----- Forwarded Message ----
Dear Donald, Thank you for your 'gravity point' from Thomas Merton's insightful commentary on today's Gospel. It has really set me thinking! Fr. Christian and his Brothers made that pilgrimage in their love of Christ to the 'brothers of the mountains', from the first point of departure, "the Cistercian Order's rule of hospitality and sharing, "especially with the poor and foreigners" and those who are suffering" (quote from the Preamble to the film); to the point of arrival, recognizing in the face of the other the complete expression of their faith, "in whom I see the face of God", Fr. Christian's testimony giving the most perfect definition to Christ's words, "Love your enemies". Thomas Merton's challenge takes us from the meaning of these words into the expression we are prepared to give to them – will we "see that the stranger we meet… is no other than ourselves" [?] "which is the same as saying we find Christ in him"[?]. That requires that we are able to say with It is indeed the "gravity point" for us as individuals as you so describe it, surely the pilgrimage of our lives. Thank you.... … in Our Lord, William ----- Original Message ----- From: Donald … To: William J … Sent: Monday, June 14, 2010 10:16 PM Subject: Thomas Merton Hi, Wiiliam, My turn for the Mass tomorrow. Thank you for your previous flash from Thomas Merton Tomorrow's, Tues, (goodnews.ie), Merton quotes: Thomas Merton wrote: "Our task now is to learn that if we can voyage to the ends of the earth and find ourselves in the aborigine who most differs from ourselves, we will have made a fruitful pilgrimage. That is why pilgrimage is necessary, in some shape or other. Mere sitting at home and meditating on the divine presence is not enough for our time. We have to come to the end of a long journey and see that the stranger we meet there is no other than ourselves – which is the same as saying we find Christ in him." Merton gets to 'gravity point, of, "and see that the stranger we meet there is no other than ourselves – which is the same as saying we find Christ in him." Excuse from my late post … God bless, Donald |
Tuesday 15 June 2010
In - Enemy/Oneself/Christ
Sunday 13 June 2010
Thomas Merton Comment
From: William J ...
To: Donald ...
Sent: Sun, 13 June, 2010 20:07:43
Subject: Thomas Merton - Comment(ary) on Galatians 2:20
Galatians 2:16, 19-21.
We found out that it is through faith in Jesus Christ, not by obeying the law, that a man is justified. We, like anyone else, had to learn to believe in Jesus Christ, so that we might be justified by faith in Christ, not by observance of the law. Observance of the law cannot win acceptance for a single human creature. …
Through the law, my old self has become dead to the law, so that I may live to God; with Christ I hang upon the cross, and yet I am alive; or rather, not I; it is Christ that lives in me. True, I am living, here and now, this mortal life; but my real life is the faith I have in the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. I do not spurn the grace of God. If we can be justified through the law, then Christ's death was needless.
Ronald Knox Bible (you’ version)
Liturgy Archive
First a 1940's copy of the Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary surfaces.
Surfing the Web goes far wider and comes up with the useful Link.
The Liturgy Archive shows up a mine of information.
Sample of SUNDAY PRAYER e.g. Second Reading - a choice from St Aelred.
