THE SACRED HEART
MESSENGER MAY 2017
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VALUING HUMANITY, SOUTH SUDAN I Sr Orla Treacy FROM A LADIES’ MAN TO OUR LADY’S MAN I Tom Casey SJ ASHAMED OF POVERTY I Maureen O’Sullivan TD RE D C H MOTHER MARY MARTIN I Fr John Murray A SE N G
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CONTENTS 4
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FROM THE EDITOR Donal Neary SJ
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DAILY OFFERING Pope’s Intention
6POPE’S INTENTION
VALUING HUMANITY, SOUTH SUDAN Orla Treacy
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A MASS TO REMEMBER
10 PRAYING WITH
MATTHEW’S GOSPEL
THE HEALING OF A LEPER
Carmel McCarthy RSM
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IGNATIAN BOOKSHOP
20 HISTORIC CHURCHES
ST ANNE’S CHURCH, THE ‘MIRAFLORES’ BOHERNABREENA Christopher Moriarty ALTARPIECE
13 CHRISTIAN ART Eileen Kane
16 A TIME FOR PRAYER
PRAYER WITH MARY, MOTHER OF GOD Donal Neary SJ
John Scally
The cover photograph is of Loreto Sister ORLA TREACY from Bray, Co Wicklow, who has written on the Pope’s Intention for May. Sr Orla has worked for the past twelve years for the education of girls and young women in Loreto Rumbek, South Sudan. Phot courtesy Misean Cara / Paul Jeffrey.
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23 ONE PAGE WISDOM
GOD OF SURPRISES Paul Andrews SJ
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FROM A LADIES’ MAN TO OUR LADY’S MAN Tom Casey SJ
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47 IN THE MASTER’S FOOTSTEPS
FRIENDSHIP
THANKSGIVING LETTERS
Aideen Madden
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38 COOKERY
RE:LINK
Faith Quille
OUR LADY’S MONTH Marie McGuirk
31 GARDENING
THE LOVELIEST MONTH Helen Dillon
CROSSROADS OR T-JUNCTION?
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YOUNG READERS’ PAGES
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IGNATIAN SPIRITUALITY
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T HE S
Vincent Sherlock
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CROSSWORDS
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FINDING GOD IN ALL THINGS Siobhán Murphy
MOTHER MARY MARTIN John Murray
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ASHAMED OF POVERTY Maureen O’Sullivan TD
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A MOMENT WITH A POET Jo O’Donovan
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CALENDAR
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FRAGMENTS
Michael Paul Gallagher SJ
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FROM THE EDITOR
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THE FEET POINTING NORTH! Various writings on St Ignatius recount that, as he was about to leave Jerusalem, he made a secret trip to a place associated with the Ascension of the Lord on the Mount of Olives. He went there to ascertain whether the feet of Jesus were pointing north or south. For years I thought this was rather a pious concern, especially as the area, while not the historical place of the Ascension, is venerated as such by Christians and Muslims alike. Why would facing to the north or the south matter? The tradition Ignatius was following was that, if the feet pointed southwards, the followers of Jesus were directed southwards to proclaim the gospel among the Jewish people only. If pointed northwards, it would mean that the gospel is intended for the whole world. Having bribed the guard with a pair of scissors to enter the small building, Ignatius found that the feet pointed to the north. Did this visit contribute to the future world vision of Ignatius? His new Society of Jesus would go to the ends of the then-known world to spread the gospel message. The countries of the East – India and Japan – were lands of mystery and of exotic silks, foods and scents. For Ignatius, they were lands ready
to hear the gospel of Jesus Christ. While he lived from 1540–1556, in a small house in Rome, never travelling again, his world view was global. While he said goodbye to travel, he did not say goodbye to the wider world. His wider world was in living each day with intense letter-writing to his Jesuits abroad and in administration of the new Society, he linked his daily concerns with contemplation of the heavens in prayer. The feast of the Ascension, marked on 28 May, signifies the end of Jesus’ earthly life and the introduction of the grace of the gospel to the world – to be shared with the world through the lives of his followers. In leaving a specific earthly place, Jesus is now available to the world. There is a big lesson to be learned in the feet pointing northwards. Pope Francis talks about the Church going to the periphery, to those places of need in society, in the world, where nobody else will go. He calls on us all to be ‘missionary disciples’. In accounts of the Ascension, the disciples are ‘sent back’ to the city. The city of ordinary life, of homelessness and hardships, of ordinary joy and sorrow. Through this we see that the Lord is present everywhere – Lord of heaven and Lord of earth. Donal Neary SJ
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DAILY OFFERING
Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network APOSTLESHIP OF PRAYER
Heavenly Father, may your Holy Spirit strengthen me to be a living witness and offer you this day my prayers, works, joys and suffering, for the Church, all the Apostles of Prayer and for the intentions of Pope Francis for this month.
I REMEMBER THE INTENTION OF POPE FRANCIS FOR THIS MONTH: That Christians in Africa, in imitation of the Merciful Jesus, may give prophetic witness to reconciliation, justice, and peace.
THE SACRED HEART MESSENGER incorporating the Pope’s Worldwide Network of Prayer (Apostleship of Prayer) ADDRESS: Messenger Publications 37 Lower Leeson Street Dublin 2 Ireland Phone: 01 676 7491 (or 00 353 1 676 7491) Fax: 01 6767493 (or 00 353 1 6767493) Email: sales@messenger.ie Website: www.messenger.ie BUSINESS LETTERS TO: THE MANAGER CHEQUES PAYABLE TO: THE SECRETARY EDITOR: Donal Neary SJ LAYOUT: Messenger Publications Design Department NIHIL OBSTAT: Noel Barber SJ, Censor Deputatus IMPRIMI POTEST: † Diarmuid, Archbishop of Dublin PRICES FOR 2017: Price monthly: €1.50/£1.35 Annual subscription 2017 from promoter or newsagent: €18.00/£16.20 Annual subscription by post Rep of Ireland and NI: €25/£22.50 Annual subscription to Britain: £26 Annual subscription to EU and ROW: €30/$40 Online subscription: €15.00 © All rights reserved
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Loreto Sister ORLA TREACY from Bray, Co Wicklow, has worked for the past twelve years for the education of girls and young women in Rumbek, South Sudan. Here she connects the Pope’s intention with the daily life of the missionary.
VALUING HUMANITY, SOUTH SUDAN
May Pope’s Intention: That Christians in Africa, in imitation of the Merciful Jesus, may give prophetic witness to reconciliation, justice, and peace. 300 cows! That was what the men were offering for me in marriage – they would pay 300 cows for me to marry one of them. 300 cows was a great offer, a great dowry, a reflection of a good wife – well I am tall and healthy looking, with a bit of fat on me! I think the fact that I can drive was an added incentive! We had a good laugh that day as the parish priest I was travelling with explained that I was already married – well, it was a little white lie – I am a Loreto Sister, married to Jesus! That incident was ten years ago and I have long since stopped laughing. Working in a girls’ school in South Sudan, I deal with the reality of girls being traded in marriage for cows on a weekly basis. Teenage girls are viewed in line with their cow value to their family, rather than who they are as individuals and the gifts and talents they possess. A graduate of ours spoke at a school event recently and said of her time in school that ‘you can dream, you can dream of anything. If you want to be the president, others will say it’s possible. If you want to be a doctor, you will be told do it, and if
you want to go to university, you will be told to work hard and that it is possible. But at home you keep your dreams under your blanket, no one wants to hear the dreams of a young woman. The elders calculate your cow value and go about trying to find a rich suitor for you.’ It’s hard for me to understand this reality, having come from such a different culture. In Ireland we have a social welfare system, with laws and rules which give rights to all. It may not be ideal, but it offers a degree of protection. However, when we delve into our own history we can see that we had our own comparable cultural practices too. Historically, an Irish woman was only married when she had a dowry, and if she didn’t have one it was difficult to marry – and we have been Christians for nearly 2,000 years! Education has given us a quality of life that our grandparents didn’t have, but as Christians we are called to do more in the name of human rights and social justice. Christianity is a relatively new phenomenon in the community I work with in South Sudan. Learning to love and forgive one another is a
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great challenge. But to see oneself as special and as loved by God is the greatest challenge for us all. The challenge is to instill the belief that God loves me as I am, regardless of how many cows I may or may not be worth to a would-be husband! The Pope this month invites Africans to imitate the merciful Jesus and give prophetic witness to reconciliation, justice and peace. The way I can relate it for all of us is for each of us to try to be more like Christ. Let’s try to respect one another, to listen to the dreams we have, to encourage one another, to recognise that we are not always right and be willing to ask for forgiveness from one another.
I hope and pray that my students slowly recognise that they are worth more than the cows their families measure them by and that they will dream big dreams for themselves so that they can work towards building a more loving, just and peaceful community. The concerns of the heart of Christ are ordinary, everyday concerns, which many of us in South Sudan and throughout Africa try to address in our daily work in hospitals, schools, social centres, prisons and parishes. Pope Francis, whose concern with mercy covers all aspects of Christian life, asks that we join in this concern and pray with him this month.
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FEATURE
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A horrific rugby injury changed the life of Ciarán McCarthy profoundly. He found a way to heal his soul, as his body was recuperating, at a vigil Mass that had a transformative effect on him. JOHN SCALLY, well-known sports writer and theologian, shares Ciarán’s story.
