SacredSpace102fm : September 2018

30 Sept 2018

30th September 2018 - WMOF2018 - Dr. Mary Aiken - Turning Technology to the Greater Good: Faith, Family & Technology

This week as the SS102fm team are in various parts of the world, we've decided to share with you another of the talks given at the World Meeting of Families held in Ireland this year. Dr. Mary Aiken gave a very powerful insight into how technology can be used for the greater good, an important message given our increasing reliance on all things technological.

WMOF2018 - Dr. Mary Aiken - Turning Technology to the Greater Good: Faith, Family & Technology

On Thursday, August 23rd, the third day of the Pastoral Congress for the WMOF, Dr Mary Aiken, Adjunct Associate Professor Geary Institute for Public Policy, UCD and Academic Advisor for Europol European Cybercrime Centre, Ireland, gave an interactive presentation on turning technology to the good in our world and in our homes. A common challenge for families today is how to integrate technology positively as a growing reality in our daily lives, as well as remain alert to some of the dangers.

Dr. Aiken speaks about the impact of technology on humankind, and how we can turn technology to the greater good. Dr. Aiken offers a very balanced presentation addressing when human behaviour changes online, the impact of technology on the developing child, which in the context of the WMOF is very important, the problems young people and families encounter and solutions and moving towards the greater good.

You can listen to the full programme podcast HERE.

You can listen to Dr. Aiken's talk excerpted from the programme HERE.

Gospel for the 26th Sunday in Ordinary Time - Mark 9:38-43, 45, 47-48

John said to Jesus, ‘Master, we saw a man who is not one of us casting out devils in your name; and because he was not one of us we tried to stop him.’ But Jesus said, ‘You must not stop him: no one who works a miracle in my name is likely to speak evil of me. Anyone who is not against us is for us.

‘If anyone gives you a cup of water to drink just because you belong to Christ, then I tell you solemnly, he will most certainly not lose his reward.

‘But anyone who is an obstacle to bring down one of these little ones who have faith, would be better thrown into the sea with a great millstone round his neck. And if your hand should cause you to sin, cut it off; it is better for you to enter into life crippled, than to have two hands and go to hell, into the fire that cannot be put out. And if your foot should cause you to sin, cut it off; it is better for you to enter into life lame, than to have two feet and be thrown into hell. And if your eye should cause you to sin, tear it out; it is better for you to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye, than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell where their worm does not die nor their fire go out.’

Reflections on this week's gospel:

Word on Fire
Centre for Liturgy
Sunday Reflections
English Dominicans

Liturgical odds & ends

Liturgy of the Hours: Psalter week 2

Saints of the week
1st October - St. Therese of Lisieux
2nd October - The Guardian Angels
3rd October - Blessed Columba Marmion
4th October - St. Francis of Assisi
5th October - Blessed Raymund of Capua
6th October - The Martyrs of Kyoto

23 Sept 2018

23rd September 2018 - WMOF2018 - Cardinal Tagle - Choose Life: Pope Francis on the ‘Throw-Away’ Culture

The SS102fm team were so impressed with the input of the keynote speakers and workshops given during the Pastoral Congress of the World Meeting of Families this year. We are also conscious that many people would have been unable to attend these talks in person, so periodically over the next few months we will be sharing some of the audio with our listeners and our blog followers.

WMOF2018 - Cardinal Tagle - Choose Life: Pope Francis on the ‘Throw-Away’ Culture

On the second day of the Pastoral Congress, Wednesday, August 22nd 2018, Cardinal Tagle, the Archbishop of Manila, gave a workshop entitled 'Choose life: Pope Francis on the ‘throw-away’ culture.' Cardinal Tagle brings together two major writings of Pope Francis: Laudato 'Si (on the care for our common home) and Amoris Laetitia (on love in the family). He highlights that the throw-away culture which very often we have adopted with material things or things of the earth we can carry into our relationships with others and with God. It is easy to see the consequences of such thinking, but Cardinal Tagle invites us remember once more that "We are the body of Christ. We are the family of God. We are persons. We are supposed to be welcoming and caring, be attentive to them, those who feel like they are objects to be thrown away. We tell them, 'No, you are valuable. You are a person. Your life is sacred. You belong to us. We are one family.'"

