1st November 2015 - Solemnity of All Saints - Interview with Bishop Brendan Leahy

On this weeks programme John, Ann and Lorraine are joined by Bishop Brendan Leahy for a catch up and chat. We have our regular reflection on this weeks Sunday gospel as well as some other liturgical odds and ends.

You can listen to the podcast of this weeks full programme HERE.

Solemnity of All Saints

As the clocks change and the evenings draw in, we head into Samhain (November) and the dark days of Winter here in Ireland. As the earth heads into hibernation and rebirth, the ancient Celts saw this time as a "thin place" between this world and the next. All Hallows Eve (Halloween) and the celebrations of All Saints and All Soul's are a reminder to us that our nearest and dearest who have died are not really that far away and that we honour and pray for and with each other in the Communion of Saints especially at this time of the year. Whilst you remember your own loved ones at this time, also remember to pray for those that are mourning. While time may change the pain of loss, it can never be said to truly go away; remember those who mourn and feel that pain at this time too especially for those who have lost loved ones in the last twelve months.

"For centuries the church has confronted the human community with role models of greatness. We call them saints when what we really often mean to say is 'icon,' 'star,' 'hero,' ones so possessed by an internal vision of divine goodness that they give us a glimpse of the face of God in the center of the human. They give us a taste of the possibilities of greatness in ourselves."
— Joan D. Chittister in "A Passion for Life"

On this Sunday in particular we celebrate and are called to rejoice for the Solemnity of All Saints.

"Let us all rejoice in the Lord and keep a festival in honor of all the saints. Let us join with the angels in joyful praise to the Son of God"





"After this I had a vision of a great multitude, which no one could count, from every nation, race, people, and tongue. They stood before the throne and before the Lamb, wearing white robes and holding palm branches in their hands.... [One of the elders] said to me, ‘These are the ones who have survived the time of great distress; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb’”
(Revelation 7:9,14).

"When I invite you to become saints, I am asking you not to be content with second best. I am asking you not to pursue one limited goal and ignore all the others. Having money makes it possible to be generous and to do good in the world, but on its own, it is not enough to make us happy. Being highly skilled in some activity or profession is good, but it will not satisfy us unless we aim for something greater still. It might make us famous, but it will not make us happy. Happiness is something we all want, but one of the great tragedies in this world is that so many people never find it, because they look for it in the wrong places. The key to it is very simple - true happiness is to be found in God. We need to have the courage to place our deepest hopes in God alone, not in money, in a career, in worldly success, or in our relationships with others, but in God. Only he can satisfy the deepest needs of our hearts."  - Pope Benedict XVI (read more of the sermon here)

Today the Church celebrates all the saints: canonized or beatified, and the multitude of those who are in heaven enjoying the beatific vision that are only known to God. During the early centuries the Saints venerated by the Church were all martyrs. Later on the Popes set November 1 as the day for commemorating all the Saints. We all have this "universal call to holiness." What must we to do in order to join the company of the saints in heaven? We "must follow in His footsteps and conform [our]selves to His image seeking the will of the Father in all things. [We] must devote [our]selves with all [our] being to the glory of God and the service of [our] neighbor. In this way, the holiness of the People of God will grow into an abundant harvest of good, as is admirably shown by the life of so many saints in Church history" (Lumen Gentium, 40).

Sleepers awake, Christ is now risen

Empty the tomb risen the son X2

Alleluia x4

Marked with the cross, sealed with the Spirit

Risen with Christ, sing out our joy x2

Alleluia x4

Death has been slain; life is victorious

Winter is past; Springtime returns x2

Alleluia x6

Interview with Bishop Brendan Leahy

We are joined this week by Bishop Brendan to reflect on a number of things which are happening at the moment. Two and half years into his episcopate Bishop Brendan reflects on how things are going for him as a "newbie" bishop and what it has been like moving into Limerick diocese.

