Apr 4, 2012
As we ready ourselves for the celebration of Easter it’s probably a good time to pause, to reflect, and to ask ourselves how are we feeling at this time. What is going on in my heart? What are the things I am truly thankful for? Are there any blocks or struggles in my life that I need to let go of and surrender, so that I can enter these days of prayer unencumbered by useless baggage? What is God saying to me this year? What are the quiet words that he is speaking in the silence of my heart?
Diarmuid O’Murchu, a Missionary of the Sacred Heart, has spoken a great deal of the central message of Jesus’ vocation, especially as it is lived out in the reality of Easter. He talks not in terms of the Kingdom of God, but of the Companionship of Empowerment. To illustrate what he’s saying he points to Palm Sunday. On the one hand we have Jesus, coming from the east, representing in his way vulnerability, empowerment, non-violence and prophetic action. He is living out something entirely new and challenging to the way the people of his time saw their world. (more…)
Apr 2, 2012
This Holy Week and throughout Easter we look at the what it really means to be a follower of Christ. A lot has been written on the subject, but I think an article in today’s Irish Times really sums up what it takes to be a true disciple.
As a minor aside when I went looking for a photo to accompany the article one wasn’t available. If you Google ‘Fr. Brian Ryan’ eight photos come up and none of them are him. If you Google ‘Kardashians’ you get 402,000,000 results. Enough said.
Let’s hear it for the uncle Brians of this world
FRENCH NOTES: Being part of a sport where the successful are lauded as heroes by media, we can lose sight of the fact that the real ones live anonymously amongst us, writes MATT WILLIAMS (more…)
Mar 31, 2012
Almost 9 out of every 10 Irish nationals identify themselves as Roman Catholic
“Census results reveal that the number of people who disassociate themselves from any creed has risen by 45pc, with the majority being from the Irish community. The overall figure grew by 83,500 to 269,800.” Irish Independent March 30th
There’s no denying that it has been a turbulent few years in the Catholic Church in Ireland. We’ve had a lot we had to deal with and even more to own up to in how we have lived and practiced our faith. One could be forgiven for a sense of despair, especially given the nature and extent of media coverage of the Church. When I looked up the first the results on last year’s Census in Ireland it was with a fair degree of trepidation. Indeed within reading a few words in the leader article in the Irish Independent it would seem that my worst fears were confirmed. But when you actually get down to read the large print of the Census it presents an incredibly different picture about the life in the Catholic Church. (more…)
Mar 26, 2012
Fr. Jules Chevalier MSC
When our founder, Fr. Jules Chevalier, established the group in 1854 he did not believe we should be tied to just one type of work. As a result you will find Missionary of the Sacred Heart ( MSC ) brothers and priests living and working throughout over 50 countries, engaged in all sorts of ministry. Hospitals, prison, schools, colleges, universities, parishes, local community projects, counselling centres and many more locations provide the settings for MSC members to carry out the overall mission of being and bringing the Good News of God’s love to the people we meet. (more…)
Mar 23, 2012
In a world that esteems wealth, sex and power above all, what place is there in the vows of poverty, chastity and obedience?
In a recent blog we looked that how the Vow of Celibacy was not about closing ourselves off as human beings, becoming the ‘frozen chosen,’ but about opening ourselves to others unreservedly, most especially those in need. We pointed out that it was drawn from a deep prayer life, a healthy sense of our own sexuality and a profound belief in our vocation.
Obedience as Listening
When people talk about the challenges of religious life the vow of celibacy is always given a great deal of attention, but for me at times the greatest difficulty has been understanding the Vow of Obedience. It’s not about doing what you’re told and being unthinkingly submissive. In fact it’s nothing like that at all. Obedience is drawn from the Latin word oboedīre, which means to hear or to listen. The Vow of Obedience is about listening, really listening to the will of God and where He is inviting you in your life. It’s about putting God’s will at times above our own desires, trusting His plan for us. As it says in Jeremiah 29:11 “I know the plans that I have for you, declares the Lord. They are plans for peace and not disaster, plans to give you a future filled with hope.” (more…)
Mar 20, 2012
BHA's Atheist Bus Campaign
I remember living in our parish in St. Albans when the British Humanist Association’s bus advertising campaign came out. Eight hundred buses ran throughout the UK for a number of weeks with the slogan, ‘There’s probably no God. Now stop worrying and enjoy your life.’ As usual the ensuing debate, stirred up by the media, generated more heat than light. What struck me though was not BHA’s claim that there was no God, but that I should stop worrying and start to enjoy my life. This bit of hyperbole caused me some concern. It implied those of us who believed in God were a worrisome, scrupulous, miserable bunch. It was a fascinating observation, staggering in the extent of its arrogance. Perhaps as a priest I would have to be particularly overwhelmed with the burdens of faith, incapable of wringing the smallest atom of enjoyment out of life. Many people today believe that the life of a priest is too challenging and difficult. Traditionally parents would have encouraged their son to explore a vocation to priesthood and religious life. These days it seems they actively discourage it because they fear their child would be unhappy. (more…)
As we ready ourselves for the celebration of Easter it’s probably a good time to pause, to reflect, and to ask ourselves how are we feeling at this time. What is going on in my heart? What are the things I am truly thankful for? Are there any blocks or struggles in my life that I need to let go of and surrender, so that I can enter these days of prayer unencumbered by useless baggage? What is God saying to me this year? What are the quiet words that he is speaking in the silence of my heart?
Diarmuid O’Murchu, a Missionary of the Sacred Heart, has spoken a great deal of the central message of Jesus’ vocation, especially as it is lived out in the reality of Easter. He talks not in terms of the Kingdom of God, but of the Companionship of Empowerment. To illustrate what he’s saying he points to Palm Sunday. On the one hand we have Jesus, coming from the east, representing in his way vulnerability, empowerment, non-violence and prophetic action. He is living out something entirely new and challenging to the way the people of his time saw their world. (more…)