A MASS TO REMEMBER They say that familiarity breeds contempt. Sometimes we need to be jolted out of our normal routine to really appreciate the magic of life. Ciarán McCarthy had such an experience. ‘It was time for the Vigil Mass; as a family we were ready to go to the chapel. I had not been to an evening Mass in many years. Instead the First Mass on Sunday, in a different parish, was my preferred option. However, that year such an option wasn’t available, the reason being that I was not sure if I had direct access to that church. For the first time in my life, access to buildings had become a personal issue. It was my first trip to the church in a wheelchair.’ Earlier that year Ciarán had been paralysed in a freak rugby accident. The match was played in atrocious conditions and, had the weather not been so inclement the accident would not, in all likelihood, ever have transpired. Nine months of rehabilitation left him as strong as possible considering the circumstances. ‘We arrived at the Mass in plenty of time. The chapel is located on the grounds of my old school. Memories came to mind of time spent playing rugby and winning championships on the running track – physicality once
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vibrant, now morbid. Sitting there in the chapel, did I feel broken when the Christian message to the world was one of great joy and universal peace? No I did not feel broken, I felt relaxed with the divine spirit within me and at one with my family. Did I feel anguished, bitter or resentful this first Sunday, wheeling rather than walking? No I had none of these feelings. So at an emotional level this particular Mass was not any different from any other that preceded it. This is something that may not be readily believable, but nevertheless remains true. The meaning of Christianity for me is unchanged: live through love to experience both joy and peace.’ The Mass itself was rich in symbolism, according to Ciarán. At his homily, the priest spoke of a time for new beginnings. One of the readings said, ‘Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God’ (2 Cor.1:3-4). The Mass was not to be Ciarán’s only magical experience that day: ‘After Mass I was making my way to the exit when something unique took place. A few old teachers of
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FEATURE
Ciarán on the Aran Islands before his injury
mine said hello, shared greetings and cried for me. It was the first time they had seen me in my paralysed state. I could see the sadness and sympathy in their eyes. These people were moved to tears. Not floods of tears but reluctant tears, reluctant to show how upset they were in case they upset me. Caring, thoughtful teachers touched in a way that elevated their humanity.’ ‘I left the chapel, got into my car and drove us all home. With my adapted car, driving has become a more enjoyable activity than ever before. Possibly because issues such as getting around and gaining access to places is not so urgent when behind the wheel. I had re-learned to drive during my nine-month stay at the National Rehabilitation Hospital.’ As his new autobiography, I Will Walk Alone, makes clear, Ciarán is not a man to waste time with bitterness or regrets. Although he has had a lot of reason to feel
despair, Ciarán demonstrates the innate ability within us all to pick ourselves up and respond positively in the face of adversity. Although the medical advice was that he would never walk again, Ciarán has not accepted that and, with intensive physiotherapy, he has made some progress. He firmly believes that someday he will walk again. Positive thinking is his hallmark, ‘the one thing I have learned is that there is always someone worse off than you. During my stay in the NRH I was learning to get the most from my broken body while at the same time retaining an unbroken spirit. One of the lessons I learned was to be patient with my condition and have the discipline to remove my urgent desire for an immediate restoration of my physical state. Thankfully that Mass lacked any urgency; instead it provided me with a belief that life beyond rehabilitation was worth living.’
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PRAYING WITH MATTHEW’S GOSPEL
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CARMEL McCARTHY RSM offers an interesting comparative view of the story of the healing of a leper. We get an appreciation of the similarities and diversions in the story as recounted by Matthew, Mark and Luke. All three versions convey the same theological meaning.
THE HEALING OF A LEPER MATTHEW 8:1-4
As you begin to pray with this passage, spend some moments of quiet awareness in the presence of Jesus. Then invite the Holy Spirit to guide you as you reflect prayerfully on the different invitations it contains. When Jesus came down from the mountain, great crowds followed him. Thereupon, a leper approached him, bowed low before him, and said, ‘Sir, if you are willing, you can make me clean’. Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him, saying, ‘I will, be clean’, and his leprosy was cleansed immediately. Then Jesus said to him, ‘See that you tell nobody; but go and show yourself to the priest, and make the offering laid down by Moses; that will be proof for them.’
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Preliminary Comments: This story begins in Mt.8:1 with Jesus coming down from the Sermon on the Mount. The opening two chapters contain Matthew’s account of Jesus’ birth narrative. Then, in chapters three and four, Matthew follows Mark’s framework, but interrupts this through the insertion of the Sermon on the Mount (the first teaching unit: chapters five through seven). Then, in chapter eight, Matthew returns to following Mark’s outline, and now organises his next block of material in a cycle of nine miracle stories, grouped into three sets of three (Mt.8:1;9-38). In the first set of three miracle stories Matthew’s concern is with three types of people who were excluded from, or had limited rights within, the community: a leper, a
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centurion and a woman. Our focus here will be on the first of these, the healing of a leper. Since this is a very short story, recounted by all three evangelists, it presents an excellent example of exploring how Matthew and Luke have used Mark as their literary model, while making small but significant changes in their respective narratives. Normally Mark’s narratives are the shortest but, uncharacteristically here, Mark’s is the longest and Matthew’s is the shortest account. That being said, all three contain the same essential facts and theological meaning. A leper approached him, bowed low before him: The afflicted man takes the initiative and, breaking the Law of Moses, approaches Jesus. It’s as if he feels that he has nothing to lose. It was a brave action, since leprosy was
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PRAYING WITH MATTHEW’S GOSPEL
seen as the ultimate uncleanness, and those afflicted were deemed to be a source of ritual defilement to others, and were consequently barred from the community. The term ‘leprosy’ would have covered any kind of skin disease, particularly those which were contagious. With a gracious healing touch, Jesus cuts through all kinds of barriers in this encounter. It is a powerful statement that salvation is accessible to all, even to those most excluded. Only Luke describes the afflicted man as being ‘filled with leprosy’, and as ‘falling prostrate’ before Jesus. And said: In Mark and Luke the leper ‘begs’ Jesus to heal him. Matthew merely reports the request. If you are willing, you can make me clean: All three present the leper as deferential and trusting that Jesus will respond positively, and all three use the exact same words in Greek for the leper’s plea. Jesus stretched out his hand: Mark is alone in prefacing Jesus’ reaction here with the words ‘he was moved with pity’.
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And touched him: The power of touch is crucial to the story in all three accounts, since isolation was the chief means of preventing the spread of this dreaded disease. To make even the tiniest physical contact with a person afflicted in this way would have been to run a double risk – that of becoming ritually ‘unclean’, and of becoming infected. I will. Be clean!: The simplicity of Jesus’ response is powerful. With minimum words and maximum result, the evangelists depict the divine power that came forth through Jesus. The leper is ‘cleansed’. The cleansing may be understood initially as ritual but, at a much deeper level, this cleansing symbolises a moral and spiritual cleansing. His leprosy was cleansed immediately: All three report on the immediacy and effectiveness of Jesus’ healing touch. See that you tell nobody: This command of Jesus is puzzling. It may be taken at two levels. Superficially, it might seem that Jesus is simply asking the healed man not to brag about his healing. Commentators, however,
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12 link this command with the so-called ‘Messianic secret’, a command which occurs quite frequently in Mark, and to a lesser extent in Luke and Matthew. Jesus does not want his miracles to be misunderstood, lest people think that he is to be a political Messiah, with a mission to deliver them from the power of the Roman Empire. But go and show yourself to the priest: Both elements of Jesus’ instructions are reported by all three evangelists. This story had a twofold aim: (i) to highlight Jesus’ compassionate healing, and (ii) to demonstrate Jesus’ respect for the legal requirements for those healed of this affliction. From a sociological viewpoint and for the health of the community in general, it was imperative that only those who were certified as healed could rejoin the community. Concluding Comment: One of the aims of this story as retold in the early Christian community would have
been to reinforce that Jesus, as the risen Lord, can still heal at a distance (i.e. from heaven). Christians down through the ages need to be reassured over and over again that this healing power is still available, and that the many forms in which we can be driven into isolation will be melted down when exposed to the warmth of God’s loving gaze. Prayer Ever-present God of compassion, Do not abandon me as I cry to you for help. Before you my life is transparent. May your divine touch purify me and heal me. Trusting in your gentle compassion, I ask you to fill me with silence and stillness So that I may hear you inviting me To surrender my life in love to you. I make this prayer in the name of Jesus, My friend, companion, and soul guide. Amen
In Loving Memory The names sent to us of all those who have died are entered on our
List of the Dead They are placed on the Sacred Heart Altar in our oratory and remain there for two months. Every Wednesday a Mass is offered specially for them, that they may have eternal rest with the Lord, and that their families and friends may be consoled in their loss.
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MASTERPIECES OF CHRISTIAN ART
EILEEN KANE guides us through the manifold details of the ‘Miraflores’ Altarpiece, which is made up of three panels. The artwork highlights Mary’s faithfulness to Jesus and is currently located in Gemäldegalerie, Berlin.
THE ‘MIRAFLORES’ ALTARPIECE Rogier van der Weyden (1399–1464)
The three panels of the ‘Miraflores’ Altarpiece – sometimes called the ‘Triptych of the Virgin Mary’ – by Rogier van der Weyden, are a meditation on Mary, in her relationship with her son Jesus, at the three definitive moments of his life: his birth, death and resurrection. Rogier presents this relationship, not by illustrating each event, but by showing us Mary’s attitude to her son in response to the event. The focus is on Mary, and at the top of each scene an angel brings her a golden crown. The angel also carries a long, ribbon-like scroll on which are written words of praise, explaining, in the future, the present and the past tenses how she shall merit, does merit and has merited the crown of life. Each scene is set inside an open portal, flanked by figures painted to look like statues carved in stone, standing on tall pedestals, under canopies decorated in the Gothic style. The two outermost ‘statues’ are of the apostles Peter – on the left – and Paul, on the right. The other four are the gospel writers, beginning with Luke, then John and Matthew, and finally, Mark. Each portal is also decorated with six ‘carved’ scenes, illustrating events in the life of Mary,
that relate to the main scene. In the left panel, Mary is young and beautiful. Her head is uncovered and her long, chestnut-coloured hair falls softly over her shoulder. She is seated almost on the ground, quietly, humbly adoring her infant son, Jesus. The infant is lying on her knees. Full of new life, he is moving his arms and legs, as infants love to do, and looks up at his mother whose hands, joined in prayer, point to his little body. Beside her sits Joseph, her spouse, dressed in red. Mary is dressed in a blue so pale that it is almost white. The ample folds of her mantle fill the floor space and along its hem are letters embroidered in gold, spelling out the words, ‘Magnificat anima mea Dominum’ – ‘My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord’ – Mary’s future is still before her. Her child, the angel Gabriel told her, ‘will be called Son of the Most High’ – ‘Mulier h[a] ec fuit probatissima’. The angel’s scroll proclaims, ‘This woman was most excellent, free from any stain of sin, therefore she shall receive the crown of life’. Behind the little group hangs a rich brocade. In the archway, the scenes of the infancy of Jesus are ‘carved’, from the Annunciation to his Presentation in the Temple. In the centre panel, Mary’s son lies
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once more on his mother’s knees, but now all is changed. Now, Jesus does not move, but lies stiffly, in death, his legs rigid, one foot still on top of the other, as they had been when they were nailed to the cross. Now Mary’s hands are clasped around his waist, holding him tightly as she weeps for him, her tearful face pressed against his. She is dressed in red now, the colour of the Passion. She is older, and her head is covered. Beside her is the apostle John, into whose care Jesus entrusted her as he was dying. There, too, is another Joseph – Joseph of Arimathea – who has come to give Jesus an honourable burial. Behind them is a cross raised up on a hill, above a landscape, with distant mountains, a lake and a walled city. ‘If you are God’s son,’ the crowd had shouted, ‘come down from the cross!’ The Mary we see here ‘was most faithful’ – fidelissima – to her son in his suffering, therefore ‘the crown of life is being given to her’. The ‘carved’ scenes illustrate her
faithfulness as she walked with Jesus to Calvary, stood by his cross as he died and witnessed his entombment. In the third panel there is a scene that is not recorded in the gospels. It represents the risen Jesus, coming to greet his mother before the news of his resurrection is given to anyone else. That Mary received this privileged visit was believed since the early days of Christianity. Here, Rogier shows Jesus baring the wound the lance made in his side, and showing the marks of the nails in his hands, as he approaches his mother. Mary turns to look at him, her own hands making the same gesture as his. Behind her, the landscape has become a garden, with a stone tomb, Jesus rising from it, and an angel sitting on its covering stone. Even the soldiers guarding the tomb are there, and the three Maries are coming to anoint the body of Jesus. In this scene Mary is dressed in blue, with a white wimple covering her head and neck. ‘Mulier h[a]ec
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MASTERPIECES OF CHRISTIAN ART perseveravit’, the inscription runs – she remained steadfast, ‘therefore the crown has been given to her’. In the archway Mary is depicted again, in the ‘carvings’ of the Ascension of Jesus into heaven, the descent of the Holy Spirit on the apostles and her own assumption into heaven. Such is the depth of meaning in this altarpiece that the details of its content must surely have been discussed with Rogier by a theologian or master of spirituality. Perhaps that master was a Carthusian, because the altarpiece was a gift to the Carthusian monastery of Miraflores, at Burgos, in northern Spain, from King John II
15 of Castile. King John II had founded the monastery in 1442, under the title of Our Lady of the Annunciation. Rogier’s altarpiece is neither signed nor dated but, on stylistic and other grounds, scholars believe it was painted shortly before 1445. In common with other monasteries and religious houses in Spain, the Charterhouse of Miraflores was suppressed in the early years of the nineteenth century, and its works of art dispersed. Eventually, at the end of the century, the Carthusians returned, and they are still there today. Rogier’s altarpiece is now located in the Gemäldegalerie, Berlin.