You can listen to the full programme podcast HERE.

You can watch Cardinal Tagle's talk HERE.

Gospel for the 25th Sunday in Ordinary Time - Mark 9:30-37

Jesus and his disciples made their way through Galilee; and he did not want anyone to know, because he was instructing his disciples; he was telling them, ‘The Son of Man will be delivered into the hands of men; they will put him to death; and three days after he has been put to death he will rise again.’ But they did not understand what he said and were afraid to ask him.

They came to Capernaum, and when he was in the house he asked them, ‘What were you arguing about on the road?’ They said nothing because they had been arguing which of them was the greatest. So he sat down, called the Twelve to him and said, ‘If anyone wants to be first, he must make himself last of all and servant of all.’ He then took a little child, set him in front of them, put his arms round him, and said to them, ‘Anyone who welcomes one of these little children in my name, welcomes me; and anyone who welcomes me welcomes not me but the one who sent me.’

16 Sept 2018

16th September - Emmanuel Community - Emmanuel School of Mission

On this week's programme John is joined by members of the Emmanuel Community, Fr. Paul Glennon and Geraldine Creaton, who share their experiences of the Emmanuel School of Mission and the Emmanuel Community. We also have our regular saints of the week and Sunday gospel reflection.

Emmanuel Community - Emmanuel School of Mission

Fr Conleth Meehan (L) and Fr Paul Glennon (R) are Emmanual Community Priests for the Archdiocese of Dublin.

Back on 22nd June 2014 we had an interview with then deacon Paul Glennon, now Fr. Paul Glennon, who shared with us his on-going journey towards priesthood. Paul was then one of the 15 men ordained deacon in Maynooth on June 1st 2014 for the Archdiocese of Dublin. When Fr. Paul was ordained the Lord led him to become the chaplain to the Emmanuel School of Mission in New York. Geraldine and Fr. Paul both share their experiences of being members of the Emmanuel Community in Ireland (you can learn more about the community from our previous blog posts HERE) and their experience of Emmanuel Schools of Mission.

You can listen to the full programme podcast HERE.

You can listen to Fr. Paul and Geraldine speaking about the Emmanuel Community and Emmanuel Schools of Mission excerpted HERE

Gospel for the 24th Sunday in Ordinary Time - Mark 8:27-35

Jesus and his disciples left for the villages round Caesarea Philippi. On the way he put this question to his disciples, ‘Who do people say I am?’ And they told him. ‘John the Baptist,’ they said ‘others Elijah; others again, one of the prophets.’ ‘But you,’ he asked ‘who do you say I am?’ Peter spoke up and said to him, ‘You are the Christ.’ And he gave them strict orders not to tell anyone about him.
And he began to teach them that the Son of Man was destined to suffer grievously, to be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes, and to be put to death, and after three days to rise again; and he said all this quite openly. Then, taking him aside, Peter started to remonstrate with him. But, turning and seeing his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said to him, ‘Get behind me, Satan! Because the way you think is not God’s way but man’s.’
He called the people and his disciples to him and said, ‘If anyone wants to be a follower of mine, let him renounce himself and take up his cross and follow me. For anyone who wants to save his life will lose it; but anyone who loses his life for my sake, and for the sake of the gospel, will save it.’

Reflections on this week's gospel:

Word on Fire
Centre for Liturgy
Sunday Reflections
English Dominicans
Dominican Sisters of St. Joseph

Liturgical odds & ends

Liturgy of the Hours: Psalter week 4

Saints of the week

17th September - St. Robert Bellarmine
18th September - St. Joseph of Cupertino
19th September - St. Januarius
20th September - St. Andrew Kim Taegon, Paul Chong Hasang and Companions
21st September - St. Matthew
22nd September - St. Maurice

Notices

The annual Padre Pio Triduum will take place in the Church of the Immaculate Conception, Newcastle West, Co. Limerick on Wednesday, September 19th, Thursday, September 20th and Friday, September 21st from 7.00pm to 9.00pm with devotions, Mass and blessing with the 1st Class Relic of St. Pio. Celebrant: Fr. John Mockler.

9 Sept 2018

9th September 2018 - The Examen: Cultivating an Attitude of Gratitude

On this week's programme the SS102fm team discuss the Examen prayer as a way of cultivating an attitude of gratitude and truly living one's life reflectively in the light of God's grace. We have We have our regular saints of the week and Sunday gospel reflection as well as other odds and ends.

