Sep 1, 2018
THE LAW PROTECTS THE LITTLE ONES
In today’s Gospel reading, Jesus is accused of being a law-breaker. On many occasions the religious elite accused Jesus of breaking the law of Moses.
Jesus points out that they have misunderstood the law and its purpose. The highest law, as Jesus reminds us, is love of God and love of neighbour. Love of neighbour particularly means love of the poor, vulnerable, and weak neighbour.
The law was never meant to make life more difficult for these little ones. It was never meant to take bread out of their mouths.
In fact, one purpose of the law of love is to protect the poor and weak from abuse by the rich and powerful. In Hebrew, these little ones are called the Anawim.
God loves everyone, rich or poor, strong or weak, powerful or vulnerable. However, the little ones need a bit more looking after.
Jesus’ mother Mary foretold that through Jesus, God would “cast the mighty from their thrones and raise up the lowly”, that he would “feed the starving with good things and send the rich away empty”.
Of course, the rich and powerful would not like this. This is one of the reasons they accused Jesus of being a law-breaker. This is why they conspired to have him killed at the hands of the Romans.
Today, Jesus calls us to stand with the Anawim, to stand up for them any way we can. He was unafraid. May we be granted something of His courage as well.
Fr Con O’Connell MSC
Aug 28, 2018
Novena to Our Lady of the Sacred Heart 2018
Our annual Novena to Our Lady of the Sacred Heart is a beautiful time of reflection and thanksgiving, when we bring our prayers and petitions before Our Lady.
Our Novena of Masses runs for nine days and will take place from Friday, August 31st to Saturday, September 8th.
All are welcome to join in the Novena by watching our daily Masses live from the Sacred Heart Church in Cork. These Novena Masses will take place daily at 10.00am and 8.00pm.
Be part of this year’s Novena to the Sacred Heart
At this special time of year, you can help us to help others by supporting our ongoing mission projects, and in gratitude for your contribution, we will be glad to remember your intentions at our daily Novena Masses. You can then submit your personal prayers and intentions online, and our MSC priests will remember your petitions specially throughout the course of the Novena.
The theme of year’s Novena to Our Lady of the Sacred Heart will be “The Church on the Street: Living the Gospel Today”.
OLSH Novena at the Sacred Heart Church, Western Road, Cork
Daily Novena Masses:Â 10.00am &Â 8.00pm
Sacrament of Reconciliation:Â Thursday, September 6th
Sacrament of Anointing:Â Friday, September 7th
Special Mass of Healing: Friday, September 7th at 3.30pm
All are welcome to attend. Tea and coffee will be served in the Sacred Heart Centre following all sessions. You are very welcome to come along and relax, meet new friends, and renew old acquaintances.
Daily Mass Themes
Friday, August 31st: A field hospital on the battlefield.
Saturday, September 1st: He sent me to bring the good news to the poor.
Sunday, September 2nd: Care of creation.
Monday, September 3rd: God wants to save us all.
Tuesday, September 4th: Our response: Prayer.
Wednesday, September 5th: Our response: Service.
Thursday, September 6th:Â Our response: Reconciliation.
Friday, September 7th: Our response: Healing.
Saturday, September 8th: Mary, truly our sister.
We welcome each and every one of you to this year’s Novena to Our Lady of the Sacred Heart. We hope and pray that these nine days of prayer will be a grace-filled and blessed time for all of us.
TAKE PART IN OUR 2018 OLSH NOVENA
Aug 27, 2018
After a whirlwind week of WMOF celebrations in Dublin, this weekend’s Papal visit was the crowning glory on a truly wonderful occasion.
Saturday’s Festival of Families was a triumph, featuring a joyous, vibrant programme of music, song, and prayer. “One of the most significant and beautiful events within every World Meeting of Families is the Festival of Families, a very special concert-type event which, at its heart, celebrates families and their faith from all around the world”, says the official WMOF website, and Saturday’s event did not disappoint.
Pope Francis was an enthusiastic participant, overseeing performances with a smile and embracing all he met with his customary warmth. Merging charming Irish tradition with dazzling performances representing different cultures from all over the globe, the evening’s programme featured “community-based artists as well as some well-known local and international artists, joined by an orchestra of over 50 musicians; over 700 Irish, sean nós and contemporary dancers, including 500 from Irish dance schools across the country; a 1,000 strong choir; 100 community groups; and 300 flag bearers” – a feast for the eyes and the ears in every way!
The week’s events brought families flocking to Dublin from across the globe. “We met families from Indonesia, Paraguay, Taiwan, and Brazil, among many others,” says Fr Alan Neville MSC, who attended the celebrations throughout the week. “The energy there was amazing.”
The Festival of Families also addressed the challenges faced by families in today’s society with a heartfelt poignancy. “Throughout the Festival of Families, we looked at the challenges faced by families,” Fr Alan says. “There were powerful testimonies from families from Iraq, Canada, Burkina Faso, and Ireland.”
As highlighted by the WMOF website, these family testimonies focused on “how their families have sustained and nourished them with hope and love through the most challenging and momentous times of their lives. Their testimonies focus on forgiveness, strength, and hope in family life; the intergenerational nature of families today; and the impact of technology on family life.” The overriding message is one of unity, hope, and, above all, love.
Love is patient. Love is kind. Love is hope. Amen.
On Sunday, Fr Alan attended the Papal Mass in Phoenix Park, braving the bad weather with hundreds of thousands of worshippers from all over the world. Checking in on the MSC Vocations Facebook page, Fr Alan posted: “Sunday Mass with a couple of hundred thousand people. You know, as you do! The Pope has arrived and it’s incredible.”
