Monday, 27 October 2014

Saint Jude in Dublin - for the Hopeless

COMMENT:
On occasion in Dublin, in the Church of Our Lady of Lourdes I found the the special statute of St. Jude
This is the obvious devotion to Saint Jude "the Saint for the Hopeless and the Despaired"
The body of St Jude was taken to Rome. Statue of St. Jude Thadeus in the Archbasilica of St. John Lateran by Lorenzo Ottoni..

I look again to search for the photograph taken  in Dublin. 




St. Jude, statue in the Church of Our Lady of Lourdes, Sean Macdermot Street Lower, Dublin.
Below; the Last Supper (Leonardo), 
Apostles Thadeus and Simon 28 October 2014
Youtube 

  Discovering our Saints - Sts. Simon and Jude




He is the patron
of the Chicago Police Department


Tradition has it that Jude the Apostle, patron saint of lost causes, preached in Judea and Samaria and later Syria, Iraq and Libya, before being martyred in Beirut. According to legend King Abgar of the small Aramaic kingdom of Edessa wrote to Christ during-His lifetime offering Him sanctuary, to which Jesus replied with an image of himself, and after His death St Thomas sent Jude to the king, who was cured of his ailment (historically Edessa did have a Christian presence in the first century).

As a result, Jude is traditionally shown holding an image of Jesus by his heart. Alternatively, he is shown with a flame over his head, signifying his presence at Pentecost as one of the 70 who received the Holy Spirit. For obvious reasons his life story is somewhat patchy - as is his very identity. Jude the Apostle is sometime identified as Thaddeus, and is twice called Jude of James in the New Testament, and he may be the same as the "Jude , brother of Jesus", the traditional author of the Epistle of Jude.

One biography, although stemming from the 14th century and so of questionable veracity, states that Jude was born into a Jewish family in Galilee and was
the bridegroom at the wedding of Cana, and that his wife was a cousin of the Virgin Mary. (This is possible: it's likely that among Jesus's closest followers would have been relatives).

Jude, along with Bartholomew, is traditionally seen as bringing Christi­anity to Armenia, the first nation to adopt Christianity as a state religion. St Thaddeus Monastery in what is now northern Iran still stands today, on the grounds of a church that dates back to AD68, and Dominicans visitors to Armenia in the 13th century found a substantial devotion to
the saint.

He was martyred in AD65 along with Simon the Zealot. Sometime later his body was brought to Rome and placed in St Peter's Basilica, and he remains there with Simon. Along with many of the early relics, traditions abound about where they have remained down the years, including a lake in Kyrgyzstan.

Before that, though, it is said that pilgrims went to his grave and that he acquired the title "the Saint for the Hopeless and the Despaired". He is also, due to the influence of the Dominicans and Claretians in the American Midwest, the patron saint of the Chicago Police Department.





COMMENTS on: Sunday, October 26, 2014. William.Pope Francis

Senor de los Milagros – the Lord of Miracles
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From William -
Fw: Comment: Mass Homily by Fr. Raymond

On Monday, 27 October 2014, 16:42, William Wardle <williamwardle2bp@btinternet.com> wrote:

Comment (if I may)
Dear Fathers,
Attending Church services and functions over the years, I have sensed in certain stalwarts an expression of confidence in their lives of devotion. They love the Lord their God by their attention to the decrees passed down over the centuries. Their devotion to the Sabbath, for example, produced at one meeting a stunning statement from one that they would never have taken a job that entailed their working on a Sunday (yet in an emergency, would they find the hospital closed? I remained silent).
Rather, I sense that Jesus was not delimiting the love of God to human observance but expanding it so far beyond human limitations as to reveal the full extent of God's love for us! God the Father embraces us, and asks each one of us to respond to His all embracing love.
The commandment is about our response to God's love, not as justified by our own structures of religion, to justify our inadequacy in the face of such overpowering love. We are not left to fall back on our own inadequacy and its justification: Jesus gave us His Spirit which cries out to us and for us.
The ocean of God's love stretches out before us as far as the eye can see. We cannot swim its entire length to reach those distant far shores of devotion and saintliness, but we can delight in the water of life that supports us in our endeavour. Sometimes, I think there is even greater joy in discovering that we are able to float freely upon such waters! Such is the love of God.
Yet dreaming of those far distant shores,
With my love in Our Lord,
William  
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Pope Francis: Love of God and neighbour are inseparable

