by the warmth of their argument they prove that they are utterly unable to govern their own temper, they will endeavor to persuade you that they are perfectly competent to take charge of the government of the nation.
2. Retain, if you will, a fixed political opinion, yet do not parade it upon all occasions, and, above all, do not endeavor to force others to agree with you. Listen calmly to their ideas upon the same subjects, and if you cannot agree, differ politely, and while your opponent may set you down as a bad politician, let him be obliged to admit that you are a gentleman.
3. Never interrupt anyone who is speaking; it is quite rude to officiously supply a name or date about which another hesitates, unless you are asked to do so. Another gross breach of etiquette is to anticipate the point of a story which another person is reciting, or to take it from his lips to finish it in your own language. Some persons plead as an excuse for this breach of etiquette, that the reciter was spoiling a good story by a bad manner, but this does not mend the matter. It is surely rude to give a man to understand that you do not consider him capable of finishing an anecdote that he has commenced.
4. It is ill-bred to put on an air of weariness during a long speech from another person, and quite as rude to look at a watch, read a letter, flirt the leaves of a book, or in any other action show that you are tired of the speaker or his subject.
5. In a general conversation, never speak when another person is speaking, and never try by raising your own voice to drown that of another. Never assume an air of haughtiness, or speak in a dictatorial manner; let your conversation be always amiable and frank, free from every affectation.
6. Never, unless you are requested to do so, speak of your own business or profession in society; to confine your conversation entirely to the subject or pursuit which is your own specialty is low-bred and vulgar. Make the subject for conversation suit the company in which you are placed. Joyous, light conversation will be at times as much out of place as a sermon would be at a dancing party. Let your conversation be grave or gay as suits the time or place.
7. In a dispute, if you cannot reconcile the parties, withdraw from them. You will surely make one enemy, perhaps two, by taking either side, in an argument when the speakers have lost their temper.
8. Never, during a general conversation, endeavor to concentrate the attention wholly upon yourself. It is quite as rude to enter into conversation with one of a group, and endeavor to draw him out of the circle of general conversation to talk with you alone.
9. A man of real intelligence and cultivated mind is generally modest. He may feel when in everyday society, that in intellectual acquirements he is above those around him; but he will not seek to make his companions feel their inferiority, nor try to display this advantage over them. He will discuss with frank simplicity the topics started by others, and endeavor to avoid starting such as they will not feel inclined to discuss. All that he says will be marked by politeness and deference to the feelings and opinions of others.
10. It is as great an accomplishment to listen with an air of interest and attention, as it is to speak well. To be a good listener is as indispensable as to be a good talker, and it is in the character of listener that you can most readily detect the man who is accustomed to good society. Nothing is more embarrassing to any one who is speaking, than to perceive signs of weariness or inattention in the person whom he addresses.
11. Never listen to the conversation of two persons who have thus withdrawn from a group. If they are so near you that you cannot avoid hearing them, you may, with perfect propriety, change your seat.
12. Make your own share in conversation as modest and brief as is consistent with the subject under consideration, and avoid long speeches and tedious stories. If, however, another, particularly an old man, tells a long story, or one that is not new to you, listen respectfully until he has finished, before you speak again.
13. Speak of yourself but little. Your friends will find out your virtues without forcing you to tell them, and you may feel confident that it is equally unnecessary to expose your faults yourself.
14. If you submit to flattery, you must also submit to the imputation of folly and self-conceit.
15. In speaking of your friends, do not compare them, one with another. Speak of the merits of each one, but do not try to heighten the virtues of one by contrasting them with the vices of another.
16. Avoid, in conversation all subjects which can injure the absent. A gentleman will never calumniate or listen to calumny.
17. The wittiest man becomes tedious and ill-bred when he endeavors to engross entirely the attention of the company in which he should take a more modest part.
18. Avoid set phrases, and use quotations but rarely. They sometimes make a very piquant addition to conversation, but when they become a constant habit, they are exceedingly tedious, and in bad taste.
19. Avoid pedantry; it is a mark, not of intelligence, but stupidity.
20. Speak your own language correctly; at the same time do not be too great a stickler for formal correctness of phrases.
21. Never notice it if others make mistakes in language. To notice by word or look such errors in those around you is excessively ill-bred.
22. If you are a professional or scientific man, avoid the use of technical terms. They are in bad taste, because many will not understand them. If, however, you unconsciously use such a term or phrase, do not then commit the still greater error of explaining its meaning. No one will thank you for thus implying their ignorance.
23. In conversing with a foreigner who speaks imperfect English, listen with strict attention, yet do not supply a word, or phrase, if he hesitates. Above all, do not by a word or gesture show impatience if he makes pauses or blunders. If you understand his language, say so when you first speak to him; this is not making a display of your own knowledge, but is a kindness, as a foreigner will be pleased to hear and speak his own language when in a strange country.
24. Be careful in society never to play the part of buffoon, for you will soon become known as the “funny” man of the party, and no character is so perilous to your dignity as a gentleman. You lay yourself open to both censure and bad ridicule, and you may feel sure that, for every person who laughs with you, two are laughing at you, and for one who admires you, two will watch your antics with secret contempt.
25. Avoid boasting. To speak of your money, connections, or the luxuries at your command is in very bad taste. It is quite as ill-bred to boast of your intimacy with distinguished people. If their names occur naturally in the course of conversation, it is very well; but to be constantly quoting, “my friend, Gov. C ,” or, “my intimate friend, the president,” is pompous and in bad taste.
26. While refusing the part of jester yourself, do not, by stiff manners, or cold, contemptuous looks, endeavor to check the innocent mirth of others. It is in excessively bad taste to drag in a grave subject of conversation when pleasant, bantering talk is going on around you. Join in pleasantly and forget your graver thoughts for the time, and you will win more popularity than if you chill the merry circle or turn their innocent gayety to grave discussions.
27. When thrown into the society of literary people, do not question them about their works. To speak in terms of admiration of any work to the author is in bad taste; but you may give pleasure, if, by a quotation from their writings, or a happy reference to them, you prove that you have read and appreciated them.
28. It is extremely rude and pedantic, when engaged in general conversation, to make quotations in a foreign language.
29. To use phrases which admit of a double meaning, is ungentlemanly.
30. If you find you are becoming angry in a conversation, either turn to another subject or keep silence. You may utter, in the heat of passion, words which you would never use in a calmer moment, and which you would bitterly repent when they were once said.
31. “Never talk of ropes to a man whose father was hanged” is a vulgar but popular proverb. Avoid carefully subjects which may be construed into personalities, and keep a strict reserve upon family matters. Avoid, if you can, seeing the skeleton in your friend’s closet, but if it is paraded for your special benefit, regard it as a sacred confidence, and never betray your knowledge to a third party.
32. If you have traveled, although you will endeavor to improve your mind in such travel, do not be constantly speaking of your journeyings. Nothing is more tiresome than a man who commences every phrase with, “When I was in Paris,” or, “In Italy I saw…”
33. When asking questions about persons who are not known to you, in a drawing-room, avoid using adjectives; or you may enquire of a mother, “Who is that awkward, ugly girl?” and be answered, “Sir, that is my daughter.”
34. Avoid gossip; in a woman it is detestable, but in a man it is utterly despicable.
35. Do not officiously offer assistance or advice in general society. Nobody will thank you for it.
36. Avoid flattery. A delicate compliment is permissible in conversation, but flattery is broad, coarse, and to sensible people, disgusting. If you flatter your superiors, they will distrust you, thinking you have some selfish end; if you flatter ladies, they will despise you, thinking you have no other conversation.
37. A lady of sense will feel more complimented if you converse with her upon instructive, high subjects, than if you address to her only the language of compliment. In the latter case she will conclude that you consider her incapable of discussing higher subjects, and you cannot expect her to be pleased at being considered merely a silly, vain person, who must be flattered into good humor.
Taken from
Art of Manliness.
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Easter: Joy Follows Emptiness
The Gospel lection from John (20:1-9) chosen by Jesus’ Church for Easter Sunday’s Mass records the consternation of Mary Magdalene when she found that Jesus’ tomb was empty. She ran back to the Upper Room to tell Peter and the others about her discovery. Peter and John investigated and found it as Mary reported. John records that on looking into the empty tomb he “saw and believed.” (Jn 20: 8) In an aside, he noted that “…as yet they did not understand the Scripture that Jesus had to rise from the dead.” (Jn 20:9) John saw with the eyes of Faith that the empty tomb signified Jesus’ resurrection as He had foretold. As Christians, “We walk by faith, not by sight.” (2 Cor 5:7) The emptiness felt by the Apostles at Jesus’ crucifixion was followed by the joy of His Resurrection. Consolation followed desolation.
Emptiness prepares us for joy, but we don’t always realize it. We feel joyful when we empty our self of the stuff that weighs us down and makes life miserable. When we empty our mind of negative thoughts we experience the joy from of positive thinking. When we empty our self of anger, we experience the joy of calmness. When we empty our self of lust, we experience the joy of self-control, When we empty our self of greed we experience the joy of giving. When we empty our self of sloth we experience the joy of productivity. When we empty our self of covetousness, we experience the joy of kindness. When we empty our self of pride we experience the joy of humility. When we empty our self of gluttony we experience the joy of moderation. When we empty our homes of clutter we experience the joy of neatness and order. When we empty our gardens of weeds we enjoy the proliferation of flowers. The empty tomb became a source of joy for the Apostles who were convinced that Jesus’ death on the cross was the end of everything. When we find ourselves overwhelmed the solution lies in what we need to empty our self of in order to experience the joy of gaining control over our life. The empty tomb was followed by the joy of knowing that Jesus had gained control over His life by conquering death. Jesus’ emptied Himself of death which was followed by the joy of His Resurrection. In Baptism we were emptied of our fallen nature and experienced the joy of a redeemed nature.
When God’s Word took on flesh in Mary’s womb “He emptied Himself and took on the form of a slave, being born in the likeness of men.” (Phil 2:7) Jesus emptied Himself of His will so as to completely submit to His Father’s will. The empty tomb signified that Jesus was free from all that bound Him as a human being. This was symbolized by “the wrappings on the floor” of the tomb, and “the piece of cloth which covered His head not lying with the wrappings, but rolled up in a place by itself.” (Jn 20:6-7) In freeing Himself from suffering and death, Jesus perfected and glorified human nature by completely uniting humanity and divinity within Himself in His Resurrection. By emptying Himself in order to be totally faithful to His Father’s will, Jesus saved mankind from the chains that bind us, namely sin, suffering, and death. He taught us to empty our self so He can fill us with the joy of His resurrected presence.
On Easter Sunday morning no one, apart from the Virgin Mary, felt more empty than Mary Magdalene. Filled with grief she came “early in the morning” to the tomb to pay her final respects to the one Man who loved her for herself and restored her humanity and dignity. Her experience of the empty tomb was followed by joy when the risen Jesus called her name. I’ve often tried to imagine what that meeting was like. This woman went from the emptiness of grief to the fullness of joy as she embraced her risen Lord. As Christians, Jesus’ Resurrection is the event that fills our emptiness caused by our sorrows, some brought on by ourselves and some brought on by others, bringing us the joy of a refreshed soul. This is why Jesus’ Church is so essential. Through His Church, particularly in her Sacraments, Jesus makes Himself present to us just as He made Himself present to Mary Magdalene. But we must walk and talk with Him in His company “by faith, not by sight.” As the Holy Spirit tells us, “Now we see indistinctly, as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face.” (1 Cor 13:12) It’s through, with, and in Jesus’ Church that Peter’s words become real for us: “Although you have never seen Him, you love Him, and without seeing you now believe in Him, and rejoice with inexpressible joy touched with glory because you are achieving faith’s goal, your salvation.” (1 Peter 1:8-9)
Easter Sunday is “the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad. Give thanks to the Lord for He is good, for His mercy endures forever.” (Ps 118) Jesus emptied the people of their doubts about who He was and filled them with the joy of faith, hope and knowledge of His love that never dies. As the appointed head of the Apostles, Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, addressed the crowd on Pentecost, informing them of who Jesus was and what He did, calling them to put their faith in Him as the promised Messiah, God dwelling among us. “He went about doing good, healing all those oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him … They put Him to death … God raised Him on the third day … He commissioned us to preach … and to testify that he is the One appointed by God as the Judge of the living and the dead … everyone who believes in Him will receive the forgiveness of sins through His Name.” (Acts 10:34-43) Through His Church Jesus continues to call you and me to empty our self so He can fill us with the joy of His risen presence and His promise that He’ll empty our tombs by raising us from the dead.
May our moments of emptiness remind us that Jesus wants to fill us with the joy of knowing that He wants us to submit our self to Him so he can raise us up from our suffering and death to be fulfilled in Heaven. As Jesus was raised from the dead by His Father so He raises us if we put our trust in Him. I wish you a joyful Easter. (frsos)
Easter Sean Sheehy
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PRAYER TO THE CREATOR On this International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination Lord, Father of our human family, you created all human beings equal in dignity: pour forth into our hearts a fraternal spirit and inspire in us a dream of renewed encounter, dialogue, justice and peace. Move us to create healthier societies and a more dignified world, a world without hunger, poverty, violence and war. May our hearts be open to all the peoples and nations of the earth. May we recognize the goodness and beauty that you have sown in each of us, and thus forge bonds of unity, common projects, and shared dreams. Amen.
from Pope Francis' encyclical, Fratelli Tutti, 4 October 2020
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DON’T LOOK BACK Don’t look back in anger, in fact don’t look back at all. For the times we look behind us, are the times we will likely fall . By all means, take the lessons, that you learn along the way. The past is neither here nor there, what matters is today. Don’t look back in anguish at the things that you regret .At something unforgiving that you feel you can’t forget Try reaching out, extend a hand, be strong and have your say. The past is neither here nor there, what matters is today. Don’t look back in torment at the times you stood accused. The times your pride was injured, or you had your ego bruised. For ego can enslave us, make us get in our own way. The past is neither here nor there, what matters is today. Don’t look back in sadness, don’t hold on to your grief .The living tree does not lament for every withered leaf Instead it stands reminded that things must decay. The past is neither here nor there, what matters is today. Don’t look back with guilt today for the errors of your past. Don’t bear the weight upon your soul of prior misdeeds amassed. You are human after all and prone to go astray. The past is neither here nor there, what matters is today. Don’t look back in vengeance and don’t look back in hate. For both of these are poisons that produce a crippling state. They ‘ll eat you up, they’ll blind your heart and steal your joy away. The past is neither here nor there, what matters is today. Perhaps look back with gratitude for while life was tough. You have made it this far, you’re you, you are enough. Stay steadfast in the here and now and keep yourself on track. For your are certain to derail yourself, when you choose to look back
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O THAT TODAY YOU WOULD LISTEN TO HIS VOICE : HARDEN NOT YOUR HEART
May the Church be a place of security and of assurance,
of life and of forgiveness.
May the Church be the space for finding the living water of Jesus.
A space through which love and affection flows,
a space of relaxation in a busy world,
a space of wholeness in a world which sets sights on partial goals.
May the Church be the community of joy, prayer and justice,
where in community we can discover who we really are:
Children of God, brothers and sisters of Jesus Christ.
The Church will be all that, if we are all that.
Lord, give joy and life a place to flow among all of us. AMEN
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Dominican Sisters Live by the Spirt -Join Sr Rose Miriam OP for a 6-week course exploring the fruits of theHoly Spirit in the saints and in us. Every Saturday from 13th Feb to March 27th at 7.30pm. To join contact the sisters at limerick@op-tn.org
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WINDSOR TERRACE — As a child in Israel during the 1960s, Margaret Karram was confused about her identity. Her home on Mount Carmel was in a Jewish neighborhood, but her parents were Arabs from Palestine, which drew teasing from local kids. And, being Catholic, she did not easily identify with Palestinian Muslims. She yearned for peace as violent conflicts plagued the Holy Land.
At age 15, she discovered “The Work of Mary,” also known as the “Focolare Movement.” This international ecumenical organization, founded during World War II by Italian Catholics, strives for unity among all people according to the will of a loving God.
The teachings of Focolare’s founder, school teacher Chiara Lubich, swapped Karram’s confusion with peace and brotherly love. She became a Focolare leader, learning and living the Gospel and sharing a lifestyle of seeing each person — no matter race or religion — as a godly creation worthy of love and kindness.
On Jan. 31, the Focolare’s general assembly elected Karram to be its next president. Besides Lubich, there had been only one other Focolare leader — Italian lawyer Maria Voca, who stepped down because of term limits.
https://thetablet.org/focolares-new-president-a-daughter-of-the-church-in-service-of-all/
https://thetablet.org/category/obituaries/
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The 68 small essays in the book cover a lot of territory, geographically and in terms of human personalities. There are saints I’ve known (John Paul II) and martyrs whose beatification causes I’ve tried to help advance (Franz Jägerstätter and Francis X. Ford, M.M.). There are politicians and statesmen who bent the course of history in one direction or another (Lindy Boggs, Václav Havel, Henry Hyde, Scoop Jackson, Max Kampelman, Pat Moynihan, Anwar Sadat, and Sargent Shriver). There are men whose books I once read in college and graduate school who later became friends and colleagues (Peter Berger, James Billington, Avery Dulles, SJ, Leszek Kołakowski, Richard John Neuhaus, Michael Novak, and James Schall, SJ). There are rock’n’roll legends (Denny Doherty and Cass Elliott of The Mamas and The Papas), one longtime communist and master of the five-string banjo (Pete Seeger), and three heroes in the National Baseball Hall of Fame (Frank Robinson, Jackie Robinson, and Earl Weaver). There are princes of the Church (Bernardin Gantin, Francis George, OMI, Lubomyr Husar, MSU, and Aaron Jean-Marie Lustiger). There is a man I once loathed and then came to love (Chuck Colson). There are fellow scribblers, far more talented than I (Fouad Ajami, Bill Buckley, Charles Krauthammer, Tom Wolfe, and Herman Wouk). And then there are my parents and my late son-in-law.
https://denvercatholic.org/remembering-lives-of-consequence/
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Prayer For Lent
Bless me heavenly Father
forgive my erring ways.
Grant me the strength to serve Thee
put purpose in my days.
Give me understanding
enough to make me kind.
So I may judge all people
with my heart and not my mind.
Teach me to be patient
in everything I do.
Content to trust your wisdom
and to follow after You.
Help me when I falter
and hear me when I pray
and receive me in Thy kingdom
to dwell with Thee someday.
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Focusing on FASTING & ALMS GIVING Mon: Fast from unkindness Tues: Fast from jealousy -love the giftedness of others Wed: Fast with Jesus who is compassion and love Thurs: Fast from judging others -go the extra mile today for someone Fri: Fast in solidarity with those who never have enough to eat Sat: Fast and remember all you have received from God
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Urge members of the House and Senate to support the Pain-Capable Bill
February 17, 2021
Two medical professionals – one of whom supports abortion - published a paper last year that said babies in the womb likely feel pain as early as 12 weeks, and certainly by 18 weeks. Abortions during this second-trimester window are not uncommon and typically involve removing the fully alive, pain-capable human from the womb limb by limb and piece by piece.
We have no right to call ourselves a civilized or just society if we allow this to take place. And it is taking place, every day of every week of every year.
The Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act has been introduced multiple times in Congress. This bill would protect babies from abortion at 20 weeks, halfway through pregnancy.
The Republicans have consistently supported this legislation. The Democrats have consistently opposed it.
This is disgraceful.
Let’s do everything we can to support this bill now in the 117th Congress and to expose the extremism of the Democrats to all the voters we can reach.
Last month, Republican Senators Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and Rick Scott of Florida introduced the bill in the Senate. This week, Republican Rep. Chris Smith of New Jersey, leader of the Pro-Life Caucus, introduced it in the House.
What I’m asking you to do is call both of your senators and your member of the House – even if they are Democrats – and tell them that you support the bill and you want them to as well.
We have a federal law to ensure that cattle are killed in the most painless ways possible. We also have a standard medical protocol now of using painkillers for babies when surgery is done on them in the womb.
So a bill like this makes perfect sense.
The point is not that abortion is less wrong if there were no pain. It’s that the reality of the pain will wake more people up to the immorality of abortion. Perhaps that will include some lawmakers.
Dismemberment abortion is not something that happens rarely or only in the most dire circumstances. This kind of carnage goes on every day.
Will you do what you can to help stop it?
When you click here, you will find out how to contact your House member and Senators and what to say once you do.
Please act today, and please pass along this email to as many others you know who may be interested.
Thank you for being part of the Priests for Life Family!
Sincerely,
Fr. Frank Pavone
National Director, Priests for Life
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PRAYER TO ST. RITA WHEN IN SPECIAL NEED
O powerful St. Rita, rightly called the Saint of the Impossible, I come to you with confidence in my great need. You know well my trials, for you yourself were burdened many times in this life. Come to my help, speak for me, pray for me, intercede on my behalf before the Father. I know that God has a most generous heart and that he is a most generous Father. Join your prayers to mine and obtain for me the grace I desire (here mention your request). You who were so very pleasing to God on earth and are so much so now in heaven, I promise to use this favour, when granted, to better my life, to proclaim God’s mercy, and to make you more widely known and loved. Amen
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Hate no one no matter how much they’ve wronged you. Live humbly, no matter how wealthy you become. Think positively, no matter how hard life is. Give much, even if you’ve been given little. Forgive all, especially yourself and never stop praying for the best for everyone.
O Lord, when I grow weary please help me to remember each and every day:
To count my blessings instead of my crosses; to count my gains instead of
my losses; to count my laughs and not my tears; to count my health and
not my wealth; and most of all - to count on God and not myself.
Some days you will be the strength for others, and some days you will need strength from them. As long as there is love, there is hope, and there is a way. May you have a blessed and beautiful today!
LAST WORD: Experience is a hard teacher because it gives the test first and the lesson afterwards!!
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Misfit: A Poem by Tito Mukhopadhyay (2010)
There was the earth, turning and turning.
The stars receded, as if
Finding no wrong with anything.
Birds flew by all morning—
The sky lit
From the earth’s turning and turning.
My hands, as usual, were flapping.
The birds knew I was Autistic;
They found no wrong with anything.
Men and women stared at my nodding;
They labeled me a Misfit
(A Misfit turning and turning).
And then I was the wind, blowing.
Did anyone see my trick?
I found no wrong with anything.
Somewhere a wish was rising,
Perhaps from between my laughing lips.
Why stop turning and turning
When right can be found with everything?
Poem retrieved from Disability Studies Quarterly
https://neuroclastic.com/2019/09/30/wikipedia-org-article-on-tito-mukhopadhyay/
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Boy Sheds Light on Autism Mysteries
By
ABC News
6 January 2006, 11:23
https://abcnews.go.com/GMA/DrJohnson/story?id=125418&page=1
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Seventeen people were executed in 2020, down from 22 in 2019. This lower figure stems in part from the coronavirus pandemic, but the report also notes that before the pandemic struck, the nation was set for a sixth straight year of lower numbers of death sentences and executions.
This year, more prisoners died of COVID-19 than were executed. In July, state executions came to a stop due to public health concerns related to COVID-19. Federal executions resumed in July after a 17-year hiatus.
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From: Sean Sheehy
Date: Wed, 30 Dec 2020, 14:13
Subject: 2021 2nd Sunday in Christmas Octave
To:
Good News
At a funeral someone asked, “Is there any good news?” A man responded and said, “The only good news is in the Bible!” Leaving 2020 behind and entering 2021 most people are starving for good news since we’ve been daily bombarded with bad news creating fear and anxiety in many people instead of Christmas joy. This Sunday Jesus’ Church brings before us the good news that God dwells among us, if we care to invite Him into our heart where He can restore calm and give us a peace that only He can give. Sadly in our world today Christmas has been co-opted by the material and irreligious world as an opportunity to sell its products promising that they’ll make the buyer happy. This promise is false but many fall for it because they either don’t know the true source of happiness or ignore it by choosing what might temporarily make them feel good. The source of happiness for the creature is always the Creator. Our source of happiness is Jesus Christ, God-become-man, who dwells among us. This is the real meaning of Christmas, the good news that God loves us so much that His Word became human, like us, in order to teach and show us the way to Heaven. “Before the world was made, He chose us, chose us in Christ, to be holy and spotless, and to live through love in His presence, determining that we should become His adopted children, through Jesus Christ, for His own kind purposes, to make us praise the glory of His grace, His free gift to us in the Beloved.” (Eph 1:3-18) Surely this is good news as we enter a New Year.
Good news is always news of God’s presence since God alone is all-good. Jesus’ coming is good news because He is Emmanuel, God-with-us. To appreciate Jesus’ coming as good news we need to have a clear understanding of who He is and what He brings to us that make us happy. Sadly, even many who call themselves Christian don’t know who Jesus really is and what He came to do, so they haven’t personally chosen to be His disciple. The Holy Spirit, guiding Jesus Church, revealed through the Apostle, John, that Jesus is God’s Word and is truly God. “In the beginning was the Word; the Word was in God’s presence, and the Word was God…Through Him all things came into being, and apart from Him nothing came to be. Whatever came to be in Him found life, life for the light of men. The light that shines in the darkness, a darkness that did not overcome it.” (Jn 1: 1-5) Jesus is the One through Whom God created you and me and therefore knows us through and through. He is God’s presence to us, in us, and among us loving us unconditionally. Because He is the life, only He can give us life and enliven us to be full of life – enthusiastic about living. His presence brings a smile to our face, even in the midst of darkness, because He shines a light on us so we can see the way out of whatever befalls us. He is the Way to Heaven. All we have to do is place all our trust in Him since “No one has ever seen God. It is God the only Son, ever at the Father’s side, who has revealed Him.” (Jn 1:18) Jesus has come to bring us to His Father so He can adopt us as His children. That’s good news.
We can never get enough of Jesus because we can’t get enough of love and experience enough of the peace that He gives us. Hence we need to deepen our knowledge of Jesus and grow in a personal, intimate relationship with Him. He alone can show and tell us who God truly is and what it means to be truly human. “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creatures. In Him everything in Heaven and on earth was created, things visible and invisible …. In Him everything continues in being. It is He who is the Head of the Body, the Church: He who is the beginning, the firstborn of the dead, so that primacy may be His in everything. It pleased God to make absolute fullness reside in Him and, by means of Him, to reconcile everything in His person, both on earth and in the heavens, making peace through the blood of His cross.” (Col 1:15-20) Jesus is the source of our life’s joyful continuity because He alone conquered suffering and death, our two greatest obstacles to happiness. He is the only One who can reconcile us to God and to one another when we sin, through His grace of repentance and forgiveness. In Himself Jesus has united God and man, the divine and the human, Heaven and earth. This grace heals our wounded soul and brings us internal unity and peace that eliminates fear and anxiety regarding the future. Where does Jesus make this possible? In His Church’s Sacraments, of which He is her head.
May you be inflamed with the good news that Jesus is present in His Church and can make you “holy and spotless to live through love in His presence.” Then you and I can live as God’s adopted children whose purpose is to “praise the glory of His grace, His free gift to us in the Beloved.” This news is more than good enough to enter 2021 with a faith, hope, and love that will see us filled with courage and enthusiasm, promoting and supporting human life that’s always worth living as God’s precious gift to us from the moment of conception. May the Good News of Jesus shine its light on you that you may live joyfully through 2021 regardless of surprises and obstacles. (frsos)
From: Sean Sheehy < Date: Wed, 16 Dec 2020, 13:14
Subject: Advent/Christmas
Christmas: Our “Yes” to Jesus
When you welcome someone you’re saying “Yes” to the person’s entry into your life. You can’t let someone enter your life without being open to change. Think about the people to whom you’ve said “Yes” thus far in your life. What difference did they make in your outlook? Did your “Yes” make you richer or poorer? Christmas is the time when God calls us to say “yes” to His only begotten Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, born of a virgin in a stable in Bethlehem. If you’ve already say “Yes” to Jesus’ entry into your life, this is the time to renew your welcome. Christmas is about the greatest present of all, namely the gift of Jesus Christ as our Saviour.
We live in a world where people practice many different religions, while some reject all religion. Christianity is the only religion whose Founder was pre-announced dozens of time over a period of at least a thousand years by the Old Testament prophets and Psalmists. God intervened in many ways to form His people as the bearers of His blessing to the rest of the world. Abraham is the first historic person He chose for this mission. God kept the leadership of His people in the family, so to speak, by choosing Abraham’s son, Isaac, followed by Isaac’s son, Jacob, followed by his twelve sons forming the twelve tribes of Israel. God continued to intervene in His people’s behalf by choosing kings, judges and prophets through whom He conversed and guided His people. On this last Sunday before Christmas Jesus’ Church proclaims God’s word to David whom He had chosen to be the king of His people. God reminded David, through the prophet, Nathan, that it was He who made him the great leader that he was. “It was I who took you from the pasture and from the care of the flock to be commander of my people Israel. I have been with you wherever you went, and I have destroyed all your enemies before you. And I will make you famous like the great ones of the earth.” (2 Sam 7:8-9) By saying “Yes” to God’s call, God’s Spirit made him great.
When we say “Yes” to God He assures us that the good we do will continue. He assured David: “And when your time comes and you rest with your ancestors, I will raise up your heir after you, sprung from your loins, and I will make his kingdom firm…. I shall be a father to him and he a son to me …Your house and your kingdom shall endure forever.” (2 Sam 7:12-16) The Psalmist proclaimed this pre-announcement of God’s Son: “The promise of the Lord I will sing forever; through all generations my mouth shall proclaim Your faithfulness … I have made a Covenant with my chosen one … and my covenant stands firm.” (Ps 89:2-29) How this would come about was a mystery that occupied the mind of God’s people until the time when, “according to the revelation of the mystery kept secret for long ages but now manifested through the prophetic writings and, according to the command of the eternal God, made known to all nations to bring about the obedience of Faith.” (Rom 16:25-27)
It was Mary’s “Yes” to God’s call that revealed the secret of how God was going to bring about the salvation of mankind. “He will bring light to what is hidden in darkness and manifest the intentions of hearts.” (1 Cor 4;5) Again, like David of old, God called Mary and made her great beginning with her immaculate conception and enabling her to be His “highly favoured daughter.” (Lk 1:28) She epitomized the obedience of Faith in welcoming God into her life in the silence of her heart and the life-giving warmth of her womb. Although Mary didn’t understand God’s request, despite her anxiety, she trusted Him in obedient Faith. God’s angelic messenger, Gabriel, assured her: “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favour with God.” (Lk 1:30) When Mary heard that God was calling her to “conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name him Jesus” (v 32) Mary innocently asked, “How can this be, since I have no relations with a man?” (v 34) The angel assured her that there would be no man involved because “the Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God.” (v 35) Mary’s response is what God wishes for each of us in His call to cooperate with Him in His plan to save the world from destruction: “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word.” (v 38) This is the miracle of the Annunciation – the last pre-announcement of Jesus’ coming.
Saying “Yes” to Jesus Christ in welcome, and asking Him to fill our mind, heart, soul, and body with His presence, transforms our identity, broadens our outlook, calls forth our generosity, and makes us great in that the good we do will last forever. Let us celebrate Christmas by welcoming Jesus into our life. He transforms us by seeking His forgiveness in Confession, and receiving the gift of Himself, body, blood, soul and divinity, in Holy Communion. Christmas – Christ’s Mass – is all about saying a personal and a communal “Yes” to His Real presence, especially in the Holy Mass where He gives us the greatest present of all, namely the gift of Himself, which graces us to make gifts of our self to others in a spirit of Christian joy. Jesus is God’s secret now revealed. Christmas joy is rooted in welcoming Jesus as the secret of our Faith that generates hope and charity now and in the future. May you have a joyful Christmas. (frsos)
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From: Sean Sheehy <frlistowel@gmail.com>
Date: Wed, 18 Nov 2020, 13:17
Subject: Christ the King
To:
Advent begins using Cycle B in the Lectionary.
Heaven or Hell?
Years ago, while driving to Atlanta, Georgia, I saw an airport sign that read: “Whether you’re bound for heaven or hell you must change at Atlanta.” Jesus’ Church enters the last week of her liturgical year and calls us to reflect on whether we’re bound for Heaven or hell. Since Heaven is the enjoyment of total happiness and hell means total misery, our choice would seem to be easy. The problem is that while everybody wants to go to Heaven, no one wants to die. Therein lies the problem. Dying isn’t only about physical death, it’s also about dying to selfishness. Everybody wants to go to Heaven but nobody unconsciously wants to put others’ needs before their own. Since Jesus provides the only way to Heaven, namely the Way of the Cross, that must also be our way to get there. This means we must sacrifice our life by sharing with others in their need. People try to avoid this by looking for easier ways to Heaven. However, all ways, other than Jesus’, lead to a false heaven, which is hell. Many deny the existence of hell questioning how a loving God could create it. He didn’t; Satan did. Satan pleased his ego rather than humbly submitting to God, thereby creating a loveless world. He tempts us to choose selfishness thinking we’re choosing Heaven when in fact we’re choosing hell. He tempts us to focus on what looks good rather than on what’s truly good.
Jesus’ Church begins the week by proclaiming Him as King of the Universe. As King everyone, believer and non-believer, is accountable to Him. Since men and women had succumbed to Satan’s temptation to glorify selfishness, promising that it would bring them happiness, God decided to personally come and show that only He could save mankind. “I am going to look after my flock myself …I shall rescue them from wherever they have been scattered when it was cloudy and dark. I will pasture them and give them rest. I will seek out the lost and bring back the stray, bind up the injured and heal the sick, but the sleek and the strong I will destroy. I will judge between one sheep and another, between rams and goats.” (Ez 34:11-17) The “sleek and the strong” are those who, in glorifying selfishness as heaven, are creating their hell. Those who let God rescue them are on the way to Heaven. Jesus fulfilled this prophecy when He came to personally call sinners to “repent and believe in the Gospel” (Mk 1:15) in order to put their selfishness aside and embrace the virtue of generosity.
Jesus commands us to, “be perfect as your Heavenly Father is perfect.” (Mt 5:48) Full perfection can only be achieved in Heaven, but it begins here on earth. How? We must examine the criteria Jesus revealed as His standard for judging who enters Heaven and who doesn’t. “When the Son of Man comes in His glory … all the nations will be assembled before Him. He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.” (Mt 25:31-32) Who will be judged worthy of Heaven and receive God’s blessing of total happiness? Those who served Jesus. How? By physically and spiritually giving food to the hungry … drink to the thirsty … welcoming the stranger … clothing the naked … caring for the ill … visiting the imprisoned. Jesus’ Church call these charities the Corporal and Spiritual Works of Mercy. We show our love for Jesus’ by participating in them. “Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one for these least brothers and sisters of mine, you did it for me.” We become perfect like our Heavenly Father when our faith in Jesus leads us to bring physical and spiritual help to those in need. Thus we “love in deed and in truth and not merely talk about it.” (1 Jn 3:18)
Does God send people to hell? No. We sentence our self to hell by our attitude and actions. If we die as Jesus’ servants we’ll be with Him in eternity. If we die as selfish people we’ll be eternally lonely and tormented, like the rich man who ignored Lazarus. Those bound for hell ignore the physical and spiritual plight of their needy brothers and sisters and in the process reject Jesus’ call to love. “Amen, I say to you, what you did not do for these least ones, you did not do for me.” These are all sins of omission. Many people will say at their death, “Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in your name …exercised demons by your power? Did we not do many miracles in your name as well?” and Jesus will say, “I never knew you. Out of my sight, you evildoers.” (Mt 7:22-23) They omitted to care for the needy.
The feast of Christ the King is a good time to ask our self, “Am I bound for Heaven or hell?” While we can’t earn the right to enter Heaven, we’ve a responsibility to do what Jesus tells us in order for Him to judge us as worthy of His promises. To that extent we hold our eternal destiny in our own hands. Our biggest concern must be, not just repenting the sins we’ve committed but also the sins of omission. At every Holy Mass we ask for forgiveness for “what we have done and what we have failed to do.” For most of us what we’ve failed to do constitutes our sinfulness more than what we’ve done. Why? Because we’re conscious of what we’ve done but remain unconscious of what we should be doing but aren’t. Let’s examine Jesus’ criteria for judgment so we can see “what we have failed to do” that we should be doing. Then, like the Nike ad, “Just do it!” with a generous spirit, of course. (frsos)
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O'Brien, Mary Lucy (1923–2006), missionary sister and doctor in Africa, was born Nora Veronica O'Brien on 17 August 1923 in Ballinderry, in the parish of Cummer, near Tuam, Co. Galway,
https://dib.cambridge.org/viewReadPage.do?articleId=a9488
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From: Sean Sheehy
Date: Wed, 28 Oct 2020, 13:27
Subject: All Saints
May this new month of November bring you many blessings. Let's remember to pray for those who have left this world and remember that Jesus' Church will also remember us when we leave. "It is a holy and a wholesome thought to pray for the dead." Macc)
The Church’s Heroes and Heroines
A hero or a heroine is a person who is admired for his or her courage, fidelity, achievements, integrity, and virtue. We all need a hero or a heroine to show us that it’s possible to be courageous, faithful to one’s beliefs, be goal-oriented, virtuous, and a person of integrity in this world. In Christianity, the heroes and heroines are known as saints. The Catholic Church has traditionally encouraged candidates for Baptism and Confirmation to take the name of a saint who would be a hero or a heroine in their life. The saints are those, young and old, who were courageous in their faith in Jesus Christ, faithful members of His Church, focused on achieving their heavenly reward, and people of integrity who lived virtuous lives on earth. This Sunday Jesus’ Church honours all the saints, publicly known and unknown, by venerating them. Along with the angels, they constitute Jesus’ Church in Heaven. As our brothers and sisters in Heaven, Jesus’ Church on earth not only honours them but also requests their intercession that Jesus might send us the Holy Spirit so that we, too, might be saints like them. Veneration differs from adoration. Veneration means highly respecting a person. Adoration means worshiping God alone.
The word ‘saint’ comes from the Latin ‘Sanctus,’ which means holy. A saint, or someone who wishes to become a saint, is a man or woman who seeks to live a holy life. Since only God is holy, to be holy is to be like God. Jesus shows us how. Jesus is God-become-man showing us what God is like so that we can know how to be like God, namely by being like Jesus. He teaches us by word and example how to be holy, how to be a saint. Sainthood begins here on earth. Through His Church Jesus makes available to everyone the means to become holy men and women. “…the ones who have survived the time of great distress; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.” (Rev 7:14) Christianity, which is the practise of Jesus’ Church, calls everyone to benefit from Jesus’ life, passion, death, and resurrection by participating in His Sacrifice, celebrated in an un-bloody manner in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. Jesus epitomized courage, fidelity, goal achievement, integrity, and virtue. In a real sense Jesus is not only the Hero of heroes and heroines, but He is also God the Son, Redeemer and Saviour of the world. Not only is Jesus the perfect example of holiness, He also makes it possible to those who personally embrace Him to be holy; a saint.
A saint is a person who longs to see the face of God. He or she “shall receive a blessing from the Lord, a reward from God his (her) Saviour.” (Ps 24:1-6) God gave His Old Testament people the Ten Commandments (Ex 20:3-17) as their guide to sainthood. In the New Testament Jesus gives us the eight Beatitudes (Mt 5:1-12) as the path to sainthood. He begins each beatitude with the word “blessed” or “happy.” We need to realize that only the saints are fully blessed and happy. To be “blessed” is to be made holy. To be “happy” is to be fulfilled. Only God can make us both.
Baptism opens the door to blessedness and happiness where we “see what love the Father has bestowed on us that we may be called the children of God.” (1 Jn 3:1) However, being baptized isn’t enough. Why? Baptism gives us the capacity to receive the Father’s love but it doesn’t make us accept His love. The capacity to do something and actually doing it are two different things. Sadly, many baptized people have never personally opened themselves to the Father’s love. Jesus revealed that “Salvation is this: to know You, the only true God, and Him whom You have sent, Jesus Christ.” (Jn 17:3) Jesus is the Saviour who brings us to His Father. To be saved, to be blessed and happy, it’s not enough to know about Jesus, we must know Him personally. In the Bible “to know” someone means to have an intimate relationship with the person.
An intimate relationship with Jesus becomes evident in living the Beatitudes. In each Beatitude we see what an intimate relationship with Jesus entails and what makes people real heroes and heroines in God’s eyes. An Intimate relationship with Jesus entails the following: 1. Being poor in spirit by recognizing that every good thing comes from God. 2. Mourning the suffering, death, and destruction caused by sin, your own and that of others, and promoting repentance. 3. Being gentle in your dealings with others. 4. Hungering and thirsting for justice. 5. Treating others mercifully by balancing it with justice. 6. Practising purity of heart, honesty, and forthrightness. 7. Promoting peace based on justice. 8. Freely facing persecution for the sake of justice and rejoicing when people insult you and persecute you, heaping all kinds of false accusations on you because of your faith in Jesus.
The saints, the heroes and heroines of Jesus’ Church, are those men and women who lived the Beatitudes expressing their intimate relationship with Jesus whom they freely and personally chose as their Lord and Saviour. An intimate relationship with Jesus makes us receivers of His Father’s love and gives us the grace to live the Beatitudes in our daily life. The saints continually intercede for us in this valley to tears asking God to send us His Spirit so that we can activate the capacity for His love which we received in Baptism. Saints of God, pray for us that we, too, might travel the path of sainthood. (frsos)
The whole World should be praying this right now ... I stopped what I was doing, bowed my head and said this prayer. It put tears in my eyes
Let’s bow our heads and pray;
Eternal Father, You made the whole World stop spinning for a while.
You silenced the noise that we all have created.
You made us bend our knees again and ask for a Miracle.
You closed Your Churches so we will realize how dark our World is without You in it.
You humbled the proud and powerful.
The economy is crashing, businesses are closing.
We were very proud, we thought that everything we have, everything we possess, was the result of our hard work.
We have forgotten that it was always Your grace and mercy that made us who we are.
We’re running in circles looking for some cure to this disease, when in fact we need to humble ourselves and ask You for guidance and wisdom.
We’ve been living our lives like we will be here on Earth forever, like there’s no Heaven.
Maybe these trials are Your mercy in disguise.
Maybe this virus is actually Your way of purifying us, & cleansing our souls, bringing us back to YOU.
Today as these words travel the internet, may all who see them join their hearts and hands together in prayer! Asking for forgiveness & asking for healing & protection from this virus...
GOD just wipe it from the Earth!
Father You have been patiently waiting for us. We’re sorry for ignoring Your voice.. and in our selfish ways, we've sometimes forgotten that YOU are GOD!
You only need to say the word and our souls shall all be healed.
We ask these things in Jesus name! ...
Amen
Body of Carlo Acutis On Display for Veneration Ahead of Beatification
Acutis, who died of leukemia in 2006 at the age of 15, was known for his computer-programming skills, and love of the Eucharist and the Virgin Mary.
From: Sean Sheehy <frlistowel@gmail.com>
Date: Wed, 9 Sep 2020, 13:47
Subject: 24th Sunday
To:
The Necessity of Mercy
William Shakespeare emphasized the necessity of mercy for Shylock’s humaneness in Portia’s soliloquy: “The quality of mercy is not strained./ It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven/ It blesseth him that gives and him that takes./ ‘Tis mightiest in the mightiest; it becomes/ The throned monarch better than his crown.” (The Merchant of Venice, Act IV, 1) Mercy cannot be forced. It comes from the heart and gently blesses both the giver and the receiver. It’s the badge of the powerful. To be merciful is to show pity to another because of his or her sorrow or suffering. A merciful person is one who exhibits generosity of spirit. Jesus’ Church begins this week calling each of us to be merciful towards one another.
Two distinguishing characteristics God has revealed about Himself are love and mercy. Both and go hand-in-glove. There’s no mercy without love nor is there any love without mercy. Because God is loving and merciful He desires us to be likewise. “It is love that I desire, not sacrifice, and knowledge of God rather than holocausts.” (Hos 6:6) Jesus reiterated this when the Pharisees condemned Him for calling sinners: “Go and learn the meaning of the words, ‘It is mercy I desire and not sacrifice.’ I have come to call not the righteous but sinners.” (Mt 9: 13) Inspired by God’s Spirit, Isaiah told the people: “Yet the Lord is waiting to show you favour, and He rises to pity you; for the Lord is a God of justice: blessed are all who wait for Him!” (Is 30:18) God’s patience reflects His desire to be merciful and just toward His people in hopes that they will benefit from His mercy and act justly. To make God’s mercy and justice visible Jesus instituted His Church’s Sacrament of Reconciliation. Justice and mercy balance each other. Justice calls us to do right by God, others, and ourselves. Mercy gives us an opportunity to repent and amend our life when we fall.
Mercy manifests itself in forgiveness, which is a central tenet of Christianity. Peter’s question to Jesus in the Gospel demonstrates the centrality of mercy in the life of a Christian. How often should we forgive another? Peter figured that seven times would be generous. But Jesus quickly reminded Peter that he wasn’t even close. (Mt 18:22) To illustrate the necessity and reciprocity of mercy Jesus told the story of an official who begged the king to have pity on him but he refused to be merciful toward others. When the others complained, the king said to him: “I cancelled your entire debt when you pleaded with me. Should you not have dealt mercifully with your fellow servant, as I dealt with you? …the king handed him over to the torturers until he paid back all that he owed.” (18:32) Jesus warns us: “My heavenly Father will treat you in exactly the same way unless each of you forgives his brother from his heart.” (v 35) Jesus enshrined the reciprocity of mercy in His prayer: “Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.” (Mt 6:12) God won’t give us what we’re unwilling to give others.
To forgive is to relinquish the desire to punish another for what he or she has done to us. Forgiveness is a freeing act because it unchains us from seeking revenge which keeps our hurt unhealed. It also frees us from the past when the hurt took place and enables us to live in the present, which alone has a future. Thus mercy blesses both the forgiver and the forgiven. Forgiveness from the heart frees us from the power of evil which robs us of joyful living. “Wrath and anger are hateful things, yet the sinner hugs them tight.” (Sir 17:30) Here God reminds us that we can’t forgive without His grace. Why? Mercy and forgiveness are God’s gifts to us. Therefore we need God in our life in order to be able to show mercy. The reason that forgiveness isn’t widely practised is because people follow their own spirit of “getting even”, tightly hugging hateful things. God warns us that “The vengeful will suffer the Lord’s vengeance, for He remembers their sin in detail.” (Sir 28:1) It’s God’s mercy that wipes our sin away. When we refuse His mercy or don’t show mercy toward others our sin remains and infects our attitude and lifestyle. God wants us to benefit from His mercy so we can be merciful in turn. Thus He commands us to “Forgive your neighbour’s injustice; then when you pray, your own sins will be forgiven” and asks “could anyone refuse mercy to another like himself, can he seek pardon for his own sins?” (Si4 28:1-7)
Jesus demonstrated God’s mercy when He sought forgiveness for His killers: “Father, forgive them for they know not what they are doing.” (Lk 23:34) If we sin against God we sin against His Church, our self, and others and don’t seek forgiveness we allow a spiritual cancer to grow in our soul. Without the healing of God’s mercy, experienced in Confession, that cancer will destroy us. Jesus came to tell us that God alone “pardons all your iniquities, heals all your ills. He redeems your life from destruction, crowns you with kindness and compassion.” (Ps 103:1-12) But we have to want His mercy, kindness, and compassion. Our biggest downfall is pride with its illusion that we can save, perfect, forgive, give our self joy and make our self happy. But every illusion ends in disillusionment. God’s mercy is as close as the nearest priest of Jesus’ Church. Receiving God’s mercy empowers us to be merciful and just, which makes us more fully human and alive. Remember that Jesus promised: “Blessed are the merciful for they will obtain mercy.” (Mt 5:7) Mercy is necessary if we want to be blessed by God. (frsos)
The Antidote to Worry
In the words of an old folk song, “It takes a worried man to sing a worried song./I’m worried now but I won’t be worried long.” The word ‘worry’ comes from Old English and means ‘to strangle.’ The Dictionary defines worry as “anxiety arising from cares and troubles.” The two greatest robbers of our time and energy are chronic guilt and worry. One imprisons us in the past and the other propels us into an uncontrollable future. Both rob us of the present, which is the only time we can progress from the past and prepare for the future. Worry strangles us and renders us impotent in the present. Even though worry is useless, yet many wallow in it as if it could help them. Some people even worry about not worrying. Speaking about dependence on Divine Providence, Jesus confronts worriers: “Which of you by worrying can add a moment to his life-span? If the smallest things are beyond your power, why be anxious about the rest?” (Lm 12:25-26) As human beings, living in this uncertain, confusing, and often inhumane world, it’s normal to try to control things for our own protection. But many things are beyond our control like, people’s behaviour, sickness, tragedy, failure, and death. But we have a tendency to try to control even what’s beyond our control and that’s when worry takes over. The antidote to worry is faith, not just natural faith but supernatural Faith, namely completely trusting in God to provide for our wellbeing in all circumstances. Jesus assures us, “Anything you ask me in my Name I will do. If you love me and obey the commands I give you.” (Jn 14:14-15) The moment we start worrying we should immediately turn to the Lord and put all our concerns in His hands asking His Spirit to direct us so we can rationally address the cause of our concern in the present. Then we’re doing what’s right, which brings the peace that only Jesus can give us.
This Sunday, Jesus’ Church brings us the story of the Canaanite woman’s plea for help. Like any true parent, she’s concerned about her demon-possessed daughter. But instead of letting worry consume her she let the Holy Spirit guide her to Jesus. She had lots of things against her. She had to risk the possibility of rejection because she wasn’t a Jew. The Canaanites were the Jews’ worst enemy. She risked embarrassment at having to shout out her predicament in the midst of the crowd. Cooperating with the Holy Spirit, she was able to persist and not be intimidated because she knew that Jesus, in His justice and integrity, would save her daughter. In the Old Testament God told His people to “Have a care for justice, act with integrity, for soon my salvation will come and my integrity be manifest.” (Is 56:1) This mother had a care for her daughter to be put right and she acted with integrity. She was rewarded by God’s salvation and integrity made manifest in Jesus’ power to free her daughter from Satan’s grip.
Sometimes, like the Canaanite woman, when we turn to Jesus He doesn’t seem to respond. Jesus always tests our faith as to whether we’re praying selfishly or with integrity – from the heart. Are we asking Jesus for something out of a sense of entitlement or out of a deep sense of trusting belief that He really will respond? Sometimes our faith is wishy-washy – we half believe or don’t really trust that Jesus will respond. It’s like, “Lord I’m asking you for this but I probably won’t get it!” Then we give up and say God isn’t listening. This is often the way of natural faith, but it’s never the way of Supernatural Faith – completely letting the Holy Spirit guide our human spirit to put all our trust in Jesus who is always listening. The Canaanite woman let the Holy Spirit guide her spirit to totally trust in Jesus’ power to free her daughter from what tormented her. Thus Jesus was able to say to her: “Woman, you have great faith. Let you wish be granted.” (Mt 15:28) From that moment her daughter was well again.
