Praying with the Advent wreath
DECEMBER 2018
Walking with Fr Tony Coote
Singing carols by Cecil Frances Alexander
Informing, Inspiring, Challenging Today’s Catholic
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IN THIS MONTH’S ISSUE FEATURES 12 BETHLEHEM TODAY Modern Bethlehem is a typical Middle Eastern town that has known its share of trouble but is known worldwide as the birthplace of the Prince of Peace. By Fr Brendan McConvery CSsR
17 PRAYING WITH THE ADVENT WREATH The Advent wreath is not just a decoration. It is a religious symbol that can become the centre of our Advent family prayer. By Sarah Adams
20 CHRISTMAS THROUGH THE EYES OF IRISH SCHOOLCHILDREN
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A rich archive of oral history was created during 1937-38 when 50,000 schoolchildren put on record their account of Irish life. This is how they remembered Christmas. By Salvador Ryan
24 ‘ONCE IN ROYAL DAVID’S CITY’ This year marks the 200th anniversary of the birth of hymn author, Cecil Frances Alexander By Rev Patrick Comerford
28 THE CHRISTIAN’S IDENTITY CARD Pope Francis reminds us that accepting daily the path of the Gospel is holiness. By Mike Daley
34 WALK WHILE YOU CAN Fr Tony Coote, a Dublin priest, made the decision to walk the length of Ireland after being diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease By Tríona Doherty
37 ENDING CHILD EXPLOITATION IN THAILAND Safe Child Thailand has been working to support the most vulnerable children in Thailand for the past 35 years. By Gemma Shaw
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OPINION
REGULARS
11 BRENDAN McCONVERY
04 REALITY BITES
16 JIM DEEDS
07 POPE MONITOR
31 CARMEL WYNNE
08 REDEMPTORIST SAINTS
42 PETER McVERRY SJ
09 REFLECTIONS 32 PRAYER CORNER 41 TRÓCAIRE 43 GOD’S WORD
REALITY BITES LOSING OUT IN THE ROYAL SUCCESSION BRITAIN
NO PAPIST HERE!
Nineteen-year-old Princess Alexandra of Hanover has been struck off the list of succession to the British throne because she has recently become a Catholic. Through her father, she is in the direct line from Queen Victoria. Alexandra was born in Austria and was baptised as a Lutheran. She is the daughter of Princess Caroline, and Prince Ernst August of Hanover. She retains her position as 12th in line to the Principality of Monaco. Alexandra is the granddaughter of Grace Kelly, the Irish-American film star who became Princess of Monaco on her marriage to Prince Rainier III in 1956. She is a figure skater, and has represented Monaco at international skating competitions.
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Alexandra is not the first to lose her place in the British line of succession because of her Catholic faith. Lord Nicholas Windsor, like Prince Charles a great-grandson of George V, was received into the Catholic Church in 2001 and so lost his place in the line of succession. His mother, Katherine, Duchess of Kent, had become a Catholic some years previously; his uncle, Prince Michael of Kent, also lost his place for marrying a Catholic. The Act of Settlement of 1701 excludes from the throne “all and every Person and Persons who ... is, are or shall be reconciled to or shall hold Communion with the See or Church of Rome or shall profess the Popish Religion or shall marry a Papist".
Princess Alexandra of Hanover (right) with her mother, Princess Caroline of Monaco
PERMANENT DEACONS: A FIRST FOR DOWN AND CONNOR BELFAST
A CHANGING CHURCH
Bishop of Down and Connor, Noel Treanor, with the newly ordained deacons
Nine men were ordained to the permanent diaconate in St Peter’s Cathedral, Belfast, on October 14 last. The ordinands came from a variety of backgrounds in law, education and business. The permanent diaconate was restored in the Roman Catholic Church after the Second Vatican Council: it had never ceased REALITY DECEMBER 2018
to be a feature of the Greek Catholic and other rites in communion with Rome. Today, there are more 46,000 deacons worldwide. Numbers vary considerably according to countries: there are, for example, 13,000 deacons in the United States, 2,650 in France, 778 in England and Wales and 30 in Scotland. The first Irish permanent deacons
were ordained in 2012, when six men were ordained for Dublin and another six for Elphin. Currently, Armagh has 14 permanent deacons, Dublin 22, and Dromore six. Permanent deacons have several liturgical functions. They take part in the celebration of the Eucharist along with priests and bishops. They may administer the sacrament of baptism, preside at marriages and funerals, and at the Liturgy of the Hours (Divine Office). They may also preach the Word at liturgical celebrations. Some combine their diaconal ministry with a professional career: others assume full-time service for the church or diocese in a wide variety of roles, such as overseeing works of charity or administration. Married men may be ordained to the permanent diaconate. Ordinarily, a widowed deacon may not remarry without a dispensation, following the ruling of the First Letter of Timothy that “deacons must not have been married more than once” (1 Tim 3:13). At the moment, only men may be ordained deacon, but Pope Francis established a 'Study Commission on the Women's Diaconate' in 2017.
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A POPE, A MARTYR, A ONE-LEGGED BOY: SEVEN NEW SAINTS VATICAN CITY
A NEW BEGINNING
During the recent synod in October, Pope Francis enrolled seven new members in the catalogue of saints. The best known of them are Pope Paul VI and Archbishop Oscar Romero, whose stories have appeared in recent numbers of Reality. There were also two saints, two religious foundresses and a 19-year-old boy. St Vincent Romano, from Torre del Greco, near Naples, was known for his deep devotion to the Blessed Sacrament. St Francesco Spinelli, a native of Milan, founded the Adorers of the Blessed Sacrament, a congregation of sisters that combined adoration with social work. St Nazaria Mesa, worked in
both her native Spain and South America, where she founded an order of missionary sisters, and St Maria Katharina Kasper, a poor German girl, founded the Poor Handmaids of Jesus Christ. St Nunzio Sulprizio was born in the Abruzzo region of central Italy. Orphaned early, he was brought up by an uncle who used him as a source of cheap labour. As a result of ill-treatment, he eventually lost one of his legs, but did not complain: despite his suffering, he would say “Jesus suffered a lot for me. Why should I not suffer for Him? I would die in order to convert even one sinner.”
St Francesco Spinelli
St Nazaria Mesa
5 St Maria Katharina Kasper
St Nunzio Sulprizio
CONSTANTINOPLE AND MOSCOW: MAJOR SPLIT IN ORTHODOX CHURCH MOSCOW
IT'S SO FUNNY HOW WE DON'T TALK ANYMORE
The Russian Orthodox Moscow, and turned increasingly Patriarchate of Moscow has cut to Constantinople, the focus ties with the Ecumenical Patriarch of unity for the Orthodox of Constantinople, Bartholomew communion. The Russian Church I, claiming his recognition of an refused to attend the Panindependent Orthodox Church in Orthodox Council convoked by Ukraine departed from Orthodox Patriarch Bartholomew in 2016. Christian norms. The Russian Rivalry between the patriarchs church received its structure of Constantinople and Moscow and liturgy from the Church has been a feature of eastern of Constantinople in the ninth Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople with Patriarch Kiril of Moscow Orthodoxy. The Russian church century. There are nine churches and its dependencies is the largest of patriarchal rank in communion with in 1721 by Tsar Peter the Great, and restored and wealthiest segment of the Orthodox Constantinople. Moscow became known as again after the Revolution in 1917. Throughout Church. Patriarch Kiril of Moscow has been ‘the third Rome’ (Constantinople, capital of the Soviet era, it was strictly controlled by openly critical of the friendship between the eastern part of the Roman empire, was the Marxist government. With the break- Bartholomew and Pope Francis and Orthodox considered the second), with the establishment up of the Soviet Union, cracks began to authorities have accused the Ukrainian Greek of an independent patriarchate in Moscow in emerge in the Orthodox Church. When the Catholic Church of supporting the efforts 1589, ruling over the vast nominally Orthodox Ukraine achieved political independence, it to break the recognised Orthodox Church’s territory of the Russian Empire. It was abolished also sought ecclesiastical independence from subordination to the Russian Orthodox Church. continued on page 6
REALITY BITES PRISONER DESIGNS VATICAN’S CHRISTMAS STAMPS A prisoner serving a life sentence has designed the Vatican's Christmas stamps this year. The stamps, featuring images of the Annunciation and Mother and Child, are the work of Marcello D'Agata, an inmate at Milan's Opera prison. The Vatican Post Office said the choice of designer was a response to Pope Francis’ call for compassion for prisoners. The pope has said that punishment must also have a dimension of hope, "otherwise, it remains closed in on itself and is just an instrument of torture; it isn't fruitful." D’Agata is serving a life sentence for Mafia-related crimes. He said he now realised that wrong choices do not pay but are paid and that “love for art awakened a part of me that I did not know was there because it was hidden by that darkness that stole my life".
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POPE MONITOR
KEEPING UP WITH POPE FRANCIS
POPE VISITS CHILDREN’S CEMETERY To mark All Souls Day, Pope Francis visited a cemetery on the outskirts of Rome which has a special plot, called the 'Garden of the Angels', for still-born babies or children who died shortly after birth. He brought a bouquet of flowers and spent some time in prayer. “Listen to the prayer we address to you for all our loved ones who have left this world: open the arms of your mercy and receive them in the glorious assembly of Holy Jerusalem,” he prayed at the blessing of the graves. He then celebrated Mass in the cemetery. Pope Francis usually visits one of the city’s larger cemeteries on All Souls Day, as well as visiting the crypt of St Peter’s Basilica, resting place of his predecessors.
POPE CONDEMNS ANTI-SEMITISM Pope Francis strongly condemned anti-Semitism, recalling the living memory of the Holocaust in Europe, during a meeting with rabbis attending the World Congress of Mountain Jews on November 5. “We are called to commit ourselves to ensure antiSemitism is banned from the human community,” he told them. The 'Mountain Jews' are from the Caucasus and are descendants of the ancient Persian Jewish community. “I have always sought to emphasise the importance of friendship between Jews and Catholics. It is based on a fraternity grounded in the history of salvation and it finds concrete expression in concern for one another,” Pope Francis said. He recounted his recent visit to the Jewish community in Lithuania on a day devoted to the commemoration of the Shoah (Holocaust), 75 years after the destruction of the Vilnius ghetto and the murder of thousands of Jews. "I prayed before the monument to the victims of the Holocaust and I asked the Most High to comfort his people,” the pope said. There must be "a living memory" of the Holocaust, the pope insisted. He spoke too of another anniversary that was coming within the few days, 'Kristallnacht', (the night of broken glass), the 80th anniversary of the night of November 9/10, 1938, when many Jewish businesses and synagogues were attacked in Germany.
PEACE STARTS IN THE HOME 7
The war begins at home, with rivalries in the family, in the parish, in the workplace, and this is where peace must first be made, said Pope Francis in his morning homily on November 5. The Pope urged his congregation “Do not do things out of interest”: choosing friendships for “profit” is “a form of egoism, segregation and interest,” while the “message of Jesus” is “freedom” which “expands life”, “enlarges the horizon, because it is universal”. On the contrary, he warned, rivalry and jealousy are “dividing factors” and go “against unity". He returned too, to a common topic in his addresses: gossiping. “Gossip is also born of rivalry because many people feel that they cannot grow up, but to be above the other, they diminish another by gossiping. It’s a way of destroying people … A rivalry is a struggle to crush the other. It’s ugly, rivalry: it can be
open, direct or it can be done with gloves; but always to destroy the other and to raise oneself. And since I cannot be so virtuous, so good, I diminish the other, so I always stay on top. ” Such rivalry, he insisted, “destroys a community, destroys a family … the rivalry between the brothers for the inheritance of the father, for example, it happens every day. He concluded by pointing out that war is at home: “When we read news of wars, when we think of news of child hunger in Yemen, the fruit of war: it is far, poor children … but why do not they have anything to eat? But the same war is at home, in our institutions, with this rivalry: it begins there, the war! And peace must be there: in the family, in the parish, in institutions, in the workplace, always seeking unanimity and concord.“
REDEMPTORIST SAINTS ST ALPHONSUS AND CHRISTMAS The child Jesus fishing for souls – engraving from St Alphonsus’ Novena for Christmas
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The most popular Christmas carol in Italy is not 'Silent Night' or even 'O Holy Night', but 'Tu Scendi dalle Stelle'. It has been recorded by internationally known singers like Luciano Pavarotti and Andrea Bocelli. It is not well-known in the English-speaking world. A translation that preserved the original Italian as a chorus was recorded by several artists, including Nancy Sinatra, in the United States in the 1960s. The song was usually described simply as a traditional Neapolitan song by a nameless author. The writer was in fact St Alphonsus Liguori, founder of the Redemptorists. Even in Alphonsus’ lifetime, the catchy tune was borrowed by a better-known Italian composer Domenico Scarlatti for his Sonata in C major. It was also used along with other Christmas tunes by a 20th century composer, Ottorino Respighi in his Adoration of the Magi. It is often called 'Canzone Degli Zampognari' or the 'Bagpipers’ Hymn' because it is often played on the streets or at the Christmas markets on Italian bagpipes by musicians dressed in traditional shepherds’ costume. Alphonsus had received a good musical training in his youth. He often played the harpsicord to entertain his brethren. While most of his musical compositions were simple hymn tunes to be sung with a congregation during the parish missions he preached throughout the Kingdom of Naples, the southern half of Italy in the 18th century, one at least 'The Duet between the Soul and Jesus Christ' was closer to the cantata style of his contemporaries such as Bach and Handel. He was probably the first to compose hymns in the Neapolitan dialect. They were intended to be sung by people living in the countryside who were unfamiliar with the formal Italian of the educated classes, but who loved to sing. This can be seen in the title of another of his Christmas songs still popular today in Italy, 'Quanno nascette Ninno' ('When a Child is born'). They were probably composed in the mid-1750s when Alphonsus was living in the monastery of Diliceto near Foggia. Here is a translation of two verses and chorus of 'Tu Scendi': From starry skies descending, Thou comest, glorious King, A manger low Thy bed, In winter's icy sting;
Chorus: O my dearest Child most holy, Shuddering, trembling in the cold! Great God, Thou lovest me! What suffering Thou didst bear, That I near Thee might be! Thou art the world's Creator, God's own and true Word, Yet here no robe, no fire For Thee, Divine Lord.
