Realitysummer15online

CENTERING PRAYER AN ANCIENT METHOD OF ENTERING SILENCE

Summer 2015

JESUS AND MARY IN THE QUR'AN

BLESSED OSCAR ROMERO THE SIGNIFICANCE OF HIS BEATIFICATION

s e m o C e r e H he Summer T

Informing, Inspiring, Challenging Today’s Catholic

How Young People Spend the Summer

Witnessing to Hope

NEW VISION FOR KNOCK SHRINE

PLUS GERALDINE LENNON ON VITAMINS FOR THE SOUL PETER McVERRY ON THE HOUSING CRISIS

Yoga and My Catholic Faith A PERSONAL VIEW

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Want to get more out of the Sunday Readings?

The Three Faces of Christ READING THE SUNDAY GOSPELS WITH THE LITURGICAL YEAR

BY BRENDAN McCONVERY C.Ss.R & CIARÁN O’CALLAGHAN C.Ss.R.

A lot of people say they get little out of Sunday Mass.

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IN THIS SUMMER ISSUE FEATURES 12 HERE COMES THE SUMMER Summer is a time when young people spread their wings and explore the world. Three young people describe their summer experiences in Ireland, Lourdes, and the Developing World

By Seán Hurley, Lisa Hurley & Robert McGivney

19 INTRODUCING CENTERING PRAYER Sometimes the deepest experience of prayer comes in the silence. Centering Prayer is an ancient method of growing in silence

By Br Dennis Gleeson

22 JESUS AND MARY IN THE QUR’AN

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While it is known that Jesus is honoured as a Prophet, less well-known is the place Mary has in the Qur’an

By Jonathan Kearney

26 FROM PICTURE TO ICON Devotion to our Mother of Perpetual Help

By Fr Seán Wales CSsR

28 YOGA AND MY CATHOLIC FAITH Can Yoga geninely help our prayer life?

By Lisa Copeland

32 WITNESSING TO HOPE New Vision for Knock Shrine

By Marie Hunt

38 BLESSED OSCAR ROMERO The beatification of Blessed Oscar Romero has been greeted with approval throughout the Catholic world but nowhere with greater joy than in his native land.

By Jose Adan Cuadra

40 VITAMINS FOR THE SOUL An experienced retreat director describes some aspects of her work

By Sr Geraldine Lennon FCJ

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32

OPINION

REGULARS

11 BRENDAN McCONVERY CSsR

04 REALITY BITES

18 KATY DOBEY

07 POPE MONITOR

31 CARMEL WYNNE

08 SAINT OF THE MONTH

47 PETER Mc VERRY SJ

09 REFLECTIONS 36 UNDER THE MICROSCOPE 43 GOD’S WORD

REALITY BITES IRELAND‘S MARRIAGE REFERENDUM

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Yes Supporters celebrate Marriage Equality Referendum Result at Dublin Castle

DUBLIN

REFERENDUM YES RESULT

Archbishop Diarmuid Martin of Dublin has described the outcome of the Irish Republics’ referendum in which the electorate agreed two to one to permit persons of the same sex to marry, as a social revolution. He acknowledged that a major factor in the result was the voting patterns of young people. The Church needs Ben Gummer MP

a “reality check,” he said and has a huge task confronting it “to find the language to be able to talk to and get its message across to young people – not just on this issue but in general.”

Bishop Kevin Doran of Elphin who had taken a prominent part in the debate, described the outcome as “clear and decisive” and that he was “personally disappointed by the result.”

He thought that many voted in favour to show solidarity with gay friends or family members

BRITAIN’S NEW HEALTH MINISTER OPPOSED TO ABORTION LONDON CATHOLIC M.P. Following the recent general election, David Cameron has appointed Ben Gummer as junior health minister. Mr Gummer is a Catholic. His father was John Selwyn Gummer, a convert to Catholicism who served as a member of Margaret Thatcher’s cabinet.

REALITY SUMMER 2015

and believed a ‘yes’ vote would not undermine the institution of marriage.

It may be autumn before the legislation permitting the first gay marriages passes into law. The Church will then find itself faced with a challenge of how to offer pastoral ministry in the name of Jesus to men and women who have entered gay marriage but still consider themselves to be believing and practising members of the Catholic family.

In an interview with the The Guardian newspaper in 2008, the then-prospective MP said he would vote for a reduction in the time limit on abortion. “I am personally and principally opposed to abortion,” he said, “but I don’t think it would be responsible to try and ban it outright,” he said.

N E WS

THOSE WHO SING, PRAY TWICE MAYNOOTH

THE HILLS ARE ALIVE...

The Summer School of the Irish Church Music Association will be held in Maynooth College 2 – 6 July. This year’s summer school has been prepared with Church Music Dublin, since the needs and challenges are similar for musicians in both the Church of Ireland and Roman Catholic parishes.

This year’s theme is “Pilgrims for Christ.” In addition to workshops which explore the theme through music for the major liturgical seasons (Advent, Lent, Easter) and the sacraments, there are practical sessions on the psalms, music with children and music in the new primary school curriculum, as well as practical organ tutorials.

