February 6th - 5th Sunday in Ordinary Time

This weeks show has a discussion about the devotion to Our Lady of Lourdes, our weekly reflection on Sunday's gospel, our weekly celestial guides, and some local notices about things happening around the diocese.

Our Lady of Lourdes

Colin Hayes comes in this week to speak to our listeners about the apparition of Our Lady of Lourdes in anticipation of the Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes on Friday, February 11th.  Colin leads us through a little historical background to the apparitions as well as about the symbols of Lourdes (candles, water, rock, processions and people) and how each represents a response to the messages of Our Lady to Bernadette. The apparitions of Our Lady of Lourdes began on 11 February 1858, when Saint Bernadette Soubirous, a 14-year-old peasant girl from Lourdes admitted, when questioned by her mother, that she had seen a "lady" in the cave of Massabielle, about a mile from the town, while she was gathering firewood with her sister and a friend. Similar appearances of the "lady" took place on seventeen further occasions that year with the "lady" ultimately describing herself as "I am  the Immaculate Conception". Pope Pius IX authoized the local bishop to permit the veneration of the Virgin Mary in Lourdes in 1862.

The prayer recited on this weeks show is one of the Prayer to Our Lady of Lourdes of the Sick:

O ever-Immaculate Virgin, Mother of Mercy,

health of the sick, refuge of sinners,

comforter of the afflicted,

you know my wants, my troubles, my sufferings;

look with mercy on me.

By appearing in the Grotto of Lourdes,

you were pleased to make it a privileged sanctuary,

whence you dispense your favors;

and already many sufferers have obtained

the cure of their infirmities, both spiritual and corporal.

I come, therefore, with complete confidence

to implore your maternal intercession.

Obtain, O loving Mother, the grant of my requests.

Through gratitude for your favors,

I will endeavor to imitate your virtues,

that I may one day share your glory.

Amen.

• A reminder to our listeners that the Limerick Diocesan Pilgrimage to Lourdes takes place from 21st - 26th June 2011.
• For those that would like to leave a petition at the Grotto in Lourdes please go here.
• For those that would like to watch a webcam of the Grotto in Lourdes, here.
• The offical website of the Santuary of Our Lady of Lourdes.

Sunday Gospel -  Matthew 5:13-16

In the second section of this weeks show, we reflect on the Gospel, concentrating on the symbols of salt and light. Colin found the Gospel, though short, very challenging as it challenges us to examine how faithful we are to being disciples of Christ by measuring ourselves as 'salt of the earth' and 'light to the world'.  We asked how we can season the world in which we live by living the Gospel message and witnessing to Christ.  We also concentrated on how we can allow God's light to shine through us through everyday, simple acts of kindness and love.

"You are the Saly of the Earth, You are the Light of the World" was the theme for the 2002 World Youth Day in Toronto Canda, presided over by Pope John Paul II. His homily for the concluding Mass is a challange to us all, young and the young at heart.

Further reflections here, here and here.

Saints of the Week

February 7th - St Mel - Bishop - Patron of the Diocese of Ardagh and Clonmacnoise

February 8th - St Josephine Bakhita (Virgin) - Patron of Sudan

February 9th - St Miguel Febres Cordero

February 10th - St Scholastica (Virgin)

February 11th - Commeration of Our Lady of Lourdes,

                               - World Day of the Sick

                               - St Gobnait

February 12th - St Julian of Alexandria - martyred in 160AD at Alexandria, Egypt.

Local Notes and Reminders

• Spring training of Chairpersons for Parish Pastoral groups Part One: The role and responsibility of pastoral chairs - Monday 7th February 7:30 - 10pm. Part Two: Making pastoral decisions together - Monday 21st Febraury 7:30 - 10pm
• Talk Series: Stars in the sky: Some hero’s from my spiritual journey.Fr. Damien Ryan's talks on his spiritual heros - this Wednesday at 8pm in the Pastoral Centre he is giving a talk on St. Maximilian Kolbe. 
• On Friday next as it is the Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes and World Day of the Sick, there will be 10am Mass in Newcastle West Church that will incorporate the anointing of the sick.  We appealed to those who may have housebound neighbours, but would like to avail of the sacrament, to volunteer their services that morning.

As always thanks for listening!

John, Lorraine, Colin, Shane and Michael

Some web browsing........

A few bits and pieces from around the web for your to browse through..........

