New Years Eve 2018

And I said to the man who stood at the gate of the year:
“Give me a light that I may tread safely into the unknown.”
And he replied:
“Go out into the darkness and put your hand into the Hand of God.
That shall be to you better than light and safer than a known way.”
So I went forth, and finding the Hand of God, trod gladly into the night.
And He led me towards the hills and the breaking of day in the lone East.
So heart be still:
What need our little life
Our human life to know,
If God hath comprehension?
In all the dizzy strife
Of things both high and low,
God hideth His intention.
God knows. His will
Is best. The stretch of years
Which wind ahead, so dim
To our imperfect vision,
Are clear to God. Our fears
Are premature; In Him,
All time hath full provision.
Then rest: until
God moves to lift the veil
From our impatient eyes,
When, as the sweeter features
Of Life’s stern face we hail,
Fair beyond all surmise
God’s thought around His creatures
Our mind shall fill

(God Knows - a.k.a. The Gate of the Year - Minnie Louise Haskins)

The evening draws in on the last day of 2018 and we celebrate first vespers for the Solemnity of the Mother of God on January 1st. The civil year draws to a close as we reflect on the year just past with all "joys and hopes, the grief and anguish of the people of our time, especially of those who are poor or afflicted" reminding ourselves that these "are the joys and hopes, the grief and anguish of the followers of Christ as well". We look forward to 2019 and what may come.

Pacem in Terris
Saint Pope John XXIII

"May He banish from the hearts of all men and women whatever might endanger peace.
May He transform them into witnesses of truth, justice and love.
May He enkindle the rulers of peoples so that in addition to their solicitude for the proper welfare of their citizens, they may guarantee and defend the great gift of peace.
May He enkindle the wills of all so that they may overcome the barriers that divide, cherish the bonds of mutual charity, understand others, and pardon those who have done them wrong.
May all peoples of the earth become as brothers and sisters, and may the most longed-for peace blossom forth and reign always among men and women."

Though even thinking on the subject of time may prove discomforting, it is not a bad idea—especially at the beginning of a new year.

As we look into 2019 we look at a block of time. We see 12 months, 52 weeks, 365 days, 8,760 hours, 525,600 minutes, 31,536,000 seconds. And all is a gift from God. We have done nothing to deserve it, earn it, or purchased it. Like the air we breathe, time comes to us as a part of life.

The gift of time is not ours alone. It is given equally to each person. Rich and poor, educated and ignorant, strong and weak—every man, woman and child has the same twenty-four hours every day.

Another important thing about time is that you cannot stop it. There is no way to slow it down, turn it off, or adjust it. Time marches on.

And you cannot bring back time. Once it is gone, it is gone. Yesterday is lost forever. If yesterday is lost, tomorrow is uncertain. We may look ahead at a full year’s block of time, but we really have no guarantee that we will experience any of it.

Obviously, time is one of our most precious possessions. We can waste it. We can worry over it. We can spend it on ourselves. Or, as good stewards, we can invest it in the kingdom of God.

The new year is full of time. As the seconds tick away, will you be tossing time out the window, or will you make every minute count?

Tradition also has the singing of the Te Deum to mark the closing of the civil year. The Te Deum is a hymn of praise that dates from early Christian times. In Latin, the hymn’s words: “Te Deum laudamus” can be translated "Thee, O God, we praise". PrayTell have a piece about it here.

Are you in need of some words of wisdom? Well, you're in luck - Edith Eger is a 91 year old Auschwitz survivor who has a thing or two to tell you about living your best life. Here are her 4 top tips

More videos 👉 https://t.co/BA953eOyXe pic.twitter.com/X1r4sbMWeV

— BBC Woman's Hour (@BBCWomansHour) December 29, 2018

30 December 2018 - Considering New Years resolutions with Pope Francis

On this weeks programme the SS102fm team brings the 2018 year to a close marking the liturgical feast of the Holy Family. As it is only a couple of days to the beginning of 2019, we reflect with the help of Pope Francis on possible new years resolutions for people to consider. We have our regular reflection on the liturgical odds & ends including the gospel of the day plus saints of the week.

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

New Years Resolutions with Pope Francis

As it is only a couple of days to the beginning of 2019, we reflect with the help of Pope Francis on possible new years resolutions for people to consider - 12 New Year’s resolutions for 12 months, from Pope Francis.

You can listen to the section of the programme excerpted from the main programme podcast HERE.