The Examen: Cultivating an Attitude of Gratitude
This week's reflection on the Examen Prayer is based on an article by Jim Manney of Our Sunday Visitor entitled 'The Examen — the prayer that changes everything St. Ignatius’ Examen teaches us to see God in what we think, do and feel every day' and is available to read in full HERE.

John and Lorraine discuss the importance of cultivating an attitude of gratitude and how the Examen prayer of St. Ignatius Loyala can help us to be thankful for everything that God does for us, because everything we have is a gift from God. The Examen is a beautiful way of slowing down and taking the time each day to discern the ways in which God blesses us throughout the day, to identify and give thanks for what went well in our day and to identify and express sorrow for what went wrong while asking God to help us do better the following day. Lorraine brings us through Jim Manney's version of the Examen and gives an example of how this prayer might be prayed.

You can listen to the full programme podcast HERE.

You can listen to Lorraine and John's discussion on the Examen excerpted HERE

Gospel for the 23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time - Mark 7:31-37

Returning from the district of Tyre, Jesus went by way of Sidon towards the Sea of Galilee, right through the Decapolis region. And they brought him a deaf man who had an impediment in his speech; and they asked him to lay his hand on him. He took him aside in private, away from the crowd, put his fingers into the man’s ears and touched his tongue with spittle. Then looking up to heaven he sighed; and he said to him, ‘Ephphatha’, that is, ‘Be opened.’ And his ears were opened, and the ligament of his tongue was loosened and he spoke clearly. And Jesus ordered them to tell no one about it, but the more he insisted, the more widely they published it. Their admiration was unbounded. ‘He has done all things well,’ they said ‘he makes the deaf hear and the dumb speak.’

8 Sept 2018

The Birthday (Nativity) of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Today we celebrate the beautiful feast of the birthday of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Why do we celebrate this feast? Mary is the Mother of the Son of God, and as such, is our Mother too. Just as we celebrate the birthday of our natural mother, it is fitting that as a Church we celebrate the birthday of our Mother in the order of grace.

What is the best gift we can give our Heavenly Mother (or to phrase it another way: what do you give to the Woman who has everything)? All our Heavenly Mother asks of us is our love and our time. She does not expect grand gestures and big presents. She would very much appreciate if we took the time to speak with her today and to speak with her Son too. She would love if we honoured her birthday by performing little acts with great love today. Love is at the heart of Christianity and at the heart of our veneration of the Blessed Virgin Mary. She, like all of us, was created out of love and for love and as the Mother of God she loves us all equally and continues to intercede for us with her Son. What are you going to do for your Heavenly Mother today?

5 Sept 2018

A New Beginning - Bishop Brendan Leahy

On Saturday, September 1st Bishop Brendan Leahy encouraged us to 'begin again' in his homily for the annual retreat of the Syro-Malabar community. Here is the full text of Bishop Leahy's homily.

A New Beginning

It’s just a week since we had Pope Francis among us. I know many of you were present in Dublin or Knock.

I am pleased to be here today because, in a way, you are a sign of the new beginning the Catholic Church is experiencing in Ireland. Until relatively recently, we were a homogenous group of Irish-born people who, practically speaking, took our being catholic for granted as almost part of a social package of being Irish.

Today, however, we have vibrant communities such as yours, the Syro-Malabar community, or the Polish community or the Filipino communities. Each group brings with it a new expression of being catholic. And that helps us imagine that the traditional way we thought of the Catholic Church is not set in stone.

One week on from the Pope’s visit, it is important to take steps not to let the significance of the visit begin to disappear from our minds and hearts.

We are inspired by that visit more than ever to make a new beginning, just as you have in coming to this country of welcomes.

I was hugely heartened by the hundreds of thousands who turned out for Pope Francis’ visit. Those who lined the streets in Dublin, attended Croke Park, the Phoenix Park and, of course, that special morning in Knock. It was an affirmation of the deep faith of people, their love of God, their deep spirituality and their mercifulness towards a Church that has, while enriching them in many ways, failed them badly in a most shocking way.

There were many powerful moments along that all too brief 36-hour journey that touched us all; a mix of darkness and light and rightly so.