A distinctive feature of the summer is always the celebration of the daily eucharist and liturgy of the hours. Guest conductors this year are Andrew Reid (Director of Royal School of Church Music), Marian Gaynor, Paul Kenny, Ian Callanan and Ciaran Coll. Cantors, choir directors and anyone with an interest in liturgical music is welcome to attend the whole summer school or to attend the liturgies as a visitor. Further information is available at www.irishchurchmusicassociation.com

MAYOR FIGHTS ORDER TO REMOVE STATUTE OF POPE FRANCE

OSTENTATIOUS

ARE “MEGA-PARISHES” A GOOD IDEA? In many countries in Europe faced with a decline in priests, parishes have been grouped or clustered into larger unites. Leaders of more than twenty international ‘reform groups’ who met in Limerick last April, have written to Pope Francis criticising what they consider as a trend towards ‘mega-parishes.’ It describes them as “anonymous and unmanageable superstructures,” that risk leaving the faithful “alienated, unsettled and insecure,” while personal contact between priests and people and ministers is lost. The solution they offer is to “open the priestly office to everyone who has the charism. Let us develop new management models and forms of pastoral ministry, so that parishioners can participate according to their charisms.”

5

Participants of Church Music Summer School Rehearsing Liturgy

The statue of Pope St John Paul II in Ploermel

A statue of Pope St John Paul II must be removed from a public square in the small town of Ploermel in France, according to a court which says it violates the separation of church and state. Taking issue with the “ostentatious” location and size of the 29foot statue, which shows the saint praying under an arch that supports a cross and reads “do not be afraid”, the administrative court of Rennes said the main problem with the statue was its public display under a cross.

The court said the monument violated the constitutional principle of laicité, which sharply distinguishes between government and religious matters. Ploermel’s Mayor, Patrick Le Diffon, said he will appeal the court order because “it wasn't for the man of the church, but for the man of state that the monument was dedicated in a public square”. When the statue was first unveiled, the town’s then mayor said the saint had been “a giant of the 20th century who participated in the fall of the Iron Curtain”. continued on page 6

REALITY BITES THE DANCING PROCESSION

Echternach, Luxembourg

LUXEMBOURG DANCING IN THE STREET

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One of the most unusual religious events in Europe is probably the ‘Dancing Procession’ in the town of Echternach in Luxembourg. Held each year on the Tuesday after Pentecost, it gathers pilgrims from all parts of the Grand Duchy and from neighbouring Germany, France and Belgium in honour of St Willibrord. Willibrord (658-739) was an English

monk who was educated in the monastic schools of Ireland and evangelised Holland and Luxembourg.

He founded a monastery at Echternach where his remains were buried. The abbey was destroyed during the French revolution but the saint’s relics are preserved in a basilica which was rebuilt after extensive damage during the Second World War. About 8 or 9,000 pilgrims take part in the procession each year, dancing through the town to

BREWING MONKS USA

CLOISTER BEER

Just over a year ago, the Trappist or Cistercian monks of the Strict Observance of Spencer Abbey, Massachusetts, opened a brewery to produce Spencer Trappist Ale for the market.

Monastic breweries are well known on the European continent. In Belgium and Holland, for example, monastic beer is so appreciated for its purity that bars and restaurants often have a special section of the beer menu devoted to ‘cloister beer.’ It includes well known brands such as Leffe, Westmalle, Orval and Chimay. Spencer is the first monastic brewery operating as a commercial brewery in the United States.

The Trappist name is protected by an association of Cistercian monasteries that produce beer. They are monitored to ensure that production is of very high quality, that the brewery is in fact within the control of the monastery and that business practices are REALITY SUMMER 2015

the saint’s tomb in rows of six and holding white handkerchiefs, while several thousand others look on. It begins with a short sermon by the parish priest, then the pilgrims dance to a traditional tune played by parish bands. In the basilica, they receive a blessing from the bishop, continue their dance to the crypt where the relics are enshrined. In the afternoon, benediction of the Blessed Sacrament is celebrated.

Some of the range of Cisterian or Trappist beers

in keeping with the values of monastic life.

Income earned from brewing is intended to support the monastery. All money left must be donated to charity. Spenser Abbey brewery employs eight monks, four lay workers and a brew-master who was trained in Germany.

Cistercian monasteries traditionally supported themselves by agriculture but as dairy farming in the United States became more of a high-tech agribusiness that was out of joint with the values of monastic life, the community sold its cattle and developed a business making jams and jellies. The brewery is a development of this highgrade ‘artisan production’ that enables the monks to follow the monastery’s rhythm of daily prayer and community life.

N E WS

POPE MONITOR KEEPING UP WITH POPE FRANCIS POPE FRANCIS AND PALESTINE

Pope Francis Prays at the Israeli-Palestinian Peace Wall

A mark of the pontificate of Pope Francis has been his interest in the Palestinian church and people. Palestinian Christian numbers have fallen dramatically in the past half-century or so. The pope’s decision to begin his visit to the Holy Land last May by flying directly from Jordan to Bethlehem, rather than by entering via Israel, was regarded as a gesture of approval for Palestinian statehood aspirations. During the visit the Holy Father made an unscheduled stop at the so-called ‘peace wall’ that separates Israeli and Palestinian territories near Bethlehem. In an image that journalists regarded as one of the most symbolic of his tour, Pope Francis rested his forehead against the concrete structure that was built unilaterally by Israel and often on land confiscated from Palestinians and prayed silently.

On 13 May, the Vatican officially recognized the state of Palestine in a new treaty. The treaty, which concerns the activities of the Catholic Church in Palestinian territory, makes it clear that the Holy See has switched its diplomatic recognition from the Palestine Liberation Organization to the state of Palestine.

It had already welcomed the decision by the U.N. General Assembly in 2012 to recognize a Palestinian state. The Israeli foreign ministry said it was "disappointed" by the development, claiming that "this move does not promote the peace process and distances the Palestinian leadership from returning to direct and bilateral negotiations."