Gospel - Luke 2: 41 - 52

Each year Jesus’ parents went to Jerusalem for the feastof Passover, and when he was twelve years old, they went up according to festival custom.After they had completed its days, as they were returning, the boy Jesus remained behind in Jerusalem, but his parents did not know it.Thinking that he was in the caravan,they journeyed for a dayand looked for him among their relatives and acquaintances, but not finding him,they returned to Jerusalem to look for him.After three days they found him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions, and all who heard him were astounded at his understanding and his answers.When his parents saw him,they were astonished, and his mother said to him, “Son, why have you done this to us?Your father and I have been looking for you with great anxiety.”And he said to them,“Why were you looking for me?Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?”But they did not understand what he said to them.He went down with them and came to Nazareth,and was obedient to them; and his mother kept all these things in her heart.And Jesus advanced in wisdom and age and favorbefore God and man.

Reflections on this weeks gospel:

Word on Fire
Centre for Liturgy
Sunday Reflections
English Dominicans

Reflections on feast of the Holy Family:

iBenedictines 
The Holy Family and Contemplative Prayer

Liturgical odds & ends

Liturgy of the Hours - Psalter week 

Saints of the Week

December 31st - St Sylvester
January 1st - Solemnity of Mary the Mother of God
January 2nd - St Basil and St Gregory
January 3rd - St Munchin - patron of Limerick Diocese
January 4th - Bl Thomas Plumtree
January 5th - St Charles of Mt Argus
January 6th - Epiphany of the Lord

Pope's homily: The Mother of God is starting point for New Year

Vatican News:

In his homily for New Year's Day - the Solemnity of Mary the Mother of God - Pope Francis said the motherhood of Mary reminds us that God is close to humanity


“The year opens in the name of the Mother.”

Pope Francis focused on Mary, the Mother of God, in his homily for the Mass of her Solemnity, the first of the secular New Year. Calling Mary “the Mother of God” he said, reminds us “there is no longer God without man; the flesh Jesus took from His Mother is our own, now and for all eternity.”

The great miracle of Christmas, the Pope continued, is that “man is no longer alone; no more an orphan but forever a child.” This is the novelty presented to us by the liturgy at the beginning of the new year. Knowing that we are children of God helps us to realize that “humanity is precious and sacred to the Lord. Henceforth, to serve human life is to serve God.”

Turning explicitly to the Gospel, Pope Francis reflected on the fact that Bible says of Mary only that she “kept all these things, pondering them in her heart.” She remained silent in the face of the great miracles and wonders of Christmas. In this, Mary follows in the footsteps of her Son, the Eternal Word of God, Who chose to become an infant, Who did not speak.

“This silence tells us that, if we would ‘keep’ ourselves, we need silence,” the Pope said. “As we look” on the crib “in silence, we let Jesus speak to our heart… To set aside a moment of silence each day to be with God is to ‘keep’ our soul.”

The Holy Father noted that Mary pondered both the joys and sorrows of life, dwelling on them, “with God,” in her heart. She pondered them by always turning them over to God. When we do that, the Pope said, “God, Who keeps us in His heart, then comes to dwell in our lives.”

At the beginning of the new year, the Pope continued, “we too, as Christians on our pilgrim way, feel the need to set out anew from the centre, to leave behind the burdens of the past and to start over from the things that really matter.” The point of departure, he said, is the Mother of God. “Devotion to Mary is not spiritual etiquette, it is a requirement of the Christian life.” Pope Francis said, “If our faith is not to be reduced merely to an idea or a doctrine, all of us need a mother’s heart.”

He concluded his homily with the prayer: “May the Mother, God’s finest human creation, guard and keep this year, and bring the peace of her Son to our hearts, and to the world.”

New Years Eve 2017

The LORD bless you and keep you!   

The LORD let his face shine upon you, and be gracious to you! 

The LORD look upon you kindly and give you peace!

The evening draws in on the last day of 2017 and we celebrate first vespers for the Solemnity of the Mother of God on January 1st. The civil year draws to a close as we reflect on the year just past with all "joys and hopes, the grief and anguish of the people of our time, especially of those who are poor or afflicted" reminding ourselves that these "are the joys and hopes, the grief and anguish of the followers of Christ as well". 

I said to the man who stood at the gate of the year

'Give me a light that I may tread safely into the unknown.'

And he replied, 'Go into the darkness and put your hand into the hand of God.

That shall be to you better than light and safer than a known way!'

So I went forth and finding the Hand of God

Trod gladly into the night

He led me towards the hills

And the breaking of day in the lone east.....

We look forward to 2018 and what may come.