Pope Francis: Love of God and neighbour are inseparable | Pope Francis, Deus caritas est, Pope Benedict, Angelus,
El Senor de los Milagros
“Today's Gospel reminds us that the whole law of God is summed up in love for God and neighbour,” said Pope Francis,  during his address to pilgrims before the Angelus in St Peter's Square on Sunday. In his reflections on the day's Gospel readings,  the Holy Father said:  “You cannot love God without loving your neighbour and you cannot love your neighbour without loving God.”
 
The “novelty” of Christ’s teaching consists in the union of the two commandments, he said.  Pope Francis also recommended the reflection of his predecessor, Benedict XVI. on the teaching, which is found in paragraphs 16-18 of his first Encyclical letter, Deus caritas est. See below*
Pope Francis went on to say:  “Jesus completes the law of the covenant, which He unites in himself, in his flesh, divinity and humanity, in a single mystery of love,” and, “In the light of the word of Jesus, love is the measure of faith, and faith is the soul of love: we cannot separate the religious life – the life of piety – from that of service to our brothers and sisters – to those flesh-and-blood brothers and sisters we actually meet.”
Following the Angelus, Pope Francis recalled the beatification, on Saturday in Sao Paulo, Brazil, of Mother Assunta Marchetti: the Italian-born co-founder of the Missionary Sisters of St Charles Borromeo, known as “Scalabrinians” after the late 19th century bishop of Piacenza, Giuseppe Scalabrini, who helped found the missionary congregation originally dedicated to maintaining Catholic faith and practice among emigres to the New World, which now focuses its missionary work on migrants, refugees and displaced persons.
“Blessed Assunta Marchetti saw Jesus present in the poor, in orphans, in the sick, in migrants, said Pope Francis. “We thank the Lord for this woman,” he continued, “a model of tireless missionary spirit and courageous dedication to the service of charity,” who serves as an example and a confirmation of the truth that we can and must seek the face of God in the brother and sister in need.”
Pope Francis also had greetings for pilgrims from all over Italy and from around the world, especially those of the Schoenstatt movement, with whom he met on Saturday, and for the Peruvian community in Rome, which came to the Angelus in procession with an image of El Senor de los Milagros – the Lord of Miracles – an image of Christ crucified that was painted by an anonymous freed slave in the 17th century in Lima, and that has become a focus of deep veneration and intense devotion, especially among Peruvians.
Source: Vatican Radio
*From Pope benedict's Deus caritas est

Sunday, 26 October 2014

Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time - Year A 26 Oct 2014

News: put one hour back
Alarm clock

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Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time - Year A 26 Oct 2014
Mass Homily by Fr. Raymond
 
October, falling leaves  

Saint Matthew 22:34-40. 
When the Pharisees heard that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees  ...

The Gospel scene opens with a collusion between the Scribes and the Pharisees to get the better of Jesus.  As far as they were concerned he was just a young upstart of a wandering preacher who was stealing the respect of the crowds away from themselves who were, in their own eyes, the true guardians of  Israel’s law.  Normally these two groups hated each other and would have nothing to do with each other.  They both had different theological viewpoints, especially about the resurrection of the body.  The wily St Paul used this difference to his own advantage when they both accused him at his trial before the Romans of being a trouble maker.
However, Jesus it seems,  doesn’t take this matter any further because the question they asked of him was such an important one and he didn’t want to confuse the issue of a basic answer to a basic question, even though the question wasn’t asked in good faith.  They were only trying to set a trap for him. They knew very well what was the greatest commandment: the commandment that came from the Book of Deuteronomy: “ Thou shalt love the lord thy God with all thy heart and all thy soul and all thy strength”.

