Newsletter Resources – August 2018
Sunday, 5 August 2018
SEEING YOUR LIFE THROUGH THE LENS OF THE GOSPELS
John 6:24-35
1. Jesus distinguishes between food that gives quick satisfaction and food that gives lasting nourishment. It is a mark of wisdom to be able to say ‘no’ to enticing but delusory attractions in order to choose things of lasting value. From your life experience what advice would you give to another about where things of lasting value are to be found?
2. Jesus reminds his listeners that God is the source of all good things. What difference does it make in your life when you are aware that life, the world, everything you have is gift, and you live in a spirit of gratitude?
3. The work of God is that we ‘believe in the one whom God has sent’. In what ways has your faith in Jesus enriched and changed your life? How has Jesus satisfied your hungers or quenched your thirsts?
4. As Jesus came down from heaven to give life to the world, so each one of us is here to be a source of life to others. Think of people who have been a source of life to you, and give thanks for them. For whom have you also been a source of life?
John Byrne osa
Email jpbyrneosa@gmail.com
MUSINGS
‘I would like to ask you, dear families: Do you pray together from time to time as a family? Some of you do, I know. But so many people say to me: But how can we? … But in the family how is this done? After all, prayer seems to be something personal, and besides there is never a good time, a moment of peace … Yes, all that is true enough, but it is also a matter of humility, of realising that we need God … all of us! We need his help, his strength, his blessing, his mercy, his forgiveness. And we need simplicity to pray as a family: simplicity is necessary! Praying the Our Father together, around the table, is not something extraordinary: it’s easy. And praying the Rosary together, as a family, is very beautiful and a source of great strength! And also praying for one another! The husband for his wife, the wife for her husband, both together for their children, the children for their grandparents … praying for each other. This is what it means to pray in the family and it is what makes the family strong: prayer.’
Pope Francis, homily at Mass in St Peter’s Square, 27 October 2013
THE DEEP END: Old wives’ tale
Growing up, did the adults in your life tell you any stories about food?
• Eating carrots helps you see in the dark.
• Crusts will make your hair curly.
• Spinach makes you strong.
• An apple a day keeps the doctor away.
These wise old sayings, passed down through the generations, were employed to encourage us to eat certain foods, mainly healthy fruit and veg. Some even had an element of truth. Nowadays we can establish the accuracy of such claims at the touch of a button, but many parents still find themselves trotting out these nuggets of wisdom. Behind it all is a desire to see children grow up as strong, healthy and happy as possible.
There is a huge focus these days on healthy eating and having a physically healthy lifestyle. Mental health is also being spoken about more and more. Nourishing one’s mind and keeping it healthy is just as important as fuelling the body. Both of these are essential long-term projects, the work of a lifetime.
When it comes to the life beyond this one, Jesus talks about a different type of food – food that endures to eternal life. It is this bread, Jesus himself, that gives meaning to our work and our struggles here on earth. As Jesus tells us today: ‘Do not work for food that cannot last, but work for food that endures to eternal life.’ Let us not forget to nourish our spirit.
Tríona Doherty
Athlone, Co Roscommon
Email trionad@gmail.com
Sunday, 12 August 2018
SEEING YOUR LIFE THROUGH THE LENS OF THE GOSPELS
John 6:41-51
1. Faith is reasonable but we cannot reason our way into faith. We have to be ‘drawn by the Father’. We have to be ‘taught by God’. What opens your mind and heart to God’s message?
2. When we label others disparagingly, we close our minds to what they are saying. The Jews did this to Jesus. Have you ever had the experience of being surprised by the wisdom of another when you laid aside your prejudices about them to listen to what they were saying?
3. ‘No one has ever seen the Father except the one who is from God’. As Jesus put a human face on God and God’s love, so God’s love today is mediated to us through one another. How have other people been sacraments of God’s love for you? For whom have you been that kind of a sacrament?
4. The way in which Jesus became a source of life for us was by giving himself. It is when we truly give ourselves that we can be life-giving to one another. If we do not give of ourselves, what do we have to offer? How have you discovered the importance of self-giving, in yourself or in others?
