St. Matthew’s Church Ballyfermot PARISH NEWSLETTER

4 Feb (5th Sunday in Ordinary Time)

PLEASE TAKE THIS HOME WITH YOU TO SPREAD THE WORD

THE SADNESS OF A HAPPY PASTOR It is perhaps my single greatest disappointment, certainly it is a recurring sadness, in

my life as a priest. I speak of how many of us miss the fact that we as Catholics are called to have a unique personal relationship with Jesus. I appreciate these words are easily spoken and I have regularly encountered people, including people of strong faith, who have difficulty accepting this concept. These difficulties range from people who have never actually heard the invitation, to those who have heard it but who find it too much of a challenge to believe that it is actually possible.

I have come to the conclusion that this lack of intimacy with Jesus, is, or at least should be, the cause of widespread pastoral concern for us as church. In turn it is I believe one of the main contributing factors to the overall weakening of us as a faith community. Before actually examining this wonderful, yet so sadly neglected call to intimacy with Christ, I would like to briefly visit the two groups mentioned above, those who have never heard this call and those who have heard it, but remain unconvinced that it can be in any meaningful sense a daily reality.

We, through our baptism, and indeed the other Sacraments, most especially the Eucharist, are called to mission. Every time we celebrate Eucharist together, we are fed in word and Sacrament and then we are sent on mission. We are sent to love and serve the Lord and in so doing we are sent out as Christ-Bearers to be workers for the Kingdom of God. This is both an awesome responsibility and a most moving honour. We misunderstand mission when we confine it to going on the foreign missions. The church needs to regularly remind the faithful that they are called to be an alter Christus. In other words we are called to be the hands, the feet, the voice of Christ in a world in more need than ever of his message, and his living presence. At times the power, the sheer size of the institution, can allow us a complacency particularly when it comes to mission. The best possible antidote to spiritual indifference is passion. Passion for Jesus. It is in this context we must ask the question: how is it that so many have not heard the call to intimacy with Jesus?

Surely we must take some responsibility for this. The reality is that many will associate us with our Sacramental life, our devotions and our moral code, however how many know that we are called to a unique personal relationship with Jesus? Now whatever about it being understandable that many people outside the Church simply do not get this, is it not remarkable that so many in the Church have never even heard of the notion of intimacy with Christ. I do appreciate some who have see it as the preserve of the saints or at a push maybe the priests and religious. The fact that so many in the church do not grasp this for themselves as lay Catholics is a comment on us as Church. We have failed the faithful in this regard. They come to be fed in Word and Sacrament. They often leave hungry or malnourished and bad enough as this is, an equally lamentable correlation of this is that they cannot be either salt or light to the world. In truth then I think it is fair to say that for us within the church we pay a high price for our lack of real intimacy with Jesus. This price is evident in our tepid approach to mission, in that we often settle for preaching to the converted. However the price we pay for this lack of intimacy is no where more evident than in our personal faith life. Put bluntly our pilgrim path is made much more difficult as a result of journeying without the benefit of Jesus. This is not some vague pious statement. This is much more gutsy than that. The fact that we do not actually know Jesus on intimate terms means we are like a bird flying on one wing. The great dis-ease in so many of the faithful who lament not feeling any proximity of the Lord is that they really have no relationship with Jesus. I mean they do not know, never mind understand Jesus, and therefore any notion of loving him is often cerebral.

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This in turn brings us to a fundamental question. This question is shared by many, some within the Church, some without. The question is this: is it possible, in any meaningful sense, to have an intimate relationship with Jesus? Intimacy implies a deep meaningful dynamic. Intimacy implies knowledge, trust and love. Intimacy is warm. Intimacy is mutual. I am often asked how can I speak of such a relationship with one who lived two thousand years ago. Of course this is often the immediate problem, in the sense at the heart of the question is an ignorance, in the original sense of that word, as in not knowing. The question betrays a lack of knowledge of Jesus of Nazareth as evidenced in the Gospels. My answer to the question is such an intimacy possible, is a resounding yes. Not only is it possible, it is desirable, in fact I feel to be serious about being a follower of Jesus and not to have this makes no sense. As a pilgrim edging our way towards the Lord and not to be actively engaged in deepening this core relationship, is for me, tantamount to spiritual suicide. There is no judgement in this and I trust the reader hears no harshness for there is certainly none intended. Forgive me when I say that it is worth risking causing offence and indeed being offended rather than failing to engage in the issue.