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A TIME FOR PRAYER WITH MARY, MOTHER OF GOD
Compiled by DONAL NEARY SJ, this series is intended to aid a time of prayer – maybe at adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, or at home; with pauses for silence and adoration, take it at your own pace and timing. The central focus is the love of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. BEGIN WITH A PRAYER OF FAITH:
Lord I believe in your presence here and now; strengthen my belief. or Give me, O Lord, the joy of your presence. In this season and always. or Lord, I believe in your great love for me in the heart of Jesus our Lord.
SCRIPTURE
My soul glorifies the Lord, my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour. — Luke 1:26 Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus. — Luke 1:42
REFLECTION: THE EASTER APPARITION TO MARY
It is impossible, even presumptuous, to surmise what went through Mary’s mind at the unexpected appearance of her son returned from the dead: I wonder if at the sight of him she quietly breathed, ‘Of course’, as she was divinely inspired to realise why it was that her beloved son had been led to suffer so much and been brought back to life. Imagine her sheer delight that the first person the risen Jesus would wish to console and reassure would naturally be his mother, ‘the handmaid of the Lord’, who had borne him. After all, the grace which Ignatius thought appropriate to pray for in contemplating the appearanc
es of the risen Christ was ‘the grace to be filled with joy and happiness at the thought of Christ Our Lord’s great glory and happiness’, surely an experience to be shared first of all with his beloved mother. — Jack Mahoney SJ
IRISH LITANY OF MARY
Great Mary pray for us Greatest of Marys Greatest of Women Mother of Eternal Glory Mother of the Golden Light Honour of the Sky Temple of the Divinity Fountain of the Gardens Serene as the Moon Bright as the Sun Garden Enclosed Temple of the Living God Light of Nazareth Beauty of the World Queen of Life Ladder of Heaven Mother of God Pray for us Amen
PRAYERS TO MARY
Our Lady of Knock, you gave hope to your people in a time of distress and comforted them in sorrow. You have inspired countless pilgrims to pray with confidence to your divine Son, remembering his promise, ‘Ask and you shall receive, seek and you shall find’. Help me to remember that we are all pilgrims on the road to heav-
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A TIME FOR PRAYER WITH MARY, MOTHER OF GOD en. Fill me with love and concern for my brothers and sisters in Christ, especially those who live with me. Comfort me when I am sick, lonely or depressed. Teach me how to take part ever more reverently in Mass. Give me a greater love of Jesus in all the ways he is present in the world. Pray for me now and in the hour of my death. Amen Queen of Heaven, rejoice, alleluia, For he whom you were worthy to bear, alleluia, Has risen, as he foretold, alleluia; Pray for us to God, alleluia. Rejoice and be glad, O Virgin Mary, alleluia. For the Lord has indeed risen, alleluia. God our Father, you give joy to the world by the Resurrection of your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. Through the prayers of His Mother, the Virgin Mary, bring us to the happiness of eternal life. We ask this through Christ, Our Lord. Amen Holy Virgin Mary, Remember us in our sadness. Look kindly on all who are suffering or fighting against any difficulty. Have pity on those who are separated from someone they love. Have pity on the loneliness of our hearts. Have pity on the weakness of our faith and love. Have pity on those who are weeping, on those who are praying, on those who are fearful. Holy Mother, please obtain for all of us hope and peace with justice.
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PRAYER TO THE SACRED HEART
Lord Jesus, you have said, ‘Ask and you shall receive, seek and you shall find, knock and it shall be opened unto you.’ I come to you in faith and trust, in love and hope. Let me know your closeness to me and your care of me and for all who are dear to me. Hear my prayer (mention your intention); grant what I ask, and may I always trust that in all that happens in life, you will be close to me as my friend, guide and saviour. And so, Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place all my trust in you. Pause for silence, or adoration (If at the Blessed Sacrament): My Lord Jesus Christ, I believe that you are really here in this Sacrament. Night and day you remain here compassionate and loving. You call, you wait for, You welcome everyone who comes to visit you. I thank you, Jesus my Divine Redeemer for coming upon the earth for our sake and for giving us the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist to remain with us until the end of time. I thank you for offering yourself in thanksgiving to God for all His benefits, spiritual and temporal which He has bestowed on me. Grant me grace and perseverance in your faithful service. Amen
END THIS PRAYER SESSION WITH THE ROSARY.
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Messenger Day of Joy 2 17
‘A day of prayer, reflection & enlightenment’
Crescent College Comprehensive SJ
DOORADOYLE, Limerick Saturday 24 June 9am ~ 5pm Speakers include:
Bishop Willie Walsh, Fr Eamonn Conway, Sr Jo O’Donovan, Eileen Kane, Ronan Barry, Patrick Muldoon, Paddy Carberry SJ & Donal Neary SJ.
Tickets cost €25
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HISTORIC CHURCHES
20
Bohernabreena Church, in the Dublin Mountains, has an intriguing history. CHRISTOPHER MORIARTY links the church of today, and its attendant functions, with the sanctuary of the sixth century and gives us a broader appreciation of the church’s unique history and local significance.
ST ANNE’S CHURCH, BOHERNABREENA Quarrymen and stonemasons from the enchanted valley of Glenasmole worked together to build the beautiful church that stands in the hamlet of Bohernabreena on the edge of the Dublin Mountains. While the location’s enchantment goes back to the days of Fionn mac Cumhaill, the connection with St Anne came much later and was the result of an etymological accident for which there is no accounting. Two miles to the south of the church, in a field overlooking the River Dodder, a holy well and a cemetery once commemorated St Sanctan, a cleric of singular obscurity. One tradition tells that he was a sixth-century bishop with a jurisdiction which included the Dodder Valley and the Isle of Man amongst other places. It seems more likely that the man of the name – which could well have been a nickname derived from ‘sanctus’ – was a hermit who established a sanctuary in what was then a remote valley. Traces of a church remain within the burial ground and it is said to have been mentioned in 952AD amongst the papers of Pope Innocent III. That would establish a tradition of more than 900 years of worship amongst the hills before the diocesan authorities decided
to move its centre closer to the city and suburbs and build a large new church. Whatever the facts, by this time the name of Sanctan had come to be corrupted to that of Saint Anne – which is to be seen on relevant maps and signposts in the area. The farmers and quarrymen who lived in the Glenasmole valley in the nineteenth century would have had a long walk or ride to the nearest churches known to be active at the time. One was the Dominican Priory in Tallaght, the other a small church in Rathfarnham. The 1870s saw active steps being taken to provide a worthy building closer to the valley itself and also to the nearby villages of Old Bawn and Firhouse. The architect JJ McCarthy was engaged to prepare a plan for it. Well established by that time, he had distinguished himself in the Dublin diocese in the 1850s with the Star of the Sea Church in Sandymount and the inner city church of St Catherine in Meath Street. He modelled his church for Bohernabreena in the French Gothic style of the thirteenth century. The foundation stone was laid in August 1868 by Archbishop Paul Cullen who, just two years earlier, had become the first Irishman to be elevated to the rank of Cardinal.