We have a short discussion on the Synod to date and what is coming up in the next few months for the delegates but Bishop Brendan reminds us that Synod isn't just for the delegates - it is to involve the whole diocese. And as such there is a opportunity for people to become more involved with reflection on the Acts of the Apostles called 'Who leads the Church? - Noticing the Holy Spirit at work'. Bishop Brendan reminds us that all renewal in the church cannot be fruitful without a reflection on scripture which was something stressed in the pastoral letter calling the synod. The reflection on the Acts of the Apostles is a tool or guide to help people to pray, think and reflect on how challenges and opportunities have always been with the church throughout its history from the very earliest days. The text can be read by ourselves or in groups and there will be short video clips and reflections available on the Synod2016 website or the diocesan website (and we will also link on SS102fm).

Now that the Synod on the Family is over in Rome and it is expected that Pope Francis will shortly be publishing an Apostolic Exhortation on its findings, Bishop Brendan shares his perspective on the challenges of it. First off how messy the process is of discerning what the Spirit is telling us. Secondly for us to realise that the message of the love of God needs to be got out to people.

Extraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy will run from December 8th which was announced by Pope Francis. Bishop Brendan reflects on how the theme of mercy has been a strong message in the pontificates of the popes in the last century from John XXIII right up to now to Pope Francis. Again it is the idea that we need to stress the mercy of God, that no matter what we think we have done, when we know we have messed up, the love of God is always there for us to fill in the gaps that may be there in our lives. In Limerick we will have Jubilee Doors of Mercy, 24 hours for the Lord and a diocesan pilgrimage to Rome. But also there will be more local based items and celebrations during the year.

You can listen to Bishop Brendan's interview excerpted from the main programme HERE.

Gospel - Matthew 5:5-12

When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain,
and after he had sat down, his disciples came to him.
He began to teach them, saying:

“Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are they who mourn,
for they will be comforted.
Blessed are the meek,
for they will inherit the land.
Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they will be satisfied.
Blessed are the merciful,
for they will be shown mercy.
Blessed are the clean of heart,
for they will see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called children of God.
Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness,
for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you
and utter every kind of evil against you falsely because of me.
Rejoice and be glad,
for your reward will be great in heaven.”



Reflections on this weeks gospel

Word on Fire - What does it mean to be a saint?
Sunday Reflections
English Dominicans
Centre for Liturgy

Liturgical odds & ends

Liturgy of the Hours - psalter week 2

Saints of the Week

November 2nd - Commemoration of the All the Faithful Departed
November 3rd - St Malachy
November 4th - St Charles Borromeo
November 5th - Blessed María del Carmen Viel Ferrando
November 6th - All the Saints of Ireland (First Friday)
November 7th - Blessed John Duns Scotus

Pope's Intentions for November

• Universal: That we may be open to personal encounter and dialogue with all, even those whose convictions differ from our own.
• Evangelization: That pastors of the Church, with profound love for their flocks, may accompany them and enliven their hope.

Indulgence for the Holy Souls

"An indulgence is a remission before God of the temporal punishment due to sins whose guilt has already been forgiven, which the faithful Christian who is duly disposed gains under certain prescribed conditions through the action of the Church which, as the minister of redemption, dispenses and applies with authority the treasury of the satisfactions of Christ and the saints."

"An indulgence is partial or plenary according as it removes either part or all of the temporal punishment due to sin." The faithful can gain indulgences for themselves or apply them to the dead.⁸³ (CCC 1471)

In the communion of saints, "a perennial link of charity exists between the faithful who have already reached their heavenly home, those who are expiating their sins in purgatory and those who are still pilgrims on earth. between them there is, too, an abundant exchange of all good things."⁸⁷ In this wonderful exchange, the holiness of one profits others, well beyond the harm that the sin of one could cause others. Thus recourse to the communion of saints lets the contrite sinner be more promptly and efficaciously purified of the punishments for sin. (CCC 1475) 

Norms for the Indulgence

• From 12 o’clock noon on the 1st of November until midnight on the 2nd November, all who have confessed, received Holy Communion, and prayed for the Pope's intentions (one Our Father and Hail Mary, or any other prayer of one's choice) can gain one plenary indulgence by visiting a church or oratory, and there reciting one Our Father and the Apostle's Creed. This indulgence is applicable only to the souls of the departed. Confession may be made at any time within the week preceding or the week following the 1st of November. Holy Communion may be received on any day from 1 November to 8 November.
• The faithful who visit a cemetery and pray for the dead may gain a plenary indulgence applicable only to the Holy Souls on the usual conditions once per day from the 1st to the 8th November. The conditions mentioned above apply to this day.