The particular mind of the ocean
Filling the coastline’s longing
With such brief harvest
Of elegant, vanishing waves
Is like the mind of time
Opening us shapes of days.

As this year draws to its end,
We give thanks for the gifts it brought
And how they became inlaid within
Where neither time nor tide can touch them.

The days when the veil lifted
And the soul could see delight;
When a quiver caressed the heart
In the sheer exuberance of being here.

Surprises that came awake
In forgotten corners of old fields
Where expectation seemed to have quenched.

The slow, brooding times
When all was awkward
And the wave in the mind
Pierced every sore with salt.

The darkened days that stopped
The confidence of the dawn.

Days when beloved faces shone brighter
With light from beyond themselves;
And from the granite of some secret sorrow
A stream of buried tears loosened.

We bless this year for all we learned,
For all we loved and lost
And for the quiet way it brought us
Nearer to our invisible destination.

John O’Donohue 
(To Bless The Space Between Us/Benedictus)

***************

Tradition has the singing of the Te Deum to mark the closing of the civil year. The Te Deum is a hymn of praise that dates from early Christian times. In Latin, the hymn’s words: “Te Deum laudamus” can be translated "Thee, O God, we praise". The Te Deum (also known as Ambrosian Hymn or A Song of the Church) is an early Christian hymn of praise. The title is taken from its opening Latin words, Te Deum laudamus, rendered literally as "Thee, O God, we praise".

1 January 2017 - Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God

On this the first day of the New Year, the SS102fm team wishes you and yours every best wish and blessing for a New Year as we continue to celebrate Christmastide.

On today's programme we have a reflection on New Year from Sr Dympna Clancy. We have our regular reflection on this weeks gospel as well as some liturgical odds & ends including the selection of the blog patron saint for 2017.

You can listen to today's programme podcast available HERE.

A New Years reflection

January is personified by the two faced Roman god Janus which is a good metaphor which allows us to look back - to give thanks, and reflect on what might have been the burdens for 2016 - and also to look forward into 2017 and what we may wish and pray for.

Sr Dympna leads us through a reflection on the New Year, time and peace. 

You can listen to the thought provoking reflection from Sr Dympna here.



Gospel - LK 2:16-21

The shepherds went in haste to Bethlehem and found Mary and Joseph,and the infant lying in the manger.When they saw this,they made known the message that had been told them about this child.All who heard it were amazed by what had been told them by the shepherds.  

And Mary kept all these things,reflecting on them in her heart. Then the shepherds returned,glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, just as it had been told to them. 

When eight days were completed for his circumcision,he was named Jesus, the name given him by the angel before he was conceived in the womb.

Reflections on this weeks gospel:

Word on Fire
Sunday Reflections
Centre for Liturgy
English Dominicans

Pope Francis: Homily for First Vespers for Solemnity of Mary the Mother of God 
OSV - A contemplative heart - We celebrate the Blessed Mother because it is through her that Christ was born for our salvation

Updates   
Pope Francis: homily for Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God
No apple pie, but lots on mom from Pope Francis on Mary’s feast 
The Oldest hymn to Mary Mother of God - Greek hymn to the Theotokos dates back to third century

Liturgical odds & ends

Liturgy of the Hours - Psalter week 2

Saints of the Week

January 1st - Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God
January 2nd - St Basil and St Gregory Nazianzen 
January 3rd - St Munchin (Patron of the diocese of Limerick) also the Holy Name of Jesus
January 4th - St Elizabeth Ann Seton
January 5th - St Charles of St Andrew 
January 6th - Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord 
January 7th - St Raymond of Penyafort
January 8th - Feast of the Baptism of the Lord (and the end of Christmastide)

Blog Patron Saints

Each year we follow a monastic tradition of picking a patron saint for the year and also a patron saint for the blog. You can pick one for yourself by heading over to the Saint Name Generator.

Blog Patron Saint - St Elizabeth of Portugal

SS102fm team patron saints for 2017

• Lorraine - St John Chrysostom
• John - St Agnes of Rome
• Anne - St Frances Xavier Caprini
• Shane - St Dunstan

New Years Eve 2016

Sunset over the Shannon Estuary from South Cappa, Loughill, Co Limerick

The LORD bless you and keep you!  

The LORD let his face shine upon you, and be gracious to you! 

The LORD look upon you kindly and give you peace!