Further intended to boost the spirits of Palestinian Christians was the canonisation of two Palestinian servants of God. Sister Mariam Bawardy, a Carmelite, was born in 1843 in the village of Ibilin in Galilee, in what is today northern Israel. She is said to have received the "stigmata," wounds like those of Jesus Christ crucified and she died at the age of 33 in Bethlehem, where she founded a Carmelite monastery that still exists. Sister Marie Alphonsine Ghattas was born in Jerusalem in 1847. She opened girls' schools, fought female illiteracy, and co-founded the Congregation of the Sisters of the Rosary. Her congregation is present today in many centres all over the Middle East, from Egypt to Syria, and operates kindergartens, homes for the elderly, medical clinics and guest houses.

MAKING PEACE WITH LIBERATION THEOLOGY? The beatification of Archbishop Romero of El Salvador is one of two significant moments in healing the tangled relationship between the Holy See and the proponents of Liberation Theology. Archbishop Romero was shot as he stood at the altar in a small hospital chapel on 24 March, 1980. He had earlier preached on the text from the Gospel of St John (12:24-26): "Unless the grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies it remains alone. But if it dies it produces much fruit."

Romero was regarded as an exemplary bishop and martyr by many in the South American churches. For some however, his openness towards the theology of liberation and its preferential ‘option for the poor’ made him suspect. Pope John Paul II granted him the title “Servant of God” in 1997. With the advent of Pope Francis, work on the cause seems to have speeded up and his beatification as a martyr is the next step to sainthood. While never identified explicitly with the movement, the pope is sympathetic to what it was attempting to do on the ground in Latin America. Another recent gesture was extending an invitation to address an important Roman conference to one of the principal figures of Liberation Theology.

Liberation Theology has had an uneasy relationship with the Vatican.

Cardinal Ratzinger, Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (later Pope Benedict XVI), issued a lengthy document “Instructions on Certain Aspects of the Theology of Liberation” in 1984. Several of the main writers and teachers of Liberation Theology, especially in South America, were censured. Another leading theologian in the school, Gustavo Gutierez, joined the Dominican order out of respect for the great Dominican theologians of the Vatican II period who had been influential in his thinking. He was recently invited to address an international conference held under the auspices of the Holy See’s aid body, Caritas Internationalis, on the theme of “One Human Family, Caring for Creation.”

Askedatapressconferencewhetherhisparticipationintheconference could be seen as a rehabilitation of Liberation Theology, Fr Gutierez reminded the questioner that Liberation Theology had never been expressly condemned. “Rehabilitation is not the exact word to use”, he went on. “At this moment the climate around this theology is different, that is true. But to say it is a rehabilitation means that as some point there was a ‘dis’ habilitation and this was never the case. It is just another time. What is important is a rehabilitation of the Gospel.”

The Pope greets Fr Gutierrez at a Papal Audience

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IRISH SAINT OF THE MONTH ST OLIVER PLUNKETT BORN: 1 NOVEMBER 1625 DIED: 1 JULY 1681 FEAST DAY: 1 JULY PATRONAGE: PEACE AND RECONCILIATION IN IRELAND

8

Oliver Plunkett was born in 1625 near Loughcrew, County Meath. His family belonged to the Norman-Irish aristocracy, including the earls of Fingall and Roscommon.

Oliver received his early education at home from a tutor, Patrick Plunkett, a kinsman who became first Bishop of Ardagh and then of Meath. The Ireland of his youth was a troubled place. War raged from 1641, culminating in the savage campaign of Cromwell from 1649-1653. Oliver left for Rome in 1647 at the age of 22 to begin studies for the priesthood. He was ordained seven years later and spent the next sixteen years as representative of the Irish Bishops at the Vatican and teaching theology at the College of Propaganda. It was a safer place than his native land. He returned to Ireland in 1670, as archbishop of Armagh after an absence of almost a quarter of a century.

The Ireland to which he returned was in a sorry state. The Cromwellian war and its aftermath had left Ireland seriously wounded and Oliver had to live with great caution.

As a foreign educated priest, he was considered a criminal. To survive, he adopted various disguises. The serious middle-aged ecclesiastic was forced to play the part of Captain Brown, a swaggering army officer, even singing and dancing in taverns to add to the reality of the portrayal.

The climate soon began to improve. Charles II was well-disposed towards Catholics, and Oliver took advantage of the better atmosphere to begin reorganising. As a former professor of theology and member of the Roman curia, he was particularly critical of the clergy whom he found "ignorant in moral theology and controversies." Of particular concern to him was the behaviour of clergy especially in the matter of drink. "Let us remove this defect from an Irish priest, and he will be a saint," he wrote. He was able to establish a Jesuit college in Drogheda. Within a year, it had attracted one hundred and fifty students, forty of whom were Protestant. It is estimated that he administered the sacrament of confirmation to over 48,000 people.

The period of tolerance was brief however and Oliver was once more forced underground.

Between 1678 and 1681, the country was gripped by the “Popish Plot,” the allegation that Catholics were conspiring to assassinate the king and install a Catholic regime.

Oliver was arrested in 1678 on a charge of organising high treason. Held first in Dublin, he was eventually sent to London where he was found guilty on the perjured evidence of two renegade friars Oliver had disciplined. He was sentenced to be ‘hanged, drawn and quartered,’ a particularly brutal death. He was executed at Tyburn, London, on 1 July 1681. He was 55 years of age and the last Catholic martyr to be executed in London.

He was beatified in 1920 and canonised in 1975.

