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RELIGION LITURGY AND LIFE

Archive for the category “Life”

12 Sep 2018

A PERSONAL REFLECTION ON THE RECENT EVENTS THAT HAVE HAPPENED IN THE CATHOLIC CHURCH

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As we celebrate the feast of the exaltation of the Holy Cross on Friday I thought that it might be an opportune moment to reflect on the recent events that have happened in the Catholic Church. Over the past few days I have been thinking about the McCarrick affair, the Pennsylvania Grand Jury Report as well as the fallout from the Vigano testament. Many things have come into my mind. I feel very sad at the thought of all that has happened over the years. I felt exactly the same way about the abuses that took place in Ireland when they were uncovered a number of years ago back in the 1990’s.  Then as now there seems to be a sense of helplessness and hopelessness. My prayer is that out of all this will come some good for everyone especially the victims. There are so many who have been hurt by the misdeeds of the few,

Again all of us have been reminded very forcefully of the hurt caused by those who were priests in the Church and also by some bishops in charge of the Church over the decades. In Ireland the catalyst for the Church to get its act together was the Murphy report. The Murphy report was the result of a judge led inquiry conducted by the Irish government into the sexual abuse scandal in the Catholic archdiocese of Dublin and it seems to me that the same could be said of the Philadelphia Grand Jury Report. It will be a catalyst for good. As a result of the Murphy report there was an Apostolic Visitation to the Church in Ireland which was a good starting point to get to where we are today but a lot more work will have to be done in the Irish Church as we move forward and we are moving forward. Then we had the explosive testimony from the retired Nuncio Archbishop Vigano and a lot has been said by many people Conservative, Liberal and all the in-between Catholics on his statement.

There is much in the testament that requires clarification and there is much that will cause division between the so called Conservative and Liberal parts  of the Church in the USA and other places which I regret. In relation to the Archbishop’s demand for the Holy Father’s resignation let me point out what the Canon Law says about a papal resignation: Canon 332 §2 says, “Should it happen that the Roman Pontiff resigns from his office, it is required for validity that the resignation be freely made and properly manifested, but it is not necessary that it be accepted by anyone.” Putting canonically invalid pressure on the pope to resign through the media achieves a schism. It achieves a sede vacante. Consequently the resignation is not valid. Consequently any one elected by a conclave is an antipope. Is this what the Church really wants I don’t think so.

If what the archbishop says is the truth why is he afraid of the consequences of telling the truth to be seen and heard telling the truth for the truth sets you free. Jesus Christ told the truth to the people of his time and paid the price by dying on the Cross. The cross reminds us that God is in charge and has a plan for our ultimate well-being. We trust God who has made a promise to be faithful to us, and through the cross, he guarantees to see that promise come to completion.  We sign ourselves with the cross as we enter and leave church and as we begin and end our prayers. Each time we do that we remember the God of the Promise, the God who was, who is and will be the one who will always be part of our journey. Signing ourselves with the cross also reminds us of God’s promise to be faithful to us when often times people are not as the scandal of abuse within the Church has shown.

Over the years so many people asked me in view of what has happened relating to the abuse and other  church related scandals why did I stay. Well I remained because it was the right thing for me to do and continues to be the right thing because the Church means so much to me and so many others and that’s why we are hurt by all of this.  I thank God that many of the ways of the past are gone. As we now know in many cases the  people involved in the past were proven to be shamefully wrong with what they did. What has happened over the years certainly was not what we expect of the members of the church clergy or otherwise. Now is not the time for us to stick our heads in the sand ignoring what has gone on and what  is now going on around us. Instead it is time for us start afresh looking for new ways to proclaim the old truths, the truths that were there at the beginning of the Church.