The evening draws in on the last day of 2016 and we celebrate first vespers for the Solemnity of the Mother of God on January 1st. The civil year draws to a close as we reflect on the year just past with all "joys and hopes, the grief and anguish of the people of our time, especially of those who are poor or afflicted" reminding ourselves that these "are the joys and hopes, the grief and anguish of the followers of Christ as well". We look forward to 2017 and what may come.

The particular mind of the ocean
Filling the coastline’s longing
With such brief harvest
Of elegant, vanishing waves
Is like the mind of time
Opening us shapes of days.

As this year draws to its end,
We give thanks for the gifts it brought
And how they became inlaid within
Where neither time nor tide can touch them.

The days when the veil lifted
And the soul could see delight;
When a quiver caressed the heart
In the sheer exuberance of being here.

Surprises that came awake
In forgotten corners of old fields
Where expectation seemed to have quenched.

The slow, brooding times
When all was awkward
And the wave in the mind
Pierced every sore with salt.

The darkened days that stopped
The confidence of the dawn.

Days when beloved faces shone brighter
With light from beyond themselves;
And from the granite of some secret sorrow
A stream of buried tears loosened.

We bless this year for all we learned,
For all we loved and lost
And for the quiet way it brought us
Nearer to our invisible destination.

John O’Donohue 
(To Bless The Space Between Us/Benedictus)

***************

Tradition has the singing of the Te Deum to mark the closing of the civil year. The Te Deum is a hymn of praise that dates from early Christian times. In Latin, the hymn’s words: “Te Deum laudamus” can be translated "Thee, O God, we praise". The Te Deum (also known as Ambrosian Hymn or A Song of the Church) is an early Christian hymn of praise. The title is taken from its opening Latin words, Te Deum laudamus, rendered literally as "Thee, O God, we praise".

A more traditional version in latin





We praise thee, O God :
we acknowledge thee to be the Lord.
All the earth doth worship thee :
the Father everlasting.
To thee all Angels cry aloud :
the Heavens, and all the Powers therein.
To thee Cherubim and Seraphim :
continually do cry,
Holy, Holy, Holy :
Lord God of Sabaoth;
Heaven and earth are full of the Majesty :
of thy glory.
The glorious company of the Apostles : praise thee.
The goodly fellowship of the Prophets : praise thee.
The noble army of Martyrs : praise thee.
The holy Church throughout all the world :
doth acknowledge thee;
The Father : of an infinite Majesty;
Thine honourable, true : and only Son;
Also the Holy Ghost : the Comforter.
Thou art the King of Glory : O Christ.
Thou art the everlasting Son : of the Father.
When thou tookest upon thee to deliver man :
thou didst not abhor the Virgin's womb.
When thou hadst overcome the sharpness of death :
thou didst open the Kingdom of Heaven to all believers.
Thou sittest at the right hand of God : in the glory of the Father.
We believe that thou shalt come : to be our Judge.
We therefore pray thee, help thy servants :
whom thou hast redeemed with thy precious blood.
Make them to be numbered with thy Saints : in glory everlasting.

QoTD - New Beginnings

We must learn to live each day, each hour, yes, each minute as a new beginning,

as a unique opportunity to make everything new.

Imagine that we could live each moment as a moment pregnant with new life.

Imagine that we could live each day as a day full of promises.

Imagine that we could walk through the new year always listening to a voice saying to us:

“I have a gift for you you and can’t wait for you to see it! Imagine!”

 – Henri  Nouwen.

A New Year's greeting from Bishop Brendan and a request for prayers as we head towards our Diocesan Synod in April 2016!

Check out Bishop Brendan's New Year message on the Diocese of Limerick Facebook page.

Pope Francis opens Holy Door at St Mary Major

Pope Francis opening the Holy Door at the Basilica of Mary Major, 1/1/2016

(Vatican Radio) -

Pope Francis on Friday evening celebrated Mass and opened the Holy Door at the papal Basilica of St Mary Major

The Basilica of St Mary Major, also known as Our Lady of the Snows, is one of the oldest churches dedicated to the Mother of God, and the largest in the world. So it was particularly appropriate that the Pope chose the Solemnity of Mary the Mother of God to open the Holy Door at one of Rome’s most beloved churches.

Listen to the report from Vatican Radio here.

Pope Francis reflection: Mary is the 'mother of forgiveness'
 
Watch the opening of the Holy Door on demand here at Rome Reports with the opening actually happening at the 9 minute mark.

Photos of the opening of the Holy Door from Getty Images here.

************

Mercy is stronger than violence and injustice, Pope says 

Pope Francis rings in the New Year extolling an oft-unseen ‘Ocean of Mercy’

World Day of Peace - Pope Francis message 2016 - “Overcome indifference and win peace.”