Why do people do more worrying than ‘faithing’? Because they rely on themselves more than on God in their attempts to control for the future. When you and I are faced with major concerns in our life would Jesus say to us: “You have great faith!” Great faith doesn’t just manifest itself in crises. Faith, which is the basis for lasting relationships, both human and divine, must be nurtured. If we don’t use it we’ll lose it. The Lord reminds us that “all who observe the Sabbath, not profaning it, and cling to my covenant - these I will bring to my holy mountain. I will make them joyful in my house of prayer.” (Is 56:6-7) We need to pray, be faithful to the Covenant Jesus signed in His blood, and worship God in in the Holy Mass in His house of prayer, His Church. These actions are essential for the nourishment of our soul - our self - and the purification of our spirit. It’s in these acts that our supernatural Faith is renewed so that we can let go of the past through forgiveness and restitution, live fully in the present by trusting in the Lord, and prepare for a future full of hope. To be faithful and non-worriers we must pray daily with the Psalmist: “O God, be gracious and bless us and let Your Face shed its light upon us. So will Your ways be known upon the earth and all nations learn Your saving help.” (Ps 66:2-3) God’s ways are the ways of Faith, which is the antidote to worry. (frsos)
==============================
31 July 2020
Then the Cork Daily Herald, Friday, March 16, 1866 provided comprehensive details, including the numbers using it in its first year, financial details and even the menu or diet served to the patients:
https://mykerryancestors.com/killarney-lying-in-institution/
The first quarterly meeting of the committee of the Killarney Lying-in Hospital was held on Tuesday in that town, at which the following ladies attended:-
The Lady President, the Viscountess Castlerosse, Mrs. Leahy, Mrs and Miss Murrough Barnard, Mrs. Gallwey, Mrs. Coltsmann, Mrs. Alex Murphy, Mrs. McDermott, Mrs. O’Keeffe, Mrs. Doran, Mrs. McDonagh Mahony, Mrs. Cook, Mrs. Wade, Mrs. Leech, Mrs. Chute (the Rectory)l, Mrs. Dennehy, Mrs.Griffin and Miss Wright.
Letters were read from the following ladies, regretting their inability to attend:- Mrs. Shine Lawlor, Mrs. Mahony (Dunloe Castle), Mrs. Manders, Mrs. Murphy and Mrs. and Misses Cruise.
Miss Horsely, in the absence of Mrs. Dudgeon, read the following statistical report of the state of this institution:- ‘I have the pleasure of presenting the ladies of the committee with the first report of the working of St. Ann’s Lying-in Institution since its opening on the 1st January last. I am happy to inform you that its success has far surpassed our anticipations. During the first week, five patients were admitted; and up to the present time, twenty confinements have taken place, all of them with favourable results. Of these, three, I understand were serious cases, that would probably have terminated unfavourably in their own houses. We may hope, therefore that the institution will prove a source of great safety and comfort to the poor, who already seem to appreciate its advantage.
=====================================
Kathy Farsaci Reflection on America
July 2020
In 1887 Alexander Tyler, a Scottish history professor at the
University of Edinburgh, had this to say about the fall of the
Athenian Republic some 2,000 years prior: "A democracy is always temporary in nature; it simply cannot exist as a permanent form of government. A democracy will continue to exist up until the time that voters discover that they can vote themselves generous gifts from the public treasury. From that moment on, the majority always votes for the candidates who promise the most benefits from the public treasury, with the result that every democracy will finally collapse over loose fiscal policy, (which is) always followed by a dictatorship."
"The average age of the world's greatest civilizations from the
beginning of history, has been about 200 years. During those 200 years, these nations always progressed through the following sequence:
>From bondage to spiritual faith;
>From spiritual faith to great courage;
>From courage to liberty;
>From liberty to abundance;
>From abundance to complacency;
>From complacency to apathy;
>From apathy to dependence;
>From dependence back into bondage."
The risks of failure could be disastrous for these children.
So educators quickly regrouped and retooled. Students were divided into smaller groups so teaching could be more individualized. Teachers put in more hours. Instructors incorporated more visuals — mastering the ability, for example, to visually focus in on a math problem they were working rather than showing the entire board or front of the classroom. To combat “Zoom fatigue,” educators added activities to break the monotony, such as twice weekly music sessions that hadn’t been part of the pre-pandemic schedule.
The Indian, in his simple philosophy, was careful to avoid a centralized population, wherein lies civilization’s devil. He would not be forced to accept materialism as the basic principle of his life, but preferred to reduce existence to its simplest terms. His roving out-of-door life was more precarious, no doubt, than life reduced to a system, a mechanical routine; yet in his view it was and is infinitely happier. To be sure, this philosophy of his had its disadvantages and obvious defects, yet it was reasonably consistent with itself, which is more than can be said for our modern civilization. He knew that virtue is essential to the maintenance of physical excellence, and that strength, in the sense of endurance and vitality, underlies all genuine beauty. He was as a rule prepared to volunteer his services at any time in behalf of his fellows, at any cost of inconvenience and real hardship, and thus to grow in personality and soul-culture. Generous to the last mouthful of food, fearless of hunger, suffering, and death, he was surely something of a hero. Not ‘to have,’ but ‘to be,’ was his national motto. –Charles Alexander Eastman
Sequence June 2020
Sing forth, O Zion, sweetly sing
The praises of thy Shepherd-King,
In hymns and canticles divine;
Dare all thou canst, thou hast no song
Worthy his praises to prolong,
So far surpassing powers like thine.
Today no theme of common praise
Forms the sweet burden of thy lays-
The living, life-dispensing food
That food which at the sacred board
Unto the brethren twelve our Lord
His parting legacy bestowed.
Then be the anthem clear and strong,
Thy fullest note, thy sweetest song,
The very music of the breast:a
For now shines forth the day sublime
That brings remembrance of the time
When Jesus first his table blessed.
Within our new King’s banquet-hall
They meet to keep the festival
That closed the ancient paschal rite:
The old is by the new replaced;
The substance hath the shadow chased;
And rising day dispels the night.
Christ willed what he himself had done
Should be renewed while time should run,
In memory of his parting hour:
Thus, tutored in his school divine,
We consecrate the bread and wine;
And lo – a Host of saving power.
This faith to Christian men is given
Bread is made flesh by words from heaven:
Into his blood the wine is turned:
What though it baffles nature’s powers
Of sense and sight? This faith of ours
Proves more than nature e’er discerned.
Concealed beneath the two-fold sign,·
Meet symbols of the gifts divine,
There lie the mysteries adored:
The living body is our food;
Our drink the ever-precious blood;
In each, one undivided Lord.
Not he that eateth it divides
The sacred food, which whole abides
Unbroken still, nor knows decay;
Be one, or be a thousand fed,
They eat alike that living bread
Which, still received, ne’er wastes away.
The good, the guilty share therein,
With sure increase of grace or sin,
The ghostly life, or ghostly death:
Death to the guilty; to the good
Immortal life. See how one food
Man’s joy or woe accomplisheth.
We break the Sacrament; but bold
And firm thy faith shall keep its hold;
Deem not the whole doth more enfold
Than in the fractured part resides:
Deem not that Christ doth broken lie;
‘Tis but the sign that meets the eye;
The hidden deep reality
In all its fullness still abides.
*Behold the bread of angels, sent
For pilgrims in their banishment,
The bread for God’s true children meant,
That may not unto dogs be given:
Oft in the olden types foreshowed;
In Isaac on the altar bowed,
And in the ancient paschal food,
And in the manna sent from heaven.
*Come then, good shepherd, bread divine,
Still show to us thy mercy sign;
Oh, feed us still, still keep us thine;
So may we see thy glories shine
In fields of immortality;
*O thou, the wisest, mightiest, best,
Our present food, our future rest,
Come, make us each thy chosen guest,
Co-heirs of thine, and comrades blest
With saints whose dwelling is with thee.
RIGHT to LIFE
Well, there is no more fundamental right than the right to life itself.
Tragically for our nation, the country’s two major political parties are starkly divided when it comes to protecting life:
The Republican Party platform declares: “We assert the sanctity of human life and affirm that the unborn child has a fundamental right to life that cannot be infringed.”
The Democrat Party platform declares: “We will continue to oppose – and seek to overturn – federal and state laws and policies that impede a woman’s access to abortion.”
But it’s even worse than that.
For not only do the Democrats place no limit on abortion but they are aggressively working to make you and me pay for abortions. They are doing this through their efforts to repeal the Hyde Amendment which is the law that protects much of our tax dollars from paying for abortions. The effort to repeal this Amendment is in the Democrat Party platform and the party’s presumptive nominee for President – Joe Biden – has promised to work to repeal the Amendment if he’s elected President.
And yet in spite of this stark and clear difference there are Catholic bishops who, every election year without fail, send out memos to their dioceses which say, to quote one of many:
“All priests, deacons and religious men and women are to refrain from publishing or speaking in favour of one political party’s stance or issue preferred over another’s.”
Or this one:
“Refrain from writing and or speaking from the pulpit about any matter that may contribute or cause disunity and anger among our brothers and sisters.”
How can such memoranda be implemented by any pro-life Church or pastor? Especially in light of this explicit teaching of the Catholic Church:
“The Church has affirmed the moral evil of every procured abortion. This teaching has not changed and remains unchangeable” (Catechism 2271).
To favor the protection of the unborn is in fact to favour the position of the Republican Party over that of the Democratic Party. It is, de facto, to favour the position of President Trump over the position of Joe Biden.
PRAYER FOR A PANDEMIC
May we, who are merely inconvenienced,
remember those whose lives are at stake.
May we, who have no risk factors,
remember those most vulnerable.
May we, who have the luxury of working from home,
remember those who must choose between preserving their own health,
or work for the health of others.
May we, who have the flexibility to care for our children when their schools close,
remember those who do not have that option.
May we, who have to cancel our trips,
remember those that have no safe place to go.
May we, who are losing our margin money in the tumult of the economic market,
remember those with no margin at all.
May we, who settle in for a quarantine at home,
remember those who have no home.
As fear grips our country, let us choose love.
During this time when we cannot physically wrap our arms around each other,
let us yet find ways to be the loving embrace of God
to our neighbours. AMEN.
Reflection
If you are a Simon of Cyrene; take up your cross and follow Christ. If you are crucified beside him like one of the thieves, now, like the good thief, acknowledge your God. For your sake, and because of your sin, Christ himself was regarded as a sinner; for his sake, therefore, you must cease to sin. Worship him who was hung on the cross because of you, even if you are hanging there yourself. Derive some benefit from the very shame; purchase salvation with your death. Enter paradise with Jesus, and discover how far you have fallen. Contemplate the glories there, and leave the other scoffing thief to die outside in his blasphemy. If you are a Joseph of Arimathea, go to the one who ordered his crucifixion, and ask for Christ’s body. Make your own the expiation for the sins of the whole world. If you are a Nicodemus, like the man who worshipped God by night, bring spices and prepare Christ’s body for burial. If you are one of the Marys, or Salome, or Joanna, weep in the early morning. Be the first to see the stone rolled back, and even the angels perhaps, and Jesus himself.
USA Election 2020
As I just told you every Democrat running against Donald Trump is a radical anti-life extremist when it comes to killing babies and wants to:
Make “abortion till birth” the law of the land.
Prohibit states from passing any laws that protect mothers and babies from abortionists like convicted murderer Kermit Gosnell.
Expand abortion to include INFANTICIDE by refusing to protect newborn babies who survive abortions.
Repeal the Hyde Amendment and force you to pay for abortions with your tax dollars.
Restore taxpayer funding for Planned Parenthood.
Make taxpayer funded abortions part of national health care.
Revoke all the “right of conscience” protections President Trump has put in place to protect doctors, nurses and all health care professionals from being forced to do abortions or take part in abortion procedures.
Pack our federal courts with liberal pro-abortion judicial activists.
… and more! - Fr. Frank Pavone
David Toomey of Listowel Feb 2020
Here is David's own account, as posted on Facebook, of his adventure
Sorry about the long post but I felt I'd better share the epic journey of the Slí Gaeltacht Mhuscrái 2020.
We started the run at about 8.20 from Kealkil after a 1hr 30m bus journey. It was raining and cold at the start line. The first few miles went ok. It was actually warm and I felt I was over dressed.
I got about seven miles in when the calf started to play up. After another mile or two I was reduced to a walk with serious pain. At this stage I was gutted because there was nice running conditions, flat and downhill sections which I had to walk. I decided to take it handy, not panic and get to the checkpoint where I could assess the leg.
After arriving at the checkpoint, I think around mile 11 I took some painkillers and after talking with the support crew at the feed station I decided I'd continue to the next checkpoint at Ballingeary which was about 7 miles.
A tough slog over the mountain's there was wind and driving rain but I got to Ballingeary. On arrival I told the lads my problem and fair play, one of them rubbed out the calf for me. It was very sore and swollen. A big knot had formed at the top of the calf. This was causing most of the problem. I asked them how far to Ballyvourney, the next checkpoint, and they told me about 19kms so I decided to plough on and hopefully make it.
I had decided to call it a day at Ballyvourney because I was afraid of doing damage and there's a long year ahead. I'll never forget the next section. With all the rain the river had burst its banks and we had two crossings waist deep. Also the trail was flooded so we had to navigate that. At one stage I went to the chest in water. All I could think of is God help the lads coming behind us because the river was rising rapidly. The bog sections were very difficult, slippery, soft, wet and ankle deep rough going.
Ballyvourney came at last. I felt lucky to have made it this far. A pit stop for tea,food and a little chat to myself. 24km to go. So I said I'd struggle now and walk if I had to. Again tough going, mountain, bog, fire road and lots of water. Long story short I met a few lads on this section and we helped each other. The calf had loosened out a bit so I was able to jog/walk along.
Finally got to Millstreet I couldn't believe it when I could see the lights in the distance. The joy I felt is indescribable. I thought at seven miles I was going home, now I'm finished possibly the toughest race I've ever done. Thanks everyone for all the lovely comments, messages it really keep me going. Thanks to my love for keeping me going on the phone and finally to the MMRA crew for putting on a fantastic race support and volunteers.
I'll be back again on a better day. Storm Dennis no match for ultra runners.
Reflection
Grant O Lord, that each day
before we enter the little death of sleep,
we may undergo the little judgement of the past day,
so that every wrong deed may be forgiven
and every unholy thought set right.
Let nothing go down into the depths of our being,
which has not been forgiven and sanctified.
Then we shall be ready
for our final birth into eternity
and look forward with love and hope
to standing before you,
who art both judge and saviour,
holy judge and loving saviour.
HEALING THE WOUNDS OF THE HEART
All of us are wounded by sin.
The part of us which is most deeply damaged by sin is the heart.
The heart is so beautiful, so innocent,
but it can be betrayed, scorned and broken.
Darkness of the heart is the blackest night of all.
Emptiness of the heart is the greatest poverty of all.
A heavy heart is the most wearisome burden of all.
A broken heart is the most painful wound of all.
Only love can heal the wounds of the heart.
Lord, send your Holy Spirit to us,
to heal the wounds of our hearts,
so that we may produce the fruits of love.
Prayer
God of the covenant,
you anointed your beloved Son
with the power of the Holy Spirit
to be light for the nations
and release for captives.
Grant that we who are born again
of water and the Spirit
may proclaim with our lips the good news of his peace
and show forth in our lives the victory of his justice.
We make our prayer through Jesus Christ, your Word made flesh,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
in the splendour of eternal light,
God for ever and ever.
Radical pro-abortion extremists have you and your pro-life mission in their sights! And they want to neutralize your work if they win in November.
January 7, 2019
J G,
(Thank you for your support of Priests for Life. If you already responded to the following appeal online, I appreciate your support. This email is intended for those who did not respond when we sent it previously.)
Forgive me if I frightened you with that headline but I meant exactly what I wrote.
You are an obstacle to the Democrat Party’s extremist “abortion till birth” agenda.
And because you are they know that in order to impose their deadly policies on the country they’ve got to neutralize you.
In truth that’s what the whole “impeachment” charade against President Trump has been about from day one. The fringe Left has been out to destroy him because this President has been a pro-life champion ever since he took office.
Not long ago I sent you a lengthy list of President Trump’s pro-life accomplishments. From executive orders to defunding Planned Parenthood to appointing pro-life judges to vetoing abortion-laced funding bills to protecting health care professionals ... you name it and President Trump has been a real hero and ally to those of us fighting to end abortion-on-demand in America.
Saint Margaret of Scotland’s Story
Margaret of Scotland was a truly liberated woman in the sense that she was free to be herself. For her, that meant freedom to love God and serve others.
The problem with fatherlessnes is well documented in Steven Baskervilles book, "Taken into Custody, the war on fathers and marriage". I suggest that anyone vaguely interested in this get a copy and read it several times to let what's happening sink in. These are things your legislators don't want you to know.
Eric McGrath and Matthew Wellington
Published 1:55 PM EST Nov 15, 2019
Nearly 3 million Americans get sick from drug-resistant infections, and 35,000 die every year, according to a new Centers for Disease and Control and Prevention report on Antibiotic Resistance Threats in the United States released this week. That’s, on average, one person dying every 15 minutes from infections that antibiotics can no longer effectively treat.
Published in The Blade on Nov. 15, 2019, death of Gerald James Benore born March 2, 1926, the sixth and last of Gertrude and Charles Benore's children. He grew up on the family farm at Alexis and Detroit Avenue. He was a 1944 graduate of Central Catholic. He was a leader in the 1950s as his parish, St. Clement, opened its own credit union. His O-negative blood was in constant demand, and he was a willing donor through the years of more than 18 gallons. "He was very sincere and compassionate," his son said. Died Tuesday at Aspen Grove, a senior community in Lambertville. He was 93.
Petition of Thomas Carmody, 10 Pitt Street, Dublin, England, to Earl Talbot, Lord Lieutenant, Dublin Castle,
Government Papers Early 1800s
https://northkerry.wordpress.com/
Local Pictures
https://www.flickr.com/photos/20734873@N08/
HERO: Goodyear accepting nominations for annual Highway Hero Award
11/5/2019 - Akron, OH - Goodyear is accepting nominations for its annual Highway Hero Award, which honors truck drivers who put themselves in harm’s way to help others. The 2019 Goodyear Highway Hero Award winner, Paul Mathias, a driver for System Transport of Cheney, WA, administered CPR to save the life of a young passenger involved in a car accident. “It’s incredibly humbling to hear story after story of the selflessness of so many of our nation’s truck drivers,” said Gary Medalis, marketing director, Goodyear North America. “Goodyear’s Highway Hero Award gives us an opportunity to share these incredible stories and celebrate the extraordinary deeds of truck drivers in the ordinary course of their work.” A panel of representatives from the trucking industry will select the next Goodyear Highway Hero from among three finalists identified by Goodyear. The winner will be announced in March 2020, coinciding with the annual Mid-America Trucking Show, and will receive a cash award, among other prizes. Each finalist will also receive a cash prize and various items. Nominations must be submitted before December 31, and meet the following criteria to be considered for the award: A full-time truck driver; residing in the U.S. or Canada; the heroic incident must have happened in the U.S. or Canada; nominee’s truck must have had 12 wheels or more at the time of the incident; nominee must have been on the job, or on the way to or from work in his or her truck, at the time of the incident; and the incident must have taken place between November 16, 2018 and November 16, 2019. This marks the 37th year Goodyear will be honoring a truck driver with this award. Past Goodyear Highway Hero Award winners include a truck driver who ripped the back door from a burning car to save two passengers, and a driver who dove into a pond to pull a child from a submerged car.
A prayer for our earth
All powerful God,
You are present in the universe
and in the smallest of your creatures.
You embrace with Your tenderness all that exists.
Pour out upon us the power of your love,
that we may protect life and beauty.
Fill us with your peace, that we may live
as brothers and sisters, harming no one.
O God of the poor,
help us to rescue the abandoned
and forgotten of this earth,
so precious in Your eyes.
Bring healing to our lives,
that we may protect the world and not prey on it,
that we may sow beauty,
not pollution and destruction.
Touch the hearts
of those who look only for gain
at the expense of the poor and the earth.
Teach us to discover the worth of each thing,
to be filled with awe and contemplation,
to recognize that we are profoundly united
with every creature
as we journey towards your infinite light.
We thank You for being with us each day.
Encourage us, we pray, in our struggle,
for justice, love and peace.
(By Pope Francis)
Seeing Christ
I see Christ in the morning
At the rising of the Sun
I see him in the evening
When my day’s work is done
I see him in that work I do
Because I know it’s blessed
I see him in the night time
When I lay my head to rest
I see him in the sunshine The storm and the rain
I see him on the hilltop
The valley and the plain
I see him in all shapes of life
In the sea and on the land
All made for man’s benefit
By the power of God’s own hand
I see him in my family
And in all my friends
And I see him in the people
With whom I must make amends
But most of all I see him when he comes into my soul
When I receive the Blessed Eucharist
In answer to his call
And some day I hope to see him
THOUGHT: Money Will Buy…a bed but not sleep;
books but not brains;food but not appetite;
finery but not beauty; a house but not a home;
medicine but not health; luxuries but not culture;
amusements but not happiness; religion but not salvation;
a passport to everywhere but heaven.
Prayer for Grandparents
Lord Jesus, you were born of the Virgin Mary,
the daughter of Saints Joachim and Anne.
Look with love on grandparents the world over.
Protect them! They are a source of enrichment
for families, for the church and for all of society.
Support them! As they grow older,
may they continue to be for their families
strong pillars of the Gospel faith, guardian of noble domestic ideals,
living treasuries of sound religious traditions.
Make them teachers of wisdom and courage,
that they may pass on to future generations the fruits
of their mature human and spiritual experience.
Lord Jesus,
help families and society to value the presence and roles of grandparents.
May they never be ignored or excluded,
but always encounter respect and love.
Help them to live serenely and to feel welcomed
in all the years of life which you give them.
Mary, Mother of all the living,
keep grandparents constantly in your care,
accompany them on their earthly pilgrimage,
and by your prayers, grant that all families
may one day be reunited in our heavenly homeland,
where you await all humanity for the great
embrace of life without end. Amen.
BLESSING; May we treat others in the same friendly way Christ has treated us.
May the Lord bless us with a caring spirit so that we may be instruments of his compassion to others. May the Lord watch over us, keep us in his care and bless us with his peace.
SOMEONE WHO CARES
Lord, make my heart a haven
where the lonely may find friendship,
where the weary may find shelter,
where the helpless may find refuge,
where the hopeless may find hope,
where all those
who seek someone who cares
may enter and find you.
Clare’s emphasis on the person of Jesus Christ is an emphasis on the human person as well, what we are and what we are called to be. Christ crucified is the mirror in which we are to see our reflection, our strengths and weaknesses, our failures and our capacity to love. Clare is not interested in the flight of “the alone to the alone.” Rather, she asks, are you becoming a mirror of Christ for others to see and follow? She wants us to reflect Christ in our lives, to help build up the Body of Christ through transformation in love, and to participate in the church. She is a mystic who calls us to go forward into God by letting Christ take on our flesh so that we may reflect the face of Christ to the world. She tells us not to be dissuaded in the path to God, to be resolute in our convictions and trust the guidance of the Spirit in our lives. Her thought is centered on the essence of human identity: Be yourself and allow God to dwell within you. Christ will then be alive and the world will be created anew.
—from the book Clare: A Heart Full of Love by Franciscan Sister Ilia Delio
PRAYER
The coming of the Holy Spirit changed the Apostles.
People change when they are given hope and especially when they are loved.
All of us have the capacity for goodness.
We have hands that can care, eyes that can see, ears that can hear, tongues that can speak,
and above all, hearts that can love.
Lord, grant that the Holy Spirit may help us to use to the full
the gifts that we have been given
so that we may be effective witnesses for you in the world.
BLESSING
May the Holy Spirit bind us together in a community of faith and love.
May the Holy Spirit kindle in our hearts the fire of his love,
And make us joyful messengers of the Gospel.
May the Holy Spirit confirm our hearts in holiness,
so that we may be blameless in the sight of the Lord.
By Brett and Kate McKay on Apr 27, 2019 10:24 pm
Sunday Firesides: Against Little Red Hen Culture
I’m sure you remember the story of the Little Red Hen. The hen asks her friends to help her plant and harvest wheat, and they decline. She asks them to grind the wheat into flour, and bake the flour into bread, and they refuse. Then, when the hot, delicious-smelling bread comes out of the oven, all the hen’s friends want a bite. None of them wanted to make the bread, but all of them want to eat it.
The old fable offered a reflection of certain human tendencies back when it was first told, and can tell us something about our culture today.
Everyone wants their children to have a great experience in youth sports, but nobody wants to coach a team.
Everyone wants to be invited to a party, but nobody wants to host one.
Everyone hopes their children learn good things at church, but nobody wants to teach Sunday school.
Everyone wants more civil, honest, and intelligent politics, but nobody wants to run for office.
Everyone wants to eat the “bread” of healthy communities, rich experiences, and a strong society, but nobody wants to make it.
Of course, I’m using “nobody” rhetorically — there are a few hearty souls who do take the initiative in creating the things that they, and others, enjoy consuming. But the number of would-be consumers vastly outweighs the number of creators. The 20% who volunteer, host, and organize cannot make enough bread to feed the 80% who say they’re hungry for it. There are too many people who wait for and expect someone else to step into the breach.
But we should be that “someone else.” In a world of endless takers, we need more committed bakers.
Blogs | Mar. 26, 2018
Here are the Plenary Indulgences Available During Holy Week
We all have the opportunity for receiving a plenary indulgence each day of Holy Week. Then Easter Octave. Here’s how to gain them for ourselves and loved ones in purgatory.
Joseph Pronechen
The plenary indulgences that we can receive on every day of Holy Week actually are of two kinds. Certain ones are specific to Holy Week itself. Certain ones we can actually gain anytime.
They’re listed in the Norms and Grants in the official Manual of Indulgences, fourth edition (1999), the latest and most up-to-date edition of the Manual, or Enchiridion Indulgentiarum, the one that replaces all others.
First, let’s look at the plenary indulgences specific to Holy Week. Next, we’ll look at those also available during Holy Week plus any time of the year. Then we’ll review the basic mandatory conditions that must be fulfilled for any plenary indulgence. Then we’ll check on “extras.”
Holy Week Plenary Indulgences
These are the specific works listed in the Grants in the Manual of Indulgences:
Holy Thursday. “A plenary indulgence is granted to the faithful who piously recite the verses of the Tantum ergo after the Mass of the Lord’s Supper on Holy Thursday during the solemn reposition of the Most Blessed Sacrament.”
Good Friday brings two opportunities. “A plenary indulgence is granted to the faithful who
Devoutly assist at the adoration of the Cross in the solemn liturgical action of Good Friday; or
Personally make the pious Way of the Cross, or devoutly unite themselves to the Way of the Cross while it is being led by the Supreme Pontiff and broadcast live on television or radio.”
Most every parish conducts Stations of the Cross for parishioners on Good Friday.
On Holy Saturday, Easter Vigil brings another opportunity. “A plenary indulgence is granted to the faithful who, at the celebration of the Easter Vigil (or on the anniversary of their own Baptism), renew their baptismal vows in any legitimately approved formula.”
The Easter Vigil includes renewal of baptismal vows.
Early in Holy Week
On Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday of Holy Week we should try to make Mass and receive Holy Communion. That is a “must” because receiving Holy Communion is one of the basic conditions for any plenary indulgence. Here, we consider those certain plenary indulgences which can be gained all year. These are the ones we can obtain on Monday through Wednesday as long as we fulfill the basic conditions (more on them later) and also perform the work required.
The Manual of Indulgences makes this very clear to us: “Deserving of special mention are grants pertaining to these works by any one of which the faithful can obtain a plenary indulgence each day of the year,” always remembering “a plenary indulgence can be acquired no more than once a day.” The Manual lists them as four:
— Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament for at least one half hour
—The pious exercise of the Way of the Cross
— Recitation of the Marian rosary or of the hymn Akathistos, in church or an oratory;
or in a family, a religious community, or a sodality of the faithful or, in general,
when several of the faithful are gathered for any good purpose
— The devout reading or listening to the Sacred Scriptures for at least a half an hour
Any one of these per day, Monday through Wednesday — plus Palm Sunday too — can obtain a plenary indulgence for us for ourselves or to apply to a soul in purgatory.
Basic Mandatory Conditions
“In general, the gaining of indulgences requires certain prescribed conditions and the performance of certain prescribed works,” reminded the Apostolic Penitentiary in 2000. The conditions are not many and are not at all difficult.
First, though, the office initially repeated the definition. “An indulgence is a remission before God of the temporal punishment due to sins whose guilt has already been forgiven, which the faithful Christian who is duly disposed gains under certain prescribed conditions through the action of the Church…” The office explained, “Indulgences can always be applied either to oneself or to the souls of the deceased, but they cannot be applied to other persons living on earth.”
The Manual of Indulgences gives these basics conditions for any indulgence, plenary or partial. The person seeking the indulgence must be baptized, not excommunicated, and in the state of grace at least at the time the prescribed work is completed.
The Norms remind of another simple essential: we need to have the general intention of wanting to gain the indulgence as well as carrying out the specific works required, according to the sense of the Grant. That’s simple enough.
This next is important. The Norm states, “To gain a plenary indulgence, in addition to excluding all attachment to sin, even venial sin, it is necessary to perform the indulgenced work and fulfill the following three conditions: sacramental confession, Eucharistic Communion, and prayer for the intention of the Sovereign Pontiff.”
For simplicity sake, let’s review these simple essentials are presented by the office of the Apostolic Penitentiary in their words:
“To gain indulgences, whether plenary or partial, it is necessary that the faithful be in the state of grace at least at the time the indulgenced work is completed.”
“A plenary indulgence can be gained only once a day. In order to obtain it, the faithful must, in addition to being in the state of grace:
— have the interior disposition of complete detachment from sin, even venial sin;
— have sacramentally confessed their sins;
— receive the Holy Eucharist (it is certainly better to receive it while participating in Holy Mass, but for the indulgence only Holy Communion is required);
— pray for the intentions of the Supreme Pontiff.”
The Apostolic Penitentiary in 2000 clarified that One Our Father and one Hail Mary is suggested for the Holy Father’s intentions thought the faithful can chose what prayer, and one sacramental Confession suffices for several plenary indulgences.
As for the Stations of the Cross for a plenary indulgence, the manual details, “The pious exercise must be made before stations of the Way of the Cross legitimately erected…According to the common custom, the pious exercise consists of 14 devotional readings, to which some vocal prayers are added. To make the Way of the Cross, however, it is sufficient to meditate devoutly on the Lord’s Passion and Death, and therefore reflection on the particular mysteries of the individual stations in not necessary…Progression from one station to the next is required.” But if we’re making it publicly such as done for a parish, only the one conducting it has to move while we remain in our place.
Extras and Divine Mercy Sunday
We should not stop after Holy Week. Why not continue during the Easter Octave, from Easter Sunday through Divine Mercy Sunday? Monday through Saturday we have those four everyday possibilities for a plenary indulgence. Go to Mass, receive Communion. Then spend time in adoration before the Blessed Sacrament. Pray the Rosary in church. Or with family or as listed above. Read Sacred Scripture for at least half an hour. Your choice.
Then Divine Mercy Sunday has a plenary indulgence of its own.
Through private revelation to St. Faustina, Jesus revealed, I want to grant a complete pardon to the souls that will go to Confession and receive Holy Communion on the Feast of My mercy (1109). The soul that will go to Confession and receive Holy Communion will obtain complete forgiveness of sins and punishment (699). And we must trust in Divine Mercy.
According to Robert Stackpole, the director of the John Paul II Institute of Divine Mercy, an apostolate of the Marian Fathers of the Immaculate Conception, “The most special grace promised by our Lord for Mercy Sunday is nothing less than the equivalent of a complete renewal of baptismal grace in the soul: "complete forgiveness (remission) of sins and punishment.” (more explanation here)
St. John Paul II not only declared Divine Mercy Sunday a universal feast of the Church but in 2002 he attached a plenary indulgence to it. This made private revelation’s promise “official” as “the Holy See institutionalized the Promise in the form of an Indulgence.”
First there are the usual or standard three conditions of sacramental confession, Eucharistic Communion, and prayer for the intentions of Supreme Pontiff.
Next, the specific conditions or “work” required: “On Divine Mercy Sunday
in any church or chapel, in a spirit that is completely detached from the affection for a sin, even a venial sin, take part in the prayers and devotions held in honor of Divine Mercy
or, in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament exposed or reserved in the tabernacle, recite the Our Father and the Creed, adding a devout prayer to the merciful Lord Jesus (e.g. “Merciful Jesus, I trust in you!”).”
For those unable to fulfill these conditions, there are explanations of what they can do for indulgences.
From Holy Week through Divine Mercy Sunday — and beyond — we should try not to miss out on these indulgences for ourselves or for any soul in purgatory who might get the chance to reach heaven in time for Easter and well beyond.
http://www.ncregister.com/blog/joseph-pronechen/holy-weeks-plenary-indulgences
Atlantic Challenge
13 hrs ·31 March 2019
Where do we start. SRAC 2019 was absolutely amazing. The scenery, the craic and even the weather.
Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
To the 160 volunteers and everyone who made this happen. The Chain Gang Cycling Club, Bryan Carr Event Management Company. The marshalls, Garda, Red Cross, HSE, Road Captains, Tralee Town Council, Kerry County Council, Tralee Town Mayor, Kerry County Mayor, an PobalScoil Dingle, motorbike marshalls, Motorbike Paramedic, Gary Sheehan Bike Mechanic. To our amazing guests Sean Kelly, Sonia O’Sullivan, Emma O Reilly, Gerard Hartmann and no one will ever forget the 2 boys !! Romain and Quentin from Team Novo Nordisk. Cycling Ireland, Erwin Vervecken from the UCI and Ian O Riordan from the Irish Times. To our sponsors 4 Site Engineering, Lidl, Bank of Ireland, Lee Strand, Munster Tech Centre, The Rose Hotel and the Meadowlands Hotel. To our charities Seeking Vision, Alzheimer’s Ireland, Make a Wish, and last, but not least, the cyclists. To all the cyclists from near and far. The cyclists who traveled from around the World to meet their hero’s.
We hope you all enjoyed it as much as we did. Thank you Tralee. Thank you Kerry. Roll on 2020
Thank you from Alan, Paudge and Neil.
SRAC
Bits and Pieces
By Domhnall de Barra
I spent a few days in England last week visiting an old friend in Knowsley near Liverpool. When I say an old friend I mean it in more ways than one. When we got married, 49 years ago on Thursday, we moved to Liverpool from Coventry as I had just got a job with a transport company in Speake Airport. I visited the Irish Centre, in Mount Pleasant near Liverpool city centre, and I was invited to play a couple of tunes on the box. After I had finished playing a woman came and introduced herself as Celia Kilgallon,, originally from near Louisburgh in Mayo, now living with her husband John and family in Knowsley. She told me her brother, Tony O’Toole, who lived in Coventry and was a great follower of traditional music, had contacted her and told her that there was a great accordian player (her words – not mine!) coming to Liverpool. She said “will ye come out to the house next Sunday and I will kill a cock”. The next Sunday John Killgallon arrived at our humble flat in a big car and took us out to the house. John was a box player and played with the original Liverpool Céilí Band. He was also North West manager for UK construction and great company. Anyway we all got on like a house on fire and have been firm friends ever since. There was many a great session in that house over the years which included many of the greats from Ireland who would call there when they were on tour. John died a few years ago but Celia is approaching her 97th birthday and “going strong” doesn’t approach describing her. She lives alone and does all her own cooking, washing, ironing etc. Her mind is as sharp as ever and she has a memory any elephant would be proud of. Her only flaw is her hearing which is very bad but, thanks to modern technology, she has earplugs that operate with her tablet and can hear well enough with them. We had a great few days with her recalling old times and discussing every topic under the sun. She is one of the most remarkable ladies it has been my privilege to know for so many years and we look forward to her celebrating her 100th in the not too distant future.
The weather in Liverpool was fantastic. It was more like the Costa Del Sol than the North of England with the sun shining and people walking around in shirtsleeves and dresses; the warmest February on record, they tell us. I noticed a couple of differences between there and here particularly the prices. A phone lead I needed would have cost €23 in Tralee but I got the same brand in Prescot for £6. Petrol is about 30c a litre dearer than here and unlike in Ireland where it is cheaper, diesel is another 10c dearer again. We travelled by ferry which gave us the opportunity to fill the boot of the car with goods at a fraction of the price we pay for them here. Even groceries are far cheaper. No wonder the international super stores call us “treasure island”
We sailed on Saturday night and got into Dublin on Sunday morning. I had to keep the pedal down all the way home to be in time for the blessing of the plaque in memory of Dan Hanrahan who sadly passed away a year ago last week. There was a good attendance at the blessing which was performed by Fr. Brendan Duggan. I am proud of the fact that Athea Community Council honoured Dan in this way because he left us a legacy that will stand the test of time. I have a soft spot for stone masons since my grandfather, Dan Hartnett and his brothers were all masons. Some of their work is still in evidence around the parish. One of the Hartnetts worked on the bridge in Athea which was built after the collapse of the old wooden bridge. Dan worked on a scheme I was supervising in the early ‘nineties and for a few years created beautiful stone work all around the village. He was an artist and a perfectionist and it was great to see his family members and so many neighbours and friends at the blessing. May he rest in peace.
On a different topic completely, I was reading a newspaper in England and one article caught my attention. It was the story of a young man who wanted to join the police force to follow in his father’s footsteps as he is a detective inspector. He made his application, took the exam which he passed with flying colours and did a very good interview. Everything seemed to be going well until he was informed that his application had been rejected. The reason for his being rejected was that he was a white heterosexual British male. He would have been acceptable had he been gay, a member of an ethnic minority or had a disability. I had to read it a couple of times to make sure I was getting it right but no; it was true that he was being discriminated against on the grounds that he had no faults. Apparently the police are having trouble recruiting officers from ethnic backgrounds etc. to liaise with communities who will have nothing to do with white policemen. Good police work has nothing to do with ethnic background or sexual orientation. In the UK they have created large ghettos in urban areas that they have basically lost control of and they are now trying to use a different approach. As they say, good luck with that.
Having driven around over there for a few days I was so glad to get home to Athea. There is no place like it. I will end with this little quote
“When one door closes, another opens; but we often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door that we do not see the one that has opened for us.”
Sean Sheehy
Wed, Jan 2, 11:58 AM
to me
An Epiphany
Have you ever had an epiphany? An “epiphany” is a manifestation that provides a deeper understanding or insight into something. It’s often quite sudden. It’s an “aha” moment; a discovery of something that you’ve been pursuing for some time which now gives you a whole new philosophical, religious, or scientific awareness.
Jesus’ Church celebrates an epiphany on the 6th of January. She recalls God’s manifestation of Himself to the Magi in the Person of the Infant Jesus, God’s Word-made-flesh in the Virgin’s womb, born in a stable in Bethlehem. God made Himself visible in a way that enabled human beings to deepen their understanding of who He is and what He wanted for mankind. The first epiphany was to Mary when the Angel Gabriel visited her. The second was to Elizabeth when, inspired by the Holy Spirit, she exclaimed to Mary, “Who am I that the mother of my Lord should come to visit me.” (Lk 1:43) Joseph had an epiphany when God spoke to him in dreams asking him to take care of Mary and the Child. The angels had an epiphany when they sang their Hosannas. The shepherds had their epiphany when they heard the angels and then went and found Jesus in the manger in the stable. The Gentile world had an epiphany in the persons of the three wise men, when the star led them to the manger where the Christ Child lay. Their discovery was the striking realization that God had come to earth in human form. He could be seen, touched, heard, loved, cry, need clothing and food, and depend on human beings even though He was their Creator.
God explained the difference He would make when He came upon the earth. “See, darkness covers the earth, and thick cloud covers the peoples; but upon you the Lord shines, and over you appears His glory.” (Is 60:1-6) The Holy Spirit revealed that, “He shall rescue the poor when he cries out, and the afflicted when he has no one to help him. He shall have pity for the lonely and the poor; the life of the poor He shall save.” (Ps 72:12-13) But those who heard these words had no idea of how God was going to accomplish these promises, least of all the notion that He would come as a defenceless little baby born of a virgin in a stable. God’s ways aren’t our ways. “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways, says the Lord.” (Is 55:8) We would want God to come with power, pomp, and ceremony. But that wasn’t the way He chose to make Himself present.
St. Augustine, inspired by the Holy Spirit, prayed, “You have made us for Yourself, O God, and our hearts are restless until they rest in You.” Meeting the human need for God is critical to our humanity. The words of the Psalmist capture the cry of the spiritual soul: “O God, You are my God whom I seek; for You my flesh pines and my soul thirsts like the earth, parched, lifeless and without water.” (Ps 63:2) During His public ministry Jesus reminded His listeners, “No more than a branch can bear fruit of itself apart from the vine, can you bear fruit apart from me. I am the vine, you are the branches.” (Jn 15:4-5) The restlessness and the fruitlessness of people all over the world is due to the fact that they look to all kinds of fads to find rest and various schemes to be productive but end up neither rested nor effective. The fact is that our soul will find rest only in God and that He is the only source of our fruitfulness as human beings.
It was this restlessness that spurred the Magi to follow the star. They believed the star would lead them to its Creator. Good science always leads to God and to Jesus who is “the power of God and the wisdom of God.” ( 1 Cor:24) . Bad science tries to ignore God. The Magi’s words of enquiry in Jerusalem are the words that every human heart utters, consciously or unconsciously, “Where is the new-born King of the Jews?” (Mt 2:2) Everyone is searching for God. Sadly, many try to create their own gods that “have mouths that can’t speak, eyes but can’t see, and ears that can’t hear, nor is their breath in their mouths. Their makers shall be like them, everyone that trusts in them.” (Ps 135:15-18) So they’re doomed to restlessness and fruitlessness.
The Magi are called “wise” because they refused to be side-tracked in their search for Immanuel, God-with-us. They let the Holy Spirit guide their spirit to find Jesus. Their gifts of homage reflected their discovery of Jesus as God-made-man. Gold symbolized Jesus’ Kingship on earth and also His perfect virtue. Frankincense symbolized their recognition of Him as God and the importance of prayer. Myrrh symbolized His suffering and death in behalf of mankind’s salvation.
The same Holy Spirit wants to lead you and me to Jesus in whom we find rest and who enables us to be fruitful. Jesus’ Church is the visible star that the Spirit uses to unite us to Jesus where He manifests Himself and meets us in the key moments of our life. 2019 is a new year of opportunities for Jesus to manifest Himself to us, if we let Him. But as the Magi faithfully followed the star, we must faithfully follow the Church’s teachings. May 2019 be a graced time for you. (frsos)
Sean Sheehy
Wed, Jan 9, 3:37 PM (13 days ago)
to me
Is God Pleased with You?
Baptism launched Jesus’ public ministry. There God affirmed Him, “You are my beloved Son; with You I am well pleased.” (Lk 3:22) To be pleased with someone is to be delighted with him or her and to take pleasure in his or her company. God is pleased with Jesus because He is His Word-made-flesh come to do His will on earth. God’s will for every person is that he or she be saved from a fallen nature that carries within it the sentence of eternal death. We can’t save our self from a future that promises only eternal misery. We might be miserable and unhappy in this world, but it’s temporary. To be miserable in the next world has no end. This is all the more reason why we should be doing our utmost to please God by doing what He tells us.
John’s baptism of Jesus was a baptism of repentance for sin. Jesus had no sin but took human sin on Himself to make atonement with God on our behalf. Jesus’ baptism was a baptism of immersion into the Holy Trinity. John told those who thought he was the expected messiah, “I am baptizing you with water but one mightier than I is to come … He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.” (Lk 3:16) John’s baptism called for repentance for sin. Jesus’ baptism called for personal transformation through becoming an adopted son or daughter of God. It wasn’t just a cleansing from Original sin. The Greek word “baptizo” means immersion in the sense of dye penetrating a piece of cloth. In Jesus’ baptism, “you put aside your old self with its past deeds and put on a new nature, one who grows in knowledge as he (she) is formed anew in the image of his (her) Creator.” (Col 3:9-10) John’s baptism called for a radical change in behaviour, but Jesus’ baptism calls for a radical change in one’s nature. The “baptism of fire” which is the transforming energy of the Holy Spirit’s actions in our soul, makes us a new creation, a born again anointed child of God by adoption.
God promised comfort to His people. The greatest comfort a child can experience is the visible nearness of the parent’s love. God promised to come to His people so they would feel His nearness. “Like a shepherd He feeds His flock; in His arms He gathers the lambs, carrying them in His bosom, and leading the ewes with care.” (Is 40:9-11) The Psalmist expressed the human need for God’s nearness as follows: “If You take away their breath, they perish and return to the dust. When You send forth Your Spirit, they are created, and You renew the face of the earth.” (Ps 104:29-30) Jesus began to publicly fulfil these promises the day He accepted John’s Baptism of Repentance and introduced His new Baptism of the Holy Spirit and fire. Through the Holy Spirit in Baptism we are re-newed – made new with a new family, a new identity, a new mission, a new purpose, a new knowledge, a new standard of love, a new morality, and a new destiny. This is why Jesus gave His Church the Sacrament of Baptism so that all men and women could experience the nearness of God and be renewed until the end of time.
Jesus began shepherding you and me the day we were baptized into His Church. That day God the Father adopted us as His children, his sons and daughters, and said to us individually as the water was poured over our head in the Name of the Holy Trinity, “You are my beloved son/daughter; with you I am well pleased.” He was delighted that you and I had become His adopted children. He sent us His Spirit to guide our spirit to Jesus who showed us the way, taught us the truth, and gave us His life through His Church. “Because of His mercy He saved us through the bath of rebirth (Baptism) and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom He richly poured out on us through Jesus Christ our Saviour, so that we might be justified by His grace and become heirs in hope of eternal life.” (Titus 3:4-7)
God was pleased with you and me on the day of our Baptism. But is He pleased with us today? Are we making Him proud of us by the way we live? Someone said that “God loves us where we are, but He loves us too much to leave us there.” Where are you and I today in our relationship with Jesus? Are prayer and worship of Him our first priority. Some saint said that sin is worse than the worst kind of physical disease. A disease, at worst, can only kill the body, but sin kills the soul and separates us from God who is the source of our faith, hope, and love. Without these, all we have to look forward to is misery. A new year of 2019 is a new opportunity to be a cause of delight for God. When we please God by being true to our baptismal vows, letting the Holy Spirit with His fire transform us, we will delight not only God but also our self and those around us. It’s time to re-new our baptismal vows. (frsos)
Sean Sheehy
Wed, Jan 16, 1:59 PM (6 days ago)
to me
What God Wants, We Need
There’s a real difference between wants and needs. We often confuse the two and focus on our wants more than on our needs. Needs are what’s essential for the flourishing of our humanity, individually and communally. Wants, on the other hand, are things that are unnecessary for our wellbeing. God has no needs since He’s perfect. While He doesn’t need us, He wants things for us as expressions of His unconditional love. What God wants for us is exactly what we need, namely to love, be free, be just, and at peace within and among ourselves. What God wants for us He also provides the wherewithal to achieve it. Without God what we need the most - truth, love, freedom, justice, and peace - is impossible since, because of our fallen nature, we’re incapable of fully possessing them on our own.
God uses the image of a wedding to reveal the kind of relationship He wants to have with us. “As a young man marries a virgin, your Builder shall marry you; and as a bridegroom rejoices in his bride, so shall God rejoice in you.” (Is 62:5) There’s no greater image of love and intimacy than a wedding between a man and a woman. It’s an image of mutual self-giving; an act whereby the man and woman pledge to sacrifice themselves for the benefit of each other and their children. It’s an act of unconditional love. This is what God wants for us in a relationship with Him. He wants to pledge Himself unconditionally to us for our individual and communal good. He wants us to reciprocate by pledging our self to Him unconditionally, not for His good, but for ours. What God wants for us is what we need for our self. We need His unconditional love in order to love our self and others especially when we and others aren’t very loveable. We need to know God as the source of love who never stops loving. God’s love is the foundation for faith and hope that withstands all kinds of doubt and despair. God wants a future for us that assures us of victory over suffering and death and promises us perfect joy and happiness. What God wants for us we need in order to thrive in the face of all kinds of trials and tribulations.
God wants to be generous with us by giving us spiritual gifts not just to us but also, and more importantly, through us to others. “There are different gifts but always the same Spirit; there are all sorts of service to be done but always the same Lord. Working in all sorts of different ways in different people, it is the same God who is working in all of them.” (1 Cor 12:4-6) As in a marriage where a man and a woman pledge their unconditional love for one another by committing themselves to the mutual sharing of their individual gifts, so God, in pledging His unconditional love for us, shares His gifts with us. In turn, He wants us to share these gifts, not with Him, but with one another. We need these gifts from God so we can have something special to give one another as expressions of our love. Because of our fallen nature our tendency is to keep things for our self rather than share them. In giving us gifts God inspires us to share them with one another so we can build and enrich our relationships.
Highlighting the image of a wedding as a metaphor for what God wants and we need, Jesus used it as the occasion for the beginning of His public ministry. At the request of His Mother, Jesus, by changing water into wine, gave the young couple what they needed for the enjoyment of their guests, in moderation of course. Jesus’ ministry and the foundation of His Church visibly demonstrates what God wants and what we need. Each of His Church’s’ Sacraments is a visible sign of what God wants and what we need. He wants to adopt us in Baptism; we need to be adopted in order to have eternal life. He wants us to receive His Spirit with His gifts; we need them to become fully mature human beings. He wants us to receive His Son in the Holy Eucharist; we need Him as food for our soul. He wants us to turn to Him in our suffering; we need Him to help us shoulder our burdens. He wants to forgive us our sins; we need forgiveness. He wants men and women to procreate; they need His grace to be faithful and raise children properly. He wants us to bind our self to Him in religion; and religious leaders need His Spirit to bind them to Him as His representatives forming Christian community.
What God wants and what we need motivates us to, “Announce His salvation, day after day. Tell His glory among the nations; among all the peoples His wondrous deeds … He governs the people with equity.” (Ps 96:1-10) The more we know what God wants for us the more we will come to see what we need. Jesus tells us in His Word spoken in and through His Church. Mary’s advice is crucial to meeting our needs: “Do whatever He tells you.” (Jn 2:5) He tells us that what God wants for us, we need for our own and our community’s good. (frsos)
Show Highlights
What James Clear learned about habits from a life-threatening injury
Why you should strive for very small changes in your life
Why we actually shouldn’t give habits more power than they really have
Big misconceptions people have about making and breaking habits
How long does it really take to build a habit?
The difference between identity-based habits and outcome-based habits
How to come up with habits that reinforce your identity
Why “fake it until you make it” only works as a short-term strategy
The 4 stages of habit-building (and why James added to Charles Duhigg’s now classic model)
Why perceptions, expectations, and anticipation are more likely to guide our actions than actual rewards
The 4 laws of behavior change that correspond with the stages of habit building
How 1-2 small tweaks can radically change your habits
Making cues more obvious (or invisible) with environment design
How to watch less TV
Why most people work way harder than they need to in habit formation/breaking
How do you make things that are good for you more attractive?