What Pope Francis Means by Mercy - Bishop Robert Barron explores what mercy is ... and isn't

A couple of weeks after Pope Francis’ visit to Philadelphia for the World Meeting of Families, Bishop Robert Barron of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles reflected on the Holy Father’s popularity, the misunderstandings that some seem to have about Francis’ message and the real meaning of mercy.

The Year of Mercy will be ushered in on the feast of the Immaculate Conception this December 8, and Bishop Barron’s words serve as a helpful introduction to what mercy really is and how we can begin to prepare ourselves to grow in this virtue and make it manifest in the world around us.

Some web browsing.......

A Tribute to Maureen O'Hara: The Queen of Technicolor

Maureen O’Hara Said Secret to Her Longevity was Saying a ‘Hail Mary’ Every Night

Chartres Cathedral: Sooty-Dark or Sparkling White, It’s Still Saving Souls - While the debate rages on over the restoration of the French Cathedral, we are reminded of its greater purpose

One of the best reflections and suggestions about what to do After the Synod

Cardinal Pell’s Intervention at the “Virtual Synod”: Don’t Believe the Spin - The teachings of Jesus Christ, the Council of Trent and the magisterium of Pope John Paul II are still in full force
 
CNN - Why are some Catholics so afraid of change?

What the Synod Did

The Catholic Herald has a round up of links about the Synod - John Allen, Fr Ray Blake, Archbishop Mark Coleridge, Archbishop Blase Cupich, Fr Raymond J de Souza, Grant Gallicho, Rick Garnett, David Gibson, Christopher Lamb, Fr James Martin SJ, Fr Gerald Murray and Robert Royal, Rocco Palmo, Fr Thomas Reese SJ, Rorate Caeli, Russell Shaw, Tim Stanley, John Thavis, Damian Thompson and Michael Sean Winters comment on the family synod.

From the synod (17): Cardinal Nichols on pathway for divorced and remarried: ‘It’s their decision’

From the synod (16): Final report sets new direction for Church

Cardinal Daniel DiNardo: The Church Must Do More to Prepare Couples before Marriage - An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, Archbishop says 

Thoughts on Heresy v The Plot to Change Catholicism
 
Diversity in the church - photos from the Mass opening the Academic Year at the Pontifical Oriental Institute with a Mass at the Basilica of Saint Mary Major; note the varied vestments of the different Eastern Churches in communion with the Holy See.

Pope urges Gypsies to take responsibility for their present and their future
 
Abortion, LGBT, Prostitution: Amnesty International Loses Its Way - Founded by Christians, the famous INGO has betrayed its original vocation
 
Sickness as a Harbinger of Death - "I am reminded that there is no one and nothing in this world I can hold onto indefinitely in this life"
 
At Age 26, She Left Everything to Enter the Convent - "A folly in the eyes of men, but not to God."
 
Craving Silence, Silencing My Craving - The world is a noisy place; cultivating interior silence can help

25th October - What is a parish pastoral council in the diocese of Limerick and how do we support each other on our faith journey?

On this weeks programme we are joined by Noirin Lynch Pastoral Development Coordinator from the Limerick Diocesan Pastoral Centre who shares with us how the roles of Parish Pastoral Councils and how we support each other in our faith journeys.We have some brief announcements and a reading of this weeks Sunday gospel. Our liturgical odds & ends are included on this weeks blog post.

You can listen to the podcast of this weeks programme HERE.


