by Vincent | May 30, 2010 | Reflections, Religion
THURSDAY THOUGHT ……
I was in Maynooth on Thursday last for a meeting and later in the day I attended a talk given by Archbishop Timothy Dolan – the Archbishop of New York. It was a talk arranged through Maynooth College to mark the “Year of The Priest”.
Archbishop Dolan spoke well and convincingly about priesthood. He spoke about his own joy around being a priest and mentioned that someone once asked what was needed in a priest, to which the reply came “someone who can smile”! There’s no doubt a smile goes a long way. I actually upgraded my phone during the week and it has a camera included. I noticed a little “face” on the settings of the camera and clicked on it. I then tried to take a photo (of myself since there was nobody else there) but the camera did not work. I pressed the button several times but nothing happened. I smiled, thinking this camera was a mistake and then “click”. A picture (quickly deleted 🙂 ) was taken. It was then I realised the little face, when selected, meant the camera was looking for a smile before a picture could be taken. Seemingly even gadgets know the importance of a smile!
Maxmilian Kolbe
Of course there was more to Archbishop Dolan’s talk – he spoke of the need to have identity as priest and mentioned Maxmilian Kolbe when he volunteered his life in place of another. The soldier demanded to know who he was. Archbishop Dolan said he did not say “I am Maxmilian Kolbe”, neither did he say “I am prisoner number 16770” but instead said “I am a Catholic priest”. It was his identity and calling as priest that made him step forward in the crowd. This identity in some way meant that he had to respond to a situation. We search for that awareness of identity – not just as priests – but all of us, so that what we are and what we believe in may shape our lives and give direction to our journey.
FROM A POWERFUL SPEAKER TO A POWERLESS FRIDAY …..
On Friday morning, I woke up without the aid of a clock radio. Woke up, I should say, a bit on the late side. Looking accusingly at the radio as much as to say “you let me down”, it was in darkness. I switched on the light but nothing happened. There was a powercut. I wondered at what stage of the night did this happen? I began to think of the church in darkness for Mass, no amplification, no heat (though heat wasn’t really needed) and the possibility of a powerless day. I wondered was it a planned outage or had something happened during the night. I tried to remember if there had been a little postcard from ESB, advising that power would be out on Friday May 28th but felt certain they hadn’t bothered to let me know. Tommy Marren would fill me in on MWR but then realised I’d not hear Tommy Marren since – yeah, the power was gone! Ah well, we’d manage. There were others in the area who would be much more affected by this since they’d have families to get ready for the day, meals to prepare and so much to be done …..
I got up and walked around a powerless room. Half an hour later I came down the stairs and the light was on in my hallway. Strange! Then I checked the fuseboard. The fuse for upstairs had tripped. Not alone was the problem not nationwide or parish wide – it wasn’t even “house” wide 🙂
Sometimes the problem and its solution is more local than we think ….
![Pentecost Sunday]()
by Vincent | May 23, 2010 | Reflections, Songs
Liam Clancy R.I.P.
Hello there!
Just in from 10am Mass in Kilmovee. It’s Pentecost Sunday and I had a few words ready about something that happened a few years ago on a journey from Galway to Castlebar where I met a man, by chance, whose words reassured me and reminded me I was on the right road – not just to Casltbar but in my life. In some way, I felt, it was the Holy Spirit at work.
Before Mass I was listening to some music and Makem and Clancy’s version of “Will you go lassie go” came on. I listened to it and then noticed the last verse and chorus where Liam Clancy (R.I.P.) spoke the lines for the audience that the spoken word could immediately become music and lyric. Again, this speaks of the Holy Spirit who knows we have within us what it takes to sing the song of Faith and feeds us the lines. The spoken become the sung – the hidden the revealed and the gift within expressed.
Listen to to the song but listen especially to the last minute or so – the guidance of a master storyteller and gifted singer, encouraging others to find their voice. “Come Holy Spirit – fill the hearts of your faithful …..”
by Vincent | May 14, 2010 | Uncategorized
This weekend we have First Holy Communion in Kilmovee. Fourteen of our younger parishioners will receive the “Bread of Life” for the first time and enter a lifelong relationship with the Lord who seeks to nourish them as they go. These children are aged about eight and I am reminded of a piece someone sent me some years ago where an eight year old was asked to “explain God” …. Here’s what he had to say ………
Explain God
It was written by an 8 year old, Danny Dutton of Chula Vista, CA, for his third grade homework assignment. The assignment was to explain God. Wonder if any of us could do as well?
One of God’s main jobs is making people. He makes them to replace the ones that die, so there will be enough people to take care of things on earth.
He doesn’t make grown-ups, just babies. I think because they are smaller and easier to make. That way He doesn’t have to take up His valuable time teaching them to talk and walk. He can just leave that to mothers and fathers.
God’s second most important job is listening to prayers. An awful lot of this goes on, since some people, like preachers and things, pray at times beside bedtime. God doesn’t have time to listen to the radio or TV because of this. Because He hears everything, there must be a terrible lot of noise in His ears, unless He has thought of a way to turn it off.