Alphonsus was not just a composer of Christmas hymns. He was first and foremost a preacher and teacher of the faith, which the hymns were intended to express and celebrate. He summarised the mystery of salvation in three simple words: Crib, Cross and Sacrament. The crib was the mystery of the incarnation, the eternal God becomes, not just a human being, but the most defenceless and vulnerable of human beings, a baby of poor homeless parents. Alphonsus had preached that mystery in many sermons and missions. He gathered much of his teaching on the incarnation into a book of meditations and readings, The Incarnation, Birth and Infancy of Jesus Christ, for use especially during Advent and Christmas. The book was compiled from sermons and other material he had written around the same time as he composed the Christmas hymns. For Alphonsus, the incarnation was not just a devotion to be reserved for December and January each year. He made it a rule for his Redemptorists that the 25th of every month was to be observed as a mini-Christmas, especially in the noviciate. The statue of the child from the crib was to be exposed in the community chapel with candles and flowers, the three daily meditations were to be made on aspects of the mystery of Christmas, and the professed members were encouraged to renew during their prayer the vows they had made on their profession day. The chapels often also contained The Way of the Divine Infancy, a series of stations based on the Way of the Cross for which Alphonsus composed what came to be the standard set of prayers. REALITY DECEMBER 2018
Reality Volume 83. No. 10 December 2018 A Redemptorist Publication ISSN 0034-0960 Published by The Irish Redemptorists, St Joseph's Monastery, St Alphonsus Road, Dundalk County Louth A91 F3FC Tel: 00353 (0)1 4922488 Web: www.redcoms.org Email: sales@redcoms.org (With permission of C.Ss.R.)
Editor Brendan McConvery CSsR editor@redcoms.org Design & Layout David Mc Namara CSsR dmcnamara@redcoms.org General Manager Paul Copeland pcopeland@redcoms.org Sales & Marketing Claire Carmichael ccarmichael@redcoms.org Administration & Accounts Michelle McKeon mmckeon@redcoms.org Printed by Nicholson & Bass, Belfast Photo Credits Shutterstock, Trócaire, Rev Patrick Comerford, Aby Martin, Clare Carmichael and Ken Mc Namara REALITY SUBSCRIPTIONS Through a promoter (Ireland only) €20 or £18 Annual Subscription by post: Ireland €25 or £20 UK £30 Europe €40 Rest of the world €50 Please send all payments to: Redemptorist Communications, St Joseph's Monastery, St Alphonsus Road, Dundalk, County Louth A91 F3FC ADVERTISING Whilst we take every care to ensure the accuracy and validity of adverts placed in Reality, the information contained in adverts does not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of Redemptorist Communications. You are therefore advised to verify the accuracy and validity of any information contained in adverts before entering into any commitment based upon them. When you have finished with this magazine, please pass it on or recycle it. Thank you.
From December 14, 2018 we are moving to our new permanent home! Redemptorist Communications St Joseph's Monastery, St Alphonsus Road Dundalk, County Louth A�� F�FC
REFLECTIONS The only real blind person at Christmas-time is one who has not Christmas in their heart. HELEN KELLER
I will honour Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year. CHARLES DICKENS
Humanity is a great, an immense family. This is proved by what we feel in our hearts at Christmas. ST JOHN XXIII
At this Christmas when Christ comes, will He find a warm heart? Mark the season of Advent by loving and serving the others with God's own love and concern.� ST TERESA OF CALCUTTA
We become what we love and who we love shapes what we become. If we love things, we become a thing. If we love nothing, we become nothing. Imitation is not a literal mimicking of Christ, rather it means becoming the image of the beloved, an image disclosed through transformation. This means we are to become vessels of God's compassionate love for others. ST CLARE OF ASSISI
And then, just when everything is bearing down on us to such an extent that we can scarcely withstand it, the Christmas message comes to tell us that all our ideas are wrong, and that what we take to be evil and dark is really good and light because it comes from God. Our eyes are at fault, that is all. God is in the manger, wealth in poverty, light in darkness, succour in abandonment. No evil can befall us; whatever men may do to us, they cannot but serve the God who is secretly revealed as love and rules the world and our lives. DIETRICH BONHOEFFER
Anyone thinking of the Holy Child as born in December would mean by it exactly what we mean by it; that Christ is not merely a summer sun of the prosperous but a winter fire for the unfortunate. G.K. CHESTERTON
Into this world, this demented inn in which there is absolutely no room for him at all, Christ comes uninvited. THOMAS MERTON
May the Virgin and her Child lift your latch on Christmas night. TRADITIONAL IRISH SAYING
No room in the inn, but there was room in the stable. The inn was the gathering place of public opinion, the focal point of the world's moods, the rendezvous of the worldly, the rallying place of the popular and the successful. But there's no room in the place where the world gathers. The stable is a place for outcasts, the ignored and the forgotten. The world might have expected the Son of God to be born in an inn; a stable would certainly be the last place in the world where one would look for him. The lesson is: divinity is always where you least expect to find it. So the Son of God made man is invited to enter into his own world through a back door. ARCHBISHOP FULTON SHEEN
Among the oxen (like an ox I'm slow) I see a glory in the stable grow Which, with the ox's dullness might at length Give me an ox's strength. CS LEWIS
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EDI TO R I A L UP FRONT BRENDAN McCONVERY CSsR
HOME FOR CHRISTMAS?
Are
you going home for Christmas? Last year, Dublin Airport had its busiest Christmas on record with just over one million people arriving and departing during the ten days of the high festive season. It will probably be the same this year. For many, it will be a joyful return after years abroad, an opportunity to show off, perhaps for the first time, a new partner or children. For others, it might be a more uncertain time, the last opportunity to spend the holiday with ageing parents or ailing family members, that might perhaps stir up painful memories of bad times past. Yet Christmas holds out promise of better times. Charles Dickens, the creator of a certain kind of popular Christmas, once wrote: “Happy, happy Christmas, that can win us back to the delusions of our childhood days, recall to the old man the pleasures of his youth, and transport the traveller back to his own fireside and quiet home!” There is a shadow side to the Christmas story. Angels sing glory to God, there is rejoicing at the birth of a child, but there is a homeless young couple, caught up in the coils of bureaucracy, a mad king who slaughters children just because he needs to feel secure. There are echoes, especially in Matthew’s account of the birth of Jesus, of the story of God’s people Israel, reduced to slavery, but yearning to be free. Some of those shadows will still fall over our Christmas celebrations this year. A migrant caravan of some 7,000 poor people is surging through Central America with the threat that they will be met by military force at the US border. More than five million people have applied for asylum in Europe since 2014, with a high number spending their lives in the squalor and misery of refugee camps in Greece, Turkey or Italy. According to recent statistics, one fifth of migrants trying to cross the Mediterranean Sea from Libya have either
drowned or disappeared. Over 1,700 families are homeless in the Republic of Ireland. Figures in the North are no better, with an increase of over 30 per cent in the past five years so that 12,000 households – individuals and families – were regarded as homeless in 2016/17. Where can you put a Christmas tree or a crib in the emergency accommodation of an overcrowded hotel room, still less in the shelter of a shop doorway on a deserted street when the Christmas shoppers have departed? As we gather with our loved ones and celebrate the mystery of the Lord’s coming among us, in flesh and blood continued in the bread of the Eucharist, we remember those for whom this is a dark time, with little to lift the heart or the soul.
This
Christmas season Redemptorist Communications, and so Reality, will take possession of a new home. After some years in temporary accommodation in a business park in Santry near Dublin Airport, we are moving to new offices in the Redemptorist monastery of St Joseph, Dundalk. We have moved several times in the eighty-odd years of our life as a religious magazine. We started in Clonard, Belfast in 1936: for a very short time in the late 1940s, we even had a seaside vacation in Ardglass, County Down while the editor worked in our first retreat house there. Then it was back to the city before we moved to Dublin in 1962. After more than 50 years in Marianella, we took up our temporary home in Santry. We are a very small team in Redemptorist Communications – five in total including two Redemptorists. Thanks to the internet, we do not always have to work from the office. While looking forward to our new home in Dundalk and to the possibilities it offers of putting down roots again in a
Redemptorist community, we must record here our debt of gratitude to two members of staff who will not be joining us in Dundalk. Michelle McKeon was the voice of Reality at the end of a telephone for our promotors, subscribers and the general public, and what a pleasant and gracious voice it was. Michelle brought a ray of sunshine into the office even in the darkest days of winter. Paul Copeland worked with RedComs for a longer time than Michelle. He was an excellent team person, and as financial administrator, vastly improved our financial situation. Small religious publishing houses are seldom gold mines and in these days with declining Mass attendances, they are particularly vulnerable. Paul’s careful management of our resources meant that we were able to negotiate the rather costly stay in Santry with a modest profit. The Copeland family have deep roots in the Redemptorists. In Paul's case, he was initiated into it by his late father, helping as a teenager to run the weekly ‘football pools’, which was one of the most regular sources of income for our Belfast Retreat House. While emails etc remain unchanged for the moment, our postal address will be: Redemptorist Communications, St Joseph’s Monastery, St Alphonsus Road, Dundalk, County Louth, Ireland, A91 F3FC. You are welcome to come and visit: our GPS co-ordinates are: @54.0033777, -6.391186
Brendan McConvery CSsR Editor
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C OVE R STO RY
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BETHLEHEM TODAY IN OCTOBER, REDEMPTORIST COMMUNICATIONS LED A PILGRIMAGE TO THE HOLY LAND. WE SPENT TWO DAYS IN BETHLEHEM. IT IS NO LONGER THE “LITTLE TOWN” SUNK IN A "DEEP AND DREAMLESS SLEEP" OF THE CAROL. WITH A POPULATION OF MORE THAN 25,000, IT IS ONLY SIX MILES FROM JERUSALEM, BUT IT IS IN A DIFFERENT STATE, THE PALESTINE AUTHORITY. BY BRENDAN McCONVERY CSsR THE SHEPHERDS' FIELDS Now a suburb of Bethlehem, the village of Beit Sahour is the site of the Shepherds’ Fields, believed to be the place where the shepherds watched their flocks on the night Jesus was born. It is a beautifully peaceful place. Its modern chapel suggests a tent. A cave, probably used by generations of shepherds as a sheep-fold, also serves as a chapel. Several outdoor altars allow pilgrimage groups to celebrate the liturgy. No matter what day of the year you visit, you will hear Christmas carols sung in many languages. MODERN BETHLEHEM Bethlehem is a Middle Eastern town with street markets. The favourite Arab fast food is falafel –balls of deep-fried chickpea, served with salad or pickles. In 1947, 87 per cent of the inhabitants of Bethlehem were Christians. Today, that has dropped to 10 per cent as young Palestinian Christians emigrate. REALITY DECEMBER 2018
The highlight of Bethlehem’s year is the Christmas season. It begins with Latin (Catholic) Christmas on December 24. When that ends on January 6, the Greek Orthodox Christmas begins the following day. Finally, the Armenians begin their Christmas on January 19. BASILICA OF THE NATIVITY The Church (Basilica) of the Nativity stands in Manger Square, more like a fortress than a church. The first church was built by Constantine in 327 at the request of his mother, St Helena. When it was destroyed, the present church was built by the Emperor Justinian in 567. It is currently being restored by the Palestinian Authority, with restorers coming from many parts of Europe. The Grotto of the Nativity is the most sacred part of the church.. It is shared by all the main churches. Under the altar, a silver star, surrounded by oil-lamps, marks the birthplace of Jesus.
A busy Manger Square at Christmas
Bethlehem has a large Muslim population
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Globally known as the birthplace of the Prince of Peace, Bethlehem is prone to outbursts of violence Bethlehem at night
Shepherds Field Church
C OVE R STO RY
Panorama of Bethlehem against desert landscape: the hill at the centre is the Herodion, where King Herod had one of his palaces.
The crib in Manger Square, Bethlehem
Cave chapel in Shepherds’ Fields. Franciscan Friars care for the sanctuary
14 Fresco in the Shepherds' Field Chapel
Pilgrims make their way to the grotto
The silver star marks the birthplace of Jesus
A pilgrim venerates the birthplace of Jesus under the altar
THE WALL OF SEPARATION A wall of concrete divides Palestinian and Israeli territories. Our Belfast pilgrims found the separation wall familiar. The locals have been joined by international artists like Banksy in decorating it with images and slogans. A spark of humour is visible when a small hotel renames itself as 'The Walled Off Astoria'.
As you sing about Bethlehem in the time of Jesus, think of it as it is today and pray for its peace. REALITY DECEMBER 2018
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A woman buying falafel – traditional street food in Palestine
Hotel humour in Palestine - The 'Walled-Off' Hotel
Look out post on the security wall
The streets of the old city of Bethlehem
Murals from the security wall
CO M M E N T WITH EYES WIDE OPEN JIM DEEDS
BRAND NEW
A CHANCE MEETING WITH SOMEONE WHO KNEW ME BUT I COULD NOT RECALL HAVING EVER MET BRINGS BACK MEMORIES
A
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while back I was in a parish on a dark, rainy winter evening. The church was situated in a small country village on the mountainous east coast. So for a city boy like me I was about as far away from home as I could be! There was a fairly full church for the evening service and I stood up at my appointed time and said what I was there to say. After Mass, a few people came to me to welcome me to their parish and to thank me for speaking. One very old woman approached me and surprised me when she said, "I used to babysit you when you were two months old." I looked at her and her face was definitely not familiar to me. And having no connection to this place at all, all I could say to her was, "Really?" (as if she was going to reply, "no, only joking!") She went on to tell me that she was not a native of those parts and had, in fact, been born and lived until her middle age in Belfast. Not only that, but she had lived in the same street my parents had moved into when they married – Albert Street on the Falls Road. When she heard me introduce myself, she remembered the name. And she told me the link was confirmed when she saw my face and how like my father I was. Her story went that she was the woman in the street who all the young mothers turned to when they need someone to watch their children when they went to the shop or went to an appointment. In a way, she was
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presence I felt it again. I allowed myself to know that the twomonth-old she had known was still here– albeit with a few more miles on the clock and snow on the roof!
the street carer. She told me that my mother had left me with her on many occasions. She told me all about those days in Albert Street and recalled neighbours and friends of hers from those times. As she spoke she held my hand and at times gazed at me and said, "I remember you when you were so small. Now look at you." LOVED BY A STRANGER She had the look of an old grandmother. Her look at me was one of pure love and wonder. It was very humbling to be in the presence of it. Despite my having no memory of her, I felt a connection to her. I think it came from that look of love she had for me. And you know what? It felt good! I felt a connection to a version of me she had known– the young, innocent baby version of me. I spent some time in that gaze before we had to part company, which we did with a hug. The journey of life from being
a little two-month-old child up through childhood, teenage years, young adulthood, into middle-age and beyond is a long one for those blessed with life. Along the way, we encounter many wonderful people, places and situations no doubt. But we also encounter many difficulties. A fair few of these will be of someone else’s making. Then there are the difficulties that are of our own making too– bad decisions, poor behaviour and distance from the good (which I choose to call God). The result can be that, by the time we get to be not so young any more, we forget what it was like to be young and brand new. I think what my encounter with the old lady that night did for me was to remind me what it was to be brand new. You see, she didn’t just hold a memory of a ‘version’ of me. She held a memory of ‘me’. The brand new, two-month-old me, who was just starting out, all vulnerable and innocent and amazed by life. And in her
GETTING IN TOUCH AGAIN Why don’t you take some time to allow yourself to reconnect with the pure essence of who you are; not the experiences you have had or the judgements of yourself or others to which you may hold yourself to account. Allow yourself to connect to that part of you that is in there and is still innocent and brand new. Close your eyes. Stay silent for a few minutes. Breathe deeply. You could try saying, on your out-breath, "I am brand new." I believe that God beholds us with the same gaze as the old lady that night. She could see that I was a middle-aged, tired looking man. But she gazed upon me as a brand new, innocent baby. How wonderful, then, that God chose to send his son to us as a brand new, innocent baby, reminding us that this is how God sees all of us. God, right now, gazes upon you and me as being full of life and potential. God gazes on you and me with a love as intense as the sun. All we can do in the face of such a gaze is surrender and go with it.