Parish Pastoral Councils and how we support each other in our faith journeys

Noirin Lynch is the Pastoral Development Coordinator for the diocese of Limerick and joins us on this weeks programme to speak about the role and support given to parish pastoral councils in the diocese of Limerick. It is now a requirement of local diocesan law that every parish has to have a properly established pastoral council along with a functioning finance committee and proper safe guarding procedures. Noirin shares with us on the supports that are there for the development of Parish Pastoral Councils which in turn means that PPCs can then support the many and varied ministries in the parishes. PPCs role can be summed up in the question asking are we supporting those who have taken on ministry roles in the parish. At the same time because a group has undertaken a particular role for the parish the PPC also tries to ensure that we as parishioners don't absolve ourselves of our duty to participate in that particular ministry as well as being welcoming open communities.

The interview is well worth listening to as Noirin and Lorraine discuss the challenges that are out there but more importantly the many varied and different ways that we in Limerick can support each other through the resource that is the LDPC.

You can listen to the interview with Noirin excerpted from the main programme HERE.

Gospel - Mark 10:46-52

As Jesus was leaving Jericho with his disciples and a sizable crowd, Bartimaeus, a blind man, the son of Timaeus,
sat by the roadside begging.
On hearing that it was Jesus of Nazareth,
he began to cry out and say,
"Jesus, son of David, have pity on me."
And many rebuked him, telling him to be silent.
But he kept calling out all the more,
"Son of David, have pity on me."
Jesus stopped and said, "Call him."
So they called the blind man, saying to him,
"Take courage; get up, Jesus is calling you."
He threw aside his cloak, sprang up, and came to Jesus.
Jesus said to him in reply, "What do you want me to do for you?"
The blind man replied to him, "Master, I want to see."
Jesus told him, "Go your way; your faith has saved you."
Immediately he received his sight
and followed him on the way.


Reflections on this weeks gospel:

Word of Fire
Sunday Reflections
English Dominicans
Centre for Liturgy




Liturgical odds & ends

Liturgy of the Hours - psalter week 2; 30th week in ordinary time

Saints of the Week

26th October - St Alfred the Great
27th October - St Otteran
28th October - Ss Simon & Jude
29th October - St Colman
30th October - Bl Terrence Albert O'Brien
31st October - Bl Dominic Collins

"The Real Scandal Is A Fear of Love" - Synod on the Family draws to a close, so what next?

The Synod on the Family in Rome has drawn to an end with the final votes of the synod delegates on the final document being voted on paragraph by paragraph before being submitted to Pope Francis. Rocco has his analysis over at Whispers.
 
Pope Francis gave a hard hitting final address about the process of Synod and the results of this Synod.

CNA - Pope Francis: Synod was about affirming family, indissoluble marriage
Crux - Bishops: Integrate remarried Catholics into Church life
Catholic Herald - Synod’s final report calls for ‘accompaniment’ tailored to family situations
Catholic Herald - Letters from the Synod: special edition, October 24
NCR - Synod offers striking softening to remarried, proposing individual discernment

The part of the address which is raising the most comment is actually the final foot note in the Vatican's official transcript of the Pope's address: 

An acrostic look at the word “family” [Italian: “famiglia”] can help us summarize the Church’s mission as the task of:

Forming new generations to experience love seriously, not as an individualistic search for a pleasure then to be discarded, and to believe once again in true, fruitful and lasting love as the sole way of emerging from ourselves and being open to others, leaving loneliness behind, living according to God’s will, finding fulfilment, realizing that marriage is “an experience which reveals God’s love, defending the sacredness of life, every life, defending the unity and indissolubility of the conjugal bond as a sign of God’s grace and of the human person’s ability to love seriously” (Homily for the Opening Mass of the Synod, 4 October 2015: L’Osservatore Romano, 5-6 October 2015, p. 7) and, furthermore, enhancing marriage preparation as a means of providing a deeper understanding of the Christian meaning of the sacrament of Matrimony;