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HISTORIC CHURCHES
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Within the parish, granite quarries were in operation in the nearby townland of Glassamucky and they were the source of the building stone. Quarries at the time provided dressed stone for the building trade, so the parishioners would have numbered many who were skilled in the craft of masonry. Almost within sight of the new church, gravel deposits in the River Dodder were another source of building material, and limestone, the raw material for mortar, was available nearby. So the church claims the remarkable achievement of having been built not only by local labour but almost entirely of local materials. The exceptions were the roof of alternating bands of grey and purple slates and a pair of pink marble
pillars in the entrance porch. Remarkably, the greater part of the work was carried out as voluntary labour by the local people. The sand and gravel were a gift of the Douglas family. Fundraising mentioned in the newspapers included an acknowledgement in The Freeman’s Journal for 28 October 1868 from Rev M O’Connor PP Rathfarnham for a gift of £10 from Henry Hodsgens. Further, The Evening Freeman for 8 April 1871 announced a raffle for a ‘valuable gold watch’: tickets at six pence each to be drawn at the ‘school adjoining St Joseph’s Church, Roundtown’. The first baptismal record at St Anne’s is of Peter Lawless on 3 April 1868 – which implies that the building of the church was well advanced by the
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HISTORIC CHURCHES
22
time that Cardinal Cullen blessed the foundation stone four months later. In any case, it seems that building progressed very rapidly and the church was dedicated on 14 August 1870 by Patrick Moran, Bishop of Grahamstown, in South Africa. A protégé of Cardinal Cullen, he was in Ireland at the time engaged in recruiting men to serve with him in New Zealand. The church follows the traditional cruciform style, with a long nave and short transepts and an apse at the east end. The most striking feature is the elaborate wheel window in the west gable. From a circular centre, spokes in the form of small columns radiate and are surrounded in turn by a circumference of alternating circles and quatrefoils. Each of the two transepts has a rose window in its gable. The main windows are paired lancets, each with a pointed hood enclosing a four- or six-leaved circular light at the apex. The effect from the outside is of a pleasing
array of geometrical shapes while on the inside they provide bright lighting. The high white ceiling, with its dark timber ‘scissors truss’ helps to give a great sense of space and light. The beautiful wooden altar, with its simple gold lettering and centre panel of a Celtic cross with a pair of anchors at its base, dates to the reforms of Vatican II. The stained glass windows are confined to the apse and concentrate on the Holy Family in bright blue and red colouring. To the left of the sanctuary, a triptych symbolic painting entitled ‘Meditation on the Cross’ hangs, in which the cross is placed in a modern background, and is painted by the artist Patrick Pye who is, in common with the builders of the church itself, a member of the parish. Next year St Anne’s Church will celebrate its 150th anniversary and will mark this physically with extensive restoration work.
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ONE PAGE WISDOM
23
PAUL ANDREWS SJ has written frequently about embracing the surprises of life. Drawing on his experiences as a school teacher and principal, and upon his time spent counselling families, he has always advocated for, and demonstrated an openness to embracing the surprises of God.
GOD OF SURPRISES THREE PASTORS
You may have heard about the three pastors at an inter-faith conference. In one exercise they were asked: ‘Imagine yourself lying in your coffin, with your family and friends standing around. What would you like them to be saying about you?’ Sam Wallace, the Baptist preacher, was the first to answer, ‘I’d hope they’d be saying that Sam was a strong man, a faithful husband and father, and that he opened the word of God to his people.’ Conn O’Driscoll, the Catholic priest on loan from Cork, had a slightly different hope, ‘May they speak of me as a spiritual man who nourished his flock with the sacraments of the Church.’ Lastly came Rabbi Mark Goldstein, ‘They are looking at me in the casket – what would I like them to be saying? Yes, I know what I would like them to be saying: “Look, he’s moving!”’ Gentle reader, you and I are still moving. We can still relish life and enjoy what Pierre de Caussade called the ‘Sacrament of the present moment’. We can reach God in
the now. Nobody has written our obituaries yet. Thanks be to God for the precious, surprising, fragile life we still have today, glad of the chance to live it as we’d like to be remembered.
JESUS CAN SHOCK
Recently I perused Caravaggio’s painting of the Call of St Matthew. The painter has placed himself as Matthew the tax collector in the centre of the picture, a handsome, richly-robed man sitting with friends at his money table with a young boy leaning against his shoulder. Over in the shadows is the silhouette of Jesus. Matthew looks up, startled and incredulous, as he notices the beckoning finger of Jesus: ‘Who? Me? There must be some mistake!’ St Peter protests with upraised hands, against Jesus’ action, ‘You cannot mean that man, Lord!’ Jesus shocks and destabilises everyone in the picture, Matthew, his friends, young and old, and Peter. These moments when we are knocked off our balance, out of our routine and comfort zone, can be entry points for grace.
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FEATURE
24
TOM CASEY SJ, Professor of Philosophy at Maynooth University, Kildare, notes the central place of Mary in the life and conversion of St Ignatius Loyola. We later find evidence of the vital role of Mary in Ignatius’ formation in his Spiritual Exercises.
FROM A LADIES’ MAN TO OUR LADY’S MAN The tradition of linking the month of May with Mary began with the Italian Jesuits of the Roman College (today the Gregorian University) who, over 300 years ago, launched the custom of dedicating the month of May to Our Lady. St Ignatius of Loyola, founder of the Jesuits, had such a lasting devotion to Our Lady that we could say that every month was Mary’s month for Ignatius. Mary played a vital role in the calling and vocation of Ignatius. Long before he was ordained a priest, or founded the Jesuits, he experienced a life-changing vision of the Mother of God which helped him to make a clean break with his self-indulgent past. It is fascinating and instructive to reflect upon this early part of Ignatius’ life, culminating in his conversion. Ignatius, born in 1491 into a Basque noble family, was the youngest of thirteen children. His mother died soon after his birth so he was brought up by the local blacksmith’s wife, coincidentally named Maria. When Ignatius was seven years of age, his eldest brother Martin, who had inherited the family castle, married Magdelena Araoz. Magdelena had been a lady-in-waiting to Queen Isabella of Spain. Isabella and her husband Ferdinand are still remem-
bered for having supported and financed the Italian explorer Christopher Columbus on his epic journey to the New World. Columbus set out for the New World before Ignatius was even one year old, and interestingly the largest of the three ships in which Columbus sailed was called after Our Lady: the Santa Maria. Ignatius’ brother Martin, and his new bride, received a painting of the Annunciation as a wedding gift from Queen Isabella. The painting meant so much to them that they had a new chapel built in Loyola Castle for it. From the age of seven, Ignatius would often have seen this painting. Numerous shrines and sanctuaries dotted the surrounding countryside, including a much-loved shrine to Our Lady of Olaz in the Loyola estate. All these reminders of Our Lady did not magically make Ignatius into a young saint. In fact, he grew up to be a worldly and vain man, obsessed with stories of chivalry and intent on making a big name for himself. He owed his conversion to a special intervention of the Blessed Virgin Mary, thanks to which he moved from being a lady’s man to being Our Lady’s man, and his focus now turned to her Son, Jesus Christ. When Ignatius was wounded in May 1521 by a cannonball in
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FEATURE
25
Left: Shrine of Mary at Aranzazu, near Loyola, a favourite pilgrimage place for Ignatius. Above: Famous picture of our Lady in Gesu church in Rome from time of St Ignatius.
Pamplona, and brought back to the family castle, his sister-in-law Magdelena nursed him steadily back to health. Ignatius asked Magdelena to provide him with romantic and chivalrous books to read, but after he had read some of these, she gave him devotional books, including The Life of Christ and The Lives of the Saints. Ignatius was so taken by The Life of Christ that he filled over 300 pages in his journal with extracts from the book, carefully writing out the words of Christ in red ink and the words of Mary in blue ink. As Ignatius thought of what Christ and Mary had said and done, and as he reflected upon the lives of the saints, a spiritual hunger was awakened inside. One night as he lay awake, he had a vision of Our Lady with the child Jesus, which filled him with a deep sense of peace. At the same time, he felt intense disgust with his past life.
It dawned on him that satisfying his sexual hunger had left him spiritually empty, and lust now appeared as a terribly inadequate substitute for love. He had missed out on the whole point of life – to love God above all things. Through this vision of Mary and Jesus, Ignatius was graced with an inner transformation. Until the end of his days, Ignatius was able to lead a life of chastity without regrets, because he had learned to redirect his desire for intimacy with God. Although Ignatius knew that Mary was human like the rest of us, he also realised that she had been made powerful through grace. This kept him close to her throughout his life, and he prayed much to her in his decisions regarding the Society of Jesus. In return, Mary helped to form Ignatius into an outstanding priest and a master of the spiritual life.
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FEATURE
26
AIDEEN MADDEN, of Banagher, Co Offaly, shares some thoughts on friendship from some of the greatest literary and theological minds. We are reminded of the virtue of loyal and sincere friendship, and encouraged to value those in our lives who mean the most to us.
FRIENDSHIP
‘Friendship is a sheltering tree’ – so wrote Samuel Taylor Coleridge, the English poet. What a beautiful image of friendship! If we take time to look at our lives, we know that true friends have always been a blessing, a joy and indeed a sheltering tree which has supported and protected us throughout both the stormy and sunny periods of life. Their presence encourages and enables us to be courageous, hopeful and faith-filled. I believe that a true friend is one of God’s greatest gifts to us. The company of a friend dilutes our sufferings and sorrows and enhances our times of joy and celebration. Albert Schweitzer, commenting on the importance that one human person can have to another, once wrote: ‘Sometimes our light goes out, but is blown again into instant flame by an encounter with another human being.’ Is it any wonder that Shakespeare counselled us to appreciate our friends when he wrote, ‘Those
friends thou hast, and their adoption tried. Grapple them unto thy soul with hoops of steel’. Aelred of Rievaulx wrote, ‘Here we are, you and I and, I hope, Christ the third in our midst’. Dare I suggest that one of those fruits we can bring into being, or develop more fully, in ourselves is our capacity for true, loyal, reliable, kind and generous friendship? For the weary ones around us, we can become for them, with God’s help, a sheltering tree and a true friend. In a powerful passage in the Gospel of St John (chapter fifteen), Jesus tells us that we are his friends. He tells us how important being a friend is when he says: ‘A man can have no greater love than to lay down his life for his friends’. He then continues: ‘you are my friends’. He gives us a sublime commandment: ‘Love one another as I have loved you’. He then commissions us to go out and bear fruit, ‘fruit that will last’.
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RE:LINK
May ’17
Resource for Religion Studies
relink.messenger.ie
te RE Junior Certifica n tio Exam Prepara urned to you –
ret over and your results wondering With the mock exams – some of you may be er! ov is e on p ste , ns congratulatio course, you will have t have gone wrong. Of where exactly you migh hopefully you have from your teacher and rs pe pa d cte rre co the most marks. The out where you lost the nd fi to ts en mm co ir read the ss it, especially if ble tool, do not dismi lua va a is r pe pa ck returned mo your result! you are not happy with nior Certificate itself, mock exams and the Ju the g rin du , ral ne ge In ion and poor e to a lack of preparat du rks ma e los nts de many stu wever, that is the time management. Ho amination; to learn purpose of the mock ex ne your skills and from your mistakes, ho l exams in June. apply them to the forma 01 775 8523 get result in If you achieved your tar ur yo done! Take the mock exams, well relink@messenger.ie it to the June ply knowledge and ap need a little extra @RelinkMagazine exam. However, if you tips that me so are re he , nth help this mo se your grade. facebook.com/relink might help you to increa
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Timing Currently Junior Certificate RE is offered at ordinary and higher levels. The exams are very similar, but with one key difference: the essay question, which appears on the higher level paper. Here are a list of guidelines of how long to spend on each section and how to manage your time most efficiently. The exam paper
has printed on it the amount of time allowed for each section, so place your watch on the corner of your table during the exam and only spend the guideline amount of time on that section. Even if you don’t finish the section in the allotted time, move on and come back to it at the end if you have time left over.