Perhaps I can explain it like this. I have no choice but to speak about this. I am propelled to speak about the passion I have for Jesus. It is for him that I am a priest, a happy priest, a passionate priest. To paraphrase W.H. Auden’s beautiful poem, Stop All the Clocks, ‘he is my north, my south, my east, my west.’ This in turn nudges me to Acts of the Apostles chapter 17: ‘it is in him that I live and move and have my being. ’Perhaps the greatest excitement in this adventure, this adventure of plumbing an intimacy with Jesus, was the discovery that Jesus is passionate about me. Jesus delights in me. Jesus cannot love me more than he loves me now. This reminds me of an incident that happened recently when I was talking to a class of young children. I asked the class does Jesus love us? To which there was a loud chorus of yes. I then asked does Jesus love us at all times? To this there was an equally strong chorus of yes. Finally I asked my third question: Does Jesus love us even when we are naughty? This divided them. Some said no, most said nothing and a few said yes. So I told them very clearly, yes, Jesus loves us when we are naughty. At this moment a little hand went up and a boy of about six years, with great sincerity said but Father, if Jesus loves us even when we are naughty why do we have to be good?

In his innocence this child gave me great amusement but he also reminded me of the completeness of the Lord’s love for us. I acknowledged this and gently answered his question explaining that we try to be good, not to get Jesus to love us more but it is our way of saying ‘and I love you too Jesus’. This simple but profound encounter brings us to the heart of our topic. It is here that we glimpse what intimacy with Jesus is based on, namely his unconditional love for me and his desire to be loved by me. The real excitement, the real adventure is in the engagement between Jesus and me. This is only possible through a generous commitment on my part. I must give this serious effort. In my experience reading, study, prayer, sacred silence all placed under the specific direction of the Holy Spirit together yield very significant results. What is beyond question for me is that whatever I invest, whether it be time or effort the Lord outdoes me in generosity. The guarantee that I can offer is that when we actually look with our soul, we see, and when we listen with our soul, we hear. In addition to this one of the corollaries of engaging on such a meaningful level with Jesus is that it gradually changes how I am in the world. Slowly, steadily, and this is not magic, no Harry Potter here, but day by day through his love and my patchy fidelity I begin to see the world through the lens of Jesus.

JOE MC DONALD

THE SADNESS OF A HAPPY PASTOR (Continued)

Mass Times Weekdays: Saturday: Vigil Mass 6.30 Tuesday Sunday: 10.00 Prayer Service 09.00, 09.45 (Convent) Masses

10.30,12.00 Wed: 7.00pm only Mon, Thur, Fri: 10.00

FAITH MOMENT The Catholic Church defends the sanctity of human life as a gift from God. Human life is sacred because it originates in God’s creative love. God alone is the Creator of Life from its beginning to its end; to claim the right to destroy human life is to contradict the sacred origin and nature of all human life.

Gospel Readings for the Week Ahead Mon 05/02 Mk 6: 53 – 56 ST. AGATHA. Virgin and Martyr ‘And all those who touched him were cured.’ Tue 06/02 Mk 7: 1 – 13 ST. PAUL MIKI AND COMPANIONS, Martyrs. ‘You make God’s word null and void for the sake of your tradition which you handed down’. Wed 07/02 Mk 7: 14 – 23 ST. MEL, Bishop ‘It is the things that come out of a man that make him unclean’ Thu 08/02 Mk 7: 24 – 30 INTERNATIONAL DAY OF PRAYER AND AWARENESS AGAINST HUMAN TRAFFICKING ‘For saying this you may go home happy: the devil has gone out of your daughter’ Fri 09/02 Mk 7: 31 - 37 ‘Be opened’ Sat 10/02 Mk 8: 1 – 10 ST. SCHOLASTICA, Virgin ‘I feel sorry for all these people’