The Liturgy Archive
http://www.liturgies.net/Liturgies/Catholic/LittleOffice.htm#compline The following version of the Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary is from the Liturgy of the Hours. For those who wish to use the older form of the Office, it is available here. The Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary SUNDAY PRAYER SECOND From a letter by Saint Athanasius, bishop
The Word took our nature from Mary What was born of Mary was therefore human by nature, in accordance with the inspired Scriptures, and the body of the Lord was a true body: It was a true body because it was the same as ours. Mary, you see, is our sister, for we are all born from Adam. The words of Or: From a sermon by Saint Aelred, abbot
Mary our mother She is our mother — the mother of our life, the mother of our incarnation, the mother of our light. As the apostle says of our Lord: He became for us by God's power our wisdom and justice, and holiness and redemption. She then, as mother of Christ, is the mother of our wisdom and justice, of our holiness and redemption. She is more our mother than the mother of our flesh. Our birth from her is better, for from her is born our holiness, our wisdom, our justice, our sanctification, our redemption Praise the Lord in his holy ones, say the Scriptures. If our Lord is to be praised in those holy ones through whom he brings to being deeds of power and miracles, how much more is he to be praised in her in whom he fashioned himself, who is wonderful beyond all wonders. Or: From the dogmatic constitution on the Church of the Second Vatican Council
Mary as type of the Church Mary, because she has entered intimately into … |
Friday 11 June 2010
Immaculate Heart BVM
| |
Immaculate Heart of Mary, memorialImmaculate Heart of Mary
"The mysterium of the Heart of Jesus is projected onto and reverberates in the Heart of his Mother, who is also one of his followers and a disciple... The memorial of the Immaculate Heart of Mary is a celebration of the complex visceral relationship of Mary with her Son's work of salvation: from the Incarnation, to his death and resurrection, to the gift of the Holy Spirit" ********************* Opening Prayer
|
Bellahoustan New Mass
Thursday 10 June 2010
Sacred Heart
---- Forwarded Message ----
From: father patrick ...
Sent: Thu, 10 June, 2010 15:13:11
Subject: Closing of "The Year of the Priest"
Greetings and Peace in the Lord Jesus Christ!
As "the Year of the Priest"
comes to a close tomorrow,
The Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus,
we give thanks to God
for the Blessings of this special year.
Tomorrow 10,000 priests will gather with
Pope Benedict
to thank God for the Priesthood
and
to Renew their commitment to the Priesthood of Jesus Christ
We join them in spirit and in prayer.
We thank God for this opportunity
for priests to grow spiritually
during this special year of Grace.
Sincerely in the Lord,
Father Patrick
The Sacred Heart - 2010
Solemnity Homily
This is a short account of what the doctrine and devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus meant for St Gertrude.
Our Lord is Gertrude's spouse. He is the king, and she the queen. We need not see a reference to worldly court life in comparisons. Her references to it are always very vague. The thought behind them is more biblical than secular. It is simply intended to stress the natural majesty of God and the supernatural majesty which he has chosen to bestow upon his creature.
The relationship is not an equal one. God first loved us. Gertrude concentrates on his love and not hers. Thinking of his love, she thinks of what is traditionally the seat of love, the heart.
Gertrude and Mechthild of Hackeborn are known for their part in the devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. They did not invent it. They were instrumental in giving it form and making it explicit. This is a devotion to the actual physical heart of the incarnate Son of God. This heart is part not only of his humanity. It is also part of his divinity. The two natures are united in a single person. It therefore contains the love not only of the man Jesus of Nazareth but also the love of the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity. The two cannot be separated.
Gertrude speaks of "the wound of your divine heart, tabernacle of divine faithfulness and infallible truth." The litany of the Sacred Heart is not just a beautiful devotional composition. It is theologically accurate and informative. To a large extent, the Litany was taken from the writings of Gertrude and Mechthild. The Heart of Jesus was formed by the Holy Spirit in the womb of the Virgin Mary, certainly. It is a created thing, but it is "substantially united to the Word of God," that is, the second Person of the Blessed Trinity.
It is in speaking of the Sacred Heart that Gertrude most clearly expresses her deep awareness of the humanity and divinity of her beloved. When she sees her soul as a tree fixed in the wound in his side, the sap she draws from his heart is "the power of the humanity and divinity of Jesus Christ." When her soul is drawn like wax into his heart, it emerges marked with the seal of the whole Trinity. She gives us a lovely image in which a crystalline stream flows from the Sacred Heart, coloured in gold and rose, This represents the divinity and the humanity. They are distinct but inseparable.