The World Day of Peace is a feast day of the Roman Catholic Church dedicated to peace, held on 1 January, on the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God. It was introduced in 1967 by Paul VI, inspired by the encyclical Pacem in terris of John XXIII and with reference to his own encyclical Populorum progressio. The day was first observed on 1 January 1968.

The World Day of Peace has often been a time when popes make magisterial declarations relevant to the social doctrine of the Church. Paul VI and John Paul II have each year made important statements on the United Nations, human rights, women's rights, labour unions, economic development, the right to life, international diplomacy, peace in the Holy Land, globalization and terrorism. 
Vatican Radio summary report for 2016 message here.
CNA report for 2016 message here.

 

  

MESSAGE OF HIS HOLINESS
POPE FRANCIS FOR THE CELEBRATION OF THE
XLIX WORLD DAY OF PEACE

1 JANUARY 2016

Overcome Indifference and Win Peace

 

1. God is not indifferent! God cares about mankind! God does not abandon us! At the beginning of the New Year, I would like to share not only this profound conviction but also my cordial good wishes for prosperity, peace and the fulfilment of the hopes of every man and every woman, every family, people and nation throughout the world, including all Heads of State and Government and all religious leaders. We continue to trust that 2016 will see us all firmly and confidently engaged, on different levels, in the pursuit of justice and peace. Peace is both God’s gift and a human achievement. As a gift of God, it is entrusted to all men and women, who are called to attain it.

Maintaining our reasons for hope

2. Sadly, war and terrorism, accompanied by kidnapping, ethnic or religious persecution and the misuse of power, marked the past year from start to finish. In many parts of the world, these have became so common as to constitute a real “third world war fought piecemeal”. Yet some events of the year now ending inspire me, in looking ahead to the new year, to encourage everyone not to lose hope in our human ability to conquer evil and to combat resignation and indifference. They demonstrate our capacity to show solidarity and to rise above self-interest, apathy and indifference in the face of critical situations.

Here I would mention the efforts to bring world leaders together at COP21 in the search for new ways to confront climate change and to protect the earth, our common home. We can also think of two earlier global events: the Addis Ababa Summit for funding sustainable development worldwide and the adoption of the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, aimed at ensuring a more dignified standard of living for all the world’s peoples, especially the poor, by that year.

For the Church, 2015 was a special year, since it marked the fiftieth anniversary of two documents of the Second Vatican Council which eloquently expressed her sense of solidarity with the world. Pope John XXIII, at the beginning of the Council, wanted to open wide the windows of the Church and to improve her communication with the world. The two documents, Nostra Aetate and Gaudium et Spes, are emblematic of the new relationship of dialogue, solidarity and accompaniment which the Church sought to awaken within the human family. In the Declaration Nostra Aetate, the Church expressed her openness to dialogue with non-Christian religions. In the Pastoral Constitution Gaudium et Spes, based on a recognition that “the joys and hopes, the grief and anguish of the people of our time, especially of those who are poor or afflicted, are the joys and hopes, the grief and anguish of the followers of Christ as well”,[1] the Church proposed to enter into dialogue with the entire human family about the problems of our world, as a sign of solidarity, respect and affection.[2]

Along these same lines, with the present Jubilee of Mercy I want to invite the Church to pray and work so that every Christian will have a humble and compassionate heart, one capable of proclaiming and witnessing to mercy. It is my hope that all of us will learn to “forgive and give”, to become more open “to those living on the outermost fringes of society - fringes which modern society itself creates”, and to refuse to fall into “a humiliating indifference or a monotonous routine which prevents us from discovering what is new! Let us ward off destructive cynicism!”[3]

New Years Eve 2015 - Te Deum

Sunset over the Shannon Estuary from South Cappa, Loughill, Co Limerick

And I said to the man who stood at the gate of the year:
“Give me a light that I may tread safely into the unknown.”
And he replied:
“Go out into the darkness and put your hand into the Hand of God.
That shall be to you better than light and safer than a known way.”
So I went forth, and finding the Hand of God, trod gladly into the night.
And He led me towards the hills and the breaking of day in the lone East.
So heart be still:
What need our little life
Our human life to know,
If God hath comprehension?
In all the dizzy strife
Of things both high and low,
God hideth His intention.
God knows. His will
Is best. The stretch of years
Which wind ahead, so dim
To our imperfect vision,
Are clear to God. Our fears
Are premature; In Him,
All time hath full provision.
Then rest: until
God moves to lift the veil
From our impatient eyes,
When, as the sweeter features
Of Life’s stern face we hail,
Fair beyond all surmise
God’s thought around His creatures
Our mind shall fill

(God Knows - a.k.a. The Gate of the Year - Minnie Louise Haskins)

The evening draws in on the last day of 2015 and we celebrate first vespers for the Solemnity of the Mother of God on January 1st. The civil year draws to a close as we reflect on the year just past with all "joys and hopes, the grief and anguish of the people of our time, especially of those who are poor or afflicted" reminding ourselves that these "are the joys and hopes, the grief and anguish of the followers of Christ as well". We look forward to 2016 and what may come.