“Break your mirrors!  Yes, indeed — shatter the glass.  In our society that is so self-absorbed, begin to look less at yourself and more at each other. Learn more about the face of your neighbor, and less about your own. I suggest this: when you get to be 30, 40, 50, or even 70 years old, you’ll get more happiness and contentment out of counting your friends than counting your dollars.  You’ll get more satisfaction from having improved your neighborhood, your town, your state, your country and your fellow human beings than you’ll ever get from your muscles, your figure, your automobile, your house, or your credit ratings. You’ll get more from being a peacemaker than a warrior. I’ve been both, so I speak from experience.  Break the mirrors! Be peacemakers of the community, and you and your family will be happy.”  -- A quote from Sargent Shriver - American peace builder, political leader and activist. He was the first leader of the Peace Corps under President John F. Kennedy. The husband of Eunice Kennedy Shriver, he was also a beloved father.

• A Reflection on the Beatitudes - - To be Blessed: An Attitude
• Rediscovering the meaning of sacramentals, for those that are married, did you ever consider that your wedding bank is one? And for those who can't remember what a sacramental is as opposed to a Sacrament!
• A reminder that when we look at refugees and migrants that we Christians have to be very careful in our care and repect for them, after all, our Messiah was a refugee too!
• A permenant Deacon ministers where he didn't expect to be and reminds us of the importance of chaplains in a culture of cutbacks in our public health services!
• Ever wonder what the impact is when one partner converts?
• The need for contemplation and action in our every day lives. Another reflection on how a daily life can be interrupted by God
• Have we become too protective of our children and not allowed them to play and act as children? Are parents too anxious?
• We all have doubts about faith, Jennifer over at Conversion Diary reminds us that we should Explore your doubts but do so in peace.

Ethiopian Christ icon found 500 years on

Pondering the idea of praying through time

The New York Times had an interesting piece on How meditation can change the brain

I would safely say that the editors had a serious case of tongue in cheek when they were looking at this story - Vatican has the highest rate of misdemeanor crime

The Pope's strong message for World Communications Day was summed up by America magazine as "Pope says join Facebook, but love is offline"

The Irish Times religious affairs correspondant Patsy McGarry reminds us all that "Churches have duty to give hope"

Further insights to a modern saint - Dorothy Day's letters show heartache, faith

Elizabeth Scalia reminds us that qualifications do not define a person and their worth.

As we count down the days to the beginning of the Lenten season, a short piece about the Compelling Spiritual Discipline of Ascetisism

A moving Carmelite tribute to a Bishop's final benediction

Would be interested to hear what people think of this new version of the Gloria. It is a new musical arrangement to the prayer using the new translation which we will be using in the English speaking churches around the world from Advent 2011 so the words are a little different to what we use at the minute. The new setting is written by Jeff Ostrowski.

Continuing another story from the Trappist monks killed in Algeria, one of the survivors speaks about how he continues to pray for for the conversion of his attackers.

Irelands only Benedictine Abbot reflects on how during the Celtic Tiger, it was a really crazy fantasyland we were in

February 3rd: Memorial of St Blaise & the Blessing of Throats

Through the intercession of Saint Blase, bishop and martyr, may God deliver you from every disease of the throat and from every other illness:

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, + and of the Holy Spirit.

Amen

February 3rd is the feast of St Blaise - bishop - and most people would generally associate it with the blessing of throats. Saint Blase was the bishop of Sebaste in Armenia during the fourth century. Very little is known about his life. According to various accounts he was a physician before becoming a bishop. His cult spread throughout the entire Church in the Middle Ages because he was reputed to have miraculously cured a little boy who nearly died because of a fishbone in his throat. From the eighth century he has been invoked on behalf of the sick, especially those afflicted with illnesses of the throat.

"Suffering and illness have always been among the greatest problems that trouble the human spirit. Christians feel and experience pain as do all other people; yet their faith helps them to grasp more deeply the mystery of suffering and to bear their pain with greater courage. . . . Part of the plan laid out by God's providence is that we should fight strenuously against all sickness and carefully seek the blessings of good health, so that we may fulfill our role in human society and in the Church". The blessing of the sick by ministers of the Church is a very ancient custom, rooted in imitation of Christ himself and his apostles"

The blessing may be given by touching the throat of each person with two candles blessed on the feast of the Presentation of the Lord (February 2) and which have been joined together in the form of a cross. If, for pastoral reasons, each individual cannot be blessed in the manner for example when great numbers are gathered for the blessing or when the memorial of Saint Blase occurs on a Sunday, a priest or deacon may give the blessing to all assembled by extending hands, without the crossed candles, over the people while saying the prayer of blessing.

As we gather to celebrate to invoke the intercession of this saint, how well do we welcome people who may not be frequent visitors to church who may come for traditions like the blessing of the throats? And aside from February 3rd, how many other times of the year do you remember to pray for the intercession of St Blaise?