The essential point about the Sacred Heart is that it is the instrument of the union between God and humankind. It is not just God the Son but the whole Trinity. It is the harp of the Trinity, its instrument of communication within itself and to creatures. It is the Sacred Heart which draws creatures to God:
It is a reciprocal action; we are drawn into the heart of God, and from that heart we draw all divine virtues. Gertrude shows this by depicting it as a two-way flow through a golden tube, which is our free will. We are used to the concept of indwelling. God dwells in the soul of Gertrude. But this too is reciprocal. The Lord invites her into his heart and depicts his body as her monastery. One of Gertrude's notable spiritual experiences was the exchange of hearts, another was the piercing of her heart, but she also pierced his: "Each word that she sang appeared like the sharpest spear, thrown from her to pierce the heart of Jesus Christ, and filling it with ineffably sweet delight."
Ending
When we sing in choir we are not singing to an earthly audience. We are piercing the Heart of Jesus, provided our mind is in harmony with our voices. Gertrude had a beautiful voice. Fancy having a Susan Boyle in our choir!
Fr. Nivard - Community Chapter
Wednesday 9 June 2010
Of Gods And Men?
----- Forwarded Message ----
+ + + + + + + + + + + +
Of Gods And Men (Des Hommes Et Des Dieux) 18 May, 2010 | By Jonathan Romney Dir: Xavier Beauvois. France 2010. 120mins One-time enfant terrible Xavier Beauvois has long been a respected presence on the French scene, making his name with dramas such as Don’t Forget You’re Going To Die (1995) and the police story Le Petit Lieutenant(2005). With Of Gods and Men, his time for wider recognition has surely come, this thoughtful but urgent piece showing that Beauvois has matured into a masterly director with tight, calm control of his material.
Miles from the edgy, confrontational tenor of Don’t Forget…, Beauvois’s new film muses on the meaning of religious vocation in a violent world, and tackles its difficult subject with authoritative, non-sensationalist forcefulness. Timely themes - the dialogue between Islam and Christianity, questions of fundamentalist violence – make for a newsworthiness that will boost the film’s visibility in
The religious milieu might seem a drawback for wider sales appeal, but given the surprise niche success ofInto Great Silence, the 2005 German documentary about Trappist monks, this accessible and soberly life-affirming film should find solid uptake among buyers of material for discerning art-house audiences. Festivals will pledge their faith big-time.
The film is inspired by real events, the still not entirely explained kidnap and murder of seven monks in Algeria in 1996 – but the narrative leads slowly round to the tragedy, which happens only at the very end, and largely off-screen. In a Cistercian monastery in Key moments include a scene in which the monks resist the menacing presence of an army helicopter by effectively chanting it away; and a sort of Last Supper, as the monks enjoy each other’s company to the strains of ‘ + + + + + + + + + + +
----- Forwarded Message ----
Dear Father Donald, You kindly ask for my thoughts on the title chosen for the film depicting the life of the Atlas Martyrs, "Of Gods and Men". I believe that the title is telling of the Algerian crisis, indeed of radicalism itself... In the Catholic Church understanding, acceptance, and even where these fail, tolerance is shown for all faiths, for we believe that there is One God who embraces all mankind and who is honoured by all religions in their own way. I do not know what the radicals believe, their actions are so foreign to belief in the God of love, but their fanatiscism suggests to me that they must believe in God in a totally different way. And thus the film charts the life of 'Men' and of more than one god... Those who watch the film will judge the 'Men' of either side, and, I believe, will know beyond doubt the God (singular) who reigns in the hearts of the Atlas brothers and who is witnessed to by their actions. … in Our Lord, William. |
St Columba Abbot
We celebrate the day of Saint Columba (Colmcille) as a Feastday.
At the celebrant this morning gave us thumbnail sketch of the Saint of Iona
He is more accurate with the details than we find in Sunday Mail about a Movie projected of the Life of Columba. The Press Cilip ended as, "He is buried in Iona Abbey." Instead we learned at the Mass Inroduction the correct deatail that because of the Viking raids the remains of St. Columba were removed to Dunkeld where his relics were at the centre of a shrine.
MOVIE NEWS
Exclusive: Jeremy Irons to star in new film about St Columba
Nov 8 2009 Mike Merritt, Sunday Mail
OSCAR winner Jeremy Irons is to star in a major new movie about the saint who brought Christianity to Scotland.