We cannot forget the Last supper in the upper room, the Cross of Good Friday and the Resurrection on Easter Sunday.  They are part of what we as Church and faithful individuals are. We cannot forget all those who by their lives and witness over the centuries have brought many people to faith in God. We should not forget that Jesus Christ was the beginning and will be there at the end the alpha and the omega.  At times it would have been so very easy for me and so many others to throw in the towel and that would be the easy solution and if the truth be told it would be no solution at all. Running away is easy but staying the course no matter how desperate the situation may seem to be at the time is what is required of all of us in order to make things the best they can be for the future.  The Church in the USA at this time is bruised and hurting, much the same way we were in Ireland and as such we need to begin moving away from being confined to ourselves looking inwards staying in our own circles with their points of view. We need to get up and dust ourselves down and get going again. That is what the Cross calls us to do. We need to move away from  the  security of being on one side of the arguments or the other  to  looking outwards in order to bring the Gospel of Jesus to all those we meet. The question to be  asked is what should be done to deal with the awful events that have been perpetrated over the years. It is not an easy question to answer in much the same way as many of the questions of recent times are not easy. But this is a question that we need to answer and I feel that the answer lies in honest open accountability. Accountability for all those who work in Church settings at all levels including the clergy. Civil law and the Canon law should be the same in that anyone found guilty of the crime of abuse  or covering up abuse within the Church  should be out no matter who they are or the job they hold.

Those who hold any office in the Church should be accountable at all times and in every place for what they have done and also for what they failed to do.We need to renew the faith community by creating new understandings, and new enthusiasms relating to faith and our great tradition of faith and all of these will lead to renewed life of faith.  We need to acknowledge where we were in the past where we are now and we need to work out exactly where we need to be going into the future together.  We need to reaffirm what we ourselves believe in as individuals and as communities  so that we will inspire others to begin or continue their own faith journeys.  I have heard so many people saying the Church is done for and I am sure the Apostles felt the same after Good Friday and here we are over 2000 years later wondering as they did what is going on and what are we going to do.

 I am sure there has been and will be much discussion on how we as the Church in the world at large deal with the issue of abuse and the issues in the Church and  all of that will be a matter of debate. But I hope that it will be a proper debate as we need to speak frankly and openly with each other. Seeking God’s will in our strengths and weaknesses. We should not be afraid of the opposite opinions to our own because seeing the other side will mean that we understand the decisions that we will make from both sides of the argument and as a result we will come to the right decisions with proper consideration of all the points of view.  Over these days I have read many reports on the media about all of this and I hope that something will be done to begin to address the issues of Clerical Abuse in the USA and the other church related issues properly.

The beginning of the process here in Ireland was the Apostolic Visitation to the Irish Church in 2010 much good came from that visitation and that work continues today. But my fear is that any attempt to make things better in terms of how the Church deals with the issue of Abuse or anything else will be hijacked by those in the Conservative or Liberal wings of the Church and if that happens nothing will be achieved except division when there should be unity about getting this sorted. Unity of mind and purpose in defence of the good in the Church while remembering all who have been affected by the bad that was perpetrated over the years. I have been blessed by the priests and religious that have been part of my life as well as the  many good faithful people of God who are trying to keep the faith despite the odds.

On August the 18th I attended Mass  that was in honour of Our Lady of Good  Counsel and the gospel reading was the Wedding at Cana.  As we know in this gospel reading our Blessed Mother tells the servants to do whatever he (Jesus) tells you. That is what we need to be praying for that we will be able to do what god tells us to do in this present situation and bring it to fruition . Recently at a meeting I used the Adsumus prayer below and prayer is what is needed in our decision making processes as we go forward with God in his Church at this time. As we celebrate the Exaltation of the Cross  we remember in the words of the Antiphon at the beginning of the mass for the feast  that we should glory in the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, in whom is our salvation, life and resurrection, through whom we are saved.

 The “Adsumus” prayer has been historically used at Councils, Synods and other Church gatherings for hundreds of years.
 

We have come, O God the Holy Spirit, we have come before Thee, hampered indeed by our many and grievous sins, but for a special purpose gathered together in Thy name. Come to us and be with us and enter our hearts.

Teach us what we are to do and where we ought to tend; show us what we must accomplish, in order that, with Thy help, we may be able to please Thee in all things. Be Thou alone the author and the finisher of our judgments, Thou who alone with God the Father and his Son dost posses a glorious name.