John Byrne osa
Email jpbyrneosa@gmail.com
MUSINGS
‘Here too, we can ask: How do we keep our faith as a family? Do we keep it for ourselves, in our families, as a personal treasure like a bank account, or are we able to share it by our witness, by our acceptance of others, by our openness? We all know that families, especially young families, are often ‘racing’ from one place to another, with lots to do. But did you ever think that this ‘racing’ could also be the race of faith? Christian families are missionary families … They are missionary in everyday life, in their doing everyday things, as they bring to everything the salt and the leaven of faith! Keeping the faith in families and bringing to everyday things the salt and the leaven of faith.’
Pope Francis, homily at Mass in St Peter’s Square, 27 October 2013
THE DEEP END: Under the bush
When a prophet sits under a bush, it’s usually a sign that things are not going well! At a particularly low moment in his relationship with God, the prophet Jonah sits, in an angry sulk, under a bush. While there he encounters God and learns a valuable lesson about mercy.
In today’s first reading, it is the prophet Elijah who sits under a bush. He is on his last legs, having escaped into the desert to avoid capture and death. At this low point, a day’s journey into the wilderness, he has had enough. He finds himself begging God to take his life.
It is a moment that will speak to many of us, particularly those of us facing struggles. Things can get on top of us. We sometimes feel alone, that our road is all uphill, that we are in the wilderness and there is nothing to do but give up. Yet when Elijah is at his lowest point, even getting ready to die, he finds he is not alone. The comforting presence of God is with him, offering sustenance to help him on his journey.
Elijah’s response to God is at first reluctant; he lies straight back down again. But with a second round of encouragement (and some more food) he is on his feet and able to continue his journey, replenished and renewed. At the moment he felt the most abandoned and alone, God was closer than ever.
Tríona Doherty
Athlone, Co Roscommon
Email trionad@gmail.com
Sunday, 19 August 2018
SEEING YOUR LIFE THROUGH THE LENS OF THE GOSPELS
John 6:51-58
1. Jesus tells us that to have life we need more than physical nourishment. How have you been aware of deeper hungers? What has met that deeper longing in you?
2. Jesus tells us that it is not just something he gives us which will give us life, but himself in his life, death and resurrection. How has your faith in the person of Jesus fed you?
3. Jesus speaks about ‘drawing life’ from him. In day to day living what are the practices which support your faith and help you to draw life from Jesus?
4. The Eucharist is one of the ways in which we draw life from Jesus. Recall with gratitude how the Eucharist has been a source of nourishment and life for you.
5. Perhaps you can also think of human examples of people drawing life from one another. From whom have you drawn life? Who has been able to draw life from you?
John Byrne osa
Email jpbyrneosa@gmail.com
MUSINGS
‘I would like to ask you all a question today. But each of you keep it in your heart and take it home. You can regard it as a kind of ‘homework’. Only you must answer. How are things when it comes to joy at home? Is there joy in your family?
‘Dear families, you know very well that the true joy which we experience in the family is not superficial; it does not come from material objects, from the fact that everything seems to be going well … True joy comes from a profound harmony between persons, something which we all feel in our hearts and which makes us experience the beauty of togetherness, of mutual support along life’s journey. But the basis of this feeling of deep joy is the presence of God, the presence of God in the family and his love, which is welcoming, merciful, and respectful towards all. And above all, a love which is patient: patience is a virtue of God and he teaches us how to cultivate it in family life, how to be patient, and lovingly so, with each other. To be patient among ourselves. A patient love. God alone knows how to create harmony from differences. But if God’s love is lacking, the family loses its harmony, self-centredness prevails and joy fades. But the family which experiences the joy of faith communicates it naturally. That family is the salt of the earth and the light of the world, it is the leaven of society as a whole.
‘Dear families, always live in faith and simplicity, like the Holy Family of Nazareth! The joy and peace of the Lord be always with you!’
Pope Francis, homily at Mass in St Peter’s Square, 27 October 2013
THE DEEP END: On the breadline
In recent months the Society of St Vincent de Paul released some shocking figures regarding hunger in Ireland. One in three people who contact the charity are calling because they can’t afford to buy food. It is estimated that one in eleven people in Ireland experience food poverty, which refers to the inability to afford food to make up a healthy diet.