RE Ordinary Level Paper | Time Limit: 2 hours | Total marks available: 400 marks Section
Possible Marks
Time
1
80
20 mins
Answer all questions in this section as they are short, you will be marked on your best 10 but if you only answer 10 and get some wrong, you cannot get 80 marks.
2
60
20 mins
Answer all questions in this section as they are short questions, you will be marked on your best 3 out of 4. Sometimes answers to these questions seem too obvious to be correct, but follow your gut instinct and use the images, as that is what they are there for.
3
60
20 mins
Read the short extract closely before attempting any of these questions! Many students fall down by skimming the extract or not reading it at all to save time.
200
60 mins
Here your question choices REALLY MATTER. This is the most valuable section of the paper and the questions require long answers.You must only attempt 5 of the 6 questions, so choose your strongest topics. If you do have time at the end, you can always try the sixth question as you will be marked on your best 5.
4
Q.1 Q.2 Q.3 Q.4 Q.5 Q.6
Tips
RE Higher Level Paper | Time Limit: 2 hours | Total marks available: 400 marks Section
Possible Marks
Time
1
50
15 mins
Answer all questions in this section as they are short, you will be marked on your best 10 but if you only answer 10 and get some wrong, you cannot get 50 marks.
2
30
15 mins
Answer all questions in this section as they are short questions, you will be marked on your best 3 out of 4. Sometimes the answers to these questions seem too obvious to be correct, but follow your gut instinct and use the images, as that is what they are there for.
3
50
15 mins
Read the short extract closely before attempting any of these questions! Many students fall down by skimming the extract or not reading it at all to save time.
200
55 mins
Here your question choices REALLY MATTER. This is the most valuable section of the paper and the questions require long answers.You must only attempt 4 of the 6 questions, so choose your strongest topics. If you do have time at the end, you can always try more questions as you will be marked on your best 4.
70
20 mins
CAREFULLY choose and label which question you decide to write your essay on (there are 6 to choose from). No label = no marks. Also, you do not want to be halfway through an essay only to discover that you do not have enough to write about. One clear point per paragraph is ideal.
Q.1 Q.2 Q.3 Q.4 Q.5 Q.6
4
5
05 MAY 2017 Messenger.indd 28
Tips
08/03/2017 15:08
General Advice Know your keywords/ key concepts. These will assist you in all sections of the exam paper. Choose your questions carefully. Make sure to read each question thoroughly and use a highlighter/pen to underline key words from the question to ascertain what exactly it is you are being asked. DO NOT skip sections. Each section carries valuable marks and, as many students choose not to attempt the essay question, this means that they are completely losing out on a possible seventy marks. DO NOT finish the exam early and leave. If you have time left at the end of answering the paper, read over the paper again and try another question, as you will be marked on your best questions. You are guaranteed to remember something after you leave and will not be allowed to re-enter the exam after you have left. Practice answering questions to a timed limit. For your homework you are probably being given past exam paper questions to do; answer these questions to the timing allotted to them and see how you do. READ the past exam papers, they are invaluable treasures as to what types of questions are asked as well as for viewing question trends.
05 MAY 2017 Messenger.indd 29
The Essay Question (Higher level only) Take time when you arrive at this section to choose your question. There is typically a generous variety from each section of the course and usually one or more will suit you on the day. It would not be beneficial for this section to pre-learn an essay, as you will find that even though the topics do not vary too much, the questions really do. Remind yourself that this is not the English essay question and therefore you are not awarded marks for style and technique but for factual, focused content. Clearly label your essay question before you begin (with the question number in the space provided) as you may know what question you are answering but the examiner does not. You DO NOT need to write out the question, especially if you have clearly labelled it. You are not required to write an essay plan, but if you feel like this would help you, keep it short and use additional paper from the examiner. Include this paper with your finished exam when returning it to the examiner. PS: If you do not have a watch, borrow one! State Exams do not permit any student to bring their mobile phone into the exam. There will be a clock in the hall where you sit the exam, but some students find it tedious to have to look up to check the time while they are writing their answers.
08/03/2017 15:09
Past Exam Essay Question and Sample Plan
Faith Formation
2010, Section 5: Question 4
Adolescent Faith, Mature Faith Outline the main characteristics of each of the above stages of faith development using the following headings: Relationship with God/the Divine. Main Influences on Faith. Introduction Name the three stages of faith and briefly explain them (childhood – imitative, adolescent – questioning, and mature stage – committed). Relationship with God/the divine Paragraph 1: Adolescent faith – doubtful and asking questions. Explain/elaborate. Paragraph 2: Mature faith – A personal relationship formed with God/the divine. Explain/elaborate. Main Influences on Faith Paragraph 3: Adolescent – Mainly influenced by friends during this stage, seek acceptance and answers.
Explain/elaborate. Paragraph 4: Mature – Make their own decisions, more confident about their beliefs. Commited. Explain/elaborate. Conclusion How the image of God/the divine changes during each stage and how each stage roughly corresponds with our growth as human beings. Explain/ elaborate.
Useful websites
www.examinations.ie All past exam papers and marking schemes are available here. www.studyclix.ie This website has combined the papers section by section so that you can clearly see past trends for each section.
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05 MAY 2017 Messenger.indd 30
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08/03/2017 15:10
GARDENING
31
For HELEN DILLON, May will always be the loveliest month of the year – the crisp air, the sudden appearance of the sun, the light and the bright skies. Even a small green leaf from an ordinary small weed is alive with beauty in Spring.
THE LOVELIEST MONTH
Peony
I forget from year to year quite how lovely everything is in May. As you probably know, we are in the middle of moving house from Ranelagh to Monkstown. As I write, we are still staying in a hotel near to our new house while the builders are in. As
you would guess, the decision of which plants would come with me was nigh impossible. I’ll mention a few really good ones so you can look out for them. There’s a beautiful May-blooming peony, known as Mollie the Witch,
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GARDENING
32
Clematis macropetala
which you should know about, from the Caucasus. The real name – Paeonia mlokosewitschii – is considered too complicated to use. This is a herbaceous peony around sixty centimetres tall which likes full sun in Ireland. It flowers earlier than other peonies and has exquisite huge bowls of lemon petals and deep yellow stamens. It doesn’t flower for long but is a ravishing sight early in the year. Try Johnstown Garden Centre for one. Be careful not to plant it any deeper than the depth it is in its original pot and remember it never needs to be moved once it is established. I took a piece for the new garden off a fortyyear-old plant! Paeonia suffruticosa is the sumptuous pale pink tree peony occasionally found in old Irish gardens. This is the same floppy-petalled rose-pink flower that is illustrated in the middle of famille rose plates (the eighteenth-century Chinese porcelain made for the European market). ‘The
most beautiful thing on earth’ is how Maria Edgeworth, the Anglo-Irish novelist, described the tree peony. It was a worrying operation chopping off a piece of this for the new garden I can tell you but, thank goodness, it now has fat buds on it. Try Johnstown Garden Centre for tree peonies, they are easier to get nowadays as a variety are now imported from China. Have you had any trouble with Clematis wilt? I have! Found more often in old gardens, it eventually attacked every Clematis I grew in Sandford Road. What happens is most annoying: suddenly, in the middle of the growing season, your Clematis will throw out a large, dead shoot with wilting leaves. The next morning there’s a further collapse. You cannot imagine what could have happened. Was it a dog or a fox colliding with it? No, this is the dreaded Clematis wilt. I had only three exceptions: Clematis macropetala (‘Maid-
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GARDENING
33
well Hall’), Clematis x durandii and the totally excellent ‘Perle d’Azur’. Take note: these three cultivars are A1 and relatively easily available. You’ve perhaps noticed that I’ve mentioned the ‘May Gap’ several times in past articles: this only applies if you cannot grow lime-haters such as rhododendrons and so on. These provide wonderful colour in May, but if you can’t grow them you need good reliable plants to take their place. My best plant for filling the gap is Sweet Rocket (Hesperis Matronalis), a pretty Irish native. I sow a packet of seed at the end of July and then separate the seedlings and plant them out in a spare bit of the vegetable garden to fatten up. Then, after the main flower borders are tidied in early November, I move each seedling to a gap in the border. I might plant up to fifty different
‘Whoever feeds on this bread will live forever.’ Jn 6:52-59
First Friday: 5 May 2017 ................................................................ ................................................................ ................................................................ ................................................................ ................................................................
plants which make a cracking good show in May. Buy a fresh seed packet to get good deep purple rather than wishy-washy mauve flowers. Early May is the right time to sow tender vegetables, such as runner beans, French beans, courgettes, marrows and any forgotten seed packets in the shed. I also grow several winding rows of Astrantia (‘Ruby Wedding’) which have lovely early summer deep-red flowers, which will take you through to late June. The only thing to remember about Astrantias is to always deadhead them; otherwise they can shed seed into the parent plants that have indifferent colours. Look out also for oriental poppies, columbines and bulbs or plants of Camassia, which are easy, long-lived American native bulbs with blue flowers that suit a sunny position.
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05 MAY 2017 Messenger.indd 33
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FEATURE
34
FR VINCENT SHERLOCK, parish priest of Kilmovee, Co Mayo, and regular contributor to The Messenger, offers us a reflection on Confirmation. The summer months see many children make their Confirmation; it is a time of deepening faith for children and their parents.
