Customize Consent Preferences

We use cookies to help you navigate efficiently and perform certain functions. You will find detailed information about all cookies under each consent category below.

The cookies that are categorized as "Necessary" are stored on your browser as they are essential for enabling the basic functionalities of the site. ... 

Always Active

Necessary cookies are required to enable the basic features of this site, such as providing secure log-in or adjusting your consent preferences. These cookies do not store any personally identifiable data.

No cookies to display.

Functional cookies help perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collecting feedback, and other third-party features.

No cookies to display.

Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics such as the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.

No cookies to display.

Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.

No cookies to display.

Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with customized advertisements based on the pages you visited previously and to analyze the effectiveness of the ad campaigns.

No cookies to display.

(Few words shared at Christmas Masses in Kilmovee and Urlaur)

churchforchristmasOn Christmas Eve we gathered at midday, as we’ve done for the past few years, with children from the parish and their families.  The idea is to take a little time out of Christmas Eve and the rush associated with it, to focus prayerful thoughts on the crib in our church. The habit has been established now of leaving the figures from the crib in the porch of the church where we gather for a few moments, say a little prayer and then ask the children to take the figures and to process with them to the crib.  “Wherever you leave them,” I say “is where they’ll stay for the Christmas.”  A bit of a risk for sure:)

crib1I noticed the children left Mary and Joseph side by side.  When they left the church, I considered moving them to face one another so that we could, later in the day at Christmas Eve Mass, place the Baby Jesus between them.  Then I thought of what I’d said and decided against moving them.  It struck me later, when another child placed the Infant in the Crib, that they had gotten it right.  Parents, side by side, looking at their child – side by side, supporting each other in life and in their relationship, side by side – looking from the same vantage point at life’s journey and planning the steps to be taken.  The children got it right.

crib3I spotted somewhere on line the card that Pope Francis sent out this year with his Christmas Greetings.  It was a representation of the crib, sketched (for him I think) by an artist and the animals were at the front of the crib.  The Holy Family was situated behind them.  The point being made by Pope Francis was that the family was poor, didn’t take the prime spot and, perhaps, had to be searched for among the everyday things and situations of life.  Again, when I looked at our own crib, the children had replicated this – the cow and donkey, the huddled sheep were to the front of our crib and Mary and Joseph sitting, waiting behind them.  I think Francis would have liked the Crib arrangement in Kilmovee. A message carried in the hands of children.

Bishop Brendan called me on Christmas Eve. We’d talked a few days earlier about maybe putting a message on our Diocesan Website and he thought it would be a good idea.  I went out to his house to make a short video recording.  We chatted for a while and then started to record.  Unfortunately I’d not checked the memory card in my camera and we ran out of memory – mid-sentence. Bishop Brendan had spoken without script and I thought what he said was good and we both wondered could it be repeated were we to start again.  We decided most likely not and that we’d leave the piece as was – abrupt ending and all.  Just before we lost “memory” he had said that we exchange presents with each other to show how much we mean to one another and that’s what Christmas calls us to.  He went on to say that sometimes a “word can be worth a €1000” … the figure was by the way – the point being made was that maybe someone is looking to us for a word this Christmas.  I thought it a lovely idea and wonder what that word or string of words might be?  Maybe they’re around an apology or the acceptance of an apology.  Maybe they’re around love and gratitude.  Whatever the word, needing to be spoken or heard, maybe this is the present, uppermost amongst all presents, that needs to be uttered today in the name of Christ – the Infant at parents’ feet, this Christmas Day.

By Vincent

3 thoughts on “Carried in young hands ..”
  1. Father Vincent you have such a great way with words hope The Christ Child will bless and look after you throughout 2015

    from Eileen Scanlon-Toolan ( Mullinabreena Parish )

  2. Just paid a visit to Kilmovee did a “Church crawl” this afternoon. Remarked on how Mary & Joseph were placed side by side gazing with adoration at the Child Jesus. Got home & read your post. The children got it right they see & accept things as they really are. May the scales fall from our eyes . Tina

Comments are closed.