“Incredible” is the only word to sum up a very special weekend indeed. Ireland has been a proud host to the 2018 World Meeting of Families, and everybody involved has done a tremendous job in making the entire week one to remember. Fr Alan says it in a nutshell:
“This whole week has been about celebrating the Church with one another, old friends and new, and with the Pope. It has been wonderful.”
Read more about Fr Alan’s time at WMOF 2018 here.
Visit Shalom World TV to watch video coverage from the week’s events.
Catch up on the best of WMOF 2018 on our Facebook and Twitter pages:
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Visit MSC Vocations on Facebook and Twitter
Aug 24, 2018
Festivities for this year’s World Meeting of Families kicked off on Tuesday, August 21st – and our Vocations Director, Fr Alan Neville MSC, has been at the heart of the action all week long!
Preparations began in earnest on Sunday, as Fr Alan joined Maura, Cini, and the Shalom World TV team in Knock. Fr Alan has joined forces with Shalom World TV for WMOF 2018 and will be covering the celebrations throughout the week. Visit Shalom World TV on Youtube for the full list of video coverage, including family interviews and daily round-ups of WMOF events.
The opening ceremony on Tuesday evening was a wonderful event, with one of the highlights being Pope Francis’ video link. The Holy Father expressed his enthusiasm for his visit to Irish shores, heralding the beginning of a truly special week for Ireland and for the Catholic Church.
Fr Alan also walked the Vocations Ireland Pilgrimage of Peace on Thursday evening. Pilgrims came together to cross Dublin, and were addressed by Sr Stan, founder of Focus Ireland, and Fr Peter McVerry, founder of the Peter McVerry Trust.
Friday holds a wealth of compelling discussion panels, as excitement mounts ahead of the Papal visit on Saturday and Sunday. Stay tuned to MSC Missions and MSC Vocations on Facebook and Twitter for live updates from WMOF 2018 throughout the weekend!
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Visit MSC Vocations on Facebook and Twitter
Commemorate World Meeting of Families 2018 by enrolling your loved ones in our Holy Family Entrustment Book – the perfect keepsake from this historic occasion!
Aug 21, 2018
Congratulations to the MSC Missions Office in the Philippines, who were recently awarded Social Welfare and Development Agencies Certification from the Department of Social Welfare and Development in Manila “in recognition of their efforts to contribute to the uplifting of the poor, vulnerable, and disadvantaged sectors of society”.
This certification means that the MSC Missions Office in the Philippines is now authorised by the government to operate as a Civil Society Organisation, as our MSC brothers continue in their work to bring aid to communities in need.
A spokesperson for the MSC Missions Office in the Philippines said, “This is a great achievement of the office to be able to continuously help and serve the poor, disadvantaged, and marginalised sectors in society”.
Well done to all involved, and we wish you every blessing as you continue your great work in the Philippines!
For the latest updates from the MSC Missions in the Philippines, please visit their Facebook page.
PLEASEÂ HELP US TOÂ TRANSFORM LIVESÂ IN THE PHILIPPINES
Aug 18, 2018
Reflection: In Dialogue with Questions of the Day: Jesus Christ the Bread of Life. Redemption. Murmuring. A Sign to be Contradicted.
Gospel (John 6:51-58). My flesh is real food and my blood is real drink.
1. While the discourse on Jesus as the Bread of Life in today’s Gospel reading may have the manna tradition and the wisdom tradition of the Bible and Jesus tradition behind it, it is by no means a literary composition on these themes. It clearly sets us the position of Jesus as the way to God. It affirms that, in him, God the Father, speaks to the world, as he did at Jesus’ baptism and at the Transfiguration: “This is my beloved Son”. It speaks of Jesus as redeemer of the human race. The bread that he gives is his flesh, for the life of the world. It speaks of true life through union with Christ and the Father.
2. The discourse speaks of complaining, grumbling, with regard to Jesus’ affirmations and claims. The Jews in his audience, and many of his Jewish followers, find what he has said intolerable and unacceptable and part company with him. Among other things, his assertion on redemption would not be theirs.
3. There is still complaining, grumbling, and outright rejection of what the discourse on Jesus as the Bread of Life stands for in our own day. In part we live in a world where among sections of the intelligentsia there is a quest for redemption without Christ or God. As examples of this, some instance the Russian writer Fyodor Dostoyevsky and the Irish playwright Tom Murphy. As noted in the entry under Murphy’s name on the Internet site Wikipedia, recurring themes in his plays include the search for redemption and hope in a world apparently deserted by God and filled with suffering. The theme is explored in his play The Sanctuary Lamp (lit before the Blessed Sacrament reserved). This play explores major themes of redemption, love, guilt, spirituality and the existence – or non-existence – of God. It portrays the struggle of down-and-outs looking to find some kind of meaning to their lives. In common with much of Murphy’s work, this play deals with the battle against nihilism and finds a form of redemption and hope in mankind’s ability to show compassion and love, and to find an individual spirituality. The Lamp itself becomes an image of the light of the human soul unattached to dogma or religion
4. Over the centuries, and in our own day, we encounter complaining, grumbling, about how the Catholic doctrine of the Real Presence of Christ is expressed. When Berengar of Tours (11th century) denied that any change in the elements of bread and wine is needed to explain it, the term transubstantiation (change in the substances) entered as part of the explanation. This term became official in the Fourth Lateran Council (1215), and the Council of Trent (“a fitting and proper” term). Catholic belief in the real presence has been expressed through the centuries in its usage and devotion (consecrated hosts to the sick outside of Mass, reservation of the Blessed Sacrament, and such like). The fact that this divine presence is a mystery of faith should never be forgotten.
5. Since the belief in Jesus as the Bread of Life and Saviour of the world is such a mystery, and since no one can come to him without the Father’s invitation, prayer for belief in Christ is essential.
Fr Martin McNamara MSC