Approaching others, since a Church closed in on herself is a dead Church, while a Church which does leave her own precincts behind in order to seek, embrace and lead others to Christ is a Church which betrays her very mission and calling;

Manifesting and bringing God’s mercy to families in need; to the abandoned, to the neglected elderly, to children pained by the separation of their parents, to poor families struggling to survive, to sinners knocking on our doors and those who are far away, to the differently able, to all those hurting in soul and body, and to couples torn by grief, sickness, death or persecution;

Illuminating consciences often assailed by harmful and subtle dynamics which even attempt to replace God the Creator, dynamics which must be unmasked and resisted in full respect for the dignity of each person;

Gaining and humbly rebuilding trust in the Church, which has been gravely weakened as a result of the conduct and sins of her children – sadly, the counter-witness of scandals committed in the Church by some clerics have damaged her credibility and obscured the brightness of her saving message; Labouring intensely to sustain and encourage those many strong and faithful families which, in the midst of their daily struggles, continue to give a great witness of fidelity to the Church’s teachings and the Lord’s commandments; Inventing renewed programmes of pastoral care for the family based on the Gospel and respectful of cultural differences, pastoral care which is capable of communicating the Good News in an attractive and positive manner and helping banish from young hearts the fear of making definitive commitments, pastoral care which is particularly attentive to children, who are the real victims of broken families, pastoral care which is innovative and provides a suitable preparation for the sacrament of Matrimony, rather than so many programmes which seem more of a formality than training for a lifelong commitment;

Aiming to love unconditionally all families, particularly those experiencing difficulties, since no family should feel alone or excluded from the Church’s loving embrace, and the real scandal is a fear of love and of showing that love concretely.

Some web browsing.........

Some web browsing to have with that cuppa......

Vocation Station

Synod, Week Two: The Information War

Can You Drink the Cup?

Sitting Still: When Doing Nothing is Actually Something

Faith of Our Mothers

Oldest Draft of King James Bible Discovered

Final knell sounds for RTÉ's Angelus bells after 53 years

Ombudsman warns of normalisation of euthanasia

Did Thomas More and John Fisher Die For Nothing? - Following the words of Christ himself, the Church has always taught that divorce and remarriage is simply adultery by another name

10 Things You Should Never Say to a Nun

Pope Francis Appears to Be Discerning “Decentralization” of Authority - Synod acts "with Peter and under Peter," says Pope, while suggesting Peter's role may evolve

When a Catholic Bishop Baptized his Muslim Father

“The Bible Is an Extremely Dangerous Book,” Pope Tells Young People - In prologue to new youth bible, Francis reveals personal relationship with Scripture

RTE is a step closer to killing off the Angelus once and for all

Mother Teresa may be declared saint next year - Church leaders in India have requested the Pope last week to fast-track the remaining proceedings.

Pope Francis creates Vatican office combining laity, family, life issues

Pope canonizes four new saints

Some web browsing.........

 

Pope Francis and True Mercy

In our brave new world boys and girls are abolished by decree

A special baptism at Regina Cleri

Pope says synod is a 'listening' event; as guarantor of unity, pope has last word

Pope calls for a Church that is far more decentralized

Synod hears call to re-examine teachings on sexuality, birth control

Child Breaks Host in Half to Share With Divorced/Remarried Father

Repealing the Eighth would quickly lead to abortion on demand

Pope Francis’ Thoughts on Pastoring in the 21st Century

An Orthodox Christian Argument Against Physician-Assisted Suicide 

Power in the Church? Women Have Always Had It

Men Are More Disinclined to Marry Than Ever – A Reflection on a Serious Problem

The war on men

In new interview, Pope Francis declares “I have always been a priest of the street”

Louis and Zélie Martin, saints

The Holy Witness of Married Couples

Pope of the masses: is Francis really the people’s champion? - The former Archbishop of Canterbury reflects on the politics of Pope Francis.