The film on the life of St Columba by Shadowlands director Norman Stone will be shot either in Northern Ireland or the west of Scotland.
Producers are also in talks with another A-list Hollywood star said to be interested in the project - but Jeremy is already signed up to play the saint, who came to Scotland from Ireland.
Bafta-winner Stone, whose films include Florence Nightingale and CS Lewis - Beyond Narnia, said: "Jeremy is perfect for the role. He is fascinated by Columba, especially given his Irish ancestry and connections.
"He just can't wait to get started. This will be a wartsand-all portrayal.
"I see Columba as a man of incredible faith, integrity and strength - but at times flawed.
"He struggled with hunger for power. He was cunning, brave and an independent spirit which sometimes he found difficult to fit into his holy orders.
"But he was a gifted man who changed the religious and social map of Scotland and Britain.
"He was not a saintly saint and this film will be more of a character study and a political thriller than a Christian epic.
"Columba will not wear a halo. It needs big-screen treatment and in Jeremy we have the right person to deliver the performance we are looking for."
The movie, The End Time, will be shot either in the spring or autumn of next year, with screening six months later.
Jeremy, who won an Academy Award for Best Actor for Reversal Of Fortune in 1990, worked with Stone on BBC drama The Dream in 1993.
A source close to the actor said: "He is delighted to be involved and looking forward to working with Norman."
Columba arrived in Scotland from Ireland and established a monastery on the island of Iona in 563AD.
He began converting the pagan Scots to Christianity and built several churches across the Outer Hebrides before his death at the age of 75. He is buried in Iona Abbey.
reporters@sundaymail.co.uk
_________________________________________________________- The story of St Columba will be brought to life by Bafta award-winning director Norman Stone and could be shot in the north west.
- It is believed the film, called 'The End Time,' will focus on the Gartan-born saint's political involvement as wellas his faith.
- As a member of a noble family, Columba could have become a king if he had not chosen a religious life and become involved in attempts to resolve a number of the political disputes of his time.
- Jeremy Irons, who won an Oscar for his performance in 'Reversal of Fortune' in 1990, has already signed up to play the saint, who established a monastery in Derry in 546 AD where the Long Tower Church now stands.
- Norman Stone says the English actor - who lives in Ireland - is ideally suited to play the saint.
- "Jeremy is perfect for the role. He is fascinated by Columba, especially given his Irish ancestry and connections. He just can't wait to get started."
- Mr Stone says the film will focus on all aspects of Columba's life. "I see Columba as an man of incredible faith, integrity and strength, but, at time, flawed.
- "He struggled with hunger for power. He was cunning, brave and an independent spirit which sometimes he found it difficult to fit into his holy orders. But he was a gifted man who changed the religious and social map of Scotland and Britain."
- Tradition states that Columba's actions led to a major battle in which hundreds were killed and this may have influenced his decision to leave Ireland for Iona.
- Norman Stone adds: "He was not a saintly saint and this film will be more a character study and a political thriller than a Christian epic. Columba will not wear a halo. It needs big-screen treatment and, in Jeremy, we have the right person to deliver the performance we are looking for."
Tuesday 8 June 2010
COMMENT Cannnes Festival
----- Forwarded Message ----
From: William J ...
To: Fr Donald ...
Sent: Tue, 8 June, 2010 18:52:52
Subject: Re: [Dom Donald's Blog] Tibhirine
William
+ + + + + + + + + + +
Thank you, William.
May I ask your thoughts on the Film title,
"Des Hommes et des Dieux"?
Movie - Monks of Tibhirine
(Trappists)
Movie about
our brothers of Atlas
On 23 May the Cannes Film Festival awarded the Grand Prix (2nd prize) to the film Des hommes et des Dieux (Of Men and Gods), a movie based on the story of our brothers of Atlas, martyred in 1996.
For more information, see
the Cannes Festival site:
www.festival-cannes.com/en/archives/ficheFilm/id/11023154.html
the Catholic News Agency:
www.catholicnewsagency.com/archive/2010/05/25/