Mar 14, 2017
Gospel Reflection for the Third Sunday of Lent
The Gospel (4:5-42).
A spring of water welling up to eternal life.
This is a rather lengthy reading containing different themes. Central themes are the Samaritan woman, the well, and the water. In Jesus’ day, there was deep enmity between Jews and Samaritans, who were regarded by the Jews as heretics and not part of the Jewish people at all. This division seems to have had very old roots. There was enmity between the northern kingdom, Israel, with Samaria as its centre, and the southern kingdom of Judah. A noted well in the area was connected with the patriarch Jacob.
In the evangelist John’s writing, the episodes in this reading function at two levels – this earthly one, and at a spiritual level, to which the earthly ones point. Thus, the water from the well is a symbol of the water that Jesus will give his followers, welling up to eternal life; this is the gift of the Holy Spirit. The Samaritans worshipped at their own sacred site and the Jews at their Temple in Jerusalem, which led Jesus to speak of the coming age when both would be irrelevant, and God worshipped in Spirit and in truth. His own hunger gives Jesus an opportunity to speak of his intense desire, his hunger to complete the work the work the Father had given him, with the sowing of the Gospel seed and the ensuing harvest.
As a reflection on this reading, we can recall Jesus’ promise to give to those who believe in himself a spring of water welling up to eternal life – that is the gift of the Holy Spirit, who gives faith and hope, while Christian faith brings certainty.
A common feature of the world in which we live is doubt in matters relating to faith – doubt about elements of moral teaching, about truths of faith, and even at times about the very existence of God. An assertion of a certain philosophy, prevalent today, is that there is no certainty about anything. All we can have is speculation and guesswork rather than certainty, and opinions that vary from age to age.
An atmosphere of this sort adds to the difficulties of religious observance. Such doubt about fundamental matters is completely contrary to the teaching of the faith in matters relating to truths concerning this life and the life to come. Christian faith is thus described in the Epistle to the Hebrews (11:1): “Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things unseen”. Two of the terms used there call for our reflection: assurance and conviction.
The assurance and conviction spoken of in this verse are not psychological attitudes of souls rooted in the human mind or soul. They refer instead to the divine, theological, virtue of faith – a gift from God that gives conviction which is beyond that which human nature can provide. This assurance and certainty bring with them a peace of soul, the peace which Jesus has granted to believers, and a peace that no-one can take from them.
Mar 7, 2017
As a worldwide initiative, the idea behind Nightfever is a simple one: open doors and open hearts. On designated nights, Mass is held in a city centre church, and afterwards, the church is filled with candlelight and prayerful music. Volunteers invite passers-by on the street to come inside and light a candle of their own, and many stay to enjoy the beautiful atmosphere of peaceful and prayerful reflection in the loving presence of God.
Luke is a member of the Cork NET Team, a youth evangelisation team run in partnership by the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart and the Dominicans. Here, Luke shares his experience of Nightfever in Cork City…
“For over a year, I have been involved with a wonderful outreach group called Nightfever. Today, I’m delighted to talk about my time as a volunteer with this group, which will hopefully help to shed some light on the power and efficacy of this largely under-appreciated ministry.
In the last four months, there have been three Nightfever events in St Augustine’s Church, Cork City. Hundreds of people have come into the presence of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist on account of these three events. Many of these people have not been season ticket holders, so to speak – some may not have ever even set foot in a church before.
Amazingly, this is achieved by the simplest of invitations. Volunteers go out in pairs (one boy and one girl), and watch out for people passing on the street. We approach passers-by and invite them to light a candle in the church… and that’s it. We might mention that there is some beautiful reflective music inside as a bit of an incentive, but that is the full extent of the invitation. Those who say yes are led by the volunteers from the street into the church, right up to the altar where they light their candle before the Lord.
I have had the privilege of welcoming people as they approach the altar at two out of three of these events. I have seen people being moved to tears in seconds – just once look at the Blessed Sacrament is enough. For some, it’s just this sense that something is different here, and I have observed countless people looking around as if trying to figure out what that is. These people often pause and take a good look at the monstrance, seldom realising that it contains the one that is different, the one that is divine.
Nightfever really has deepened my faith. I would encourage any young Catholics who are interested in joining us in this outreach in Cork to get in touch with the Fr Alan Neville at the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart for more information.”
You can contact Fr Alan by email at fralan@mscvocations.com, or by phone on 086 785 7955.
Oct 15, 2016
In 2016, five young adults came from Canada, Dublin and even Galway as part of a National Evangelisation Team ( NET ) to share the Good News and celebrate their faith with the people of Cork. This is their story …
“Hello, we are the Cork City NET team. We are really excited to be working with the Dominicans and Missionaries of the Sacred Heart this year. There are 5 members on our team; two from Ireland and three from Canada. We range from the ages of 18-23. All of us have had a personal encounter with Jesus, and want to share that encounter and the love of Christ with those around us.
A random fact about our team is that we love Disney movies: we have been known to sing Disney musical songs while doing chores such as dishes and cleaning.
The sixth member of the team, King Philip, helps Travis and Luke with the Children’s Liturgy planning
We just arrived in Cork city this week after six weeks of NET training in Esker and Rossnowlaugh. Cork is a beautiful city filled with history and wonders which were created by God, we look forward to experiencing and learning from our time here.