Belfast man Jim Deeds is a poet, author, pastoral worker and retreat-giver working across Ireland.
In Tune with the Liturgy A series that highlights some of the features of the Church’s worship in the month ahead
PRAYING WITH THE ADVENT WREATH
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THE ADVENT WREATH IS NOT JUST A DECORATION. IT IS A RELIGIOUS SYMBOL THAT CAN BECOME THE CENTRE OF OUR ADVENT FAMILY PRAYER. BY SARAH ADAMS
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of the most iconic symbols of Advent is the Advent wreath. It is a beautiful symbol of the eternity of Christ and his presence in our lives. As a symbol, apart from being lit on each of the Sundays of Advent, the deeper meaning of each of those candles is often lost or unacknowledged. This is a pity, because there is a richness in the wreath which offers an opportunity for reflecting in a prayerful way during this beautiful season of preparation for Christmas. Before we look at how we might use our Advent wreath for a time of reflection, let us remind ourselves of its origins.
The Advent wreath is a beautiful symbol of the eternity of Christ and his presence in our lives The Advent wreath was first used as a Christian devotion in the Middle Ages. Its design comes from the pre-Christian Germanic and Scandinavian cultures where candles and greenery were used as symbols of light and life during the dark and cold winter. The Advent wreath has always been a circular evergreen wreath with four or five candles,
three purple, one rose and sometimes a white candle for Christmas Day placed in the centre of the wreath. The candles symbolise the light of Christ coming into the world. The evergreen symbolises renewal and the circular shape the completeness of God. The candle colours come from the traditional liturgical colours of Advent, (purple and rose) and Christmas (white). Each candle is lit on the appropriate Sunday of Advent and then the candles can be lit each day according to the week. Over time each candle was given a name and linked to a particular part of the Advent story.
In Tune with the Liturgy By Sarah Adams
Candle 1. Hope (purple) Candle 2. Peace (purple) Candle 3. Joy (rose) Candle 4. Love (purple)
O Emmanuel, Prince of Peace, Desire of the nations, Saviour of all people, Come and set us free, Lord, our God. Read: Luke 1:26-38
Praying with a focus on each candle can really help us to reflect as we journey through Advent. Just taking 15 or 20 minutes each day to pray can enrich our appreciation of the season which so often can be overtaken by the need to shop endlessly, bake, send out invites, and so on. Simply giving a short period of time allows us to breathe and refocus on why we are doing all this preparation in the first place. What follows is a format that this prayer time might take and some reflection questions for each of the weeks; it can be done as a family, a parish community or as an individual. WEEK ONE – HOPE
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Gather around the Advent wreath and light the first candle Have a moment of silence and then start with a prayer:
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Time for Reflection: In this reading we hear about Simeon’s life of hope that one day, before he died, he would see the Lord. When eventually this happens, he is filled with joy and peace. What do you hope for personally? What do you hope for in the wider world? Other than presents what is your real hope for, this Christmas? At the end of the time of reflection if you have time, you may wish to share your thoughts if you are praying together as a family or parish community. Conclude with a prayer – such as:
Lord God, you promised hope to the Israelites and you kept your promise. You promised hope in the coming of your Son and he was hope for the world. You promise hope to each one of us and we pray for your continued faithfulness. Lord we pray for strength to remain true to all you offer us. Fill us with confidence in your presence in our lives. Fill us with joy and peace as we go through this busy time of year. WEEK TWO – PEACE Gather around the Advent wreath and light two of the purple candles Have a moment of silence and then start with a prayer Prayer: Lord our God, help us to prepare the way for the coming of your Son. Let us clear the path of obstacles so that
we may serve the Lord With open minds and generous hearts. We ask this through Christ, your Son, Amen.
At the end of the time of reflection if you have time you may wish to share your thoughts if you are praying together as a family or parish community.
Read: Isaiah 2:1-5 Time for Reflection: Chris Rea’s popular song ‘Driving home for Christmas’ carries a common theme for Christmas – it is about going home to be with family, eating food and unwrapping presents, none of which is wrong. Central to Scripture is a different kind of going home. Reflecting on the passage we have just heard, we will see that going home is seeing things in a different way – it is seeing a way of life where there is no more war, where we allow God to teach us a different way of living, where peace reigns. When Martin Luther King Jr. envisioned a world without racism, he was doing more than dreaming. He was offering a vision, another way of seeing the world. If we can see the vision of a world of peace we can live it and need not wait for some long-expected future to do so. Where do you find peace in your life? How can we bring peace to others? What obstacles do you wish to overcome to be ready for Christmas? At the end of the time of reflection if you have time you may wish to share your thoughts if you are praying together as a family. Conclude with the prayer from week 1 WEEK THREE – JOY Gather around the Advent wreath and light two of the purple candles and the rose candle Have a moment of silence and then start with the prayer Prayer God of hope, who brought love into this world, be the love that dwells between us. God of hope, who brought peace into this world,
Conclude with the prayer from week 1 WEEK FOUR – LOVE Gather around the Advent wreath and light all four candles Have a moment of silence and then start with a prayer: be the peace that dwells between us. God of hope, who brought joy into this world, be the joy that dwells between us. God of hope, the rock we stand upon, be the centre, the focus of our lives always, and particularly this Advent time. Read: Isaiah 61:1-2, 10-11 Time for Reflection: A story is told of a head teacher of a boys’ secondary school. The boys were often in trouble and the head could be quite hard on them. One Christmas season, as the boys were busy preparing the Christmas crib, one of them accidentally broke one of the statues. The other boys were convinced that the poor boy would be in serious trouble. However, when the head came along and saw what had happened, she responded quite calmly. Bending down she began to put the broken statue back together piece by piece. As she did she saw the astonished look on the boys faces. She paused and then said to them, “Don’t be surprised. Did you not know that this is what Jesus came to do at Christmas, namely to heal our brokenness and make us joyful, despite our weaknesses.” Are there parts of you that are broken? In what ways would you like to be healed? Who or what needs healing in your family or community? Where do you find joy in your life and how might you share it?
Prayer O Wisdom, Holy Word of God You govern all things with your strong, yet tender care Come and show your people the way to salvation. Read: Romans 8:18-25 Time for Reflection: Christmas is almost upon us and in our reading we hear of the whole world "groaning" as if in labour in the same way that we groan inwardly for peace, for joy, for freedom from those things which oppress us. The God of love is about to enter our world, promising to free us from all that weighs us down. The God of Love, the incarnate Lord, will come once more. Will we be ready? What do you long for in your life at this time of year? What do you hope that the God of Love will bring to your life? Where in the world is there the most need for the God of love to enter? At the end of the time of reflection if you have time you may wish to share your thoughts if you are praying together as a family or a parish community. Conclude with the prayer from week 1 or one of the other prayers in the series Sarah Adams studied liturgical theology at Maynooth. She is a lay chaplain at Prior Park College, near Bath in England.
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Christmas
through the Eyes of Irish Schoolchildren, 1937-38 A VERY RICH ARCHIVE OF ORAL HISTORY WAS CREATED DURING THE SCHOOL YEAR OF 193738 WHEN 50,000 SCHOOLCHILDREN PUT ON RECORD THEIR ACCOUNT OF MANY ASPECTS OF IRISH LIFE. HERE ARE THEIR MEMORIES OF CHRISTMAS. BY SALVADOR RYAN
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September 1937 to June 1938, an ambitious and far-sighted project entitled ‘The Schools’ Scheme’ was initiated by the newly-founded Irish Folklore Commission in conjunction with the Department of Education. This involved writing to primary schools all over the country to enlist the assistance of their pupils from 11 to 14 years of age in retrieving folklore associated with their local area. Parents, grandparents, relatives and neighbours all over the country came to be enlisted as interview subjects, questioned on a large number of topics suggested by the project organisers. By the close of the project, which was deemed a “work of national importance”, more than 50,000 children from 5,000 schools in the Irish Free State had contributed to the scheme, and this would result in 1,128 numbered and bound volumes deposited in the National Folklore Archives in University College Dublin where they have since been used extensively by researchers. In recent years, the collection has been digitised and is fully searchable from one’s own computer. This has opened up the copybook records of Irish schoolchildren all over the country in 1937-38 to a much larger
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readership, and many people now enjoy searching for their parents’ or grandparents’ schoolwork, and especially seeing what their handwriting looked like at the time! The database can be accessed at www.duchas.ie/en Because the collection is now fully searchable, one can enter any particular term one wishes – a place name, school name, individual’s name, or, indeed, whatever other term one is interested in tracing. For the purposes of this article, I wish to provide a snapshot of how
schoolchildren in 1937-38 wrote about the feast of Christmas; and not only that, but also what memories of Christmas they gathered from those older interviewees with whom they spoke. PREPARING AND DECORATING THE HOUSE FOR CHRISTMAS Many of the accounts that are found in the folklore collection speak about how busy families were in preparing and decorating their houses in the lead-up to Christmas.
For a child in Killahan, County Kerry, "the first sign of Christmas is the houses are whitewashed and the places cleaned". An account from Golden in County Tipperary recalls how "there is always great joy at Christmas. Every woman is busy. My mother is very busy at Christmas always, cleaning and dusting. She has to white-wash and then everything is tossed about, dressers tables and pictures. Then all these things have to be washed and painted." An entry from Cregganbane in County Mayo prescribes the following
actions (with the misspelt words – often denoting how they were pronounced – corrected by the teacher): "It is right to white wash the house in honner of our loard. It is right to clain the chimney with ivy. It is right to have holly and ivy up on every spot and cornar of the house." In Bracknagh, County Offaly, one copybook explains that "on Christmas Eve the people make chains of berries and hang them at the doors, in the centre of them there is a cross made of berries. They put up holly and ivy in the house also." An entry from Dunmore, County Kilkenny explains that "a big plum-pudding is made a week or more before Christmas". The account from Golden adds that "it is hung out of the ceiling with holly on the top of it till Christmas Day". In Ballylosky, County Donegal, one of the entries mentions that "it is still customary to decorate the home with holly, and it is said that the red berries represent Our Lord’s Precious Blood and the prickly leaves the Crown of Thorns".
CANDLES AT CHRISTMAS Many of the writings about Christmas mention a variety of
traditions surrounding the use of candles around this time. A child from Shanakill, County Tipperary recalls how "people of this district light a candle on Christmas Eve Night. It is in memory of the time when the Holy Family were wandering around Bethlehem looking for somewhere to stay the night and the lights in the windows of the houses are supposed to show that they are welcome in each house." The report from Cregganbane, County Mayo, however, shows a variation on this theme. In this version it is not alone the Holy Family who are to be expected that night: "it is right to leave every dowar opened on Christmas night and if the dowar is opened the holy gosht will stay a copla minnits in every house". An account from Bandon, County Cork, relates how "when lighting the Christmas candle, it is the custom to have the youngest member
who does so). Before lighting the candle he first blesses himself and then sprinkles holy water on himself and the candle." The Cregganbane account adds to this custom when
This was supposed to bring good luck. The supposed origin of the practice is explained in one copybook collected from Ballydevitt Beg, County Donegal. The story relates
It is still customary to decorate the home with holly, and it is said that the red berries represent Our Lord’s Precious Blood and the prickly leaves the Crown of Thorns
of the house light it (although a report from Ballybunion notes that it is the head of the household
it relates how "it is right to let the youngest child in the house light the candles. Because that child is like the Infant Jesus coming with the light of the true faith." The candle was usually placed in a scooped out turnip or a crock of sand. There was a custom around Tulrohaun in County Mayo of lighting a three-branched tallow candle on Christmas Eve to commemorate the Trinity. The account notes that when the candle was extinguished at midnight "the triple candle remains were, however, carefully preserved until the following year as a protection against the visits of all evil spirits except whiskey"! A story from Ballybunion convent school tells how a woman who had quenched candles and put them in a drawer after midnight, got up the next morning to find the candles still lighting at both ends; and "she took it as a lesson that the Christmas candles would not burn anything" [NB: readers, please do not try this at home]. COLLECTING STRAW FROM THE CRIB An account from Ballindine in County Mayo relates how on Christmas morning when people went to Mass, they took a few wisps of straw from the crib, brought them home and put one under the rafters of each cabin and under the beds.
how Mary and Joseph are looking for lodging and one generous man would have given them lodging, but for his ungenerous wife who protested. And so they made their way to the stable instead. During the night, the unkind woman experienced a terrible pain in her side. Her husband woke and travelled to where the Holy Family were in the stable. The story continues: As he entered the door he heard the words “a generous man, and an inhospitable woman,” and the son of God lying on the straw. He said nothing but lifted a handful of straw, and returned to his own house. The straw was put to the side of the sick woman and immediately she became better. Ever since, the old people especially believe that there is a cure in the straw of which cribs are made at Christmas-time in the Catholic churches throughout Ireland, especially for a pain in the side. It is quite usual to see the people who visit the crib during the Christmas season taking away a few of the straws. An account from Ballycastle in County Mayo explains that at Christmas "the photographs of the absent ones were placed on the supper table and it was an unwritten law that all families kept to their own homes on that night. Visitors were looked upon as intruders, but all doors were open to the homeless."
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C H R I S TM A S F O L K LO R E CONCERNING ANIMALS Stories concerning animals feature regularly in Christmas folklore of the Schools’ Collection. In Dromgoosat, County Monaghan, one schoolchild recounted the legend of how the robin came to have a red breast. When soldiers were looking for Our Lord to kill him, he walked across a field where a man had sown wheat, and drops of blood fell from him along the way. When the soldiers were searching for Christ the next day, a robin on a bush flew down and "lay upon every drop of blood that marked Our Lord’s tracks and didn't leave a trace of it for the soldiers to follow, and that is why every robin has a red breast."
every ass goes down on his knees, like the one in Bethlehem". A report from Glengivney, County Donegal, adds to this claim: "at twelve o’clock on Christmas Eve, every donkey roars three times and it is said that the water is changed into wine at that moment". There was, of course, a particular significance to the midnight hour, for that is the hour when it was believed Christ had been born. An account from Castlecomer in County Kilkenny includes a traditional prayer that was recited in the region in the period before Christmas: Hail and blessed be the hour and moment, on which the Son Of God was born of the most pure Virgin Mary, at midnight in Bethlehem in piercing cold. At that same hour vouchsafe, O Lord, to hear our prayers and grant our requests. This prayer is said by many people for some days preceding Christmas, and some persons try to have it said 4,000 times before
She took the famous pudding back to the donor, thanking him, but saying she boiled it all day long and could not get a taste of soup from it Meanwhile, in Curraghcloney, County Tipperary one account states that "the old people say that at twelve o’clock every Christmas Eve, REALITY DECEMBER 2018
Christmas Day, in memory of the 4,000 years the world was waiting for the coming of the Messiah.