There were the apologies and acknowledgements throughout of abuse in the Church; Pope Francis’ own words, deep and heartfelt, at public engagements. His words at his meeting with victims confirming his horror over what happened. Never has a Pope spoken with such passion using such strong words; never has a Pope connected on this level.

This was essential and there was more. Like his reaching out to all on the margins, not least his meeting with the Capuchin brothers and the homeless – his words there very striking when he described their work as ‘they help you without taking away your dignity. That's the face of Jesus Christ’.

His joy at the depth of faith and celebration as people sang and danced through unforgettable hours at Croke Park. The beautiful mix of joy and solemnity of Knock and the Phoenix Park. His silent prayer at Knock and the Pro-Cathedral. There was also the Taoiseach’s striking address. And the statements of protest at Tuam and in Dublin, which must also be acknowledged.

36 hours that reflected all about the Church in Ireland today.

It was not, of course, 1979 in terms of the numbers that celebrated. But this is not Ireland of 1979, nor is it the Church of 1979. Today it’s a Church that has gone through humiliation and purification. There was a blindness in the Church then as to what was lurking within but today our eyes are open.

Yet one undeniable constant between now and 1979 was the sense of celebration of our faith. It was everywhere I turned. At a time when many have - for one reason or another, not least the scandals that have hit the church – shied away from public expressions of faith, people felt released from shackles for the weekend. The freedom and joy as they celebrated being part of God’s kingdom was remarkable and not seen since 1979 in this country. I can only imagine how much God saw it and thought it was good.

Clearly those who attended the ceremonies in Dublin and Knock have a deep love of their faith and we must continue to nourish that. It is our mission. The sins of the past cannot be allowed to cloud over that mission.

However, we also have an obligation to those who feel alienated, hurt and disavowed by the grave crimes committed by clergy and religious. We must continue to meet and reach out to them. We must repair the damage and pursue justice.

We must do more to encourage those who have been abused in any way but have not already come forward, to report their abuse. We must do this to support them, help with healing if possible, identify those responsible and bring justice.

As a community rooted in God’s love, fidelity and mercy, we can and are called to walk this road with them.

We can never accept that we are doing enough.

Huge strides have been made in safeguarding; the Church increasingly closer to being the sanctuary that God would want.

Recently, lingering doubts about Church transparency have been expressed. In the recent past, however, dioceses and religious orders have opened their doors both to the National Board for Safeguarding Children in the Catholic Church and to the HSE, who have issued audits. The Church must always co-operate fully with state authorities in this area.

As for those who have abused in the Church, we need to continue our pursuit of truth, justice and healing. Most episodes of abuse stretch back into decades but if anyone has any information regarding anything relating to any member of clergy or religious, we need to know and, moreover, the authorities need to know.

If there remains any member of the clergy or religious who is hiding some dark secret or intention in the area of abuse of minors I plead with them to come forward immediately and own up to this, again to state and church authorities. Do not put yourself in a situation where the poison within can infect others. There is no place for this in God’s house.

Nonetheless, without ever eclipsing the acknowledgement of the negative, we need to be careful that we don’t pull ourselves down as a society, reading our past only in its negativity. That would be untrue to the past and not fair to the present and hamper future possibilities

I would make an appeal that, as a society, we do not quench or suffocate the possibilities of new beginnings that were enkindled last weekend.

And we do have a new beginning. It began last weekend, a real turning point on this every-lasting journey of following God. Everything good and bad set out before us. And as it should be.

We move away from this most special time renewed and enriched by the joyful expression of faith by hundreds of thousands. Also, by the knowledge that it is a Church that has taken enormous strides that would have been unimaginable four decades ago and beyond. A Church that has faced the evil within, has worked tirelessly to cast it out and put stringent measures in place to protect against its return.

But above all, a Church that is still out there, reaching those on the margins, people fighting homelessness, ill-health, bereavement, poverty and so much more. A Church that is accompanying millions day by day in all kinds of ways – from baptisms to weddings to funerals, building local communities and offering horizons of consolation, meaning and hope.

I take all expressions, positive and negative, from this special time as an invitation; a collective voice that we must listen and respond to. The Pope has given us, as bishops in Ireland, a clear mandate to do this listening.