There’s Nothing Progressive About Physician-Assisted Suicide

18th October 2015 - Synod Sunday - Limerick Diocese Synod 2016

On this weeks programme John and the team are joined by Fr Eamonn Fitzgibbon and Martina O'Sullivan to speak about the choosing of the themes for Limerick Diocesan Synod 2016. We have our regular reflection on the Sunday gospel as well as other liturgical odds and ends.
 
You can listen to the podcast of this weeks first programme HERE.
 
Limerick Diocese Synod 2016 - The Chosen Themes
 

 

Fr Eamonn Fitzgibbon

This weekend across the diocese of Limerick we are marking another Synod Sunday to inform the diocese where things are with the synod process and also to seek their continuing prayer and support.
 
On this weeks programme Fr Eamonn Fitzgibbon comes back into studio to update us on how things are going with Limerick Diocesan Synod 2016 especially following the last Synod Delegate gathering on 3rd October when the themes to be discussed at the Synod were chosen and voted on by the delegates following the listening and discerning phase of the Synod during the early months of 2015.
 
Martina O'Sullivan who is a regular panellist on the programme also joined us on this weeks programme to share with us her experience of being a delegate at the Synod to date since the whole process started twelve months ago and especially of the Delegate day on October 3rd and the discernment of the themes for Synod 2016.
 
The delegate day on October 3rd was a gathering of over 300 delegates – 70% of whom were lay people – to the Limerick Diocesan Synod, which takes place next year, who selected the six themes from a shortlist of 12 compiled over a ‘Listening Process’ in the first half of 2015.  The process connected with 5,000 plus people, from primary school children to the elderly and drawn from all socio economic backgrounds and ethnicities, across the Diocese.
 
The Listening Process included a questionnaire responded to by 4,000 people, amounting to the largest poll of the faithful in relation to issues facing the Church in Ireland in the modern era, as well meetings attended by over 1,500 individual people.  All 60 parishes engaged in the process, as well as 25 other groups, including primary, secondary and third level education, healthcare workers, members of the travelling community, the migrant community and people with disabilities.
 
It culminated at the Delegate Day when the six themes were voted for after a day of intense reflection and discernment.
 
The themes, in order as they were selected by the delegates at the weekend, for the Diocesan Synod are:

1. Community & Sense of Belonging
2. Faith Formation
3. Pastoral Care of the Family
4. New Models of Leadership
5. Liturgy & Life
6. Young People

You can listen to the interview with Fr Eamonn and Martina excerpted from the main programme HERE.
 
To find out more about the Delegates Day on October 3rd and more about the themes chosen for the synod HERE.
 
Gospel - Mark 10: 35-45

 

James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came forward to him and said to him, “Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you.” And he said to them, “What is it you want me to do for you?” And they said to him, “Grant us to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your glory.” But Jesus said to them, “You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?” They replied, “We are able.” Then Jesus said to them, “The cup that I drink you will drink; and with the baptism with which I am baptized, you will be baptized; but to sit at my right hand or at my left is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared.”

When the ten heard this, they began to be angry with James and John. So Jesus called them and said to them, “You know that among the Gentiles those whom they recognize as their rulers lord it over them, and their great ones are tyrants over them. But it is not so among you; but whoever wishes to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you must be slave of all. For the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many.”

 
Reflections on this weeks gospel:
 
Word on Fire
Sunday Reflections
English Dominicans
Centre for Liturgy
 
Mission Sunday

October is the month dedicated to prayer and support of the missions of the church through out the world with a special focus on the work done by missionaries on Mission Sunday which this year in Ireland is 18th October.

In October and especially on Mission Sunday Catholics are invited to be specifically conscious of the Church's missionary activity abroad (ad gentes) through prayer, sacrifice and financial contributions. The funds collected in all Churches throughout the world on Mission Sunday, is coordinated by the Society for the Propagation of the Faith, founded by Pauline Jaricot 190 years ago. The funds are used to assist Churches who need financial support and directed towards communities in need, both spiritually and materially.