Do not allow us to disturb the order of justice, Thou who lovest equity above all things. Let not ignorance draw us into devious paths. Let not partiality sway our minds, nor respect of riches nor persons pervert our judgment. But unite us to Thee effectually by the gift of Thy grace alone, that we may be one in Thee and never forsake the truth; inasmuch as we are gathered together in Thy name,

so may we in all things hold fast to justice tempered by mercy, so that in this life our judgment may in no wise be at variance with Thee and in the life to come we may attain everlasting rewards for deeds well done. Amen.

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08 Sep 2018

  23RD SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

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This Sunday everyone is back in the swing of things with the schools, colleges and various clubs and societies back in full swing with the summer holidays a now distant memory. Many people are asking themselves where did the summer go it seems like a blink of an eye since the end of June and many things have happened all over the world since then. For us here in Ireland the highlight was the visit of the pope to the world meeting of families in Dublin and it was a grace filled time for everybody whether you went to Dublin or not.

In this Sunday’s Gospel Jesus comes face to face with a deaf man who has a speech impediment. The man is doubly afflicted: he is a Gentile, regarded by the Jews as unclean, and is also physically disabled. Jesus takes him aside, away from the crowd, and cures his deafness and his stutter. Mark emphasises the response of the crowd, who publish their judgement that Jesus has done all things well.  Thus the messianic prophecy of Isaiah heard in the first reading is seen to be fulfilled: “the ears of the deaf [are] unsealed… and the eyes of the blind are opened”.

Jesus’s love is available to everyone, without any conditions attached. He is not disconcerted by the disabled; neither is he prejudiced against those weren’t members of his own race or religion as we see with this man. The uniqueness of Jesus was not employed to lord it over others, but to be of service to them. In his presence there is no need to hide one’s disability, no one has to remain isolated in a godless world, and no one has to be rejected. Jesus’ acceptance and love open up new possibilities; for him, nothing is settled. Prejudice, on the other hand, tries to settle everything and in reality settles nothing and causes so much hurt and anxiety. We are people of faith, but our spiritual focus is often based on what we want. Many times we struggle between our “real needs” where god works through us and what we think we need. These shortcomings can lead us to discouragement many say that the “church does not fulfill my needs anymore”. On the other hand those same shortcomings can be turned around into a challenge for us to grow.  Through growth in faith, we begin to listen and understand. Then, we can speak clearly.  Our ears are no longer blocked. Our tongue is no longer held bound. Despite our shortcomings and weaknesses and all of us have many shortcomings, Jesus will touch our lives and call out to us.

Are we prepared to open our ears to the call of Jesus and open our eyes to see the needs of all those around us as we are asked to do, so that people around us may say that united to Jesus in faith we have done all things well.

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25 Aug 2018
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21st Sunday in Ordinary Time

 

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Pope Francis has Landed. I am in shock as I write this I didn’t think that nearly 40 years after the visit of Pope John Paul to Ireland I would be writing about another pope visiting Ireland with the visit of Pope Francis to Ireland for the world meeting of families. I remember as a 12 year old the anticipation of the visit and even now the excitement is there as the pope comes to Ireland. So much has changed in terms of faith and people and it would be easy to be critical and many are with good reason but we need to stop for a while and bask in spiritual sunshine that the world meeting of families and the pope’s visit bring to us and the world. There is much that has changed in my lifetime in relation to the faith that we profess and family life and I am sure that much will change if the future. But the words of Oscar Romero  who will be made a saint in October sum up what we are about we are workers, not master builders, ministers, not messiahs. We are prophets of a future that is not our own.  So as we go forward we thank God that we are at this point and we acknowledge that we are not perfect as the Church is not perfect as we look to the future that is gods not ours to own.

In this Sundays Gospel, Jesus puts the choice to His apostles of following Him, or of leaving Him. Many of the Lord’s followers had left Him because of His teaching that He Himself is the Bread of Life. After hearing Jesus’ teaching on the bread of life, many of the people find Jesus’ language intolerable. As a result of this intolerable language some  of them choose to leave him. Today in a similar way so many people find the words of Jesus to be intolerable language as many Christians have got up and left their faith behind them and some may never return again. When Simon Peter answered Christ’s challenge—”will you too go away?”—he spoke not only for his fellow-Apostles that day with: “Lord to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.” but for all of us in our own time and place as well, people who really believe that Christ was the incarnate Son of God.