Brendan McConvery, CSsR REALITY SUMMER 2015

Reality Volume 80. No. 6 July/August 2015 A Redemptorist Publication ISSN 0034-0960 Published by The Irish Redemptorists, 75 Orwell Road, Rathgar, Dublin 6, Republic of Ireland Tel: 00353 (0)1 4922488 Fax: 00353 (0)1 4927999 Web: www.redcoms.org Email: sales@redcoms.org (With permission of C.Ss.R.)

Publisher Seamus Enright CSsR Editor Brendan McConvery CSsR editor@redcoms.org Design & Layout David Mc Namara CSsR Business Manager Paul Copeland sales@redcoms.org Circulation Claire Carmichael ccarmichael@redcoms.org Finance Administrator Veronique Coller vcoller@redcoms.org +353-1-4067272 Administration Michelle McKeon mmckeon@redcoms.org +353-1-4922488 Printed by Turners Printing, Longford Photo Credits Catholic News Service, Shutterstock REALITY SUBSCRIPTIONS Through a promoter (Ireland only) €18 or £15 Annual Subscription by post: Ireland €22 or £18 UK £25 Europe €35 Rest of the world €45 Please send all payments to: Redemptorist Communications, 75 Orwell Road, Rathgar, Dublin 6, Republic of Ireland 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 recycle it. Thank you.

REFLECTIONS Friendship is a word, the very sight of which in print makes the heart warm.

AUGUSTINE BIRRELL

Learn from the mistakes of others.

You can never live long enough to make them all yourself.

I have no right, by anything I do or say, to demean a human being in their own eyes. What matters is not what I think of them; it is what they think of themselves. To undermine person’s self-respect is a sin.

ANTOINE DE SAINT-EXUPERY

GROUCHO MARX

There is a God-shaped vacuum in the heart of everyone which cannot be filled by any created thing, but only by God, the Creator, made known through Jesus.

BLAISE PASCAL

The most glorious moments in your life are not the socalled days of success, but rather those days when out of dejection and despair you feel rise in you a challenge to life, and the promise of future accomplishments.

GUSTAVE FLAUBERT

People never do evil so completely and cheerfully as when they do it from religious conviction.

BLAISE PASCAL

Promise me you'll always remember: you're braver than you believe, and stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.

A.A. MILNE

I would rather live my life as if there is a God and die to find out there isn't, than live as if there isn't and to die to find out that there is.

ALBERT CAMUS

While you are proclaiming peace with your lips, be careful to have it even more fully in your heart.

If it's your job to eat a frog, it's best to do it first thing in the morning. And if it's your job to eat two frogs, it's best to eat the biggest one first.

MARK TWAIN

Serious sport has nothing to do with fair play. It is bound up with hatred, jealousy, boastfulness, disregard of all rules and sadistic pleasure in witnessing violence. In other words, it is war minus the shooting.

GEORGE ORWELL

I slept and dreamt that life was joy. I awoke and saw that life was service. I acted and behold, service was joy.

RABINDRANATH TAGORE

The computer can't tell you the emotional story.

It can give you the exact mathematical design, but what's missing is the eyebrows.

FRANK ZAPPA

To love someone is to see a miracle invisible to others.

ST. FRANCIS OF ASSISI

FRANCOIS MAURIAC

Don't call me a saint. I don't want to be dismissed so easily.

When you are courting a nice girl an hour seems like a second. When you sit on a red-hot cinder a second seems like an hour. That's relativity.

DOROTHY DAY

ALBERT EINSTEIN

The greatest challenge of the day is: how to bring about a revolution of the heart, a revolution which has to start with each one of us?

DOROTHY DAY

Pride makes us artificial and humility makes us real.

THOMAS MERTON

You don't choose your family. They are God's gift to you, as you are to them.

DESMOND TUTU

9

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EDI TO R I A L UP FRONT BRENDAN McCONVERY CSsR

HOLIDAYS ARE HOLY DAYS Thanks to cheap flights and the popularity of cruises, we are no longer dependent on the uncertain Irish summer for holidays. Booking flights and accommodation on the internet has delivered us from the bondage of the package holiday and made us more adventurous in what we do and where we go. Yet the three months from June to the end of August still have a holiday feel to them and this we celebrate in this number of Reality.

The word “holiday” comes from holy day.

Taking time off from the daily routine has religious roots. In medieval Europe there were about thirty holy days scattered throughout the year to be observed by assisting at Mass, refraining from work and popular merry making. For major feasts like Easter and Christmas, the atmosphere of celebration carried over into the following week or ‘octave’ of the feast.

Judaism was unique among ancient religions in having a weekly day of rest, the sabbath. It also gave an important place to pilgrimage among its religious observances. Three times a year, the faithful came to a central sanctuary where God ‘had caused his name to dwell.’

In time, that sanctuary was identified with Jerusalem. As the community became more widely scattered, going to Jerusalem three times a year was out of the question. If you lived far away as many Jews did, the best you could hope for was one visit in a life-time. In Islam, the haj or pilgrimage to Mecca is still an ambition for a faithful Moslem. For many Irish people of a certain generation, the only foreign travel they knew was a visit to Lourdes, or Fatima or Rome, or more rarely but more exotically the Holy Land.

Three articles in this issue might be described as “the adventures of young pilgrims.”

Hundreds of Irish young people join the diocesan or parish pilgrimage to Lourdes as helpers of disabled or sick pilgrims. For a school leaver, the cost even of the helper’s fare is high but they raise it without fanfare. The days are long, the work can be demanding but the memories endure. One student describes his pilgrimage last year with Kerry diocese.