CROSSROADS OR T-JUNCTION? During the week I spoke with parents of Confirmation children in a neighbouring parish. I was happy to have the chance to do this as it made me think about the schools in my own parish and the children who are preparing there for the Sacrament of Confirmation within them. I thought a bit about what I might say to these parents and tried to generate an image to put before them. The notion of a crossroads came to mind. For a while I thought it might describe well the stage the boys and girls are at in life, and convey that it’s a place of decision-making and thoughtful reflection. I felt parents would, of course, have a role to play in that process and in helping their children to figure out the best route to take. I wanted to make the point that there is a call to be changed by the Sacrament of Confirmation and the outpouring of the gifts and fruits of the Holy Spirit, and that staying the same isn’t really an option. I spent a bit of time thinking about this and came to the conclusion that ‘crossroads’ is not the right image. For at a crossroads we have the option of simply continuing to travel on the same road, perhaps without much thought or reflection. Even if it’s the wrong road, we could easily just travel on our way and not make
any real or meaningful change to the journey. I had second thoughts about the crossroads, but still wanted some image that might stay with people, and that took account of the faith journey the boys and girls are part of. My mind wandered to another intersection we encounter on our travels: the T-Junction. It struck me that the T-Junction is a better image because, when we reach it, a choice has to be made. At first I thought there were two choices; left or right, but then realised that there are, in fact, three. We could also choose to go back on the road we’ve already travelled and go no further along the way. I would see this as very regrettable. The only way to continue on the journey is to yield and make a decision for left or right. I believe that is very much a daily choice for all of us and one that teenagers, as they celebrate the Sacrament of Confirmation, are approaching in a very real way. The decision, you’d hope, is for the right! The right path, right choices, preferring right to wrong, good to bad and safe to harmful. All we should be about as adults is rooted in offering encouragement that the right path is taken. Even if, for a while, we travel ‘left’, or in the wrong
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direction, the hope remains that the Holy Spirit will guide us back. I had an image and wanted one word that the parents might bring home with them. The word that came to mind is share, and I decided to apply a thought or phrase to each letter. Would this not be relevant to all of us as we seek to share the faith with others and help other people,
and ourselves, to make the right choice at the T-Junction? S – Show interest H – Help with projects A – Accompany to church and in prayer R – Recall your own stories of faith and traditions E – Encourage the faith of others
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THANKSGIVING LETTERS
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Every month we publish a selection of thanksgiving letters from our readers. Please be assured that receipt of a letter is fulfillment of a promise to publish.
FANTASTIC NEWS
FRIENDS AND FAMILY
NEW HOME
CARRYING ON THE TRADITION
I have promised to write to the Sacred Heart in thanksgiving for many favours granted to me. I am a true believer. My son passed his exams and now, after a lot of unhappiness, is just after receiving fantastic news. I pray for my brother who is going through a very stressful separation, and I know that the Sacred Heart of Jesus will not fail me or him. A True Believer Please publish my letter of sincere thanks to St Martin, St Anthony and St Jude for their many blessings in securing the sale of our house and the purchase of our new home, for our countless blessings throughout the year and, in particular, for Christmas 2016. I continue to pray and place my trust in Jesus and our Blessed Mother Mary for all my family. A Very Grateful Mother
STILL READING
I offer my thanksgiving to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, his blessed mother, Mary, and my good friends, the saints, for all the Masses and prayers said for my petitions this past year. I am seventy years old and live with my brother, who is seventy-six years old. I am very thankful for all the many kind family and friends I have, especially God. Anon, Derry I wish to express my sincere thanks to the Sacred Heart of Jesus for favours received, for which I promised publication. The latest favour was my finding of something very important which had been missing. I’m in my mid-eighties and have been reading The Messenger for almost half a century; as my mother did before me! P M, Cavan
GLORY AND PRAISE
I write with a very long overdue ‘thanks’ to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. I owe my whole way of life to answered prayers – mainly requests for my family – made to him. I grew up with The Messenger as a child. I’m now over seventy years old, and I’m still reading it! It gives me joy and hope for my family. A Grateful Mother and Grandmother
All glory, praise and thanks to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, his most wonderful mother and St Joseph for their unbelievable help when everything seemed impossible! The greatest gift and blessing from them was my return to the Church after several decades of estrangement. Praise, praise to the Lord God, whose heart is burning with love for us. A Humble Soul
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Th at t
Tha to th
THANKSGIVING LETTERS
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NOW AND FOREVER
I write in thanksgiving to the Sacred Heart of Jesus for a favour received. May the Sacred Heart of Jesus be praised and glorified now and forever. A Grateful Sinner, Longford
THANKS
I want to thank the Sacred Heart for his help and protection throughout my life. He has never let me down. In all problems I have turned to him. Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place all my trust in thee. In all, for all and in spite of all. A Lover of the Sacred Heart
BEST FRIEND
I wish to publish my thanks to the Sacred Heart – my best friend! – and his mother, Our Lady, for many favours. Thanks especially for help regarding work-related issues of a family mem-
ber which have now been resolved. Thanks a mill! Anonymous Lover of The Messenger
SACRED HEART
Thank you for all you do for me and my family. Please help us all with our different health problems; look after my son particularly, don’t let anything spread. Help him to do the right thing to help himself. Guide my grandchildren at all times and help me to help them. Please, dear Lord, stay with us. I place all my trust in thee. In all, for all, in spite of all and forever. Look after everything. I LY
SAFE FLIGHT
Please publish my grateful thanks for a safe plane journey for my daughter and son-in-law. The Sacred Heart never fails me. Anon
With sincere appreciation to our Promoters, readers & benefactors
Through the generosity of our Promoters, most of our readers are able to receive the Messenger at the lowest possible cost. THANK YOU. Be assured that the Lord will bless you for your help in making better known His name and the love of His heart. Thank you also to all of you who sent donations during the past month for the spread of devotion to the Sacred Heart and for other good causes, especially the Jesuit Education Mission in Assam, NE India. You are all rememberedwww.messenger.ie in our prayers and Masses. – Donal Neary SJ www.messenger.ie
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COOKERY
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May is Our Lady’s month. It is associated with fresh flowers, the May altar and lighter meals. 20 May also sees us celebrate quiche lorraine day globally! MARIE MCGUIRK tempts us with the French classic and an orange cake, ideal for those living alone or in a small family.
OUR LADY’S MONTH
VEGETABLE QUICHE
FOR THE PASTRY
cold water – drain. n Beat the cream, milk, salt, pepper and eggs together and pour into a pastry case. n Sprinkle the cooked shallot over the top, then sprinkle the peas and blanched asparagus. Finally, sprinkle over the grated cheese. n Bake for fifteen minutes, then reduce the temperature to 160°C/ Gas 4 for a further thirty minutes, or until set. Serve hot or cold with salad.
METHOD
EASY ROAST SWEET POTATO AND PEPPER SOUP
2 shallots, finely chopped 125g/4oz asparagus, chopped 125g/4oz frozen peas, defrosted 1 knob of butter 125g/4oz grated cheese – cheddar or gruyère 200ml cream 100ml milk 3 eggs Salt and pepper 175g/7oz plain flour 100g/4oz butter or margarine Water to mix n Preheat oven to 190°C/Gas 6. n Sieve the flour into a bowl and rub in the butter. Add a pinch of salt and mix to a stiff dough, using two or three tablespoons of water. n Chill the pastry for fifteen minutes, covered, in the fridge. n Bring the pastry back to room temperature and roll out a circle on a floured surface large enough to fill a 26cm round, loosebottom tin. Leave aside. n Melt some butter and sweat the finely-chopped shallots until lightly cooked, but not browned. n Blanch the asparagus for one minute, drain and refresh with
1 kg/2lb sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped 2 white onions, chopped 3 red or yellow peppers, deseeded and chopped 2-3 large cloves of garlic, crushed 450ml chicken stock 1 tin of coconut milk 2 tbsps coriander, chopped Olive oil
METHOD
n Place all the vegetables onto a baking sheet and sprinkle with a little oil. n Roast at 180°C for about twentyfive minutes. Toss halfway through cooking to roast evenly. n Transfer to a saucepan and add the
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COOKERY
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stock and coconut milk. Blend. Add boiling water to get consistency correct and sprinkle with the coriander. ORANGE RIND CAKE 50g/2oz soft margarine 50g/2oz sugar 2 eggs beaten 2 tbsps skimmed milk
100g/4oz fine wholewheat flour 1 tsp baking powder Grated rind of two oranges
METHOD
n Place all the ingredients in a bowl and mix well. n Line and grease a 1lb loaf tin and pour in the mixture. n Bake for thirty minutes at 180°C/ Gas 4.
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CROSSWORDS
40
The prize is €100 for the first correct solution opened. Judge’s decision is final.
ENTRIES MUST REACH US BEFORE THE 24th OF THE MONTH.
Send to: Adult Crossword 705, Messenger Publications, 37 Lr Leeson St, Dublin 2, Ireland
_________________________________________________
Address: __________________________________________
Name: ___________________________________________
WIN €100! ADULT CROSSWORD
ACROSS: 1. Comedian on practice vehicles (5-5) 6. Take-off using second gear (4) 9. Alternatively had expression of impatience first for teacher (5) 10. Cut talk by quarter hour (4) 11. One spirit sounds like another (4) 13. Does it come posthaste from fast bowler? (7,8) 14. Leading stevedore with it three feet from building site (8) 16. Des got in a stew with heavy starchy food (6) 18. Deceptively memorable (6) 19. Rent unit out providing food (8) 22. Just cash to risk with 50/50 prospect (4-5,6) 24. Tribal leader – embrace ruffian (4) 25. Pueblo Native American or Zulu at university (4) 26. Drove onwards when pressed (5) 27. Handle some cash afterwards (4) 28. Peter testy about printer (10)
DOWN: 1. Seer with shortened cape (7) 2. Prepare equipment (3-2) 3. Does it sound the same at the end in children’s room? (7-5) 4. Reginald is to tackle place where records are kept (8) 5. At home pets ruined part of shoe (6) 7. Cutter’s critical point (5-4) 8. Can sort one of the prints (7) 12. Coming from south, epicure went to cinema (7-5) 15. Naked covered with dull yellow colour (2,3,4) 17. Easy quid squandered on edge of wharf (8) 18. He-cat, he could be fast runner (7) 20. Walker, one putting his foot down (7) 21. Performing task at work (2,4) 23. Nearly time for period of evening activities (5)
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CROSSWORDS
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Name: ___________________________________Age:________
Address: ____________________________________________
Send to: MAY Children’s Crossword, Messenger Publications, 37 Lr Leeson St, Dublin 2, Ireland, by 24th of the month.
ACROSS: 1 Many people drive ____ (4) 3. A baby sheep (4) 7. When something breaks, who do you call? (9) 8. When you admire someone greatly, you _______ them (7) 12. Opposite of hindrance (9) 14. What do you tie? (4) 15. In the night sky (4)
___________________________________________________
CHILDREN’S CROSSWORD: WIN €30!