‘Food is an area of expenditure that families have discretion over on a day-to-day basis,’ said SVP head of social justice, Dr Tricia Keilthy. ‘It is much easier to control the cost of food than the cost of rent, utilities or education. So food is typically what families cut back on when times are tough.’
Hunger is a sad fact of life for many in our country. More than ever we appreciate the value of having enough to eat. Over the past few Sundays we have heard Jesus speak a lot about bread and food. His followers experience physical hunger too; the feeding of the five thousand (the story precedes today’s extract from John’s Gospel) shows that Jesus takes care of the physical needs of his followers too. Their experience of hunger and being fed prepares them for his teaching on the bread of life.
When Jesus talks about himself as the ‘bread come down from heaven’, it is clear that it is himself he is offering – his very flesh. If we are followers of Jesus, we are also called to give ourselves in service of others. We have Jesus as our model and teacher, present with us and in us. What can we do to help those who hunger in our country and our world?
Tríona Doherty
Athlone, Co Roscommon
Email trionad@gmail.com
Sunday, 26 August 2018
SEEING YOUR LIFE THROUGH THE LENS OF THE GOSPELS
John 6:60-69
1. In this chapter Jesus teaches that the meaning of his life, and the meaning of all human life, lies in being prepared to give of oneself. Perhaps you can identify with what Pope Francis says: ‘Those who enjoy life most are those who leave security on the shore and become excited by the mission of communicating life to others’ (Pope Francis, The Joy of the Gospel, n.10).
2. ‘This teaching is difficult’, complained his hearers, including some of his own followers. Perhaps at times you also have wondered if you could go along with it. What helped you to overcome your resistance?
3. ‘Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the message of eternal life.’ In the midst of your doubts perhaps you have held on to belief because, like Peter, Jesus offered you a more hopeful message than you could find anywhere else. How has the gospel message been more attractive to you than any other?
4. ‘The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life.’ Recall the words and phrases of Jesus that are words of life for you.
John Byrne osa
Email jpbyrneosa@gmail.com
MUSINGS
‘Like Saint Patrick, I too have heard “the voice of the Irish” calling to me, and so I have come to you, to all of you in Ireland. As I stand at this moment, a pilgrim for Christ to the land from which so many pilgrims for Christ went out over Europe, the Americas, Australia, Africa, Asia, I am living a moment of intense emotion. As I stand here, in the company of so many hundreds of thousands of Irish men and women, I am thinking of how many times, across how many centuries, the Eucharist has been celebrated in this land. How many have found in it the spiritual strength to live, even through the times of greatest hardship and poverty, through days of persecutions and vexations…’
Saint John Paul II, Phoenix Park, Dublin, September 1979
As people from across the country and across the world gather in Dublin today with Pope Francis, we offer a prayer for the Holy Father and for all families: Bless us all with the joy of love. Make us patient and kind, gentle and generous, welcoming to those in need. Protect all families with your loving care. Amen.
THE DEEP END: Why is it, Lord?
I once heard the following reflection read out at a first communion:
‘Why is it, Lord, that parents see puddles and think wellies, and our children see magic mirrors waiting for a pebble-plop to ripple into smiles?
‘Why is it, Lord, that parents see snow and think gloves, and our children see sleds and slides and the tingle of snowflake’s farewell kiss upon the palm?
‘Why is it, Lord, that parents see toys and think tidy, and our children see the endless possibilities for fantasy and play?’
Sometimes it can be difficult to look beyond the practicalities and see the possibilities. It depends on all sorts of things, from our circumstances to how willing we are to be open to the beauty and deeper meanings in life. We all need a reminder that there is more to life than our physical, tangible world with its daily routines and to-do lists.
Some of Jesus’ followers in today’s gospel are finding it difficult to see beyond the physical. Jesus has been teaching them that he is the living bread. But it is hard for them to accept. They dismiss it as ‘intolerable language’, and some of them even walk away. But Jesus is offering something more than the practicalities, more than physical food or drink: he offers the bread of life, living bread, his very self. It is a difficult message, but Simon Peter gets to the heart of it: ‘You have the message of eternal life.’ Some of the disciples are able to see beyond the obvious.
Tríona Doherty
Athlone, Co Roscommon
Email trionad@gmail.com