Peter made his act of faith before he was fully convinced of the divinity of Christ, but he was already convinced that Christ was close to God and spoke nothing but the truth. We have the proofs of Christ’s divinity which Peter and the Apostles later got. We have also the faith of two thousand years of Christian people whose belief in the bread of life as a sacrifice and sacrament was at the very center of their Christian lives. This belief was passed down to us through each generation. We have also the noble example of many martyrs who gladly gave their lives in defense of this truth. “Lord to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.” Lord we will go to you for you have the message of eternal life now as in the past and will lead us into the future by your grace and hope.

 

 

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18 Aug 2018

20 TH SUNDAY OF ORDINARY TIME

 

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It is now just a week to the visit of Pope Francis to the World Meeting of families here in Ireland. It is against the backdrop of the recent abuse allegations against the retired archbishop of Washington and the grand jury report into the dioceses of Pennsylvania that the Holy Father will visit us. The sense of betrayal that I feel is awful each time I hear about these events is nothing compared to how the victims must feel. We pray in a special way for all the victims of those priests and bishops who have let the people of god down in doing such horrible deeds.

Our Gospel Reading for this Sunday suggests when we take Communion we really are taking real Food and real Drink.   The receiving of this gift becomes the acceptance and acknowledgment of the Lord’s care for us and thus, ultimately, the nourishment we need to continue the journey. Sometimes it is not easy to put one foot in front of the other, let alone continue on the journey of faith.

In His book To Live Is to Love, Ernesto Cardenal says, “If in everything you fulfil God’s will rather than your own, every encounter in the street, every telephone call, every letter you receive, will be full of meaning, and you will find that everything has its good reason and obeys a providential design. To “live in love” requires us to be connected to the Love of God.     There is one concrete way that the Lord helps us to make this connection that is by providing the Eucharist the bread of Life.   In the bread and wine offered at the Eucharist, the risen Lord makes himself present. While the priest invokes the words of blessing (thus acting as the instrument of Christ or “in persona Christi”), the conversion of the bread and wine into the blood into the Body and Blood of Christ remains the initiative of God (specifically, the Holy Spirit). The offer to partake in the “living bread” is God’s offer of unity with Christ and his followers (his “body,” the Church). The attraction of the Eucharist or Blessed Sacrament is dynamic. Jesus is dynamic.

When we receive communion or when we come to pray before the Blessed Sacrament, we don’t receive an inanimate object.  We don’t kneel before a static entity. This is not a crucifix or a statue that reminds us of something. This is Jesus. The One Who Is who was and will be in the future. When we receive communion or come to adoration, we take within ourselves or we come before the dynamic, powerful Presence who speaks to us through the life He has given us. How great is our God. He has found a way for each of us to have continual, intimate encounters with Him. Let us pray, for those whose access to the Gift of the Eucharist or Blessed Sacrament is not so easy whether they have left the faith or perhaps they might be struggling with it or for many they may not yet found it as we remember that Jesus has said ‘I am the Bread of life he who comes to me will never be hungry.’

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11 Aug 2018

19 TH SUNDAY OF ORDINARY TIME

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We are now in the final countdown for the world meeting of Families and the visit of Pope Francis to Ireland. There are many voices out there saying many things with the southern politicians giving it the full measure of political cheap shots instead of trying to work with one of the world’s great leaders. However we have to get on with preparing ourselves for the great event and its hard to believe that it is nearly here.

The Gospel reading for this Sunday deals with a doubting audience, they were shocked and critical of Jesus’ claim to have come down from heaven as the Bread of Life. Despite the miracles they had witnessed, and the words of wisdom they have heard preached with such convincing authority, they could not take the extra step to accept His claim. We are able to take that extra step because our Christian faith has come to us from Jesus passed down through the apostles and many others who accepted the message for what it was and is God’s message.

we know where he came from, we know where we are going and we know how to reach that destination. Of all the knowledge a human being can acquire on this earth, the above facts are the most essential and important that through Jesus we hear god’s message of salvation.  Our Christian faith and its message gives us certainty about eternity and our journey toward it. The personal faith that we have has passed down to us through each generation and this means that God out of the abundance of his love, speaks to us as friends and lives among us as  the living bread which came down from heaven.  The Gospel lesson for today tells us that we can’t do it by ourselves.  We need Jesus.  And we find Jesus through the teachings and Word of God.  It is through our communion with him, in him, and through him in the eating of the bread of life that his flesh becomes the life of the world.  It is in our relationships of love with each other and our listening to God and learning from God that we experience Jesus among us.  In living simple lives of being kind to one another, compassionate, and forgiving one another, we are empowered to be imitators of God.