God sees everything and hears everything and is everywhere which keeps Him pretty busy. So you shouldn’t go wasting His time by going over your Mom and Dad’s head asking for something they said you couldn’t have.
Atheists are people who don’t believe in God. I don’t think there are any in Chula Vista. At least there aren’t any who come to our church.
Jesus is God’s Son. He used to do all the hard work like walking on water and performing miracles and trying to teach the people who didn’t want to learn about God. They finally got tired of Him preaching to them and they crucified Him. But He was good and kind, like His Father and He told His Father that they didn’t know what they were doing and to forgive them and God said O.K.
His Dad (God) appreciated everything that He had done and all His hard work on earth so He told Him He didn’t have to go out on the road anymore. He could stay in heaven. So He did. And now He helps His Dad out by listening to prayers and seeing things which are important for God to take care of and which ones He can take care of Himself without having to bother God. Like a secretary, only more important.
You can pray anytime you want and they are sure to help you because they’ve got it worked out so that one of them is on duty all the time.
You should always go to church on Sunday because it makes God happy, and if there’s anybody you want to make happy, it’s God. Don’t skip church to do something you think will be more fun like going to the beach. This is wrong. And besides the sun doesn’t come out at the beach until noon anyway.
If you don’t believe in God, besides being an atheist, you will be very lonely, because your parents can’t go everywhere with you, like to camp, but God can. It is good to know He’s around you when you’re scared in the dark or when you can’t swim and you get thrown into real deep water by big kids.
But…you shouldn’t just always think of what God can do for you. I figure God put me here and He can take me back anytime He pleases.
And…that’s why I believe in God.
![Pentecost Sunday]()
by Vincent | Apr 10, 2010 | Uncategorized
Yesterday I spoke with a priest friend who told me he was verbally attacked recently while wearing his clerical collar in a restaurant. He said it was quite a frightening experience and one that made him feel very uncomfortable. It was an experience that, with one possible exception from many years ago, I could not share with him. That occasion was rooted in a different time but I knew I was singled out for a bit of a tongue lashing because I was dressed as a priest.
I was in Athlone today (Saturday April 9th) at the wedding reception of two friends. Before the reception I went into a shop and made a small purchase. I was dressed in black – suit and collar – though I had the collar opened as I quite often have (my shirts seem to have gotten small!!!!!!) and, to be honest, I’m not always that comfortable with my top button closed.
Collar there - well sort of - quite often this is the way I turn out!!
The shop assistant was very good natured and as I turned to walk away she said “Oh, I didn’t see the bit of white until now”! “Don’t worry about that”, I replied “it’s a sort of dangerous thing to have these days”. “Not at all”, she said “it all depends on what you do with it”. I smiled and so did she – “you’ve nothing to fear”, she said.
What a timely observation! As I walked to the reception, I thought of what she said, and she’s right. The decision isn’t whether we should wear a clerical collar or not. The challenge is what we “do with it”.
I’m going to think about that ……………..
by Vincent | Apr 7, 2010 | Uncategorized
My father had an accident in the garage many years ago and, as a result, lost the sight in one eye. For sometime now the sight in the other eye has been deteriorating. It was decided that he needed to have a cataract removed and the appointment was given for 7.45am on Good Friday. My niece and I took him to Sligo General for the procedure. It was a lovely morning, clear skies and all was well but he told me he didn’t know how I was able to drive in such an awful fog. This made me aware of what he was looking through. Though the day was perfectly clear, his view of it was through a heavy fog. There was no doubt he needed the surgery!
The procedure was relatively fast and simple – especially for my niece and I – whatever about Bill. Shortly after 9am he was ready to go home but his eye was bandaged and he was now completly blind and dependant on us. We guided him as best we could to the car, got him in and headed for home. I told him where we were along the way – Ballymote, Gurteen, Mullaghroe and home. We helped him from the car and took him to the sitting room. The fog of the morning was now total darkness for him. He spent the rest of Good Friday like that.
On Holy Saturday I went home. He was unbanadaged but felt there was grit in his eye and he was in some discomfort. My niece did her best for him – drops and gracious care. He was okay but a bit down. He knew, as we all did, that there was always a slight possibility things might not work out. It’s possible that he was thinking of this on Saturday. We reassured him that things would improve and, though he agreed, he looked very vulnerable and was, I’m certain, more than a little worried.
On Easter Sunday morning, I got a text message from my brother – sent shortly after 7am. He had gone in home, found my father at the kitchen table, sitting there and READING an old Parish Bulletin from Kilmovee. Yes, reading and doing so without glasses. He told my brother he had weighed himself and was three pounds lighter than my niece had told him. He could see the scales. My brother’s text concluded “I hope I did not wake you but this is good news”! So it was and remains!
I mentioned this at Masses on Easter Sunday. There seems to me to be a link in the move from Good Friday to Easter Sunday. My father’s Good Friday began in a clowd, moved into darkness that lasted through Friday and Saturday and Easter Sunday morning brought new sight and light and, as my brother so rightly said, “Good News”.
There is a link here …. At least I think there is.
Happy Easter! Good News. Alleluia!!!