CHRISTMAS PUDDING Most accounts of Christmas in the folklore of the Schools’ Collection make a point of stating just how different the experience of food was at Christmas time. An entry from Dunlavin in County Wicklow explained that: Christmas was honoured very much because the people would not get meat from one end of the year to the other so they would have a great feast when Christmas would come and they would be delighted to hear that Christmas was near. When Christmas day came and the feast was performed all the family would rush to the table to see who would get the nearest to the sweet cake. One of the traditional Christmas foods was, of course, plum pudding. An account from Ballymahon in County Longford explained its origin in the following way: About four hundred years ago an old sailing ship sailing from Ireland to Spain was lost for three weeks. By this time the ship was short of food and all that was left for them to eat
was suet, raisons, flour, spice and all the other things we put in our plum puddings now. So the cook mixed all together and boiled them and they lived on plum pudding until they were saved three days later. When the ship was rescued, the cook and crew were so pleased
Blessing of the Christmas Tree We gather around the tree but the lights are not switched on. We sing a carol.
that they told everyone about the puddings. And, as it was at Christmas that the pudding was made, all the people since make plum pudding at Christmas. An informant in Ardee, County Louth, relates how Holy Water is sprinkled on the Christmas plum pudding when it is being placed in the pot. The idea is to prevent the water surrounding the pudding from entering. But not everyone, it seemed, was used to the dessert. A tale from Fethard in County Tipperary recounts how a gentleman gave a present to his workman of a plum pudding at Christmas, and the man brought the gift home to his wife. The story continues: Apparently neither had ever seen a plum-pudding. It was put down in the pot to boil in the morning. They spent most of the day tasting the water, without results, so the woman procured a rather strong fork and started prodding it. About five o’clock in the evening, when
she got tired and vexed, she took the famous pudding back to the donor, thanking him, but saying she boiled it all day long and could not get a taste of soup from it. THE WONDER OF CHRISTMAS The extracts above, taken from the school copybooks of 11- to 14-yearold children in the late 1930s, conveys something of the wonder that surrounded the Christmas feast. An account from Johnstown, Arklow, County Wicklow, captures something of the sheer magic of what was rare in the following words: "On Christmas Eve in Ireland we could compare the country with the sky lit up with stars … no wonder Our Blessed Lady likes visiting the windows when she sees how she is welcomed!" Salvador Ryan is Professor of Ecclesiastical History in St Patrick’s College, Maynooth. Among his research interests are popular religion and ritual in late medieval and early modern Europe, and especially Gaelic Ireland, and popular religion in the 19th and 20th centuries.
The father or mother leads the prayers: Each year, we remember at Christmas time the birth of Our Lord. This tree reminds us of the beauty and life of all of God’s creation. When it is adorned with lights, it reminds us too that Christ is the Light of the World. One of the children reads the account of the birth of Jesus (Luke 2: 1-7) In those days a decree went out from Emperor Augustus that all the world should be registered. This was the first registration and was taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria. All went to their own towns to be registered. Joseph also went from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to the city of David called Bethlehem, because he was descended from the house and family of David. He went to be registered with Mary, to whom he was engaged and who was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for her to deliver her child. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in bands of cloth, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn. Father or mother: Lord God, let your blessing come upon us as we illumine this tree. May the light and cheer it gives be a sign of the joy that fills our hearts. May all who delight in this tree come to the knowledge and joy of salvation. We ask this through Christ our Lord. R/. Amen. May the God of glory fill our hearts with peace and joy, now and forever. R/. Amen. The Christmas tree lights are now switched on.
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This
y e a r m a r k s th e 2 0 0 th anniversary of the birth of Cecil Frances Alexander (1818-1895) who first wrote this hymn. But her name means many people forget that she was a woman, and few people remember that she was Irishborn and the wife of a Church of Ireland Archbishop of Armagh. She wrote many poems and hymns for children, and was the author of more than 400 hymns, including ‘All Things Bright and Beautiful’. Her most famous collection, Hymns for Little Children, was published in 1848, and included the all-time Christmas favourite, ‘Once in Royal David’s City'. Cecil Frances Humphreys was born at 25 Eccles Street, Dublin, in April 1823, the second daughter and third child of Major
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John Humphreys, and his Irish wife Elizabeth Frances (née Reed). Her father had moved from Norfolk to Ireland as the land agent of the Earl of Wicklow at Shelton Abbey, and she was named after Lady Wicklow, who was born Lady Cecil Frances Hamilton. She was a child when the family moved to Strabane, County Tyrone, in 1833, when her father became the land agent of Lady Wicklow’s brother, the Marquess of Abercorn. Even as a small girl, Fanny (as she was usually known) wrote poetry in her school journal. Her early work was strongly influenced by the Oxford Movement, and John Keble edited one of her anthologies, Hymns for Little Children. Other early influences included Dante Gabriel Rossetti, the Pre-Raphaelite
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poet and artist, and his sister the poet Christina Rossetti, who was also influenced by the Oxford Movement. She married the Revd Dr William Alexander (1824-1911) in Strabane in October 1850. She was six years older than her husband, and both families initially opposed their marriage. William Alexander, the third child of Canon Robert Alexander, was a student at Oxford at the close of the Oxford Movement and came under the influence of both John Henry Newman, who was then still an Anglican, and Edward Bouverie Pusey, then the Regius Professor of Hebrew. Throughout his life, William Alexander’s theology bore the stamp of the ‘Bisley’ school of Tractarianism, gathered around John Keble’s brother, the Revd Thomas Keble
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C ELEBR AT I N G T WO AN N I V E R S AR I E S OF A FAVO U R I T E CH R I STM AS CAROL
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of Bisley, Gloucestershire. He was ordained in 1847, and after a brief curacy he was rector successively of the parishes of Castlederg (1850-1855) and Upper Fahan (1855-1860) in the north-west of Ireland, and in 1864 he became the last Dean of Saint Alibeus Cathedral in Emly, County Tipperary, before it was demolished. He became Bishop of Derry and Raphoe in 1867, and was the last bishop of the Church of Ireland to sit in the House of Lords before disestablishment in 1871. He later become Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland. Mrs Alexander took her role as an Anglican bishop’s wife seriously, accompanying her husband throughout his travels in Ireland and taking a special interest in children. Some of
AT CAROL SERVICES IN CATHEDRALS AND CHURCHES ACROSS THE WORLD, THE CELEBRATIONS OF CHRISTMAS EVE BEGIN WITH ‘ONCE IN ROYAL DAVID’S CITY', OFTEN WITH A BOY CHORISTER SINGING THE OPENING STANZA AS AN UNACCOMPANIED SOLO. 25 BY PATRICK COMERFORD
Cecil Frances Alexander’s hymns are said to have been inspired by the scenery around both Sion Mills and Strabane. She showed her concern for disadvantaged people by travelling many miles each day to visit the sick and the poor, providing food, warm clothes, and medical supplies. She and her sister also founded a school for the deaf. Like her husband, Mrs Alexander was strongly influenced by the Oxford Movement and by John Keble’s Christian Year. Her first book of poetry, Verses for Seasons, was a ‘Christian Year’ for children. She wrote hymns based on the Apostles’ Creed, Baptism, the Eucharist, the Ten Commandments and prayer, writing in simple language for children. Her more than 400 hymn texts were
Cecil Frances Alexander
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to "lowly mother", reflecting concern among some Anglicans that the word "maiden" might imply accepting belief in the perpetual virginity of the Virgin Mary. However, the original words have been restored in the fifth edition of the Irish Church Hymnal used by the Church of Ireland. Her hymn ‘Jesus calls us! O’er the Tumult’ is one of the hymns written not for children but for adults, and was originally intended as a mission hymn. At the request of HH Dickinson, Dean of the Chapel Royal in Dublin Castle, she produced an English version of a Gaelic poem, ‘Saint Patrick’s Breastplate’. The hymn, also known by its opening words, "I bind unto myself today", was first used on Saint Patrick’s Day 1889. She has been criticised for appearing to endorse the class system and social snobbery in the original third verse of her hymn, ‘All Things Bright and Beautiful’:
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A window in Saint Columb’s Cathedral, Derry, refers to three hymns by Cecil Frances Alexander: Once in Royal David’s City (left), There is a green hill far away (centre) and The Golden Gates Are Lifted Up (right) (Photograph: Andreas F Borchett/Wikipedia, Creative Copyright Licence)
published in Verses from the Holy Scripture (1846), Hymns for Little Children (1848), and Hymns Descriptive and Devotional (1858). She also contributed to the Lyra Anglicana, the SPCK Psalms and Hymns, Hymns Ancient and Modern, and other collections. Some of her narrative hymns are heavygoing, even dull. But a large number are still popular and well-loved, including ‘Once in Royal David’s City’. ‘All things Bright and Beautiful,’ ‘There is a Green Hill Far Away’ and ‘Jesus calls us! O’er the Tumult’. ‘Once in Royal David’s City’ is one the many hymns she wrote to provide simple explanations of clauses in the Apostles’ Creed, with this hymn based on the words "who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary". Stanzas 1 and 2 describe the birth of Christ in simple terms. The city, of course, is Bethlehem, his birthplace and the birthplace of his ancestor, King David. Mary and Joseph were there to be counted in the census, which determined the tax distribution and burden of many communities, and was a real REALITY DECEMBER 2018
hardship for the poor who had to travel across difficult terrain. Stanzas 3 and 4 see Christ’s childhood as a pattern and example for children in living their lives. Stanzas 4 and 5 proclaim the divinity of Christ and point to his heavenly glory, which is in sharp contrast to the humble circumstances of his birth. The Christ Child who was born in humility and poverty is not only our pattern and example but also our Redeemer, seated in glory at God’s right hand in heaven. This hymn was first published in 1848 in Hymns for Little Children, her most famous collection. A year later, the English composer and organist Henry John Gauntlett (18051876) found her poem and set it to music with the tune, ‘Irby', named after a village on the Wirral Peninsula. Over the years, many changes have been made to the wording of this hymn. Some alterations changed her original "lowly maiden"
The rich man in his castle, The poor man at his gate, God made them high or lowly, And ordered their estate.
Archbishop William Alexander: a statue in Saint Patrick’s Cathedral, Armagh, of the former Archbishop of Armagh
The Chapel of King’s College, Cambridge: the Service of Nine Lessons and Carols opens each year with ‘Once in Royal David’s City’ as the processional hymn
It has been argued she was affirming that all are equal in God’s eyes. But many later hymnals omitted this verse and many schools have banned it. She died at the Bishop’s Palace in Derry on October 12, 1895 and was buried in the hillside cemetery that inspired her hymn, 'There is a Green Hill Far Away'. A year later, her husband became Archbishop of Armagh at the age of 72 in 1896. As a bishop, he had retained his academic interests. He was the select preacher at Oxford, Cambridge and Dublin, and delivered the Bampton Lectures in Oxford. He is also mentioned by James Joyce
as part of the procession in the ‘Cyclops’ episode in Ulysses. His concerns for sound theology and good liturgy made him one of the most effective influences on the Church of Ireland after disestablishement. He retired in February 1911 at 87, and lived briefly in Torbay, where he died on September 12, 1911. This year also marks another centenary associated with Mrs Alexander’s best-known hymn. It is 100 years since the Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols in the Chapel of King’s College, Cambridge, began its Christmas Eve service in 1918 with Dr Arthur Henry Mann’s arrangement of ‘Once in Royal David’s City’ as the processional hymn.
Saint Columb’s Cathedral, Derry: the hymnwriter lived here from 1867 to 1895 and is buried on the ‘green hill’
Mann was the organist and director of music at King’s from 1876 until his death in 1929. In his arrangement, the first verse is sung by a boy chorister of the Choir of King’s Chapel as a solo. The second verse is sung by the choir, and the congregation joins in the third verse. Excluding the first verse, the hymn is accompanied by the organ. This carol was the first recording that the King’s College Choir made 70 years ago in 1948. Now, every year without fail, at 3pm on Christmas Eve, this is the opening carol from the Chapel of King’s College, and it is broadcast live from Cambridge on BBC Radio 4. For many, this carol is still a reminder that love and goodness are rare and wonderful gifts, and for many to to hear it live on BBC Radio 4 marks the true beginning of Christmas.
(Revd Canon Professor) Patrick Comerford is priest-in-charge, the Rathkeale Group of Parishes, County Limerick, and Precentor of Saint Mary’s Cathedral (Church of Ireland), Limerick
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The Call to Holiness in Today’s World
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THE CHRISTIAN’S IDENTITY CARD HAVE THE BEATITUDES OF JESUS LOST THEIR SHOCK VALUE AND LULLED US INTO COMPLACENCY? POPE FRANCIS REMINDS US THAT ACCEPTING DAILY THE PATH OF THE GOSPEL, EVEN THOUGH IT MAY CAUSE US PROBLEMS, IS HOLINESS BY MIKE DALEY
I
couldn’t blame the priest. For a complacent and comfortable congregation, myself included, he needed a little shock value. So he began his homily on Matthew 5:1-12, also known as the beginning of the Sermon on the Mount, aka the Beatitudes, with these words: Blessed are the powerful, for they shall control others. Blessed are the movers and shakers, for they shall make things happen. Blessed are the strong, the young and the beautiful, for they shall be greatly admired. Blessed are those of white, European descent, for they shall inherit the earth.