So, at the end of each day, when we give thanks for all of our blessings, most of all, we should give thanks to God for the presence of Jesus in our lives.

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04 Aug 2018

18TH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

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Here we are at the beginning of August in a few short weeks we will be welcoming people from all parts of the world to the world meeting of families that will take place in Dublin. We will also have the joy of welcoming Pope Francis for the closing events as we celebrate the Joy of the Gospel as the family of the Church in Ireland and the world.

Our Gospel reading this weekend has as its focus food,  food for the body that is bread and food for the soul that is Jesus the Bread of life. Jesus tells the people that they are only following him because they have enjoyed the food that physically satisfies them; they should work, he says, for the food that leads on to eternal life. The one thing which earns this food is believing in the one God has sent. The Galileans promptly ask Jesus for a sign to aid their belief in him – a sign like the manna their fathers ate in the desert.

Jesus points out that it was God, not Moses, who supplied the manna in the dessert, he compares himself to the God who now gives them bread from heaven. Jesus declares that he himself is the bread of life, the bread come down from heaven. Whoever believes in him will never be hungry. Yet there are so many people in our world who suffer from hunger, physical hunger for so many do not even have a wee bit of bread to eat or water to drink. Also there is a great spiritual hunger, there are many people out there who have lost their faith and there are also many people searching for faith who have yet to find it. I think that in our day and age with all its possibilities for so many things both good and bad we need to be the bread of life for all those who are out there who have lost the faith or those who are searching and many people are . What does it mean for you and me to be the Bread of Life to others? It means two things:

(1)         Feeding the hungry through our donations to organisations that bring physical  relief  to the people who need it in the world whoever they are wherever they might be.

(2)         It also means that we are a light to others showing that God the Father has sent Jesus from heaven to be our food, our strength, our hope, and our joy as we live our lives as Christian people who believe in God.

There are so many people in the world that are hungry for the bread of life that Jesus tells us about how will you and I feed their hunger in the days ahead will they make the choice to accept this great gift of God ?

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28 Jul 2018

17TH SUNDAY OF ORDINARY TIME

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Well here we are nearly at the end of July and for us here in Ireland the summer break is almost at the half way mark. We are looking forward to the World Meeting of Families in at the end of August to be held in Dublin and we also look forward to the visit of Pope Francis as part of this event.

 

In the Gospel reading for this Sunday we hear the story of the feeding of the five thousand. The crowd is huge can you imagine five thousand people and all of them are hungry: for physical food in a deserted place and hungry for still more. They are hungry to be acknowledged, to feel counted and recognized. Like those of us gathered for Eucharist each Sunday, they are also hungry for what Jesus had to say about God. They hunger to know that God is on their side, when the rest of the world considers them insignificant. How can their physical hungers be fed, there is no food around? How can their spiritual and human hungers be noticed, their need to feel important, and their hunger to know God be filled? In their Roman- occupied world they are slaves. In their religious world, a long way from the seat of their faith in Jerusalem and the religious elite, these Galileans were considered next to pagans;

 ignorant and a long way from God when in truth they were nearer to God than many of the righteous people of the day. There is some food there, but almost nothing in the light of the numbers who are hungry. In this story the food of the poor barley bread counts and it is not an insignificant gift. It’s given by a boy, it’s all he has, and he makes it available.We tend to measure the size of any problem that may arise and then back away, shrugging our shoulders, “What can I do about such a big problem?” Well we in simple terms have to face the problems head on and the boy in this Gospel is a good example for us: better to do something about the situation we are in than nothing at all. The life implication of this gospel is simple: Jesus wants to work the miracle of feeding a huge number of people who are hungry; but the miracle will not happen without someone to provide five barley loaves and two fish. The end of this passage is important: “and all ate and were satisfied. And they took up what was left over, twelve baskets of broken pieces”. Jesus asked the disciples to ensure that nothing was wasted: nothing thrown out!