DOWN: 1. When shopping, you put your items in a ____ (4) 2. High-speed (5) 4. Ready, ___, fire! (3) 5. Those who play instruments are often in a ____ (4) 6. What is Aer Lingus? (7) 9. Not the end (5) 10. Old word for beautiful, or pretty (4) 11. Danger causes what? (4) 13. Very important person (3)
FEBRUARY CROSSWORD SOLUTIONS AND WINNERS
ADULT CROSSWORD: Across: 8.Test pilot; 9.Raven; 10.Attacking; 11.Barge; 12.Rhythm and blues; 15.Lawn; 17.Whizz; 19.Snag; 21.Standing around; 23.Calve; 24.Anchorage; 26.Rinse; 27.Minute-gun. Down: 1.Dexter; 2.Steady on; 3.Rickshaw; 4.John; 5.Crybaby; 6.Overturn; 7.Undersign; 13.Aping; 14.Flash card; 16.Weakling; 18.Zero hour; 19.Squirrel; 20.Adhered; 22.Dugout; 25.Nail. ADULT CROSSWORD WINNER: Evelyn Lucey, Co Cork. CHILDREN’S CROSSWORD: Across: 1.Aced; 3.Snow; 7.Obedience; 8.Cyclist; 12.Astronaut; 14.Exam; 15.ASAP. Down: 1.Ahoy; 2.Enemy; 4.Nun; 5.Week; 6.Billion; 9.Seals; 10.Fake; 11.Atop; 13.Tea CHILDREN’S CROSSWORD WINNERS: Saoirse Murtagh, Co Westmeath, Age: 9. POETRY COMPETITION WINNER: Hannah Austen, Co Donegal, Age: 10.
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PAGE 42
Sarah’s Wordsearch F S P Z C O M M U N I O N K
W D E R J W O Z B K C F B M
E N R H N T W H E T P U O S
Q E N O I T A M R I F N O C
Q I V L L M G N I T R A T S
T R S I B U C X Z T G X K G
Z F A D C A R T H U S I A N
T W K A D I U G N A L H X W
R N Q Y K J P R P K J F G W
A Y N N E K L I K R Z O U U
U T S V M Y U W G U T T D Q
Q R R J B I M A G I N A R Y
A Y L A R U L P U P I G W Q
E Q S V K O O C J C D F Z J
Try to find the following words in the grid:
CARTHUSIAN COMMUNION CONFIRMATION FRIENDS HOLIDAY IMAGINARY KILKENNY LANGUID PLURAL QUARTZ SOUP STARTING
SPOT THE DIFFERENCE (find 12)
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ALPHABET CHALLENGE
Can you come up with a school-themed word for each letter of the alphabet? A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S
T U V W X Y Z
05 MAY 2017 Messenger.indd 43
Sarah Numb ’s ers
43
Comp l each ete the gri and e row, each d so that ach 3 colum x numb 2 box has n the ers 16
5 3
4
3
2
5
3
4 2
4 5 2 3
6
1
Prayer Competition Test your talents and submit your OWN PRAYER for a chance to win
€30!
THEME: COMMUNION OR CONFIRMATION Please include your name, age and address with your entry and send to: May Competition, Young Readers’ Pages, The Sacred Heart Messenger, 37 Lower Leeson Street, Dublin 2, Ireland OR by email to competitions@messenger.ie by the 24th of the month.
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FEATURE
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A consistent theme of St Ignatius’ writing is the presence of God always and everywhere in our lives. SIOBHÁN MURPHY has much experience of spiritual direction and retreat-giving in Manresa House in Dublin, and writes, drawing upon her experience, of finding God in all things.
FINDING GOD IN ALL THINGS As I sat in a coffee shop one morning, feeling that life was a burden, I decided to write down the worries that were weighing me down, and on the other side of the page I wrote down all the things that were going smoothly. After that short exercise, I suddenly felt much better – my mood had lifted. What prompted me to jot down the positives in my life was something I had read in a psychology book: that you need ten positives to counteract one negative. A sense of calm, peace and well-being came over me, and I thought, ‘God is in this’. Ignatian Spirituality embraces everything that helps people to love life. It is in the simple things, events and longings that God can be found. At that moment, when I felt grateful to be alive, my relationship with God deepened. I’ve determined that one way that God is communicating with me is through the books that I read. Knowing this has helped me to embrace, notice and become aware of God’s presence in all things; such as my hobbies, friendships, a sunset or work. Our lives branch off into different directions depending on our desires. I married because it was a vocation in life that I was drawn to. I also travelled a lot before I was married. What was I looking for? I was seeking
something that was deep down in my heart which I did not know about. The longing for skipping from country to country faded when I found love. Then it almost disappeared when I found God, or rather when God found me through my desire to marry. Marriage made me feel more complete – it is the way I said yes to God. I had children and then, quite suddenly, I became a widow. I had to say yes to that too, and cope as best I could. If God is in all things, how can I not say that God is in the challenging times too? This was a time when I had to draw on all my reserves, discover new strengths, and allow God to work through the support that I received. God calls each of us to different vocations, or plants these vocations within us. The older I get, the more I embrace my personality for what it is. I have my strengths and my weaknesses, after all God made me with my background, personality and talents and there are some things that I cannot change. This realisation of God loving me just as I am was one of the most enlightening moments on my spiritual journey; I do not have to be perfect to have God’s love. All I have to do is accept it, stay in touch, and believe his hand is leading me as the incomplete person I am.
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Ignatian Spirituality is about growth and developing the person, which sometimes means going outside my comfort zone. I get excited about that, and every year when having a retreat I look back and see what new shoots are sprouting and which ones need to be cut back. This adventure is helped by using the Examen, an Ignatian exercise that helps you to reflect upon your day, noticing where God was present, what areas of the day were uplifting and those times that were difficult. Nothing is censored, so whatever surfaces is worth reflecting upon.
It trains you to become aware of yourself during the day. Feelings that are present could be an indication that there is something that needs attention and, together with God, you can explore it. I cannot finish this article without noting my faith community, who journey with me. We reflect and nourish one another by reflecting on scripture passages such as, ‘Do not worry about your life’ – what a gift the Bible is for us! The wisdom for living is there, all we have to do is listen to the promptings of the Spirit, and try to make a difference in this world.
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A beautiful gift for
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IN THE MASTER’S FOOTSTEPS
47
FR JOHN MURRAY writes on Mother Mary Martin, founder of one of Ireland’s best-known NGOs, the Medical Missionaries of Mary. Honoured with the Freedom of Drogheda, Mary opened Lourdes Hospital there as a service to the people and a training hospital for her Sisters.
MOTHER MARY MARTIN
historyireland.com
‘Gerald, I love you, but I don’t think I am called to marry you.’ Maybe the words weren’t quite like that but… A young man had gone to war, leaving his girlfriend behind. However, when he returned things had changed. She had fallen in love with someone else, but it was not as he might have suspected. Mary Martin, born in Dublin in 1892, and the eldest of her siblings, was from a timber merchant family who had built up a fortune in the shipping business. One of the family members had been the first Catholic High Sheriff of Dublin. Her home life was happy, and her parents and extended family
imparted solid values to her. However, the happiness and contentment of her youth was shattered when her father, her ‘rock’, died suddenly in 1907. Her mother was a remarkable woman, having given birth to twelve healthy children by the time of her husband’s death, and she kept the family going, both in business and domestic life. Tommy and Charlie, Mary’s two brothers, enlisted and served in the British army, as did her boyfriend Gerald. Wanting to help, and not be idle at home, Mary herself began a three-month training course at the Richmond Hospital in Dublin, preparing to nurse wounded soldiers as one
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IN THE MASTER’S FOOTSTEPS
48 of the Voluntary Aid Detachment. In October 1915, Mary sailed to Malta where she was posted to St George’s Military Hospital. In 1916 she was called up for service in France and was present at the Battle of the Somme, which lasted for 147 days! The experience of nursing young men with gas gangrene and poisoning, as a result of shelling, had a profound and determining effect on her. Perhaps it was this, rather than any disaffection with her boyfriend, that made Mary seek companionship beyond the security of marriage. When she returned to Ireland – after her twenty-fifth birthday – Mary knew things could never be the same again, yet she was still uncertain as to where her future lay. In the immediate term she trained as a midwife and went to Nigeria where she worked with the famous Bishop Shanahan. In time, the vocation emerged as well as the charism – that particular spirit – of the Medical Missionaries of Mary. Mary’s vision was beginning to become clear to her: she wanted dedicated women who would bring healthcare to places where there was none and, in particular, to pregnant women, mothers and children. She further wanted her Sisters to be trained as professionally as possible. It took a lot of patience on her part to convince the Church authorities – which did not envisage women practising surgery or obstetrics – of the great needs, and the rightness, of her vision. By the time permission was granted by the authorities for her to
develop her vision, she fell ill and was almost on her deathbed. Indeed she took her first vows in 1937 in a government hospital in Nigeria. The doctor who ministered to her told her to go home and never set foot in Africa again – but Mary was not to be thwarted! Her first novitiate was begun in 1938 at Collon and, in the following year, they were invited to the town of Drogheda to take over the maternity home there. During the war years extensions were added to the home, as Mary sought to build a training centre for her growing community of Sisters. In 1952 fire all but destroyed the training centre, leaving 136 young Sisters homeless. Despite all of this, Mary was not deterred in her efforts to build a hospital for the people of Drogheda and in September 1952, just a few months after the fire, work was begun. In the decades that followed the congregation of Sisters grew in East and West Africa, and later in Taiwan and South America, offering social care and medical help to the many women and girls who normally would not have had access to such services. The years of effort took their toll on Mary and she succumbed to a prolonged period of illness from 1968 to 1975, being ministered to in the very hospital that she had done so much to create. Her death in 1975 brought thousands to the town for her funeral. Today over 400 Sisters work in eighteen nations across the globe as part of the Medical Missionaries of Mary. The dream of Mary Martin lives on through their good works.
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FEATURE
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MAUREEN O’SULLIVAN TD, independent member of the Oireachtas, elected by Dubin Central, writes on the poverty prevailing in society. She pulls no punches in laying the blame for it at the doorsteps of multinational corporations, Government policy and an apathetic electorate.