REALITY DECEMBER 2018
Blessed are the winners for they shall be lauded and applauded. Blessed are the affluent, for they shall have what they need—and want. Blessed are Americans, for they shall live in God’s beloved country. Blessed are those in authority, for they shall possess all power and truth. When we’re honest, these 'anti-beatitudes' have a greater parallel to our lived experience than the scriptural ones. If you’re anything like me, though the Beatitudes come from the very mouth of Jesus, familiarity breeds contempt. Hearing them for the umpteenth
time, they go in one ear and out the other. Nice but unrealistic. Seemingly unworkable in our contemporary, competitive, 'dog eat dog' world. Putting them in practice is like having a 'Kick Me' sign on our back. Yet, in his most recent writing 'On the Call to Holiness in Today’s World' (Gaudete et Exsultate), Pope Francis calls the Beatitudes “a Christian’s identity card”. Accordingly, Christians holiness and the Beatitudes appear inseparable. For those of us inclined to dismiss the Beatitudes, Francis cautions: “Although Jesus’ words may strike us as poetic, they clearly run counter to the way things are usually done
in our world. Even if we find Jesus’ message attractive, the world pushes us towards another way of living. The Beatitudes are in no way trite or undemanding, quite the opposite. We can only practice them if the Holy Spirit fills us with his power and frees us from our weakness, our selfishness, our complacency and our pride.” A BEATITUDINAL SAINT Pope Francis encourages us to listen anew to the Beatitudes and allow them “to unsettle us, to challenge us and to demand a real change”. Perhaps this is best seen in the life of Sr Dorothy Stang. Called the 'Angel of the Amazon', for nearly 40 years, she lived in Brazil advocating for two things: one, the poor and exploited farmers who barely eked out a living there; and, two, the tropical
they will be filled. Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven." When she finished, she closed her Bible and began walking away. It was then that the gunmen fired six shots at point blank range, killing her. In light of the example of Sr Dorothy Stang, Pope Francis remarks that “Jesus himself warns us that the path he proposes goes against the flow, even making us challenge society by the way we live and, as a result, becoming a nuis ance. He reminds us how many people have been, and still are, persecuted simply because they struggle for justice, because they take seriously their commitment to God and to others. Unless we wish to sink into an obscure mediocrity, let us not long for an easy life, for ‘whoever would save his life will lose it’ (Mt 16:25).” A BEATITUDINAL COMMUNITY It may be the Beatitudes’ 'Elephant in the Room' – the word 'blessed'. You mean to tell me that those who are poor and meek, in mourning and hungering for righteousness, who are merciful and loving, and making peace and experiencing persecution should be, as the usual translation goes, happy?! Rather than affection, this sounds more like an affliction from God. This isn’t a public relations campaign for the Beatitudes, but perhaps a better phrase or understanding of the word 'blessed' is on the right track, headed in the right direction
Jesus himself warns us that the path he proposes goes against the flow rainforest itself which was being destroyed by corporations to the point of irreversible destruction. Along with the deep respect and admiration this brought her, came suspicion and hostility. It culminated in her martyrdom on February 12, 2005. Traveling to a jungle village on a muddy road, two gunmen approached. They’d been hired by a local landowner. Ironically, they asked her if she was carrying any weapon. In response to the question, she reached into her bag, pulled out her Bible, and, reputedly said, “This is my only weapon.” She then began reciting the Beatitudes: "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for
or consecrated to or belonging to God. However one translates the Beatitudes there is something particularly paradoxical yet spiritually enriching about them and what it means to be happy and human. Responding to a call from God in 1964, Jean Vanier invited two people with intellectual disabilities to live with him in a community animated by the Gospel and the Beatitudes– to be a people and place of simplicity, gentleness, compassion, justice, and peace. From its humble beginnings in TroslyBreuil, France, today there are 147 L'Arche communities worldwide. The communities consist of approximately 8,000 members with and without intellectual disabilities who share their lives together in homes and workplaces. Ultimately, their mission is "to make known the gifts of people with intellectual disabilities, working toward a more humane society”. Speaking of the Beatitudes, Pope Francis considers how the “Gospel invites us to peer into the depths of our heart, to see where we find our security in life”. Though tempted, the Beatitudes tell us time and time again that security will never be found in things, but people and relationship. With this in mind, Francis notes: “A person who sees things as they truly are and sympathises with pain and sorrow is capable of touching life’s depths and finding authentic happiness. He or she is consoled, not by the world but by Jesus.” In closing this section, instead of seeing the Beatitudes as being expressed in extraordinary acts of courage and bravery, Francis observes, “Accepting daily the path of the Gospel, even though it may cause us problems: that is holiness.”
Mike Daley is a teacher and writer from Cincinnati, Ohio, where he lives with his wife June and their three children. His latest book, co-edited with Diane Bergant, is Take and Read: Christian Writers Reflect on Life’s Most influential Books.
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ST. MARY’S MONASTERY
REDEMPTORIST CENTRE FOR SPIRITUALITY St Mary’s Monastery, Kinnoull, Perth overlooks the city which is renowned as the ‘Gateway to the Scottish Highlands’. It is an international, multi-cultural, ecumenical place situated within its own extensive grounds and woodland and offers its visitors the opportunity for relaxation, renewal, and rest. The accommodation in the Monastery is simple but comfortable with 28 single en-suite room, 2 twin en-suite rooms and 4 single rooms with shared bathrooms. There is step free access with a lift to all rooms and free Wi-Fi throughout the building.
PROGRAMME 2019 11 - 15 Feb
The Gift of Health and Wholeness: The Healing Ministry in the Church Today.
18 - 22 Feb
Spirituality of Self Esteem
4 - 8 Mar
Silent Lenten Retreat
16 -21 Apr
Holy Week Retreat
Fr. J. McManus C,Ss.R./Ms. M.Hogg £299.00 * £299.00 * Fr. T. MacCarte C.Ss.R. £365.00 * Fr. Peter Morris C.Ss.R.
13 May - 27 Jun
Summer Sabbatical Course
The Kinnoull Sabbatical Team
£3,950.00
8 - 12 Jul
Open Retreat for All
Fr. Kieran Brady C.Ss.R.
£299.00 *
15 - 22 Jul
Retreat for Religious
Fr. J. McManus C.Ss.R.
£435.00
11 - 16 Aug
Holiday in Scotland
19 - 26 Aug
Retreat for Religious
Fr. Ciarán O'Callaghan C.Ss.R.
£435.00
09 - 13 Sept
Priest & Deacons Retreat
Fr. J. McManus C.Ss.R.
£299.00
21 Oct - 05 Dec
Autumn Sabbatical Course
The Kinnoull Sabbatical Team
£3,950.00
13 - 15 Dec
An Advent Retreat
The Redemptorist Community
£155.00 *
All accommodation is in single en-suite rooms with full board
Fr. J. McManus C,Ss.R.
£299.00 *
£355.00 *
* Concession rates on request
St. Mary’s, Kinnoull, Hatton Road, Perth PH2 7BP, UK
www.kinnoullmonastery.co.uk | info@kinnoullmonastery.co.uk
+44 (0)1738 624075
COM M E N T FAMILY & RELATIONSHIPS CARMEL WYNNE
FAMILY CELEBRATIONS
WE LOOK FORWARD TO CHRISTMAS AND OTHER FAMILY CELEBRATIONS, BUT SOMETIMES THESE EVENTS DO NOT MEET OUR EXPECTATIONS AND THEY TURN OUT TO BE STRESSFUL, TENSE TIMES WE HOPE WILL NEVER HAPPEN AGAIN. Have you ever asked yourself, “What would make Christmas happy for me?” Many of us have expectations of family celebrations that may not be met. Some people love family get-togethers. Others hate them. Tensions smoulder beneath the surface in most families and the longer people are together the greater the possibility of an impending crisis. Every family has crises; some are managed, others are resolved and some are buried without discussion or resolution. There’s truth in the saying that anticipation is better than realisation. Most people expect Christmas, birthdays, holidays and other family celebrations to be fun. Disappointment is inevitable when expectations are too high and the occasion doesn’t turn out to be as enjoyable as anticipated. People who have imbibed too generously spoil many celebrations. Under the influence they can be insensitive and say things that rankle and hurt. Even when you’re looking forward to Christmas there’s bound to be some level of upheaval. Change upsets our normal routines and loads on extra work. Making plans, buying gifts, and budgeting for the extra expense involved generates stress. Any extra commitments will take up time and energy. Wondering how to manage all these changes in an already busy schedule is bound to create stress and uncertainty.
Often the people we live with bear the brunt of our stress when we ’re overextended, anxious or drained of energy. People who are under pressure don’t sleep well. Some get over-tired, wake up exhausted and can be very cranky without realising this. The level of stress and anxiety you experience coming up to family celebrations is often a measure of how you feel about meeting and spending time with different family members. Family get-togethers are a test of how well you relate, how much you genuinely like as well as love family members. Whether we are entertaining or being entertained we have expectations of how we want to feel appreciated and loved. Everyone could benefit from support when coping with additional work. The people who present as super-efficient are often the ones who need it most. Not everybody is willing to take help when it is offered. Perfectionism is sometimes an impediment to either offering or accepting assistance. The tragedy for the super-efficient mother, who does everything for the family, who makes the needs of everyone else more important than her own, is that she is a poor role model for her children. If they are not trained to be co-operative, to see when help or support is needed she has failed them.
No parent sets out to make children selfish. Entitled people, who take all that is done for them for granted, can appear ungrateful. Lacking any insight into the huge work-load involved in preparing, cooking and serving a meal, they sit back and relax, puzzled as to why some relatives say they are spoilt. Ideally the cook would be able to ask for the help he or she needs in the kitchen. A good reason why people who could do with help avoid asking for it is that it’s not worth the trouble. Sometimes it’s wiser to manage alone. Issues around what ingredients go in the stuffing or how the potatoes should be cut could cause a disagreement that would possibly lead to untimely arguments and delay a meal. People can be surprised to learn that harmony is not a good measure of the happiness level in any family. Differences of opinion occur in every family. A scenario that is familiar to many of us is the tingle of expectations, waiting for what will spark the argument between family members who seem to enjoy a good row. In some families conflict casts a shadow over celebrations. In others heated exchanges are enjoyed. If family members have the freedom to talk openly, argue and listen with respect to other viewpoints, they engage in a healthy way and their relationships become more loving and deeper. When
arguments lead to conflict you will usually find there are unresolved historical issues simmering under the surface. Old grievances emerge when alcohol is taken and tongues are loosened. However isn’t there something comfortable and safe about being able to take our family relationships for granted? There are different degrees of how much we enjoy being with our extended family. Even when the anticipated spats happen, rather than find them upsetting, some of us enjoy their familiarity. This acceptance of how our family members relate allows us to relax into bonding with our family. You cannot give to others what you do not have for yourself. So make yourself happy this Christmas. Your family will enjoy being with you because happiness is infectious. Merry Christmas.
Carmel Wynne is a life and work skills coach and lives in Dublin. For more information, visit www.carmelwynne.org
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Praying with the Rosary – The Second Joyful Mystery prayer corner
The Visitation THE VISITATION IS ONE OF THE SCENES TO WHICH WE RETURN SEVERAL TIMES IN THE ADVENT LITURGY. MARK YOUR BIBLE AT ST LUKE’S ACCOUNT OF THE MEETING OF MARY AND HER COUSIN (LUKE 1:39-56) BY GEORGE WADDING CSsR
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I came to breakfast the morning after the angelic visitation my mother said to me: “You look excited. It must be your wedding. Did you sleep well?” “Yes Imah, I slept very well, thank God!” Then, after a little pause, I said. “You know, while I was praying last night a heavenly visitor spoke to me.” “Yes?” said mother, waiting for me to elaborate. “He had great news. Cousin Elizabeth is expecting a baby.” Not for a moment did mother ever challenge the truth of what I told her. She did what she always did when she heard good news; she clasped her chest and said a heartfelt “Thank God – for his mercies are without end!” You see, in our society a woman’s value was often measured by her ability to bear children. We had often spoken about cousin Elizabeth among ourselves; a childless old age was a painful and lonely experience for herself and Zechariah, but it did not dim their trust in God. “But Imah,” I said, “Elizabeth is already six months pregnant. She’ll be so weak! Shouldn’t I go and help her? Can you spare me? It would only be a few months. I’m sure Joseph will understand…” “Yes, she will need help. Yes, I can spare you. Yes, Joseph will understand. But Ein Karem is over 80 miles away. I’ll talk to your father and we’ll ask around to see if any of our cousins are going that
REALITY DECEMBER 2018
way soon. For now, though, just eat your breakfast and fetch some water." MEETING I got ready, and set off south with my travelling companion, my cousin Amran and some friends. When we arrived safely at the home of Elizabeth and Zechariah, I called through the open door, “Shalom! Anybody home?” Elizabeth arrived out from the back of the house looking shocked. “O Miriam,” she cried with delight, “shalom, welcome, welcome! The minute I heard your voice the child in my womb gave a mighty leap.” Then, visibly filled with the Holy Spirit and with tears of joy, she exclaimed: “Dearest child, of all the women on this earth you are surely the most privileged and what an astonishing blessing is the child you carry in your womb! I don’t deserve the honour of this visit from the mother of our Messiah. You are but a child yourself but what great faith you have to believe what the angel said to you!” “We are both blessed, Elizabeth. How can we ever give thanks to God! Ever since the angel appeared to me I can hardly contain my joy. I am just an ordinary country girl, I have few of this world’s possession, yet the Lord has chosen me. For ages to come people will surely speak my name with reverence because of the Lord’s graciousness. All along the way here the words of Hannah, Samuel’s mother,
kept breaking into my prayer… ‘My heart rejoices in the Lord… the bows of the mighty are broken but those who stumbled are armed with strength… She who was barren has borne seven children… The Lord raises the poor from the dust… he seats them with princes...'" Her husband Zachary came out to see what was happening. He smiled a warm welcome when he saw me but he could not speak. “Goodness me!” I said, “what has happened to Zachary?” “There’s much to tell you, Miriam. It will hold. Forgive my bad manners! Please come in, come in. You must be exhausted after your journey. We can chat while I prepare a little food for us all.” At first our chat was just exchanging news – how was everyone in Nazareth? Was the harvest good? Were my parents, Joachim and Anne, keeping well? And so on… ZACHARY’S STORY Later, when all was quiet, I asked again about Zechariah. Elizabeth explained: “As a descendent of Aaron, Zachary is automatically a priest, as you know. One day six months ago, Zechariah’s name was drawn by lot, and he was given the privilege of entering the Holy Place and burning the incense. It was one chance in a lifetime.” “Now, it has always been an sadness to us that we
Visitation of the Virgin Mary, in the Basilica of Saint Frediano, Lucca, Tuscany, Italy
had no children. God knows, it was not for want of trying and praying. Zachary and I prayed the prayer of Hannah, ‘O Lord Almighty if you will only look on your servants’ misery and remember us, and not forget your servants but give us a son, then we will give him to the Lord for all the days of his life.’ But our prayers had gone unanswered.” “Anyhow, Zachary’s big day came… Tell the rest of it yourself,” she said, pushing the slate towards her husband. He wrote slowly… “Yes, my moment came to burn the incense… I was inside the Holy Place. The people were outside. The smoke drifting heavenward symbolised their prayers ascending to God’s throne. Suddenly, an angel appeared on the right side of the altar of incense. I was terrified." “As I was,” I interjected. Zachary smiled at me and continued writing… “But the angel said, ‘Do not be afraid, Zachary, your prayer has been answered. Elizabeth will bear you a son; you will call him John.'” Again I interrupted his writing: "What a lovely name; John – The Lord is gracious and my son will be called Jesus – The Lord saves." Zachary continued writing his story: “Your son, said the angel, will be your heart’s delight and joy. And many people will give thanks to God because of him. He will be one of the ‘greats’ in God’s eyes. Like the great Samson and Samuel,
he will keep the Nazirite vow of consecration to God, he will not drink wine or any other fermented drink. He will be filled with the Holy Spirit even from birth…” FULL OF THE SPIRIT At this point Elizabeth looked into her husband’s eyes. “Zach,” she said, “already this prophesy has been fulfilled.” He looked puzzled. She went on: “The minute I heard Miriam’s voice, the same Spirit that prompted me prompted our baby; he leaped for joy as if already acknowledging the presence of the Saviour in our midst.” A tear moistened Zachary’s eye as he wrote: “It’s as the angel said: our child would go ahead of the Lord to prepare a way for him among God’s chosen people. It was then, Miriam, that I doubted. Elizabeth and I were too old. How could we possibly have a child? Straight away the angel identified himself as the angel Gabriel and he said ‘you will be silent and not able to speak until your child is born’. So, I remain silent. And as surely as dear Elizabeth is now pregnant, so surely will my speech return when our baby is born… That’s my story, Miriam. How can I thank the Lord for his goodness to us!” I stayed on in Ein Karem helping Elizabeth through the final months of her pregnancy. I had my own share of morning sickness and lack of energy, but it was a labour of love. Eight days after their child
was born, he was circumcised and was given the name John in spite of the protest of relatives who objected that ‘John’ was not a family name. But Zachary persisted, and no sooner was the child named than Zachary’s tongue unfastened and he uttered a beautiful song of praise which had been germinating in his heart over the previous months of silence: Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, because he has come and redeemed his people… As for you, my child, you will be called a prophet of the Most High God, for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for him, to give his people the knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins… My relatives collected me a day or two later to take me home to Nazareth where Imah and Abba were waiting to hear the wonderful stories of God’s love and providence I had to tell them. Shortly afterwards, Joseph and I were married and moved into our new home. Fr George Wadding CSsR is a member of the Redemptorist Community at Dun Mhuire, Griffith Avenue, Dublin. His most recent book is Praying with St Gerard, the Family Saint (Redemptorist Communications).