The people in this story realize that Jesus had something to offer them in the deserted and lonely places in their lives. Jesus wasn’t just filling their stomachs he was also nourishing their souls. They weren’t rich, famous, educated or powerful; they were the afflicted and marginalized people that Jesus went out of his way to seek out.  Life may have passed them by, but Jesus didn’t.  He took note of them, and they in turn saw in him a place to be nourished, a place where deep hungers and longings of life would be fulfilled. The Gospel account of the multiplication of the loaves proclaims who Jesus is and provides food for thought and prayer. This Gospel also proclaims who we are as people who are hungry for what Jesus the bread of life has to say to us about God.  Are we prepared to open our ears and listen to the message of Jesus in the Gospel so that we can pass that message on in what we say and do in our lives ?

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21 Jul 2018

16th  SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

 

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This Sunday in our Gospel story we listen to Jesus as he tells the apostles ‘You must come away all by yourselves and rest for a while’. He first planned to give his Apostles a well-earned rest. They had evidently worked hard while out on their mission and a few days rest would restore their lost energy. He himself, too, must have been hard pressed, preaching and dealing with the crowds. In the absence of the Apostles he had no one to help him he too needed a rest. He, therefore, planned that he and they should go to a quiet corner of the Sea of Galilee where there was no village and where they would not be disturbed. As we all know sometimes the best laid plans go astray as the people got to the quiet spot first. He could have sent them away, but again his human compassion took over. Seeing these simple people of Galilee so anxious to hear about God and his mercy, he let them stay and began to preach the good news of forgiveness and hope to them.

Jesus cares for us and all those needing rest and spiritual nourishment as he did his apostles and crowd in our Gospel story for this Sunday! We have only to listen to Jesus speaking within our hearts to hear where we will find him. In addition to that blessing, we all know someone in our midst who mirrors the Lord’s unselfish care for others. Often we are the recipient of that care and attention. We might take those people for granted whether they be in our family, community, work place or parish. The widespread problems of so many are symptoms of deep unsatisfied longings to be loved and to love. Can we be a little more caring towards the lost and lonely people we know? And will we let Jesus say to us: ‘I was a stranger and you made me welcome, lacking clothes and you clothed me, sick and you visited me, in prison and you came to see me? Jesus has clearly identified himself with people in physical, emotional and spiritual need. To meet them is to meet him especially these days where so many have little or almost nothing and the few have so much.

Jesus has the answers to our questions; and they all come down to living a life deeply in harmony with God. And he not only tells us but shows us the way. He talks the talk but he also walks the walk. And his walk takes him eventually to Jerusalem and up the hill to Golgotha where he gave his life for us. And he invites us to walk with him; to walk with him as we listen to his teaching and experience his healing ministry, and then to walk with him on that last journey to the Cross to suffer and die and rise to new life with him. No wonder they wanted to hear more.  So the call to us this weekend is that we should come apart and rest for a while and as we rest we should recharge our spiritual batteries as we look  for  and listen to Jesus.

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07 Jul 2018

14TH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

 

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This Sundays  Gospel sees Jesus going back to his roots in Nazareth. This is not a social visit: like other towns in Galilee, Nazareth and its people have to hear the Good News of the kingdom. When Jesus teaches in the local synagogue, many of the townspeople are astonished at the performance. They wonder at the origin of Jesus’ teaching and the nature of his wisdom, as well as the miracles that are done through him. From the unanswered questions about Jesus’ wisdom, the neighbours move to more familiar territory and focus on what they do know about Jesus. Whatever their wonder, they are not going to allow the wisdom of Jesus  to interfere with their memories of him. Prior to this section in Mark’s gospel, Jesus has been doing some extraordinary things. His baptism by John in the river Jordan was accompanied by an affirming voice of the Father from the heavens, “You are my beloved Son. On you my favor rests.”