For others, the journey is longer and more uncertain and brings them into contact with poverty the like of which they had never imagined. Students from St Patrick’s College and National University of Ireland have been going annually to Africa, India and elsewhere with Maynooth Mission Outreach. It is one of several groups, including the Redemptorist SERVE programme, that offer young Irish men and women a Third World immersion in their summer holidays. Our final pilgrims are a group of young women, the Roses, who plan to spend their Saturdays this summer in a journey of hope and affirmation to the convents of sisters to pray with them and to assure them that their lives of prayer and service are valued.

Holidays can also give us space to grow spiritually. For some people a year would not be complete without a period of retreat, getting back to nature and so to one’s deepest self through encountering the beauty of creation in sea or mountains. Some articles in this issue speak of that. Bro Denis Gleeson offers us an introduction to centering prayer, a method of contemplation that stills the senses and enables us to enter more deeply into the mystery of God. Many people have found yoga a great help in finding stillness.

Others are unsure of it, wondering if it is really Christian. It might be worth remembering that religious people have often been very open in borrowing from other traditions ‘what works’ in helping the body to relax into a state of calm as a preparation for prayer. Lisa Copeland, a yoga teacher, explains some of what yoga tries to do.

Brendan McConvery CSsR Editor

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C OVE R STO RY

s e m o C e r e H he Summer T SUMMER IS A TIME WHEN YOUNG PEOPLE SPREAD THEIR WINGS AND EXPLORE THE WORLD. THREE DIFFERENT GROUPS OF YOUNG PEOPLE DESCRIBE THEIR SUMMER EXPERIENCES IN IRELAND, LOURDES, AND THE DEVELOPING WORLD

A Young Volunteer at Lourdes EVERY YEAR, HUNDREDS OF YOUNG IRISH MEN AND WOMEN GO 12 TO LOURDES WITH THEIR LOCAL PILGRIMAGE TO HELP THE SICK AND DISABLED. THEY PAY THE COST OF THE TRAVEL AND SPEND THE DAYS IN LOURDES AT THE SERVICE OF THE DISABLED. FEW OF THEM EVER EXPECTED HOW MEMORABLE AN EXPERIENCE IT TURNED OUT TO BE. FOR MANY, IT IS THE BEGINNING OF A SPECIAL RELATIONSHIP WITH LOURDES AND OUR BLESSED LADY. A VOLUNTEER WITH THE KERRY DIOCESAN PILGRIMAGE DESCRIBES HIS EXPERIENCE.

BY SEÁN HURLEY

Two

days into the start of sixth year, I ditched the books and headed off to Lourdes with Kerry Diocesan Pilgrimage. Last year, I was selected as one of four helpers from my school to help aid the sick, elderly and disabled members of the pilgrimage. Around three hundred people went on the pilgrimage, including forty helpers, mostly made up of college and sixth year students,

REALITY SUMMER 2015

interspersed with a few more wiser heads to guide us along. I’m not joking when I say it was one of the best experiences I’ve ever had!

GETTING THERE One of the recurring themes at the meeting for first time helpers in the week before we left was “It’s NOT a holiday!” We were duly informed our prime role was to aid the incapacitated pilgrims. Any dreams I might have harboured of a relaxing holiday were quickly dashed when I arrived in Farranfore, Kerry’s local airport.

It seemed more like military training than

a pilgrimage, as we had to lug numerous pilgrims’ bags onto the check in. Almost all of them exceeded the recommended weight.

The next task for the helpers came, when all the pilgrims were safely through security, and seated in the airport lounge. We had to make them a cup of tea. Sounds easy, doesn’t it? You have no idea how stressful it is to ensure that every pilgrim has a cup of tea, and not only that, but also that it’s of the right consistency and warmth for each particular pilgrims’ palate and that it has the right kind of chocolate bar to go with! When my head hit the pillow in my hotel in Lourdes after a tough day of work, I fell straight asleep.

GOING TO THE BATHS One of the highlights of the trip came later the following day as we went to the world famous baths of Lourdes. Since the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to St. Bernadette in 1858 and told her to drink from spring, millions of pilgrims have come to Lourdes on hearing about the miracles that happened there.

We were told horror stories from more seasoned helpers that you were submerged into the bath head first! Needless to say I approached the bath with an air of apprehension, but

BONDING WITH OTHERS As the week went on we found ourselves bonding with fellow pilgrims as if we’d known each other our whole lives. Many helpers formed extremely close rapports with pilgrims they were tending to. You would quickly get to know an elderly pilgrim’s entire life story as you took them for a stroll in the wheelchair down by the river or simply sat with them for a pint

a local restaurant, a group of the helpers decided to head down to the Grotto to say goodbye to Our Lady. By the time we got there, it was one o clock in the morning and the main gates were locked, so we decided to head down by the side entrance. We were expecting the Grotto to be deserted but were extremely moved to see a group of pilgrims, still kneeling down praying in

Seán (third left) with his fellow travellers

thankfully this particular rumour turned out to be untrue. You were in and out in a matter of seconds before you had time to take in what was going on. I came out of the bath strangely invigorated and I asked the Spanish attendant

13 Seán's class

of Guinness in the local pub. In these moments I realised the social aspect of the pilgrimage was just as important as the spiritual one.

Sometimes in obsessing over the big miracles of Lourdes, you miss out on the little ones. These were evident to me, in the transformation some the elderly people underwent over the pilgrimage. Many pilgrims would come to Lourdes depressed and burdened with loneliness. Some of them may have had little human contact for the rest of the year. These same people would leave Lourdes with a new zeal and love for life. I’m certain that the youth, vigour and generousness of the helpers contributed to this.