Clear’s two-minute rule
Why taking advantage of your laziness is actually a great strategy
Making rewards more immediately satisfying
Taking your own personality into account so that your habits work for you rather than against you
The letter said the council had “read about statements which expressed the fear that the Knights of Columbus held many extreme beliefs. It is our great pleasure to assure you that this fear is not grounded in any truth. The Knights of Columbus in general, and O’Boyle Council in particular are dedicated to the three fundamental principles of charity, unity, and fraternity.”
https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/dc-knights-of-columbus-respond-to-senators-criticism-41354
Prayer for the Poor
God of Justice,
open our eyes
to see you in the face of the poor.
Open our ears
to hear you in the cries of the exploited.
Open our mouths
to defend you in the public squares
as well as in private deeds.
Remind us that what we do
to the least ones,
we do to you.
Amen.
President Trump, with the help of the Republican House and Senate, has an impressive list of 289 accomplishments in 18 categories, culminating in the confirmation of Justice Brett Kavanaugh
http://www.politicalresponsibility.com/LongerTrumpAccomplishments.pdf
Sean Sheehy
Wed, Nov 14, 1:32 PM (2 days ago)
to me
Keep the End in Sight
Everything in this world comes to an end. Success or failure is determined by whether we achieve or fail to achieve our true end. To be successful is to be fulfilled. To fail is to be unfulfilled. You and I will reach the end of our life as successful if we achieve our true purpose. If we don’t we will die as failures. What is our true purpose? It is to live a life committed to deepening our knowledge and love of Jesus present in His Church, and demonstrating it in humble service to those in need. This translates into a life lived well and prepares us to die well.
When we know our true purpose we’ll resist the voices that tempt us into following other paths promising us a “good time.” Knowing our purpose will ensure we’ll live and work with the end in sight, namely total happiness with God and all the saints. The world in which we live is in denial when it comes to death. It glosses over death by referring to is as “passing away.” People console themselves by saying the deceased “has gone to a better place” as if that was a given or automatic. How do they know? They never seem to focus on what’s necessary to get to “the better place.” Ironically, our western culture is, as St. John Paul II labelled it, a “culture of death.” Death is seen as a tool to get rid those who’re inconvenient, as in abortion, euthanasia, murder, war, but isn’t seen as the time of judgment on how we lived life. So the culture cons us into ignoring what follows death. Knowing that we’re going to die and living with that reality keeps us alert as to how we’re living and encourages us to prepare to meet our Judge. Jesus Christ is the Judge of the living and the dead. No one escapes His judgment. He will judge everyone according to his or her deeds. Mt 19:26; Lk 2:30; Jn5:22, 27, 30; 8:15-16, 26; 9:39; 12:47-48; Acts 10:38-42; 17:30-31; Rom 14:10; 2 Cor 5:10; 2 Tim 4:8; Jas 5:9; Rev 19:11)
If you were driving on the highway and spotted a police car following you what’s the first thing you’d do? Wouldn’t you quickly glance at your speedometer to make sure you were observing the speed limit? Living our life conscious of Jesus’ presence as our Judge will surely influence us to act in such a way that He’ll be able to say to us, “Well done, good and faithful servant” (Mt 25:21) rather than “Away from me, you evildoers.” (Mt 7:23) Christianity isn’t like a coat that we put on or take off depending on the weather, who we’re meeting, or where what’s fashionable. Christianity is a lifestyle that prepares us to meet Jesus who warns us that, “None of those who cry ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the Kingdom of God but only the one who does the will of my Father in Heaven.” (M7 7:21) Jesus describes the scene on Judgment Day: “When that day comes, many will plead with me, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your Name? Have we not exorcized demons by its power. Did we not do many miracles in Your Name as well?’ Then I will declare to them solemnly, ‘I never knew you. Out of my sight you evildoers.” (Mt 7:21-23) As T.S. Elliot wrote, “The last act is the greatest treason. To do the right thing for the wrong reason.” Saying “Lord, Lord” or invoking His power to boost one’s own ego or reputation is doing the right thing for the wrong reason.
Living the Christian life means humbly giving witness to faith in Jesus Christ both privately and publicly. He promises that, “Whoever acknowledges me before men I will acknowledge before my Father in heaven. Whoever disowns me before men I will disown before my Father in Heaven.” (Mt 10:32-33) If Jesus disowns us we cannot enter Heaven since He stated clearly that, “No one comes to the Father except through me.” (Jn 14:6) What Jesus says He means and it applies to everyone, believers and non-believers. Hence the urgency to spread the Gospel so people can prepare for a successful end to their life. Jesus alone shows us “the path to life, fullness of joys in Your presence, the delights at Your right hand forever.” (Ps 16:5-11)
Jesus has come as our Saviour, is here now saving us through His Church, and will come again. “And then they will see the Son of Man coming in the clouds with great power and glory, and then he will send out the angels and gather His elect …from the end of the earth to the end of the sky.” (Mk 13:27) He assures us that, “The heavens and the earth will pass away but my words will not pass.” (Mk 13: 31) No one, except God the Father, know when the world will end. However the world will end for you and me the moment we die. Will our end see us as successful or as failures? It depends on whether we fully embrace Jesus’ words preserved, interpreted, and taught by His Church inspired by the Holy Spirit until the end of time. What we “pass away” to is determined by our daily choices – Heaven or hell. (frsos)
HistoryBites
October 4, 2017 ·
WATCH: His singing saved his life, his smarts made him a WWII hero.
David Wisnia survived Auschwitz, escaped the Nazis and joined American forces to liberate others.
FR PAT MOORE
Sad passing of a gifted communicator
Posted on May 1, 2017 by John O'Mahony • 0 Comments
The late Fr Pat Moore was much loved throughout Kerry and beyond.
ONE of the most popular members of the clergy in Kerry has passed away two years after being diagnosed with cancer.
Fr Pat Moore had been parish priest in Duagh and Lyrecrompane for 12 years until he retired, for health reasons, in 2016. He previously served in Killarney and Gneeveguilla.
Aged 59 and a priest for 35 years, he was ordained after completing his studies in Maynooth and he spent some time in Rome before he returned to Listowel.
He also served in Lixnaw before taking up his last post in Duagh and Lyre where he was held in very high esteem by parishioners of all ages.
Smalltown
Posted on March 9, 2017 by John O'Mahony
Also nominated for an IFTA is 29-year-old Kerry film director Gerard Barrett from Knockanure, Listowel for his power-packed mini-series Smalltown, starring Pat Shortt. It is nominated in the best drama category and Barrett himself is shortlisted for the best scriptwriter prize.
Sean Sheehy
Wed, Oct 3, 1:03 PM (7 days ago)
to me
Marriage Is God’s Creation
At the beginning of the Hebrew Bible God revealed that He created man and woman as complementary beings. God asked Adam to examine all the creatures to see if any might be a suitable partner for him. None filled the bill. Then God said, “‘It is not good for the man to be alone. I shall make a suitable partner for him’ … God then built up into a woman the rib he had taken from the man (who said) ‘This, at last, is bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh; this one shall be called ‘woman,’ for out of ‘her man’ this one has been taken.’” (Gen 2:18, 22-23) Thus God revealed His creation of man and woman as uniquely suited to one another. Man and woman complement one another, not only physically, but also spiritually, mentally, emotionally, socially, and morally. Two men or two women can’t complement or complete one another as only a man and a woman can. God revealed that this complementarity between man and woman is uniquely expressed, visible, and fruitful in a marriage union. “That is why a man leaves his father and mother and clings to his wife, and the two of them become one flesh.” (Gen 2:24) That visible and unique union of man and woman is expressed in the spiritual and physical act of sexual intercourse as a married couple. The fruitfulness of their union is made visible in the procreation of children and in a mutual love that’s unconditional. “The man and his wife were both naked, yet they felt no shame.” (Gen 2:25) They felt no shame because at this stage they hadn’t sinned and didn’t objectify each other for selfish purposes.
Adam and Eve sinned by thinking they could determine what was good and evil independently of God. So the scourge of relativism entered the world with men and women, ignoring God as the arbiter of good and evil, now deciding for themselves what’s good and bad according to their likes and dislikes. Egotism, arrogance, selfishness, distorted thinking entered the world. Thus the natural complementarity and solidarity between man and woman was severely wounded. While man and woman still had the capacity to complement one another, sin caused selfishness, alienation, and fragmentation between them. Marriage, which called for complete union and unconditional love on the part of man and woman, was weakened and the bond focused more on conditional love making it more of a contract than a covenant.
Jesus was confronted by this mentality when the Pharisees asked, “Is it lawful for a husband to divorce his wife?” (Mk 10:2) Jesus asked what Moses commanded them. “They replied, ‘Moses permitted a husband to write a bill of divorce and dismiss her.” Jesus informed them: “Moses wrote you this commandment because of the hardness of your heart. But from the beginning of creation, God made them male and female. For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife and the two shall become one flesh. So they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together no man or woman may separate.” (Mk 10: 5-9) He further reminded them that, “Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery against her; and if she divorces her husband and married another, she commits adultery.” (Mk 10:11)
It’s clear that Jesus came to restore the original complementarity God had created between man and woman, epitomised in marriage. This natural complementarity can only be restored through God’s grace of repentance and His gift of forgiveness. He made marriage one of His Church’s Sacraments. This is why Jesus came to call sinners to repent and be forgiven by God so they can forgive one another and forgive themselves thereby continuing to enjoy their vows. This requires humbly obeying God’s will as the determiner of good and evil rather than following our own selfish notion of what’s good or bad for us. To highlight this Jesus reminds us, “Amen, I say to you whoever does not accept the Kingdom of God like a child will not enter it.” (Mk 10: 15) The implication is that we must trustingly accept what God’s Kingdom requires of us if we want to enter it rather than satisfying our own ego. God alone can make us happy and give us the peace that we yearn for in the depths of our soul. The Psalmist reminds us, “Blessed are you who fear the Lord, who walk in His ways! For you shall eat the fruit of your handiwork; blessed shall you be and favoured.” (Ps 128: 1-2)
Because marriage is created by God, not by human beings or the political government, man and woman individually need God’s unconditional love to keep them loving each other unconditionally. One person can’t make a marriage. It takes both with each needing Jesus in his and her life. Marriage is made in Heaven but it has to be lived on earth. By making marriage a Sacrament of His Church Jesus assures the bride and groom of His unconditional love so each of them knows the source of the love that never runs out. Since God creates marriage only He can keep a man and woman in love with each other in a covenant relationship until death do them part. (frsos)
Sean Sheehy
1:40 PM (7 hours ago)
to me
Are You Wise, Unwise, or Otherwise?
An old proverb promises that, “Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy and wealthy and wise.” Wisdom is always sensible and so emphasizes the importance of proper rest in order to be healthy. Health - physical, spiritual, mental, moral - is wealth because without it we can’t enrich ourselves or others. A wise person is always prudent. Prudence, one of the 4 cardinal virtues, is about behaving in a thoughtful manner that expresses care for the future of others through the use of common sense (not very common these days) guided by reason and God’s revelation. He or she uses history’s lessons to make decisions where the gain far outweighs the loss especially in the long term. A “wise guy”, on the other hand, isn’t either thoughtful or caring but tries to be clever by being egotistical, “sarcastic, cheeky, conceited, sardonic, or insolent.” Sadly in our western political culture there seems to be many more “wise guys” than wise persons. Why? Because true wisdom comes from God whom the majority of people either reject or ignore as He manifests Himself in His Word re-sounded through His Church in the world. Beginning with Adam and Eve human beings have deluded themselves into thinking they can be wise independently of God. Original Sin was the act of deciding that human beings could determine good and evil by themselves without having to rely on God to teach them what’s good and what’s bad. Their “wisdom” brought suffering and death into the world.
The Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Wisdom, (Is 11) reminds us: “For God’s folly is wiser than men, and His weakness more powerful than men.” (1 Cor 1:25) He reveals that God “will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and thwart the cleverness of the clever. Where is the wise man to be found? Where the scribe? Where is the master of worldly argument? Has not God turned the wisdom of this world into folly?” (1 Cor 1:19-20) Wise argument is always based on truth. Jesus is the Truth about who God is and what we need to be fully human and fully alive. The truth is that we’re fully human and fully alive only when we’re loving God and neighbour. The wise person is the man or woman who loves God and loves the neighbour. “The fool thinks in his heart there is no God.” (Ps 14:1)
Wisdom is a gift from God bestowed on us by the Holy Spirit especially in the Sacrament of Confirmation equipping us to publicly witness our faith in Jesus Christ as members of His Church. He also bestows on us the gifts of knowledge, understanding, counsel, prayerfulness, courage, and the fear of the Lord. The Book of Wisdom records that Solomon saw wisdom as essential in order to be a just ruler as Israel’ king. “I prayed and prudence was given to me; I pleased and the spirit of wisdom came to me. I preferred her to sceptre and throne … all good things together come to me in her company, and countless riches at her hands.” (Wis 7:7-11) He recognized wisdom as the greatest of all gifts because it would enable him to make thoughtful decisions and demonstrate care for the people’s future wellbeing. Sadly Solomon, in his later years, ignored God’s wisdom which led to the division of his kingdom.
God’s Word is always a word of wisdom because it’s thoughtful and caring about our future wellbeing.
It leads us to Him who alone can make us whole, hearty, and joyful. Why, then, don’t we pay more attention to God’s word rather than to some soothsayer or New Age formula? Human “wisdom” creates the illusion that we know what’s good or bad for us. God’s wisdom on the other hand, shows us that He alone is the Arbiter of good and evil and, therefore, to make good decisions we must follow His guidance. God’s word of wisdom lays bare what’s in our heart. “Indeed the Word of God is living and effective, sharper than any two edged sword, penetrating even between soul and spirit, joints and marrow and able to discern reflections and thoughts of the heart. No creature is concealed from Him, but everything is naked and exposed to the eyes of Him to whom we must render an account.” (Heb 4:12-13) Embracing God’s wisdom exposes our selfishness, duplicity, and pretence in our actions. This threatens our comfort since we don’t like to face ourselves as we really are.
Jesus demonstrates the difference between human and divine wisdom in the parable of the rich young man. He asks Jesus, “Good teacher, what he must do to enter Heaven.” (Mk 10:17) Jesus reminds him that only God is good, implying that he alone determines what’s good for us. He advises the young man to obey the Commandments. Then He says to him, “‘There is one thing more you must do. Go and sell what you have and give to the poor; you will then have treasure in Heaven. After that, come and follow me.’ At these words the man’s face fell. He went away sad, for he had many riches.” (Mk 19:21-22) God’s wisdom urged the young man put Jesus first in order to be healthy, wealthy, and wise. Human wisdom, on the other hand, urged him to rely on material possessions for happiness. The wisdom we choose to embrace will make us wise, unwise or otherwise – sad or glad. (frsos)
Moe Finlayson
6 hrs ·
With the side effects of chemotherapy and radiation you will never be 100% because your immune system is weakened. Certainly, in the most difficult moments of life, you realize who your real friends are or who really cares and appreciates you.
Unfortunately, like most friendships, Facebook friends will leave you in the middle of a story. They will publish a "like" for the story. They may not even read your message if they see that it's too long.
More than half have already stopped reading. Some may have gone to the next post in your news summary.
I have decided to publish this message to support the families of my friends and relatives who have fought this terrible disease to the end.
Now, I focus on those who take the time to read this message to the end.
A small test, if you want, just to see who reads and who shares it without reading. If you have read everything, choose "like" so I can thank you for sharing this on your profile.
Cancer is a very invasive and destructive enemy to our bodies. Even afterwards, at the end of treatment, attempting to repair and restore the damage caused by the treatment to fight the disease, the body remains broken . It is a very long process.
Please, in honor of a relative or a friend who has cancer, or is in remission and continues to fight cancer, or has died of cancer, copy and paste this message as a post on your Facebook page. How often have we heard someone say, "If you need something, do not hesitate to call me. I will be there to help you."
So, I want to believe that most people who have seen this message (maybe even reading it to the end) will publish it to show their support to the family/friend who knows the struggle.
Copy and paste - do not share this message. I would like to know who I can count on you to take a minute of your day and really read this. If you complete this, write "done" in the comments. Cancer Sucks!
FR SHEEHY
Sean Sheehy
Wed, Sep 5, 1:01 PM (11 days ago)
to me
Real Friendship
There’s an old saying that a friend in need is a friend indeed. We find a great reflection on friendship in the sixth chapter of the Old Testament Book of Sirach. The Holy Spirit emphasizes a “kind mouth” and “gracious lips” as givens for friendship. But then He warns, “Let your acquaintances be many, but one in a thousand your confidant.” To trust someone and believe he or she will not gossip about your problems or use them against you requires good knowledge of the person in whom you confide. So, the Holy Spirit advises, “When you gain a friend, first test him, and be not too ready to trust him.” Lots of people act like they’re your friends but only a true friend will respect your confidences. The Spirit continues, “For one sort of friend is a friend when it suits him, but he will not be with you in time of distress.” Such a person is known as a “fair-weather” friend; when the weather gets bad he shelters himself not you. Then there’s the friend “who becomes an enemy, and tells of the quarrel to your shame.” Such a person does everything to make you look bad and he or she look good. Another kind of friend is, “a boon companion, who will not be with you when sorrow comes. When things go well he is your other self, and lords it over your servants; but if you are brought low, he turns against you and avoids meeting you.” Jesus experienced this kind of friendship from some of His apostles, especially from Judas. He experienced it from Peter who later repented his disloyalty. God’s word warns us, “Keep away from your enemies; be on guard against your friends.” Don’t be too trusting except with God.
A true friend is a true blessing. The Holy Spirit describes a true friend: “A faithful friend is a sturdy shelter; he who finds one finds a treasure. A faithful friend is beyond price, no sum can balance his worth. A faithful friend is a life-giving remedy, such as he who fears God finds; for he who fears God behaves accordingly, and his friend will be like himself.” (Sir 6:5-17) True friendship can’t be bought. It’s a grace from God that generates a willingness to value the life, liberty, and happiness of another always respecting his or her dignity as God’s creation. A true friend is the best mirror we could have because he or she will reflect back to us who we truly are or are trying to be. Aristotle said that the best things that can happen to a robber is to be arrested so he or she can have an opportunity to pay for the crime and change his or her ways. A true friend will do all in his or her power to help us be wholesome.
Jesus remarked that “There’s no greater love than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” (Jn 15:13) This makes Jesus the greatest friend the world ever knew. He laid down His life not only to save His friends but also His enemies. What He did makes Christianity a religion that emphasizes true friendship. He fulfilled God’s promises in the Old Testament when He told Isaiah, “Say to those whose hearts are frightened: Be strong, fear not! Here is your God, He comes with vindication, divine recompense, to save you … the eyes of the blind will be opened, the ears of the deaf cleared, the lame will leap like a stag. The tongue of the mute will sing, the desert and the sands will produce springs of water.” (Is 35:4-7) Speaking through the Psalmist God promised, “The God of Jacob keeps faith forever, secures justice for the oppressed, gives bread for the hungry, sets captives free...” (Ps 146: 7-10) A true friend always faithfully promotes the wellbeing of others. God is always striving to makes us whole by meeting our real need to be real, true, good, and beautiful.
Jesus demonstrates God’s faithful friendship when He healed the deaf man as recorded by St. Mark. Here we see the effects of true friendship. It was the deaf man’s friends who brought Him to Jesus. They recognized Jesus as a friend who would help the man in his need. They didn’t ask for their friend’s deafness to be healed; they only asked that Jesus would bless him. Jesus, the true Friend of broken humanity, didn’t disappoint them. He gave them more than they asked by freeing the man from his deafness so he could speak. Jesus, our true Friend-in-Need, never disappoints us. As Jesus came to be a Friend to all in need, He calls His followers to do likewise. Thus St. James was inspired to urge us, “show no partiality as you adhere to the faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ.” (Jas 2:1-5) Jesus true followers bring His friendship to everyone, rich and poor alike. James reminds us, “Did not God choose those who are poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the Kingdom that he promised to those who love Him?”
Jesus is our true Friend in need. He models real friendship. The more Christian we strive for real friendship and challenge all, rich or poor, to be real friends. (frsos)
Meeting with Irish Bishops
ADDRESS OF HIS HOLINESS POPE FRANCIS
Convent of the Dominican Sisters (Dublin) - Sunday, 26 August 2018
Dear Brother Bishops,
As my visit to Ireland comes to a close, I am grateful for this chance to spend a few moments with you. I thank Archbishop Eamon Martin for his gracious words of introduction and I greet all of you with affection in the Lord.
Our meeting tonight takes up the fraternal discussion we shared in Rome last year during your visit ad Limina Apostolorum. In these brief remarks, I would like to resume our earlier conversation, in the spirit of the World Meeting of Families we have just celebrated. All of us, as bishops, are conscious of our responsibility to be fathers to God’s holy and faithful people. As good fathers, we want to encourage and inspire, to reconcile and unify, and above all, to preserve all the good handed down from generation to generation in this great family which is the Church in Ireland. It is true, the Church in Ireland remains strong; it is true.
So, my word to you this evening is one of encouragement – in line with my homily – for your efforts, in these challenging times, to persevere in your ministry as heralds of the Gospel and shepherds of Christ’s flock. In a particular way, I am grateful for the concern you continue to show for the poor, the excluded and those in need of a helping hand, as witnessed most recently by your pastoral letters on the homeless and on substance misuse. I am also grateful for the support you give to your priests, whose hurt and discouragement in the face of recent scandals are often ignored or underestimated. Be close to your priests! For you, as bisops, they are the closest of your neighbours.
A recurrent theme of my visit, of course, has been the Church’s need to acknowledge and remedy, with evangelical honesty and courage, past failures – grave sins – with regard to the protection of children and vulnerable adults. Among these, women who were mistreated. In recent years, you as a body have resolutely moved forward, not only by undertaking paths of purification and reconciliation with victims and survivors of abuse, but also, with the help of the National Board for Safeguarding Children in the Church in Ireland, you have set in place a stringent set of norms aimed at ensuring the safety of young persons. In these years, all of us have had our eyes opened – painfully – to the gravity and extent of sexual abuse and the abuse of power and conscience in various social settings. In Ireland, as elsewhere, the honesty and integrity with which the Church chooses to confront this painful chapter of her history can offer an example and a warning to society as a whole. Continue on this path. Humiliation is painful, but we have been saved by the humiliation of the Son of God and this gives us courage. The wounds of Christ give us courage. I ask you, please, to be close – this is the word, “closeness” – to the Lord and to God’s people. Closeness. Do not repeat the attitudes of aloofness and clericalism that at times in your history have given the real image of an authoritarian, harsh and autocratic Church.
As we mentioned in our conversation in Rome, the transmission of the faith in its integrity and beauty represents a significant challenge in the context of Ireland’s rapidly evolving society. The World Meeting of Families has given us great hope and encouragement that families are growing more and more conscious of their own irreplaceable role in passing on the faith. Passing on the faith essentially takes place in the family; the faith is passed on in everyday speech, the language of the family. At the same time, Catholic schools and programmes of religious instruction continue to play an indispensable role in creating a culture of faith and a sense of missionary discipleship. I know that this is a source of pastoral concern for all of you. Genuine religious formation calls for faithful and joyful teachers who are able to shape not only minds but also hearts in the love of Christ and in the practice of prayer.
Sometimes we can think that faith formation means teaching religious concepts, and we don’t think of forming the heart, shaping attitudes. Yesterday the President of the nation told me that he had written a poem about Descartes and said, more or less: “The coldness of thought has killed the music of the heart”. Forming the mind, yes, but also the heart. And teaching how to pray: teaching children how to pray from the very start. Prayer. The training of such teachers and the expansion of programmes of adult education are essential for the future of the Christian community, in which a committed laity will be increasingly called to bring the wisdom and values of their faith to their engagement in the varied sectors of the country’s social, cultural and political life.
The upheavals of recent years have tested the traditionally strong faith of the Irish people. Yet they have also offered the opportunity for an interior renewal of the Church in this country and pointed to new ways of envisioning its life and mission. “God is eternal newness” and he impels us “constantly to set out anew, to pass beyond what is familiar, to the fringes and beyond” (Gaudete et Exsultate, 135). With humility and trust in his grace, may you discern and set out on new paths for these new times. Be courageous and creative. Surely, the strong missionary sense rooted in the soul of your people will inspire creative ways of bearing witness to the truth of the Gospel and building up the community of believers in the love of Christ and zeal for the growth of his kingdom.
In your daily efforts to be fathers and shepherds to God’s family in this country – fathers, please, and not stepfathers! – may you always be sustained by the hope that trusts in the truth of Christ’s words and the certainty of his promises. In every time and place, that truth “sets free” (Jn 8:32); it has a power all its own to convince minds and draw hearts to itself. Whenever you and your people feel that you are a “little flock” facing challenges and difficulties, do not grow discouraged. As Saint John of the Cross teaches us, it is in the dark night that the light of faith shines purest in our hearts. And that light will show the way to the renewal of the Christian life in Ireland in the years ahead.
Finally, in the spirit of ecclesial communion, I ask you to continue to foster unity and fraternity among yourselves – this is very important – and, together with the leaders of other Christian communities, to work and pray fervently for reconciliation and peace among all the members of the Irish family. Today, at lunch we were seated, myself, then [the bishops from] Dublin and Northern Ireland… all together, everyone. There is another thing that I always say, but it bears repeating. What is the first duty of the bishop? I say it to everyone: it is prayer. When the Greek-speaking Christians complained that their widows were being neglected (cf. Acts 6:1), Peter and the apostles created deacons. Then when Peter explained the matter, he concluded by saying: “We [apostles] will devote ourselves to prayer and to serving the word”. So I throw out a question and each of you can answer it at home: how many hours a day does each of you devote to prayer?
With these thoughts, dear brothers, I assure you of my prayers for your intentions, and I ask you to keep me in your own. To all of you, and to the faithful entrusted to your pastoral care, I impart my blessing as a pledge of joy and strength in our Lord Jesus Christ.
I am close to you: keep moving ahead with courage! The Lord is very good, and Our Lady is watching over you. When things get a little difficult, pray the Sub tuum praesidium, because the Russian mystics say that at moments of spiritual turmoil, we should go under the mantle of the Holy Mother of God, sub tuum praesidium. Thank you very much! Now I will give you my blessing.
Together let us pray the Hail Mary.
May God bless you all, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.
Thank you very much.
More information from
https://www.worldmeeting2018.ie/en/Connect-With-Us/Newsletter
https://www.worldmeeting2018.ie/en/
More on Pope Francis
Love Freely Given
None of us can live without love. And a bad form of slavery to which we can all fall victim is that of thinking that love must be earned. Perhaps a good part of contemporary man’s anguish comes from this: believing that, if we are not strong, attractive and beautiful, no one will take care of us. Many people nowadays seek visibility only to fill an interior void, as though we were always in need of approval. However, can you imagine a world in which everyone is looking for ways to attract the attention of others, and in which no one is instead willing to freely give love to another person? Imagine a world like this: a world without freely given love! It appears to be a human world but in reality it is hellish. Much of mankind’s narcissism conceals a feeling of loneliness and orphanhood. Behind many forms of behavior that seem to be unexplainable there lies a question: is it possible that I do not deserve to be called by name, that is, to be loved? Because love always calls [us] by name.
—Pope Francis, as quoted in Believe in Love: Inspiring Words from Pope Francis
Prayer for Grandparents
Lord Jesus, you were born of the Virgin Mary,
the daughter of Saints Joachim and Anne.
Look with love on grandparents the world over.
Protect them! They are a source of enrichment
for families, for the church and for all of society.
Support them! As they grow older,
may they continue to be for their families
strong pillars of the Gospel faith, guardian of noble domestic ideals,
living treasuries of sound religious traditions.
Make them teachers of wisdom and courage,
that they may pass on to future generations the fruits
of their mature human and spiritual experience.
Lord Jesus,
help families and society to value the presence and roles of grandparents.
May they never be ignored or excluded,
but always encounter respect and love.
Help them to live serenely and to feel welcomed
in all the years of life which you give them.
Mary, Mother of all the living,
keep grandparents constantly in your care,
accompany them on their earthly pilgrimage,
and by your prayers, grant that all families
may one day be reunited in our heavenly homeland,
where you await all humanity for the great
embrace of life without end. AMEN.
Sean Sheehy Jul 18 2018
Humans Need Justice
Justice is one of the four Cardinal Virtues; Prudence, Fortitude, and Temperance being the others. The Church defines virtue as “A habitual and firm disposition to do good.” (Catechism 1773, 1768) Justice has been defined as “The exercise of authority in vindication of right by assigning reward or punishment.” President James Madison wrote that, “Justice is the end of government. It is the end of civil society. It ever has been and ever will be pursued until it be obtained or until liberty be lost in the pursuit.” (The Federalist Papers, No 51, 1788 A.D.)
Why is justice so essential to humanity? It’s about doing what’s right and the foundation for peace. But who decides what’s “right”? Every political party, religion, regime, belief system has some standard for judging right from wrong, what’s good or bad for it. If, as Madison states, everyone is pursuing justice it follows that each of us has a built-in sense of justice. We all want to be treated justly. Where does that come from? Ultimately it must come from our Creator because we’re born with it. Therefore the ultimate determiner of justice must be God. This is why God has given us His Commandments as the minimum requirements for each person and for society to, “act justly, love tenderly, and walk humbly with God.” (Micah 6:8) God alone has the authority to determine what’s right and just, what is good for every person.
Relativism is rampant today and contributes to the undermining of justice and robs us of peace. A relativist believes that ethical truths are subjective and depend on the person or group holding them. He or she doesn’t believe in any universal moral truths or norms that apply equally to everyone regardless of who or where they are. As a result, what’s just is defined by the individual rather than being defined by God. One person’s definition of justice may deny another person’s God-given right. Each individual decides what’s good or bad, right or wrong, just or unjust for him or her. This leads to chaos and undermines society, jeopardizing the overall good of its members. The result is the deprivation of peace, both personal and communal.
In the Old Testament the prophet Jeremiah railed against the unjust shepherds. They determined justice on the basis of what benefited them at the expense of the flock. Instead of feeding the sheep they fleeced them. Jeremiah told them that God would exercise His authority in vindication of right by punishing them. “Woe to the shepherds who mislead and scatter the flock of my pasture says the Lord.” (Jer 23:1) God promised to restore justice by sending a shepherd who is just. “The days are coming … when I will raise a virtuous Shoot to David who as King will reign and govern wisely, He shall do what is just and right in the land.” (Jer 23:5) This promise was fulfilled in the Person of Jesus Christ, God’s Word-made-flesh, Prince of Peace.
Jesus came, “so that they might have life and have it to the full.” (Jn 10:10) When the crowds followed Him He described them as “sheep without a shepherd, and he set Himself to teach them at some length.” (Mk 6:34) He taught them that living life to the full requires justice, doing what’s right in their relationship with God, with their neighbour, and with themselves. Acting justly sets the foundation for peace. Peace is essential for living life to the full. Without justice peace is impossible. The people were looking to Jesus hoping for justice and peace in their life. The lack of peace always reflects injustice, either to oneself or imposed by others. It leads to isolation and concentrating on self-protection, spending more time looking out for our self than on caring for others. St. Theresa of Calcutta remarked that, “Everybody today seems to be in such a terrible rush, anxious for greater developments and greater riches and so on, so that children have very little time for their parents. Parents have very little time for each other, and in the home begins the disruption of peace in the world.”
Peace is essential if we’re to prosper mentally, emotionally, physical, and spiritually. But peace is impossible unless we’re just in all our relationships. Here is where Jesus, the Prince of Peace, makes such a difference in our life. He unifies us by showing us what’s right and by giving us the grace to act justly and receive His peace through His Church. He has given His Church the Sacrament of Reconciliation to help restore the peace we lose through our sin. He came to unite us internally and with one another. “In Christ Jesus, you that used to be so far apart from us have been brought very close, by the blood of Christ.” (Eph 2:13) He give us the grace to repent of our sins and do what’s right and good, not just for our self but for everyone. Then we’re able to receive from Jesus the “peace the world cannot give,” (Jn 14:27) peace of mind, heart, and soul. Acting justly puts us at peace with God, with our neighbour, and with our self. Justice and peace, like mercy and truth, are inseparable partners. Since humans need justice to have peace, we need to follow the teaching of the Just One, Jesus Christ to enjoy His peace. (frsos)
Sean Sheehy <frsos@eircom.net>
Jun 13
to me
A Different Kingdom
A kingdom is a people reigned over by a king or a queen. The monarch demands loyalty and obedience from the people if they wish to remain in the kingdom. The ruler makes all the major decisions considered to be for the good of the people. A good monarch promotes four basic values that are essential for a kingdom to thrive. They are freedom, justice, peace, and charity. Freedom isn’t about doing what we want. Rather it’s having the opportunity to attain our zenith as human beings. Justice is about being fair and doing right by one another. It’s also about holding one another accountable and responsible for making restitution for damage done to others. Peace is about being at ease within our self and with others. It’s also about healing and forgiveness. Charity is about generosity of spirit; giving without counting the cost. Sadly, no earthly kingdom implements these values perfectly. Yet, every human being, consciously or unconsciously, seeks to be free and achieve wholeness, treated justly, have inner peace, and be loved.
Jesus came announcing a new kingdom, the Kingdom of God. “After John’s arrest, Jesus appeared in Galilee proclaiming the good news of God: ‘This is the time of fulfilment. The kingdom of God is close at hand! Repent and believe in the Gospel!’” (Mk 1:14-15) “Kingdom of God” is found 122 times in the New Testament and is uttered by Jesus 90 times. Jesus’ kingdom differs radically from earthly kingdoms. “My kingdom does not belong to this world. If my kingdom were of this world my subjects would be fighting to save me from being handed over to the Jews. As it is, my kingdom is not here.” (Jn 18:36) The Kingdom is different because the King is different. When Pilate questioned Jesus about His kingship, He replied, “It is you who say I am a king. The reason I was born, the reason why I came into this world, is to testify to the truth. Anyone committed to the truth hears my voice.’” (Jn 18:37) In God’s kingdom Jesus, who is the Truth, teaches the people the truth and empowers them to be free, just, peaceful, and charitable. God’s Kingdom is Good News for all who hope to satisfy their innate yearnings for these values.
Jesus is the only way to God’s kingdom. He founded His Church to bring the truth about what’s available in His kingdom and how to enter it and find perfect and lasting happiness. He points out that true riches, namely our soul’s fulfilment, are found only in God’s kingdom, and nowhere else. “So do not worry; do not say, ‘What are we to eat? What are we to drink? What are we to wear?’ It is the pagans who set their hearts on all these things. Your heavenly Father knows you need them all. Set your hearts on His kingdom first, and on His righteousness, and all these other things will be given you as well. So do not worry about tomorrow: tomorrow will take care of itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” (Mt 6:31-34) God’s kingdom focuses us on the present with an eye to the future by trusting in our heavenly Father’s divine providence. The more we concentrate on making the most of the present the more prepared we are to face the future walking by faith in God’s guidance, and not by relying entirely on what we see.
We’re in God’s Kingdom when we let Jesus reign over us as our King. When we do, in the words of St. Paul, “We are always full of confidence … We walk by faith, not by sight … we are intent on pleasing Him. For all the truth about us will be brought out in the law court of Christ, and each of us will get what he deserves for the things he did in the body, good or bad.” (2 Cor 6:6-10) Like any earthly kingdom, God’s kingdom has rules, namely the Ten Commandments and the Beatitudes. Freely obeying these rules means we let Jesus direct our life and we benefit from what His kingdom offers that no earthly kingdom can. This is why Jesus teaches us to pray, “Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” (Mt 6:10)
Where is God’s kingdom? How do we find it? It’s where Jesus is visibly present, namely in His Church – her Scriptures and Sacraments - which He founded on Peter to whom He gave the Keys of Kingdom of Heaven. (Mt 16:19) After authorizing His Apostles to “Baptize all nations … teach them to carry out everything I have commanded you”, He assured them, “And know that I am with you always until the end of the world.” (Mt 28:19-20) Jesus’ Church is the visible sign that God’s kingdom is near. We enter it through Baptism. Like the mustard seed, faith in Jesus begins small but expands us as men and women who now know how to be truly free, just, at peace, and loving in our daily life. Having Jesus reign over us generates an inner disposition that creates an outward attitude which prioritizes nourishment of our soul over satisfying the blind urges of our body. It also spurs the formation of a community whose King promotes truth, freedom, justice, peace and charity in His people. (frsos)
Sean Sheehy Jun 20
to me
You’re Created for a Mission
Jesus’ Church celebrates John the Baptizer’s birth this Sunday. The only other births she celebrates are that of Mary and Jesus. Of course Jesus’ birth has the widest impact since He alone saves us from eternal death as the consequence of sin. A birth always merits a joyful response since a baby is always a sign of hope because every child comes into the world with gifts for the good of mankind. Every child is a gift from God, whether perfectly formed or not, and a sign of His presence calling us to love. Every child is needed because his or her God-given gifts are necessary for the enrichment of the human community. Every unborn or new-born child who dies due to disease, abortion, violence, or neglect impoverishes the world and deprives each of us of God’s blessing through the sharing of his or her gifts. The death of a child makes us all poorer. John, son of Zechariah and Elizabeth, was God’s gift to His people preparing them for His Son’s coming as their Savior. God created John for a mission, as He does you and me.
Just as God created John for a mission, so also He creates every human being, for a mission. In the words of St. John Newman we must realize that, "everyone who breathes, high and low, educated and ignorant, young and old, man and woman, has a mission, has a work. We are not sent into this world for nothing; we are not born at random; . . . God sees every one of us; He creates every soul, He lodges it in the body, one by one, for a purpose. He needs, He deigns to need, every one of us. He has an end for each of us; we are all equal in His sight, and we are placed in our different ranks and stations, not to get what we can out of them for ourselves, but to labor in them for Him. As Christ has His work, we too have ours; as He rejoiced to do His work, we must rejoice in ours also." You and I were created for a mission! Knowing our mission directs the use of our gifts and gives us a clear purpose in life.
The Old Testament prophet, Isaiah, inspired by the Holy Spirit, recognized that he was created by God for a mission. “The lord called me before I was born, from my mother’s womb He pronounced my name … He made of me a sharp-edged sword … He made me a polished arrow …You are my servant, He said to me, Israel, through whom I show my glory.” (Is 49:1-3) Isaiah’s mission was to be God’s instrument bringing His truth directly to His people to free, perfect, and save them. God not only creates us for a mission He also equips us to accomplish it. He never asks for what we’re incapable of because He knows us through and through. “O Lord, You search me and You know me, You know my resting and my rising, You discern my purpose from afar … For it was You who created me in my mother’s womb … Already You knew my soul, my body held no secret from You when I was being fashioned in secret …” (Ps 138:1-3, 13-15)
John’s mission was to “Make ready the way of the Lord, clear Him a straight path.” (Mk 1:3) How did John carry out that mission? St. Mark gives us the answer: “Thus it was that John the Baptizer appeared in the desert, proclaiming a Baptism of Repentance which led to the forgiveness of sins.” (Mk 1:4) John’s mission is the mission of every follower of Jesus. John prepared the way for Jesus to begin His ministry calling people to “Repent and believe in the Gospel.” (Mk 1:15) Your mission and mine, as Christians, is to prepare the way for Jesus’ coming into our heart and to prepare the way for Him to complete His ministry when He comes again at the end of time to “judge the living and the dead”. (1 Pet 4:1-8) How do we do that? By repenting and seeking Jesus’ forgiveness for our own sins, and then by calling everyone else to do the same. This is how we show our love for our neighbor. In this way, like John, we “Give His people knowledge of salvation through forgiveness of their sins; this by the tender mercy of our God … who gives light to those live in darkness and the shadow of death, and to guide our feet into the way of peace.” (Lk 1:77-79)
The mission of every Christian, not just the Church’s clergy, is to repent and believe in the Gospel. This may be difficult sometimes but, “No test has been sent you that does not come to all men and women. Besides, God keeps His promise. He will not let you be tested beyond your strength.” (1 Cor10:13) We carry out our mission by daily witnessing to sacredness of human life, morality, justice, mercy, charity, and peace. Our actions speak louder than our words. If we’re true to our God-given mission we won’t be filled with regrets and fear on our deathbed. (frsos)
Sean Sheehy
Jun 27
to me
God Gives Life, not Death
The most precious gift we have is life. The most precious piece of knowledge we have is that God is life’s Author and source of our life. Like anything precious, human life deserves to be protected and given every opportunity to be lived and loved. God expressed life’s value when He protected it with the 5th Commandment: “Thou shalt not kill”. (Ex 20:13) An American poet, Gary Halsey, wrote on the preciousness of life:
“Life is so precious,/ this we all know,/ Live it wisely, /and let yourself glow.
Cling to it desperately, /knowing full well, /How long will we be here, /only time will tell.
God gave us this gift, /this we all know, /Never take it for granted, /live it and grow.
Life is so short, /just a second in time, /I will spend it wisely, /for this time is mine.
Thank you Lord, /for this gift you have given, /Thank you for the life I have, /and the life I am livin',
And when it is over, /I say to thee farewell, /I know I am heaven bound, /life's been so swell.
My wife and my kids, /I love with all my heart, /I know when I die, /we will then have to part.
Only for a little while, /God only knows, /Will we reunite again, /in His heavenly glow.
The street paved with gold, /pain is not known./And our suffering, and sorrows, /may never be shown.
An existence of Grace, /in His heavenly glory, /May we repeat our existence, /our love, and our story.”
Since life is our greatest blessing, death is our greatest curse. Because life is our greatest good, death is our greatest evil. Death is never good. Since God is Goodness, death never comes from Him. “God didn’t make death, nor does He rejoice in the destruction of the living … For God formed man to be imperishable; the image of His own nature He made him.” (Wis 1:13-15) Death resulted from Adam and Eve’s sin. Prompted by Satan, they separated themselves from God, the source of their life, and brought death upon themselves and the whole human race. “By the envy of the devil, death entered the world, and they who belong to his company experience it.” (Wis 2:23-24) Out of envy the devil wants to separate man and woman from God and, as a consequence, from life.
There are two kinds of death, physical and spiritual. God, is Love and the Giver of life. Therefore life and love are united. Life without love is misery. Love without life is impossible. Spiritual death means that a person spends eternity deprived of love – eternal misery. Living without love isn’t living; it’s hell. This is why the Psalmist prayed, “Hear, O Lord, and have pity on me … I will praise You, Lord, for You have rescued me … You have changed my mourning into dancing.” (Ps 30:2-13) God rescued us from Satan’s temptation by sending His Son to save us from spiritual death. Jesus revealed: “I came that they might have life and have it to the full.” (Jn 10:10) Full life means living with God in love.
The political journalist, Norman Cousins, said that, “Death is not the greatest loss in life. The greatest loss is what dies inside us while we live.” What dies inside us is our soul due to lack of recognition that God is the source of our life. This happens when we convince our self that our life is our own to do with it what we desire. But the Holy Spirit informs us: “You must know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is within – the Spirit you have received from God. You are not your own. You have been purchased at a great price. So glorify God in your body.” (1 Cor 6:19-20) Jesus sacrificed His life so that we might have life to the full. Therefore we owe Jesus our very self, body and soul. Our life isn’t our own; it’s God’s gift to us. We’ll be held accountable for how we treat this gift in ourselves and in others.
Spiritual death is far worse than physical death because it’s eternal. This is why Jesus is so essential to our hope for a happy life. Only He can save us from sinfulness and offer us a bright future to hope in. As He the Life-Giver, Jesus healed the suffering and raised the dead. His Church calls us to reflect on two of His miracles this Sunday. Responding to a father’s faith in Him, Jesus raised his little daughter from the dead. He cured a woman who haemorrhaged for twelve years because she had faith in Him. (Mk 5:21-43) His advice to us is always: “Do not be afraid; just have faith.” (Mk 5:36)
Jesus gives life to those who have faith in Him. He assures us of life that never ends when He revealed, “I am the resurrection and the life: whoever believes in me, though he should die, will come to life; and whoever is alive and believes in me will never die.” (Jn 11:25-26) If Jesus is the only one who can offer us a life of love beyond physical death, surely common sense calls us to do what He tells us? But, alas, common sense isn’t all that common. (frsos)
Sean Sheehy
Jul 4
to me
The Blessing of Suffering
Is it realistic to say that suffering can be a blessing? What’s a blessing? It’s something that contributes to our wellbeing, enriches us, or makes us happy. The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines blessing as “the act or words of one that blesses,” or “a thing conducive to happiness or welfare.” How can suffering be conducive to a person’s happiness or welfare? Surely it’s not something that makes us happy unless we have masochistic tendencies. But masochism isn’t normal? Normal people try to avoid suffering in any and every way they can. So how can we view suffering as a blessing?
While we don’t want to suffer, it’s still a fact that everyone undergoes suffering of some kind in this world - physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, moral, or social. Our secular culture is pain-phobic, terrified of suffering and spends vast amounts of money trying to escape it or eliminate it. This phobia has led to an opioid epidemic. Pharmaceutical companies enrich themselves manufacturing antidotes to pain and charging the proverbial arm and a leg for their pills. Despite all the medications people still suffer. Since suffering is a reality of life we must choose to either face it, embrace it, and put it to work for us or else let it work against us. We can use it to become better or bitter persons. We can view it as a blessing or a curse. The choice is ours.
Christianity is the only religion that gives suffering a value. Jesus, the Head of His Church, chose to take on mankind’s suffering that ultimately led to His death only to emerge from it in His Resurrection. So Christianity frames suffering as a means of identifying more closely with Jesus and feeling what He suffered for us. Just as Jesus used His suffering to turn to His Father to save Him, so as Christians we use our suffering to turn to Jesus to save us, knowing that it will purify our reliance and commitment to Him. Faith isn’t faith until it’s tested, just like love isn’t love until someone stops loving us and we still continue to love him or her. There’s nothing that tests our faith in God more than suffering. It makes us acutely aware of our fragility, lack of control, and dependency on God. It reminds us that we could die at any time. If it weren’t for suffering how often would we turn to God expressing how much we need Him in our life to give us consolation, comfort, and hope?
St. Paul, who suffered a great deal in his ministry bringing Jesus’ Gospel to the Gentiles, demonstrates how suffering is a blessing. In his second letter to the Corinthians he talks about his suffering. “In order that I might not become conceited I was given a thorn in the flesh, and angel of Satan to beat me and keep me from getting proud.” (2 Cor 12:7) He sees it as an opportunity to be humble. Suffering is an antidote to pride making us face our weaknesses and our dependency. Like us all, Paul prayed more than once to be freed from his ailment only to hear God reply, “My grace is enough for you, for in weakness power reaches perfection.” (2 Cor 12:8) The affliction remained but so does God’s grace that heals the soul, clears our thinking, letting us know we will be the better for it. We’re able to thank God for our suffering.
Was Paul angry when God didn’t grant him how wish? No. He saw his affliction as a blessing. “And so I willingly boast of my weaknesses instead, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I am content with weaknesses, with mistreatment, with distress, with persecutions and difficulties for the sake of Christ; for when I am powerless, it is then that I am strong.” (2 Cor 12:9-10) We put suffering to work for us when we choose to use it to turn to Jesus who gives us the grace to rise above it and know that the best is still ahead. This is why St. Paul was able to say with conviction, “In Him who is the source of my strength I have strength for everything.” (Phil 4:13)
A blessing is anyone or anything that turns us to God as our Creator and Redeemer. Suffering is a blessing because, more than anything else, it forces us to admit we need help from a power far greater than ours – God’s help. If we’re truly Christian we’re not afraid of suffering, rather we embrace it when it comes because it affords us the opportunity to receive God’s grace. In the words of the Psalmist we can say, “Every though I walk in the valley of darkness, I fear no evil; for You are at my side with your rod and staff that give me courage.” (Ps 23:4) Suffering gives us an opportunity to accept Jesus’ invitation: “Come to me, all you who are weary and find life burdensome, and I will refresh you.” (Mt 11:28) Suffering is a blessing when we use it as an opportunity to be refreshed by Jesus, fully believing that He will emerge from it better persons. But as we see in Mark 6:5, Jesus can’t refresh us, give us a new outlook, a new perspective, if we don’t have total faith in Him. (frsos)
Sean Sheehy
Jul 11 (10 days ago)
to me
The Greatest Gift
What’s the best gift you’ve ever received? Maybe it’s your spouse, your children, your health, your job, etc. A gift is something that is freely given to you out of unconditional love. Every gift is free. The only expectation is that it will be gratefully received. If a gift is given because we deserve it or are entitle to it, then it’s no longer a gift; it’s a payment or a right. We don’t give a gift to someone hoping to get a gift in return. Gifts are expressions of generosity and are supposed to be reflections of genuine caring for one another. Thus a gift, if it’s truly understood, should evoke a spirit of gratitude and a sense of unworthiness in the receiver. The giver expresses love for the receiver who, in turn, experiences what it means to be loved. This is what makes Christmas, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, birthdays, and anniversaries such joyful occasions.
Commercials often use the phrase, “The gift that keeps on giving” as their slogan especially during the holidays. I remember a brother-in-law of mine gave me a brush and dustpan as the “gift that keeps on giving.” But, seriously, what gift do we receive that really keeps on giving? The only one who keeps on giving is God. Therefore the only gift that keeps on giving is the gift that God gives us. What is that gift? It’s the gift of adoption. When a mother gives birth to a child we presume the child is loved, but there’s no guarantee. Adoption, on the other hand, is a sure sign of love since the child is freely chosen by the adoptive parents. Adoption is a gift of love bestowed on the adopted child. The day you I were baptized into Jesus’ Church was when God freely and lovingly adopted us as His children. Just like adoptive parents give their adopted child, God gave us a new family and a new identity. From this point on we identify our self as “Christian.”
Being adopted by God is the greatest gift of all. Why? It is the gift of life that keeps on giving life not only in this world but in the world to come. It’s a gift that gives us new resources, a new purpose, and a new destination. We’re able to proclaim with St. Paul, “Praised be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has bestowed on us in Christ every spiritual blessing in the heavens!” (Eph 1:3) As a Christian do you see your adoption by God in Baptism as a gift that brings you every spiritual blessing in the heavens? Sadly we take our identity as Christians for granted and forget to acknowledge how blessed and privileged we are to be able to call God our Father, Jesus our Saviour, and the Holy Spirit our Sanctifier.
