July Newsletter Resources

Sunday, 1 July 2018

SEEING YOUR LIFE THROUGH THE LENS OF THE GOSPELS
Mark 5:21-43

Like this woman, have you had the experience of a cure, an improvement, a success, after a long period of nothing happening? What was that like for you? What made the diﬀerence? On that occasion was there anything diﬀerent in you, in others, in the circumstances – something that paved the way for the change or improvement?
‘Who touched me?’ Jesus asked. It seems a strange request with crowds milling around. Many people brushed against him but the woman made contact in a diﬀerent way. The same can happen in our relationships. We brush against many people but make real contact only with a few. Who are the people you have touched, and who has touched you? What diﬀerence has this made to you and to them?
Jesus said to the woman, ‘Your faith has made you well’. What diﬀerence does it make to you that you have faith? In what ways does your faith make you well?
When Jairus asked Jesus to come and cure his daughter, some thought there was no point. Sometimes a situation can look like a lost cause. Has it ever happened to you that subsequent events showed there was hope where you thought there was none?

John Byrne OSA
Email jpbyrneosa@gmail.com

MUSINGS

‘The important thing is that each believer discern his or her own path, that they bring out the very best of themselves, the most personal gifts that God has placed in their hearts, rather than hopelessly trying to imitate something not meant for them.’

Pope Francis, Gaudete et Exsultate, 11

THE DEEP END • HEALING MIRACLES

Today’s gospel offers us two stories of the healing miracles of Jesus showing us something of how God’s grace can enter our lives and transform our situations. We can all recall times when we were struggling, whether it be with a relationship or illness. We needed something to move us, to help us forgive, to help us walk away or to relieve us of physical pain. In the end it can be the simple gestures that save us: a kind word, someone praying for us, a gentle touch or we reach out to someone and like the woman with the haemorrhage we suddenly feel within ourselves that we are healed.

The woman is physically healed through her faith-filled action but Jesus reaches out to her in another way by calling her ‘Daughter’. He restores her status among the people. She would have been completely outcasted in society because of her illness and Jesus does not let social convention dictate who he should or should not acknowledge. All are children of God. We are called to do the same, to reach out to those whom society declares ‘unclean’ and those with whom we would rather not be associated. Jesus reminds the people of this woman’s true identity as a child of God.

As Mark returns to the account of Jairus’ daughter we hear how Jesus restores the young girl to life with the simple words: ‘Talitha, Kum!’ (little girl, get up). God’s grace is gentle yet can bring life to situations of death. What do you need healing from today? Ask the Lord for what you need.

Jane Mellett
mellettj@gmail.com

* * *

Sunday, 8 July 2018

SEEING YOUR LIFE THROUGH THE LENS OF THE GOSPELS

Mark 6:1-6

The story reminds us of how personal prejudices and agendas can block us from listening to the content of what another person has to say, no matter how relevant or wise it is. Perhaps you have experienced this. What diﬀerence has it made to you when you were able to focus on the content of what was being said and leave to one side your own prejudices about the speaker?
It has been said that there is nothing as useless as the right advice at the wrong time. We may want to reach out to another, but may be unable to make a useful contribution because at that moment the other person is not ready to be helped. Like Jesus we can ‘do no deed of power’. As Jesus had to be patient and wait for another opportunity so do we. What have you learned about the importance of patience in working with other people?
The topic of religion can easily bring up prejudices, leading some to dismiss religion as superstition, old hat, or based on an outdated world view. Even among believers, prejudice can make it hard for individuals to listen to an alternative way of looking at things, to consider a diﬀerent way of celebrating liturgy, or to live at peace with diﬀerence. Yet a closed mind can lead to a stagnant faith. When have you found that a willingness to consider a diﬀerent perspective led to a deepening and strengthening of your faith?

John Byrne OSA
Email jpbyrneosa@gmail.com

MUSINGS

‘So let me ask you: Are there moments when you place yourself quietly in the Lord’s presence, when you calmly spend time with him, when you bask in his gaze? Do you let his ﬁre inﬂame your heart? unless you let him warm you more and more with his love and tenderness, you will not catch ﬁre. How will you then be able to set the hearts of others on ﬁre by your words and witness?’