People come to Lourdes with a whole pile of baggage but many leave with a new sense of determination and hope to take on the world on duty had he ever seen a change come over a person on going into the bath. He told me he had witnessed “People come to Lourdes with a whole pile of baggage but seen people leave with a new sense of determination and hope to take on the world.”

On hearing this I’m reminded of my late friend, Donal Walsh who visited Lourdes before he passed away from cancer two years ago.

While he didn’t get the miraculous cure he perhaps hoped for, I’m sure Our Lady gave him the grace he needed, to shamelessly speak out against suicide and capture the nation’s heart.

LAST VISIT TO THE GROTTO One of my most abiding memories of Lourdes was visiting the Grotto of Our Lady on the last night. After a final celebration meal in

the candlelight. It was an extremely moving sight and I decided to kneel down and say my own final goodbye to Our Lady. I felt a tear trickle down my face as I contemplated how unworthy I was to kneel down in front of her. Laura a fellow helper and I then had our “Nawwh” moment as we lit a candle asking Our Lady to watch over us during our Leaving Cert year. The Leaving truly never seemed further away as the wax dropped from the candle, the stream gushed in the background and as Our Lady looked down on us.

C OVE R STO RY

The Rise of the Roses ON SATURDAY JUNE 13th, A GROUP OF YOUNG WOMEN FROM THE NORTH OF IRELAND WILL EMBARK ON AN UNUSUAL ADVENTURE. THEY WILL SPEND THE SUMMER VISITING CONVENTS THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY IN CELEBRATION OF THE YEAR FOR CONSECRATED LIFE 2015.

BY LISA O’HARE

Rise of the Roses EP – Sing a New Song will be available for sale on the Summer Tour

On

Saturday, 13 June, a group of young women set off from St Brigid’s shrine in Faughart, Dundalk, with a blessing from Archbishop Eamon Martin.

Their mission - - to visit ten religious houses of women throughout Ireland - concluding with a celebration at Knock Shrine on Saturday 15th August.

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“UNDER THE CLOAK OF BRIDGET” The group, known as “Rise of the Roses” believes that St Brigid is at the heart of their mission to share the beauty of women’s consecrated life in Ireland. One of the members explains: “The spark for this idea came from the Poor Clares in Faughart, close to where St Brigid was born. St Brigid is an inspirational figure in Irish History. She is considered the founder of the first religious communities for women in Ireland. We believe that her intercession is a powerful force behind our desire for a renewal of religious life in her native land. She embodies all that we need in modern day discipleship. She cared deeply for the poor and the marginalised. She created communities of people, consecrated and lay, that lived with Jesus at the centre, and she bravely

– ‘The Monastery of the Light of Christ’ - nestled deep in the Dundalk countryside. The Sisters will throw open their doors to the Rise of the Roses team and all members of the public who want to join in the celebration of prayer, music, friendship and tea!

Tea is an important dimension of the Rise of the Roses Tour. “We Irish are famous for our hospitality,” the girls say, “and sharing a ‘cuppa’ in friendship is a special part of our culture. We are inviting people (young and old!) to come along, bring their own ‘cup and a cupcake’ and join in these very special tea-parties around the country!”

The girls believe that God uses music to stir our souls, and to share the splendour of his message of truth, love and hope preached the Good News of Jesus Christ in a country that was hostile to Christianity. It is fitting, then, that we begin this tour at her birthplace.”

The first ‘stop’ on the Tour is a short walk from St Brigid’s shrine to visit the Poor Clares at their home REALITY SUMMER 2015

MUSIC AND SONG Another very important dimension to the tour is music and song. The girls believe that that God uses music to stir our souls, and to share the splendour of his message of truth, love and hope. Singing together has been a central part of their preparation for the Tour and they are looking forward to singing with their religious sisters all over Ireland. They have written and produced their very own “Rise of the Roses EP.” It contains original songs written and performed by two members of the team, Méabh Carlin and Hannah McCauley. It includes another song, “Rise, Rise Roses,” written by Seán McNicholl, a young man from Armagh, who heard about their mission and was inspired to write them their very own ‘theme song’ !

The following Saturday, the Tour moves to Belfast, where the Adoration Sisters will welcome visitors to their Convent on the Falls Road in the City. On subsequent Saturdays, the Roses travel to Dublin (Redemptoristine Monastery of St Alphonsus), Drogheda (Siena Monastery), Athlone (Sister Disciples of Divine Master), Wexford (Carmelites), the Cistercian Glencairn Abbey in Waterford, Salesian Sisters in Limerick and the Poor Clares in Galway. Full details can be found on the Rise of the Roses website www. riseoftheroses.org.

THE PROGRAMME The programme is straight-forward. At each Convent, they will meet the sisters, hear their stories, learn about their way of life and the saints that inspire them. They will pray the Rosary together, spend some time in Eucharistic Adoration, sing and have tea.

They plan to plant a rose-bush at each convent.

The rose is a powerful symbol of love and beauty as well as a symbol of promise. Roses are women (young and old) who love Jesus and who promise their lives to Him. The white Rose at the heart of the team’s logo represents each consecrated Sister. The red roses represent lay vocations. They believe that this trinity of roses is symbolic. It represents how we grow together, rising towards Christ, supporting one another, praying for one another, each playing their unique role in his tapestry of grace.

Rise of the Roses Team Members with Poor Clares Faughart on a preparation day for the Rise of the Roses Tour

They see the ten roses they will plant around the country as a bouquet, a decade of the Rosary, to their “Golden Rose,” Our Lady of Knock, the first young woman to give her ‘Yes’ to Jesus.

The tour will conclude at Knock Shrine on August 15th, feast of the Assumption. The team invite religious sisters and brothers to join them as they reflect on the summer tour and look forward, in faith, to a powerful renewal of religious life and the Church, in Ireland.