In October 2014, Irish Catholics contributed more than €1.78 million on Mission Sunday. The Mission Sunday collection is made available to be distributed to as many as 1,100 young Churches who are supported by the generosity of Churches that have been blessed with a greater quantity of financial and material gifts. Our Mission Sunday figures for October 2014 are available to view in the Mission Sunday magazine.

Contributions will be used to build simple mission churches, to educate seminarians as well as female religious novices. Your support also assists in the formation of catechists and lay leaders. The Mission Sunday gift may also be used for building health facilities for children and adults as well as for providing emergency aid in times of war or natural disaster or to assist missionaries in their efforts to care for refugees.

The theme for Mission Sunday 2015 is ‘Abundant Life’.

On Mission Sunday, in a special way, we celebrate the work circa 1,300 Irish born missionaries and all missionaries throughout the world. We thank God for them, for all who support them in our own country and during mission month we unite ourselves in prayer with them and with the communities with whom they work.

Click on link to get the 2015 reflection and information sheet.

To find out more about World Mission Ireland please go HERE.

Liturgical odds & ends
 
Liturgy of the Hours - psalter week 1; 29th week in ordinary time
 
Saints of the Week
 
19th October - St John de Brebeuf and Companions (martyrs)
20th October - St Paul of the Cross
21st October - St Tuda of Lindisfarne
22nd October - St John Paul II
23rd October - St John Capistrano
24th October  - St Anthony Mary Claret

October 15th - Feast of St Teresa of Avila

Source

October 15th is the feast of St Teresa of Avila, the first woman to be declared a Doctor of the Church in 1970. She has many writings. Born in 1515 in Avila, Spain, she lived during the Counter Reformation in Europe and she died in 1582.

Saint Teresa of Ávila, also called Saint Teresa of Jesus, baptized as Teresa Sánchez de Cepeda y Ahumada, (March 28, 1515 – October 4, 1582) was a prominent Spanish mystic, Roman Catholic saint, Carmelite nun, and writer of the Counter Reformation, and theologian of contemplative life through mental prayer. She was a reformer of the Carmelite Order and is considered to be, along with John of the Cross, a founder of the Discalced Carmelites.




iBenedictines have a very short but pointed reflection on her feast day today:

The five hundredth anniversary year of St Teresa of Avila’s birth has seen some remarkable celebrations but today, on her feastday, I think we honour her best by reflecting on one single aspect of her life: her prayer. It was the leitmotif of her whole existence. We tend to think of her enormous energy in founding convent after convent, her endless letters, her often awkward dealings with ecclesiastical authority, but at the centre of it all, day after day, was that humble, persevering seeking after God. Today, when we must be busy about so many things, let’s make sure we take some time just to be with God. His Divine Majesty awaits us. Let us not disappoint him

Read more about this saint here and here.

Christ Has No Body
Christ has no body but yours,
No hands, no feet on earth but yours,
Yours are the eyes with which he looks
Compassion on this world,
Yours are the feet with which he walks to do good,
Yours are the hands, with which he blesses all the world.
Yours are the hands, yours are the feet,
Yours are the eyes, you are his body.
Christ has no body now but yours,
No hands, no feet on earth but yours,
Yours are the eyes with which he looks
compassion on this world.
Christ has no body now on earth but yours.

St Teresa of Avila

"Nada Te Turbe" is one of two virtual choirs produced for the celebration of St. Teresa of Jesus's 500th birthday. The choir is made up of Carmelite Nuns from around the world and is accompanied by the Teresian Orchestra of St. James Cathedral in Seattle, Washington, USA. Music composed by Claire Sokol, OCD.

The prayer — which is more of a sort of contemplative pulse — is this:

Let nothing disturb you,
Let nothing frighten you,
All things are passing away:
God never changes.
Patience obtains all things
Whoever has God lacks nothing;
God alone suffices.

"Salve Regina" is the second of two virtual choirs produced for the celebration of St. Teresa of Jesus's 500th birthday. This virtual choir is made up of Carmelite Nuns and Friars from around the world and highlights the internationality and diversity of the Carmelite Order. Music composed by Claire Sokol, OCD.