We all yearn, one way or another, for perfection – perfect body, perfect health, perfect husband, perfect wife, perfect children, perfect friends, perfect job, etc. But we forget about having a perfect soul, which is the most important dimension of who we are as human beings. God bestowed the gift of adoption on us in order to perfect our soul. “God chose us in Christ before the world began, to be holy and without blemish in His sight, to be full of love He destined us for adoption to Himself through Jesus Christ… that all might praise the glorious favour He has bestowed on us in His Beloved.” (Eph 1:4-5) God is our only hope for perfection and a love that doesn’t end. But what do we do? We ignore the fact that God has adopted us so that He can steer us to the perfection and love we crave. In our stupidity we substitute things for God thinking they’ll make us happy. So instead of listening to Jesus speaking through His Church we listen to other voices that lead us to sin and self-destruction. This is why Jesus commissioned His Apostles and tasked His Church to preach repentance and the forgiveness of sin. (Mk 6:7-13) Today fewer and fewer people listen to Jesus’ Gospel proclaimed and preached by His Church. They’ve lost their sense of sin by ignoring their new identity as God’s adopted children. As a result they deprive themselves of the perfection, peace, and love that God alone can bestow. In a spirit of arrogance and ignorance they dismiss Jesus’ Church just as the prophet Amos was dismissed and told to go and peach somewhere else. (Amos 7:12-15)
Recognizing our adoption by God as our greatest gift disposes us to say in the words of the Psalmist, “I will hear what the Lord proclaims; the Lord – for He proclaims peace. Near indeed is His salvation to those who fear Him … Justice shall go before Him and prepare the way of His steps.” (Ps 85:9-14) We need to “thank God for His indescribable gift” of adoption. (2 Cor 9:15) Let’s make sure we reflect on this gift and the difference it makes in our life. Be grateful for the greatest gift you have ever or will ever receive. As God’s adopted son or daughter be holy and without blemish so you can walk tall, walk straight, look the world right in the eye! (frsos)
Sean Sheehy <frsos@eircom.net>
May 16
to me
Pentecost: The Spirit of Love, Truth, and Unity
Jesus prayed to His Father, “I do not pray for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their word, that all may be one as You, Father, are in me, and I in You; I pray that they may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent me.” (Jn 17:20-21) Sin causes disunity in our relationship with God, our self, and others. Jesus came to call sinners to repent so He could restore personal and communal unity that strengthens us and eliminate division that weakens us. “‘I have come to call sinners, not the self-righteous.’” (Mk 2:17) The self-righteous are those who think they don’t need Jesus. He brought the gift of forgiveness to unite us to Him and, through Him, to His Father and to one another. To make this possible Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to His Apostles as the leaders of His Church which He founded on Peter. The Spirit brings God’s love, truth, and unity that become evident in “love, joy, peace, patient endurance, kindness, generosity, faith, meekness, and chastity or self-control.” (Gal 5:22)
The Holy Spirit’s manifestation on Pentecost marked the birth of Jesus’ Church. Just before His Ascension Jesus promised His Apostles, “I will ask the Father and He will give you … the Spirit of truth … (who) remains with you and will be within you.” (Jn 14:16-17) He further explained that, “When the Advocate comes, the Spirit of truth …, He will testify to me. You must testify to me as well, for you have been with me from the beginning … He will guide you to all truth … He will take from what is mine and declare it to you.” (Jn 15:26-27) This promise of Jesus became a reality on Pentecost.
St. Luke records the event: “Suddenly a noise like a driving wind filled the house where they were … tongues like fire came to rest on each of them. All were filled with the Holy Spirit. They began to express themselves in foreign tongues and make bold proclamations as the Spirit prompted them.” (Acts 1:2-4) Jews from different places were gathered in Jerusalem to celebrate the annual Jewish feast of Pentecost. On hearing the Apostles they remarked, “Each of us hears them speaking in his own tongue about the marvels God has accomplished.” (Acts 1:11) The Apostles’ spirit led by the Holy Spirit testified to Jesus as the Messiah. As the Spirit-led leaders of Jesus’ Church they witnessed their personal experience of Him to the whole world. The language of love, truth, and unity is heard in all languages. Thus Jesus’ Church begins to “teach all nations”. (Mt 28:19)
Just as the Holy Spirit fired up the Apostles as the first ordained leaders of Jesus’ Church, so the same Spirit continues to fire up His Church in her leaders and members. The Spirit visibly purifies our spirit in Baptism and reinforces it in the Sacrament of Confirmation. Since the Spirit is the personification of the love of the Father and Son for each other and epitomizes their unity and truth, so He unifies us in God’s love, empowering us to love our self and one another by living the truth. To live the truth is to do what Jesus tells us since He is the Truth. (Jn 14:6) To do that we need the Holy Spirit because, “No one can say ‘Jesus is Lord,’ except by the Holy Spirit.’” (1 Cor 12:3)
Jesus sent the Spirit to Guide His Church so that His followers might be united in one visible body under one leader, Peter and his successors. “To each person the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good.” (1 Cor 12:8) Who’s common good? The good of Jesus’ One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church, which needs every believer to work for her love, truth, and unity. St. Paul compares Jesus’ Church to the human body. “The body is one and has many members, but all the members, many though they are, are one body; so it is with Christ. It is in one Spirit that all of us … were baptized into one body. All of us have been given to drink of the one Spirit” (1 Cor 12:12-13)
I don’t know about you, but it’s clear to me that the Holy Spirit unites all the baptized into one Church, Jesus’ visible body of believers. If we’re led by the Holy Spirit we have to be united in love and truth. Division in Jesus’ Church contradicts the Holy Spirit. Division is the work of Satan and it undermines the effectiveness of the Church’s witness to Jesus’ Good News. Just as the organs of the body must work for the body’s health to avert disease and death, so non-cooperation among Christians reduces the Church’s effectiveness, which reflects that not all who call themselves “Christian” are led by the Holy Spirit. This is evident in us individually and communally in the lack of the Spirit’s fruits, e.g., love, peace, joy, kindness, generosity, chastity, etc. So we need to daily invite the Holy Spirit to lead our spirit in love, unity and truth so that we can be united with one another as God’s people and renew the face of the earth. (frsos)
Sean Sheehy <frsos@eircom.net>
May 23
to me
God: A Community of Persons
Three things that go together in human maturity are good character, right actions, and just relationships. The Oxford Dictionary defines character as, “The mental and moral qualities distinctive to an individual.” We receive a personality at birth. Character is what we develop and is reflected in the way we personally think, feel, and behave as a result of our beliefs, values, experiences, nurture, and environment. Character is either good or bad. Good character becomes evident in doing right actions and building just communities that bring peace. What’s good is that which is of God, Christ-like, since He alone is good. (Mk 10:18) Right is that which accords with God’s Law. What accords with God’s Law promotes truth, which brings kindness. “Kindness and truth shall meet; justice and peace shall kiss.” (Ps 85:11) We develop the mental and moral qualities that constitute good character from Jesus’ teaching.
The notion of goodness, righteousness, and justice comes from God who is all-good, all-righteous, and all-just. So if you and I want to build good character, we must embrace Jesus and the teachings of His Church in order to know and do what’s right and what’s just. Without God we can neither know these realities nor make them our own. We need Jesus to school us in what’s good, right and just if we want the peace we yearn for and that only He can give. (Jn 14:27)
Why do we, consciously or unconsciously, yearn for goodness, righteousness, and just relationships? Even the worst criminals expect justice. It’s inscribed our soul’s DNA. How? God created us and made us like Him in our soul. Therefore we have a built-in urge, whether we recognize it or not, to be like God. Therefore, we have an urge to be good, do what’s right, and have relationships that’re just where we’re recognized, respected, and honoured as distinct but equal human beings. This is what we’ve inherited from our Creator because He is a Community of Persons.
The God of the Bible isn’t an isolated lonely God. He fully revealed Himself in the Person of Jesus, as a Trinity - three Persons in One God, fully distinct, completely united, and equal in all things. A perfect Community. This revelation wasn’t known until Jesus revealed God as Father-Creator, Son-Redeemer, and Spirit-Sanctifier. This revelation sets Christianity apart from all other religions. Jesus commissioned His Apostles after His Resurrection: “All power in Heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptize them in the Name ‘of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.’ Teach them to carry out everything I have commanded you. And know that I am with you always, until the end of the world!” (Mt 28:18-20) A person is initiated into Jesus’ Church through Baptism in the name of each Person of the Holy Trinity – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
What difference does this make? We’re baptized in the Name of a Trinity of Persons, a divine Holy Community whose members are so united in love that they’re completely One. If God, who created our soul in His image and likeness, is a Community of Persons and baptizes us in the Name of Its Members, it follows that our soul yearns for community. The absence of community causes our greatest pain and its presence brings great joy. Thus we hear the Psalmist pray, “Our soul waits for the Lord, who is our help and our shield. May Your kindness, O Lord, be upon us who have put all our hope in You.” (Ps 33: 22) We wait for the Lord to experience that Holy Community of total Love that He is. The message Jesus gave to His Apostles and to His Church was to “love God what all your mind, heart, soul, and body, and love your neighbour as yourself.” (Lk 10:27) God sends us His Spirit so the Father and the Son can share their unconditional love with us by inserting us into their Community. This began at our Baptism. Calling us into His Community God helps us develop the mental and moral qualities that enable us to think, act, and relate in a manner that brings peace of mind, heart, and soul in our communities. To accomplish this Jesus sent the Holy Spirit … “a Spirit of adoption … calling God ‘our Father, Abba’” making us His family, His community, His Church. “The Spirit bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God… Joint heirs with Christ, if only we suffer with Him.” (Rom 8:14-17)
How does goodness, doing what’s right, and building just relationships involve suffering? To accomplish these we must admit our sinfulness, seek forgiveness, and be willing to forgive. We must put others first and practise the Beatitudes, the Christian attitudes. Overcoming our prideful ego isn’t easy. We must discipline our self, fast, and pray in order to benefit from the love of the Holy Trinity. We can do it because our God is unsurpassed. “This is why you must now know and fix in your heart that the Lord is God in the Heavens above and on the earth below, and that there is no other. You must keep His commandments that you may prosper and live long.” (Deut 4:40) God created us to be a community like Him. (frsos)
Sean Sheehy <frsos@eircom.net>
May 30
to me
Covenant Is Life-Giving
Our western me-centred culture has practically eliminated the notion of covenant from its understanding of relationships. Focusing on satisfying our ego generates a tit-for-tat attitude. “I’ll do this for you if you do that for me.” Relationships are perceived as contractual, not covenantal. A contract is a conditional agreement where I’ll uphold the agreement only as long as you uphold it. But if you don’t hold up your end I’ve no obligation to uphold mine. A covenant is unconditional. It means that I must honour our agreement whether or not you honour it. Just because one party violates a covenant doesn’t mean that other party isn’t still bound to keep it. Thus a covenant is life-giving because it keeps the relationship alive. With a contract the obligation ends and the relationship dies when one party reneges on the conditions. Because God is a Life-Giver He has entered a covenant relationship with His people rather than a contractual one. This is why Jesus made Christian marriage between a man and a woman a covenant relationship signifying its life-giving nature.
This Sunday Jesus’ Church reminds her members and the world that Jesus is the “mediator of a new covenant” agreement between God and mankind. (Heb 9:15) It’s the celebration of Jesus’ Most Holy Body and Blood which He gave as the visible sign of this covenant. He initiated it on Holy Thursday when He and His Apostles celebrated the Passover recalling the Old Covenant when God gave life to His people by freeing them from Egyptian slavery. “During the meal He (Jesus) took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them. ‘Take this,’ He said, ‘this is my body.’ He likewise took a cup, gave thanks and passed it to them, and they all drank from it. He said to them: ‘This is my blood, the blood of the covenant, to be poured out on behalf of many.’” (Mk 14:22-24) Eating Jesus’ body under the form of unleavened bread and drinking His blood under the form of wine consecrated through His priesthood bestowed on His Apostles and their successors – the bishops and priests of His Church – celebrates the New Covenant. The Church’s Mass, which she celebrates every weekday and especially every Sunday, is the renewal of the Covenant which Jesus’ signed in His blood “in behalf of many.” By participating in the Mass Christians witness their fidelity to the New Covenant. The daily celebration of the Mass signifies Jesus’ fidelity to the Covenant even when His followers are unfaithful. Inspired by the Holy Spirit, St. Paul attests to this in his letter to Timothy. “You can depend on this: If we have died with Him we shall also live with Him; if we hold out to the end we shall also reign with Him. But if we deny Him He will deny us. If we are unfaithful He will still remain faithful, for he cannot deny Himself.” (2 Tim 2:11-13)
The Covenant initiated by Jesus is the last of a number of covenants God initiated in the formation of His Old Testament people. Jesus has initiated the final covenant. The covenant is based on unconditional love. The Mass is a sign of Jesus’ unconditional love for us where He offers us the unmerited life-giving gift of Himself in Holy Communion. It’s also a call to us to visibly hold up our end of the covenant agreement we made in Baptism and renewed in Confirmation. Our covenant response to God must be that of the Israelites after Moses read God’s words to them: “We will do everything the Lord has told us.” (Ex 24:7) Having committed themselves, Moses ratified the covenantal agreement between God and them. “Then he took blood and sprinkled it upon the people, saying, ‘This is the blood of the covenant which the Lord has made with you in accordance with all these words of His.’” (Ex 24:8) In every Mass we renew our covenant with God.
Blood signifies life. The signing of a covenant in blood demonstrates that the life-giving nature of the relationship. It involves sacrifice to demonstrate love. It involves eating and drinking to emphasize companionship, nourishment, and strength. In the Mass Jesus speaks to us in the Liturgy of the Word calling us to model our life on His. In the Liturgy of the Eucharist Jesus continues to sacrifice Himself in an unbloody manner by making Himself food for our soul so we can have life everlasting. This is why we should respond to His sacrifice in the words of the Psalmist: “To You I will offer sacrifice of thanksgiving and I will call upon the Name of the Lord. My vows to the Lord I will pay in the presence of all His people.” (Ps 116:17-18)
By entering a covenant with us God has set in motion the template for all our relationships. A covenant relationship calls for love, commitment, freedom, honesty, fidelity, responsibility, perseverance, forgiveness, loyalty, and hope. All these virtues are necessary for mature behaviour. They’re also necessary for creating a society that respects and reverences human life from conception to natural death. Covenant relationships promote sacrifice, generosity, justice, connectedness, and warmth. Contracts tend to promote selfishness, disconnectedness, and coldness. Jesus calls us to base our relationships on covenant rather than on contract so they can be life-giving. (frsos)
A Different Kingdom
A kingdom is a people reigned over by a king or a queen. The monarch demands loyalty and obedience from the people if they wish to remain in the kingdom. The ruler makes all the major decisions considered to be for the good of the people. A good monarch promotes four basic values that are essential for a kingdom to thrive. They are freedom, justice, peace, and charity. Freedom isn’t about doing what we want. Rather it’s having the opportunity to attain our zenith as human beings. Justice is about being fair and doing right by one another. It’s also about holding one another accountable and responsible for making restitution for damage done to others. Peace is about being at ease within our self and with others. It’s also about healing and forgiveness. Charity is about generosity of spirit; giving without counting the cost. Sadly, no earthly kingdom implements these values perfectly. Yet, every human being, consciously or unconsciously, seeks to be free and achieve wholeness, treated justly, have inner peace, and be loved.
Jesus came announcing a new kingdom, the Kingdom of God. “After John’s arrest, Jesus appeared in Galilee proclaiming the good news of God: ‘This is the time of fulfilment. The kingdom of God is close at hand! Repent and believe in the Gospel!’” (Mk 1:14-15) “Kingdom of God” is found 122 times in the New Testament and is uttered by Jesus 90 times. Jesus’ kingdom differs radically from earthly kingdoms. “My kingdom does not belong to this world. If my kingdom were of this world my subjects would be fighting to save me from being handed over to the Jews. As it is, my kingdom is not here.” (Jn 18:36) The Kingdom is different because the King is different. When Pilate questioned Jesus about His kingship, He replied, “It is you who say I am a king. The reason I was born, the reason why I came into this world, is to testify to the truth. Anyone committed to the truth hears my voice.’” (Jn 18:37) In God’s kingdom Jesus, who is the Truth, teaches the people the truth and empowers them to be free, just, peaceful, and charitable. God’s Kingdom is Good News for all who hope to satisfy their innate yearnings for these values.
Jesus is the only way to God’s kingdom. He founded His Church to bring the truth about what’s available in His kingdom and how to enter it and find perfect and lasting happiness. He points out that true riches, namely our soul’s fulfilment, are found only in God’s kingdom, and nowhere else. “So do not worry; do not say, ‘What are we to eat? What are we to drink? What are we to wear?’ It is the pagans who set their hearts on all these things. Your heavenly Father knows you need them all. Set your hearts on His kingdom first, and on His righteousness, and all these other things will be given you as well. So do not worry about tomorrow: tomorrow will take care of itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” (Mt 6:31-34) God’s kingdom focuses us on the present with an eye to the future by trusting in our heavenly Father’s divine providence. The more we concentrate on making the most of the present the more prepared we are to face the future walking by faith in God’s guidance, and not by relying entirely on what we see.
We’re in God’s Kingdom when we let Jesus reign over us as our King. When we do, in the words of St. Paul, “We are always full of confidence … We walk by faith, not by sight … we are intent on pleasing Him. For all the truth about us will be brought out in the law court of Christ, and each of us will get what he deserves for the things he did in the body, good or bad.” (2 Cor 6:6-10) Like any earthly kingdom, God’s kingdom has rules, namely the Ten Commandments and the Beatitudes. Freely obeying these rules means we let Jesus direct our life and we benefit from what His kingdom offers that no earthly kingdom can. This is why Jesus teaches us to pray, “Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” (Mt 6:10)
Where is God’s kingdom? How do we find it? It’s where Jesus is visibly present, namely in His Church – her Scriptures and Sacraments – which He founded on Peter to whom He gave the Keys of Kingdom of Heaven. (Mt 16:19) After authorizing His Apostles to “Baptize all nations … teach them to carry out everything I have commanded you”, He assured them, “And know that I am with you always until the end of the world.” (Mt 28:19-20) Jesus’ Church is the visible sign that God’s kingdom is near. We enter it through Baptism. Like the mustard seed, faith in Jesus begins small but expands us as men and women who now know how to be truly free, just, at peace, and loving in our daily life. Having Jesus reign over us generates an inner disposition that creates an outward attitude which prioritizes nourishment of our soul over satisfying the blind urges of our body. It also spurs the formation of a community whose King promotes truth, freedom, justice, peace and charity in His people. (frsos)
An article in yesterday’s Washington Times, details one site of this persecution that is surprising to many — India. The country’s Hindu nationalist government, and many state governments, use trumped-up charges of induced and forced conversion as a pretext to pass anti-conversion laws that serve to repress the country’s minority Christian community (2.3% of the population). Christians are also harassed and attacked by Hindu nationalist groups.
India is one of many sites — add China, North Korea, Saudi Arabia, Iran, and many others — where Christians are denied their religious freedom harshly. Solidarity means remembering their Way of the Cross as we walk ours, and working for their religious freedom as we undertake our own participation in the resurrection.
http://arcoftheuniverse.info/walk-the-way-of-the-cross-with-todays-christian-martyrs
500 years ago, St. Ignatius of Loyola, a soldier turned religious convert, created the Society of Jesus. My guest today argues that many of the principles Ignatius used to guide the Jesuit order are just as applicable to living a flourishing life today.
His name is Father James Martin, he became a Jesuit priest after a stint in corporate America, and he’s the author of The Jesuit Guide to (Almost) Everything: A Spirituality for Real Life.
Jubilee Nurse Ireland
Jubilee Nurse
Irish Examiner 1841-current, Friday, April 09, 1897; Page: 8
Queens Jubilee Nurse for Limerick
In accordance with a circular issued by Mr J F Bannatyne, D L, County High Sheriff, a preliminary meeting was held at the Chamber of Commerce today to form a provisional committee for the purpose of taking the necessary steps to provide Queen’s Jubilee nurses for the sick poor of Limerick. There was a large and influential attendance.
Mr J F Bannatyne, D L, was moved to the chair. Amongst those also present were—The Mayor, the City High Sheriff, Mr Stephen B Quin, J P ; Dean Bunbury, Mr J E Goodbody, Mr Richard Bourke, Local Government Board Inspector; Mr J Matterson, J P; Mr T A Ferguson, Mr Wm Spillane, D L; Mr W McDonnell. J P; Dr O’Shaughnessy, J P ; Mr S E Lee, Mr J A Place, Mr J F Power, Mr Archibald Murray, Mr A W Shaw, J P; Mr John Boyd, Mr Michael Egan, Mr J G Barry, J P ; Mr F G Kennedy, J P.
The Chairman having explained the objects of the meeting,
Mr Richard Bourke said from personal observation, the appointment of well trained nurses for the attendance of the sick poor at their own homes was a measure of the greatest nobility,
(see paper for more)
https://northkerry.wordpress.com/2018/03/01/jubilee-nurse-ireland/
FEB. 2018, from Glin Notes; Glin Defibrillator Group: We are delighted to share the news that our Trainer Anne Horan has been shortlisted for an Everyday Heroes Award in conjunction with the People of the Year awards and the Sean O’Rourke show on RTE radio one. This is to do with assistance given to a man who collapsed in a hotel lobby in Nov 2016. Anne was at the Tullamore Court Hotel the same day as Michael Mac Clancy. Michael was attending a music event when he went into a very serious state of cardiac arrest – a condition where the heart actually stops dead and the victim has approximately eight minutes to get help or dies. Anne, a trained Cardiac Responder who had trained with the Red Cross but had never worked on a real person before came across the scene and saved Michael’s life. She shouted for a defibrillator whilst administering CPR. Mick was brought to the Tullamore General Hospital and the resuscitation team continued to work on him. During the week Anne was being interviewed in her classroom by Sean O’Rourke and was surprised mid interview by a knock on the door only to find the man whose life she saved. Mick is alive and well today because of Everyday Hero nominee Anne Horan. To watch this touching moment log onto Facebook and search ‘GLINDEFIBRILLATORGROUP’
A Tale of Abba Anthony
A hunter in the desert saw Abba Anthony enjoying himself with the brethren and he was shocked. Wanting to show him that it was necessary sometimes to meet the needs of the brethren, the old man said to him,”Put an arrow in your bow and shoot it.”
So he did. The old man then said, “Shoot another,” and he did so.
Then the old man said,”Shoot yet again,” and the hunter replied, “If I bend my bow so much I will break it.”
Then the old man said to him, “It is the same with the work of God. If we stretch the brethren beyond measure they will soon break. Sometimes it is necessary to come down to meet their needs.”
When he heard these words the hunter was pierced by compunction and, greatly edified by the old man, he went away. As for the brethren, they went home strengthened.
—from The Sayings of the Desert Fathers
World Day of Migrants and Refugees 2018
Celtic Rune of Hospitality
I saw a stranger yesterday
I put food in the eating place
drink in the drinking place
music in the listening place
And in the sacred name of the Triune
He blessed myself and my house
my cattle and my dear ones
And the lark said in her song
often often often
Goes the Christ in stranger’s guise
often often often
Goes the Christ in stranger’s guise
Sean Sheehy
Time to Be Joyful
Jesus’ Church begins this third week of Advent encouraging us to “Rejoice always. Pray without ceasing. In all circumstances give thanks, for this is the will of God for you in Jesus Christ.” (I Thess 5:16) Advent is a time to reflect on the meaning of Jesus’ birth and a reminder to prepare for our face-to-face meeting with Him when we die. Our waiting and preparation are to be laced with joy. But how can we be joyful in a world where so many people act violently, greedily, disrespect human life, abuse the earth, and strive in their ungodly attempts to change the natural law to suit their own distorted and evil agendas that seek the destruction of Christian morality and the Law of God? Who can rejoice in such a world where there’s so much evil?
The Old Testament prophet, Isaiah, found himself in a world where many of God’s people had rejected the holy Covenant and lost themselves in sinful behaviour. What did he do? He confronted the people with God’s truth and called them to honour the Covenant pointing out the terrible consequences if they remained disobedient. What motivated him in the face of such a seemingly hopeless situation? He tells us himself, “The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because God has anointed me; He has sent me to bring good news to the poor, to heal the broken-hearted, to proclaim liberty to captives, and release to the prisoners, to announce a year of favour from the Lord and a day of vindication by our God. Rejoice heartily in the Lord, in my God is the joy of my soul; for He has clothed me with a robe of salvation and wrapped me in a mantle of justice.” (Is 61:1-2) It was the joy in his soul instilled by God’s Spirit that kept him hopeful. God’s spirit purified Isaiah’s spirit when He anointed him and gave him a purpose to improve the lives of the poor, broken-hearted, captives, and prisoners announcing to them that the God of mercy and justice was coming to them.
We all seek happiness and use various methods to achieve it. But happiness is fleeting. Why? Because our yearning for it is never satisfied. We’re never totally happy with anything in this world. We have our happy moments but they doesn’t last. Joy, on the other hand, lasts. Joy and happiness aren’t the same. Joy is a spirit. Happiness is a feeling. As Isiah demonstrates, God is the source of the spirit of joy. Joy is one of the fruits of the Holy Spirit. (Gal 5:22) We received that spirit the day we were baptized and put on “the new nature created in God’s image, whose justice and holiness are born of truth.” (Eph 4:24) The Irish Benedictine, Blessed Columba Marmion, stated that “joy is the echo of God’s life within us.” Since God’s life is within us through Baptism, the spirit of joy is also within us. All we have to do is manifest it.
We exhibit a spirit of joy when we adopt a positive attitude towards life and the world knowing that we’ll win even in the midst of unhappiness. But isn’t than a bit naïve? No. Actually it’s realistic from a Christian perspective since we believe that God is with us – Immanuel – saving us and leading us to fulfilment and the happiness we crave. Christianity is all about a spirit of rejoicing that evil has been conquered by Jesus Christ. Through uniting with Jesus we rejoice because we know that evil can’t win. It can huff and puff and blow the house down but it loses in the long run.
Erich Fromm, the German social psychologist, wrote that happiness “is a man’s greatest achievement; it is the response of his total personality to a productive orientation toward himself and the world outside.” The most productive orientation of anyone toward everyone and everything is motivated by a joyful spirit that encourages a person to make the necessary sacrifices and persevere in uniting with Jesus. It was a spirit of joy that spurred St. Paul to call everyone to “Rejoice always!” That joyful spirit expresses itself in prayer and gratitude to Jesus. Mary exhibited a spirit of joy when she prayed, “My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord; my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour.” (Lk 1:46) That joyful spirit carried her through all her pain and suffering as she watched her Son being brutalized and crucified on a cross as a criminal.
We can’t be happy all the time but we can be joyful. Like Isaiah, Paul, John the Baptist, and Mary we must let the Holy Spirit fill our spirit with the joy of knowing that the best is still to come and that good conquers evil. Our Saviour, Jesus Christ has come, is here now in His Church, and will come again. In Jesus justice and mercy have kissed so that the just and merciful are winners. The unjust and unmerciful are losers. Let God’s Spirit fill your spirit with joy that makes all suffering bearable. Rejoice always and, “May the God of peace make you perfectly holy and may you entirely, spirit, soul, and body, be preserved blameless for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (1 Thess 5:24) (frsos)
Sean Sheehy
Dec 6
to me
What Ought We To Be?
Morality and psychology are two sciences that deal with human behaviour. They’re not one and the same even though they impact each other in each of us. They differ in their purpose. Psychology is a descriptive science while morality is prescriptive. The purview of psychology is to describe human behaviour and the mental processes that underline our actions. It hasn’t any authority to prescribe how a person ought to act. Determining the rightness or wrongness of behaviour is the realm of morality that tells us what’s right and what’s wrong. While psychology explains why we act the way we do, morality tells us how we ought to act in order to form good character by doing right actions and building just communities. The theme of the Holy Scriptures proclaimed by Jesus’ Church on this 2nd Sunday of Advent addresses the importance of readiness for the coming of Jesus. So the Holy Spirit questions us through St. Peter, “What sort or persons ought you to be?” (2 Pt 3:11)
What sort of person ought you and I, and indeed every human being, to be? Reason tells us that if God is our Creator we should be what He created us to be if we’re to find fulfilment. We’ll never be happy trying to do or be something other than what God created us to be and do. God created you and me in His image and likeness. Therefore, He created us to be His image and be like Him. How do we know how to be like God? This is why Jesus – the perfect image and likeness of God – came among us to show and teach us how to be God’s image in the world and act like Him through loving Him and our neighbour. He teaches us who we’re to be – our true identity - and how we ought to act if we want to be happy.
The Holy Spirit inspired Jesus’ Church to give us the season of Advent reminding us to celebrate Jesus’ birth at Christmas and get ready to meet Him at the moment of our death. We tend to live as if we’re never going to die and so ignore the fact that we’re daily heading for that meeting with our Judge. The Holy Spirit warns us, “While waiting for this day, make every effort to be found without stain or defilement, and at peace in His sight.” (2 Pt 3:14) That means we must strive to, “Be holy in (y)our conduct and devotion, looking for the coming for the day of the Lord and trying to hasten it!” (2 Pt 3:11b-12a) Holiness is simply acting like Jesus, being a Christian, by reaching out to others in their need and doing our utmost to remove anything that might separate us from God’s love. Thus John the Baptist urges us to, “Prepare the way of the Lord, clear Him a straight path.” (Mk 1:3) John prepared for Jesus by calling people to “a baptism of repentance which led to the forgiveness of sins.” (Mk 1:4) Inspired by the Holy Spirit, he informed them that, “One more powerful than I is to come after me … I have baptized you with water; He will baptize you in the Holy Spirit.” (Mk 1:7-8)
To be the person God says we ought to be requires us to repent of our sinfulness and let the Holy Spirit cleanse and purify our spirit so we can be God’s image and likeness in the world today. This is why Jesus gave His Church the Sacrament of Reconciliation (Confession) where we express our repentance and receive God’s forgiveness through the Holy Spirit acting in the person of the priest. We need to do that now as part of our preparation to meet our divine Judge. The Holy Spirit reminds us, “The Lord does not delay in keeping His promise … The day of the Lord will come like a thief … and all deeds will be made manifest.” (2 Pt 3:9-10) We mustn’t put off till tomorrow what we ought to do today. Therefore we need the spirit of the Psalmist so we can say with him, “I will hear what God proclaims … for He proclaims peace to His people. Near indeed is His salvation to those who fear Him, glory dwelling in our land.” (Ps 85:9-10) The peace we yearn for comes from Jesus alone, not from any earthly source. “Peace … is my gift to you; I do not give it to you as the world gives peace. Do not be distressed or fearful.” (Jn 15:27)
The peace that Jesus gives flows from justice. Justice is doing what’s right by God, by oneself, and by others. That special peace of mind, heart, and soul always comes when we repent and receive God’s forgiveness. We receive Jesus’ peace when we practice Christian morality by doing what’s right and just. That means we need to repent, confess our sins, and receive the grace of absolution from Jesus which He makes available in His Church’s Sacrament of Reconciliation. Confession is good for the soul because it frees it to enjoy God’s love and blessing. Be the person God says you ought to be and you will be at peace today and every day. (frsos)
Sean Sheehy
Nov 29
to me
Watching and Waiting for Jesus or Santa?
The Irish playwright, Samuel Beckett, wrote a tragicomedy titled “Waiting for Godot.” It’s a play about two men waiting in vain for someone named ‘Godot’. The ‘someone’ they’re waiting for never shows up. This Sunday Jesus’ Church begins her new liturgical year with the season of Advent. Advent literally means ‘the coming’. It’s a period during which we wait to celebrate Jesus’ birth and get ready for His second coming as the Judge of the living and the dead. There are two kinds of waiting, namely active and passive. Waiting actively means we anticipate the event by preparing for its arrival. Passive waiting means we wait it to come to us. In the meantime we remain in the same place, unchanged.
How will you spend this Advent? Waiting for Jesus for santa? I didn’t capitalize ‘santa’ because that would make him equal to Jesus who is God. We live in a world that makes ‘santa’ the centre of Christmas much more than Christ who originated it. Why is that? Because the world uses ‘santa’ to create the illusion that material things make us happy. It creates the illusion of love by emphasizing the giving of things rather than the gift of self. Christmas is all about the giving of self, which is the greatest gift we can give. When we wait for ‘santa’ we think about what things we’ll get. When we wait for Jesus we think about how we can give a gift of our self to others as He has given Himself to us. Waiting to celebrate Jesus’ motivates us to approach the Infant Jesus by making our self as presentable as possible to Him. Therefore we spend Advent getting rid of our sinfulness and other obstacles that might dishonor Jesus and His Heavenly Father. Like those waiting for Godot, when we wait for ‘santa’ he mightn’t come at all, or if he does we’ll be disappointed because he can’t fulfil what we really need, namely a peace and love that only Jesus can bestow on us.
When we prepare to celebrate Jesus’ birth while we wait for His second coming we’ll not be disappointed. He has come, is here, and will come again. We’re able to say with Isaiah, “O Lord, hold not back, You, Lord, are our Father, our redeemer You are named forever … no ear has heard, no eye ever seen, any God but You doing such deeds for those who wait for Him … we are the clay, You are the potter: we are all the work of Your hands.” (Is 63:16; 64:3, 7) When we see God as our Father and Redeemer who alone brings us happiness we can’t help but use our time to reflect on our life and get rid of everything that might deprive us of His presence. He has made us and therefore knows what we need, what our true purpose is, and guarantees the continuity and enrichment of our life. So we pray with the Psalmist, “O Shepherd of Israel … rouse Your power and come to save us … Give us new life, and we shall call upon Your Name … Let us see Your face and we shall be safe.” (Ps 80:2-4, 16, 19)
In celebrating Jesus’ birth we’re remembering that God has come to save us and keep us safe. Safety is one of the basic human needs. If we don’t feel safe in our home, neighbourhood, or nation the quality of life deteriorates. Feeling safe is essential if we’re going to be able to enjoy life and live it to the full. God gives us that sense of safety by enabling us to unite with Jesus in His Church. Jesus comforts us when He says, “Do not fear those who deprive the body of life but cannot destroy the soul. Rather, fear Him who can destroy both body and soul in Gehenna.” (Mt 10: 28) Again Jesus encourages us when He says, “Fear is useless, what is needed is trust …” (Lk 8:50) The Church urges to daily put our faith in Jesus in the little prayer, “Sacred Hear of Jesus, I place all my trust in thee.”
To feel safe we need to grow in our trust in Jesus by celebrating His birth, recognizing His Real Presence in the Holy Mass, and actively waiting for His second coming by fully participating in His Church. Because He loves us Jesus warns us, “Be watchful! Be alert! You do not know when the time will come.” (Mk 13:33) What time? The time when we meet Him face-to-face at the moment of our death. As He reminds us concerning our death, “Keep your eyes open, for you know not the day nor the hour.” (Mt 25:13) We need to be prepared. This is why Jesus warns us, “What I say to you, I say to all: ‘Watch!’” (Mk 13:37) Santa without Jesus is superficial and leaves us disappointed. So spend Advent actively waiting and watching not for what you can get but for opportunities to give the gift of yourself to others as God has made a gift of His Beloved Son to you. Then your Christmas will be joyful. (frsos)
Sean Sheehy
Nov 22
to me
Ready for Judgment?
Jesus’ Church ends her liturgical year celebrating Jesus as King, Lord of the Universe, and Judge of the living and the dead. This is an opportune time to reflect on our past and prepare for our future, realizing that we’re approaching a face-to-face meeting with Jesus Christ in death. As St. Paul put it, “Now we see indistinctly, as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face … then I shall know even as I am known.” (1 Cor 13:12) At the moment of death we’ll know our self as God knows us. Then we’ll have to accept God’s judgment on whether we strove to live a Christian life or simply followed our egotistic and sinful desires. Jesus warns us, “Whoever rejects me and does not accept my words already has his judge, namely the word I have spoken – it is that which condemn him on the last day.” (Jn 12:48) Later He states, “Anyone who loves me will be true to my word, and my Father will love him; we will come to him and make our dwelling place with him. He who does not love me does not keep my words.” (Jn 14:23-24) Will Jesus be able to say to you and me, “Come, you have my Father’s blessing! Inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the creation of the world.” (Mt 25:34) What Jesus says to us is determined by how we freely choose to live our life, His way or our way.
The word ‘judge’ is a combination of the Latin ‘jus’, meaning ‘right’ or ‘law,’ and ‘dicere’, which means ‘to say’ or ‘to pronounce.’ A judge is someone who has the authority to pronounce what’s right or lawful. There are two kinds of right or law, namely moral and legal. A moral right comes from God, while a legal right comes from the state. Legal rights aren’t always moral, as in the case of abortion, euthanasia, same-sex “marriage,” prostitution, etc. Morality precedes law. Morality means goodness. The purpose of law is to protect morality, to uphold goodness and good character. Jesus reminds us that “No one is good but God alone.” (Mk 10:18) Therefore, God is the standard for goodness and the source for true morality. God, then, is the ultimate determiner of what’s right both morally and legally. “There is but one Lawgiver and Judge, one who can save and destroy.” (Jas 4:12) He alone has the authority to say what leads to salvation or condemnation.
Salvation means eternal happiness. Condemnation means eternal misery. To be saved or condemned depends on adherence or non-adherence to Jesus’ teaching. Jesus tells us that, “The Father Himself judges no one, but has assigned all judgment to the Son.” (Jn 5:22) This makes Jesus the Judge before whom everyone “…shall give an accounting to Him who stands ready to judge the living and the dead.” (1 Pt 4:5) He tells us, “It is for judgment that I have come into this world, so that those without sight may see and those with sight turn blind.” (Jn 9:39) The genuinely blind see that they need Jesus to guide them, while those who think they can see are blind to their need for Jesus. Ignoring or rejecting Jesus is disastrous because He alone leads us to His Father and into Heaven.
A true judge is one who is both just and merciful, knowing what’s true and good. He has clear standards on which to base his judgments. Jesus is the true Judge of what’s true, just, and good because He personifies truth, justice, and goodness. “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one come to the Father but through me.” (Jn 14:5) His standard is clear and simple: “If you love me obey the commands I give you.” (Jn 14:15) He gave us only two commands: 1. “You shall love the Lord your God with your whole heart, with your whole soul, and with all your mind.” 2. You shall love your neighbour as yourself.” (Mt 22:37-38)
So we can know how we’ll be judged God has given us His Law to identify and protect what He considers to be good and in our best interest. By joining love of God to love of neighbour Jesus tells us that loving God means helping those in need. In this face-to-face meeting with Jesus as Judge of what’s real, true, good, and beautiful, you and I will have to judge our self on whether or not we used our time, talent, and treasure to love God through helping those in need. Jesus identified the litmus test of love for Him when He declared, “If anyone would serve me, let him follow me; where I am, there will my servant be.” (Jn 12:26)
Where is Jesus? He’s in His Church. What’s He doing there? He’s making a gift of Himself to her members and, through them, to those in need. Who’re the needy? Everyone, but especially those who’re materially and spiritually poor, hungry, thirsty, strangers, naked, sick, and imprisoned. (Mt 25:31-46). If you and I aren’t helping to alleviate the suffering of all in these predicaments and situations we aren’t with Jesus and will be judged unworthy of Heaven. Now’s the time to prepare for a positive judgment. (frsos)
Sean Sheehy <frsos@eircom.net>
Nov 15
to me
Invest or Be Divested
The word ‘invest’ has its origin in Latin and means ‘to clothe in.” When a person is invested he or she is dressed in the official garb of a particular office. A person’s office is identified by the clothes he or she wears, e.g., soldier, police, doctor, nurse, priest, executive, king, mayor, student, etc. To invest is to vest in what identifies us, or as the dictionary describes it, “to array in the symbols of office or honour”. Investment always indicates what we think will gain us more than we have. No one knowingly bets on a loser. Just as we can invest in something so also we can divest or be divested of something. To divest is to rid our self or be deprived of the clothes or symbols of office or honour.
In the Parable of Talents (Mt 25:14-30) Jesus speaks about investment and divestment. A man called his three servants and gave them money to invest in his behalf. He gave five talents to one, two to another, and one to a third. Upon his return he asked for a return on their investment. The men who received five and two talents invested the money and doubled it. The third handed back what he was given. The owner praised the first two men and condemned the third describing him as a “wicked, lazy servant!” (Mt 25:26) Jesus closes the parable warning that, “Those who have will get more until they grow rich, while those who have not, will lose even the little they have.” (Mt 25:29) Those who have will get more because they’ve invested what they had. Those who haven’t are the ones who didn’t invest and so lost what they were given initially. The message is that what God gives us is either invested or lost. The difference between the first two men and the third is the difference between acting out of faith and acting out of fear. Faith moves us to invest while fear blocks us from taking a risk. There are two kinds of fear: Fear of the Lord and fear of failure. Fear of the Lord motivates us to invest our self in His mission. Fear of failure motivates us to bury what we have and do nothing with it. Fear of the Lord makes us productive while fear of failure renders us useless, lazy servants. Faith makes us generative while fear makes us stagnant. The third servant buried his talent and so did no good for anyone including himself.
Jesus Christ is God’s investment in us through His Church. Like the man in the parable, He gives us gifts to invest in His behalf. All He asks of us is to trust Him by investing what He’s given us so it can double in value through serving others. The Book of Proverbs gives us an example of the good wife who invests what God has given her in her husband, family, and those in need. “Charm is deceptive and beauty fleeting; the woman who fears the Lord is to be praised. Give her a reward for her labours, and let her works praise her at the city gates.” (Prov 31:10-31) This woman concerns herself with hospitality rather than charm and physical beauty. Hospitality has its own charm and beauty. Her “fear of the Lord” motivates her to invest her gifts rather than bury them, resulting in the Lord’s recognition of her as a blessed woman. As the Holy Spirit reveals, “Blessed are you who fear the Lord, who walk in His ways! For you shall eat the fruit of your handiwork; blessed shall you be, and favoured.” (Ps 128:1-2) St. Francis reminds us that, “It is in giving that we receive and in dying that we’re born to eternal life.” What we have is what God invests in us; what we do with what we have is our return on our investment in Him.
As we’re only two more weeks from the end of the Church’s liturgical year St. Paul calls our attention to the fact that our time for investing is running out. Inspired by the Holy Spirit, he reminds us that, “The Day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night … like labour pains on a pregnant woman … Let us stay alert and sober.” (1 Thess 5:1-6) The “Day of the Lord” for each of us is the day we die, which can come when we least expect it. How do we stay alert and sober in preparation for that day? By investing what God has given to us in His mission, namely to introduce Jesus to everyone as the world’s Saviour. Like the people in Jesus’ parable, God has given talents, gifts, to each of us. It’s our responsibility to identify, develop, and use them to spread Christianity by promoting Jesus’ gift of freedom, justice, peace, and charity. If you and I don’t invest our gifts we’ll be divested of everything and consigned “to the darkness outside, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” (Mt 25:30) The really sad part is that if we don’t invest in Jesus’ mission we’ve no one to blame but our self. Therefore, identify what God has given to you and invest it lest you be deprived of all happiness forever. (frsos)
seven verses! St. Ambrose,
Come, thou Redeemer of the earth,
Come manifest thy virgin birth:
All lands admire, all times applaud:
Such is the birth that fits our God.
Forth from his chamber goeth he,
That royal home of purity,
A giant in twofold substance one,
Rejoicing now his course to run.
The Virgin’s womb that glory gained,
Its virgin honor is still unstained.
The banners there of virtue glow;
God in his temple dwells below.
From God the Father he proceeds,
To God the Father back he speeds;
Runs out his course to death and hell,
Returns on God’s high throne to dwell.
O Equal to thy Father, thou!
Gird on thy fleshly mantle now;
The weakness of our mortal state
With deathless might invigorate.
Thy cradle here shall glitter bright,
And darkness breathe a newer light,
Where endless faith shall shine serene,
And twilight never intervene.
All laud, eternal Son, to thee
Whose advent sets thy people free,
Whom with the Father we adore,
And Holy Ghost, for evermore.
http://blog.adw.org/2017/12/best-advent-hymn-wonder-youve-ever-heard/
THE WAY WE WERE
Domhnall de Barra
The grandchildren from Denmark, with their parents, are with us on holidays at the moment. It is great to have them around and it gives us the opportunity to be tourists in our own country for a change. It is over 30 years since I last visited Bunratty so we went there the other day as part of the weeks outings. I had forgotten what a wonderful place it is and what a graphic description of life in Ireland as it used to be, indeed the type of life I, and most people of my age, were born into. It may have been a simple life but the people of that era worked really hard to eke out a living from the soil. They had the help of fairly simple horse-drawn machines which were on display in the farmyards. It brought back memories of summers long ago when the sound of the mowing machine could be heard over long distances. For us it meant we had fine weather coming and a warning that a bit of hard work was around the corner. There was a variety of machines on display for turning or tossing hay and of course the “raker” for gathering it into rows for the “tumbling jack” to gather in heaps to be made into cocks or wynds. Whatever about the humans, the horses worked long hours. It was no joke for a pair of horses pulling a mowing machine all day. I’m sure they looked forward to Sunday when the most they would have to do is pull the trap to Mass. It was also nice to see the forge where our own Tadhg Shine worked for many years. The only thing missing was the smell. There was a special smell from the forge long ago, especially when the smith was shoeing horses and the hooves were burning from the hot metal shoes. That, mixed with the heat and the pungent aroma of horse manure gave the forge its own unique scent. The old schoolhouse brought back memories too. I would like to say they were pleasant ones but I would be lying. My school days were the worst days of my life and I can only remember a place like a prison full of fear and excess punishment for the slightest misdemeanour or just for getting a question wrong. Thank God those days are gone and children today are taught in a bright, cheerful environment by teachers who know how to bring out the best in them without intimidation. I could go on and on about the various memories from the past evoked by the displays in Bunratty. Suffice to say it was a memorable outing and one that every child in the country should see so that they may have an appreciation of the sacrifices the people of that generation made. They did it to give us the life we have today and we should be eternally grateful to them.
It got me thinking as well about the jobs that had to be done which are no more. Water had to be drawn from the well in buckets or gallons and, on the day for washing the clothes, extra water was needed to be boiled in a big pot over the open fire. The fire had to be started in the morning. Sometimes there was a coal or two left from the night before but, if not, “cippins” had to be gathered . These dry pieces of wood acted as tinder as the turf was often slow to start burning. Food had to be prepared for hens, turkeys, ducks and geese as well as pigs and calves and cows. Every yard had a machine called a “pulper”. This was like a big metal basket into which turnips or mangles were placed. There was a handle on the side that turned two rollers. These rollers crushed the turnips or mangles into a pulp, hence the name, to be added to meal for feeding the animals. Turning the pulper was no easy task but there were others less agreeable. One of the worst jobs I remember was cleaning the hen house. This house was usually a very small, confined space and the smell was atrocious. You could suffocate when disturbing the rushes that were covered with droppings. For those who did not have cattle there was the job of going to the local creamery for milk. We used to go to Cratloe creamery for a gallon of milk. We never asked for a gallon of course but would buy four pints of milk for a shilling. The manager would take the money and fill up the gallon, twice what we paid for. On rare occasions an inspector might be present and the manager would have to give us the exact amount. The milk would have to be spared that day!.
Big families were the order of the day and each member of the household, down to the smallest child, had their own jobs to do. A small child might get the job of watching a hen who was “laying out”. This could take hours, or even days, as the hens were very good at hiding their nesting places. The older children helped with all the work and there was a great sense of achievement when all was done. I am glad that I went to Bunratty and relived some of my youthful days. It makes me appreciate what I have today.
“A Real Man”
From A Heap o’ Livin’, 1916
By Edgar A. Guest
Men are of two kinds, and he
Was of the kind I’d like to be.
Some preach their virtues, and a few
Express their lives by what they do.
That sort was he. No flowery phrase
Or glibly spoken words of praise
Won friends for him. He wasn’t cheap
Or shallow, but his course ran deep,
And it was pure. You know the kind.
Not many in a life you find
Whose deeds outrun their words so far
That more than what they seem they are.
There are two kinds of lies as well:
The kind you live, the ones you tell.
Back through his years from age to youth
He never acted one untruth.
Out in the open light he fought
And didn’t care what others thought
Nor what they said about his fight
If he believed that he was right.
The only deeds he ever hid
Were acts of kindness that he did.
What speech he had was plain and blunt.
His was an unattractive front.
Yet children loved him; babe and boy
Played with the strength he could employ,
Without one fear, and they are fleet
To sense injustice and deceit.
No back door gossip linked his name
With any shady tale of shame.
He did not have to compromise
With evil-doers, shrewd and wise,
And let them ply their vicious trade
Because of some past escapade.
Men are of two kinds, and he
Was of the kind I’d like to be.
No door at which he ever knocked
Against his manly form was locked.
If ever man on earth was free
And independent, it was he.
No broken pledge lost him respect,
He met all men with head erect,
And when he passed I think there went
A soul to yonder firmament
So white, so splendid and so fine
It came almost to God’s design.
Personal Application. What to do when someone refuses to forgive you.
(Inspirational Devotionals by Katherine Walden).
Apologise once again by taking full responsibility for your actions, without blaming your circumstances or other people for those actions. Honestly state what steps you have taken to make sure such behaviours will not occur again. If at all possible, consider some form of restitution.
Don’t chastise them for their unforgiveness. An apology is owning up to the damage you caused in the life of another person. Never demand a person to forgive you; only humbly ask for their forgiveness.
Persevere! Continue to show love, concern, and your sincere desire to improve your relationship.
Don’t hound that person with a constant barrage of emails, texts or phone calls asking them for forgiveness. If they have asked you not to contact them, then abide by their request.
Share with a trusted friend or a spiritual advisor the struggle you have felt over this situation. Hold yourself accountable to them as you continue to walk away from the behaviour that caused the relational breach.
Accept the Lord’s forgiveness, and continue to walk in forgiveness toward that person, even if they refuse to forgive. Allow the Lord access to your heart so He can heal the wounds their rejection caused.
Never forget the lesson you learned through this experience. The painful consequences of our deliberate choices can be incredible teachers.
Sean Sheehy
May 31 2017 (5 days ago)
to me
Jesus’ Church
For Christians, Pentecost commemorates the birth of Jesus’ Church. For Jews it completed the Passover season and commemorated Moses’ reception of the 10 Commandments. Jesus founded His Church on Peter, “I for my part declare to you, you are ‘Rock,’ and on this rock I will build my Church, and the jaws of death shall not prevail against it.” (Mt 16:18) To guarantee His Church’s continuity Jesus assured His Apostles, “I will ask the Father and He will give you another Paraclete to be with you always: the Spirit of Truth … whom the Father will send in my name, will instruct you in everything and remind you of all that I told you.” (Jn 14:16-26) St. Luke describes the Holy Spirit’s descent on the Apostles as a “noise like a strong driving wind, filling the entire house where they were … tongues as of fire, which parted and came to rest on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in different languages.” (Acts 2:2-4) Jesus formed and informed Peter and the other Apostles as the leaders of His Church, which He founded on Peter as her head on earth. The Holy Spirit transformed them into courageous witnesses as Jesus’ Church that faithfully upholds His teachings until the end of time. Through the Spirit, Jesus continues to be present in His Church. “And know that I am with you always, until the end of the world.” (Mt 28:20)
Immediately upon receiving the Holy Spirit, Peter addressed the Jewish crowd present for Pentecost. Listening to Peter and the other Apostles the people remarked incredulously, “Are not all of these men who are speaking Galileans? … Yet each of us hears them speaking in his own native tongue about the marvels God has accomplished” (Acts 2:7, 11) Peter and the others, empowered by the Spirit, showed that Jesus’ Church is Catholic because her mission is to continue Jesus’ work of calling all people to be united in faith, to experience the love of God, to repent and receive forgiveness for sin, and to enjoy Heavenly peace and happiness in the bosom of the His Father. Prompted by the Holy Spirit, St. Paul declared: “Understand, then, that this salvation of God has been sent to all peoples.” (Acts 28:28) Jesus’ Church is Catholic, universal; she speaks the language of faith to all nations. She’s His Bride. (Eph 5:25-27) She’s our mother who enables us to be born into God’s family in Baptism. She’s also one in government, sacrament, worship, and teaching. She’s holy because Jesus is her Head and the Holy Spirit is her soul. She’s apostolic because her task is the faithful handing on of the Tradition Jesus gave the Apostles and what the Holy Spirit prompted them to say and do after Jesus’ Ascension.
