On this weeks programme John and the team are joined by Mariah Cullotyn, Sharon Roche and Sarah Moynihan who share their experience of Youth2000 and the various weekends held by Y2K. We have our regular reflection on the Sunday gospel as well as some other liturgical odds and ends.
You can listen to the full podcast of the programme HERE.
Youth2000
SS102fm has had a number of people on the programme over the last few years promoting Youth2000. So this week we have three young women on who share their experience of a Youth2000 event and how they were moments which helped "share the joy of the gospel" with them and other young people. You can find out more about Youth 2000 Ireland at their website HERE.
You can listen to Mariah's, Sharon's and Sarah's interview on the programme HERE.
Gospel - Matthew 11:25-30
At that time Jesus said, ‘I thank* you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and the intelligent and have revealed them to infants;26yes, Father, for such was your gracious will.*27All things have been handed over to me by my Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.
28 ‘Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.29Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.30For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.’
Reflections on this weeks gospel:
Word on Fire
English Dominicans here and here
Sunday Reflections
Centre for Liturgy
Commemoration of the Faithful Departed
All Souls' Day commemorates the faithful departed. In Western Christianity, this day is observed principally in the Catholic Church, although some churches of the Anglican Communion and the Old Catholic Churches also celebrate it. The Eastern Orthodox churches observe several All Souls' Days during the year. The Roman Catholic celebration is associated with the doctrine that the souls of the faithful who at death have not been cleansed from the temporal punishment due to venial sins and from attachment to mortal sins cannot immediately attain the beatific vision in heaven, and that they may be helped to do so by prayer and by the sacrifice of the Mass (see Purgatory). In other words, when they died, they had not yet attained full sanctification and moral perfection, a requirement for entrance into Heaven. This sanctification is carried out posthumously in Purgatory.
You can read more about the feast day HERE.
"The souls of the just are in the hand of God and no torment shall touch them. They seemed, in the view of the foolish, to be dead; and their passing away was thought an affliction and their going forth from us, utter destruction. But they are in peace.
For if before men, indeed, they be punished, yet is their hope full of immortality; chastised a little, they shall be greatly blessed, because God tried them and found them worthy of himself. As gold in the furnace, he proved them, and as sacrificial offerings he took them to himself. In the time of their visitation they shall shine, and shall dart about as sparks through stubble; they shall judge nations and rule over peoples, and the Lord shall be their King forever.
Those who trust in him shall understand truth, and the faithful shall abide with him in love: because grace and mercy are with his holy ones, and his care is with his elect."
-- From the Book of Wisdom, (a reading for Mass on All Soul's Day).
Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them. May their souls and the souls of all the faithful departed. Through the mercy of God, rest in peace.
In paradisum (English: "Into paradise") is an antiphon from the traditional Latin liturgy of the Roman Catholic Requiem Mass. It is sung by the choir as the body is being taken out of the church:
In paradisum deducant te Angeli; in tuo adventu suscipiant te martyres, et perducant te in civitatem sanctam Ierusalem. Chorus angelorum te suscipiat, et cum Lazaro quondam paupere æternam habeas requiem.
May angels lead you into paradise; upon your arrival, may the martyrs receive you and lead you to the holy city of Jerusalem. May the ranks of angels receive you, and with Lazarus, the poor man, may you have eternal rest.
Mozarts Requiem Mass in D Minor
"Every year on November 2, the Church observes the Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed (All Souls’ Day). This is a time when we remember all who have died and commend their souls to God. It also reminds us that we all will face death someday, yet hope that by God’s grace, we will be welcomed before the face of the Lord. This can be a motivation to reflect on the present direction of our lives and how we are using our time in this world. It heightens awareness of the preciousness of our lives.
Every soul is precious to God, who creates each person to share in his love and goodness. The psalmist profoundly captures the beauty and mystery of each person’s origins under God’s watchful care: “You formed my inmost being; you knit me in my mother’s womb. I praise you, because I am wonderfully made; wonderful are your works! My very self you know…. Your eyes saw me unformed; in your book all are written down; my days were shaped, before one came to be” (Psalm 139: 13-14,16).
When we reflect, for even just a moment, how precious we are to God, it changes our perspective on how we live out each day and use our time. What a beautiful and comforting thought to know that from all eternity, God was already thinking of us, that he knew our names, that he knew everything about our lives already. Each one of us was created because of God’s love, and he has a special plan for each of us to know, love, and serve him in our own unique ways. The more we discover that plan and follow it, the happier we will be, the more we become our true self, the person each of us was meant to be.
When we remember those who have died, especially loved ones and others we personally have known, we are reminded how valuable each life was in our own experience. Imagine how much more so in God’s eyes. With the heightened awareness of the gift of time we have in this world, we can also be mindful of those who are near death, such as the terminally ill and the elderly. We can be the face of God’s love to others by caring for their needs, assuring them of the healing and comfort of God’s mercy, and witnessing to the sacredness of their lives.
As we begin the month of November and observe All Souls’ Day, let us use this opportunity to remember those who have died and commend their souls to God. Let us reflect on the remaining time we have in our lives to focus on what truly matters - with our loved ones, those we know, and those we may encounter who are suffering, alone or broken in any way. Let us resolve to help everyone we meet, whether man, woman, or child, to understand how precious they are in God’s eyes.
“May the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.”"
Liturgical odds and ends