Mass Intentions 06.30 Sat 3 Feb P.J. Mann, Jem Byrne, Sharon Delaney Patrick Lim 09.00 Sun 4 Feb Maura Deegan, Sharon Delaney, Patrick Lim 10.30 Sun 4 Feb Thomas, Anne Higgins, Ann Keogh, Patrick Lim Patrick, Sheila Higgins, Joseph Hall, Elizabeth O’Reilly, Sharon Delaney 12.00 Sun 4 Feb Monica Kennedy, John Creagh, Patrick Lim Thomas Byrne & Family, Nuala Kerrigan, Charlie, Mary, Philip Ryan, Brendan Lynan, Sharon Delaney 07.00 Wed 7 Feb Paddy Dunne Snr. BOOK OF THE WEEK

READING WITH GOD LECTIO DIVINA

DAVID FOSTER OSB. DOWNSIDE ABBEY

BLOOMSBURY LONDON 2005 REPRINT 2016. Pp 161 There are countless books on LECTIO DIVINA. This is one of favourites. I think this is because it is written from lived experience by a monk whose life has been steeped in the tradition that has kept this beautiful form of prayer alive. It is authoritative and yet practical. This is a good book for beginners or indeed a good refresher for the more seasoned campaigner.

Recent Funerals Patrick Eccles Anthony Nolan Bridget O’Leary

May They Rest in Peace

Parish Centre or Sacristy: Phone: 626 56 95 Monday to Friday 10.00am to 1.00pm

Weekly Collections Jan 21 First Collection €835 Share Collection €595 Family Offering €1245

RENEWAL OF WEDDING VOWS FRIDAY 16TH FEBRUARY 7PM

IN ST. MATTHEW’S As part of a Parish Cluster Initiative all couples married in the last ten years in the local parishes are invited to renew their wedding vows.

ASH WEDNESDAY 14th FEB ASHES WILL BE DISTRIBUTED

TWICE IN ST. MATTHEWS AT 10 AND 7PM

The Mass arrangements for Lent will be the same as usual.

(except during the Novena of Grace) Tues 10.00am Prayer Service Evening Mass Wed 7.00pm

Mon, Thurs, Fri 10.00am Mass

27th Divine Mercy Conference 17th & 18th February 2018

See Notice Board for Details

NOVENA OF GRACE MARCH 4th-12th

Preachers: REV. FR PAT COLLINS CM. (Morning Session 10am) REV. FR JOE MC DONALD (Evening Session 7pm) Fr Pat Collins is a well known author of over twenty books and regularly presents retreats and workshops. He is a Vincentian priest.

FRANCESCO GIUSTI Francesco has recently joined the team here in St. Matthew's. Already he has made a big impression singing solo at a number of Parish events. In addition to his ongoing voluntary contribution to our liturgies and other parish functions he is available professionally for paid work. I am happy to recommend him as follows: Italian - born Master of Music graduate classical singer offers singing, music, piano, keyboard, organ music theory and music history lessons, at your home or in St. Matthew's Church, Ballyfermot. All ages and all levels. Also available for school and college exams and applications. Francesco says: ‘Music is a lot of fun and extremely interesting in all aspects, both if you want to pursue it as a profession or as a hobby and knowing more about it will make it even more fun! Give it a try!

You can checkout my YouTube channel here https://www.youtube.com/channel/

Feel free to contact me for more information: email: francescocountertenor@gmail.com

Mobile Phone: 0899651257

EUCHARISTIC ADORATION We are going to try over the next few weeks to redouble our efforts here in St. Matthew's in the area of Eucharistic Adoration. We have the remainder of what was a very fine and strong tradition in this regard

CONFIRMATION PROGRAMME The first part of the Course for Parents being confirmed this year takes place this week

WHY CONFIRMATION? THUR FEB 8TH at 7.30PM IN ST. MATTHEWS

(Please note this is part of a short course for parents, children need not attend).

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