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F E AT U R E
“I FEEL HELD. I’M VERY LUCKY.” Fr Tony Coote and Walk While You Can IF YOU LIVE ANYWHERE BETWEEN LETTERKENNY AND BALLYDEHOB, YOU MAY HAVE ENCOUNTERED A COLOURFUL BUNCH OF PEOPLE LAST JULY OR AUGUST. THE EVENT WAS WALK WHILE YOU CAN, A FUNDRAISING INITIATIVE TO SUPPORT THOSE WITH MOTOR NEURONE DISEASE (MND). FR TONY COOTE MADE THE DECISION TO WALK THE LENGTH OF IRELAND AFTER HIMSELF BEING DIAGNOSED LAST MARCH. TO DATE MORE THAN €500,000 HAS BEEN RAISED FOR RESEARCH AND PATIENT CARE. BY TRÍONA DOHERTY
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Anyone
who knows Fr Tony Coote will tell you that he has always had a contagious zest for life. As administrator of Kilmacud and Mount Merrion parishes in Dublin, the popular 53-year-old priest is known for his boundless energy and generosity, his gift for hitting the right note no matter the occasion or congregation, and his trademark brief but profound three-minute sermons. In March 2018 Fr Tony’s life changed rapidly and immeasurably when, after a couple of falls, he was diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease. Like anyone receiving news of a terminal illness, the news shook him to his core. “I was so shocked that I fell on the floor because it’s like a bolt of lightning,” he recalls. “There are 130 people diagnosed with MND every year. It is a horrendous condition, and very debilitating, more so than any other illness. While cognitively you remain clear, physically you deteriorate very rapidly. Some people have 20 years after their diagnosis but in my case it has been very rapid, so I have less time than others might with this condition.” Never one to be struck down by adversity, Fr Tony resolved to do something positive with his situation. Upon receiving his diagnosis he soon discovered that MND resources in the Republic of Ireland were scarce, with lengthy waiting lists, medication that is REALITY DECEMBER 2018
24 years old, and just three nurses covering the 400 people living with MND in Ireland. He made the decision to walk the length of Ireland, while he was still able to do so, in order to raise funds and to help highlight the need for further funding in this area. WALK WHILE YOU CAN With the support of Fr Tony’s parish, family, friends, former colleagues from UCD where he
spent time as chaplain, and an army of volunteers, the Walk While You Can event took shape. The 500km walk from Letterkenny, County Donegal to Ballydehob, County Cork took place between July 10 and August 6, and was divided up into 21 stages. Participants were asked to carry a yellow balloon as a symbol of hope, and the fundraising target was set at €250,000 to help with research into new treatments and to support care for MND sufferers.
Fr Tony with RTÉ personality, Des Cahill, at the launch of Walk While You Can
Fr Tony with members of Shannon GAA when the walk passed through Shannon on July 27
Participants joined in one or as many stages of the walk as they liked, with Fr Tony leading the way along with three of his brothers (including one who travelled home from Australia specially) and several nieces and nephews. He thoroughly enjoyed the experience. “It was very heartening and I enjoyed every moment of the walk. I have no regrets. Some people told me I shouldn’t do it, or that I would get infections. But as one lady put it, being out in the fresh air would do me good.” What Fr Tony and the organisers hadn’t anticipated was the enthusiasm of the droves of supporters along the way, with families, parishes, schools, businesses and community groups turning out to offer their support in a variety of ways. “We were 27 days on the road. I loved meeting people and enjoying the hospitality, people’s generosity really spilled out,” says Fr Tony. “Every village and town had something to offer, whether it was sandwiches, tea, cake, or accommodation. I would love to do it all again. The people we met along the way made it all worthwhile. “The best thing about it has been the awareness of the illness. More people now know what it is and how it affects people. When you can put a face to an illness it has more impact than the CEO of an organisation telling you about it. Seeing is believing.” Between the walk and a host of other fundraising events, from cake sales and sponsored runs to choral recitals and CD recordings, the €250,000 goal was soon smashed and has since more than doubled. The fundraising efforts are ongoing; one major event that took place recently was a concert in Mount Merrion Church organised by a local school and featuring Johnny Logan, Brian Kennedy,
Liam Ó Maonlaí and Moya Brennan. Kevin Miney, who helped out with the media and promotion of Walk While You Can, says the event has really brought people together. “It was a wonderful experience and a great success. At the start of something like this you can feel like it is insurmountable, but this project brought out the best in people and there was such a groundswell of support. This was partly as a result of who Fr Tony is – he is a very dynamic person with a magnetic personality and people find it hard to say no to him! He is so well liked and he really lives the Christian message. “He has motivated an army of volunteers. At the First Communion Mass this year, one of the children stood up at the end and said that they were all going to give half the money they received as gifts to Walk While You Can. A lot of people are hurting about Fr Tony, but at the same time there is a massive amount of hope and positivity.” GET UP AND GO “Get up and get going” has always been Fr Tony’s philosophy, which very much ties in with the message of Walk While You Can. “I’ve always had the idea that if there are obstacles in front of me, I will work out how to meet those challenges. I’m in a wheelchair now as I have no power in my legs, and my hands are fairly immobile. But I’m still saying Mass, I do funerals, baptisms – I do what I can, while I can, and when I can’t, well then I can’t. Of course there is frustration at the things I can’t do easily. Things have changed so rapidly and I miss how life was. But in the words of Jesus, you never know the day or the hour. I don’t feel angry or sorry for myself. As I say: Why not me? Why should it always
be someone else?” While accepting his condition with remarkable positivity, Fr Tony admits he finds it strange when he is described as ‘an inspiration’. “Most people who have a terminal illness bear it with dignity. So many people say to me ‘You’re such an inspiration.’ I always say to them ‘You’d be the same.’ I don’t see myself as an inspiration; I am just living. If people think coping with an illness is inspiring, so be it. It does make you live with your eyes open. I am more keenly aware of my mortality, and of the small moments in life. I have less energy, yet I have more energy to live,” he reflects. Much of this zest for life is a direct result of the support he continues to receive from his friends, parishioners and wider community. “In the parishes of Mount Merrion and Kilmacud everyone is praying for me and lighting candles. People bring me brown bread, jam, cakes, meals, the odd bottle of wine, it is overwhelming. I have a nurse, Adam, who lives with me full-time and he is wonderful. The diocese has been very helpful. I have a group of priest friends who I’ve been meeting every Sunday night for 26 years, and they call in to see me during the week too,” says Fr Tony. “I have always had a strong faith. Abraham never saw the Promised Land, but he never gave up his faith in God’s plan. Jesus had to undergo suffering. I don’t feel abandoned or forsaken, I feel held. I’m very lucky.”
The funds raised through Walk While You Can go to the Irish Motor Neurone Disease Association (IMNDA) who support people with MND and their carers, and Research Motor Neurone (RMN) which promotes research into the causes and treatments of MND. For information on these organisations see www.imnda.ie and www.mnd.ie, or to read more about Walk While You Can, visit www.wwyc.ie. Tríona Doherty is a freelance journalist and a regular contributor to Reality
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Walk took place between
JULY 10TH TO AUGUST 6TH 2018
HOPE
#walkwithtony
DONATE ON
WALK WHILE SUPPORT RESEARCH YOU AND CARE CAN FIGHTING FR. TONY COOTE
LETTERKENNY TO BALLYDEHOB
MOTOR NEURONE DISEASE
WWYC.ie Walk While You Can is all about bringing people and communities across Ireland together to raise vital awareness and support for Motor Neurone Disease. We walked the length of Ireland this July and August to generate funds and help highlight the need for more funding in this area – and it would mean so much if you could be there with us. By supporting our walk, you are not only lending your voice to our call for better supports and services for people living with the condition but making those supports possible.
F E AT U R E
ENDING
IN THAILAND FOR CHILDREN IN THAILAND, LIFE CAN BE DIFFICULT AND FRAUGHT WITH DANGER. NEARLY 11 MILLION CHILDREN BETWEEN THE AGES OF 5 AND 17 ARE WORKING IN THAILAND. CHILD LABOUR IS PREVALENT AND MIGRANT CHILDREN ARE BEING USED TO MEET THE DEMANDS OF THAILAND’S GROWING ECONOMY. BY GEMMA SHAW
Often
childrenfrom Cambodia, Myanmar and Laos suffer exploitation in the fish packing, construction, agriculture and sex industries. Rather than enjoying their childhood, these children are forced to work long hours for very little pay and are often subject to abusive and degrading working conditions. Traffickers often offer large sums of money to parents in exchange for their child’s labour. This is an attractive prospect in poorer, rural communities, where education on the realities these
children will face is lacking. Safe Child Thailand is working to stop this exploitation of children in Thailand. The charity has been working to support the most vulnerable children in Thailand for the past 35 years. Through partnerships with local organisations, Safe Child Thailand empowers children to reach their fullest potential. Safe Child Thailand was formed in 1982 to support the work of an Irish-American Redemptorist priest, Father Ray Brennan. Father Ray, as he was known, worked tirelessly on behalf of
the poorest, most vulnerable children in Thailand. For 29 years, he reached children all over Thailand, supporting children with disabilities, children from poor families, and children whose parents had fallen victim to exploitation themselves. Though Father Ray passed away in 2003, his legacy of helping those most in need lives on through the organisations that carry on his work. Safe Child Thailand currently works with over 20 partners throughout Thailand dedicated to keeping children safe from harm. This
includes work to rescue children from exploitation and raise awareness in communities about the dangers of children being lured into child labour and the sex industry. Children are heavily exploited in the sex industry in Thailand. Many children are forced to work in the industry or are drawn into exploitation by false promises. One such example is Myine*. Myine is a boy from a minority hill tribe who moved to the city at the age of 15 in search of job opportunities not available in his village.
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Lacking a Thai ID, Myine was not able to find a job. Myine agreed to pay 70,000 baht (£1,802) to the village leader to help him get his ID card but he never received it. Being in debt for this huge amount of money forced Myine to work in a massage parlour where he was sexually exploited. Safe Child Thailand’s local partner met Myine during one of their many outreach efforts to the massage parlour. During the day, Myine would visit their dropin centre and share his dreams of leaving the massage parlour with the team. Having worked as a sex worker for the past four years, Myine has only recently been able to pay off the massive debt that he owed. One day, after hours REALITY DECEMBER 2018
of consultation with his case manager, he decided to return to his village and turn his back on sex work for good. He plans to spend his small amount of savings on land where, with the support of the drop-in centre, he will grow crops to sell to local restaurants. Myine wants to get his whole family involved in farming in order to protect his younger siblings from being pushed towards the sex industry. Being close to the city, Myine continues to visit the drop-in centre to meet with the team and use their computer facilities to learn how to run his business. With the help of the team, Myine is now able to thrive in his village and have a life beyond the horrors of the city’s massage parlours.
Without the help of Safe Child Thailand, Myine would not have had the support to return to his community and leave the sex industry. Many children are not afforded the same support as Myine received. In addition to working with children who have become victims of exploitation, Safe Child Thailand also works to prevent children from being exploited in the future. Poverty and a lack of education are the main contributing factors leading to children being forced into work. Safe Child Thailand provides education, microloans and training to children and their families in poor communities to enable them to care for their children. This keeps children out
of the labour market and allows them to have a happy and fulfilled childhood. Nanu*, a nine-year-old girl living in northwest Thailand, is one of the children who has benefitted from this work. She lives with her mother, her five-year-old sister, Lee*, and her 11-month-old baby brother in one of the poorest regions in the country. Last year, Nanu’s father fell sick and sadly passed away, leaving his wife a widow with three children to support. Without a source of income, the family had nowhere to live and were forced to leave their home. During this time, Nanu and Lee had to leave school in order to work to help their mother earn money. Their family situation left Nanu and Lee
FR RAY BRENNAN CSsR
especially vulnerable to traffickers and exploitation. Luckily for the sisters, the teachers at their school had received training in child protection from one of Safe Child Thailand’s local partners. The teachers recognised the vulnerable position Nanu and Lee were in and contacted support workers to see if they could help. With their support, Nanu’s mother was able to set up her own business weaving traditional baskets. This enables her to earn an income for the family while still being able to care for her children. Nanu and Lee have since gone back to school to resume their studies. Preventing children from ending up in exploitative labour
industries is at the forefront of Safe Child Thailand’s work. By providing families with the support they need to keep their children in school, Safe Child Thailand has prevented many vulnerable children from being lured into forced labour and the sex industry. Last year, Safe Child Thailand was able to reach over 13,000 children. This year the charity hopes to help even more by working with local partners to reach the most vulnerable children. With your support, Safe Child Thailand can help end child exploitation in Thailand. * denotes that names have been changed
Fr Ray Brennan was an American Redemptorist. He grew up in an Irish-American family in the tough south side of Chicago. Following his ordination, Fr Ray was posted to Thailand. After ten years in Thailand’s northeast, he was assigned to the seaside fishing village of Pattaya, which was growing in size due to its popularity as a ‘rest and relaxation’ destination for US soldiers fighting in the Vietnam War. After one year in Pattaya something happened that would change the course of Fr Ray’s life forever. One day, at the end of a Sunday service, a woman approached him with a baby in her arms. She told him that the father of the baby, her former husband, had run away, and she had since found a new husband. However, as is common in many cases, her new husband would have nothing to do with the child. Fr Ray said that he would take the child, even though he did not have any experience taking care of a child. When Fr Ray accepted the child, he was not aware of how many lives this one action was going to change. During the Vietnam War many children were born to Thai mothers and American fathers. These children were not accepted by society. Word soon travelled around town about the work Fr Ray was doing, and more children arrived. Poor Thais arrived and asked this American priest to take care of their child, as they were too poor to provide what the child needed. For almost 30 years, Fr Ray worked tirelessly to provide a home for the homeless and an education for the uneducated. He became ‘father’ to hundreds of orphaned babies, neglected children and abused teenagers. He became a hero to many people living with a disability; he gave them an education, and the confidence to hold their heads high and be equals in society. Fr Ray died on August 16, 2003 but his legacy lives on to this day.