ASHAMED OF POVERTY
It is heartbreaking for me personally, and as a TD, to listen every day to stories of poverty, of people struggling to live, pay bills, provide for themselves and their families. Consider alongside those issues the additional problems for those who are homeless; on the streets, in emergency accommodation, in hostels, hotels or depending on a couch or floor space with relatives and friends.
I feel particularly for children and the elderly in those situations. Another worrying element to me is the mental health of those experiencing such difficulties. 17 October is the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty, and each year I attend the commemoration events at the North Wall Quay where attendees hear the stories of individuals from schools,
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FEATURE
50 from community and youth projects, and from new communities, as they relate their experiences of poverty, exclusion and isolation, addiction and recovery from addiction, of homelessness and of prison. It is poignant that this commemoration occurs beside the Famine statues because they remind us of how Ireland, in a unique way, can empathise with those in our world who are experiencing starvation and malnutrition; can empathise with those who have to leave their countries in search of a better life, as over a million Irish people did during the Famine; can empathise with those who lose their lives on that journey, just as so many Irish people perished on the so-called ‘coffin ships’; can empathise with those displaced internally who were evicted because they could not pay rent. Many of those who speak on 17 October refer to what they call the ‘shame of poverty’. My opinion: there is no shame in poverty, but there is shame in the economic and tax policies that create, drive and maintain poverty. It is quite ironic to me that the commemoration is across the road from the International Financial Services Centre – home to banks, multinationals and corporations, some of whose tax policies, or lack thereof, contribute to global poverty and inequality. A recent Oxfam report highlights this very well, telling us that eight people, all men, own as much wealth as 3.6 billion people – half the world. The report makes the point that this concentration of individual wealth drives poverty and inequality.
There are many reasons for this disturbing inequality, in both the developed and the developing world, and one of those reasons is tax injustice, the way multinational corporations and businesses can evade and avoid paying tax. Oxfam calculate that developing countries are losing one-hundred billion US dollars annually as a result of tax avoidance. The essential question to ask, to my mind, is ‘what kind of a society do we want to live in?’ I believe the majority would agree that we would all like to live in a more just, fairer and more equal society. That means seeking out a different economic model. So, strange as it may seem, I believe that we have to apply ethics and morals to economic, financial and tax policy, because it is those policies that will determine the kind of society we live in. A different economic model would have equality-proofing central to policies; it would vigorously implement measures to tackle corporate tax avoidance by requiring all multinational companies to publicly publish, country by country, reports for each country they operate in. That would be a clear signal that we are committed to a fairer, more equal, more just world. As Joseph Wresinski, founder of All Together in Dignity, said, ‘Extreme poverty does not have to exist, human beings create it and they are the ones who can put an end to it.’ Poverty is an abuse of human rights and poverty drives inequality. The shame is to be borne by those of us who allow it to continue.
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FEATURE
51
In this interesting piece, SR JO O’DONOVAN offers an analysis of the poem ‘Easter’, by the Welsh poet, George Herbert. Published posthumously in 1633, as part of his book The Temple, the poem conveys Herbert’s view of Easter as the defining moment of human history.
A MOMENT WITH A POET Rise heart; thy Lord is risen. Sing his praise Without delayes, Who takes thee by the hand, that thou likewise With him mayst rise: That, as his death calcined thee to dust, His life may make thee gold, and much more, just. Awake, my lute, and struggle for thy part With all thy art. The crosse taught all wood to resound his name, Who bore the same. His stretched sinews taught all strings, what key Is best to celebrate this most high day. Consort both heart and lute, and twist a song Pleasant and long: Or, since all musick is but three parts vied And multiplied, O let thy blessed Spirit bear a part, And make up our defects with his sweet art. I got me flowers to straw thy way; I got me boughs off many a tree: But thou wast up by break of day, And brought’st thy sweets along with thee. The Sunne arising in the East, Though he give light, and th’ East perfume; If they should offer to contest With thy arising, they presume. Can there be any day but this, Though many sunnes to shine endeavour? We count three hundred, but we misse: There is but one, and that one ever.
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FEATURE
52 The poet, George Herbert, was a Welsh-born Cambridge scholar, orator, priest and rector of an Anglican church in Bremerton, near Salisbury. Noted for his devotional and lyrical skills, and for his great care of his parishioners, he is considered to be the chief ornament of the Church of England. He is commemorated in that tradition on 27 February and some of his poems are put to music and sung in liturgy. He died at the age of forty of consumption, in 1633. Herbert’s poems mirror the relative stability of seventeenth-century England. Any tensions addressed are from within his own spiritual experience, and the constant refrain we find in his writings; that we are guilty of dust and sin. Only the gift of the pure love of God in Christ can reclaim our dust. But we have been transformed, and we must rise to this gift and give thanks for it – this is what Herbert celebrates in this lovely Easter poem. In the first verse Herbert appeals to our hearts to respond. We must hurry; we must rise up and praise. For we have been taken by the hand and have received a gift beyond our reckoning. Herbert was an accomplished lutenist, and commentators say that the poet, while writing, was also composing the music for the lyrics on his lute. Musically, chords are arranged in three different notes, and there is a triadic structure in verses one and two of heart, lute and blessed Spirit. The poem arises in the poet’s heart; the wood of the lute is called upon also to play its part, just as the wood of the Cross helped to proclaim
Christ’s salvation. And finally, feeling that putting words and music to the Resurrection was beyond him, he calls on the ‘blessed Spirit’ to make up for any defects! All he knows is what Christian faith tells him: that in the death of Christ our guilt and dust are purified (‘calcined’ is a word from alchemy here), that we are now pure gold, and that we will rise with Christ. Thus, with the imagination of a poet, he testifies to the foundational Christian truth proclaimed by St Paul: so that, as Christ was raised from the dead by the Father’s glory, we too might live a new life (Rom.6:4). It’s not that Paul is implying that death as a natural event will not occur. It is rather that we are now removed from death’s sinful grip, or its ‘sting’ (1 Cor.15:55), which shows itself as fear, avoidance, a sense of waste and a lack of hope. The poet knows that with resurrection something new has been enacted by the Father through his son, Jesus. Christ’s continuous presence among us now is the pledge of this gift. It’s as if a new beginning has occurred. As Paul writes, ‘For anyone who is in Christ there is new creation; the old creation is gone, and the new one is here’ (2 Cor.5:17). Herbert imagines that new creation, or identity, as gold. This identity is sustained by the light of the sun, the one sun of the universe who is the Risen Christ. With spontaneous childlike affection, he rises early to welcome the sun as he would welcome royalty (stanza 3). There are shades of Palm Sunday exultations here (Mk.11:1-10). But the Risen Christ has beaten him to it. He
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FEATURE
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is up by break of day and brings his own sweets with him. Our universe has many suns, one for every day of the year, but none can compare with the one sun, who is the Son of God. And what are the sweets he brings? I leave it to you, the reader, to imagine what he brings. But in this poet’s canon, it is that we are truly gold. We are
more than dust and sin. The Living God has not created human beings for death, but for life (Wis.1:13;2:23). Our lives will never be cancelled. We can hope. It is interesting that Christian pilgrims in Jerusalem for Easter, imagine the Resurrection as a dawn event, and rise to be at the Holy Sepulchre in the early morning.
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Jesus returns to his hometown. Mt 13:54-58
15
When they saw him, they worshipped him. Mt 28:16-20
28
Ascension of the Lord
29
You may have peace. Jn 16:29-33
‘You also must testify.’ Jn 15:26-16:4a
Jesus prays for his disciples. Jn 17:1-11a
22
S Rita of Cascia R
21
16
9
‘I and the father are one.’ Jn 10:22-30
30
Jesus prays for his disciples. Jn 17:1-11a
23
‘I am going to the Father.’ Jn 16:5-11
‘The one who loves me will ‘The prince of this world is be loved.’ Jn 14:21-26 coming.’ Jn 14:27-31a
6th Sunday of Easter
Do not let your hearts be troubled. Jn 14:1-12
14
S Isidore the Farmer
5th Sunday of Easter
8
‘I am the good shepherd.’ Jn 10:11-18
2
‘I am the bread of life.’ Jn 6:30-35
S Joseph the Worker
1
TUESDAY S Athanasius B Dr
MONDAY
‘I have come that they may have life.’ Jn 10:1-10
7
Vocations Sunday
SUNDAY
3
4
10
11
31
Blessed is she. Lk.1:39-56
The Visitation of the BVM
24
‘All that belongs to the Father is mine.’ Jn 16:12-15
17
‘I am the vine; you are the branches.’ Jn 15:1-8
18 25
Your grief will turn to joy. Jn 16:16-20
S Mary Magdalene de’ Pazzi V R
‘So have I loved you.’ Jn 15:9-11
S John PM
‘I have come into the world No servant is greater than as a light.’ Jn 12:44-50 his master. Jn 13:16-20
St Damien of Molokai P
‘I am the way and the truth ‘They will all be taught by and the life.’ Jn 14:6-14 God.’ Jn 6:44-51
SS Philip and James Aps
WEDNESDAY THURSDAY
MAY 2017
12
26
‘My Father will give you whatever you ask.’ Jn 16:20-23
S Philip Neri P
19
Love each other. Jn 15:12-17
‘Do not let your hearts be troubled.’ Jn 14:1-6
Ss Nereus & Achilleus Mm
‘Whoever feeds on this bread will live forever.’ Jn 6:52-59
5
Bl Edmund Ignatius Rice R u
FRIDAY
13
20
27
Ask and you will receive. Jn 16:23b-28
S Augustine of Canterbury B
‘They do not know the one who sent me.’ Jn 15:18-21
S Bernardine of Siena P
‘You may ask me for anything.’ Jn 14:7-14
Our Lady of Fatima
6
‘You have the words of eternal life.’ Jn 6:60-69
SATURDAY
u First Friday
Fragments
Jn.15:18-21
‘A servant is not greater than his master.’
by Michael Paul Gallagher SJ
‘
Sensuum defectui
I often sang those words as a child without understanding them. They come from a hymn during Benediction: ‘the defect of the senses’. Yes, faith frustrates all external approaches to truth. If reality means only the visible, God remains unreal. If I can only trust what is tangible, God remains painfully out of reach. We are tempted to echo St Thomas: unless I see, I can’t believe. It is honest to admit all this, and to say that faith can be dark: indeed it can be very dark.
‘Proclaim the gospel to all creation’. Mk.16:15-20
‘
ISSN 1649-4450
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