Archbishop Eamon Martin will lead the celebration of the Eucharist in the Basilica at 3pm. They are also planning tea parties (with religious sisters and brothers as guest speakers), children’s activities throughout the day around the theme of ‘Consecrated Life’ as well as joining the traditional Novena ‘events’ for the day.

The Roses remind us that when St John Paul II spoke to the young people of Ireland in 1979, he said “Christ calls you, but He calls you in truth. His call is demanding, because He invites you to let yourselves be “captured” by Him completely, so that your whole lives will be seen in a different light”. Ireland has been blessed with thousands of women since St Brigid, who have allowed themselves to be ‘captured by Christ’.

Transformed by His love, they have left us a rich legacy of powerfully witnessing Christ’s love on this earth. We look forward to the prospect of a new generation of Irish Roses, rising up for Christ and allowing his light to shine through every aspect of their lives.

The Rise of the Roses 13th June - Poor Clares , Faughart, Co. Louth Beginning at St Brigid’s Shrine 1pm 20th June - Sisters of Adoration and Reparation, Belfast 27th June - Redemptoristine Sisters, Dublin 4th July - Franciscan Sisters of the Renewal & Dominican Contemplative Nuns, Siena Monastery, Drogheda 11th July - Sister Disciples of the Divine Master, Athlone 18th July - Carmelite Sisters, New Ross, Wexford & Mass with Adoration Sisters, Wexford Town (19th) 25th July - Cistercian Sisters, Waterford 1st August - Salesian Sisters, Fernbank, Limerick 8th August - Poor Clares, Galway 15th August – Knock Shrine – All Day - (Mass at 3pm)

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C OVE R STO RY

To the ends of the Earth THANKS TO THE EASE OF MODERN TRAVEL, IT IS NOW POSSIBLE TO GET TO REMOTE PLACES IT ONCE TOOK MISSIONARIES WEEKS OR MONTHS TO REACH BY BOAT OR ROAD. THAT MEANS THAT UNIVERSITY STUDENTS CAN SPEND PART OF THE LONG SUMMER VACATION WORKING IN THE THIRD WORLD. GROUPS SUCH AS THE MAYNOOTH MISSION OUTREACH ORGANIZE SUMMER PROJECTS.

BY ROBERT McGIVNEY

Maynooth 16

Mission Outreach (MMO) is a society that draws its membership from the two universities in Maynooth, the Pontifical University of St Patrick’s College, Maynooth and Maynooth University (formerly known as the National University of Ireland, Maynooth). Each year, MMO aims to take on the Christian call to share the Good News by the promotion of social justice in the world. It sends students to Peru, to Calcutta (India), and to Tanzania (Africa). There we team up with local charities and missionaries, working in orphanages, schools, hostels, homes for the sick and the dying, and we offer some financial assistance. This year two women and three men from both colleges will travel to Tanzania for 6 weeks.

REALITY SUMMER 2015

CONSCIOUSNESS RAISING ON CAMPUS During each academic year we try to promote our work on campus. We rely on students who have returned from mission work to share what they have experienced.

Many students return set on fire by the people they have encountered, by the work accomplished and indeed by the work that still needs to be done.

In the early weeks of the academic year our meetings are about the people we aim to serve.

We spend a good deal of time discussing how much fun our missionaries had while they spent time in the poverty of a developing part of the world. Experiences vary dramatically in the different places we go to, from an orphanage in Peru, to the streets of Calcutta, to teaching in primary school in Tanzania.

A shared experience of missionaries can be the story of a search for basic things, such as water or even a pencil in schools. A major part of what we do is to promote an awareness of what can be done for other people in the world. We believe it is important to help provide education to those we work with, which will in turn help them to better themselves and the part of the world that they come from.

FUND RAISING AND GLOBAL POVERTY Another important of our work during termtime is fundraising, on campus and at home.

Students from both campuses help in the raising

A shared experience of missionaries can be the story of a search for basic things, such as water or even a pencil in schools of much-needed funds. Fund-raising activities are very varied, from Bake Sales to Tug-of-War competitions, from a “Strictly Come Dancing” competition to the more traditional raffles and table-quizzes.

Each person who will travel abroad is expected to raise at least €3,000. Students can be easily intimidated by this large amount the first time they hear it. When they begin working with us, however, they realize that these events, are fun to organize within a group and people are happy to part with a little money for a cause such as this.

Our society does not pay anyone. Once the flights and medication are paid for, the remainder of the money goes directly to the work on the ground. It is used to provide medication, water, school supplies and other basic needs. The level of poverty has to be seen to be believed. People are always surprised to hear for example that, in one school our volunteers teach, thirty students are lucky to have five school books to share between them.

Sisters.) We worked each day in an orphanage for children with special needs. I was assigned to a child with autism. Each day, we sang, we taught some primary education, we fed the children who were unable to feed themselves and we hand-washed their clothes. The worst day I had there was the day I left. On the first day, I wondered what I had to offer. The day I was leaving, I know that each child had taught me how to live life a little more fully. When I returned to Ireland, I got to share my story in MMO. I spend some time working in homeless shelter in Dublin with the Missionaries of Charity in Ireland.”

Student playing with children in school

MMO also engages with other organizations such as Trocaire, which is located on the Maynooth campus and are always willing to help out. We also provide a platform on campus during the year for guest speakers to enable them to share what is being done in different parts of the world and how poverty is a much more complex reality than lack of food alone. It is also an opportunity to make new friends on campus and across the world.

