11 September. Prayer at Ground Zero

Prayer at Ground Zero

  
MAGNITICAT com, appreciated. 

 FRIDAY 11^th SEPTEMBER 2015,

Community MASS

• Can one blind man guide another?

A reading from

 The holy Gospel according to Luke  6:39-42

JESUS TOLD A parable to the disciples, "Can one blind

man guide another? Surely both will fall into a pit? The disciple is not superior to his teacher; the fully trained disciple will always be like his teacher. Why do you observe the splinter in your brother's eye and never notice the plank in your own? How can you say to your brothel', 'Brother, let me take out the splinter that is in your eye,' when you cannot see the plank in your own? Hypocrite! Take the plank out of your own eye first, and then you will see clearly enough to take out the splinter that is in your brother's eye."

The Gospel of the Lord.   

MEDITATION OF THE DAY

•

Prayer at Ground Zero

O God of love, compassion, and healing, look on us, people of many different faiths and traditions, who gather today at this site, the scene of incredible violence and pain.

We ask you in your goodness to give eternal light and peace to all who died here-the heroic first-responders: our fire fighters, police officers, emergency service workers, and Port Authority personnel, along with all the innocent men and women who were victims of this tragedy simply because their work or service brought them here on 11 September 2001.

We ask you in your compassion to bring healing to those who, because of their presence here that day, suffer from injuries and illness. Heal, too, the pain of still-grieving families and all who lost loved ones in this tragedy. Give them strength to continue their lives with courage and hope.

We are mindful as well of those who suffered death, injury, and loss on the same day at the Pentagon and in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. Our hearts are one with theirs as our prayer embraces their pain and suffering.

God of peace, bring your peace to our violent world: peace in the hearts of all men and women and peace among the nations of the earth. T urn to your way of love those whose hearts and minds are consumed with hatred.

God of understanding, overwhelmed by the magnitude of this tragedy, we seek your light and guidance as we confront such terrible events. Grant that those whose lives were spared may live so that the lives lost here may not have been lost in vain. Comfort and console us, strengthen us in hope, and give us the wisdom and courage to work tirelessly for a world where true peace and love reign among nations and in the hearts of all.

POPE BENEDICT XVI

His Holiness Ben edict XVI was Pope from 2005 to 2013.

St Columba’s arrival on Iona

Apostolic Nuncio Archbishop Antonio Mennini
presided over the Mass on Sunday

Picture of Nuncio with Crozier.   Oban and Iona: Abbot Mark and four other monks from Nunraw shared in the pilgrimage to St Columba, to mark the 1450th anniversary.  The photos were taken by Br. Seamus.

Pending other photos ..... 
Quote from Bishop Joseph Toal, "Never forget, every saint has a past… and every sinner has a future!"

Disappointing; we do not have the Homily by the Nuncio at the Mass on Iona.

‘Saints’ preserve us still

1450th anniversary of St Columba’s arrival on Iona
marked by national Year of Faith Mass in Oban

 http://www.sconews.co.uk/latest-edition/29160/saints-preserve-us-still/ 

THE Catholic Church in Scotland needs the prayers and support of those in monastic life now as much as it did when St Columba arrived in 563, the Bishop of Argyll and Isles told those gathered for the national Year of Faith Mass in Oban.

Apostolic Nuncio Archbishop Antonio Mennini presided over the Mass on Sunday, the solemnity of St Columba, to mark the 1450th anniversary of the arrival of 6th century Irish abbot and missionary on Iona. Sunday’s Mass was celebrated by local Bishop Joseph Toal along with fellow members of the Bishops’ Conference of Scotland—including Archbishop Philip Tartaglia of Glasgow, president, and his predecessor Archbishop Mario Conti, diocesan clergy and priests from around Scotland and beyond. 

Nuntraw to Oban - pilgrim monks, at place of former Carmel

During his homily Bishop Toal, vice president of the Bishops’ Conference, said it was fitting to honour St Columba, one of the early evangelisers of Scotland, during this Year of

Iona - monks off ferry

Faith and the New Evangelisation of originally Christian countries that was initiated by Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI when he was Pontiff.

“It was St Columba and other missionaries that brought the Gospel to our shores,” Bishop Toal said in his homily.  

“The Church in Scotland today in the midst of the noise of modern life and the crises which come

Pluscarden monk from Kenya

upon us continues to need more than ever that support of the communal prayer and reflective living of those who have literally ‘left everything’ and followed him,” he said. “We thank our monastic communities and our hermits for their prayerful support especially in difficult times.”

Iona - way to the Abbey/Cathedral

‘Never forget, every saint has a past… and every sinner has a future!’

The bishops thanked the religious present, including those from Nunraw, Pluscarden and Kinnoull. He offered a special vote of thanks to the delegation from Kells, County Meath, Ireland including Bishop Michael Smith of Meath. The delegation brought with them their copy of the Book of Kells, which will remain on display in Oban and the surrounding district throughout the summer.  It includes the Cathach of St Columba, the copy made by Columba of a book loaned to him by St Finnian.

Sunday’s celebrations in Oban began with the blessing and reactivation of the cathedral bells followed by the entrance into the cathedral of young Catholics from Argyll and the Isles Diocese carrying with them the Scottish Youth Cross. The young people were returning from an overnight pilgrimage to Iona.

Young Catholics from South Uist and Barra also took part in the Liturgy, bringing haunting Gaelic melody and voices to the responsorial psalm and hymns. The Gospel was read in both English and Gaelic.

The bishop of Argyll and the Isles also used his homily as an opportunity to praise the active role Christians play in Scottish society.

He said we have ‘a distinctive voice’ but warned of those who would have us silenced.   

The Mass on Sunday preceded Monday’s pilgrimage to Iona. The Apostolic Nuncio, who did not address the congregation at the Sunday Mass, was the main celebrant and preacher at the Mass on Iona.

 

“St Columba faced many challenges in living the Faith and bringing it to others and, recently in Scotland we have faced challenges too, which may well have saddened us and made us all reflect on how we can bring the Gospel and the person of Christ to all those persons we encounter and to a society which is searching, often unawares, for God,” Archbishop Mennini said. “One source, I should like to quote a word or two of, which I believe appropriate, is taken from Oscar Wilde, who said: ‘Never forget, every saint has a past… and every sinner has a future!’