Pope Francis, Gaudete et Exsultate, 151

THE DEEP END • PROPHETS & HOME COUNTRIES

‘You cannot be a prophet in your home country’ is a well-known phrase. You don’t have to go too far to see examples of this gospel around you. Anyone who returns to their home town with new knowledge and wisdom can sometimes be put in their place. This is what occurs in Jesus’ home town of Nazareth in today’s gospel. Even though the crowd are impressed by the local carpenter’s son, astounded even, and note that he has great wisdom, still he could do no deed of power there. It is definitely a reality check experience. Have you ever had this experience in your own life? A time you were really excited about a new-found knowledge or inspired by a great event or speaker; yet when you returned to tell friends or family members they made fun of you or greeted you with cynicism? Or you can imagine yourself in the crowd today, listening to the local carpenter’s son, so full great teachings you can’t quite believe it. In the end Jesus left and went around the villages teaching. Simply put, there are times when you have to move on and bear fruit elsewhere.

‘Lord how often you have sent Jesus to us in the form of someone we knew well, but they were just too ordinary for us. All we could see was the carpenter, the son of our neighbour … So the great miracle you had in store for us could not be worked. Lord have mercy.’ Michel De Verteuil

Jane Mellett
mellettj@gmail.com

* * *

Sunday, 15 July 2018

SEEING YOUR LIFE THROUGH THE LENS OF THE GOSPELS

Mark 6:7-13

Jesus gave the disciples a share in his mission by sending them out ahead of him. It was a gesture of trust and conﬁdence on his part, even though they did not fully understand his mission. Have you ever been surprised by the trust shown in you by others to speak or act on their behalf?
Jesus sent the disciples out two by two. Perhaps your experience gives you examples of the value of having another with you when engaged in an important task.
The apparently strange instructions given by Jesus were intended to counteract practices by bogus preachers who used preaching as a mask for money-making. The disciples of Jesus focus on the mission and not on their own comforts. Is it your experience that vested interests can impede a task, whereas having the right motives makes your mission more eﬀective?
The task of the disciples was to call people to repent (metanoia meaning conversion, changing the way we look at God and at other people). Who have been the disciples, the people in your life who have called you to be more trusting in God? To whom have you given this call?

John Byrne OSA
Email jpbyrneosa@gmail.com

MUSINGS

‘I thank God that many families, which are far from considering themselves perfect, live in love, fulﬁl their calling and keep moving forward, even if they fall many times along the way. The Synod’s reﬂections show us that there is no stereotype of the ideal family, but rather a challenging mosaic made up of many diﬀerent realities, with all their joys, hopes and problems.’

Pope Francis, Amoris Laetitia, 57

THE DEEP END • A BETTER WORLD

Being a follower of Jesus means to be ‘sent out’. Our spiritual lives ought to be visible on the outside through our actions and dealings with others. The disciples are sent in twos for companionship but also as a team; one person cannot have all the gifts and there is support in working with another.

We might interpret the many demons that they cast out as all those things in the world that are not of the Spirit, the in justices in our world. Jesus sends the disciples out to work for a better world, to bring more love, compassion and peace to those that they encounter. They go and urge people to repent, to turn around. This is one of the goals of their mission and Jesus’ mission: to turn the world around.

Jesus’ instructions to shake the dust from their feet when they feel unwelcome may seem harsh at first. We too may fear rejection and when we experience it, it can leave us feeling exhausted and upset. Perhaps the message here is to free ourselves and move on; to not let that disappointment and upset control our lives because if we do, we lose our freedom, it holds us back and it starts to define us. In the midst of that experience, our true mission can become lost. As we prepare to welcome Pope Francis to Ireland, let us go out and bring joy and hope to those we encounter.

‘You might be the only gospel which people read.’

Jane Mellett
mellettj@gmail.com

* * *

Sunday, 22 July 2018

SEEING YOUR LIFE THROUGH THE LENS OF THE GOSPELS Mark 6:30-34

The apostles reported to Jesus all that they had done and taught. Perhaps you have had the experience of being able to check in with somebody and share an experience. What was that like for you?
Jesus saw that the apostles needed to rest and eat. What has been your experience of ﬁnding a restful place after a busy day? What kind of nourishment have you found necessary in order to maintain energy and enthusiasm? What have these insights taught you about life?
When Jesus saw the crowd, he recognised their need and reached out to them. Who has been a Jesus person for you, someone who recognised your need and reached out to you? For whom have you been a Jesus person in that way?
It sometimes can be diﬃcult to strike a balance between responding to the needs of others and meeting our need for rest and nourishment. What has helped you to keep the balance right?

