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Be-attitudes for a new week!

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The Beatitudes are the Gospel's commentary on "attitude"

Blessed are those who can laugh at themselves; they will always have entertainment.

Blessed are those who can distinguish between a mountain and a molehill; they will save themselves a lot of trouble.

Blessed are those who can rest and sleep without looking for excuses; they will become wise.

Blessed are those who are intelligent enough not to take themselves too seriously; they will be appreciated.

Blessed are you if you can look seriously at small things and peacefully at serious things; you will go far in life.

Blessed are you if you can admire a smile and forget a scowl; your path will be sunlit.

Blessed are you if you can always interpret the attitudes of others with good will, even when appearances are to the contrary; you may seem naive, but that is the price of charity.

Blessed are those who think before acting and who laugh before thinking; they will avoid foolish mistakes.

Blessed are you if you kn…
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Prayers for Life

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PRAYERS FOR THE PROTECTION OF LIFE IN THE WOMB
Prayer of Saint Pope John Paul II – Evangelium Vitae
O Mary, bright dawn of the new world,
Mother of the living,
to you do we entrust the cause of life
Look down, O Mother, upon the vast numbers of babies not allowed to be born,
of the poor whose lives are made difficult,
of men and women who are victims of brutal violence, of the elderly and the sick killed by indifference or out of misguided mercy.
Grant that all who believe in your Son
may proclaim the Gospel of life
with honesty and love to the people of our time.
Obtain for them the grace to accept that Gospel as a gift ever new,
the joy of celebrating it with gratitude
throughout their lives
and the courage to bear witness to it
resolutely, in order to build,
together with all people of good will,
the civilization of truth and love,
to the praise and glory of God,
the Creator and lover of life.
Prayer to God the Father of All Life
Eternal God, You have revealed Yourself as the Father of …
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Day of Discernment

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Guided Holy Hour-Vigil of Prayer for the protection of the 8th Amendment

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Guided Holy Hour
Vigil of Prayer for the protection of the 8th Amendment
8th of April 2018

Opening Hymn: Be not afraid
(Bob Dufford, S.J)

1)You shall cross the barren desert
But you shall not die of thirst
You shall wander far in safety
Though you do not know the way.
You shall speak your words in foreign lands
And all will understand
You shall see the face of God and live.

Ref: Be not afraid, I go before you always, come follow Me and I shall give you rest.

2) If you pass through raging waters
In the sea, you shall not drown
If you walk amidst the burning flames
You shall not be harmed.
If you stand before the pow'r of hell
And death is at your side
Know that I am with you, through it all.

3)Blessed are your poor
For the Kingdom shall be theirs
Blest are you that weep and mourn
for one day you shall laugh.
And if wicked men insult and hate you
All because of Me
Blessed, blessed are you!

Introduction: We gather this evening for this vigil of prayer and fasting to intercede for our…
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Santo subito- remembering St. John Paul II on his anniversary

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Today we recall the 13th anniversary of the return home to God of Blessed John Paul II. When he came to Ireland in 1979, I viewed this historical event from the tranquility of my mother’s womb (I was born a few months after!). My father, who played the french horn in the Band of the Western Command was part of the military band for the occasion and played at the Papal Mass in Knock. So did my godfather Gerry Lacey too who wrote about this in an interview with the Westmeath Independent here. I felt I could say ‘I was there too’. Little did I know some years after I would meet JP II face to face and have the opportunity to speak to him and tell him about this little antedote. Our God is truly a God of surprises!
Never in a million years did I ever contemplate being in Rome for such memorable events: the death of our beloved John Paul II, a conclave, and the consequent election of Pope Benedict XVI. I had come to Rome three years previous and as I attended the various ceremonies in St.…
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Easter Blessings

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Lord of Life,
we rejoice this Easter because Easter has loosed its grip on you.
The tomb cannot hold you.
The stone is rolled away.
The burial cloths testify to your triumph over death.
We sing our hymns of rejoicing to you,
because as you are freed from death so are we. We rejoice as you call us by name, O Lord
and we follow you! Good news! Glad tidings! Christ is RISEN! With my prayers for you before the Empty Tomb and in the presence of the Eucharistic and Risen Saviour!
Sr. M. Louise pddm


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"What is happening?" Ancient homily for Holy Saturday

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If you ever wondered what the big icon in our Chapel of Adoration in Dublin signifies, here's the best explanation below. It's from the 2nd reading of the Office of Readings which we read on Holy Saturday. The icon was here in the Chapel, left by the Consolata Fathers, when we moved here in 1992. Before she died in June 2014, Sr. M. Paul O' Brien had restored it a little for Holy Saturday as the colours were beginning to fade. It was her last major art work, of which she had done many. When she painted, often she would be talking to people who would call her for advice, prayers or simply to be listened to. Conor McGee (now Fr. Conor) helped her with the restoration as did Edward Kavanagh who was great in spreading catechesis about the icon. Edward, like Sr. Paul, has since gone to his eternal reward. Conor, was ordained almost 2 years ago and used the icon on his ordination prayer card. It's amazing how one icon can unite lives in different ways.

 From the Office of Read…
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Waiting...

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There is absolutely nothing we can do on Holy Saturday, and that is the point. It is a day of desolation and nothingness, a day of darkness and utter emptiness. The day is and should be the most calm and quiet day of the entire Church year, a day broken by no liturgical function. Christ lies in the grave, the Church sits near and mourns. After the great battle He is resting in peace, but upon Him we see the scars of intense suffering...The mortal wounds on His Body remain visible.  There is nothing to do now except wait… and waiting is the hardest part in this digital and instant age. Holy Saturday is the silent pause between what we have done and what God will do – what only God can do.

On this day God is silent, yet God is still at work. Scripture tells us Holy Saturday is the day Christ descended and ministered to those in Hades, or the place of the dead. This is not a trivial or side matter, which is why “He descended to the dead” finds mention in the Apostles’ Creed. Christ goes…
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Betrayal-Only a friend can betray a friend

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As we journey on this Holy Week, the readings today contain a richness of which we often just scratch the surface. Today we see Jesus predict the betrayal which will cost Him his life. Often in a relationship, the betrayal is so shocking because we don't expect it, we didn't see the signs. Yet Jesus knew exactly who would betray but yet He continued to love Judas. He loved Judas even when Judas was enshrouded by darkness. “The light shines in the darkness” (John 1:5). The other disciples would betray Him in other ways but Judas could not turn back and accept the merciful love that would forgive even this most deceitful betrayal.
Each one of us at some stage of our lives have had our trust broken. Often it is not easy to bounce back as we fear that a new relationship or friendship will end up the same way as soon as we let down our guard. As we journey through life we seek people to trust and who support us. We are called to do the same. If we think back to the play Julius Ca…
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Vigil for the Protection of the Eight Amendment

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