Jesus founded one Church under the leadership of one man, Peter, guided by one spirit, the Holy Spirit, in order to unite all men and women around “one Lord” in “one Faith,” receiving “one Baptism,” adoring “one God and Father of all who is over all, and works through all, and is in all.” (Eph 4:5) The Holy Spirit is a spirit of unity in faith in Jesus. We can’t recognize Jesus as our Lord and embrace His teachings unless we allow His Spirit to join our spirit. “No one can say ‘Jesus is Lord,’ except in the Holy Spirit.” (1 Cor 12:3) Jesus declared, “None of those who cry out, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the Kingdom of God, but only the one who does the will of my Father in Heaven.” (Mt 7:21) Many call Jesus Lord, but they don’t do His Father’s will. It’s God’s will that we let the Holy Spirit join our spirit “so that we can all be baptized into the one body – all given to drink of the one Spirit.” (1 Cor 12:13) After Jesus’ resurrection He blessed His Apostles and said, “‘Peace be with you … As the Father has sent me, so I send you.’ Then He breathed on them and said, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive men’s sins they are forgiven them; if you hold them bound, they are held bound.” (Jn 20:21-22) Jesus gave the power of forgiveness to His Church’s ordained leaders so that unity might be maintained in His One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic body.
The Holy Spirit unites us with Jesus in whose Church we become His adopted brothers and sisters. In prayer, worship, reception of the Sacraments, and service we experience the Holy Spirit’s effects. Just as Jesus gives us “a peace the world cannot give” (Jn 14:27) so the Holy Spirit gives us what the world can’t give, namely, His fruits: “love, joy, peace, patient endurance, kindness, generosity, faith, mildness, and self-control/chastity.” (Gal 5:22-23) He arms us with wisdom, understanding, courage, counsel, knowledge, prayerfulness, and fear of the Lord. (Is 11:1ff) If these aren’t present in our life it means we’re not letting the Holy Spirit unify us with Jesus as members of His body on earth. The proof of the pudding is in the eating; the proof of the Spirit is in His gifts and fruits. May your spirit be directed by the Holy Spirit guiding Jesus’ Catholic Church, blessing you within her with His gifts and fruits. (frsos)
Sean Sheehy
May 17
to me
The Only Source of Hope
The dictionary defines hope as “the feeling that what is wanted can be had or that events will turn out for the best.” But “feeling” in terms of hope isn’t the same as feelings that come and go. It comes from knowing that what we want or what’s happening to us will be for our good. Hope is derived from faith. Faith is about what we rely on for our peace and happiness now and in eternity. What can we rely on to give us the hope that the best is still ahead. Only the creator can assure the creature that it’ll be sustained to carry out its purpose and provide it with what it needs in order to overcome any problem or difficulty it might have. God, our Creator, alone can sustain us and help us resolve our problems so that we can achieve the purpose for which He created us. As creatures, if we’re not receptive to the grace of the Creator, we won’t be able to have the kind of hope that sees us through difficulties in life. There are two kinds of hope: natural hope or optimism and supernatural hope. Natural hope depends on positive or wishful thinking. Supernatural hope is a gift from God along with faith and love. Natural hope will get us through the small disappointments in life but it won’t sustain us through major problems and tragedies. Supernatural hope, on the other hand, comes from God and empowers us to face and joyfully embrace suffering and death knowing that we’ll be the better and more perfected for it. This is the hope that Alexander Pope wrote about in his “An Essay on Man”: Hope springs eternal in the human breast;/Man never is, but always to be blessed;/The soul, uneasy and confined from home,/Rests and expatiates in a life to come.” This is the hope that Jesus brought to a hopeless world.
Jesus is the only source of supernatural hope. St. Peter calls us to “Venerate the Lord, that is, Christ, in your hearts. Should anyone ask you the reason for this hope of yours, be ever ready to reply. But speak reverently and respectfully.” (1 Pt 3:15-16) Recognizing God as only source of true hope, the Psalmist proclaimed, “Let all the earth cry out to God with joy … He has given life to our souls, and has not let our feet slip …Hear now, all you who fear God, while I declare what He has done for me. Blessed be God who has not refused my prayer or His kindness.” (Ps 66:1, 9, 15-16) Albert Einstein wrote, “Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow. The important thing is not to stop questioning.” To never stop questioning isn’t about looking for flaws or criticizing life but rather to deepen our understanding of how we lived yesterday, how we’re living today, and what we’re basing our hope on for living tomorrow. The standard we use to examine our behaviour yesterday determines what we learn from it. The motivation for what we’re doing today determines its value and effectiveness. The kind of hope with which we face tomorrow determines whether we’ll face it joyfully or anxiously.
Jesus, as the source of a hope that lasts, has given us Himself and His teachings through His Church as the lens through which we examine yesterday, work today, and hope for tomorrow. He reminds us, “If you love me you will keep my commandments. And I will ask the Father and He will give you another Advocate to be with you always, the Spirit of truth … Whoever loves will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and reveal myself to him.” (Jn 14:15-21) A supernaturally hopeful person is one who has faith in God. How does God give a person the gift of faith? By sending him or her His Spirit of truth. The Holy Spirit joins our spirit and enables us to accept the truth that Jesus is our Saviour and Redeemer. He enlightens us with the truth lived and taught by Jesus, who is the Truth Personified, which helps us see who we are, what we need, where we’re headed, and what He gives us to avoid life’s pitfalls and overcome its uncertainties. The Holy Spirit makes our human spirit holy and see reality through Jesus’ eyes. This is the basis for supernatural hope. This hope flows from the knowledge that Jesus is with us and has given us His commandments to follow leading us to our Heavenly home. This is the hope that empowers us to proclaim with St. Paul, “We know that God makes all things work together for the good of those who have been called according to His decree…. If God is for us, who can be against us?” (Rom 9:28, 31) The Holy Spirit assures us that, “… this hope will not leave us disappointed, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.” Rom 5:5) This hope is indomitable. All we have to do is respond to Jesus’ love for us by keeping His Commandments in His Church. (frsos)
THOUGHT: Don’t let your life slip through your fingers
by living in the past.
By living your life one day at a time,
you live all the days of your life.
Don’t give up when you still have
something to give.
Nothing is really over until
the moment you stop trying.
Don’t be afraid to admit
that you are less than perfect.
It is this fragile thread that binds
us to each other.
NIGHT’S SLEEP
The best way for a good night's sleep is to reclaim your inner peace and rest with a heart united to God
My dear God in heaven,
O Creator,
O One who loved me into being…
Now that the voices are silenced
and the crowded world of projects
and overwhelming noise is hushed,
here, at my bed, I seek your consolation.
My spirit roots for you, as an infant
seeks out the breast,
seeks you as a child seeks
the succor and embrace of a father —
the parent who will whisper,
“Shh, I am with you,”
and bring solace to the soul
with an unconditional love.
I believe in your love,
and I hope in you,
and I pray you will grace me
with the gift of faith, unfailing,
the gift of wisdom, beyond my instincts,
the gift of trust, which is so hard.
I give glory and thanks to you
for this day as it ends,
and beg that you will give me eyes to see
that in all things, you have been with me:
in what was difficult, and what was easy,
in what was anxious and what was peaceful.
In those times I sought you out,
or forgot to,
You were with me, still, and I thank you.
Today, I failed in love; you know this.
I beg you to forgive me.
Today, I lost my temper; you know this.
I beg you to forgive me.
Today, I was selfish; you know this.
I beg you to forgive me.
Today, I felt desolate, unsure, and afraid;
I beg you to reach me, and to teach me again
that you love me, and are near.
That you are, O God, the safest of safe places,
the wayside resting place,
where I may catch my breath,
and seek you out, before going on.
Before I rest tonight,
I must thank you for your love,
beg your pardon for my failings,
and your shelter
from my interior storms.
O my Lord, at this moment, all is calm,
and sleep beckons me.
It is your world!
I place all of my concerns into your hands,
and all of my fears into your Sacred Heart,
the Self-immolating gift that is never consumed.
I believe in you.
Although I cannot understand
all that is before me,
I know all things work toward
the purposes of your mysterious plans
for my own good.
And I trust in this.
And I beg for the gift and grace
to trust you even further,
day by day.
I ask this in the name of Christ Jesus,
seeking the prayers of Mary, his Mother,
and of my guardian angel and patron saint (Name).
I will lie down in peace and sleep comes at once
for you alone, Lord, make me dwell in safety. (Psalm 4:9)
Amen.
April 2017
GLIN CHURCH from Glin News.
Our Catholic Community of Glin. Following on from the recent meeting of the Parish Pastoral Council members at the Diocesan Assembly which was held to examine the implications of the Synod and the resultant Pastoral Plan, it was recommended we engage and listen to our community in order that we can realise our Vision and overall strategy to deliver on a broad range of actions identified. The following were identified:
Young People– we hope to ensure that young people feel connected, involved and active In a multigenerational church where grandparents, parents and children minister to each other.
Liturgy and Life – we must enhance the quality and experience of liturgy at a local level achieving ‘conscious, active and full’ participation. The emphasis is on liturgy that connects with the lives of ordinary people and that can be delivered by ordinary people.
Faith Formation and Education– At a local context, we are exploring new models of leadership for a Church In a changing reality, where the lay faithful are being entrusted with particular tasks in their faith community.
Community and Sense of Belonging– How can this theme renew us? As children loved by God, we are called to be disciples of God’s infinite love. We must reflect on what Community and Sense of Belonging says to us in our time and in our Diocese. Local initiatives will be to reach out to local people and also to the marginalised across our city and Diocese.
Pastoral Care of the Family– The family, ideally and potentially, is the school of human enrichment, where everyone is someone, where everyone belongs and has a place, where each is appreciated for the unique individual he or she is. It is also the school of Christian belief, where faith is caught, if not always explicitly taught.
New Models of Leadership -We are living in a very different world from the one most of us grew up in. The concept of a leadership which depends almost exclusively on the priest cannot continue. We need leadership now in the discovering, recognising and fostering one another’s gifts. The gifts of priests, religious and laity should be brought into a fruitful and collaborative service of the gospel. On reflection we have picked two themes to start with at a local level, being, Young People and Liturgy and Life.
The Diocese will develop and begin the delivery of a youth ministry training programme for volunteer youth ministry leaders. We have a Youth Leader in place who is actively recruiting more volunteers and any young parishioners who would like to get involved in this wonderful initiative please contact Ciara Shine who will be delighted to have your input and involvement.
Training will be provided for local volunteers to lead liturgies in the diocese on designated dates when priests are away on in-service training. This training will in turn develop and support lay leadership in liturgies and the celebration of sacraments (e.g. Lay led liturgies of the Word with Holy Communion, homilies, baptisms, funerals, ‘occasion’ liturgies, etc.)
If you are interested in getting involved in the above initiative or would like more information, please contact Fr. Crawford. The following are the dates for up-coming courses with the intention of running more courses in the near future:
May 6th. 10 – 4pm. Training in Lay Lead Liturgy. Limerick
May 11th. 7 – 9pm. Training for Ministers of the Word. Limerick
May 18th. 7 – 9.30pm. Training for Eucharistic Ministers. Limerick
Thank you on behalf of Fr. Crawford and the Parish Pastoral Council.
St Patrick reminds us that God is not a far away judge, but one we can bind ourselves to, who will protect and bless us. Here’s a prayer of invocation and commitment inspired by a prayer written by St. Patrick (5th century).
Permit us not, O Lord, to hear your word in vain.
Convince us of its truth, cause us to feel its power,
and bind us to yourself with the cords of faith, hope, and love
that shall never be broken.
We bind you to ourselves today, O God:
your power to hold us,
your hand to guide us,
your eye to watch us,
your ear to hear us,
your wisdom to teach us,
your word to give us speech,
your presence to defend us,
this day and every day;
in the name of the blessed Trinity. Amen.
God:
meet us at the wells
where we are lonely
where we are forgotten
where we are hurt by others
and give us to drink of the grace that brings life again
God:
speak to us in the trysting places where the sinners gather
where the prejudices are made known
where our histories are broadcast
and give us to drink of the forgiveness that brings peace again
God:
Renew all that we are and have been fill us with a new future
inspire us with recreation, pull us into resurrection
and give us to drink from the promise of heaven.
Amen.
to me from Sean Sheehy
The Choice
When God created us in His image and likeness He gave us the gift of free will, thereby endowing us with the ability to make choices. We hear a lot today about the right to choose, especially regarding abortion. Those who say a woman has a right to choose to abort her unborn or partially-born baby justify their stance by saying they’re “pro-choice,” implying that those who’re pro-life are anti-choice. Every human being has the right to make choices but the fact is that some choices are good and others are evil. Choosing to kill an innocent human being is always evil. God, who gave us the gift of free will, commands us, “Thou shalt not kill.” While we all support and uphold the right of everyone to freely choose to act, there are certain actions that are evil and mustn’t be chosen since they degrade both the one who acts and those who are affected by his/her actions. God gave us free will to choose the good, namely Himself, since He alone is good. Any choice that doesn’t reflect God’s will is a choice for what’s evil, even though the doer might see it as a good for him or her. Choosing what’s good must be good for everybody, not just for the person himself or herself. This is why God gave us His Commandments and moral teaching of Jesus’ Church to provide us with the standards against which we measure the goodness or evil of our choices. God will hold us accountable for all our choices when we die.
God reveals in Ecclesiasticus: “If you choose you can keep the commandments, they will save you … Before man are life and death, good and evil, whichever He chooses shall be given him. .. No one does He commend to act unjustly, to none does He give license to sin.” (Eccles 15:15, 17, 20) Obeying the commandments is a choice. God reminds us that every choice is either for life or death, good or evil. In making our choices, God’s commandments and His Church’s moral teaching are essential in order to choose life and what’s good, making sure that we aren’t choosing evil and death. A little girl was asked, “Who made you?” She answered, “God made me when I was very little, but I growed the rest myself.” We make our self what it is by what we choose to think, say, and do every day. This is why the Psalmist prayed, “Blessed are they … who walk in the law of the Lord … who observe His decrees, who seek Him with all their heart.” (Ps 119:1-2) He prayed further, “Instruct me, O Lord, in the way of Your laws, that I may exactly observe them. Give me discernment, that I may observe Your law and keep it with all my heart.” (Ps 119:33-34)
St. Paul spoke about, “a wisdom to those who are mature, not a wisdom of this age, nor of the rulers of this age who are passing away.” (1 Cor 2:6) This wisdom is revealed by God in His commandments and is heard and accepted by those who are mature. Jesus told His disciples, “Whoever obeys and teaches others these commandments will be called greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven.” (Mt 5:19) Jesus reminds us, “He who obeys the commandments he has from me is the man who loves me, and he who loves me will be loved by my Father. I too will love him and reveal myself to him” (Jn 14:21) That love, which Jesus has for those who obey the Commandments, is beyond anything we could ever imagine. The Holy Spirit revealed the magnitude of God’s love: “Eye has not seen, ear has not heard, nor has it so much dawned on man what God has prepared for those who love Him.” (1 Cor 2:9) God created us for Heaven and its loss would be an eternal disaster for us. Jesus warns, “What profit does a man show who gains the whole world and destroys himself in the process. What can a man exchange for his soul?” (Mk 8:36-37) Worldly wisdom focuses on faulty thinking and satisfying selfish desires, but God’s wisdom directs us to make choices in this world that will lead to the experience of total happiness in Heaven.
When we reflect on our life as Christians we need to ask whether we’re making choices from Jesus’ perspective or from the viewpoint of the world around us. Do we act like thermometers or thermostats? The thermometer simply reflects the temperature as it is but doesn’t do anything to change it. The thermostat, on the other hand, effects the temperature and sets it in accord with what’s good for everyone. Are we like thermometers simply reflecting what’s happening in our environment, or are we like thermostats setting the right tone in our environment through obeying God’s commandments? Do we bring salt and light to our world, or do we, wittingly or unwittingly, reflect the tastelessness and darkness of the world around us. We need to take time to reflect on our choices to make sure we’re choosing life over death, and good over evil. It’s our choice. (frsos)
Sean Sheehy, Jan 25 2017
Are You a Candidate for God’s Blessing?
In the days of the Roman Empire those aspiring to political office wore a white tag indicating their ambitions. They were called ‘candidati,’ the ‘white’ ones. ‘Candidatus’ means ‘white’ or ‘shiny.’ ‘Candid’ derives from the same word. A candidate for God’s blessing doesn’t wear a white tag but is a person who answers God’s call to be His witness in the world. Since God calls everyone, candidacy for His blessing as His witness isn’t a question who He calls but rather who answers His call. Not everyone accepts His invitation. “Many are called, but few are chosen.” (Mt 22:14) Jesus informed us, “It was not you who chose me, it was I who chose you to go forth and bear fruit.” (Jn15:16) God doesn’t choose qualified people to be His witnesses, rather He qualifies those whom He chooses through His Spirit. St. Paul puts it this way: “God chose those whom the world considers foolish to shame the wise; He singled out the weak of this world to shame the strong. He chose the world’s lowborn and despised, those who count for nothing, to reduce to nothing those who were something, so that mankind can do no boasting before God.” (1 Cor 1:27-28)
Candidates for any office must possess a certain attitude that make them suitable for the task. The basic disposition for those seeking God’s blessing is humility. It’s what prompts us to do God’s will rather than ours. God reminds us to, “Seek the Lord all you humble of the earth … Seek justice, seek humility ...” (Zeph 2:3) Justice and humility go together because the humble person recognizes the need to treat every person fairly. The humble person is the man or woman who recognizes, in St. Paul’s words, that, “God’s foolishness is wiser than men, and His weakness more powerful than men.” (1 Cor 1:25) Encouraged by humility, St. Peter told the authorities trying to stop the Apostles from speaking about Jesus, “Better for us to obey God than men!” (Acts 1:29) The humble person seeks the Creator as the source of his/her power, meaning, self-worth, purpose, and destiny, and recognizes, in the words of St. Paul, that, “God it is who has given you life in Christ Jesus. He has made Him our wisdom and also our justice, our sanctification, and our redemption.” (1 Cor 1:30) St. Augustine emphasized that “Humility is the foundation of all the other virtues hence, in the soul in which this virtue does not exist there cannot be any other virtue except in mere appearance.”
The Psalmist was inspired to proclaim, “a heart contrite and humbled, O God, You will not spurn.” (Ps51:19) He displayed humility when he wrote, “The Lord keeps faith forever, secures justice for the oppressed, gives food to the hungry, sets captives free, gives sight to the blind, raises those bowed down, loves the just, protects strangers. Sustains orphans and widows, and thwarts the wicked.” (Ps 146:6-10) The Lord carries out these works of mercy through those whom He blesses. It’s in doing these works that a person knows he or she is the recipient of God’s blessing. It’s in doing these works that a person knows he or she is doing God’s will, which always bring us His blessing. Being a candidate for God’s blessing isn’t a one-time aspiration. It’s a daily wish. Being God’s witness isn’t a one-time event, but a daily expression of our candidacy for God’s blessing. His blessing and our good works are simultaneous. In acting we receive the blessing and in the blessing we act.
Jesus began preparing His Apostles for their mission by teaching them what was necessary in order to be blessed. To be blessed by God we must practice the Beatitudes – the attitudes of a person who wants to be a candidate for His blessing. Each Beatitude reflects humility by putting others first. Humility is the antidote to pride and selfishness. The “poor in spirit” put God at the centre of the universe. The “sorrowing” are concerned with the damage caused by personal and institutional sin. The “meek” focus on being productive and not seeking applause. Those who “hunger and thirst for holiness” give first priority to their relationship with God. The “merciful” reach out to heal those who suffer. The “single-hearted” respect the dignity and sanctity of others. The “peacemakers” focus on building just communities. Those who’re “persecuted for holiness” refuse to deviate from Jesus in His Church as the only Way, Truth, and Life that leads to Heaven.
God revealed, “As high as the heavens are above the earth, so high are my ways above your ways and my thoughts above your thoughts.” (Is 55:9) Christmas celebrates the greatest act of humility known to mankind when God put us first by coming to save us in the Person of Jesus. God’s ways and thoughts are humble. To be a candidate for His blessing means that our ways and thoughts must be humble too. Candidates for God’s blessing are those who make the Beatitudes visible in their thoughts and ways. If we want God’s blessing, we must admit we’re imperfect, in constant need of forgiveness, and that only He can perfect us through making the Beatitudes our attitude toward others. That requires the virtue of humility. (frsos)
From Father Kevin's Newsletter
NEARER MY GOD TO THEE……
Sir Issac Newton, philosopher and mathematician wrote many inspiring things in his lifetime such as the following. “I can take my telescope and look millions of miles into space; but I can go away into my room and in prayer get nearer to God and Heaven than I can when assisted by all the telescopes of earth”. At this time each year we are asked to pray for Christian Unity. It’s so difficult when we contemplate the scandal of a divided Church. We see God’s children, united by Baptism but snubbed when they approach the Table of Christ. We can look back in time and grieve at the human pride and stubbornness which divided Christians into Roman and Orthodox and later into Catholic and Protestant. This is a week in our prayers where Christ gives us the opportunity to repair the faults of our ancestors. Lord help all to work together in gathering the scattered children of God. Draw ever closer to us Lord – it’s Church unity week.
WE ARE CALLED TO FOLLOW JESUS AS THE APOSTLES WERE
A Company advertised the post of Sales Manager. More than 600 applied for the job. Of the many letters and resumes one letter stood out:
“I AM PRESENTLY SELLING FURNITURE AT THE ABOVE ADDRESS. YOU MAY JUDGE MY ABILITY AS A SALESMAN IF YOU WILL COME IN TO SEE ME ANYTIME, PRETENDING THAT YOU ARE INTERESTED IN BUYING FURNITURE. WHEN YOU COME IN, YOU CAN IDENTIFY ME BY MY RED HAIR. I WILL HAVE NO WAY OF IDENTIFYING YOU. THAT WAY THE SALES ABILITIES I EXHIBIT WILL BE NO MORE THAN MY USUAL EVERYDAY APPROACH AND NOT A SPECIAL EFFORT TO IMPRESS A POTENTIAL EMPLOYER”.
The Sales Manager took the applicant up on his challenge and visited the furniture store. You won’t be surprised that the red head got the job. Jesus is looking for a few good women and men. How enthusiastic is our response to His call?
LOVE REDEEMS…..
In our Masses this weekend John the Baptist points out Jesus to the people as the long-awaited Saviour. Jesus came to take away our sins. He came to heal our wounds. He came to nourish and renew through the Holy Spirit the part of us which is most deeply damaged by sin in the heart. The heart is so innocent, but it can be betrayed, scorned and broken. A Mum tells how her three-year-old son was struck down by paralysis of his legs which gradually spread over his whole body. He became blind too. One day, some months before he died, his mother was sitting weeping by his bedside, when he suddenly turned to her and said: “Don’t cry Mummy. I still have a heart to love you and Dad”. That small boy had attained real maturity, which he had only been able to attain through the love and support of his Mum and Dad. Love redeems and saves everything. It is the only thing that can heal the wounds of the heart.
Mother Angelica talks
http://franciscanmissionaries.com/mother-angelicas-resolution
Prayer for the New Year
Lord in this New Year which we have begun,
may we have enough happiness to keep us agreeable,
enough trials to keep us strong,
enough sorrow to keep us human,
enough Freedom to keep us happy,
enough failure to keep us humble,
enough success to keep us eager,
enough wealth to meet our needs,
enough faith to banish depression,
enough hope to look forward,
enough love to give us comfort,
And enough determination to
keep us going
NEW YEAR VEGETABLE GARDEN
No 1. First plant five rows of peas:
PREPAREDNESS; PROMTNESS; PERSERVERANCE; POLITENESS AND PRAYER.
No 2. Now next to them plant three rows of squash:
SQUASH GOSSIP; SQUASH CRITICISM;
SQUASH INDIFFERENCE.
No 3. Then put in five rows of lettuce:
LET US BE FAITHFUL; LET US BE UNSELFISH;
LET US BE LOYAL; LET US BE TRUTHFUL;
LET US LOVE & RESPECT EACH OTHER.
No 4. No garden is complete without turnips and the New Year version should have:
TURN UP FOR CHURCH IN MOYVANE & KNOCKANURE;
TURN UP WITH A SMILE; TURN UP WITH A NEW IDEA;
TURN UP WITH REAL DETERMINATION!
Memories of Aunty Mary
By Peg Prendeville
Driving past Knocknagorna cross brings pleasant memories
Of when we were just little girls going to visit Falahees
There we would spend a week each year with lovely Auntie Mary
Who was always nice and pleasant even when we were quite contrary.
It would start off on a Sunday morn when we’d see her in the church
If she wasn’t in her usual seat, for her our eyes would search
And then she’d smile across at us as she prayed on her rosary beads
We knew then that the world was good and she’d tend to all our needs.
To lie in bed each morning listening to the kitchen noises
Of Auntie Mary baking bread and hearing other voices
Of Peter and Tommy Danaher or Johnny Moran from next door
It was so soothing to our ears and made us wish for more.
Her humour was always good until she took out the sewing machine
For then she could get cranky so we were never keen
To see her with material to make pinafores for all of us.
Even though we loved the finished garments we didn’t like the fuss.
She became our second mother when our own Mam died too soon
We were so grateful to her as she helped dispel the gloom
Now as Christmas time approaches we think of her with love
She holds a place within our hearts as warm as a glove.
On Christmas day, 1863, Longfellow—a 57-year-old widowed father of six children, the oldest of which had been nearly paralyzed as his country fought a war against itself—wrote a poem seeking to capture the dynamic and dissonance in his own heart and the world he observes around him. He heard the Christmas bells that December day and the singing of “peace on earth” (Luke 2:14), but he observed the world of injustice and violence that seemed to mock the truthfulness of this optimistic outlook. The theme of listening recurred throughout the poem, eventually leading to a settledness of confident hope even in the midst of bleak despair.
You can read the whole poem below:
I heard the bells on Christmas Day
Their old, familiar carols play,
and wild and sweet
The words repeat
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!
And thought how, as the day had come,
The belfries of all Christendom
Had rolled along
The unbroken song
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!
Till ringing, singing on its way,
The world revolved from night to day,
A voice, a chime,
A chant sublime
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!
Then from each black, accursed mouth
The cannon thundered in the South,
And with the sound
The carols drowned
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!
It was as if an earthquake rent
The hearth-stones of a continent,
And made forlorn
The households born
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!
And in despair I bowed my head;
“There is no peace on earth,” I said;
“For hate is strong,
And mocks the song
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!”
Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:
“God is not dead, nor doth He sleep;
The Wrong shall fail,
The Right prevail,
With peace on earth, good-will to men.”
Radio Kerry will broadcast a one hour documentary on The Kerry Girls: Emigration & The Earl Grey Scheme, on Christmas Day at 2pm. The documentary, produced by J.J. O'Shea will feature snippets from yours truly as well as a range of contributors. Over a month in Australia in Spring of 2016, J.J. interviewed a number of prominent Irish/Australian historians as well as descendants of these 117 Kerry girls from Dingle, Kenmare, Killarney and Listowel, who arrived in Australia in 1849/1859 under the Earl Grey 'Orphan' scheme.
'A Kerry Girl', Co Kerry by Robert French The Lawrence Collection, NLI.ie
'A Kerry Girl', Co Kerry by Robert French
The Lawrence Collection, NLI.ie
Trevor McClaughlin, whose definitive book Barefoot and Pregnant? Irish Famine Orphans in Australia, was published in 1991 gives us his views of the scheme. Dr. Richard Reid who has written a number of books on the Irish in Australia including 'A Decent Set of Girls' as well as the Irish/Australian historian Dr. Perry McIntyre are some of those interviewed. J.J. also spoke to some of the descendants of the girls and visited the 'diggings' where several of the girls and their families settled at the time of the Australian gold rush in Victoria.
The story of these spirited, adventurous, brave and determined Kerry girls is not all doom and gloom - far from it. Though it started in the Great Famine Workhouses of Dingle, Kenmare, Killarney and Listowel, the girls' decision to leave there and start a new and unkown life at the other side of the world was in my view, an opportunity rather than a tragedy.
Everlasting Encouragement
by Friar Jeremy Harrington, OFM
My heart stirred with those two words from St. Paul’s Second Letter to the Thessalonians: God loves us and has given us everlasting encouragement.
What is the best way to define encouragement within our spiritual lives in human terms? I like the thoughts of the famous Swiss priest, theologian, and author Hans Urs von Balthasar regarding a mother’s love for her child. Balthasar writes that it is usually several weeks before a baby starts smiling back and laughing. The infant will receive lots of love, tenderness, and smiles before she or he smiles back. We receive a lot of love from Jesus before we start returning his love.
To me, encouragement is a warm and gentle word. Maybe I feel that way because of the Thanksgiving spirit—and remembering my high school English teacher. When I was an unsure and faltering teen, he believed in me more than I believed in myself. I felt his encouragement all through high school and beyond. Encouragement respects others and motivates them to do more. Encouragement is often linked with friendship. To this day, I have a photo of my English teacher on my bookcase.
As I thought about encouragement, I saw it as the method and style of Jesus. In the Gospel of Luke, when the tax collector Zacchaeus climbed a tree in order to see, Jesus saw him, smiled, and told him to come down because the Lord was coming to his house for dinner that evening. Zacchaeus’ life was turned around from being a hated tax collector to a person of generosity.
I’m reminded of another Gospel story: Jesus and the woman at the well. He started the conversation by asking her in Samaria to give him a drink of water. “How can you, a Jew, ask me, a Samaritan woman, for a drink?” By the end of the conversation, she was changed. She left the well encouraged, and told her neighbors about the meeting. She asked, “Could he possibly be the Messiah?”
As it reads in the Gospel of John, Jesus spent the Last Supper encouraging his apostles: Do not let your hearts be troubled. Take heart, I have overcome the world. I am going ahead to prepare a place for you. Where I am I want you to be.
Again, in the Gospel of John, when Thomas was still doubting after Jesus had risen from the dead, Jesus encouraged him with the words, “Put your finger here and see my hand. Bring your hands and put it into my side.” Thomas became a believer.
Many other Scripture readings affirm God’s encouragement: “Fear not, I am with you. I will strengthen you and help you” (Isaiah 41:10). “God is our refuge and our strength, an ever-present help in trouble” (Ps 46:2).
It’s not a stretch to see encouragement as a strong element in the pastoral style of Pope Francis. He accompanies those who are searching, homeless, or troubled. He walks with them.
Jesus encourages us and wants us to encourage each other. And God’s encouragement is not just now—it is everlasting.
FROM SEAN SHEEHY
to me
The Kind of Pray-er God Hears
Shakespeare’s play, Hamlet, has King Claudius on his knees trying to repent of murdering his brother but doesn’t get any comfort from God. He noted, “My words fly up, my thoughts remain below. Words without thoughts never to Heaven go.” (Act iii, scene 2) Claudius prayed for God’s mercy, but he had no thought about confessing his crime or changing his lifestyle. His words were empty so his sin remained because God hears only the prayer of the truly repentant who seek His mercy. He doesn’t waste His merciful presence on the disingenuous who pray with their lips but their hearts are unchanged. (Is 29:13; Mt 15:8)
Jesus told a story is about two contrasting types of pray-ers in the Temple. One offered a long prayer of thanks to God thanking Him that he was better than others. Jesus noted in the story that prayed “with head unbowed.” (18:11) His prayer was motivated by pride in himself for being such a law-abiding person. The pray-er prayed with a completely different spirit. “The other man, however, kept his distance, not even daring to raise his eyes to Heaven. All he did was beat his breast and say, ‘O God, be merciful to me, a sinner.’” (Lk 18:13) Jesus ends the parable by stating that the second man’s prayer made him right with God while the Pharisee’s prayer didn’t. The difference was that one man’s prayer was all about himself and what he had accomplished while the other man’s prayer was all about his need for God’s mercy. He confessed his sin and admitted his need for God’s mercy with a view to changing his heart and amending his life.
God listens only to those who need Him. While “The Lord is a God of justice who knows no favourites” (Sir 35:12), He is not “unduly partial toward the weak, yet he hears the cry of the oppressed.” (Sir 35:16) The self-righteous are those who credit themselves for their success. Admitting our need for God means we have recognized that we can’t save ourselves without His help. Such recognition requires humility on our part. St. Paul might seem to be proud of himself when he wrote about his ministry, “I have competed well; I have finished the race; I have kept the faith. From now one the crown of righteousness awaits me, which the Lord, the just judge, will award to me on that day, and not only to me, but to all who have longed for His appearance.” (2 Tim 4:7-8) But the difference between Paul and the Pharisee is that Paul doesn’t see himself as better than anyone else and attributes his success to Jesus Christ. It’s a good thing to be righteous, which is to live justly. That means giving every man and woman their due by showing them respect and honouring their dignity and equality before God. No one can be right with God without God’s grace.
Jesus revealed, “I have come to call, not the self-righteous, but sinners.” (Mt 9:13) Therefore, only those who recognize their sinfulness, repent, and seek forgiveness need Jesus. That’s why Jesus’ Church at the beginning of every Holy Mass calls the worshippers to individually identify themselves as sinners in need of God’s saving grace. The members of the congregation begin this greatest act of worship by praying, “I confess to Almighty God, and to you, my brothers and sisters, that I have greatly sinned through my fault …” God can work only with sinners. He can’t save those who think they have no sin. Our prayer must come out of our sense of our personal sinfulness and our gratitude to God for His merciful forgiveness. God hears this type of prayer.
If our prayer to God doesn’t admit our need for His saving grace that changes us into saints, our words are empty and, like Claudius, our prayer keeps us earthbound and doesn’t move us Heavenward. Moving us Heavenward is the purpose of prayer. That means we focus on the things of Heaven and not on earthly things. But only God can keep us focused on our Heavenly home. When we’re focused on Heaven we realize that we need purification from our sinfulness and must respect everyone because God calls everyone to embrace Him as their Heavenly Father. So there’s no room for conceit or feelings of superiority because we’re all equally dependent on God’s mercy for every good thing that comes our way. We’re also equally dependent on God to free us from every bad thing we either do ourselves or is imposed on us by others. In God’s eyes none of us is better or superior to anyone else. God shows no partiality, but He goes out of His way to respond to the needs of the humble. If we pray with humility and act out of our poverty we can be assured that God will make us proud to know Him and enrich us with His gifts. God hears the humble and repentant pray-er. (frsos)
The Tough Keep Praying
A popular proverb says, “When the going gets tough, the tough get going!” Jesus teaches His disciples about “… the necessity of praying always and not losing heart.” (Lk 18:1) The story of a widow who sought her rights. She kept knocking on the unjust judge’s door until she finally got justice. Jesus used the parable to say, “Will not God then do justice to His chosen who call out to Him day and night? … I tell you, He will give them swift justice.” (Lk 18:7-8) Justice concerns a person’s due, namely the right to life that begins in the womb and ends in natural death, the right to liberty to seek the fullness of his or her potential, which is to be God’s image on earth, and the right to pursue happiness, which is attained only through knowing, loving, and serving God. Since these rights are God-given, we need to continually pray for enlightenment regarding how to live, how to be free, and how to pursue happiness that lasts. Prayer is necessary to keep us connected to God who is the Giver of all our gifts. But when our life is filled with suffering, and we’re confronted by obstacles, and enslaved by sin and addictions will we continue praying or quit? When the going gets tough, the faithful persist in prayer. Jesus promises us, “You will receive all that you pray for, provided you have faith.” (Mt 21:22)
Christians are assured that if they have faith in Jesus they’ll receive what they need. “The Lord will guard you from all evil; He will guard your life.” (Ps 121:7) Prayer keeps us conscious of Jesus’ promises and aware that He’s always faithful. But faith isn’t faith until it’s put to the test. The test of faith is to continue praying even when God doesn’t seem to answer and we aren’t getting what we want. But we must remember that faith is “constant assurance concerning what we hope for, and conviction about things we do not see.” (Heb 11:1) So the question is: Do I truly believe I will receive what I hope for? Am I convinced about things I don’t see? Can I say with St. John, “We have this confidence in God: that He hears us whenever we ask for anything according to His will.” (1 Jn 5:14) What is God’s will for you and me? St. Peter gives us the answer: “… faith’s goal is the salvation of your soul.” (1 Peter 1:9) If we have faith, then we will persist in achieving its goal. That requires prayer to keep us conscious of our faith that God always provides for our needs. St. Peter explains faith, “Although you have never seen Jesus, you love Him, and without seeing you now believe in Him, and rejoiced with inexpressible joy touched with glory because you are achieving faith’s goal, your salvation.” (1 Peter 1:8-9) In the pursuit of human relationships we recognize the necessity of communication, so we see the necessity of prayer in pursuing our relationship with God
It’s sad when people give up on prayer. Someone said the only place for quitters is Alcoholics Anonymous. Jesus calls us to be persistent in prayer. He assures us that persistence pays off. He calls us to be confident that He hears our prayer. However, St. James warns us: “You do not obtain because you do not ask. You ask and you do not receive because you ask wrongly, with a view to squandering what you receive on your pleasures.” (Jas 4:2-3) We see in Jesus’ parable of the Cleansing of the Lepers that the prayer that saves isn’t the selfish prayer of the nine people but the grateful prayer of the Samaritan. We’ve to be careful that our prayer isn’t selfish but rather an expression of our dependency on God and our gratitude to Him for His providence.
Prayer is neither magic nor a reward for being good. It’s not the words that matter but what’s in the heart of the pray-er. Prayer is always mysterious because in it we’re expressing our faith, friendship, and total reliance on God who is beyond our capability to understand. It’s mysterious because in prayer the Holy Spirit has joined our spirit purifying, inspiring, and encouraging it to trust in God. Prayer always signifies God’s presence because it’s He who initiates it. Since God initiates prayer it changes us rather than changing things. How? By giving us insight and courage to be realistic, as in the Serenity Prayer, “Lord, help me to change the things I can, accept the things I can’t change, and the wisdom to know the difference”. Knowing that God is with us relaxes us and removes distress and anxiety from our lives, which aids our physical and mental health. Thus prayer empowers us to cope productively. The prayer of faith gives us a powerful hope and a sure direction that God alone provides. The greatest prayer of all is the Holy Mass wherein we suffer, die, and rise with Jesus. In faith we pray, “I lift up my eyes to the mountains; whence shall help come to me? My help is from the Lord, who made Heaven and earth.” (Ps 121:1) When life is tough the tough keep praying. (frsos)
Humility: Key to Virtuous Living
Virtuous living means practicing good habits. Good habits are those thoughts, words and actions that promote health of mind, soul, and body. There are three virtues that depend on God for their actualization in our life, namely supernatural faith, hope, and charity. We depend on God to give us the grace to believe in Him as He has revealed Himself to us in Jesus Christ, now present in His Church. Only God can give us the hope we need to believe that the best is still to come. Since God is love, only He can give us the love we need to love ourselves and our neighbour despite our flaws and sinfulness. These divine virtues are essential in order for us to be able to aspire to a sense of fulfilment that is beyond our natural ability to attain. Yes, we want to have faith, hope, and love but without relying on God’s faith in us, His hope for us, and His unconditional love for us we would not be able to believe, hope, and love especially when faced with betrayal, doubt, apathy, despair, hate, and suffering. These three divine virtues provide the foundation for the practise of the natural virtues of prudence in our decisions, justice in how we treat others, perseverance in the face of obstacles, and temperance by avoiding excesses in all things. All other good habits flow from these. Humility is essential to prevent virtues from becoming vices. It helps us control our tendency to be prideful and vain in our accomplishments.
The Holy Spirit inspired the author of Sirach to write: “My child, conduct your affairs with humility, and you will be loved more than a giver of gifts. Humble yourself the more, the greater you are, and you will find favour with God. For great is the power of God; by the humble He is glorified” (Sir 3:17-19) Divine revelation tells us that humility brings love and God’s favour and leads the humble person to glorify Him. What is humility? The word is derived from the Latin ‘humus,’ which means earth or soil. But it is more than just earth; it is like a sponge that holds water in the soil and enriches it. In French it means modesty or sweetness. Scientists explain how humus enriches soil. “Soils that have a high humus content, have abundant living biological activity to convert plant residues, leaf litter, animal dung and various biomass into stable humus.” What humus does for soil, humility does for us. It calls for a balanced and modest view of themselves and the recognition that all good things come from God including our gifts and talents.
In His first instruction to His Apostles Jesus emphasized humility when He taught them, “Blest are the lowly; they shall inherit the land.” (Mt 5:5) To be lowly is to humbly accept our total dependence on God and our need for one another. This is why the lowly person is always grateful. This is highlighted in Jesus’ parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector. The tax collector humbly sought God’s mercy recognizing himself as a sinner. The Pharisee proudly talked about his accomplishments. Jesus ended the story by telling His listeners, “Believe me, this man went home from the temple justified but the other did not. Everyone who exalts himself will be humbled while he who humbles himself will be exalted.” (Mt 18:14) The Holy Spirit revealed in the Psalms, “a heart contrite and humbled, O God, You will not spurn.” (Ps 51:19) Humility is an essential disposition if we’re to receive God’s attention. St. Paul reminds us, “Let him who would boast, boast in the Lord. It is not the man who recommends himself who is approved but the man whom the Lord recommends.” (2 Cor 10:17-18)
Jesus epitomized humility in His thoughts, words and actions. “Though His state was divine, yet He did not cling to His equality with God but emptied Himself to assume the conditions of a slave, and became as men are ...” (Phil 2:6-7) He said of Himself, “Come to me all you who are weary and find life burdensome … learn from me, for I am gentle and humble of heart.” (Mt 11: 28-29) Jesus is completely approachable because He is so humble of heart. He considered humility so important that He devoted another parable to highlight its importance when practising the virtue of hospitality. Jesus advises, “When you are invited by someone to a wedding party, do not sit in the place of honour in case some greater dignitary has been invited ...” (Lk 14:8) There’s a big difference between being humble and being humiliated. The truly humble person can’t be humiliated because he or she already takes the lowest place in any gathering. The person who lacks humility is the one who risks being humiliated.
We are all born with an ego that wants to be centre stage. Despite maturity and learning to put others first the ego still battles for attention. Humility keeps the ego in check. Whose company would you prefer, that of an egotistical person or one who is humble? Humility makes us approachable and keeps us realistic and grateful in the practise of our other virtues. It’s the antidote to pride that seeks superiority and vanity that seeks praise. It keeps us grounded, down to earth, and enriches us in all that we do and say. It keeps us modest and moderate. “You have been told what is good, and what the Lord requires of you: Only to do the right and to love goodness, and to walk humbly with your God.” (Micah 6:8)(frsos)
Intelligent Management
The word ‘manage’ originally meant the handling or training of horses. Today it means treating or controlling someone or something. We manage all sorts of things – ourselves, relationships, business, work, family, money, home, property, etc. Our ultimate purpose in management is our own happiness and to that end we treat people and things. The way we manage is determined by what we think is in it for us. We’re motivated in our behaviour by what we think will make us secure. That doesn’t necessarily mean that we’re selfish. Selfishness means that we focus primarily on personal gain at the expense of others. It’s a fact that even when we focus on helping others we know that there’s something in it for us also even though that isn’t our primary motivation. To make sure that we’re not acting for purely selfish reasons we need to daily examine our true motivation for our behaviour.
We’re born with a built-in tendency toward selfishness and sin. Jesus came to save us from these tendencies. This is why we constantly need the Holy Spirit to join our spirit and purify it so that we’re motivated by generosity, honesty, and justice in our dealings with others at home, at work, in Church, or at play. Whom am I serving? How am I managing my time, talent, money? Jesus is the model and the standard for good management. For Jesus good management is all about using our gifts to serve others. “Anyone among you who aspires to greatness must serve the rest, and whoever wants to rank first among you must serve the needs of all. Such is the case with the Son of Man who has come, not to be served by others, but to serve, to give his own life as a ransom for the many.” (Mt 20:25-28)
God created man and woman to be managers of the earth in His behalf. God blessed them, saying, ‘Be fertile and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it. Have dominion over the fish, birds, and all living things that move on the earth.” (Gen 1:28) We’re the guardians of the earth in God’s behalf, and that means treating it with respect and love. It also means that we’re accountable to God for our management. Are we managing the earth for our own selfish ends or are we managing it according to God’s will? Will our style of management bring us happiness or sadness in the end? Time and again God accused His people of mismanaging the earth by using it to satisfy their own greed. “Hear this, you who trample upon the needy and destroy the poor of the land!” (Amos 8:4) God called Amos to preach social justice and expose the abuse of the poor by the rich. God warned, “Never will I forget a thing they have done!” (Amos 8:7) Nothing escapes Divine Justice. We’ll all have to account for our use of this world’s goods.
As a chain is only as strong as its weakest link, so a community is only as just as its treatment of its weakest members. Are we treating them with compassion and justice? If you and I view our life as God’s managers of His world, we’ll be able to determine whether our stewardship is self-serving or other-serving. An executive with a religious organization said that viewing your life in terms of stewardship is like driving a leased car. “You can do what you like with it, but you must return it to its owner at a certain time. You will be held accountable for the condition in which it’s returned.” Many people think that their life is their own and aren’t accountable for how they use it. They act as if they own the earth and can do with it what suits them. But that isn’t the case. As St. Paul reminds us, “You are not your own. You have been purchased, and at a great price. So glorify God in your body.” (1 Cor 6:19-20)
God “wants all men and women to be saved and come to know the truth.” (1 Tim 2:3) The truth is this: “God is one. One also is the mediator between God and men, the man Jesus Christ who gave Himself as a ransom for all.” (1 Tim 2:5-6) Jesus alone can secure life and happiness for us. He tells the story of the wily steward who is fired for mismanagement. Knowing he’s out of a job the manager endears himself to the owner’s debtors by lowering their bills. The owner credits him for his deviousness in looking out for his own security. Jesus teaches us, ““The worldly take more initiative than the other-worldly when it comes to dealing with their own kind. Make friends for yourselves through your use of this world’s goods, so that they fail you, a lasting reception will be yours.” (Lk 16:8-9) Jesus’ lesson is that just as the unjust manager used his intelligence to secure friends to help him now that he was unemployed, so we must use our intelligence to make friends with those who can help us when our body fails us. Intelligent management treats people and the world in a manner that nurtures friendship with Jesus to whom we’re accountable as the managers of God’s earth. (frsos)
God’s Expectations of You
What do you think God expects from you. Knowing God’s expectations is important. Why? It lets you know what’s needed to develop your mind, heart, body and soul as His son or daughter. Just as parents expect certain attitudes and behaviours from their children so God has expectations of you as His child. The reason for God’s expectations is because they’re both possible and good for you. God never expects what’s impossible. If God has expectations of you it’s because He knows you’re capable of fulfilling them. When you know what God expects, you also know what you need to do in order to achieve your full potential as a human being. Your potential as a man or woman is to be God’s image in the world.
What does God expect of you? St. Paul, inspired by the Holy Spirit, answers the question in his Epistle to Timothy. He wrote, “As a man dedicated to God, you must seek after integrity, piety, faith, love, steadfastness, and a gentle spirit. Fight the good fight of the faith and win for yourself the eternal life to which you were called …” (1 Tim 6:1-12) God expects integrity, prayer, faith, love, steadfastness, meekness, and a willingness to fight for eternal life from everyone.
God expects you to think, speak, and act with integrity. That means that your beliefs and actions must match one another. People of integrity don’t speak with forked tongues. They say what they mean and mean what they say. As a Christian your language and your actions should reflect the teaching of Christ as it’s proclaimed by His Church. Jesus highlighted integrity when He warned, “Say ‘Yes’ when you mean ‘Yes’ and ‘No’ when you mean ‘No.’ Anything beyond that is from the evil one.” (Mt 5:37) Satan has no integrity. Integrity is an essential quality for building trusting relationships because it focuses on truth and eliminates hypocrisy.
God calls you to piety. This means reverencing and devoutly fulfilling your religious obligations to God as His child. A pious person isn’t someone who goes around praying all the time, or being holier than thou, but rather one who lives life with a prayerful attitude. Such a person recognizes the necessity of living life in relationship with God and being in constant communication with Him. Why? Because we need the Lord’s help. “The Lord gives sight to the blind and raises up those who were bowed down. The Lord love’s the just and protects strangers.” (Ps 146:8-9)
God expects you to have faith in Him. That means putting your trust in God’s promises to give you meaning, purpose, value, power, peace, hope and happiness. God alone can deliver these to us. Hence He expects you to rely on Him both implicitly and explicitly. This faith comes through the power of the Holy Spirit, and enables us to have “confident assurance concerning what we hope for, and conviction about things we do not see.” (Heb 11:1)
God expects love from you. He expects you to be caring person. That means being concerned, affirming, accepting, showing affection, respect, reverence for life, upholding integrity, nurturing, and expressing generosity toward others. Because God is love He expects love from you. You’re never more like God what when you love, when you care. Someone said, “Duty makes you do things well, but love makes you do things beautifully.”
God expects you to be steadfast. That means you’re willing to endure patiently all suffering and obstacles you might encounter in living the Christin life. God expects you to be a loyal and reliable witness devoted to Jesus as an active member of His Church. The Church’s saints and martyrs exemplify the spirit of steadfastness. Like St. Paul, in 1 Thess 1:4, as a steadfast person you’ll see your trials as opportunities to strengthen your faith in Jesus who’s always present in dark times lifting you up and letting you know that the best is still ahead.
God expects you to have a gentle spirit. Jesus, in His first instruction to His Apostles, promised, “Blessed are the meek; they shall inherit the land.” (Mt 5:5) The meek or the gentle are those who’re humble in recognizing their complete dependence on God for every good thing. To possess a gentle spirit you must ask the Holy Spirit to join yours and purify it so that He can calmly guide you through life’s ups and downs. Gentleness reflects strength, not weakness. And finally God expects you to fight for eternal life. That means using all your resources to withstand every obstacle Satan and a fallen world might throw at you to distract or cause you to deviate from the Christian path to Heaven.