John Byrne OSA
Email jpbyrneosa@gmail.com

MUSINGS

‘The sacrament of marriage is not a social convention, an empty ritual or merely the outward sign of a commitment. The sacrament is a gift given for the sanctiﬁcation and salvation of the spouses, since ‘their mutual belonging is a real representation, through the sacramental sign, of the same relationship between Christ and the Church. The married couple are therefore a permanent reminder for the Church of what took place on the cross; they are for one another and for their children witnesses of the salvation in which they share through the sacrament.’

Pope Francis, Amoris Laetitia, 72

THE DEEP END • CROWDS AND SHEPHERDS

The gospel today emphasises the importance of taking time for yourself as Jesus takes the disciples to a deserted place after all their hard work. It teaches an important lesson about remaining connected to Jesus if we are to be his followers. It is unfortunate for them that their break is interrupted. The crowd are thirsty for more and suffering from a lack of real leadership. Jesus has so much compassion for the people that the phrase Mark uses actually means he felt compassion in his intestines! A biblical way of saying he felt compassion for them in the pit of his stomach.

Next month we greet the shepherd of the Catholic Church as Pope Francis comes to Ireland for the World Meeting of Families. It will be a momentous occasion, a once in a life-time experience to see and to hear from a Pope who has so much to say to us about sharing the gospel message in our world. He calls us to be joyful Christians, to reach out to the poor and abandoned, to be disciples in our families, communities, on the streets and to help build a world that is true to Christ’s vision for this world. Pope Francis is a leader who inspires many. Whether you are travelling to the festival or watching it at home we pray for the success of this extraordinary event. Let us pray today for leaders in our Church and in our communities, that they will inspire people, nurture people and listen to the Spirit who guides us on this path.

Jane Mellett
mellettj@gmail.com

* * *

Sunday, 29 July 2018

SEEING YOUR LIFE THROUGH THE LENS OF THE GOSPELS

John 6:1-15

At the heart of this story we are told that Jesus took the loaves, gave thanks and distributed them. In our day this reminds us of the Eucharist, the bread of life, with which Jesus feeds us. Can you recall an experience of Eucharist that was especially signiﬁcant for you? What was it that made it diﬀerent? How did it inﬂuence your understanding of the Eucharist?
Take, give thanks, distribute. The actions of Jesus also suggest an attitude to time, gifts and living. We take what we are given, give thanks, and use what we have. Have you found that having a grateful heart for what you have been given has made it easier for you to share with others?
From what seemed meagre and inadequate resources many were fed. When have you found that when you gratefully use what little resources you have the results are beyond your expectations?
Jesus chose to involve those around him in feeding the people. Have there been times when you have experienced beneﬁts from calling on those around you to use their gifts to help with a task?

John Byrne OSA
Email jpbyrneosa@gmail.com

MUSINGS

‘Hope is the leaven that, in those ﬁrst years of engagement and marriage, makes it possible to look beyond arguments, conﬂicts and problems and to see things in a broader perspective. It harnesses our uncertainties and concerns so that growth can take place. Hope also bids us live fully in the present, giving our all to the life of the family, for the best way to prepare a solid future and to live well in the present.’

Pope Francis, Amoris Laetitia, 219

THE DEEP END • JESUS COMES TO SERVE

In John’s version of the feeding of the five thousand, Jesus performs this great miracle and it is the sign the crowds were waiting for. There is a lot of rich symbolism in this passage referring to Jesus as the Bread of Life, the one who will satisfy people’s hunger, the great teacher. But perhaps the final lines tell us a lot about the type of ‘king’ Jesus really is. The crowds are so enthused by Jesus’ miracles and teaching that they want to ‘take him by force and make him king’. Jesus tries to discourage them from their own ideas of kingship. His kingship involves a different path to the one the crowd are expecting. Jesus is cautious and to escape the attention, perhaps to be alone and pray, he takes himself out of this situation and retreats to the mountain. It could be tempting to give in to the crowd and have them declare you as their king. Jesus’ example of leadership is service in today’s gospel, feeding the people, nourishing the people, meeting their needs. It also shows us how God can work with what we have to offer, no matter how little that sometimes is, he can turn this into much fruit.

A final lesson may be for those in authority of any sort that they know when it is time to leave the people they serve, to reflect on their mission, to recharge and nourish themselves. Only in this way can they listen to the Spirit and experience the inner freedom necessary to lead as servant.

Jane Mellett
mellettj@gmail.com