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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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.
PLEASE HELP US TO TRANSFORM LIVES 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
Aug 14, 2018
Commemorate Pope Francis’ visit to Ireland for the World Meeting of Families 2018 with a beautiful Holy Family Entrustment Book from MSC Missions.
The WMOF festivities will commence on Tuesday, August 21st, as Ireland prepares to welcome Pope Francis to our shores for the first papal visit in almost 40 years. The World Meeting of Families is a major international event which is held every three years, with the aim of bringing together families from all over the world in a joyful celebration of marriage and the family as the bedrock of everything we do, as individuals, as a Church, and as a society.
Commemorate this great celebration of family love by enrolling your loved ones in our Holy Family Entrustment Book, a one-year enrolment in the Masses and prayers of our MSCs. The Holy Family Entrustment Book features a personalised prayer certificate presented in a beautiful hand-crafted card, while the specially designed eight-page booklet is filled with thoughtful prayers and reflections.
As thousands of people gather from across Ireland and all over the world to take part in the celebrations during the six-day event, we invite you to mark the occasion in a truly special way by enrolling those dear to you in our Holy Family Entrustment. Not only will you have a beautiful keepsake of this momentous event, but your donation will also bring hope and joy to families in need on our MSC mission projects around the world.
Where can I get a Holy Family Entrustment Book?
Visit our Cards & Gifts section to order a personalised Holy Family Entrustment Book online. You can have your order delivered to your door, or we can send it directly to the person being enrolled. If you have any further questions, please feel free to get in touch with us by email at info@mscmissions.ie, or by phone on +353 (0) 21 454 5704.
Aug 4, 2018
THRIVE, NOT JUST SURVIVE
“I am the bread of life,” says Jesus. The life that Jesus offers is a full life. It is not just existing. Today’s first reading portrays the manna in the desert as food that just kept people alive. The life that Jesus offers, the life that Jesus is, is the fullness of life. It is thriving rather than just surviving.
For many people in our world, life is a struggle for existence. Billions of our brothers and sisters spend most of their time and energy each day finding enough food, clothing, and shelter in order to survive, barely. Many others live lives that are hemmed in by alcohol, drugs, fear, the pursuit of wealth, of comfort, or of fame. So many people are only living a shadow of the lives that God wishes for them. Jesus is the bread that gives fullness of life rather than just partial life.
At the Eucharist, we are fed by the Bread of life. Not just in the sacrament, but in the Word and in the gathering. God feeds us in so many ways and not just at the Eucharist. When we stop to pray or reflect during our busy day, God feeds us. If we read God’s Word, we are fed. Time spent with fellow Christians focusing on love of God and of our neighbour nourishes us. Our whole week can be Eucharistic, a feast on the Bread of life.
The Father’s desire for us is the fullness of life. A life where we know that we are loved unconditionally and where we can love others. This life is sustained and nourished by the Bread of life. It is a life not measured by likes or retweets. Rather it is a full, thriving life rooted in the life of God.
Fr Con O’Connell MSC
Jul 31, 2018
This summer, the Irish Province of the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart are raising funds to help the Sacred Heart College in Cameroon, where students gather every day in classrooms that are still under construction. For most of these students, poverty and hardship mean life is a daily struggle, and education is their only hope for the future. Here, the students share their stories, telling us what the Sacred Heart College means to them.
“My name is Michel. I am 17 years old and a student in Form 4 at the Sacred Heart Bilingual College of Lada II.
My mother died when I was 10 years old, and my father became dependent on alcohol.
Because of this, I left school for 3 years, and I worked on building sites to earn money. However, it was not enough to pay my school fees and cover my basic needs. During these 3 years of hard labour, I was able to save enough to start a small business. I now sell cloths in the evenings, and during weekends and holidays. I thank God for the good he has done for me, and I now wish to get my education so I can help my father and my family.”
This summer, we’re working to provide a safe, comfortable space for students like Michel to learn and grow. If you can, please help us to build a brighter future for the Sacred Heart community.
PLEASE HELP US TO CHANGE LIVES IN CAMEROON