Knowing what God expects of you lets you know what you need to practice, if you want to enjoy perfect peace and happiness in Heaven. Jesus founded His Church, guided by the Holy Spirit, to help you meet God’s expectations to be a person of integrity, prayerful, loving, steadfast, fully committed to Him, possessing a gentle spirit, and fighting the good fight of faith with your eyes fixed on eternal life. This is your daily challenge. This is what each of us needs to pray for every day. (frsos)
Your Faith Shapes You
Whatever you believe in, consciously or unconsciously, shapes your thinking, speaking and acting. You’re always living out your beliefs. Faith is the trust you place in what you believe will make you meaningful, give you self-worth, power, purpose, happiness, hope, inner peace, and a joyful future. Everyone wants to live a meaningful and not a meaningless life. We want to have a sense of self-worth, to feel valued and loved for who we are rather than for what we can do. Who wants to feel or be treated as worthless? Everyone wants power since without it we can’t change or improve anything. Who wants to feel impotent? Everyone wants to have a purpose in life, knowing why we’re here and what we’re meant to accomplish. Who wants to live an aimless life and feel lost? Who doesn’t want to be loved and happy? No one. We want hope that tomorrow will be better and that we’ll rise above our suffering and trials as better and more complete persons. We want peace of mind, heart, and soul. We want a joyful future to which we can look forward with enthusiasm. We need to ask ourselves, “Will what I have faith in fulfil all my hopes and dreams and bring me happiness?”
There are two possible realities that you can set our heart on to meet our deepest needs: God and the physical world. You have faith in your doctor, bank manager, employer, employee, spouse, teacher, children, newspaper editor, government, neighbour, etc. Can any these assure you of a meaningful life, or give you self-worth, power, purpose, happiness, hope, peace, love and a bright future? No. They might provide you with some of these temporarily, but definitely not permanently. And what happens to your faith in them if they prove untrustworthy? The world can’t give us what we need because it doesn’t have what it needs itself. Putting your faith in worldly things like money, pleasure, popularity, egotism will all fail to satisfy you.
The Creator alone fully satisfies the needs of the creature. Only faith in your Creator can assure you of meaning, true self-worth, productive power, a true purpose, genuine and permanent happiness, hope that is not deceptive, peace that lasts, and a future that is perfect and filled with joy. Jesus reminds us that “No servant can serve two masters … you cannot give yourself to God and money.” (Lk 16:1-13) Whatever you put your faith in becomes your master. If you put your faith in God you will let Him shape your life. You’ll look to Him to tell you how to live a meaningful life, how to esteem yourself, how become powerful, how to achieve your true purpose, how to pursue happiness, how to have hope and peace, and how to prepare for a joyful future. If you put your trust in worldly things you will let it become your master direct your life. The results, of course, will differ drastically. Faith in worldly wisdom leads you to try and control everything and everyone to suit your own agenda, which makes you selfish and domineering – me first. Faith in God leads you to acknowledge that He is in control and you don’t have to try and control everything for your security. This faith frees you, relaxes you, and assures you of our personal fulfilment. It empowers you to accomplish great things in life and to look forward to even better things in the future.
Faith in God is based on knowing Him personally and believing that He is totally trustworthy. It’s a gift which God gives us to trust in Him. Religious faith is “constant assurance concerning what we hope for, and conviction about things we do not see.” (Heb 11:1) The Spanish author, Juan Valera (1824-1905) wrote, “Faith in an all-seeing and personal God, elevates the soul, purifies the emotions, sustains human dignity, and lends poetry, nobility and holiness to the commonest state, condition and manner of life.”
Jesus emphasized the power of religious faith, “If you had faith as little as a mustard seed, you could say to this sycamore, ‘Be uprooted and transplanted into the sea,’ and it would obey you.” (Lk 17:6) Faith in Him means, “We know that God makes all things work together for the good of those who have been called according to His decree.” (Rom 8:28) God calls everyone to trust in Him because, “He wants all men and women to be saved and come to know the truth.” (1 Tim 2:4) The truth, of course, is that only faith in Jesus – the Truth - can save you and enable you to reach your fullest potential, which is to be God’s image in the world. Faith in God – religious faith - involves “Forsaking All I Trust In Him.” This is the faith that assures you that all your yearnings and needs will be met in ways beyond your wildest imagination, your fondest hopes and dreams. The Christian faith is the only faith that can shape you into a spiritually shapely and fulfilled person. God is the only one who can “comfort us in all out afflictions, and thus enable us to comfort those who are in trouble, with the same consolation we have received from Him.” (2 Cor 1:4) (frsos)
A Hopeful Future
November marks the beginning of Winter, a time when tree leaves, flowers, die, days get shorter, and nights get longer. This season marks the end of the year, reminding us that everything in this world comes to an end, including you and I. Despite Winter’s reminder of death, we know that Spring is ahead. Jesus’ Church designates November as a time to remember all who have departed this world. On the first day of the month she calls us to remember the saints; those men and women who lived lives of faith, hope, and charity. The difference between saints and sinners is that saints have a past that’s good for which they’re now rewarded by God, while sinners have a future that’s good, if they repent and seek God’s forgiveness. On the following day the Church calls us to pray for “all souls”; all who have died since the beginning of human existence. She prays that they may be the beneficiaries of God’s mercy and enjoy the peace, happiness, and love that only He can make possible. In remembering all who have gone before us, Jesus, through His Church, is calling us to prepare for our own death that’s inevitable and will come to each of us sooner or later. Jesus calls us to live well so we can die well. To die well means that we leave this earth as true friends of Jesus Christ who will raise us to a live eternally in God’s loving presence in community with all the saints filled with a joyfulness that we can’t even begin to imagine. The Holy Spirit revealed through St. Paul, “But we believe that having died with Christ we shall return to life with Him.” (Rom 6:8)Regarding life with Jesus after death, the true believers experience “the things that no eye has seen and no ear has heard, things beyond the mind of man, all that God has prepared for those who love Him.” (1 Cor 2:10) We live well by doing what Jesus taught us, “Set your hearts on God’s Kingdom first, and on His righteousness, and all these other things will be given you as well. So do not worry about tomorrow; tomorrow will take care of itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” (Mt 6:33-34) So if I live today with my eyes focused on God and act in accord with His love and justice, I will be ready to die tomorrow and be raised by the power of His love and justice.
Living in friendship with Jesus Christ in His Church gives us the comfort, support, and courage to face death with hopeful hearts. Again God’s Spirit reveals, “We believe that Jesus died and rose again; so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have died believing in Him.” (1 Thess 4:14) The Christian faith gives us a bright future to hope in. It provides a beginning to our end. Again God’s Spirit assures us, “And this hope will not leave us disappointed, because the love of God has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us” (Rom 5:5) in Baptism and Confirmation.
Death ends our life on earth but it ushers us into a life that never ends, where there’s no grief, no tears, no sickness, no hurtful or bad relationships, no sin. It’s this belief that inspired the Psalmist to proclaim to God, “for me the reward of virtue is to see Your face, and, on waking, to gaze my fill on Your likeness.” (Ps 17:15) Living a virtuous life isn’t easy especially since temptation to please ego is all around us. Our bodily needs are often at war with the needs of our soul. So we’re distracted by physical urges and selfish wants from paying attention to and nourishing our soul. Our soul is the seat of our humanity, not our body. Only God can nourish our soul and make it into His image and likeness so that we can become more fully human and fully alive. That’s why we need to pray daily to ask God’s Spirit to join our spirit to cleanse, inspire, and direct it in such a manner that we may “act justly, love tenderly, and walk humbly with your God.” (Micah 6) To this end the Holy Spirit reminds us, “But the Lord is faithful; He will strengthen you and guard you from the evil one.” (2 Thess 3:3) He prays for us, “May the Lord direct your hearts to the love of God and to the endurance of Christ.” (2 Thess 3:5) Jesus confirms that the future is full of hope for all who believe in Him when He declared that “God is not a God of the dead, but of the living, for to Him all are alive.” (Lk 20:38) The Christian, as an active member of Jesus’ Church, can truly look forward to a hopeful future. Winter’s dying is transformed into Spring’s rising. (frsos)
Who’ll Save You?
A priest began his talk to a group of pilgrims by telling them about the most awkward person he had met that morning. Everyone strained their ears to hear who he was talking about. Then, after a pause, he said, “Myself!” Everyone laughed. But it wasn’t a laughing matter. He was serious. Awkwardness is about being ungainly, ungraceful, or clumsy. Since none of us is perfect we’re all ungainly, ungraceful, or clumsy in some way. We can use cosmetic surgery to try and perfect our body, but we can’t stop it from ageing and deteriorating. No amount of cosmetic surgery can perfect a soul that’s infected by sin. We need a Saviour who’ll save us from our sinfulness, our awkwardness? That’s the question each of us must answer as we go through life. On whom do I rely to help me overcome my physical, emotional, spiritual, moral, and social gracelessness? Who can assure me that I can look forward to a life, of perfect love, peace, happiness, and joy? Only someone who totally possesses these qualities can bestow them on me.
Many have promised paradise to their followers, only to die themselves and leave their adherents with nothing. The only person who has promised Heaven and conquered the obstacles to getting there, namely sin with its wages of suffering and death, is Jesus Christ. He declared, “I have come to call, not the self-righteous, but sinners.” (Mt 9:13) He is the Life-giver who proclaimed, “I came that they might have life and have it to the full.” (Jn10:10) In these declarations Jesus was fulfilling God’s revelation in the Old Testament. In the Book of Wisdom, God revealed His mercy toward awkward and sinful men and women calling them to repentance and perfect love. “But You have mercy on all, because You can do all things; and You overlook people’s sins that they may repent … Therefore You rebuke offenders little by little, warn them and remind them of the sins they are committing that they may abandon their wickedness and believe in You, O Lord!” (Wis 11:22-12:2) He reveals in Psalms, “The Lord lifts up all who are falling and raises up all who are bowed down.” (Ps 145:14)
There’s a saying that says, “To err is human but to forgive is divine.” To be saved from our spiritual awkwardness expressed in our sins we need to repent and be forgiven. We can’t forgive ourselves or others unless we’re first forgiven ourselves. Since to forgive is divine only God can forgive. He sets the reconciliation process in motion. That’s why Jesus gave His Church His power to forgive when He empowered Peter and the other Apostles through the Holy Spirit, “If you forgive men’s sins, they are forgiven them; if you hold them bound, they are held bound.” (Jn 20:22) The grace of repentance and forgiveness is essential for salvation. That grace is available to men and women through Jesus’ Church in the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Who’ll be saved? Those who repent of their sins, and seek God’s forgiveness so they can then forgive themselves and those who have offended them. This is what brings life, love, joy, peace, happiness, and perfection. It makes us graceful.
St. Paul prayed for the Thessalonians, “that our God may make you worthy of His calling and powerfully bring to fulfilment every good purpose and every effort of faith, that the Name of our Lord Jesus be glorified in you …” (2 Thes 1:11) Through Jesus God calls every man and woman to perfection. That is the “good purpose and every effort” of Jesus’ Catholic Church. In seeking salvation through repentance and forgiveness Jesus’ Name is glorified in you and in me. How? Because it is Jesus who makes it possible for us to repent and be forgiven through the power of the Holy Spirit in the Sacraments of His Church.
We see the Holy Spirit in action in the chief tax collector, Zacchaeus, in St. Luke’s Gospel. He wanted to see Jesus as he passed through Jericho. Short in stature, he climbed a tree to get a good view of Jesus. Jesus saw him and said, “Zacchaeus, come down quickly, for today I mean to stay at your house.” (Lk 19:5) He welcomed Jesus “with delight.” (19:6) On meeting Jesus he declared, “I give half my possessions, Lord, to the poor. If I have defrauded anyone in the least, I pay him back fourfold.” (19:8) Restitution is always a sign of repentance to make up for the damage caused by sin. Zacchaeus was moved by the Holy Spirit to recognize Jesus as the Messiah calling everyone to act justly in order to have peace. Jesus responded to Zacchaeus’ repentant gesture, “Today, salvation has come to this house, for this is what it means to be a child of Abraham. The Son of Man has come to save and search out what was lost.” (19:9) Only Jesus, who reconciled humanity and divinity within Himself, can save us by uniting us with Himself. But He can save you and me only if we repent, seek forgiveness, and make restitution for the damage caused by our sins. Today Jesus means to stay at your house. Are you ready? (frsos)
Pope Francis’ Five- Finger Prayer
Using the fingers on your right hand, start with the thumb and pray these intentions in this order.
( 1) The thumb is the closest finger to you. So start praying for those who are closest to you. They are the people easiest to remember. To pray for our dear ones is a “ Sweet Obligation.”
( 2 ) The next finger is the index. Pray for those who teach you, instruct you and heal you. They need the support and wisdom to show direction to others.
( 3 ) The following finger is the tallest. It reminds us of our leaders, the governors and those who have authority. They need God’s guidance.
( 4 ) The fourth finger is the ring finger. Even though it may surprise you, it is our weakest finger. It should remind us to pray for the weakest, the sick or those plagued by problems.
( 5 ) And finally we have our little finger, the smallest of all. This finger should remind you to pray for yourself. When you have finished praying for others, you will be able to see your own needs but in the proper perspective, and you will be able to pray for your own needs in a better way.
PADRE PIO’S PRAYER AFTER HOLY COMMUNION
Stay with me, Lord, because I am weak, and I need your strength,
Stay with me, Lord, because you are my life, and without you, I am without fervour.
Stay with me, Lord, because you are my light, and without you, I am in darkness.
Stay with me, Lord, so that I may hear your voice and follow you.
Stay with me, Lord, so that I may be faithful to you.
Stay with me, Lord, for it is getting late and the day is coming to a close,
Stay with me, Lord, and let me recognise you in this Holy Communion
as the disciples did at the breaking of bread. Stay with me, Lord, because
at the hour of my death, I want to remain united to you. Stay with me, Lord,
because I love you and ask no other reward but to love you on earth and during all eternity. Amen.
Prayer for the week.
God of all seasons, we thank you for Autumn.
We thank you for the touch of coolness in the air that gives us a new burst of energy,
for the colouring of trees that shows the creativity of the Divine Artist,
for the falling leaves that reveal the strength of the branches,
for the hues of fields that bring peace to our souls,
for the smiles on pumpkins that bring joy to children,
for the fall harvest which that brings us gratitude for the bounty of our land,
for this change of seasons that reveals the circle of life.
God of all seasons, as you transform the earth,
transform us by your Spirit.
Amen. – Doug Leonhardt, S.J.
BLESSING
May the Lord be your strength in times of weakness and your refuge in times of adversity.
May the Lord bless you with his protection so that whatever happens in your lives will work for your good.
May the Lord help you to walk in uprightness of heart and bring you to the joys of his kingdom.
REFLECTION
It is comforting to know that the road we are travelling
is marked by the feet of many holy people.
They have blazed a trail for us.
Nevertheless, we have to walk the path,
we have to make the journey.
The saints cant do it for us.
Lord, give us the courage to dare the journey.
May the example of the saints put wind in our sails,
and may their prayers bear us along the road to your kingdom.
Lady of Knock, Queen of Ireland. You gave hope to your people in times of distress and comforted them in their sorrow. You have inspired countless people to pray with confidence to your divine Son, remembering His promise - - “Ask and you shall receive, seek and you shall find”. At Cana in Galilee He worked his first miracle changing water into wine at the request of His Blessed Mother. Help us to remember that on this earth we are mere pilgrims on the road to meet our Heavenly Mother sometime. Fill us with love and concern for our brothers and sisters, especially those who live with us. Comfort us when we are sick, lonely or depressed. Teach us to take part more reverently in the Holy Mass. Give us a greater love for your son Jesus and His presence in the Blessed Sacrament.
Pray for us now and at the hour of our death – Amen
2016
The NBCC invites Black Catholics and all people of good will to join in a time of prayer and action. We believe in the power of prayer. We also believe that we must cooperate with how God will answer our prayers. HENCE, THE NBCC ASKS YOU TO JOIN US IN OFFERING THIS PRAYER FROM MONDAY, JULY 18TH TO MONDAY, AUGUST 15TH 2016:
O God, who gave one origin to all peoples and willed to gather from them one family for yourself, fill all hearts, we pray, with the fire of your love and kindle in them a desire for the just advancement of their neighbour, that, through the good things which you richly bestow upon all, each human person may be brought to perfection, every division may be removed, and equity and justice may be established in human society.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.
Living with nature
One of the great advantages of living in the countryside is the fact that we are close to nature all the time. I am fortunate that I have a beautiful view out of my back window taking in from Tulig and Sugar Hill, through Cratloe and up to Knocknaboul, the Cnoceens and Keal. Where once there was bogland there is now an abundance of trees and wild plants that give a natural home to many wild creatures. Just below the house we have a fox that comes to feed on stuff left out at night. There is also a badger and his family. Unfortunately, every so often one of them gets run over crossing the road. The pheasant can be heard and of course the Cuckoo this time of year. Hares and rabbits can also be seen and we get an occasional visit from a herd of deer that roam the woodlands over as far as Rooskagh. I have watched the deer grazing in the morning early. There are usually 14 or 15 of them and as they graze two of them are on lookout. After a while those two will lower their heads and two others will take their place. I was amazed at their sheer size when I first saw them The slightest noise startles them and they rush off jumping fences like Arkle.
The back garden is full of all kinds of birds from beautiful finches and tits to ugly greyback crows. Four magpies gather on the lawn in the morning and, standing facing each other, they seem to be discussing their strategy for the day. They are quite loud and don’t seem to fear anything. On a misty morning the place is alive with cobwebs. They are so pretty in the early morning light with the little beads of water shining like jewels. I read somewhere that there are over 2,000 spiders in the average back garden. If they weren’t there we would be overrun by flies and midges and they are harmless though many people have a phobia about them. When I was young they were in every room in the house. They made their webs up in the corners of the ceiling and because the doors were open all day there was a plentiful supply of flies and insects to be trapped.
In those days there were animals all around the house. Apart from cows and calves, most houses kept a goat, a donkey, pigs, turkeys, geese, ducks and hens. Some houses kept Guinea hens, a smaller type of fowl. The hens would often wander into the kitchen, flying over the half-door and it was a full time job hunting them out. Dogs and cats co-habited with ease. The cat was there to keep down the mice that usually found there way into the flower and meal bins and the terrier worked outside hunting down rats. The sheepdog had an easy life and was only called into action twice a day to round up the cattle.
Bugs and beetles of all kinds wandered around the floor and the air was full of honey bees, wasps, dragon flies and butterflies. We just took them all for granted, all except the fleas that sometimes invaded the beds. If one of those parasites was found the DDT would be produced and war was declared. Another parasite that caused us a bit of bother was the “sciortán” (excuse the spelling). This mite made his home in the hay and of course we were always playing in the hay barn. You wouldn’t know one of them was on you until it was too late and the bloodsucker had swelled to about 10 time his normal size. No harm came of the bite though it was a bit of a shock to discover one feasting away on the body.
Some birds are no longer to be found locally, such as the corncrake and the plover or “pilibín” as we used to call them. The wild honey bee is now in danger of extinction as well due to disease so conservation policies are to be welcomed.
To live in harmony with other creatures on this planet is a privilege and a joy. They enrich our lives and keep a balance to our existence.
Domhnall de Barra
Kelly Band
https://churchpop.com/2016/04/14/blessed-mother-saved-young-rock-stars-life/
His music group has sold over 50 million records worldwide.
At twenty years old he was a teenage sensation, a huge rock star and lived in a 17th century castle in Europe He had all the riches, fame, fortune and the adulation of millions.
His name is Paddy Kelly.
His band, The Kelly Family, sold out the huge Westtaleanhalle in Dortmund, Germany nine times in a row. A feat no other musician has since accomplished. They filled football stadiums, some shows with over 250,000.
[See also: 7 Secular Rock Bands that Have Surprisingly Catholic Songs]
[See also: The Greatest Latin Mass Musical Setting Was Composed by… a Protestant?]
He was born in Ireland to American parents. He has eleven brothers and sisters and most of them sang in the band. They started out singing in the streets of Europe, but quickly their incredible singing talents took them to the top. Paddy Kelly became a huge idol with adoring female fans. He needed body guards in public. He was hounded by paparazzi where ever he went and traveled by private jet and helicopters. He was recognized everywhere.
He “had it all.” But despite the fame and money he began to feel empty and isolated.
He felt lost. He felt his soul was dying.
Even with the love of his family, he began to fall into depression, even despair. He lost the sense of who he was and all his ideals and false securities began to break down. He felt like he wanted to end his life. Nothing made sense to him anymore. Material goods and money, not even his music made him happy.
This was when a deep search for the truth began. He asked himself, “If all this doesn’t make me happy then what is the sense of life. Why do I exist?” He eventually asked the question, “Who can tell me who I am? Who has the true answers to my questions?”
At a moment of deep crisis, standing on a ledge of his room, ready to kill himself, he sensed in him a voice telling him to “hold on, hold on,” and after this moment passed, he wept bitterly at what he had almost done.
Soon, after he began to search his spiritual side. He read about eastern religion like Buddhism, and even the Koran, but it was the Gospels that seemed to pull him in a new direction. He felt the Gospels were alive. At a chance meeting with a gathering of priests near his palatial home, he felt his spirit grow. Still, he struggled with depression and sadness.
Then one day, he was “zapping” his television and by chance he came across a program about Lourdes, the shrine dedicated to an apparition of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
His first thought was that shrines of the Virgin Mary were “only for blue-haired grandmothers and naive people who believe anything”. But he felt pulled to Lourdes like a magnet. He decided to go. But he was certain that the town would be filled with “horrible plastic statues” and would be no place for a “rock star” to find God. When he arrived at Lourdes, to his surprise not only were “gray haired grandmothers” praying the Rosary, but many young people dressed in a way he thought was “cool” and they liked rock and roll. He therefore joined the youth program.
Then that evening hanging out with the youth group there came a moment of “Prayer and Silence” and during that moment he felt a simple, yet deep peace in his heart. He was experiencing a deep presence of someone inside of him. Wow! He thought God is accessible and this came to him through the Blessed Virgin Mary. He realized that Mary was not some Christian myth, but a person.
He felt she was asking him to give life a second chance. He felt she wanted to help him and he no longer felt alone. He had grown up Catholic, but now he knew that he could meet God and that night he gave life a new chance. He decided to live his life according to God’s will. He knew Mary had planted the seed of faith in Lourdes and now he also knew only through prayer could his faith grow. As his spiritual quest moved forward, he found his brothers and sisters also saw that money and fame did not bring happiness.
A few years ago, he and two of his brothers and sisters decided to go to the youth festival in Medjugorje. Here he met Fr. Jozo and quickly through his words, counsel and abundance of graces a deep movement of conversion with God came to his brothers and sisters and in the months and years to follow. Through Mary, through Medjugorje, he finally came to know Jesus.
He believed that God existed, but he had not yet experienced the Holy Spirit in a deep and powerful way. He wanted to know if Jesus was truly the Son of Man. He wanted to believe it and not just tell himself so or because the Church said so. He wanted to feel the interior confirmation of the Holy Spirit. Then one morning the Holy Spirit entered his heart in a real way.
On a quiet sunny morning, the Holy Spirit came to him. He believed and then with great excitement he called his brothers and sister that he loved so much and said to them “Jesus is God, Jesus is God, Jesus is God!”
Today Paddy Kelly tours with his band bringing his joyful music and love of Mary to happy audiences around the world.
Listen to Paddy Kelly singing “Thanking Blessed Mary”
[See also: “I Was Wrong”: How the “Roe” of “Roe v. Wade” Converted to Catholicism]
[See also: This Agnostic Scientist Converted After Witnessing a Miracle at Lourdes]
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Stephen K. Ryan
Stephen K. Ryan
Stephen K. Ryan recently authored Amazon best selling novel, The Madonna Files and is a proud member of the International Thriller Writer’s society (ITW). Stephen is a member of the St. Louis Parish in Alexandria, VA and Chapter President of the Catholic Business Network of Northern Virginia. Stephen has worked in the investment industry for many years. He is now President of Alexa Pro Investment Advisors in Alexandria, Virginia. Stephen is married to Tania and they have two children, Andrew and Meredith.
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The moon was bright last night and it has dawned crisp and bright here in
downtown Asdee. What a difference the light makes! It takes a bit of time to
get over the evening news on television: they say “good evening “at the start
and then they go on to tell you all the reasons it isn’t a good evening. Homelessness, refugees..a shooting here....a bombing there. So the bright morning is welcome. The road to Littor Strand has daffodils.“And then my heart with pleasure fills and dances with the daffodils ”
Yesterday was a great day for a walk on the strand. The last high tide has done great damage to the shoreline, pulling trees onto the strand. I stood at a rock which is just at the left of where we enter the beach. It has changed so much over the years. When I was young it seemed so big. There were times and it was almost covered by sand. It was always known as Dexter’s Rock. The story goes that a man called Dexter who deserted the British Army in the mid nineteenth century used read his newspaper on that rock. The paper came from Limerick and might be weeks old. Nothing else is remembered of him. And those before and since that have walked by here and stood by here.... It is good to be out, no matter how short, to breathe the air...to be. John Moriarty memorably said, “If we keep our eyes open and our hearts clear, we can realise that life gives us adequate opportunities to experience both love and hope
God Help Us!
I watched the leaders debate on TV last night and thought it was much better than the first one, it left me deflated and worried about the future of this little country. The first debate on TV3 was a complete shambles with participants shouting each other down in a manner that would not be tolerated in senior infants! I asked myself the question – are these the best people to run the country? If this is the level of debate they are capable of producing then we should go cap in hand to England and ask them to take over again. They are patronising and give us the impression that we are mindless gombeens who will believe anything they tell us. They all promise things they know in their heart and soul they haven’t a chance in hell of keeping. If the best form of defence is attack then they have got it right but even then they are not believable. I am sick and tired of the constant attacks on Fianna Fáil, particularly by Enda Kenny. Yes, Fianna Fáil in government got it wrong but where were the opposition? Instead of attacking the government spending and warning about what was coming down the road they actually complained that there wasn’t enough money being spent. They should thank their lucky stars that they weren’t in power because, had they been, they would have done exactly the same as Fianna Fáil.
The Labour party sold its soul for power and are now going to pay the price and still Joan Burton, who will have a tough job getting herself re-elected, is trying to claim credit for the “recovery”. Fianna Fáil will not admit that there is no difference ideologically between themselves and Fine Gael. They are trying to portray themselves as the champions of the people yet their record in power is not good. Sinn Fein have the luxury of being untested in government so they can promise a better life for everyone and much like the other left wing parties and groupings, there are a lot of people out there who like their message and are ready to vote for an alternative type of administration. The problem is the cost of all the services that people expect for nothing. At the end of the day somebody has to pay. Curiously there is no mention of water charges. I thought it would be a big talking point but they all seem to have forgotten about it. The present administration are the only ones who haven’t promised to scrap Irish Water so, if there is a change, we will have one less bill to face. How will we then pay for the many repairs that are necessary to bring our water supply up to scratch?
The health service, or lack of same, is causing most problems. To his credit, Richard Boyd Barrett made a good point when he said that much of the problems in A & E departments was caused by the closing of units in local hospitals. Centres of excellence were supposed to be the answer but it doesn’t take a genius to work out that if you close down a service in one place, you create a backlog in another. There is no easy fix but, apart from the major parties promising more primary care, nobody has come up with a plausible solution. We are stuck between the British model which provides health care for all, and the American model where only those who can afford it get help. It is the biggest problem facing the incoming government, no matter what the make-up is. There is now, possibly for the first time, a real choice to be made between right and left wing politics.
If Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael had any sense they would form a coalition and have the numbers necessary to take the bold decisions necessary to get this country going. “Let’s keep the recovery going” is another slogan that is beginning to grate on the ear. In this neck of the woods we could ask “what recovery”? My uncle-in-law, Martin Keeffe, once said to me, “remember that Ireland finishes at the Red Cow”. He wasn’t too far wrong. Where are the jobs around here? Most of our young people are still in Australia, Canada or some other country because there is nothing here for them. SMEs are suffering from a lack of funding because the banks who were bailed out by us refuse to give them the necessary finance to develop their businesses. We still owe a big chunk of money to pay back our “friends” in Europe so let us tell it like it is. We are not yet out of the woods so it is no time for politicians to be promising the sun, moon and stars. We need statesmen and women like never before; people who will put the good of the nation before their own party, in other words we need real leaders. Listening to and looking at the “leaders” in last night’s debate, I am sorry to say that none of them are the real deal. It will be interesting to see how the election will go. Maybe Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael will eventually forget civil war differences and come together. Stranger things have happened.
“Reality is an illusion caused by the lack of alcohol”
The Heights, Number 5, 14 January 1944
Fr. O'Brien Speaks On:
Personalism and Problems of the Citizen In State
The Boston Regional meeting of the American Catholic Philosophical Association was held last Saturday at the Emmanuel College. Boston College was represented at the meeting by Rev. John A. O'Brien, S.J., who spoke on "Personalism and the Problems of the Individual in the State." The general theme of the meeting which was divided into a morning and afternoon sessions was "The Role of Philosophy in PostWar Reconstruction." At the morning session, presided over by Rev. Francis X. Meehan, of St. John's Seminary, Father O'Brien read his paper, and Rev. Thomas J. Riley of St. John's Seminary, read a
paper on "The Christian Concept of Law in the Post-War World." At the afternoon session, presided over by Professor Louis J. A. Mercier, Harvard University, a paper on "Catholicism and Modern Liberalism" was read by Professor Ralph B. Perry, Harvard University. Rev. John J. Wright, Diocesan House, presented a paper on "A Philosophy for the Times." Two Meanings of Word "Democracy" Father O'Brien, in his paper on "Personalism and the Problem of the Individual in the State," stressed the relation between Democracy and the Dignity of the Person. "Whether the word 'democracy' is taken in the sense of a form of government which is, 'a government of the people, by the people, and for the people.' said Father O'Brien,
PRAYER TO OVERCOME INDIFFERENCE
All too often, Lord, we turn away from the world’s many problems,
which seem too big, too complex, or too far away.
Forgive us our indifference.
It is easier, Lord, to see only what is around us:
our lives, our homes, our challenges.
Forgive us our isolation.
Help us to see with your eyes:
eyes which notice one another
and help us understand.
Help us to dream your dream:
of communities that reach out and dialogue
and where diverse people creatively cooperate.
Help us to be people of solidarity and action,
so moved by prayer, encounter, and understanding
that peace can become a reality.
Amen.
O Star-Flinging God: An Epiphany Prayer
O Star-flinging God,
whose light dances across eternity,
dazzle us into your presence
this new year.
Open our hearts to the mystery of your love.
Awaken us to your presence,
knit to the ordinary.
Reveal to us what is possible, but not yet present.
Heal us, that we might be healers.
Reconcile us to you and to ourselves,
that our living might be reconciling.
Stop us often, we pray
with news that is good
with hope that holds
with truth that transforms with a Word
tailored to this trail we're on.
May the word of your grace guide our steps
like the sun by day
and the north star by night,
as we travel into the gift of a new year. Amen.
— written by Glenn Mitchell, and posted on MINemergent’s Daily Communique.
Baptism of the Lord - celebrating all
Citizens Advice offer a lot of relevant advice about accessing support services - http://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/
- St Vincent de Paul offer practical support https://www.svp.ie/
- Aware support people struggling with depression http://www.aware.ie/
- Samaritans listen http://www.samaritans.org/
- MABs for money issues https://www.mabs.ie/contact-mabs/limerick/
A Prayer for the New Year
As we begin a new year, we wonder what it holds for us.
Let us put our hand in the hand of Christ, our Brother;
that will be better than a light,
and safer than a known way.
Lord, give us the kind of faith
that will enable us to live out joyfully
the mystery of our fragile human condition,
which sees us suspended between earth and heaven,
between time and eternity,
between nothingness and infinity.
Our wish for 2016
May the Lord keep your feet from stumbling and your heart from straying .
May the Lord turn the darkness into light before you, and rough places into level ground.
May the Lord guard your coming and going both now and for ever.
Epiphany Reflection
We cannot see the stars in the bright light of day,
but only in the darkness of night.
The Magi saw the star only because
they were not afraid to travel in the dark.
In a sense, all of us are night-time travellers.
However, we need no longer fear the darkness,
because with the coming of Christ
a light has come into the world,
a light that shines in the dark,
a light that no darkness can overpower.
John Wesley's New Years Day Covenant Prayer
I am no longer my own, but thine.
Put me to what thou wilt, rank me with whom thou wilt.
Put me to doing, put me to suffering.
Let me be employed by thee or laid aside for thee,
exalted for thee or brought low for thee.
Let me be full, let me be empty.
Let me have all things, let me have nothing.
I freely and heartily yield all things
to thy pleasure and disposal.
And now, O glorious and blessed God,
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit,
thou art mine, and I am thine. So be it.
And the covenant which I have made on earth,
let it be ratified in heaven. Amen
Words to the Wise
“Do all the good you can,
at all the times you can,
to all the people you can,
as long as ever you can,
Better People
Edited some words lost in transcript.
THOUGHT: Quite honestly, most people are quick to “write someone off.” But our God is a God of the second chance. Learn from One who is patient with you, and you’ll learn to be patient with others. Woodrow Kroll
Kindness by
Naomi Shihab Nye
Before you know what kindness really is you must lose things,
Feel the future dissolve in a moment like salt in a weakened broth
What you held in your hand,
What you counted and carefully saved,
All this must go
So you know how desolate the landscape can be
Between the regions of kindness.
How you ride and ride thinking the bus will never stop,
The passengers eating maize and chicken
Will stare out the window forever.
Before you learn the tender gravity of kindness,
You must travel where the Indian in a white poncho
Lies dead by the side of the road.
You must see how this could be your,
How he too was someone who journeyed through the night with plans
And the simple breath that kept him alive.
Before you know kindness as the deepest thing inside,
You must know sorrow as the other deepest thing.
You must wake up with sorrow.
You must speak to it till your voice catches the thread of all sorrows,
And you see the size of the cloth.
Then it is only kindness that makes sense anymore,
Only kindness that ties your shoes.
And sends you out into the day
To mail letters and purchase bread,
Only kindness that raises its head
From the crowd of the world
to say it is I you have been looking for,
And then goes with you every where like a shadow or a friend.
LIFE: Available for a limited time only.
Limit one (1) per person. Subject to change without notice.
Provided “as is” and without any warranties.
Non transferable and is the sole responsibility of the recipient.
May incur damages arising from use or misuse.
Additional parts sold separately. Your mileage may vary.
Subject to all applicable fees and taxes. Terms and conditions apply.
Other restrictions apply
Thomas Merton (1915-1968), the Trappist monk, author and activist, once wrote that one of his most intense experiences of humility took place on the corner of Fourth and Walnut in Louisville, Kentucky.
“In the center of the shopping district, I was suddenly overwhelmed with the realization that I loved all those people, that they were mine and I was theirs, that we could not be alien to one another even though we were total strangers” (Conjectures of a Guilty Bystander, Doubleday, New York” 1966). Merton went on to explain that although believers may bring a different attitude to the world and its struggles because we belong to God, we are no better than any one else, just more conscious. He suggested that if people could humbly look at one another and see one another for what we really are, i.e., members of the human race in which the great God almighty chose to become incarnate, then there would be no more arrogance, pride, war, hatred, poverty or greed. These human evils would fade before the humble realization of our shared blessedness.
Episcopal Ordination of Raymond Brown
Speaking Notes of Father Séamus O’Connell
Whatever else one can say about Martha in this gospel story we have just heard, she is not indifferent. Like the Good Samaritan whom we met last Sunday she sees the need of the other. She sees the need of Jesus and his disciples and, in compassion, opens her home to them. But unlike the Samaritan, Martha has her limits. Her frustration and fatigue show
themselves before the day is out. Like us all, she has her expectations
: she expects her sister to support her in serving and she expects Jesus to acknowledge what’s going on. But support she does not get! The Lord does not indulge her justified complaint. He doesn’t engage with it at all. He puts something else before her: the action of her sister, who, “was sitting at the Lord’s feet and listening to his word.” (Luke 10:39)
Martha and we are left open mouthed before Jesus. The tension is NOT resolved. And that tension reaches down into this Cathedral and into this Diocese today. Her fatigue is like the fatigue that characterizes being part of the Church in Ireland in these days and years. We are more like Martha than we think! We often feel that things have passed the Church by,
that the action is elsewhere, that people no longer remember or appreciate the huge work in education, the hospitals, the outreach, the service to emigrants, the heroic sacrifice of missionaries, in every corner of the globe, beautiful young women and men who literally gave everything for the sake of Christ and who in the latter part of the 19th century and especially all through the 20th
gave and gave and gave. That appears to have faded All that appears to be left is the memory and the hurt from the betrayals and failures. And failures there have been. And betrayals. We fool ourselves if we think that the leaching of life from the Church is to be ascribed solely to the horrific betrayals, and failures and the inaction which followed for so long. The real roots of the fatigue and of the lack of life in the Church in Ireland ... and indeed in
Europe lie elsewhere. They lie at the heart of what is happening between Martha and the Lord. Martha has her limits! Martha’s big and generous and strong heart has blinded her to another part of life Her generosity has blinded to the the other, to the guest. There is the person who is to be met. Martha is so busy giving that she cannot receive her guest. She is so preoccupied with looking after her guests, that she does not look at them.
She looks through them. But the Lord asks not just be served, but to be attended to Without attending to him, her serving makes little sense. Like in a marriage, the shared project, the shared activity, makes little sense without the shared life. You know what I mean. In the early
Summer of 1989, the Diocese of Stuttgart got a new bishop, just like ourselves. In his first pastoral letter which he titled, “A Letter to the Parishes of the Diocese,” that new bishop noted that without our own personal conversion, all the reforms even the most necessary and well intentioned will fail and, without our own personal renewal, will end in empty activism. Without listening to the Word, without discerning the will of God, without a spirit of adoration and without constant prayer, there will be neither renewal of the church nor new evangelisation in Europe. That was 24 years ago! What Bishop Walter Kasper had to say to the parishes of Stuttgart, still holds for parishes across Ireland today! In a way, that is what Jesus puts before Martha! And the Church was and is a community of Marthas! WE are a community of Marthas. But the Church in its fullness is a community of Marthas before the Lord. And here is the heart of the matter: before the
Lord. Jesus invites Martha to remain in his presence, to be present to him, as he is to her. What the Lord puts before Martha, is neither easy nor rapid. In the real world, change is slow, very slow and miracles have to be discerned. This still remains new territory for us in Ireland; this way of being Church. There are some who would say that the Church in Europe is broken and needs to be fixed. It might be wiser to say that Church in Ireland as we know it is leaving one place and the Lord is bringing us to a new place; the second reading today: ‘When you were dead ... God made you alive along with [Christ]’ (Col 2:13) It is God who does this, w ho brings us from death to life, from a dying Church to a living Church. The journey from death to life is not an easy journey for people in the real world. However, we are not alone: the Holy Spirit is in our hearts (see Romans 5:5) and our
Father in heaven gives the Spirit of the live giving Lord to all who ask (Luke 11:13; next Sunday’s gospel).Our diocese is under the patronage of St Brendan, a person of faith and courage who set out on uncharted waters. Today,in Brendan’s wake,Raymond Brown is ordained as Bishop of Kerry. It is a very important day for us. It is a day of joy and a day of hope for all of us who comprise the Body of Christ in this place.
Ray, you come to us as a person of significant pastoral experience and administrative skill, and more
as a person of integrity and openness, a person of faith, a man of gentleness and respect, compassion and concern. You are someone who will be able to build on the significant legacies of our bishops since the Council, and who will gather us and find a way with us, as we are brought
through these uncharted waters Today is a very important day for you too. As we say in Kerry, “You’re stuck with us!” In a real sense, God entrusts you to us; your life among us will be part of your way to eternal life (see Luke 10:25). These are big things, mysteries of faith. I pray that we may give you the welcome you deserve, that we may engage with you and be honest with you I have one thing to ask this day that God help us the realize that Providence is at work among us all. If the Lord is with the Church, then the way will be full of surprises, like the way of Jesus with the disciples.
A church which takes that way seriously is a church on the path to renewal. It is a Church which realizes that without Christ, there is no point in this endeavour. So let us not be afraid. Let us remember Bill Murphy’s Episcopal motto Nolite Timere Do not be afraid! Open, THROW OPEN the doors to Christ To his saving power.. Do not be afraid! Christ knows ‘what is in everyone’ [see John 2:25] ONLY HE knows it. The words of the 58 year old Karol Wojtya , in his inaugural homily as the newly elected Bishop of Rome in October 1978. The call of a saint, a saint of our time, a man of our age. May God who has begun this good work among us, bring it to completin.
Taken from book by Cecil B. Hartley published 1875
Even if convinced that your opponent is utterly wrong, yield gracefully, decline further discussion,
Retain, if you will, a fixed political opinion, yet do not parade it upon all occasions, Never interrupt anyone who is speaking; it is quite rude to officiously supply a name or date about which another hesitates, unless you are asked to do so. It is ill-bred to put on an air of weariness during a long speech from another person,
In a general conversation, never speak when another person is speaking, and never try by raising your own voice to drown that of another.
Never, unless you are requested to do so, speak of your own business or profession in social
In a dispute, if you cannot reconcile the parties, withdraw from them.
Never, during a general conversation, endeavor to concentrate the attention wholly upon yourself.
A man of real intelligence and cultivated mind is generally modest.
It is as great an accomplishment to listen with an air of interest and attention, as it is to speak well.
Never listen to the conversation of two persons who have thus withdrawn from a group.
Make your own share in conversation as modest and brief as is consistent with the subject under consideration. Speak of yourself but little
If you submit to flattery, you must also submit to the imputation of folly and self-conceit.
In speaking of your friends, do not compare them, one with another.
Avoid, in conversation all subjects which can injure the absent
Never notice it if others make mistakes in language.
In conversing with a foreigner who speaks imperfect English, listen with strict attention, yet do not supply a word, or phrase, if he hesitates Be careful in society never to play the part of buffoon,
Avoid boasting. To speak of your money, connections, or the luxuries at your command is in very bad taste.If you find you are becoming angry in a conversation, either turn to another subject or keep silence. Avoid, if you can, seeing the skeleton in your friend’s closet, but if it is paraded for your special benefit, regard it as a sacred confidence, and never betray your knowledge to a third party
Avoid gossip and flattery
By Brett & Kate McKay
A Pattern for Decision-Making: How to Apply the Story of Alvin C. York to Your Own Life
Alvin York was a religious man, with a decision to make that was religious in nature. But try to set aside the details of his faith and his dilemma in order to look at the broader pattern of how he grappled with his question in order to find an answer. Not all men will share York’s religious convictions, or face a choice that puts their faith and their citizenship at odds. But all men can benefit from following the same pattern of answer-seeking when faced with the tough, weighty questions of life. I’m not talking about questions that can be figured out by drawing up a list of pros and cons, like which car to buy or even what to major in (that question can feel weighty at the time, but often doesn’t affect your future as much as you think it will).
Rather I’m talking about the questions that come with profound consequences, the ones that tear you in two – difficult dilemmas where making a decision seems both scary and nearly impossible. You got your girlfriend pregnant and now you’re discussing different options: abortion, adoption, keep the baby? Should you drop out of medical school to start your own business? Should you pull the plug on your comatose wife? Is your girlfriend “the one,” and should you ask her to marry you? Should you join the military or go to grad school?
When faced with a big question where you’re not sure what to do, find your answer by following the pattern of discovery that York laid out:
1. Sort through your motivations.
Before York could even consider what he needed to do, he had to make sure he honestly understood the motivations that had created the dilemma in the first place and were driving him towards each option. He knew he wasn’t scared of violence, and when he looked within he didn’t find that he feared being killed or resented having to leave his old life behind. He could truthfully say that it really was a matter of his faith conflicting with his patriotism.
Oftentimes, we come up with false reasons for settling on certain options. We say that a path just isn’t practical, when we’re really worried about disappointing our parents. We cherry-pick a religious justification as a reason for not doing something, when really we’re just scared to do it or can’t bear to put the responsibility for the decision on ourselves. But before we can choose between different options, we need to honestly understand and assess why we’ve chosen those possible paths in the first place.
2. Ask others for advice.
The first thing York did was to seek counsel about his dilemma from his pastor and mentor. But had he stopped there, with the man who headed the church that preached that war was wrong, his perspective wouldn’t have been very balanced. Instead, he also discussed the issue with Major Buxton, a man who had reconciled his faith with a professional military career. This gave York a look at both sides of the coin.
As you seek an answer to a difficult question, try to gather as much information about the situation and your options as you can. You want to make as informed a decision as possible. One part of this “research” phase is asking for feedback from friends, family, and mentors. They may have a perspective to share that you hadn’t thought of and can help you see your options and beliefs in a different light. If you can find someone to talk to who has been through a very similar situation, all the better. Other people can’t ultimately tell you what to do (and don’t let them – notice that York ultimately made the decision on his own), but they can add greatly to your understanding of the pros and cons and likely consequences of your decision, and what other people might do if they were in your shoes.
3. Study the question out.
Besides asking others for advice, the other part of the information-gathering phase is to study the question as much as possible. This may mean reading your scriptures like York did, and as well as reading the biographies of men who came to the same kind of crossroads. You may want to tuck into a treatise of philosophy, or read up on the city you’re thinking of moving to. If you’re grappling with a medical question, this will mean not only talking to your doctor, but getting a second opinion, and perhaps looking over research studies that have been done on the subject as well. Do your part to gather all of the relevant information available to you so that you can be sure you are making a completely informed decision.
4. Ponder what you have learned.
York spent hours walking through the woods and mulling over what he had studied and what others had shared with him. Do likewise. As you gather as much information about your different options as you can, take time to ponder what you’ve learned. When you read something or talk to someone, what leaves you feeling empty and confused? What feels like it illuminates your mind or makes your heart swell?
5. Pray/meditate in solitude to make the decision.
Even after months of talking it over, pondering, studying, and praying, York felt no clearer about what to do than when his draft card first arrived in the mail. This is typical of big decisions. The research phase of the process may make you better informed, but it won’t necessarily illuminate the right answer in neon lights. For this reason, people often get stuck in the information-gathering phase, both hoping that talking to just one more person will suddenly make things crystal clear, and also fearing to finally pull the trigger.
But once you’ve thoroughly examined the question from all sides, the research phase must come to an end. It’s time to make a decision.
Once you’re ready to receive your answer, you would be well served to follow York’s example of finding a place of quiet and solitude where you won’t be interrupted and can be alone with your thoughts. The stillness of nature provides a perfect setting.
If you’re not a theist, at least of the variety that believes in communication between God and man, then spend your time in solitude meditating on your decision, trying to locate within yourself what you really believe is the
If you are a theist, you’ve probably been praying all along for guidance and wisdom. Now is the time to really plead with God to show you which path to take. Unlike York, I personally believe in not asking the open-ended question of “What should I do?” but rather coming to your own decision based on the studying and pondering you’ve done, and then presenting that choice to God for confirmation or rejection. Do you feel a sense of peace and assurance in your heart like York did, or do you feel a numbness or dullness and a continuation of your confusion?
Whether you use meditation or prayer as the avenue to reach an answer to your question, I believe you can know you’re on the right path when both your heart and mind are in agreement. Each alone can led a man astray. But when they are aligned, you’ve usually found your answer.
6. Move forward with confidence.
It’s important to note that even after York’s inspirational mountaintop experience, doubts about his decision still came to him occasionally. In fact, as soon as he got back to boot camp he found himself wondering again if he was doing the right thing, and even got another letter inquiring about his desire for CO status – talk about temptation to open up the issue all over again! And when he got over to Europe and had to do bayonet drills on dummies, he questioned whether he could really do the same thing to another man. But York didn’t let those occasional doubts get in the way of doing his duty; he would pray and reflect on the answer he had already received and then keep pressing forward. He continued to confidently embrace his choice and strive to be the best soldier he could rather than existing in a state of ambiguity and just getting by. Through his determination, a man who first said, “I don’t want to fight,” became a leader of other men and the hero of the war.
Even if you feel absolutely sure of your decision, you’ll still question yourself sometimes about it just like York did. That’s completely normal. But you can’t retreat from your decision and go back to straddling the fence and constantly asking “what if?” Fence-sitters end up with one piece of themselves down one road and another piece down another; they fail to progress and miss out on the benefits that walking fully down either path would have brought them. Instead, when you have times of doubt, simply reflect upon the decision-making process you already went through to get where you are; if the conditions upon which you made your decision have not radically changed, feel assured that you made the right choice and move forward. That’s what’s so powerful about this process, rather than just making a big decision will-nilly by default, you can always look back and know you did all you could do to come to the best decision possible and continue to embrace that choice and live with confidence.
Source:Sgt. York: His Life and Legacy by Joh
Tony Campolo recalls a deeply moving incident that happened in a Christian junior high camp where he served. One of the campers, a boy with spastic paralysis, was the object of heartless ridicule. When he would ask a question, the boys would deliberately answer in a halting, mimicking way. One night his cabin group chose him to lead the devotions before the entire camp. It was one more effort to have some "fun" at his expense. Unashamedly the spastic boy stood up, and in his strained, slurred manner - each word coming with enormous effort - he said simple, "Jesus loves me - and I love Jesus!" That was all. Conviction fell upon those junior highers. Many began to cry. revival gripped the camp. Years afterward, Campolo still meets men in the ministry who came to Christ because of that testimony.
Tony C
By Brett and Kate McKay
the Klondike with the first rush of gold-seekers. His adventure in the North would create the fodder for many of his most popular articles and books.
At age 22: Charles Darwin signed on as the HMS Beagle’s Brett & Kate McKay
At age 20: Plato became a disciple of Socrates, This relationship paved the way for Plato to develop new ways of thinking that would eventually become cornerstones of Western thought.
At age 21: Jack London set sail for naturalist for a five-year voyage to South America and the Galapagos Islands. Although his father had told him not to go, saying it would be a waste of time, the copious notes and observations Darwin made and the collection of specimens he gathered on the journey would lead him to develop his theory of evolution
At age 25: Future mythologist Joseph Campbell rented a shack in Woodstock, NY and engaged in rigorous and intensive independent study, reading the classics for nine hours a day, for five years straight.
At age 26: “Johnny Appleseed” brought apple seeds to the Ohio Valley. Yes, he was literally planting seeds in his twenties.
At age 27: Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. quit his job at General Electric to become a full-time writer and Henry David Thoreau went off for two years to live alone in a cabin at Walden Pond.
But You Didn’t
I thought you’d see me but you didn’t
I said “I love” and waited for what you would say
I thought you’d hear me but you didn’t
I asked you to come outside and play ball with me
I thought you’d follow me but you didn’t
I draw a picture just for you to see
I thought you’d save it but you didn’t
I made a fort for us back in the woods
I thought you’d camp with me but you didn’t
I found some worms for us to go fishin
I thought you’d want to go but you didn’t
I needed you just to talk to – my thoughts to share
I thought you’d want to but you d
I told you about the game hoping you’d be there
I thought you’d surely come but you didn’t
I asked you to share my youth with me
I thought you’d want to but you couldn’t
My country called me to war
You asked me to come home safely
But I didn’t……………….