After his desert testing Jesus called his first disciples, cured the man in the synagogue with the unclean spirit and the paralytic in Capernaum; expelled the legion of devils from the Gerasene man, you may remember last week in our Gospel Reading Jesus raised the daughter of Jairus, cured the woman with hemorrhage, Jesus is doing wonderful things as he proclaims, in word and deed, the coming of the reign of God. Though he did all the wonderful things the people still had little faith which also seems to be the case these days. The people wanted the powerful signs of God’s final coming with a strong right arm to rescue them. But when Jesus spoke about the signs of the kingdom’s presence, he spoke of scattered seeds and, to emphasize the kingdoms small beginnings, he compared it to a mustard seed, “the smallest of all of the seeds of the earth” Where was God’s show of power and mighty arm in a tiny mustard seed? Mark sums up their reaction, “And they took offence at him.”

And so it is today as many take offence at the values of Christianity and the good it makes for all of us in our world. A world which in many respects is so faithless with many  people taking offense at Jesus and his teaching. Jesus revealed God’s presence to the people of Nazareth as a different kind of power: the power used only to help others, not ourselves; a gentle power that does not force or coerce people to do our will; the power of compassion and gentleness, when others are expecting force. All of us know from our own experience that when we admit our failures and limitations, that exercise in honesty can mark the beginning of a new understanding. If our Lord and God can take failure in his stride, we might even end up boasting about God’s fantastic message! What is the message of the wisdom of Jesus? Jesus message is really about using whatever power that we might have in a positive way to help others and the greater our weakness the more powerful we will be that is powerful with the power of compassion and gentleness.

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03 Jul 2018

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As I was sitting at my computer a thought came into my mind about the last line from the second reading from the Feast of St. John the Baptist. The message of the second reading is that the message of salvation is meant for us when Paul said ‘My brothers, sons of Abraham’s race, and all you who fear God, this message of salvation is meant for you.’ Well in our world these days it seems to me that many people know about the message of salvation and have made the choice to ignore it. But many others myself included  have stopped to listen to the message of salvation and ask what does it mean for us in our daily lives and living and how do we make that message real for all those we know? Many people here in Ireland have been left with a feeling of hopelessness after the vote on Abortion and all the other things that challenge us as people of faith as we look forward to the visit of Pope Francis.

But that said I also think of Pope John Paul when he said in his homily  during the inauguration  Mass at the start of his ministry as pope at St Peters  in October 1978  Brothers and sisters, do not be afraid to welcome Christ and accept his power. Help the Pope and all those who wish to serve Christ and with Christ’s power to serve the human person and the whole of mankind. Do not be afraid. Open wide the doors for Christ. This wee paragraph taken directly  from the Homily of the late Pope have stuck in my mind for over 40 years and for many of my generation these few words do not be afraid were and continue to be a guiding light. There are many things that I certainly do not understand in relation to all that is going on around and about me at this time but I know that the hand of God is in most of the comings and goings. Now to get back to the message of salvation being for us.

If we are true heralds of the message of salvation we wont let our own self seeking attitudes and cares crowd in and blot out the message of God with all its richness that we as Christians are supposed to show.Are we prepared to open the doors of our hearts to let the guiding light of Christ shine from us and be the heralds of the message of salvation that Saint Paul talks about. As we go forward we shouldn’t  be afraid as we  Open wide the doors of our hearts and minds for Christ as we let the light of salvation shine in our own lives so that those around us will see that Christ lives in us and be inspired by our example to live the faith that the message of salvation brings. Ireland has been changing over a long period of time but with the Abortion referendum result it has been confirmed that Ireland  has completely changed with its people taking a view on abortion that would have been unheard of 30 years ago. But when we stop and think about it we realise that God is still here and is saying to us I haven’t gone away you know and the message of salvation is still there as well. So as we think about the message of salvation we shouldn’t get too disheartened with all that is going on for those who love God nothing is impossible.

A Prayer

Loving God, you shared your Word with us as a light in our darkness. May we be open to the mystery of life that surround us in so many ways. Help us to recognise Jesus the Light of the world  in our own inner poverty and reach out courageously to share our light the light of faith with others. We make our prayer in the wonder of your love.

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