We are really enjoying the spectacular view of the city we get to adopt as our home for the year. We have high hopes for this year; we want to see young people impacted and transformed by the love of Jesus. We are excited to get to know and reach out to young adults, children and secondary school students.
As a NET team we will be involved in a variety of ministry work throughout the year. The aim of our work is to help people encounter Jesus in a personal way. A big aspect of our ministry is forming relationships with the youth; we believe that these relationships will demonstrate the power and joy that comes from a personal relationship with Jesus.
There will be plenty of time to catch up over the odd latte
Our tasks include children’s liturgy, running a parent and toddlers group, visiting local schools, day retreats, Access youth club, youth 2000 meetings, running religion classes and young adult ministry. Day retreat’s or encounter days will be a big part of our ministry. At these retreats students will be taught the Good News through games, activities, sketches, dramas and talks. We hope that through these retreats, students will become more involved in church ministries. One of our main goals this year is to create a sustainable youth ministry program in Cork City; we want to train young adults to continue the mission when we depart.
We are looking forward to getting to know everyone and growing more in our relationship with Jesus alongside the community of Cork.”
Sep 21, 2016
Here comes everybody!
It was a real privilege to join the Youth 2000 team in England for their preparations in the run up to the Conquerers Festival in Walsingham. Each year 1,500 young people journey from all over the UK to sing, pray, attend workshops and play tug of war together – as you do.
Some festivals can be too serious!?!
All this doesn’t just happen and the organising team was on site a week in advance anticipating every challenge and preparing the way. We spent days moving food boxes, setting up tables and sorting out the sound system in the Big Top. Each night we had a time of Adoration, so as to ground everything we did in prayer.
The Eucharist is a central part of the weekend
Eventually Thursday arrived along with the first of our groups. There was a real sense of anticipation and excitement. As the first buses and cars start to pull up and the people offload we move into overdrive. We began with a talk about God’s love for us and our search for Him, followed by Mass with Fr. Stephen Wang. Then it was tents up and hair down for a relaxed evening renewing old friendships and making new ones.
Hanging out with others is another essential part of Walsingham
Friday was all about getting to know God better, starting with our morning talk ‘Who do you say that I am.’ Small groups are an essential part of the faith sharing for the young people and they allow them to really express their hopes, questions and above all themselves. That evening dozens of priests took part in the Reconciliation Service, which emphasises the mercy and compassion of God for all of us. For me it’s the highlight of the Festival. (more…)
Sep 12, 2016
The MSC group in Poland for World Youth Day (minus Jaime – he had a sole leg)
After an amazing week with the parish community of St Mark’s outside Warsaw we finally arrived in Kraków. There we were joined by Sarah, Anne Marie and the pilgrims from our Dublin a Parish. Our hotel was already full of Malawians and Canadians pilgrims, giving you an idea of the wonderful diversity of World Youth Day. The following day was about getting ourselves orientated and making our way to the Blonia, where all the big events in the run up to the WYD would take place.
Meeting some of the fantastic Polish volunteers who are always ready to lend a hand
The opening Mass and the concert that followed were full of joy and music, but it was the journey home that I remember. There were conga lines of every nationality making their way back into the city centre, as well as high five relays with Polish seminarians. As with every other WYD I’ve been to, the train stations get packed, but the atmosphere is always good humoured. (more…)
Aug 20, 2016
The MSC small group with Beth and Ellie, our amazing leaders. There really are no words to describe World Youth Day. It’s an incredible event for the seventeen of the MSC pilgrims, coming from Galway, Cork, Dublin and London. We joined up with the Archdiocese of Birmingham for the 40 hour drive / flight / taxi / bus / ferry / bus trip to Poland. However, before you know it were in the parish of St. Marks, Łomianki, just outside of Warsaw. There was an incredibly joyful group of parishioners, who were delighted to welcome us to our Mission Week.
Helping out with the sensory garden
Mission Week is an essential part of the WYD experience. It’s about taking the time to ground your faith in acts of service. This is especially important during Pope Francis’ Year of Mercy. We’re told to feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, clothe the naked, bury the dead, shelter the homeless, care for the sick, and visit the imprisoned.
Altogether there was 120 pilgrims in the group, who were divided over a variety of projects. We don’t tick every box during Mission Week, but we were close.
Everybody just got stuck in!
The first team headed to Sadawa, a residential home for people with disabilities, to build a multi sensory garden. They had to dig up paths, decorate jumbo pots, and paint a sail boat. They also managed to fit in time for bike rides through the forest, dancing, as well as arts and crafts. The next group built a Rosary walk in a home for the elderly. Another spent a few days entertaining the kids at a local paediatric hospital with drama and music. The rest of us were in the park organising few days of games and activities for local children. It was pretty manic, but we had loads of help from Ola and the members of the Łomianki youth group. They were just brilliant.
MSC selfie with a photobomb from Sue, our amazing nurse!
By Sunday the songs were sung, the garden dug, and pots were planted. Bishop William Kenney CP blessed the sensory garden and Rosary walk and then we all headed for a barbecue – as you do. The next morning our Polish families saw us off on the bus and we began our journey to Kraków. On the way we visited Wadowice, the birth place of Pope John Paul II. We also paid our respects in Auschwitz Concentration Camp. It was a sobering reminder about the world’s need for justice and mercy.
Late on Monday evening we finally arrived at the Junior Krakus in Kraków, tired but excited for Week 2 of World Youth Day!