"We'll all be rooned," said Hanrahan,
"We'll all be rooned," said Hanrahan,
In accents most forlorn,
Outside the church, ere Mass began,
One frosty Sunday morn.
The congregation stood about,
Coat-collars to the ears,
And talked of stock, and crops, and drought,
As it had done for years.
"It's looking crook," said Daniel Croke;
"Bedad, it's cruke, me lad,
For never since the banks went broke
Has seasons been so bad."
"It's dry, all right," said young O'Neil,
With which astute remark
He squatted down upon his heel
And chewed a piece of bark.
And so around the chorus ran
"It's keepin' dry, no doubt."
"We'll all be rooned," said Hanrahan,
"Before the year is out."
"The crops are done; ye'll have your work
To save one bag of grain;
From here way out to Back-o'-Bourke
They're singin' out for rain.
"They're singin' out for rain," he said,
"And all the tanks are dry."
The congregation scratched its head,
And gazed around the sky.
"There won't be grass, in any case,
Enough to feed an ass;
There's not a blade on Casey's place
As I came down to Mass."
"If rain don't come this month," said Dan,
And cleared his throat to speak -
"We'll all be rooned," said Hanrahan,
"If rain don't come this week
A heavy silence seemed to steal
On all at this remark;
And each man squatted on his
And chewed a piece of bark.
"We want an inch of rain, we do,"
O'Neil observed at las
But Croke "maintained" we wanted two
To put the danger past.
"If we don't get three inches, man,
Or four to break this drought,
We'll all be rooned," said Hanrahan,
"Before the year is out."
In God's good time down came the rain;
And all the afternoon
On iron roof and window-pane
It drummed a homely tune.
And through the night it pattered still,
And lightsome, gladsome elves
On dripping spout and window-sill
Kept talking to themselves.
It pelted, pelted all day long,
A-singing at its w
Till every heart took up the song
Way out to Back-o'-Bourke.
And every creek a banker ran,
And dams filled overtop;
"We'll all be rooned," said Hanrahan,
"If this rain doesn't stop."
And stop it did, in God's good time;
And spring came in to fold
A mantle o'er the hills sublime
Of green and pink and gold.
And days went by on dancing feet,
With harvest-hopes immense,
And laughing eyes beheld the whea
Nid-nodding o'er the fence.
And, oh, the smiles on every face,
As happy lad and lass
Through grass knee-deep on Casey's place
Went riding down to Mass.
While round the church in clothes genteel
Discoursed the men of mark,
And each man squatted on his heel,
And chewed his piece of bark.
"There'll be bush-fires for sure, me man,
There will, without a doubt;
We'll all be rooned," said Hanrahan,
"Before the year is out.
In 2008, St Mel's Parish in Narrandera is planning a major celebration for the Centenary of the Parish and the 130th anniversary of the birth of Father Hartigan.
Pat’s Corner Oct. 2012
Mental Health Week
This week has been designated mental Health Week and World Mental Health Day falls on this Wednesday October 10th. It is very important for all of us to remember that in any community the mental health of its residents is a top priority. If there are individuals who are in any way subject to the various forms of mental illness then it is obvious that the earlier the problem is tackled the better chance there is of making a full recovery. There are of course in some cases, even in children, early signs of mental instability some of which is caused by certain conditions some of which are genetic in origin and which can only be diagnosed by medical experts in this particular field. These would be in the category of mental deficiency, mental subnormality, mental retardation which were formerly used in relation to these affected people, children or adults, and which is now for the most part described as those with special needs. But what we are looking at here is children who were perfectly normal when they were born and who developed a mental health problem at a later age. Whether this would be due to an acquired phobia or to some physical illness when they were young or to some other factor in their early environment would have to be investigated individually as everybody is different.
Mental illness can take many different forms, those who become withdrawn and can no longer take part in ordinary social activities to some who become over energetic and take major risks with their lives, showing off for instance how fast they can drive a car or take part in other high risk adventures. There are others who sometime have developed an inferiority complex which puts them at a disadvantage in many ways. Then of course there is the major problem of depression which if neglected in the early stages can develop and thereby very often lead to very serious consequences. Mental illness and depression can strike a person at any age, but generally young people in their teens and early twenties can be affected as those in this age category often appear to be the most vulnerable. Persons of that age who show any symptoms of depression or unusual behaviour need close attention and treatment if that is necessary. There are also some young people and indeed older as well who because of their unstable mental condition are easily led into taking part in vandalism , anti-social behaviour and petty crime or even more serious instances of law breaking. which lands them in court. Unfortunately some Police Officers, Prosecuting Attorneys and even Judges do not always take the mental condition of a defendant into account when imposing a prison sentence on a defendant. A few years ago it was revealed that more than half the prisoners in a certain prison were afflicted with some form or another of mental sub normality or psychiatric illness. Quite obviously their place was in a psychiatric institution which would be far more beneficial to those concerned and their families and in the overall far less expensive to the State than having them incarcerated in an unsuitable prison. By all accounts, according to some media reports the ratio of prison officers in relation to the number of prisoners they are looking after is extremely high when compared to the ratio of staff to patients in psychiatric institutions where the figure is far lower. Even in my own time on the nursing staff of psychiatric hospitals in England it was not unusual for a nurse, student nurse or nursing assistant to be put in charge of a ward on night duty at the time in which there were 30, 50 or even more patients. Some new staff at Aston Hall Hospital including myself back in 1957 after working on day duty for a couple of months were then thrown in at the deep end and given charge of a ward on night duty with no worthwhile experience whatsoever and just a couple of visits from the night superintendent while we were having our tea and sandwiches. And yet we coped and the hospital kept functioning in spite of an acute shortage of qualified nurses in England at the time. But the point which one would like to make is why are there so many mentally ill patients 30%, 40% or even 50% of mentally ill patients being kept in prison when they ought to be accommodated in a psychiatric unit at a fraction of the cost. It does not even make economic sense and a prison anyway is no place for a mentally ill patient. When people develop a psychiatric condition of any kind or become depressed it is at this early stage that they need professional help and understanding by their families and relatives before the condition becomes chronic which if neglected first by the patients themselves and then by their families the risks can then become evident and tragic events can sometimes follow. But the worst part of this is that depression can sometimes go unnoticed until a tragedy of some kind happens. Another very important factor in the treatment of depression or any other form of mental illness is to consult the right professional people when undergoing treatment who have the experience to tackle the problem. Limerick Fine Gael TD Dan Neville drew attention to the risk of patients going to the wrong sources looking for a cure as under present legislation anybody can set themselves up as a mental health therapist or counsellor without any qualification whatsoever. As Dan Neville pointed out people who are concerned about their own or a relative’s mental health should stay clear of such bogus therapists, because this so called treatment is likely to do the person more harm than anything else. Such kind of chancers are often likely to charge a hefty fee for their so-called services which causes more stress and disappointment to patients and their families. There is no comparison however between these people and helpful friends and neighbours who often spend hours with mentally ill patients out of the goodness of their hearts trying to help and encourage them in any way they can. That is really what Mental Health Week and World Mental Day, Wednesday of this week, is all about, when everyone in their own way and as far as they are able will do their best to help all those who are distressed with an unfortunate mental condition, patients should be always encouraged to help themselves as far as possible in a kindly and gentle manner and not fobbed off by a dismissive casual unfeeling “pull yourself together” slogan. So let us celebrate World Mental Health Day in a true spirit of concern and consideration for those who are afflicted with mental illness of any kind and let us all hope and pray that they will find comfort and consolation in their lives.
Congress XI... Called to be Saints!
By Father Stephen Thorne
One of the blessings of my life as the pastor of Saint Martin de Porres Catholic Church in Philadelphia is to minister in our school. We have over 400 children who keep the principal and faculty very busy. This past Lent I led every homeroom on a "Church Tour". You can imagine the questions and comments I received as these inquisitive children entered this great House of God. Our Church is a huge gothic styled building over 100 years old. Over and over again I was asked, "what's that'? But one question really inspired me…. "Father Steve, who are those people in the window"? My immediate answer was, "They are the saints!" Then an innocent response came back to me… "What is a saint"? Inspired by the Holy Spirit, I simply said, "A saint is one who lets the light shine through and you and I are called to be saints".
Indeed, that is exactly what the eleventh National Black Catholic Congress was all about. We are ALL called to be saints…holy laity, holy consecrated religious women and men, holy seminarians, deacons, priests and bishops.
We gathered in Indianapolis, Indiana for Congress from July 19-21 at the JW Marriott Hotel. Over 2500 came to pray, learn, and discuss our theme: "Faith Engaged: Empower. Equip.Evangelize". What a challenge for us to have our Faith truly be engaged and enlivened that we might invite others to share our joy as Catholics and become saints.
A driving force for this Congress was the National Black Catholic Survey, which both inspired and challenged us. The Survey offered good news that African Americans Catholics are engaged in their Faith. However, we must do more. The Survey led to many discussions before the Congress as many Dioceses led a Day of Reflection. The results of the Days of Reflection and the Study Sessions at Congress led to a draft of
As Catholics, the Eucharist is the "source and summit' of our worship and our faith. That being the case, the Celebration of the Holy Mass was a major part of our Congress experience. So many people were inspired to see so many deacons, priests and bishops in the procession. The Mass Choir, under the leadership of Aaron Thompson, had us all singing and clapping. The Opening Mass was celebrated by Bishop Edward Braxton of Belleville, Illinois. In his homily Bishop Braxton challenged us to pray, study and act as faithful Catholics in the Church and the world. The Second Mass was offered by His Eminence, Cardinal Daniel Di Nardo, Archbishop of Galveston-Houston. The Closing Mass celebrated the youth and the vitality of the African American Catholic community, as the youngest African American Bishop, Bishop Shelton Fabre, Auxiliary Bishop of New Orleans was the celebrant. Father Christopher Rhoades, a newly ordained priest of the Archdiocese of Louisville was the homilist. Bishop Fabre was joined by young deacons, seminarians and altar servers. What a powerful way to end Congress!
Other major highlights of Congress were the General Sessions. Father Reginald Whitt, OP, PhD, spoke on the "Challenge to be Black and Catholic." Another powerful moment at Congress was the Keynote Speech, which featured Immaculee Ilibagiza. This world renowned speaker challenges us to forgive and love as God loves us. Her testimony of survival and forgiveness from the genocide in Rwanda inspired us all. The workshops and other presentation filled our minds and kept us busy all day. Our evenings were filled with a Gospel Concert and a powerful Healing Service. The Healing Service, led by Father Joseph Ssemakula, was a spirit-filled event that touched many hearts and souls.
Congress XI marked the 25th Anniversary of the renewed Congress movement. Many have participated in all six of the Congresses since 1987. In a spirit of celebration, Congress XI offered the first ever "Servant of Christ Award" to dozens of outstanding leaders in the African American Catholic community. Their stories of service and charity were so powerful and inspiring. Bishop Terry Steib of Memphis led the Ceremony and was joined by Valerie Washington, Executive Director of the NBCC as each recipient receive a very handsome crystal award.
Not only was Congress a time to celebrate, pray and learn, we also left Indianapolis with a draft of a Pastoral Plan, which was enthusiastically affirmed by all participants on Saturday. The young people of Congress also developed a Pastoral Plan and presented it to the assembly. After some final edits and reviews from the people of Congress, the Pastoral Plan is ready to use a framework, a guidepost for evangelization in the African American Catholic community. All of us all called to take this Plan to heart and apply it our particular diocese, parish, school and community. It is a good document, which offers great insights to pastoral issues of our Church and Community. (View the Pastoral Plan)
A person who attended Congress XI from the Archdiocese of Philadelphia described her experience like the moment of Transfiguration in Gospel. She said, "Father, it was truly good to be at Congress, it was a great spiritual experience, but now we must come down the mountain, walk with our Lord and do some wor
We are Black and Catholic. We are a gift to the Church. We are called to be saints!
Download Congress XI Pastoral Plan of Action and visit the photos web site to purchase Congress XI photos, DVD's and Rosary pamphlets:
Reverend Stephen D. Thorne is a priest of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia and currently serves a Pastor of Saint Martin de Porres Catholic Church. He has participated in all of the Congresses since 19
Here are six tips on how you can keep from ruining your summer.
1. Think about where you will find the sacraments during the summer.
Find the closest parishes and check times for Sunday Mass, weekday Masses, and Confession. Put these times into your weekly schedule. Summers are great times to pick up new habits!
2. Plan on a time to pray each day.
Whether you are having some amazing new experiences or are faced with a mundane summer lifestyle, prayer can help you reflect on what God is trying to teach you through it all. Be sure to spend time each day in the classroom of silence. For tips on how to start a habit of prayer, check out this guide.
3. Pick out any books for spiritual reading
I know wasting time on Facebook is important, but why not give yourself something that will truly fill you up. Here are three recommendations: Interior Freedom, The Virtues of Holiness, or The Way.
4. Seek out virtuous friends.
Scripture tells us, “A faithful friend is a sturdy shelter; he who finds one finds a treasure” (Sirach 6:14). It can be tough to leave the college and all of the friendships you have behind. It can be even harder to come home where old friendships can bring back old temptations. While it is important to reach out to your friendship back home, find virtuous friends who will help you strive for greatness in your spiritual life.
5. Find a group of 10-12 people to reach out to.
St. Francis of Assisi tells us that “it is in giving of ourselves that we receive.” Summer is a great time to learn how to lead a Bible study outside the college campus. Could you do a BBQ Bible study or help out with your parish’s youth group? Are there other service opportunities that you could take part in and invite others to?
6. Think about campus outreach for next fall.
If you begin thinking about campus outreach for the fall, you will be that much more prepared when the time comes. Can you pray for your campus? Can you call those who you are in discipleship with? Can you talk to your FOCUS missionaries on what you can do to
We know that being Catholic is not about being part of a club, but being adopted into the Family of God, the Church. And that is not something that we ever take a summer vacation from!
The habits you form and the work you do could affect you for a lifetime!
Question: What are some habits you want to develop this summer? What are some challenges you will face?
WALK: Just came across these few lines recently “You’ve had a long hard day at home or at work – you’re stressed, tired and not interested in doing much or maybe you’re out of work at the moment, bored, worried, frustrated and running out of options when it comes to paying the bills. Either way there’s something at your disposal which costs nothing, is a natural anti-depressant, lowers cholesterol and high blood pressure and releases feel-good hormones in your brain. This is no “wonder drug” with unpleasant side effects, it’s the simple act of ‘Walking’. Because it’s so simple we underestimate just how effective it can be in maintaining and restoring good health. We are designed to move about! The benefits have surpassed those derived from taking anti-depressants, without any of the side effects. In other words turn off the TV or computer for an hour or two and get outdoors instead – as they say in hail, rain or snow! And what about it if you do get wet – it won’t harm us. It’s great to see many parents with their kids these day doing the ring on their bikes and cyclists have really multiplied in numbers. There’s a great sociability in walking or cycling but also it can be a great time for contemplation”
Marriage
She is attractive, of course, but is that her chief asset? (Try to imagine her ten years from today.)
Do you want her because she is popular–because other men have wanted her? (Don’t be a copy-cat!)
Could you spend seven consecutive evenings in her company without being bored? (If the answer is affirmative, it is a good sign.)
Do you have similar tastes in most things?
Is she a good sport?
Is she reasonably healthy?
Is she a flirt? Does she make you jealous? (Decide whether you can stand the strain; your jealously will persist until you grow indifferent.)
Are you constantly irritated by some small mannerism of hers? (You can’t be terribly in love.)
Does she tell lies? Do you mind?
Is she a nag?
Is she quarrelsome? (The Bible warns, “It is better to dwell in a corner of the housetop than with a brawling woman in a wide house.”)
Is she hard on other people? (Don’t judge by her behavior to you.)
Is she trying to reform you? How do you feel about being reformed?
Has she tried to boss you? (Maybe you need a boss.)
Would she put up with all your faults if she knew them?
When you quarrel, who capitulates first? (A combination of two stubborn mules is bad.)
Do you agree on children, or a career, or both? (Better settle this beforehand.)
Does she expect you to support her in a definite style? Could you count on her cooperation in hard times? Would she go to work
Will she help you get ahead? Or will she pull you away from your work?
Can she handle money?
If you marry her, will you also be marrying her family?
Does she let you get around to see your old pals? (If you have been too infatuated to notice, make it a point of finding out.)
Are you proud to present her to your friends? (If not, reconsider.)
Do you hope to reform her? (Give up the idea. People change, but not according to plan.)
Do you know her faults? Are you willing to live with them?
Do you still think her perfect? (You’re wrong, of course, but marry!)
St Ita also known as the Brigid of Munster is associated with the parish of Kileedy and is one of the co-patrons of the diocese of Limerick. January 15th is her feast day,
St Ita, the patron saint of Killeedy, was born before 484AD in County Waterford, in .he Tramore area. Her father was Cennfoelad or Confhaola and her mother was Necta. Cennfoelad was descended from Felim the lawgiver. Ita's name was originally Dorothea or Deirdre. She was a member of the Déisí tribe. Ita refused her father's wish that she should marry a local chieftain, as she believed that she had a calling from God and wanted to become a nun. To convince her father to change his mind, she fasted for three days and three nights. On the third night, God gave out to her father in his sleep. The next morning, Cennfoelad agreed that Ita could do as she wished. At the age of sixteen, Ita set off on her journey. Bishop (St.) Declan of Ardmore conferred the veil on her. Legend has it that Ita was lead to Killeedy by three heavenly lights. The first was at the top of the Galtee mountains, the second on the Mullaghareirk mountains and the third at Cluain Creadhail, which is nowadays Killeedy. Her sister Fiona also went to Killeedy with her and became a member of the community. Ita was welcomed to Killeedy by the local chieftain of the Ui Conaill Gabhra tribe.
THOUGHTS: Talk slowly but think quickly.
When someone asks you a question you don't want to answer, smile and ask, ' Why do you want to know?'
Remember that great love and great achievements involve great risk.
When you lose, don't lose the lesson!
Remember the three R's: Respect for self; Respect for others;
and responsibility for all your actions.
Don't let a little dispute injure a great friendship..
When you realize you've made a mistake, take immediate steps to correct it.
Smile when picking up the phone.
by Friar Jack Wintz, O.F.M.
Near the end of his life, Anthony of Padua composed a collection of sermons or “sermon notes.” Having been an outstanding theology teacher and preacher for much of his life, Anthony wanted to help his Franciscan confreres in their preaching ministry. He wrote these so-called “sermon notes” for the benefit of his brothers.
In this E-spiration, I want to share with you some passages or notes of St. Anthony’s sermons.
Sunlight Reveals Dir
Let me begin with this short passage from one of Anthony’s sermons:
“When it is dark, we do not see how dusty and dirty our house is. Only when the place is flooded with sunlight do we realize its awful condition. So we need the light of God’s grace to show us the real state of our soul and to induce us to clean up our hearts!”
Reflection: Anthony’s words inspire us to pause and reflect on how closely we do—or do not—measure up to Christ, who is our shining model in all things. But Jesus’ light is not simply a light that exposes our darkness and shortcomings or puts us in touch with our guilt. Jesus’ light is also a warm flood of comforting sunlight and forgiveness that replaces our darkness and wraps us in God’s healing
Ballybunion Sea & Cliff Rescue was founding in 1986 to provide a rescue service to the locality.
The unit, manned by volunteers, is situated on the Ladies Beach in Ballybunion.
The unit, equipped with a D class inflatable boat and an Atlantic 21 boat, covers the coast and Shannon Estuary from Ballyheigue, Co Kerry to Foynes, Co. Limerick, and inland to Abbeyfeale, Co Limerick.
As well as providing 24x7 Sea & Cliff Rescue, the volunteers also provide First Aid and Ambulance assistance at a handful of horse races around the Ballybunion area. The volunteers are very well trained in all aspects of rescue work.
In March 2010 our new Atlantic 75 rescue boat (a 7.5 meter RIB) arrived in Ballybunion at a cost of inaccess of €150,000.
Nations. The UN Charter (1945) states that its purpose is
“to reaffirm faith in fundamental human rights, in the dignity and worth of the human person”
Within three years, this institution published the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, stating that
“recognition of the inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world.”
Moreover, Article 3 of the Declaration states,
“Everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of person.”
and Article 6 states,
“Everyone has the right to recognition everywhere as a person before the law.”
These words are true, but in order to have binding force, it was clear that more than a proclamation was needed. The substance of the Universal Declaration was therefore placed in hard legal form as an international treaty, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR, 1966), onto which over 160 nations have signed. This treaty states in Article 26,
“All persons are equal before the law and are entitled without any discrimination to the equal protection of the law.”
Moreover, a Declaration on the Rights of the Child was issued in 1959, stating
“…the child, by reason of his physical and mental immaturity, needs special safeguards and care, including appropriate legal protection, before as well as after birth,”
This, too, was incorporated into a treaty, the Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989), which states in Article 6,
“States Parties recognize that every child has the inherent right to life.”
To us in the pro-life movement, the next steps are obvious. The language of these declarations and treaties needs to be brought to its consistent and logical conclusion. The violence of abortion, which denies the child’s right to life and kills the child, is in fact prohibited by the language of these documents.
41 Famous Quotes from Cardinal Newman
Venerable John Henry Cardinal Newman (1801-1890) was a convert to Catholicism from the Church of England, and one of the great minds of the 19th century. As a Roman Catholic priest he became one of the greatest Catholic apologists in the history of the Church. He was a prolific writer and persuasive preacher. Cardinal Newman will be beatified by His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI on September 19, 2010 in Birmingham, England.
41 Famous Quotes from Cardinal Newman -
“To live is to change, and to be perfect is to have changed
“Fear not that thy life shall come to an end, but rather that it shall never ha
“To holy people the very name of Jesus is a name to feed upon, a name to transport. His name can raise the dead and transfigure and beautify the living.”
“Learn to do thy part and leave the rest to Heaven.”
“I sought to hear the voice of God And climbed the topmost steeple, But God declared: "Go down again - I dwell among the people."
“If we insist on being as sure as is conceivable... we must be content to creep along the ground, and can never soar.”
“Faith is illuminative, not operative; it does not force obedience, though it increases responsibility; it heightens guilt, but it does not prevent sin. The will is the source of action.”
“Faith ventures and hazards . . . counting the costs and delighting in the sacrifice.”
“You must make up your mind to the prospect of sustaining a certain measure of pain and trouble in your passage through life.”
“Let us act on what we have, since we have no
“The love of our private friends is the only preparatory exercise for the love of all men.”
“Ability is sexless.
“Calculation never made a hero.”
“If we are intended for great ends, we are called to great hazards.”
“To be deep in history, is to cease to be Protestant.”
“Faith is the result of the act of the will, following upon a conviction that to believe is a duty. “
“We can believe what we choose. We are answerable for what we choose to believe.”
“Courage does not consist in calculation, but in fighting against chances.”
“It is almost the definition of a gentleman to say that he is one who never inflicts pain”
“Nothing would be done at all if one waited until one could do it so well that no one could find fault with
“When men understand what each other mean, they see, for the most part, that controversy is either superfluous or ho
“Evil has no substance of its own, but is only the defect, excess, perversion, or corruption of that which has substance.”
“A man would do nothing if he waited until he could do it so well that no one could find fault.”
“A great memory does not make a mind, any more than a dictionary is a piece of lit
“A great memory is never made synonymous with wisdom, any more than a dictionary would be called a tre
“Growth is the only evidence of life.”
“Let us take things as we find them: let us not attempt to distort them into what they are not... We cannot make facts. All our wishing cannot change them. We must use t
“In this world no one rules by love; if you are but amiable, you are no hero; to be powerful, you must be strong, and to have dominion you must have a genius for organizing.”
“Nothing is more common than for men to think that because they are familiar with words they understand the ideas they stand for.”
“There is such a thing as legitimate warfare: war has its laws; there are things which may fairly be done, and things which may not be done.”
“After the fever of life - after wearinesses, sicknesses, fightings and despondings, languor and fretfulness, struggling and failing, struggling and succeeding - after all the changes and chances of this troubled and unhealthy state, at length comes death - at length the white throne of God - at length the beatific vision.”
“Reports in matters of this world are many, and our resources of mind for the discrimination of them very insufficient”
“It is as absurd to argue men, as to torture them, into believing.”
“We should ever conduct ourselves towards our enemy as if he were one day to be our friend.”
“It is often said that second thoughts are best. So they are in matters of judgment but not in matters of conscience.”
“From the age of fifteen, dogma has been the fundamental principle of my religion: I know no other religion; I cannot enter into the idea of any other sort of religion; religion, as a mere sentiment, is to me a dream and a mockery.”
“It is very difficult to get up resentment towards persons whom one has never seen.”
“Regarding Christianity, ten thousand difficulties do not make one doubt.”
“Virtue is its own reward, and brings with it the truest and highest pleasure; but if we cultivate it only for pleasure's sake, we are selfish, not religious, and will never gain the pleasure, because we can never have the virtue.”
“We must make up our minds to be ignorant of much, if we would know anything.”
“Men will die upon dogma but will not fall victim
People are like wine. Age sours the bad and improves the good.
A man who is not at peace with himself spreads a contagion of conflict around him.
An old man was sitting on a bench at the edge of town when a stranger approached. "What are the people in this town like?' he asked. "What were they like in your last town? replied the old man. "They were kind and generous and would do anything for you if you were in trouble." "You will find them like that in this town too." Answered the old man. Then a second stranger approached and asked the same question. "What are the people in this town like?' And he replied "What were they like in your last town?" "It was a terrible place" came the answer. "I was glad to get out of it. The people were mean, unkind, and nobody would lift a finger to help you if you were in trouble." "I'm afraid," said the old man, "you will find them like that in this town too!"
THE NINE CONVICTS
During the young Ireland revolution of 1848, nine young Irishmen were tried and convicted of treason, The sentence was death. The Presiding Judge read out the names of the condemned men Charles Gavin Duffy. Thomas Francis
Meagher. Patrick Donahue. Terence McManus, Richard 0'Gorman,
Morris Lyene, Michael Ireland, Thomas Darcy McGee & John Mitchell. "Have you anything to say before the court passes sentence?" Thomas Meagher had been chosen to speak for them all "My Lord, this is our first offense, but not our last, if you will be easy with us this once, we promise on our word as gentlemen to try to do better
the next time, and the next time sure we won't be fools enough to get caught." - The indignant judge sentenced them to be hanged by the neck. but passionate protests from all over the world forced Queen Victoria to commute the sentence, the men were transported
for life to the penal colony of the then savage Australia. In 1871 a Sir Charles Duffy was elected Prime Minister of the Australian state of Victoria. To her amazement Queen Victoria learned from her Prime Minister Disraeli that this was the same
Charles Duffy who bad been transported for treason 23 years before. She demanded the records of the other eight convicts and this is what she learned. Thomas Meagber was Governor of Montana. Patrick Donahue and Terence McManus were Brigadier Generals
in the US. Army, Richard 0'Gorman was Governor General of Newfoundland. Morris Lyene was Attorney General of Australia to which office Michael Ireland succeeded.
Thomas McGee was President of the Dominion of Canada and John Mitchell was elected for Tipperary to the British House of Commons, only to be disqualified because he was a convicted felon. (His grandson John Purroy Mitchel - July 19, 1879 -July 6, 1918 - was Mayor of New York from 1914 to 1917, at age 34)
from newsletter of the Micheal Collins Society.
By George J. Marlin
In recent months, mob unrest has been on the rise throughout Europe. Overpaid and underworked bureaucrats and other entitlement classes have taken to the streets in Greece and Spain threatening to topple their governments if they must sacrifice any financial or welfare benefits to help save their countries from fiscal and economic ruin. In Britain, indignant students have wreaked havoc outside Parliament because the government, to balance its budget, has dared to increase college tuition to $5,000 a year.
Lately, gangs of British hoodlums have rioted and looted neighborhoods in and around London. They have broken into shops and assaulted passersby to steal the material goods they believe they’re entitled to have. Prime Minister David Cameron, reacting to the turmoil, rejected the social justice crowds’ excuse that poverty is the culprit and blamed it on a culture of laziness, irresponsibility and selfishness: “We have been too unwilling for too long to talk about what is right and what is wrong.” He added: “We have too often avoided saying what needs to be said about everything from marriage to welfare to common courtesy.”
This is the same Cameron who a few months ago publicly announced that “multicultural” diversity policies have failed because they have been destroying the language and cultural foundations of Britain, have
surprised by this crisis because the blueprint for destroying Western culture – designed by the Italian communist Antonio Gramsci – has been in circulation for almost a century.
Gramsci (1891-1937) was born in Sardinia, studied philosophy at the University of Turin, became a member of Italy’s Socialist Party and editor of L’Ordine Nuovo (The New Order). Shortly after founding the Italian Communist Party (1921), Gramsci, fearing imprisonment by fascist leader Benito Mussolini, fled to the Soviet Union.
In Moscow, Gramsci shocked his hosts by daring to dismiss Marxist nostrums on dialectical materialism, economic determinism, and the violent overthrow of capitalist systems by the proletariat. Instead, he argued that Marx’s “Worker’s Paradise” could not be realized as long as Christian culture had a hold on the masses. For Gramsci, the number one enemy was the Roman Catholic Church, not capitalism.
Realizing Stalin was not happy with his unorthodox views, Gramsci returned to Italy and in 1924 became leader of the communist delegation in Parliament. In 1926, Mussolini ordered his arrest and a mock trial sentenced him to a twenty-year prison term. Gramsci spent the remaining nine years of his life in his cell writing critiques of Marxism-Leninism and drafting plans communists could follow to conquer the West.
Unlike some anti-Catholics today, however, Gramsci was well versed in Thomistic philosophy.
Break
Today, Catholics are witnessing the effects of Gramsci’s “anything goes” strategy. In Europe, Catholic Churches are empty on Sundays. Fewer than 10 percent of baptized Catholics attend Mass. In 2009, 37.4 percent of all European children were born out of wedlock – up from 17.4 percent in 1990. The number of births is significantly below the replacement rate. In fifty years the majority of the populations in the heart of old Catholic Europe – Italy, France, and Spain – may well be Muslim. Crime is also rampant. Between 2002 and 2008, violent crime rose in France by 15 percent, in Italy by 38 percent.
RISK
To laugh is to risk appearing the fool
To weep is to risk appearing sentimental
To reach out is to risk involvement,
To expose feelings is to risk exposing your true self.
To place your ideas an
dreams before a crowd is to risk their loss.
To love is to risk not being loved in return,
To live is to risk dying,
To hope is to risk despair,
To try is to risk failure.
But risks must be taken because
the greatest hazard in life is to risk nothing.
The person who risks nothing, does nothing,
has nothing, is nothing.
– William Arthur Ward (1921-1994)
Taken from Listowel Boards
Frank Sheehy
Frank was born in 1905 to John J.(b 1870) and Annie Sheehy.(b 1874) His father served as a drapery assistant in the town and his mother was a native of Tipperary. Frank was the youngest of 4 children, with a brother John (b 1898), Margaret(b 1899) and Ellen ( b 1901).
He received his primary education at the National School, only 3 doors up the street, after this he attended St Michaels College where he would have been a classmate of Sheamus Wilmot among others. Having achieved an M.A. at University College Dublin he then applied for and was accepted to attend at St. Patricks Training College 1932-1934 to complete his studies to become a National Teacher. Among his colleagues at this time was the redoubtable Sean O Siochain, later to become a long time General Secretary to the Gaelic Athletic Association, who in a tribute to Frank in 1981 wrote, ‘I first made his acquaintance in 1932/1934 as a student teacher in the Primary School attached to St. Patrick's Teacher's Training College, in Drumcondra, Dublin, where Frank had established himself as one of the great Primary teachers of his time. In the following years, through the thirties and into the forties, we worked in after-school hours for the Comhar Dramaiochta, in the production and promotion of plays in Irish, he as runai and I as a junior actor and sometimes Bainisteoir Staitse. His high efficiently, his drive and his sense of humour streamlined many a situation for amateur actors which, otherwise might have been chaotic. During the forties, as Principal of an Endowed Primary School in Oldcastle, Co. Meath, gave him a distinction enjoyed by few in Primary Education, while his period in that part of Co. Meath, which coincided with that of the incomparable Paul Russell as Garda Sergeant, transformed the town and the district into a mini-Kingdom all their own'.
He returned to his native town in the early 1950s and quickly immersed himself in the local club and county GAA scene. He became Chairman of the county board in 1953 and many would say that he indeed was the spark that ignited the Kerry Senior team to regain the Sam Maguire, the first since 1946. That year he also organised the golden jubilee of the county's first All Ireland success in 1953and was also instrumental in initiating the scheme that allowed Kerry All Ireland medal holders the right to apply for two tickets whenever the county reached the final.
He was appointed as principle of the senior boy's school on his return to Listowel, a position he held until 1960. He served as Munster Council President from 1956-1958 and was narrowly beaten for the Presidency of the GAA by Dr.J.J.Stuart.
On the recent occasion of Sean Walsh of Moyvane taking over as Munster Council Chairman, he hosted a wreath laying at Frank Sheehy's grave, this was much appreciated and richly deserved.
In 1961 he went to Nigeria, Africa, to take up a position of Professor of Educational Science at a training college in Asaba. He died there in 1962.
Listowel sports field is named ‘Pairc Mhic Sheehy' in his honour.
THE PERFECT CHURCH
If you should find the perfect church
Without one fault or smear,
For goodness sake, don't join that church,
You'd spoil the atmosphere.
If you should find the perfect church
Where all the worries cease,
Then pass it by, lest joining it,
You'd spoil the masterpiece!
If you should find the perfect church
then don't you ever dare
to tread upon such holy ground.
You'd be a misfit there!
Since no such perfect church exists,
Made up of perfect men,
Let's cease on looking for that church
And love the Church we're in! (Anon).
Corporal Harry Oughton Jones wrote an account of his top-secret encounter with Heinrich Himmler at a prison camp at the end of the war
The final moments of Nazi Heinrich Himmler can be revealed 65 years after his suicide following the discovery of an old soldier's war diaries.
Corporal Harry Oughton Jones wrote an account of his top-secret encounter with the head of Hitler's SS police force while he was stationed at a prison camp at the end of the war.
According to his personal recollections, Hitler's number two bit on a cyanide capsule and dropped down dead.
And while Himmler's final words are widely believed to have been: 'I am Heinrich Himmler', according to the diaries he laughed in the face of a young officer before swallowing
Unbeknown to the British, Himmler was among the German soldiers captured after the Nazi surrender - disguised in a sergeant's uniform with a patch over one eye.
But his ruse was blown by his own shocked comrades who immediately informed their British captors of Himmler's presence.
Corporal Jones - then 27 - and another officer were tasked with challenging Himmler before he took his li
According to the diary he scoffed: 'You my boy are just a young captain and to take me I want to see your colonel in charge.'
His account continued: 'As we made to get him he just put his hand to his mouth and before we got to him he dropped dead on the bed.'
Two days later and under the cover of darkness, Corporal Jones helped bury Himmler in an unmarked grave on Luneburg Heath, in northern Germa
He was made to sign the Official Secrets Act and told never to speak of the matter again.
The episode has been classified by the Ministry of Defence until 2045 - 100 years after the momentous event.
Due to the level of secrecy involved, there have been various speculative accounts of Himmler's death over the years, with one being that he took cyanide while bei
But the actual circumstances of his demise have emerged following Corporal Jones' recent death aged 92.
His grandson Jason Renshaw had previously read his grandfather's war diaries with astonishment but has chosen to make them public following his death.
Manvotional: Letters from a Self-Made Merchant to His Son, No. 1
George Lorimer, an editor at the Saturday Evening Post, published a series of fictional letters in that magazine in which a father, John Graham, imparts advice to his son, Pierrepont, throughout the different stages of the young man’s life. The letters were then compiled in the hugely successful 1901 book Letters from a Self-Made Merchant to His Son. Many of the letters contain some great gems, and I’ll surely be publishing some others from time to time, but I thought the first one was very apropos since many young men are now entering or returning to colle
Chicago, October 1, 189—
Dear Pierrepont: Your Ma got back safe this morning and she wants me to be sure to tell you not to over-study, and I want to tell you to be sure not to under-study. What we’re really sending you to Harvard for is to get a little of the education that’s so good and plenty there. When it’s passed around you don’t want to be bashful, but reach right out and take a big helping every time, for I want you to get your share. You’ll find that education’s about the only thing lying around loose in this world, and that it’s about the only thing a fellow can have as much of as he’s willing to haul away. Everything else is screwed down tight and the screw-driver lost.
I didn’t have your advantages when I was a boy, and you can’t have mine. Some men learn the value of money by not having any and starting out to pry a few dollars loose from the odd millions that are lying around; and some learn it by having fifty thousand or so left to them and starting out to spend it as if it were fifty thousand a year. Some men learn the value of truth by having to do business with liars; and some by going to Sunday School. Some men learn the cussedness of whiskey by having a drunken father; and some by having a good mother. Some men get an education from other men and newspapers and public libraries; and some get it from professors and parchments—it doesn’t make any special difference how you get a half-nelson on the right thing, just so you get it and freeze on to it. The package doesn’t count after the eye’s been attracted by it, and in the end it finds its way to the ash heap. It’s the quality of the goods inside which tells, when they once get into the kitchen and up to the cook.
You can cure a ham in dry salt and you can cure it in sweet pickle, and when you’re through you’ve got pretty good eating either way, provided you started in with a sound ham. If you didn’t, it doesn’t make any special difference how you cured it—the ham-tryer’s going to strike the sour spot around the bone. And it doesn’t make any difference how much sugar and fancy pickle you soak into a fellow, he’s no good unless he’s sound and sweet at the core
The first thing that any education ought to give a man is character, and the second thing is education. That is where I’m a little skittish about this college business. I’m not starting in to preach to you, because I know a young fellow with the right sort of stuff in him preaches to himself harder than any one else can, and that he’s mighty often switched off the right path by having it pointed out to him in the wrong way.
I remember when I was a boy, and I wasn’t a very bad boy, as boys go, old Doc Hoover got a notion in his head that I ought to join the church, and he scared me out of it for five years by asking me right out loud in Sunday School if I didn’t want to be saved, and then laying for me after the service and praying with me. Of course I wanted to be saved, but I didn’t want to be saved quite so publicly.
When a boy’s had a good mother he’s got a good conscience, and when he’s got a good conscience he don’t need to have right and wrong labeled for him. Now that your Ma’s left and the apron strings are cut, you’re naturally running up against a new sensation every minute, but if you’ll simply use a little conscience as a tryer, and probe into a thing which looks sweet and sound on the skin, to see if you can’t fetch up a sour smell from around the bone, you’ll be all right.
“Old Doc Hoover asked me right out in Sunday School
if I didn’t want to be saved.”
I’m anxious that you should be a good scholar, but I’m more anxious that you should be a good clean man. And if you graduate with a sound conscience, I shan’t care so much if there are a few holes in your Latin. There are two parts of a college education—the part that you get in the schoolroom from the professors, and the part that you get outside of it from the boys. That’s the really important part. For the first can only make you a scholar, while the second can make you a man.
Education’s a good deal like eating—a fellow can’t always tell which particular thing did him good, but he can usually tell which one did him harm. After a square meal of roast beef and vegetables, and mince pie and watermelon, you can’t say just which ingredient is going into muscle, but you don’t have to be very bright to figure out which one started the demand for painkiller in your insides, or to guess, next morning, which one made you believe in a personal devil the night before. And so, while a fellow can’t figure out to an ounce whether it’s Latin or algebra or history or what among the solids that is building him up in this place or that, he can go right along feeding them in and betting that they’re not the things that turn his tongue fuzzy. It’s down among the sweets, among his amusements and recreations, that he’s going to find his stomach-ache, and it’s there that he wants to go slow and to pick and choose.
It’s not the first half, but the second half of a college education which merchants mean when they ask if a college education pays. It’s the Willie and the Bertie boys; the chocolate eclair and tutti-frutti boys; the la-de-dah and the baa-baa-billy-goat boys; the high cock-a-lo-rum and the cock-a-doodle-do boys; the Bah Jove!, hair-parted-in-the-middle, cigaroot-smoking, Champagne-Charlie, up-all-night-and-in-all-day boys that make ’em doubt the cash value of the college output, and overlook the roast-beef and blood-gravy boys, the shirt-sleeves and high-water-pants boys, who take their college education and make some fellow’s business hum with it
Does a College education pay? Does it pay to feed in pork trimmings at five cents a pound at the hopper and draw out nice, cunning, little “country” sausages at twenty cents a pound at the other end? Does it pay to take a steer that’s been running loose on the range and living on cactus and petrified wood till he’s just a bunch of barb-wire and sole-leather, and feed him corn till he’s just a solid hunk of porterhouse steak and oleo oil?
You bet it pays. Anything that trains a boy to think and to think quick pays; anything that teaches a boy to get the answer before the other fellow gets through biting the pencil, pays.
College doesn’t make fools; it develops them. It doesn’t make bright men; it develops them. A fool will turn out a fool, whether he goes to college or not, though he’ll probably turn out a different sort of a fool. And a good, strong boy will turn out a bright, strong man whether he’s worn smooth in the grab-what-you-want-and-eat-standing-with-one-eye-skinned-for-the-dog school of the streets and stores, or polished up and slicked down in the give-your-order-to-the-waiter-and-get-a-sixteen-course-dinner school of the professors. But while the lack of a college education can’t keep No. 1 down, having it boosts No. 2 up. Of course, some men are like pigs, the more you educate them, the more amusing little cusses they become, and the funnier capers they cut when they show off their tricks. Naturally, the place to send a boy of that breed is to the circus, not to college…
Speaking of educated pigs, naturally calls to mind the case of old man Whitaker and his son, Stanley. I used to know the old man mighty well ten years ago. He was one of those men whom business narrows, instead of broadens. Didn’t get any special fun out of his work, but kept right along at it because he didn’t know anything else. Told me he’d had to root for a living all his life and that he proposed to have Stan’s brought to him in a pail. Sent him to private schools and dancing schools and colleges and universities, and then shipped him to Oxford to soak in a little “atmosphere,” as he put it. I never could quite lay hold of that atmosphere dodge by the tail, but so far as I could make out, the idea was that there was something in the air of the Oxford ham-house that gave a fellow an extra fancy smoke.
Well, about the time Stan was through, the undertaker called by for the old man, and when his assets were boiled down and the water drawn off, there wasn’t enough left to furnish Stan with a really nourishing meal. I had a talk with Stan about what he was going to do, but some ways he didn’t strike me as having the making of a good private of industry, let alone a captain, so I started in to get him a job that would suit his talents. Got him in a bank, but while he knew more about the history of banking than the president, and more about political economy than the board of directors, he couldn’t learn the difference between a fiver that the Government turned out and one that was run off on a hand press in a Halsted Street basement. Got him a job on a paper, but while he knew six different languages and all the facts about the Arctic regions, and the history of dancing from the days of Old Adam down to those of Old Nick, he couldn’t write up a satisfactory account of the Ice-Men’s Ball. Could prove that two and two made four by trigonometry and geometry, but couldn’t learn to keep books; was thick as thieves with all the high-toned poets, but couldn’t write a good, snappy, merchantable street-car ad; knew a thousand diseases that would take a man off before he could blink, but couldn’t sell a thousand-dollar tontine policy; knew the lives of our Presidents as well as if he’d been raised with them, but couldn’t place a set of the Library of the Fathers of the Republic, though they were offered on little easy payments that made them come as easy as borrowing them from a friend. Finally I hit on what seemed to be just the right thing. I figured out that any fellow who had such a heavy stock of information on hand, ought to be able to job it out to good advantage, and so I got him a place teaching. But it seemed that he’d learned so much about the best way of teaching boys, that he told his principal right on the jump that he was doing it all wrong, and that made him sore; and he knew so much about the dead languages, which was what he was hired to teach, that he forgot he was handling live boys, and as he couldn’t tell it all to them in the regular time, he kept them after hours, and that made them sore and put Stan out of a job again. The last I heard of him he was writing articles on Why Young Men Fail, and making a success of it, because failing was the one subject on which he was practical.
I simply mention Stan in passing as an example of the fact that it isn’t so much knowing a whole lot, as knowing a little and how to use it that count
Your affectionate father,
John Graham.
How a Man Can Grieve for a Deceased Friend
Editor’s note: This is a guest post from Marcus Brotherton.
How unexpected—and yet not—this late night phone call from Shannon, the wife of my close friend Paul. “Come to the hospital,” Shannon said. “Come say goodbye to your friend.”
Paul had already beaten cancer. He had gone through five rounds of chemo. After his hair fell out, after he had thrown up for months, after his fingers tingled with the aftershocks of radiation, doctors announced remission. Paul had won. But as soon as victory was claimed, an infection wormed its way into his body. It wouldn’t go away. It spread from his lungs through his kidneys and lodged in his brain.
I didn’t sleep after Shannon phoned. I felt scared, like a big exam was before me and I hadn’t studied. Early next morning I cancelled appointments, got on the freeway, and drove five hours to the hospital in their city.
The last time Paul and I had talked was three weeks earlier. On the phone he had taken shallow breaths between sentences, gasping like a fish on a riverbank, but his lung infection was only a setback, we all thought. When you’re sick for a long time you have your ups and downs. In the days that followed, Paul drifted in and out of consciousness, unable to communicate except to point at an alphabet. One of the last phrases he spelled was: “What’s happening to me?”
I walked into the intensive care unit where Paul lay. Shannon hugged me and helped me put on a gown. Paul’s body looked yellow and twisted with tubes running in and out. A ventilator was taped to his mouth. Other friends were there, Shannon’s sister, and her dad. “Take some time to say whatever you need,” Shannon said, and everybody filed out of the room except me.
Nothing prepares you for this. Nothing is rehearsed or written down. I sat on the edge of Paul’s bed and touched his arm. He didn’t move. Doctors didn’t know for sure what Paul was able to grasp by then. Maybe nothing. But they said hearing is often the last function to fail. So I spoke.
I asked Paul if he remembered being in college together, about the trip we took to the Grand Canyon just after graduation. I talked about motorbikes and music, things he loved. I told him all would be looked after; he had nothing to worry about. I said I loved him, and that I was proud of him.
The mechanical ventilator rose and fell, rose and fell, rose and fell.
We were alone for about 10 minutes before Shannon’s sister came in and asked me to come out into the hall. She needed to walk me through a decision the family had made. A few minutes later we went back inside and all gathered at Paul’s bedside. Shannon played a tape his young daughters had made for him. Little ones to him belong, sang his girls, and a nurse lowered Paul’s blood pressure medication. I stood near his shoulder, my hand stretched on his. It was over in minutes. Perhaps they fell, I don’t know, but Paul’s eyes drifted from his wife to me, then looked ahead. They never closed.
We stayed in the room for some time speaking in low voices, giving hugs, passing around tissues. There would be piles of get-well cards to box up, a wall of colored pictures to take down. But that would come later. Shannon cradled Paul’s head one last time, kissed him, and lifted a sheet over his face. He was 36.
What do you do?
How does a man handle the death of a close friend, particularly when the friend dies when he’s young? The processes I followed were neither straightforward nor tightly defined. Here are three things I did. Your experience will undoubtedly look different.
Wal
1. The evening after Paul died, I went to a marina and walked as long and vigorously as I could. His death was uncharted territory for me, his life so unfinished. For hours, it was just me walking in the dusky moonlight with wind and waves and a pile of emotions for which I had no words. I learned that physical exercise is imperative in grieving—and it wasn’t just for that one night. In the months that followed, I walked nearly every night. I ran. I jogged. I did push-ups. I went to the gym far more than usual. Instead of turning to a substance or harmful habit for relief, it’s necessary to go somewhere you can move. Let the emotion work itself out of your body.
2. Remember
At Paul’s funeral was a table with mementos from his life: his Martin guitar, a pair of Sperry Topsiders, Mt. Dew and Doritos, his favorites. Friends assembled a slide show—Paul at the beach, Paul on his wedding day, Paul with his children. As the slides ran, I had to consciously breathe to keep myself from falling apart. Ready, inhale, concentrate, exhale. Remembering was agonizing, and I didn’t want to go there, but I needed to. The memories were coming whether I wanted them to or not. In the weeks that followed, memories snuck up on me at the strangest times, at unexpected places. Months later in the middle of a workday I was driving down a road when memories hit me anew. I needed to pull to the shoulder and sob.
3. Hurt
What I didn’t need to do was cheer up. What I didn’t need to do was look on the bright side of things. Rather, I needed to fully grasp that someone who meant much to me was no longer alive. I felt leveled, floored, struck by a bare fist. For months, I simply gave myself permission to ache.
Certainly there was more.
Many seasons passed before I arrived at any conclusions about Paul’s death. My questions were huge, and what finally made sense to me was this: I would stop trying to make sense of things. I would never know why Paul died as young as he did. Instead of asking questions, I would choose to believe reasons existed that I am not meant to know.
To this day, I hold Paul’s memory close. I honor the memory of a deep friendship now passed. I believe I will see him one day again in worlds beyond our
Library and Archives Canada have released 20,000 names of children, who came to Canada between 1925 and 1932.
Do You Make Your Wife a Better Mother?
Monday, September 6, 2010, 7:00 AM
Danielle Bean
(Note: This column was originally published at Fathers for Good, an online initiative of the Knights of Columbus.)
When I wrote “Do You Make Your Husband a Better Father?” I heard from more than a few moms demanding equal time. Far be it for me to shortchange the ladies! Today we’ll consider some ways men can encourage their wives in motherhood
1. Lend a Hand
Even a strong mom has physical and emotional limitations. Pay attention to how your wife spends her time. While you relax at the end of the day, is she cleaning the kitchen, folding loads of laundry, and wrestling through bedtime routines with toddlers? Do what you can to make sure she gets some down time too.
Take over one of the evening chores, delegate jobs to the kids, hire some help, or agree together to save certain tasks for the weekend. Just because she’s not asking for a break doesn’t mean she doesn’t need one.
Ask yourself: Do I make sure my wife gets the rest she needs to be her best, or do I neglect her needs for sleep, socialization, creative outlets, and tim
2. Nurture Her Spiritually
Often, one of the first casualties of motherhood is a consistent spiritual life. Even if your wife is unable to spend hours at the adoration chapel, you can be a means of spiritual support for her. Help her find time for daily prayer, alone or with you. And don’t forget to pray for her. Ask God to shower her with the graces she needs in fulfilling her vocation to marriage and motherhood – and
Ask yourself: Do I pray for my wife daily and support her spiritually or do I allow other family matters to take precedence over her spiritual needs?
3. Be on her side
If you disagree with any of your wife’s parenting decisions, make sure you talk about them privately – not in front of the kids, and definitely not in the heat of a family crisis. Children need to learn that you will always back up their mother’s authorit
If you treat your wife with love and respect – and insist that your children do the same – you set her up to be the most effective mother she can be. With your support, even toddlers can be taught to respect boundaries in ways your wife might not think about. Teach them not to take food from her plate, for example, and never tolerate teens who are disrespectful. Nothing gives a mom greater confidence in her authority and self worth than to hear her husband demand that unruly children show her respect.