We have begun the process here in Limerick through our Synod of two years ago but we must now, renewed by the energy and honesty of last weekend, go forward with great hope. The words spoken over the past week and more have brought us closer. We now commit to action.

The future is an opportunity for doing things we have never done before. But we can only achieve this together.

One week on from the Pope’s visit, I make a humble plea to all who want to begin with us again in a new way, what the Taoiseach called a new covenant; let’s rebuild a Church at the service of Irish society.

I particularly speak to those who were walking away in the distance but had their heads turned at the weekend to see a shard of light from a familiar place.

That is the light of God and it is a light for all. We want to bring that light that breaks through the darkness with us and meet people where they are.

Let us then, in rebuilding this together, rekindle the flame from baptism, so it burns bright in all of us.

It's a flame that will unite us, lift our hearts and souls and give peace, bringing us closer to God’s idea for us all and making of us all one family united in love for one another.

I pray that the Spirit who heals will inspire us to repair and re-build our Church together. Your enthusiastic presence here today is a sign of hope for us.

Let us begin again!

The text is also available on the diocesan website HERE.

4 Sept 2018

Pope's Prayer Intention - September 2018 - Young People in Africa

Africa is a continent with enormous potential. It's young people are it's future. A future which, if it is accompanied by education and work possibilities, is splendid.

"Africa is a wealthy continent, and its greatest, most valuable resource is its young people.

They should be able to choose between letting themselves be overcome by difficulty or transforming the difficulty into an opportunity.

The most effective way to help them in this choice is to invest in their education.

If young people don't have the possibility of education, what future can they have?

If young people don't have a job, what future awaits them?

Let us pray that young people in Africa may have access to education and work in their own countries"

2 Sept 2018

2nd September 2018 - Humanae Vitae @ 50

On this week's programme the SS102fm team is joined by Dr. Tom Finegan from Mary Immaculate college to discuss the 50th anniversary of the papal encyclical Humanae Vitae published in July 1968 by Pope Paul VI. We have our regular saints of the week and Sunday gospel reflection as well as other odds and ends.

Humanae Vitae @ 50
2018 marks the 50th anniversary of the publication of the Encyclical Humane Vitae (on the transmission of human life) by Pope Paul VI. This week Shane and Dr. Finegan chat about the background leading up to the Encyclical, what is actually contained in Humanae Vitae, why it was prophetic in terms of sexual morality today and what we can still learn from Humane Vitae today. If you would like to read the encyclical it is available on the Vatican website HERE.

You can listen to the full programme podcast HERE.

You can listen to Dr. Finegan's reflection on Humanae Vitae excerpted HERE

Gospel for the 22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time - Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23

The Pharisees and some of the scribes who had come from Jerusalem gathered round Jesus, and they noticed that some of his disciples were eating with unclean hands, that is, without washing them. For the Pharisees, and the Jews in general, follow the tradition of the elders and never eat without washing their arms as far as the elbow; and on returning from the market place they never eat without first sprinkling themselves. There are also many other observances which have been handed down to them concerning the washing of cups and pots and bronze dishes. So these Pharisees and scribes asked him, ‘Why do your disciples not respect the tradition of the elders but eat their food with unclean hands?’ He answered, ‘It was of you hypocrites that Isaiah so rightly prophesied in this passage of scripture:

This people honours me only with lip-service,
while their hearts are far from me.
The worship they offer me is worthless,
the doctrines they teach are only human regulations.

You put aside the commandment of God to cling to human traditions.’ He called the people to him again and said, ‘Listen to me, all of you, and understand. Nothing that goes into a man from outside can make him unclean; it is the things that come out of a man that make him unclean. For it is from within, from men’s hearts, that evil intentions emerge: fornication, theft, murder, adultery, avarice, malice, deceit, indecency, envy, slander, pride, folly. All these evil things come from within and make a man unclean.’

Reflections on this week's gospel:

Word on Fire
Centre for Liturgy
Sunday Reflections
English Dominicans

Liturgical odds & ends

Liturgy of the Hours: Psalter week 2

Saints of the week

3rd September - Pope St. Gregory the Great
4th September - St. Mac Nissi
5th September - St. Teresa of Calcutta
6th September - St. Bega
7th September - St. Cloud
8th September - Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary

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