Tradition also has the singing of the Te Deum to mark the closing of the civil year. The Te Deum is a hymn of praise that dates from early Christian times. In Latin, the hymn’s words: “Te Deum laudamus” can be translated "Thee, O God, we praise".

 

A more traditional version in latin

 



 

The Te Deum (also known as Ambrosian Hymn or A Song of the Church) is an early Christian hymn of praise. The title is taken from its opening Latin words, Te Deum laudamus, rendered literally as "Thee, O God, we praise".

We praise thee, O God :
we acknowledge thee to be the Lord.
All the earth doth worship thee :
the Father everlasting.
To thee all Angels cry aloud :
the Heavens, and all the Powers therein.
To thee Cherubim and Seraphim :
continually do cry,
Holy, Holy, Holy :
Lord God of Sabaoth;
Heaven and earth are full of the Majesty :
of thy glory.
The glorious company of the Apostles : praise thee.
The goodly fellowship of the Prophets : praise thee.
The noble army of Martyrs : praise thee.
The holy Church throughout all the world :
doth acknowledge thee;
The Father : of an infinite Majesty;
Thine honourable, true : and only Son;
Also the Holy Ghost : the Comforter.
Thou art the King of Glory : O Christ.
Thou art the everlasting Son : of the Father.
When thou tookest upon thee to deliver man :
thou didst not abhor the Virgin's womb.
When thou hadst overcome the sharpness of death :
thou didst open the Kingdom of Heaven to all believers.
Thou sittest at the right hand of God : in the glory of the Father.
We believe that thou shalt come : to be our Judge.
We therefore pray thee, help thy servants :
whom thou hast redeemed with thy precious blood.
Make them to be numbered with thy Saints : in glory everlasting.

[added later, mainly from Psalm verses:]
O Lord, save thy people :
and bless thine heritage.
Govern them : and lift them up for ever.
Day by day : we magnify thee;
And we worship thy Name : ever world without end.
Vouchsafe, O Lord : to keep us this day without sin.
O Lord, have mercy upon us : have mercy upon us.
O Lord, let thy mercy lighten upon us :
as our trust is in thee.
O Lord, in thee have I trusted :
let me never be confounded.

 

Vespers and Te Deum for New Years Eve in Rome - Pope Francis: the good always wins

Vatican Radio:

“How meaningful it is to be gathered together to give praise to the Lord at the end of the year!”

Those were the words of Pope Francis as he celebrated First Vespers for the Solemnity of Mary the Mother of God in St Peter’s Basilica on Thursday evening. The liturgy at the conclusion of the civil year included the singing of the Te Deum, the Church’s solemn hymn of praise and thanksgiving.

“The Church on so many occasions feels the joy and the duty of lifting up her song to God with these words of praise,” the Pope said in his homily. In particular, the final words of the hymn – “Let Thy mercy, O Lord, be upon us, for we have hoped in Thee” – have a special resonance during this Jubilee Year of Mercy.

The Te Deum, he continued, also helps us see the works of God in history and in our own lives, and gives us hope for the new year that lies before us.
Today, Pope Francis said, “our eyes need to focus on the particular signs God has given us, to see His merciful love first-hand.” The Holy Father recalled scenes of violence and death that marked the previous year, the untold suffering of many innocent people, the plight of refugees forced to leave their homes, of the homeless, and the hungry. But he also noted the many acts of kindness, love, and solidarity that often go unnoticed, but which should not be obscured by “the arrogance of evil.” “The good always wins,” the Pope said, “even if at times it can appear weak and hidden.”

Pope Francis concluded his homily with a few words for the people of the local church of Rome, inviting Romans to “go beyond the difficulties of the present moment,” and never miss the opportunity to be “privileged interpreters of faith, welcome, fraternity, and peace.”

***************

Crux - Pope says violence and tragedy shouldn’t define 2015