This basic commandment, even though it is pre-christian, seems at first sight to be impossible of fulfilment even in the Christian era!  Who could ever aspire to love the lord God with all his heart and all his soul and all his strength?  Jesus immaculate Mother herself would seem to be the only one who could aspire to such heights.  But God doesn’t ask the impossible of us.  At the same time as giving us this commandment he gives us an inner power, not only to fulfil it but even to surpass it.  He gives us the gift of his divine spirit poured into our hearts so that we now have his own divine power within us with which to love.  By the gift of this Spirit we are caught up into the very ambit of the Divine life of Love itself.

Friday, 24 October 2014

.."We’re together, you and I."

COMMENT: 
Too many irons in the forge; I save from the briefest paragraph, speaking of  'HE AND i', is relief from too much verbiage of the 'lectio' of froth on the surfs of addled brain.
Another octogenarian in the community celebrated Fr. Leonard 80th. birthday. Leonard has his afternoon constitutional walking 
hills and braes.
Festive music rejoiced us  in the "Te Deum" and other Chuch Music by John Rutter, conductor,  Cambridge Singers ...


“We’re together, you and I."

“you and I”, Gabrielle Bossis.
1942
     
        
June 30 -  After Communion.
   "Why not decide for the highest perfection? No need to make any vow; it might be a source of anxiety to you. Just make up your mind not merely to do things well, but as perfectly as you can. It would add to My glory. Sinners too would have their share of the benefit. Don't be afraid; be daring. We’re together, you and I."


Thursday, 23 October 2014

Pre-Advent Gifts - William


BULLETIN 22/10/2014
Better News - Sr. Patricia

When I phoned Rush this morning , Sister Patricia had a good night's sleep, and was up in her chair for Holy Communion, and breakfast of porridge and tea.  ...
   Thank God !    Sr. N.
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Pre-Advent Gifts
Entrance to Sacristy
Dear William,
Thank you for pre-Advent gift of your genius manufactured ICON and the super security package.
If I cannot describe the contents. Instead I enjoy the pictorial record of the event to compensate your missing of an Advent Retreat at Nunraw Abbey.

We too, had the high winds, but al fierce at Carlyle. Fr. N.is exercising regular fitness (80+) on a repaired bicycle. He is immensely impressed by your expedites with shopping fore and rear with peddling force! 

Keep pray for Sr. Patricia. By her watching Guardian Angel, as we learn, "she was back from the hospital back her own be, alert for breakfast. She was in the chapel for Mass, and our Sisters are just happy to see her back, thank God."

At Royal Infirmary  
On Wednesday, 22 October 2014, 5:37, 
Donald ...> wrote:


Dear William,
Last evening, emergency visit to friend of the community in the Royal Infirmary.
Later to talk of Postman delivery and Email. .....fr. Donald.

Sent from my iPad
FW: Postman
On Tuesday, 21 October 2014, 14:01, William J Wardle <williamwardle2bp@btinternet.com> wrote:
Dear Father Donald,
I hope that the postman will bring three packages today, three items that I had intended to bring on my pre-Advent retreat: an Advent calendar ... ‘steam engine calendar’ , ...Fr T. and a MYSTERY parcel for you!
As I wrote in my note enclosed for you, sending your mystery parcel eased my disappointment at not being with you, giving me the joy of parcelling it up for you – cardboard, bubble wrap, sponge sheeting, tape and ingenuity!  
Our Lady of Vladimir
  I know that you hold many more ‘items’ than can be framed or put on display, but this item has about it something that I felt might appeal to you.
Gales and rain blew me off my 1950’s ‘ladies’ bicycle this morning, bruised knees and ‘I told you so’ on Edith’s face! I bought it from an offenders rehab centre, a reconstituted bicycle at a knocked-down price, to act as a two-wheeled walking frame! to cart home the shopping, baskets front and rear, and to freewheel whenever I dare (to reach the Cathedral in the Park). I gave away my manly bicycle a few years ago as with my poor sense of balance I fell over under it only too frequently, being unable to dismount, hence the ladies step-through bicycle. I imagine the wind will be whipping around the monastery.
With you in prayerful concern for Sr Patricia, with a sense of love united in prayer within your family, and in spirit across the times of absence, and with my love in Our Lord, William.
 
ICON Our Lady of Vladimir
account from William
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Fr. N.is exercising regular fitness (80+) on a repaired bicycle.
 
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