Ask yourself: Do I protect my wife — even from our children when they disrespect her or abuse her goodwill — or am I content to let her fend for herself?
4. Say the words
You might think your wife knows you appreciate her, but hearing those words from you will renew her confidence and inspire her toward greater heights of motherly love. Be specific and let your children hear you praise her: “I think it’s amazing the way you are able to get up at night and care for a crying baby,” or “I know what a sacrifice it is for you to drive the kids to basketball. Thank you for doing
Ask yourself: Do I verbalize admiration and appreciation for my wife’s efforts as a mother or do I assume she knows what I think already?
The joy your wife finds in motherhood has a ripple effect that can bless the entire family. One of the greatest gifts you can give your children (and yourself!) is a happy mother in the heart of your home. Make a commitment to give that priceless gift to your family – starting today.
You Make Your Husband a Better Father?
Sunday, September 5, 2010, 9:00 AM
Danielle Bean
(Note: This column was originally published at Fathers for Good, an online initiative of the Knights of Columbus. I know I’m not the only wife who needs regular reminders in my efforts to support my husband in his fatherhood, so I thought it might be helpful to re-run it here.)
As wives, we want what’s best for our husbands. As mothers, we want what’s best for our kids. One of the best ways to accomplish both of these things is to help our husbands to be better fathers.
Do you make your husband a better father? Here are some practical ways to encourage your husband in his fatherhood.
Take Notice
It’s very likely that your husband performs loving acts for your children all the time, whether it’s giving them hugs, making them lunch, driving them to soccer practice, or paying the tuition and dental bills. Taking notice and verbalizing your gratitude for these things will not only teach your children to appreciate their father, but will make your husband’s heart soar.
With small kids, you can say: “Did daddy pour you that drink? What a nice daddy you have!” Or with big kids: “I think it’s great that Dad makes time to help you with your math homework.”Ask Yourself: Do my words to and about my husband build him up as a father or tear him down?
Respect His Authority
This can be a tricky one, because our motherly pride sometimes gets in the way. Mothers are the ones who do the lion’s share of feeding, bathing, changing, carpooling, and kissing boo-boos better. Surely we know what’s best for our kids, don’t we?
Maybe not. We need to remember that God gave our kids a mother and a father for a reason. Your husband wants what’s best for your kids too – he just might have a different way of getting there. So he doesn’t recognize the importance of the baby’s socks matching his shirt. Or he lets older kids watch more television than you would. These are probably not battles that need to be fought. Let go of that pressing need for control and bite your tongue!Ask Yourself: Do I respect my husband’s authority as a father or do I discount his perspective, usurp his authority, and belittle his opinions … even if only in my own mind?
Criticize Carefully
Of course there will be times when you might notice that your husband could improve in some important way. Recognizing his good intentions and his particular challenges first will make him more receptive to hearing your co
For example, if you think your husband should cut back his work hours and spend more time at home, do not say anything like, “Your job is more important to you than we are!” or “If you keep up this schedule, the kids won’t even know you anymore!”
Try a positive, encouraging approach instead: “I appreciate how hard you work at your job and the money you earn for the family, but we really miss you around here! Is there something I can do to make it easier for you to come home a little earlier this week?”
Ask Yourself: Do my words to my husband make him want to be a better father or make him want to stop trying altogether?
Give Him a Break
A good wife knows when her husband is near his breaking point. Whether it’s frustration with toddlers or teens, when you see the telltale signs of a raised voice, a twitching eye or a clenched jaw, it’s time to intervene – just as you would have him do for you in your weaker moments.
Blessed are the peacemakers! Separate your husband from the source of his frustration and, without judgment or demands, encourage him to take a break. Then everyone can regroup without Dad having to blow his top first. Part of being a good parent is knowing your limitations. Part of being a good wife is knowing your husband’s limitations, and helping the family to navigate them.
Ask Yourself: Do I do everything I can to ensure my husband’s time with the children is a pleasant time?
Finally, let’s never forget the power of prayer. Ask God to build up your husband in his fatherhood. Ask St. Joseph to guide him and Mary to watch over him in his family life. In the end, working to help your husband fulfill his vocation as a father will bless you and your children and bring all of you closer to heaven.
Piece by Patric Madrid.
You’ll need to read O’Neill’s piece to grasp the full details, but in essence he makes two points:
1. In America, between 1950 and 2002, a total of 10,667 people made allegations against 4,392 priests (ie, four per cent of priests in ministry during that period). Of these accusers, 1,203 made allegations of what we would consider rape. O’Neill asks:
How did a complex US report about all manner of allegations against priests come to be translated in the words of the Independent into the idea that ‘over 10,000 people have come forward to say they were raped [by priests]’? Because in the outlook of certain sections of the intolerant New Atheist lobby, everything from sex talk to fondling to being shown a porn flick is ‘rape’ – if it’s done by a priest, that is – and every priest is guilty of what he is accused of despite the question of whether or not he was convicted in a court of law.
In other words, the Catholic-baiting Independent seriously misled its readers.
2. In 2009, the Irish and British press reported that “thousands of children were raped” by Catholic priests and religious in Irish reform schools. The reality is that 242 male witnesses made 253 reports of sexual abuse against the staff of Irish reform schools at the Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse – and of these, 68 claimed to have been raped. O’Neill aOnce again, not all of the allegations resulted in convictions. Some witness reports involved priests who had died, and out of the 253 male reports of sexual abuse, 207 related to the period of 1969 or earlier; 46 related to the 1970s and 1980s. How did 68 claims of anal rape made against the staff of Irish reform schools over a 59-year period translate into headlines about thousands being raped? Because once again, everything from being neglected to being smacked to being emotionally abused – which thousands of Irish reform-school kids were subjected to – was lumped together with being raped, creating a warped image of a religious institution that rapes children on an almost daily basis.
O’Neill has done us a service by writing this article on the eve of the Pope’s visit. And, please, there’s no need to remind me that vile acts were committed against children by Catholic clergy. I know. I was writing articles about the scandal of paedophile priests in the early 1990s, at a time when neither the Church nor public opinion seemed very interested.
But, at around the same time, I was also writing sceptically about the “Satanic Ritual Abuse” scare. Remember that? To put it mildly, many allegations of ritual abuse turned out to be unfounded. Yet anyone who refused to “believe the children” was denounced as an apologist for paedophilia.
I’m not claiming that the analogy is an exact one: clearly a small minority of priests were abusers, whereas the evidence for devil-worshipping paedophiles was virtually non-existent. But what I do remember from the early 1990s is that academics or journalists who asked awkward questions about the empirical basis of the Satanic claims were shouted down by a mob whose members consisted of religion-hating secularists and extreme Protestants. Call me paranoid, but I reckon the old alliance is back in business.
Editor’s note: In the weeks preceding the US observance of Veteran’s Day, we will be publishing a three part series of short profiles written by Marcus Brotherton about the men from WWII’s Easy Company. Brotherton is the author of several books about this famous Band of Brothers.
His life was simple. Robert J. Rader wasn’t a captain of industry or world leader. He loved his family. Supported his community. Served his country. Did his job. Yet when it came to his commitment to his immediate sphere of influence, Robert could not be topped.
What can we learn from such a man?
Born in 1923, Robert grew up during the depression. His father, wounded in WWI, cut stone for cemetery markers. Times were lean for a family with six kids. They lived along a road, and if someone’s rooster got hit by a car, the kids dashed to retrieve it for the dinner pot. At 16, still in school, Robert and his older brothers enlisted in the National Guard. That way they could eat while the rest of family’s food could go to the youngsters.
The Guard discovered Robert was underage and kicked him out. Fortunately, they gave him an honorable discharge, exempting him from further military service. Robert soon enlisted anyway with the 101st. Before his son went to war, Robert’s father gave him straightforward advice: “Just do your job and come home.”
Overseas battles rattled Robert. Near Carentan, his squad came across a group of Hitler’s Youth. The kids screamed, “I will die for the Fuehrer,” and opened fire on the men. The squad shot back. After the firefight, Robert stared at the dead bodies, both of the young German troops and Americans. At that moment, Robert vowed to devote the rest of his life to helping kids.
When Robert was discharged in November 1945, his body bore numerous scars. He’d been shot in the elbow and hip. Various nicks and cuts crisscrossed his body from stray shrapnel fragments. The Army offered him a Purple Heart, but he turned it down. “How could I receive it when so many others were wounded so badly?” he said. He was awarded two Bronze Stars for bravery.
Robert made good on his vow to help kids and became a school teacher and coach. He taught at the California School for Boys, then in San Miguel, then in Paso Robles. He taught in the Paso Robles School District for 25 years until he retired.
In the early days, he worked two jobs. During the week, he taught school. On weekends, he fueled planes at the Paso Robles Airport. He wanted Social Security for his family. The teaching job didn’t offer it in those days. The airport did.
People described Robert as a strict but fair teacher who didn’t stand for any nonsense. Kids other teachers couldn’t control were sent to him. He was known to get a kid’s attention by throwing an eraser against a chalkboard. Once he picked up a rowdy boy and threw him out the door. To this day, his former students say a firm hand was exactly what they needed.
Later, Robert started teaching educationally handicapped students. He softened considerably, and didn’t do anymore eraser throwing.
For a decade, Robert was on the town’s volunteer fire department. One night a large hotel caught fire. Robert fought the fire all night, came home in the morning, took a shower, ate breakfast, and went to work at school for the day.
Robert coached basketball and cross-country. During the ten years he coached cross country, seven of his teams went to the state finals. He was proud to have two All-Americans run for him, brothers Eric and Ivan Huff.
When he retired, Robert enjoyed fishing and playing golf. He wrote many letters to his fellow Easy Company men and always signed off: Robert J. Rader, here. Be good. Be careful. Sleep warm. He loved watching sports and bought two TVs for his living room so he could watch two events at the same time.
Robert’s health slowly deteriorated. His kidney’s failed, and he needed dialysis. On his final day, his wife Lucille went home from the hospital early because she was so tired. His son Donald drove her home, so it was just his daughter Robin with him in the hospital room. Robin turned on a John Wayne movie, Rio Bravo, and Robert and she talked about movie trivia. Robert asked if his wife was okay. Once reassured, he closed his eyes and slipped away.
His quiet life did not go unnoticed.
A few years after Robert died, the citizens of the town of Paso Robles, spearheaded by Frank Mecham, a former student of Robert’s and then-mayor, had a bridge renamed in Robert’s honor.
The whole town turned out for the celebration. In the crowd were former colleagues from the school district, friends from the fire department, former students, civic dignitaries, family friends, and relatives. Nine Easy Company veterans traveled in for the event. If you ever visit Paso Robles today, be sure to visit the Robert J. Rader Memorial Bridge.
Monuments aside, how would the family want Robert Rader to be remembered? He was a man who did his duty even in extreme situations, and who did it quietly with humility.
His son Donald put it succinctly: “He was an honorable man to the end.”
Righteous Among the Nations Honored by Yad Vashem By 1 January 2010 GREAT BRITAIN NAMES YEAR Agnes, Sister (Walsh Clare) 1990 Bedane, Albert 1999 Cook, Ida & Louise 1964 Coward, Charles 1965 Edwards, Alan 1988 Foley, Francis 1999 Haining, Jane 1997 Hammond, George 1988 Lechford, Roger 1989 Noble, Tommy 1988 Ravenhall, June
On the Imprudence and Uncharitableness of Immodesty
By: Msgr. Charles Pope
The video below contains a fascinating interview between Sean Hannity antwo women on the question of immodest dress as a dangerous thing for a
woman. It would seem that a Toronto police officer was quoted as saying,
“Women can avoid rape by not dressing as sluts.” He said this in the context
of a lecture to college students about a recent campus crime wave. He has
since apologized, but some will not accept it, or do not think he was
specific enough in his apology. His remarks have touched off worldwide
protests in Europe and also in Boston and New York by women who engage in
what they call “Slut Walks.” In these, they dress provocatively and carry
signs that denounce the blame the victim attitude of the police officer and
others who explain rape by blaming the victim.
OK, so lets all admit that there is nothing that justifies the rape or
assault of any woman. Further, the officer did not need to speak of women as
“dressing like sluts.” It is possible to counsel caution without resorting
to such terminology.
But the reaction has gone to the other extreme by insisting that there ought
to be no thought women should give as to the way they dress, and the effectit may have on others. You will see in the interview how one of the women
Mr. Hannity interviews gets more and more extreme as the interview
progresses. She begins saying “Just because a woman dresses provoc
does not mean she welcomes an abuser.” OK, fair enough. And even if she is
attacked, there is no justification for it. But that said, is there no
legitimacy in advising women to refrain from provocative dressing? Men too,
for that matter, though the physical dangers to them are far less. Further,
is it legitimate to talk to women in our life about ways to reduce their
risk without being called sexist, and told that we are blaming the victim?
A Central Problem – One of the women says, “In dressing provocatively a
woman is saying, I am asking you to look at me as a sexual object, instead
of a woman worthy of respect.” The other woman responds, “There is nothing
wrong with looking like a sexual object.” And this pretty well spells out
where many in our culture have gone. Intentionally provoking a purely sexual
response not only tempts men, it also diminishes women by encouraging the
notion that sex is the main thing.
There is surely a time to provoke and celebrate a sexual appeal and joy…, in
the marriage bed. But outside this context, women ought to be seen more
richly as wives, mothers, sisters, daughters, teachers, scientists, indeed,
whole persons with interests, needs, concerns, and richly varied lives. That
many women are advocating a hypersexualized notion of who they are by taking
“slut walks” (the protestors’ term not mine) is a sad commentary. It
thing to protest the “blame the victim” remark, but calling it a slut walkis to go further and advocate immodest dress and raw, unintegrated
sexuality. That is not helpful to women and I suspect most women do not
appreciate this sort of “advocacy,” or the extreme comments rendered by one
of the women in this interview below.
Some younger women really don’t seem to know – That said, I have come to
discover, through discussions with women on the issue of modesty that many
(especially younger) women really don’t have any idea the effect that they
have on men. I have confirmed this in discussion among our teenage Sundschool kids. In discussions moderated by women, many young girls just haven’t
figured it all out yet. When asked, “Why do you dress that (provocative)
way?” they often say, “I don’t know, it’s……like……y’know…..comfortable???…..It
like…….co
While some of them may be fibbing, and they really do know, I don’t doubt
that, to some degree, there is an innocence about what they do that needs to
be schooled. Some years ago I remember a remarkable little passage by John
Eldridge, in the Book, Wild at Heart that decoded something I have noticed
even in the youngest girls:
And finally, every woman wants to have a beauty to unveil. Not to conjure,
but to unveil. Most women feel the pressure to be beautiful from very young,
but that is not what I speak of. There is also a deep desire to simply and
truly be the beauty, and be delighted in. Most little girls will remember
playing dress up, or wedding day, or twirling skirts, those flowing dresses
that were perfect for spinning around in. She’ll put her pretty dress on,
come into the living room and twirl. What she longs for is to capture her
daddy’s delight. My wife remembers standing on top of the coffee table as a
girl of five or six, and singing her heart out. Do you see me? asks the
heart of every girl. And are you captivated by what you see? (Kindle edition
Loc 367-8
Perhaps it is this innocence that has gone somehow wrong, has been
untutored, and thus, causes some younger girls to dress immodestly. And many
of them bring that into adulthood.
But even if their intentions are innocent, it is not wrong to teach them
that not everyone views their display so innocently, and further than some
are deeply troubled by the temptation it brings, especially as these girls
get a bit older and more vivacious.
So where to go? From the Christian point of view modesty is reverence for
mystery. Modesty accepts the norm that there are some things that are simply
private and meant for the intimacy of marriage that are not to be disclosed
in a general sort of way. Further, modesty respects the fact it is wrong to
unnecessarily tempt others. And many do easily fall prey to sexual
temptation. To simply disregard this and say, “Well that is their problem,”
may well be to lack both charity and a realistic attitude.
That said, the word unnecessarily is important in the phrase, “it is wrong
to unnecessarily tempt others.” For it is not always possible to protect
others from all temptation, and we ought not impose unreasonable standards
and expectations upon women. Some men are tempted just by a pretty face.
That doesn’t mean we ought to expect women to hide their faces. It also
pertains to women to have curves that appeal to men, and to expect them to
never manifest any curves at all, also seems unreasonable.
Hence the word modesty comes from the word “mode” meaning “middle” or
“mean.” So modesty involves observing a certain middle ground wherein we do
not oppress women (or men for that matter) with severe standards and
cumbersome cover-ups. But neither do we neglect to understand that some
degree of charity and understanding is due to those who are possibly tempted
by tight or revealing clothing and immodest postures or movements. It is
wrong to tempt others when we can reasonably avoid doing so. But inhuman and
unreasonable standards are also to be rejected.
The bottom line is that immodest and provocative dress is both imprudent and
uncharitable. The officer involved used inappropriate language to convey his
“advice.” But to advise women appropriately how to reduce their risk of rape
does not ipso facto equate to blaming the victim. A little equanimity in the
issue is helpful, though sadly rare, in our easily offended and strongly polarized cult
Story
What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line, there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the same choice?
At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves children with learning disabilities, the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated staff, he offered a question:
'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does, is done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the natural order of things in my son?'
The audience was stilled by the query.
The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, who was mentally and physically disabled comes into the world, an opportunity to realize true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people treat that child.' Then he told the following story:
Shay and I had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' I knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their team, but as a father I also understood that if my son were allowed to play, it would give
him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
I approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth inning..'
Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a team shirt.. I watched with a small tear in my eye and warmth in my heart. The boys saw my joy at my son being accepted. In the bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still behind by three.
In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from ear to ear as I waved to him from the stands.
In the bottom of the ninth inning, Shay's team scored again.
Now, with two outs and the bases loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be next at bat. At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the game?
Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat. Everyone knew that a hit was all but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly, much less connect with the ball. However, as Shay stepped up to the
Plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make contact.
The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay. As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball right back to the pitcher.
The game would now be over...
The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been out and that would have been the end of the game. Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started yelling, 'Shay, run to first!
Run to first!' Never in his life had Shay ever run that far, but he made it to first base.
He scampered down the baseline, wide-eyed and startled. Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had the ball . The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intentions so he, too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's head.
Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him circled the bases toward home. All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay' Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third! Shay, run to third!'
As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!' Shay ran to home, stepped on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the game for his team. 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face, 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity into this
Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never forgotten being the hero and making me so happy, and coming home and seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
AND NOW A LITTLE FOOT NOTE TO THIS STORY:
We all send thousands of jokes through the e-mail without a second thought, but when it comes to sending messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often o
freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't the 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message Well, the person who sent you this believes that we all can make a difference.
We all have thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural order of things'. So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people present us with a choice:
Do we pass along a little spark of love and humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little bit colder in the process?
A wise man once said every society is judged by how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
Martin Kennelly Chicago 30th Dec. 1946
At 11 o'clock each weekday morning for nearly 14 years, Chicago's political reporters have trooped into the big, green-carpeted office on the fifth floor of City Hall. Big, genial Ed Kelly was there to greet them. He would usually lean back in his chair and start off his press conference with an Irish story. Then the boys would ask a few questions. Usually Ed would ask a few in return. The boss took great pride in his slogan: "I'm not only mayor of Chicago, I'm father of it
But one morning last week no reporters showed up. There was not even a stray ward committeeman on hand, thumbing through an early paper. Sitting silently in his big, green-cushioned chair, staring at the picture of his dead son, Mayor Edward Joseph Kelly had come to the end of the trail, alone.
The absent newsmen and politicos had gathered elsewhere, in Room 331 of the Morrison Hotel. There smart, ulcer-ridden little Jake Arvey, the new boss of the old Kelly machine, was introducing the Democrats' candidate to succeed Ed Kelly as mayor: a husky businessman, Martin Kennelly, 59.
End of an Era. While the committeemen listened dutifully to Candidate Kennelly's acceptance speech, they thought about his record. He had started out as a $2-a-week Marshall Field employe, had risen to the top of Allied Van Lines, Inc. and of the Werner-Kennelly warehouse c
boot. He had slugged away at civic reform as a member of the police-badgering Chicago Crime Commission, had worked hard during the war for the Red Cross and Army relief.
Martin Kennelly pulled no punches. He reminded the committeemen (who needed no reminding) that he had successfully fought the Kelly-Nash machine in 1936 when he backed Henry Horner for the governorship; that he had fought Kelly again, though unsuccessfully, when he boomed Tom Courtney for the mayor's seat in 1939. He had not changed a bit, he said. He was going to go ahead on his own; if his ideas clashed with the machine, the machine would have to yield.
The committeemen applauded with great heartiness. Boss Arvey, they knew, would still control the mass of minor patronage. But an era was ended. The symbol of that era was Ed Kelly, the onetime sanitary engineer, the confirmed tormenter of the English language, the kingcog of a ruthless machine which kept Democrats in power in Chicago and Washington.
Nudging the Boss. Boss Ed, now 70, had not bowed out very gracefully. Last summer he had turned over the Cook County chairmanship to Jake Arvey (TIME, July 22). Jake immediately began working on the boss to retire. Ed held out, finally agreed not to run if Jake could find someone the Boss could accept.
Three weeks ago it seemed to be all set. Martin Kennelly had agreed to run; Boss Ed had given grudging approval. But then Kennelly backed down. There were too many strings attached to the offer. Jake started all over again, and Ed began making unmistakable candidate's noises.
Finally, last week, Jake sent an emissary to Kennelly again, this time guaranteeing him a free hand. Kennelly accepted. Ed Kelly, tired of fighting a losing game, capitulated. Puffing nervously on a cigaret, he strode into the Morrison Hotel the night before the formal announcement, to face the selection committee. Said he: "I haven't tried to be a dog in the manger. I am for you and I am with you. Let's nominate Kennelly and get through with
How Silence Works: Emailed Conversations With Four
MONKS
Trappist Monks
Jeremy Mesiano-Crookston | June 1st, 2012
About two months ago I started reaching out by email to a group of people whose lives I wanted to know about and understand: The Trappist monks of Oka Abbey, in Quebec. Oka Abbey is the oldest Trappist monastery in North America. A century ago, it was a powerhouse; but in recent decades, the community had dwindled to a fraction of what it used to be. After leaving the Abbey to a heritage group, to be preserved as an historical site, the remaining monks relocated to a smaller retreat in the mountains north of Montreal.
Even if you're not Catholic, you may have heard of the Trappists. They’re the monks that make those impeccably crafted beers. And the Trappist monks of Oka created a cheese worth drooling over that’s still widely sold today (though now it's made by a Quebec dairy company). The Trappists are known for one other thing as well: they're the only Western-based monastic order that still actively practices the “vow” of silence. (I put quotes there because neither the Rule of St. Benedict nor the practice of the Order actually contains a specific vow of silence. As I understand it, it’s an edict, a practice that’s a part of their lives that the monks happily follow.) It was this element of their lives, their dedication to the enshrinement of silence, that drew me to them. Not really knowing how one goes about approaching monks, I located list of monasteries in addition to the former Oka group and started emailing. It took a few weeks of very slow introductions to find the right people, but I ended up in conversation with four monks, two in America and two in Canada
I was nervous; a lapsed Catholic who chased his ideals into a long education, I have a weakness to people who devote themselves more than I ever did to higher pursuits. But I found the group to be more than usually friendly, loathe to judge, voluble in writing and full of enthusiasm to correspond. They’d write me in the spare time they had between their daily work and daily prayer, most seeming pleased. Most asked that I respect their privacy, so their names have been removed here. This conversation was culled from four different interviews conducted using the same starting questions.
Could you walk me through a day in your life? What's the hour-to-hour schedule of someone who lives in a Trappist monastery?
A:Father
We rise at 3:45 each morning
At 4:00 a.m.: Vigils. This is the night prayer, including a hymn, psalms and readings from the Bible and from a Father of the Church or renowned spiritual writer.
5:00 a.m.: we may have breakfast or take the time for private prayer, spirit 6:45 a.m.: Lauds, the Morning Prayer. Shorter than Vigils, but also consisting of psalms, hymn and prayer. This takes about half an hour. The time left is for reading, walking outside, etc.
8:15 a.m.: This is time for the daily Eucharist. (On Sundays, it’s at 10:00).
9:15 a.m.: We go to work until 11:30. There is here half an hour to clean up and be ready for the next praye noon: The prayer of SEXT (from the Latin: sextus, 6th) It is a short kind of Prayer-Break so to speak! And Lunch follows at about 12:20.
After Lunch, we may have a siesta or do whatever we like until the next prayer at
1:40 p.m.: the Prayer of NONE (9th) it lasts maybe 15 minutes and we go back to work until 4:15
5:00 p.m. Dinner. Free time. During the Free Time, we may read, meditate on the Scripture, study, anything that may help us in growing in our spiritual life, and even some other relaxing things for we must avoid strain or anxiety and tension. 6:00 p.m.: Vespers. Like Lauds, about half an hour. And free time.
7:30 p.m.: Compline: the last prayer of the day. It means “accomplishment or achievement” so we are ready to finish our daily schedule and go to bed!
8:00 p.m.: We retire for the night. (And believe me; we (at least me) sleep).
Father B: After communion, we sit there a few minutes and the quiet is intense. Coughing stops, nose-blowing stops, throat clearing—it all stops. The silence is palpable and is, I believe a real communion. A recent retreat master told us it seemed that we were out of time and in the eternity of the sacrament we had just received. The same thing happens when we have Eucharistic Adoration on Sunday afternoons. No group of human beings can agree when it comes to ideas or words; we may arrive at consensus on isolated issues through a lot of work and compromise. But in the silence of adoration, we can arrive at a deep communion when we share the same faith. Sometimes I think silence is one way of not letting our differences define who we are for one another.
What do you feel like silence adds to your actions? Does it make them easier to complete? More satisfying? There's a concept in Buddhist philosophy that the highest art you can attain is to fill your everyday moments with the full presence of yourself, and thus transform them into meditative acts. Is that a statement you'd agree with?
Father B: In my daily work the habit of silence (I've been here 35 years) helps me to focus, even to put aside pre-occupying worries while I concentrate on a particular responsibility. That can be preparing the community's meal, typing the entries for our website, hearing confessions, preparing a class for the novitiate, chanting the psalms at community prayers when I have a cold, whatever. But I have learned that I started out with certain powers of concentration, so I may not be too accurate here; I grew up in NYC and it's second nature to me to block out background noise. But I can say that the habit of silence keeps me from seeking additional noise. I'm not uneasy when it's very quiet or when I'm totally alone. But I don't find silence making tasks easier to complete.
The silence does make me aware of my inner workings, however, what we call in the monastery, "self-knowledge." I can't pretend that I'm always a nice guy, always patient, always calm and receptive. I have to admit that I can be abrupt, cold to offenders, or would often prefer efficiency to the messiness of other people's moods. Silence seems to keep me from idealizing myself.
I've become very attuned to the sound of bird-song, the wind, water running through the pipes, identifying unseen monks by the sound of their footsteps—just paying attention to my suAre all your actions done in total silence? How do monks coordinate work? There must be a small amount of words that are absolutely necessary to get through a day?
Father B: No, not all work is done in silence, though we try to keep a silent atmosphere whatever we do, even common work. We talk to convey necessary information; the point is to get to the point and stick to the point and the capacity for that varies from person to person. The ideal isn't to see who keeps the strictest silence but for all to help maintain a silent atmosphere.
This says on one level that silence is in our lives to create an ambience of recollection so I'll remember and honor God's presence. On another level, silence reminds me that the misuse of words, the abuse of language can also be the sinful abuse of people; silence for us means not talking, more than not making noise… On yet another level, silence means listening. We follow the Rule of St. Benedict and the first word of that Rule is "Listen." That's the great ethical element of silence: to check my words and listen to another point of view. I'll never have any real peace should my sense of well-being depend on soundless peace. When I can learn the patience of receiving, in an unthreatened way, what I'd rather not hear, then I can have a real measure of peace in any situation.
Father D: Monasteries value silence a lot. We have in the order, to this effect, a sign language written into a book that details meanings of signs to be used when monks need to communicate. It is still being used, increasingly less used though. This fact underscores our value for silence because it enables us easily to turn our attention actively to God and sense his presence among us and in the whole world. It is as if we are talking to God and have less time for other talks. We do not make a vow of silence, however, as people seem to believe. Silence is an aid and not an end in itself. It aids prayer, communal and private, and seeks to reduce distractions. Silence aids deeper meditation and contemplation.
Father C (first language is French): The first advantage contemplation and silence bring to me is the serenity, the calm and peace of mind. When there is lot of noise or movement around you, it’s tough to take notice of what you’re going through. That’s why so many people come here, to our retreat house to find silence and peace and be able to put their lives in order. It’s the same thing for the monks.
How do you feel about the world around you? Do you feel like grappling with the world in all its complexity would be difficult?
Father B: Actually, to keep a small community going, we have to grapple with everything everyone else does: taxes, spending, planning for the future, vocation "recruitment", maintenance, local politics AND things other people don't have to juggle. Environmental sustainability is an important value to this community; I'm up to my neck in business with the USDA to make ourselves better stewards on our land. The networking with local resource-people is endless; it's also a great privilege and grace. And whatever we do to stimulate better use of our resources can contribute to the wellbeing of developing cultures who do not have the resources of the USA.
Father A: If by “complexity” you mean the extraordinary diversification of forms of experience and the myriad ways they meet and interact in the course of living life, all of this is inexpressibly beautiful and it would be hard to see how it could be a challenge to anyone's faith. Probably, by “complexity” you mean rather the perplexing, self-defeating… binds we get ourselves into individually and collectively because of the influence of sin. It is sin that makes the world complicated, and sin comes from us. But if sin comes from in us, then a monk, living in silence and solitude, is sitting in the eye of the storm.
My own impression is that life in the world provides many diversions which guard a person from really engaging the battle with sin, and can even render him quite insensible of its existence. Such a person is not so much engaging the complexity of the world as becoming numb to it. In the cloister, on the other hand, you engage the Adversary face to face. It is hard for me to imagine where in the world a person more directly engages “the world in all its complexity” than battling with the very source of evil in one's own heart in the solitude and silence of the cloister.
As regards “grappling” with the world, in its present state, I will frankly confide to you two very personal vulnerabilities which would make living outside the cloister very difficult for me. First is my impression of the general formlessness of life in America today. So many people today live without a coherent language, symbol system, tradition, or rituals to give concrete expression to what they believe and so speak of seeking “happiness,” “contentment, “light,” “fulfillment”… The abstract formlessness of how Americans talk about matters of ultimate concern wearies me deeply.
The other is the loneliness that characterizes life in America today. Mother Theresa, visiting the U.S. for the first time in the 70s, said she had never seen poverty like what she saw here and she meant the loneliness of Americans. The breakdown and relinquishment of shared value systems and traditions, has left individuals adrift in a private search for God and meaning. This is a terribly lonely way to live. In America, loneliness can become like the blueness of the sky. After a while, people don't think about it anymore
Out of curiosity, do the monks in the cloister watch the daily news? Are you interested in cultural changes in the world?
Father A: The motivation is to focus our hearts and attention on the Truth of God that resides at the center of our being and is supremely Simple. (While living at Walden, a visitor one day asked Henry David Thoreau did he read the story in the paper about the man in Concord who committed suicide. “I don't need to read the story”, he answered, “I understand the principle.”) We do not watch television and so would not have access to the daily news, but do keep informed about important developments such as the financial crisis, by means of ne
I wonder if a lot of the cultural complexity you refer to seems interesting to people because they have lost so much consciousness of [their] ancestors and the long view afforded by a knowledge of history. If you don't know history, everything today can seem quite novel. But in the larger context of the story of human history, much of what fascinates, today, is quite redundant. There is, for example, nothing “new” about the “New Atheism.” You see it heralded as complicating our world in a challenging and refreshing way, but its claims were much more intelligently pressed in the past and rejected by our ancestors. It is astonishing to me that, after the collapse of communism in the Soviet Union, and China, people can speak of the experiment with radical secularism as if it were “breaking news.” Been there, done that.
Father B: I worry and pray about world poverty, overpopulation, consumerism, the moral bankruptcy of laissez-faire capitalism, the polarized, simplistic "thinking" in our country; about the public face and stupid blunders of the Catholic Church, about politicians who capitalize on religion; about veterans, war refugees, migrant workers; about people in jail (I used to do intervention work in the Criminal Justice System and in the inner city) and people with no meaning in their lives. I didn't come here to get out of the real world but to get perspective on the real world.
I still believe that intentional community, communal ownership and a community of goods is a viable human endeavor, but I look for no utopia. My faith could not survive without engaging the concretely realities of human experience. My faith is forged in that collision. I find the here-and-now of vital importance, but not ultimate importance. It's important because it is ephemeral; this moment is here and gone. How I respond to it is the vital question. Do I respond to it from my deepest values? that's the important thing for me and the reality of my faith.
Father C: I don’t read the newspapers for I get all the information I need on the Internet. The only stuff I read is McLean’s. But the news I [have is] a source for my prayer. There are so many bad things happening every day, so many people in dire difficulties… But there [are] also wonderful episodes of courage, of mercy and brotherly help and love. There is almost not a single day where there is not one more human dead, in our country… You see, being linked to the outside could be helpful for one’s spiritual life, as it can be very harmful! But I think I’m doing it the right way, with God’s help and guidance.
After a certain length of time, does it simply become natural to be so silent? Or does it always remain something that you have to be very mindful of? And do you consider it as a beneficial practice for all people? Or something attached to your faith? A form of sacrifice of words?
Father A: I would say that silence has become natural for me. This is not the case with most communities of monks. In community, we tend to struggle with silence. A human being is a social creature, and we find that, while maintaining silence alone is natural and a blessing, cultivating silence in a group is hard and a discipline we have to commit to over and over again.
I would not speak of the “sacrifice of words” except in relatively rare instances when a passion moves me to speak and I struggle to hold my tongue. The silence which is my natural habitat is not created by forcibly sacrificing anything. When a man and woman meet and fall in love they begin to talk. They talk and talk and talk all day long and can't wait to meet again to talk some more. They talk for hours together, and never tire of talking and so talk late into the night, until they become intimate—and then they don't talk anymore. Neither would describe intimacy as “the sacrifice of words” and a monk is not inclined to speak about his intimacy with God in this way. Is silence beneficial for all people? I would say the cultivation of silence is indispensable to being human. People sometimes talk as if they were “looking for silence,” as if silence had gone away or they had misplaced it somewhere. But it is hardly something they could have misplaced. Silence is the infinite horizon against which is set every word they have ever spoken, and they can't find it? Not to worry—it will find them.
Jeremy Mesiano-Crookston is a freelance writer living and working in Toronto. He has written for the Ottawa XPress, the Citizen, and the Globe and Mail newspapers. You can read him here.
http://www.archden.org/index.cfm/ID/9723
40 Years of the Culture of Death: A Pastoral Letter on the Occasion of the Anniversary of Roe vs. Wade
by Denver Archbishop Samuel J. Aquila | January 22, 2013
[view letter as PDF]
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
I went to college in 1968 with the idea of becoming a doctor, like my father. College campuses in the late ‘60’s and throughout the 70’s were places of turmoil. I didn’t practice my faith much in the first three years of college and I certainly never imagined that the Lord would one day make me a bishop.
I spent my first three years of college working as a hospital orderly and assisting in the emergency room, at a university student health center and in a hospital in California during summer break.
When I began the job, I hadn’t thought much about human suffering, or about human dignity.
But during my employment in hospitals, something changed. At that time, some states had approved abortion laws that I wasn’t even aware of. Because of those laws, when I was in college I witnessed the results of two abortions.
The first was in a surgical unit. I walked into an outer room and in the sink, unattended, was the body of small unborn child who had been aborted. I remember being stunned. I remember thinking that I had to baptize that child.
The second abortion was more shocking. A young woman came into the emergency room screaming. She explained that she had had an abortion already. When the doctor sent her home, he told her she would pass the remains naturally. She was bleeding as the doctor, her boyfriend, the nurse and I placed her on a table.
I held a basin as the doctor retrieved a tiny arm, a tiny leg and then the rest of the broken body of a tiny unborn child. I was shocked. I was saddened for the mother and child, for the doctor and the nurse. None of us would have participated in such a thing were it not an emergency. I witnessed a tiny human being destroyed by violence.
The memory haunts me. I will never forget that I stood witness to acts of unspeakable brutality. In the abortions I witnessed, powerful people made decisions that ended the lives of small, powerless, children. Through lies and manipulation, children were seen as objects. Women and families were convinced that ending a life would be painless, and forgettable. Experts made seemingly convincing arguments that the unborn were not people at all, that they could not feel pain, and were better off dead.
I witnessed the death of two small people who never had the chance to take a breath. I can never forget that. And I have never been the same. My faith was weak at the time. But I knew by reason, and by what I saw, that a human life was destroyed. My conscience awakened to the truth of the dignity of the human being from the moment of conception. I became pro-life and eventually returned to my faith.
I learned what human dignity was when I saw it callously disregarded. I know, without a doubt, that abortion is a violent act of murder and exploitation. And I know that our responsibility is to work and pray without ceasing for its end.
Repentance, Prayer.
At each Mass, before we receive the Eucharist, the Church instructs us to consider and confess our sinfulness. When we pray the Confiteor at Mass we proclaim the sins of “what I have done, and what I have failed to do.”
We ask the Lord for mercy. We ask one another for prayers.
At the Penitential Act, we recognize the times we have chosen sinfulness, and also the times we have chosen to do nothing in the face of the evil of this world. Our sins of omission permit evil. They permit injustice. At the Penitential Act, I sometimes think about the abortions I witnessed and my heart still experiences sadness. I beg forgiveness for the doctors, nurses, politicians, and others who so ardently support abortion and pray for their conversion.
Today we recognize the 40th anniversary of Roe vs. Wade—we recognize 40 years of sanctioned killing in our nation. Today we recognize the impact of those 40 years. Tolerating abortion for 40 years has coarsened us. We’ve learned to see people as problems and objects. In the four decades since Roe vs. Wade, our nation has found new ways to weaken the family, to marginalize the poor, the homeless, the mentally ill—we’ve found new ways to exploit and abuse.
Today we must recognize that 40 years of sanctioned killing has given the culture of death a firm footing and foundation in our nation.
We must also recognize our sinfulness. When we survey the damage abortion has caused in our culture, we must repent for our sins of omission. We Christians bear some responsibility for our national shame. Some of us have supported pro-choice positions. Many of us have failed to change minds or win hearts. We’ve failed to convince the culture that all life has dignity. In the prospect of unspeakable evil, we’ve done too little, for too long, with tragic results.
Today is a day to repent. But with repentance comes resolve to start anew. The 40th anniversary of Roe vs. Wade is a day to commit to a culture of life. Today the Lord is calling us to stand u
When I worked in hospitals in college, I didn’t know or understand what the Church taught about human life. I learned by experience that a human life is destroyed in every abortion. But I was unprepared to defend life—unprepared to even see real human dignity, let alone proclaim it. I pray that none of you, dear brothers and sisters, will ever find yourselves in the position I was in so many years ago. I pray that you are prepared to defend the truth about human life.
Life is a Gift From God
The Church’s teaching on the dignity of human life is clear. “Human life” states the Catechism of the Catholic Church, “must be respected and protected absolutely from the moment of conception. From the first moment of his existence, a human being must be recognized as having the rights of a person—among which is the inviolable right of every innocent being to life.”[1]
The inviolable right to life is taught in Scripture, Sacred Tradition, and witnessed to in natural moral law. The Church believes that life is a God-given right, and a gift. Our very being is an expression of the love God has for us—the Lord literally loves us into existence, and his love speaks to the worth of the human person. We take the gift of life seriously because each human being is a unique creation of God the Father.At the moment of conception we receive the gift of life, and lay claim to the right of life. “Before I formed you in the womb,” says the Lord to the prophet Jeremiah, “I knew you. Before you were born, I consecrated you.”[2]
Human dignity begins with the divine gift of life. But our dignity is enriched because Jesus Christ, the Son of God, chose to live among us as a human being. Because of the Incarnation, all humans can share not only human dignity, but divine dignity. Our human life allows us to share in God’s own life—to share the inner life of the Trinity. “Life is sacred” the Church teaches, “because… it remains forever in a special relationship with the Creator, who is its sole end.”[3]
The dignity and sacredness of human life have very clear moral implications: innocent human life is absolutely inviolable. “The direct and voluntary killing of an innocent human being,” teaches the Church, “is always gravely immoral.”[4]
“It makes no difference,” Blessed John Paul II taught in 1993, “whether one is the master of the world or the ‘poorest of the poor’ on the face of the earth. Before the demands of morality we are all absolutely equal”[5]. The Church unequivocally condemns abortion, euthanasia, embryo-destructive experimentation, and the targeting of civilians in war.
The Church takes human dignity so seriously that she even teaches that in all but “cases of absolute necessity” capital punishment is immoral.[6]
Unjust killing is a rejection of the gift of God.
Abortion is always wrong
This letter wishes to reflect particularly on the Church’s teaching regarding abortion.
In 1974, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith reflected that “in the course of history, the Fathers of the Church, her Pastors and her Doctors have taught the same doctrine,” namely that abortion is an “objectively grave fault.”[7] In 1972, Pope Paul VI declared that “this doctrine has not changed and is unchangeable.”[8]
Today many Catholics seem to believe that while abortion is unfortunate, it is not always a moral evil. Secular arguments to justify abortion abound. New life often represents difficulty. When pregnancy seems to threaten health or life, or poverty, or when a child may be born with grave disabilities, abortion is often the secular solution.
But, as the Holy See noted in 1974, “none of these reasons can ever objectively confer the right to dispose of another's life, even when that life is only beginning. With regard to the future unhappiness of the child, no one, not even the father or mother, can act as its substitute… to choose in the child's name, life or death…Life is too fundamental a value to be weighed against even very serious disadvantages.”[9]
Though abortion is never a justifiable action, the response of the Church to women who have undergone abortions should be one of compassion, of solidarity, and of mercy. Abortion is a sinful act, and a tragedy. The fathers and mothers of aborted children are beloved by God, and in need of the mercy and healing of Jesus Christ. Programs like Project Rachel exist to help women who have had abortions encounter the merciful and forgiving love of God, our Father.
Just Law Protects All Life
Because life is a fundamental value, we have a duty to proclaim its goodness, and its dignity. We also have a duty to protect it in law. The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith observed in 1987 that “the inalienable rights of the person must be recognized and respected by civil society and the political authority. These human rights depend neither on single individuals nor on parents; nor do they represent a concession made by society and the State: they pertain to human nature and are inherent in the person by virtue of the creative act from which the person took his or her origin.” Clearly, just laws should respect the dignity of the unborn, and their right to life. Laws which fail to do so should be defeated. And it is the vocation of all Catholics, most especially lay Catholics, to work to change unjust laws which allow for the destruction of human life. The Second Vatican Council decreed that “since laity are tightly bound up in all types of temporal affairs, it is their special task to order and to throw light upon these affairs in such a way that they may come into being and then continually increase according to Christ to the praise of the Creator and the Redeemer.”[11]
Despite the clear teaching of the Church, many Catholics, and especially Catholic politicians, maintain that their personal opposition to abortion should not affect their participation in civic life. These arguments are unreasonable, and disingenuous. No one, especially a person in public office, is exempt from the duty to defend the common good. And the first and indispensable condition for the common good is respect for the right to life. Our Declaration of Independence begins with an argument that all men should protect the inalienable rights granted them by God—among them, the right to life.
At the basis of arguments which recognize abortion’s immorality, but support its legal protection, is relativism, and cowardice: a refusal to stand for basic and fundamental truth. Law does nothing more important than protect the right to life.
The fathers of the Second Vatican Council reminded Catholics, “Nor,…are they [the faithful] any less wide of the mark who think that religion consists in acts of worship alone and in the discharge of certain moral obligations, and who imagine they can plunge themselves into earthly affairs in such a way as to imply that these are altogether divorced from the religious life. This split between the faith which many profess and their daily lives deserves to be counted among the more serious errors of our age. …Therefore, let there be no false opposition between professional and social activities on the one part, and religious life on the other. The Christian who neglects his temporal duties, neglects his duties toward his neighbor and even God, and jeopardizes his eternal salvation”[12]
This statement resonates even more true today, as many Catholics have withdrawn their faith from the world and public square.
In 1987, Blessed John Paul II said to Americans that “every human person -- no matter how vulnerable or helpless, no matter how young or how old, no matter how healthy, handicapped or sick, no matter how useful or productive for society -- is a being of inestimable worth, created in the image and likeness of God. This is the dignity of America, the reason she exists, the condition for her survival -- yes the ultimate test of her greatness -- to respect every human person, especially the weakest and the most defenseless ones, those as yet unborn.” [13]
The legacy of America is respect for human dignity—most especially respect for the innocent, vulnerable, and marginalized.
Catholic political leaders who claim that they can separate the truths of faith from their political lives are choosing to separate themselves from truth, from Christ, and from the communion of the Catholic Church.
On the contrary, Catholic political leaders who truly understand the teachings of the Church and who use their creativity and initiative to develop new and creative ways to end the legal protection for abortion deserve the praise and support of the Church, and of the lay faithful. All of us must put our energy and effort into ending the legal protection for abortion. It is, and must be, the primary political objective of American Catholics—it is difficult to imagine any political issue with the same significance as the sanctioned killing of children.
Building a Culture of Life
Protecting life is our duty as Catholics, and ending legal protection for abortion is imperative. 40 years have passed and still we have not found a successful strategy to end the legally protected killing of the unborn. But we have also failed to win public opinion. Polling today suggests that 63% of Americans support legal protection for abortion.[14] This is where change must begin.
Although we must continue legal efforts, we must also recognize that law follows culture—when we live in a culture which respects the dignity of all human life, we will easily pass laws which do the same.
Our task, said Blessed John Paul II in 1995, is “to love and honor the life of every man and woman and to work with perseverance and courage so that our time, marked by all too many signs of death, may at last witness the establishment of a new culture of life, the fruit of the culture of truth and of love.”[15]
A culture of life, quite simply, is one which joyfully receives and celebrates the divine gift of life. A culture of life recognizes human dignity not as an academic or theological concept, but as an animating principle—as a measure of the activity of the family and the community. A culture of life supports most especially the life of the family. It supports and celebrates the dignity of the disabled, the unborn, and the aged. A culture of life seeks to live in gratitude for the gift of life God has given us.
If we want to build a culture of life, we need to begin with charity. Social charity, or solidarity, is the hallmark of a culture of life and a civilization of love. It allows us to see one another through the eyes of God, and therefore to see the unique and personal worth of one another. Charity allows us to treat one another with justice not because of our obligations, but because of our desire to love as God loves.
This charity must begin in the family. Our families are the first place where those who are marginalized, and whose dignity is forgotten, can be supported. To build a culture of life we must commit to strengthening our own families, and to supporting the families of our community. Strong families beget the strong ties which allow us to love those most in danger of being lost to the culture of death.
The charity of the culture of life also supports works of mercy, apostolates of social justice and support. Families impacted by the culture of death are often broken. Supporting adoption, marriage, responsible programs of social welfare and healthcare, and responsible immigration policy all speak to a culture which embraces and supports the dignity of life.
A true culture of life is infectious. The joy which comes from living in gratitude for the gift of life—and treating all life as gift—effects change. When Christians begin to live with real regard for human dignity, our nation will awaken to the tragedy of abortion, and she will begin to change.Finally, dear brothers and sisters, I wish to remind you of the power of prayer. Our prayer and sacrifice for an end to abortion, united with Christ on the cross, will transform hearts and renew minds. In prayer we entrust our nation to Jesus Christ. In doing so, we can be assured of his victory.
Today I ask you to join me in a new resolve to build a culture which sees with the eyes of God—which sees the dignity of the unborn, of women and men, of the poor, the elderly, the mentally ill and the disabled.
Our forefathers saw with the eyes of God when they recognized in the Declaration of Independence that “we hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happines. I ask you, dear brothers and sisters, to join me in building a culture of life which ends the brutal killing of the unborn—the smallest and least among us. There is no greater task we can undertake. I pray that the words of Scripture may burn within our hearts, “You formed my inmost being; you knit me in my mother’s womb. I praise you, because I am wonderfully made; wonderful are your works!”[16]
Sincerely yours in Christ,
Most Reverend Samuel J. Aquila, STL
Archbishop of Denver
2013 St. Anthony Feast – A Message from Fr. DaToday we celebrate the Feast Day of St. Clare (1193-1253), a saint who was a contemporary of St. Francis of Assisi and deeply committed to living the example set by him. She was the foundress of a religious order of women, known today as the Poor Clares, and the first woman in church history to write a rule, or set of guiding principles, for a religious order. She was strong-willed, stubborn and, above all, determined to live the gospel by following Jesus Christ, the rule of Francis and the Church.
Clare, like Francis, was born into a life of privilege, the eldest daughter of one of Assisi's richest families. But as a young girl, she often witnessed the poor of Assisi begging at the door of her family's home. She grew to feel a strong compassion for the poor and easily saw the connection between them and the embrace of poverty espoused in Christ's teachings. Clare's life was one of humility, self-denial and total dedication to following Christ.
St. Clare's importance to the Franciscan charism inspires us here at Franciscan Media. So much so that following her example is part of our company's mission statement. Are you interested in finding out more about Clare? We offer Clare of Assisi: A Heart Full of Love by Illia Delio, O.S.F. and St. Clare: A Short Biography by Joan Mueller. Inspire someone by sending a St. Clare e-card at CatholicGreetings.org.
The President of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, Cardinal Peter Turkson, is in Japan for the “Ten Days for Peace” to mark the anniversary of the nuclear bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, which took place on the 6th and 9th of August, in 1945
BOOK: Treasures of Irish Christianity was published to great acclaim in the summer of 2012. Edited by our own Bishop Brendan Leahy and Salvador Ryan, Maynooth - details of both volumes are below. You might find this to be beautiful and interesting summer reading. It is available from Veritas and all good bookshops.
Volume I
This volume takes its cue from the theme of the International Eucharistic Congress to be held in Dublin in June 2012, ‘Communion with Christ and with one another’. In almost eighty short articles, a host of leading scholars from the worlds of history, liturgy, theology, philosophy, art history and Celtic Studies reflect upon aspects of the history of the Christian tradition in Ireland from the fifth to the twenty-first century, with a special emphasis on the relationship between the Irish people and
This is a wide-ranging illustrated collection which draws from the major Christian denominations in Ireland and includes entries on significant people, texts, images and events that have shaped the Irish Christian experience.
Volume II
Treasures of Irish Christianity was published to great acclaim in the summer of 2012. This second volume offers readers further scholarly yet readily-accessible short articles on a vast array of treasures from the Irish Christian tradition, with a focus on the Irish and their relationship with theIt covers items ranging from religious folk tales to reflections on Yeats, Joyce, Kavanagh and Beckett; from words on the margins of ancient manuscripts to the first Lutheran congregation in Dublin; from early High Crosses to the thirteenth-century Kilcormac Missal; from the Medieval Office of St Brigid to Pugin architecture; and from Church of Ireland hymnody to the recent Share the Good News publication.