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WINTER
From the author of Seeing Anew and Whispers in the Stillness
Martina Lehane Sheehan
Waiting in Mindful Hope Re-released for the American market
A perfect companion for the Advent season
Available in Veritas
Ennismore Retreat Centre ST DOMINIC’S
Friday 30th November to Sunday December 2nd
Waiting in Mindful Hope (Advent weekend Retreat) Martina Lehane Sheehan Cost Res- €175 – Non/Res €100
Wishing all our friends a happy Christmas and a peaceful 2019
Ennismore Retreat Centre is set in 30 acres of wood, field and garden overlooking Lough Mahon on the River Lee. It’s the ideal place for some time-out, reflection and prayer. For ongoing programmes please contact the Secretary or visit our website Tel: 021-4502520 Fax: 021-4502712 E-mail: ennismore@eircom.net www.ennismore.ie
D EVELOPMENT IN AC T IO N
VICTIMS OF VIOLENCE IN SOUTH SUDAN AND YEMEN To be helped by Trócaire’s Christmas Appeal
THIS YEAR TRÓCAIRE’S CHRISTMAS APPEAL WILL HIGHLIGHT THE PLIGHT OF PEOPLE WHO HAVE BEEN THE VICTIMS OF VIOLENCE IN THE DEVELOPING WORLD. CONFLICT AFFECTS MILLIONS OF PEOPLE WORLDWIDE AND WITH THE SUPPORT OF THE PUBLIC IN IRELAND, TRÓCAIRE IS RESPONDING WHERE MOST NEEDED. BY DAVID O'HARE
In
Yemen, a child dies every ten minutes from a preventable disease. The UN is warning of the "worst famine in 100 years". Right now, more than five million people are at risk of starvation. In South Sudan, more than four million people have had to leave their homes and are living in camps inside and outside the country. A recent peace agreement has given hope to the people of South Sudan, but seven million people are still in need of food aid. Trócaire is responding to these conflicts in Yemen and South Sudan, and in many other countries across the world. The organisation is providing life-saving assistance to support people to live a life of dignity. Trócaire is asking people at home in Ireland for help this Christmas – to offer love and support by providing food, water, shelter and safety to those desperately in need. The support from Ireland makes a real difference. Four young children left orphaned by South Sudan’s senseless war are rebuilding their lives thanks to this support. Siblings Nelson (14), Gilbert (10), Godfrey (12) and Beatrice (9) were at home when their parents were killed by an armed gang. The four children were left defenceless and on their own. Like millions more, they fled South Sudan and sought refuge in neighbouring Uganda. Here, in a refugee camp, they met a remarkable man who has kept them safe. David Mutamuta, a fellow refugee from
David Mutamuta with the four refugee children he has fostered.
South Sudan’s war, took the children in and is raising them as his own. “They lost their parents, so I am fostering them,” he says. “Their father, mother and two small sisters were killed. They went deep in the bush to get maize. The rebels saw them there and they were killed.” David’s love and support has given the children another chance at life but he knew he couldn’t do this by himself. David worked as a laboratory technician in South Sudan but support from Trócaire has allowed him to retrain as a farmer to begin his own business. “I am doing agriculture as a business,” he says of the support Trócaire is providing. “I grow vegetables that we eat but I also sell to other people.” The business is providing food for
Photo: Niamh McCarthy
David and his four fostered children. What they want most of all is to return home, together. However, while war rages, nobody knows when that will be. “It will take some time before we can take that risk,” he says. In South Sudan too the donations made to Trócaire are helping save lives. Ania (not her real name) knows how close she came to losing her eight-yearold daughter. In a country where a child dies every ten minutes from preventable diseases, little Malak almost became another innocent victim of Yemen’s brutal war. With conflict raging all around her, Malak fell ill. A deadly cholera outbreak was sweeping through their neighbourhood so Ania knew instantly that her daughter’s life was in danger.
“She started to vomit but her condition soon deteriorated,” says Ania. “I started to worry. I knew it was serious. The hospital is very far away and I didn’t have enough money to get there.” Ania’s brother gave her the €3 she needed to get Malak to the hospital. Even then, she was worried about how she would be able to pay for treatment. She was relieved to discover that Trócaire supporters in Ireland were paying for her daughter’s life-saving medicine. “The doctors put a needle in Malak’s arm with a liquid to help her,” she says. “They said she will be better soon. They explained that all the cholera medication is being paid for so I don’t have to pay anything.” Trócaire supporters are funding a lifesaving cholera response project in Yemen. This project provides cholera medicine and tablets to hospitals, allowing doctors to save the lives of people affected by the outbreak of the disease. Ania knows that without this support, she may have lost her daughter forever. “Thank you Trócaire and the people of Ireland for helping the Yemeni people,” she said. “May God bless you all. You saved my daughter’s life and many others in the same hospital.” To support the Trócaire Christmas Appeal visit www.trocaire.org/ christmas or call 1850 408 408 (0800 912 1200 in NI).
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CO M M E N T REALITY CHECK PETER McVERRY SJ
JESUS – BORN INTO POVERTY
THE SOCIETY INTO WHICH JESUS WAS BORN WAS ONE OF GROSS INEQUALITY. THE SOCIETY IN WHICH WE CELEBRATE HIS BIRTH IS ALSO ONE OF GROSS INEQUALITY. IN IRELAND TODAY, WEALTH IS BEING INCREASINGLY ACCUMULATED BY THOSE WHO ARE ALREADY WEALTHY.
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The society into which Jesus was born was a society of gross inequality. While the majority of the population lived at a subsistence level, about 7 or 8 per cent were extremely wealthy. It was an agricultural society, so wealth was land. The friends and supporters of the king got wealthy by accumulating land, which the king simply confiscated from small landholders, often because they could not pay the exorbitant taxes levied on them. The small landowners were then thrown off their land into homelessness, in order to make the wealthy even wealthier. Today we would call it a 'land grab'. Jesus focused, not on how wealth was obtained (everyone knew how it was obtained!) but on what the wealthy did – or did not do – with their wealth. And he told stories. The rich man, who feasted sumptuously every day while the poor man sat at the gates of his mansion, hoping to get the crumbs that fell from the rich man’s table. At the end of the story, it is the poor man who will enjoy God’s hospitality in the Kingdom of God, the rich man will experience God’s displeasure. The rich landowner, who had a bumper harvest, and instead of using his surplus to feed the hungry, decides to store up his harvest for his own enjoyment. At the end of the story, Jesus tells his listeners that
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those families out onto the streets. Those made homeless are told that this is unfortunately necessary to re-capitalise the banks so that they can continue lending. Greed has become embedded in our economic structures. The wealthy shareholders of vulture funds are descending on Ireland to buy up distressed mortgages and they will, in time – when property values reach their peak – evict those households so that they can sell their homes to maximise their profits. Today we call it a 'property grab'. God will not allow him to enjoy his wealth. The workers who waited in the market square to see if the rich vineyard owner would pick them for work, so that they could feed their family that day. No work, no food. Jesus was outraged and tells his listeners that God will ensure that everyone will be able to feed their family, regardless of the number of hours they worked. Jesus was appalled that the people of God, who hadn’t a penny between them when God rescued them from slavery in Egypt, had now developed enormous inequality, with many living in poverty and hardship while others lived in luxury. This is not how God wanted God’s people to live. God wanted them to love each other, care for each other and share with each other.
Jesus was born into poverty. Only someone who has lived in poverty can understand the poor, their frustrations, their oppression, their hopes and dreams. To the poor and unwanted, Jesus was one of their own. He lived amongst the poor, he ate with those who were unwanted. That is why Jesus was able to talk about wealth and oppression with passion, and why the poor came to listen to him, often for hours on end. Today’s world is very different to the world that Jesus lived in. But the same greed and indifference exists. In Ireland today, wealth is increasingly being accumulated by the already wealthy. Banks, who are making €1 billion profit each year, (tax-free), are repossessing the homes of ordinary people – some of whom cannot pay the exorbitant interest (by European standards) levied on their mortgages – and putting
Some corrupt landlords are evicting families into homelessness so that they can rent out their property to people who can afford to pay higher rents. Br Kevin’s food centre in Dublin feeds over 800 people every day, including an increasing number of families. Other food centres feed smaller numbers. While they all treat those who come with great dignity and respect, in effect, these are people who have to beg for their food or go hungry, as some had to do in Jesus’ day. To understand homelessness and poverty, we have to ask where is all the wealth going and how is it being used. Jesus, in his day, asked that question. He was crucified.
For more information or to support the Peter McVerry Trust: www.pmvtrust.ie info@pmvtrust.ie +353 (0)1 823 0776
GOD’S WORD THIS SEASON KEEP WATCH The Advent liturgy opens, not with a meditation on the coming of the Word as a little child at Christmas, FIRST SUNDAY but on his Second Coming OF ADVENT at the end of human history. Jesus is teaching his disciples in the temple of Jerusalem. They were country boys, overawed by the splendour of the great city. The massive beautifully-cut stones of the temple looked as though they could last forever. In fact, the temple would be totally destroyed in about 40 years’ time, after a savage war with the
Romans, and about ten years or so before Luke wrote his Gospel. For both Jews and Christians who had lived through it, the war and the destruction of the Temple was ‘the end of the world'. It meant the end of the religious world they knew with its priesthood and sacrifices. Many wondered how much longer the rest of creation could endure. Jesus assured his disciples that the world will certainly end, but not immediately. When the time would come, the same sense of panic and crisis that had occurred during the Jewish war with Rome would be repeated, and if anything, on a grander scale. Although neither Jesus nor Luke provide us
SALVATION STARTS TODAY DECEMBER Today’s Gospel begins with a catalogue of names and places. Some of them, like SECOND SUNDAY Pontius Pilate and the high priests Annas and OF ADVENT Caiphas, will appear again in the Gospel story. Like the good historian he is trying to be, St Luke anchors his story of Jesus firmly in history. He begins with the most important of the names, the Roman Emperor, Tiberius. Tiberius ruled from 14 to 37 AD, so his 15th year would mean that the preaching of John the Baptist began about 29 AD. Two members of the Herod family are mentioned, another Herod and his brother Philip. They were sons of Herod the Great, who ruled when Jesus was born. Then there was Lysanias, lesser-known ruler of the small territory of Abilene to the north-east of Galilee. Luke’s careful dating of the call of John is his way of stressing the world-shattering importance of the events that took place in a remote colony of the Roman Empire. Within 30 years or so, however, the messengers of the obscure prophet Jesus whose coming was proclaimed by John had reached the capital of the Empire itself.
The most important thing Luke says about John is contained in one short sentence: "the Word of the Lord came to John, son of Zecharaiah, in the wilderness." Luke is borrowing here from the Old Testament. The phrase, "the Word of the Lord came to X…" is common throughout the books of the prophets to describe how they were inspired by God. He borrows another phrase, "in the wilderness". Many of the great acts of God in Israel’s history took place in the desert. Just as Elijah, the first great prophet, lived in the desert, so too does John. Like Elijah he is also something of a wild man in his dress and food. Today’s liturgy does not present John simply as a messenger of Jesus. In his own right, he is a messenger of salvation, bringing, like Baruch (first reading), a word of hope. Through his vigorous preaching, he calls people to a change of heart. The good news for today is that God comes as a saving God. Salvation is a key word in Luke’s Gospel. It will not come at a distant time in the future: it comes "‘today" (another of Luke’s key words). It comes "today" to people like Zacheus the tax collector who make room for Jesus at their table, or like the Good Thief who is told "today, you will be with me in paradise."
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with any timetable for the ‘end of the ages', they do tell us how to act in the meantime: "Watch yourselves or your hearts will be coarsened." It is easy to fall into the trap of keeping up with the times, of buying into false value-systems. Advent invites us to be more self-critical, to become aware how our hearts, despite our best intentions, can get coarsened and hardened as though the good times would go on for ever and there would be no moment of reckoning. Today’s Readings Jer 33:14-16; Ps 25; 1 Thess 3:12-4:2; Luke 21:25-28, 34-36
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Today’s Readings Bar 5:1-9; Ps 126; Phil 1:4-6, 8-11; Luke 3:1-6
GOD’S WORD THIS SEASON THE HOPE OF A CHILD Today’s Gospel resumes the story of John the Baptist we began last week. There are two main parts to it. The THIRD SUNDAY first is a little summary of OF ADVENT John’s teaching. Luke has three groups of people who ask John for guidance. The first are ordinary Jewish people: they are advised to share possessions – especially clothing and food. This is very close to the traditional Jewish notion of the covenant that binds the community of Israel in solidarity. Like Jesus, John attracts tax-collectors. Revenue people are seldom popular: in ancient Palestine, they were detested. They were regarded as collaborating with the Roman colonial power against their own folk. The right to collect taxes was farmed out to individuals for a price: in turn, they could increase the tax to cover their ‘running costs'. John’s advice, “exact no more than the rate” would have put many of them out of pocket .The third group are soldiers of the occupying army: the advice they get is equally straightforward – no intimidation, no extortion, be content with your pay. John’s preaching foreshadows the teaching of Jesus both in its content and in its universal appeal. While the first group were more or less observant Jews, the same cannot be said of the others. Tax
collectors were aliens within their own community and the soldiers were foreign mercenaries brought in to keep the peace for whatever puppet king the Romans were supporting. Luke seldom shows the soldiers in a bad light as bullies or thugs. Was it because his audience included converted Roman soldiers and their families? John’s preaching stirs up excitement. This introduces the second major section of our Gospel. Could John be the long-expected Messiah who will take the leadership of Israel from decadent puppetkings and corrupt priestly families to usher in a new age of salvation? John points instead to another figure more powerful than he who will baptise with the Holy Spirit. This one carries "his winnowing fan in his hand to clear his threshing floor". After the harvest was gathered in, it was threshed to remove
corn from the tough hard ear. Then it was shaken into the air so that the breeze could carry away the worthless chaff. This is an image of judgement: the valuable grain will be gathered in while the chaff is burned "in a fire that never goes out". As we get older, we can lose the sense of expectancy we had as children coming up to Christmas. We might even be more likely to expect ‘bad things to happen to good people’ than the other way around, and put it down to worldly experience. But that experience might lead us forget that on our lives "God pours ordinary plenty" (Patrick Kavanagh).
PROPHETIC WOMEN The Visitation story is not just an account of a meeting of two women delighted that they Y FOURTH SUNDA are soon to become OF ADVENT mothers. It is also a meeting of another sort, the meeting of Jesus and his still unborn herald, a meeting of the old faith of Israel, represented by Elizabeth, and the new faith of those who will follow Jesus in the person of Mary. Elizabeth can be rather overlooked in the Visitation story. Today’s liturgy, however, focus its attention on her. Elizabeth’s child moves at the sound of Mary’s greeting. At
that moment, she is filled with the Holy Spirit. This phrase is normally only used of prophets, so it is Luke’s way of saying that Elizabeth takes her place among the women prophets of Israel. She returns Mary’s greeting with a word of congratulations (sometimes called a ‘beatitude’ because it begins with the words ‘blessed are you …’) praising both Mary and her child. Elizabeth declares Mary "blessed among women". That phrase was used in the Book of Judith declaring Judith who delivered Israel from its enemies as "blessed among women". Elizabeth also realises the importance of the child Mary is carrying: she is the first person to address him as "Lord" (the title of the risen and glorified Christ). She then declares Mary blessed a second
time because "she believed that the promise made her by the Lord would be fulfilled". This short reading is very rich. It contains in a nutshell all the future teachings of the church about Mary – she is to be reverenced because she is the Mother of the Lord, she is also a believer, the first member of the community of the church and she is the link between old faithful Israel and the new community of the church. Just as Mary and Elizabeth reverence what the Lord has done in each of them, the church must always recognise that his promise to the Jewish people was never withdrawn.
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Today’s Readings Zeph 3:14-18a; Isa 12:2-3-7; Phil 4:4-7; Luke 3:10-18
Today’s Readings Mic 5:1-4a; Ps 80; Heb 10:5-10; Luke 1:39-45
PLAYING TRUANT? This story is only found in Luke’s Gospel. Luke is following a pattern established by ancient history FEAST OF THE writers who included a story HOLY FAMILY about the childhood of their hero to show how ‘the child is father to the man'. In the centuries after our first Gospels were written, more legendary stories appeared, attempting to ‘fill in the gaps’ in the early life of Jesus, presenting him as prodigiously learned or capable of working miracles from his earliest days. Luke shows us Mary and Joseph as faithful Jews, going up every year to Jerusalem to celebrate the feast of Passover. This entailed staying for a week in
the Holy City, with another week either side for the journey. Three weeks without earning and finding the money for meals and accommodation was a challenge to ordinary folk: to do it every year was a mark of outstanding piety. Pilgrims from the same village travelled in groups – men with men, and women with women. When they assemble to eat and sleep on the first evening of the return journey, there is consternation: the boy is missing. They hope he may have teamed up with other lads, but a search reveals no sign of him. After a night of restless sleep, it is a day’s journey back to Jerusalem. On the third day, they find him, sitting among the teachers. Learned teachers met with their students in the arcades of the temple. This boy is not over-awed by his surroundings nor by the learned men he questions. What Luke wants
to show is how Jesus is already seen a wise teacher even at the age of 12. Mary is less impressed! It has cost her and Joseph three sleepless nights and long days of searching, so they were "overcome" (the original Greek word means something more like ‘panic-stricken’) when they saw him. His answer brings them little comfort – "did you not know that I must be about my Father’s business?" It will be many long years before he resumes ‘his father’s business.’ In the meantime, he will grow in wisdom, size and find favour with God and ordinary mortals.
WE HAVE SEEN HIS STAR Today’s Gospel has three JANUARY parts. Firstly, there is the arrival of wise men in Jerusalem searching for the newly-born king of the Jews. THE EPIPHANY St Matthew tells us little OF THE LORD about them, not even how many there were. On the basis of their three gifts, they are traditionally counted as three, and tradition has given them names (Caspar, Melchior and Balthasar). What mattered more for Matthew was that they were "wise men". Seeking guidance from the movement of the stars and planets was common in the ancient world. Their enquiries threw Jerusalem into turmoil. The elderly king Herod knew that he was not popular and he was ruthless in resisting anything that resembled a challenge to his authority. The learned men of Jerusalem found a text that spoke of a leader who would become a true shepherd and who would be born just down the road from Jerusalem. The prophet Micah had promised: “But you, O Bethlehem of Ephrathah, who are one of the little clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to rule in Israel, whose origin is from of old, from ancient days” (Micah 5:2).
In the second episode, Herod summons the wise men and tells them where to find the child. He wants to learn when the star appeared so that his astrologers can calculate the date of the child’s birth. He also orders them that when they have discovered the child’s whereabouts, they are to inform him, so that he can dispose of him. In the third part, the star appears again and leads them directly to the house where they find the child with Mary his mother. They open their treasures and offer him gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. They then receive another heavenly message. This one does not come through a star, but in a dream they are warned to return home without meeting Herod again. Matthew weaves into his story of Jesus echoes of the great story of Israel as God’s people. First there is Micah’s prophecy of the birth of a future king. Micah expressed hopes for the renewal of the kingdom of Judah that had fallen on hard times. What was needed was another David who would give leadership in troubled times, and he would most likely also be born in the same place as David, Bethlehem. The gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh send us back to Psalm 72, where David prays that Solomon, his son and successor, will be a great and a good king, ruling justly
for the sake of the poor. David predicts that Solomon will be such a success that foreign kings will come to him bearing gifts. There is another, more hidden, biblical allusion. When Israel was making its way through the desert, an enemy king tried to stop their progress. He called a magician from the East called Balaam to put a curse on them. The full story is told in the Book of Numbers, chapters 32 to 34. To cut a long story short, every time Balaam tries to pronounce his curse, he speaks a blessing instead. The final blessing predicts that this insignificant people will one day produce a great king. “I see him, but not now. I behold him, but not near. A star shall come out of Jacob, and a scepter shall rise out of Israel” (Num 24:17). Like Balaam, Matthew’s wise men have come from the East. They have seen a star that points to the rise of a new king. For Matthew, they are the first of many foreigners who will be drawn to the infant born at Bethlehem and he will send his disciples to make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:19).
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Today’s Readings 1 Sam 1:20-22, 24-28; Ps 84; John 1 3:1-2, 21-24; Luke 2:41-52
Today’s Readings Isa 60:1-6; Ps 72; Eph 3:2-3a, 5-6; Matt 2:1-12
God’s Word continues on page 46
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GOD’S WORD THIS SEASON THE HEAVENS OPENED Today’s feast marks the end of the Christmas season. It has echoes of the Sundays of Advent when THE BAPTISM we last read of John and OF THE LORD his baptism. The Gospel opens by describing the feeling of expectancy that gripped the people. John the Baptist was a fresh voice that rang out with authority. Could he be the Messiah they expected who would throw off the yoke of Roman oppressor and restore the ancient Kingdom of Israel? John is quick to dampen their expectations. There is someone more powerful than he on the way whose sandals John is unfit to untie – this was a task normally reserved for a slave.
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The second part of the reading describes the baptism of Jesus and its aftermath. Luke says little about the actual baptism. Jesus took his place among the crowds John immersed in the waters of the river Jordan as a sign of their desire to repent and to be cleansed of sin. Mark and Matthew place the opening of the heavens at the moment of baptism, Luke instead places it shortly afterwards while "Jesus was at prayer". Luke has a special interest in Jesus’ prayer. He prays at the most important moments of his life: before calling the twelve, for example, he spends the night in prayer (6:12); the disciples are so impressed by his solitary prayer that they ask him to teach them how to pray (ch 11); he prays before his passion and on the cross. For us, "the heavens opened" means a sudden downpour. For a Jew, it would mean that the
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WHERE GOD POURS ORDINARY PLENTY Today’s liturgy continues some of the themes of the Epiphany and the Baptism 2ND SUNDAY IN of the Lord . The church saw ORDINARY TIME three special moments when Jesus was revealed. He was revealed first to the pagan world when the wise men came in search of him. He was revealed as the Son of God with a mission at his baptism. Finally, he was revealed to his closest disciples at Cana. The situation is a very ordinary one – a village wedding to which everyone has been invited. That includes not just the immediate family and neighbours of bride and groom but ‘friends of friends’ like the disciples Jesus has brought along
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REALITY DECEMBER 2018
with his family. In the world of Jesus, stinting on food and drink marked people off as mean. Being generous on the other hand, increased the honour and reputation of families or individuals. The mother of Jesus spots that the wine is fast running out and realises how shamed the young couple and their families will be by such a disaster. The exchange between Jesus and his mother is very short, but rather mysterious. He calls her "woman". That is not necessarily a sign of disrespect, but may be rather formal, like our expression ‘ma’am’. More surprisingly, he says "my hour is not yet come." This is the first time John speaks of Jesus’ hour: we might say ‘moment’ or time. He will tell us later when ‘the hour’ has finally arrived, the night before his passion (John 13:1 and 17:1). His mother does not take no for an answer, even if she quietly
barrier separating the earthly world from the heavenly is opened for a moment. "The Spirit descended on him in bodily shape, like a dove." In the Old Testament, the Spirit descended on prophets to mark them out as God’s servants. The opening chapter of the Bible describes how the Spirit of God "hovers over the deep", as though the Spirit were some great bird. The heavenly voice declares that this man on whom the Spirit rests is not simply another prophet: he is the Son, the Beloved, on whom God’s favour rests.
Today’s Readings Isa 42:1-4-7; Ps 29; Acts 10:34-38; Luke 3:15-16, 21-22
leaves centre stage after telling the servants to do whatever he asks them to do. He tells the servants to fill six stone water jars to the brim. Most household vessels in Palestine were made of pottery. Stone vessels were expensive. Observant Jews liked to use stone, as it did not pick up and pass on ritual impurity. This kind of miracle story is sometimes described as a gift miracle. Jesus often used a wedding feast as a sign for the Kingdom of God. God would never be niggardly at the wedding feast of the Kingdom. The jars could hold between 120 and 180 gallons, the equivalent of 500 to 800 litre bottles of wine! The sheer abundance and quality of the gift is what counts here. Abundance is a theme that runs all through John’s Gospel. He is a vine that produces fruit in abundance (John 15); the bread and fish that fed the crowd was so plentiful that there were 12 baskets of scraps. The fishermen who have worked all night but caught nothing will find their nets at breaking point (John 21). All these are ways of showing the truth of what Jesus says: "I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full" (John 10:10). Today’s Readings sa 62:1-5; Ps 96; 1 Cor 12:4-11; John 2:1-11
THE REALITY CROSSWORD NUMBER 10, DECEMBER 2018
TO PROCLAIM A YEAR OF FAVOUR FROM THE LORD Today’s Gospel jumps from the preface to the book, addressed to someone called Theophilus (lover of God) who may have been a new convert, anxious to learn more about Jesus, or even the 3RD SUNDAY IN benefactor who funded the production of the ORDINARY TIME Gospel, to a story about the adult Jesus and his first sermon in the synagogue of his hometown. It is a long story, and it will be continued next Sunday. The highpoint of the synagogue Sabbath service was the reading from the Law or Torah, followed by a shorter reading from one of the prophetic books. Being invited to read in a synagogue was an honour for special occasions. It is a mark of the respect in which Jesus was held that he was called to do the last reading. The congregation were probably expecting a sermon from this local boy whose growing reputation as a preacher has reached them. When he comes to read, he does not read the chosen lesson for the day, but selects two passages from the prophet Isaiah (Isaiah 61:1-2 and 58:6). They speak about a mysterious figure who has been empowered by the Spirit, "to bring Good News to the poor", to proclaim liberty to captives, restoration of sight to the blind and a year of God’s favour. Many Jews at the time of Jesus took this person to be the Messiah – a Hebrew word meaning ‘anointed,’ used in the opening words. "The year of God’s favour" was probably the jubilee year that took place every 49 years. According to Jewish law, this was a kind of Sabbath that lasted 12 months rather than a single day. The land was rested, as no new crops were planted or harvested. Debts were cancelled, and people who had been forced to sell their land because of debt were entitled to reclaim it. The reading and the sermon that follows should be seen as Jesus’ ‘inaugural address’ as Messiah. They also use a word Luke is very fond of: “today”. God’s favour is not reserved for the future, it is something we can reach out for today.
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SOLUTIONS CROSSWORD No. 8 ACROSS: Across: 1. Psalms, 5. Thomas, 10. Oration, 11. Origami, 12. Tang, 13. Sarah, 15. Seth, 17. Lax, 19. Cereal, 21. Loosen, 22. Matthew, 23. Nutmeg, 25. Glance, 28. Ark, 30. Ache, 31. Arena, 32. Moat, 35. Curator, 36. Angelic, 37. Invert, 38. Sadism. DOWN: 2. Spanner, 3. Lair, 4. Sandal, 5. Thorax, 6. Omit, 7. Azaleas, 8. Coptic, 9. Lichen, 14. Rapture, 16. James, 18. Cowls, 20. Lag, 21. Leg, 23. Nuance, 24. Teheran, 26. Noodles, 27. Entice, 28. Ararat, 29. Kneads, 33. Stye, 34. Aged.
Winner of Crossword No. 8 Máire Carroll, Limerick City
ACROSS 1. He flew too close to the sun. (6) 5. Only this man and Enoch bypassed death and were taken up to heaven by God. (6) 10. The Book of Jonah said this city was worthy of destruction. (7) 11. A fit of bad temper. (7) 12. A group of things or persons regarded as an entity. (4) 13. Find or discover by investigation. (5) 15. He wrote most of the books in the New Testament. (4) 17. Latin word used as a salutation and a greeting. (3) 19. Shakespeare's Prince of Denmark. (6) 21. Reddish brown colour and type of potato. (6) 22. A person on a journey to a sacred place. (7) 23. Happening in a way contrary to what is expected and causing wry amusement. (6) 25. A book containing the texts used in the Mass throughout the year. (6) 28. A small round mark or spot. (3) 30. Creatures of the night. (4) 31. The prongs of a fork or trident. (5) 32. Greek cheese. (4) 35. Member of a gang that ambushes and robs people. (7) 36. In a group, all together. (2,5) 37. A mixture of oil and balsam used in baptism. (6)
38. A Spanish tomorrow. (6) DOWN 2. Make a provisional appointment definite. (7) 3. A request to respond to an invitation. (4) 4. The largest hot desert in the world. (6) 5. Tempt by offering pleasure or advantage. (6) 6. Island of St. Columba. (4) 7. Money that is owed and should have been paid earlier. (7) 8. As much or as many as required. (6) 9. A charm thought by some to protect against evil. (6) 14. French home to seven Popes in the 14th century. (7) 16. Lukewarm liquid. (5) 18. An atmosphere or climate that is very damp, and usually hot. (5) 20. A habitual spasm of the muscles, most often in the face. (3) 21. The outer edge of a wheel. (3) 23. Drink alcohol, absorb knowledge. (6) 24. The largest living bird. (7) 26. Hat traditionally worn by cowboys. (7) 27. Along with fish they fed the 4,000. (6) 28. Jewelled ornament placed over the forehead. (6) 29. Ancient Latin hymn sung or recited at matins. (2,4) 33. Indonesian province noted for tourism. (4) 34. The last word in the Bible. (4)
Entry Form for Crossword No.10, December 2018 Name:
Today’s Readings
Address: Telephone:
Neh 8:2-10; Ps 19; 1 Cor 12:12-30; Luke 1:1-4; 4:14-21 All entries must reach us by December 31, 2018 One €35 prize is offered for the first correct solutions opened. The Editor’s decision on all matters concerning this competition will be final. Do not include correspondence on any other subject with your entry which should be addressed to: Reality Crossword No.10, Redemptorist Communications, St Joseph's Monastery, Dundalk, County Louth A91 F3FC
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