AN INDIAN SUMMER It has been a fact throughout the years of MMO’s existence, many students, after an initial experience with MMO, have returned on their own initiative to the country where they worked.

People just seem to fall in love with a culture and its people, and find it hard not to help their fellow humans better themselves in another part of the world.

Robert travelled to Calcutta in the summer of 2012 with one companion.

“It was hot and humid when the plane landed in Calcutta. It would remain like that for the seven weeks we stayed there. On our taxi ride to the hostel, the driver got out and manually moved the wipers, as a few drops of rain had fallen.

The hostel was safe but it was a far cry from our comfortable clean rooms back home. The smells and sights varied dramatically, with the rich and poor living in close proximity. We worked with the Missionaries of Charity (or Mother Teresa’s

Childen in Tanzania

A CHILDREN’S HOME IN PERU Colette who spent the summer working in a children’s home in Peru writes: When I was studying theology in Maynooth, I was lucky enough to be given the opportunity to travel to Peru to work for two months at a home for destitute children outside Lima. The mission began the September before, with fund-raising in Maynooth and at home in Donegal.

I was welcomed into the St. Francis of Assisi home with open arms: about sixty open arms to be exact! As soon as the children see a new volunteer, they are all over you, hugging, kissing and laughing at my lame attempts to speak Spanish. The home really only has room to accommodate around fifty children

but no-one is ever turned away. It was set up by Dr. Anthony Lazzara, who left an academic position in an American University to begin his apostolate among poor children. A trip to India to work with Mother Theresa was his inspiration.

During my first week, a very special baby was brought to the home by social services. Percy was abandoned by his mother. He was extremely malnourished for a baby of a year old. He had also a problem: his oesophagus which should carry food and saliva to his stomach is damaged and he had to be to be fed through a tube into his stomach, and needed of an operation when he was fit for it. While I was holding Percy one day, Dr. Tony explained he could help him medically but Percy needed someone to love and care for him round the clock he had been so neglected.

Needless to say, after that conversation, Percy became my special boy for the two months I was there, but I spent a lot of time with the older children too.

Many of the children suffer from serious illnesses, including cerebral palsy, malnutrition, spina bifida, leukaemia and heart disease. Many have had limbs amputated or suffer from limb malformations. Very often what made me cry though, was not the illness or disabilities there in front of me, but the heartbreaking stories of each child’s background, which was always linked to poverty. Many homes can only afford paraffin lamps, for example: they are easily knocked over by children who pay the ultimate price and end up at the home to recover from severe burns.

With children in school

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COMMENT THE WAY I SEE IT KATY DOBEY

FAST FASHION

AN INJUSTICE ANYWHERE IS A THREAT TO JUSTICE EVERYWHERE – MARTIN LUTHER KING

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Last summer I wrote about meeting Katie, as she undertook an experiment, called the Six Item Challenge. To raise awareness about a growing trend for disposable clothing, Katie picked six items of clothing from her wardrobe and pledged to wear only these over the next six weeks. This challenge, coordinated online, by a UK campaigning group called Labour Behind the Label is designed to raise awareness about “fast fashion,” a phenomenon in which clothing is so cheap, it is effectively disposable. The impact of such fast fashion is to drive prices down and the buying of this clothing supports unethical working and manufacturing practises.

Essentially, we consumers tell companies that we don’t care how garments are made as long as they are the right style and the right price.

I came away from the encounter with Katie inspired and excited by her simple steps towards change.

I felt that individuals can make a stand (however small) by cutting down their own consumption of fast fashion, by slowing the buying process down, by reusing instead of re-buying. Having had a chance to talk to Katie, I continued to read about the issue and learned a lot.

I learned that the Rana Plaza factory collapse, coupled with factory fires in Pakistan and Bangladesh in the latter half of 2012, caused the deaths of over 1500 people. These disasters remind us that conditions in REALITY SUMMER 2015

global garment supply chains are unjust and unacceptable. Large numbers of people are affected by this unfair system: Over 35 million workers, 80% of whom are female, produced clothing for export in 2012. Of course not all of these people work in substandard conditions. There are those who earn fair wages; however, far too many work very long hours, in unsafe conditions, earning extremely low wages.

While the world’s media was interested in the collapse of Rana Plaza for a couple of days at most, local rescue workers continued to work at the site, recovering bodies for 21 days after the tragedy. Labour Behind the Label, which is part of an international movement, called the Clean Clothes Campaign, continue to shed a light on the plight of workers, including survivors of the Rana Plaza tragedy.

I signed up for updates from Labour Behind the Label, so that on a regular basis, I received

emails about the state of affairs, about the actions that can be taken and the petitions that might need signing. However, as the year progressed, I have to admit my interest dwindled. The problems seemed always to be the same. Updates seemed to have little to update me upon – issues never seemed to progress.

Where once I read the emails from start to finish, I began to scan only the headings. I became less convinced that small actions could make a difference. I was less dedicated in my own shopping habits. Ultimately, I learned how difficult it is to produce change and how hard it is to continue to struggle against a system, where the injustices within it are skilfully hidden and where they are easier to ignore. It is hard to remain fired up about something that we as a society continuously and wilfully disregard.

However, in June of this year, an email caught my attention.

One of the updates from Labour Behind the Label had a victorious

subject, stating, “We Won!” The article referred to a major campaign victory, which will allow compensation to be paid to Rana Plaza victims. The Rana Plaza Donors Trust Fund which was set up by the International Labour Organisation in January 2014, had a target of $30 million to pay 5,000 awards of compensation. Since 2014, campaigners called on brands and retailers linked to the factory to provide donations to the fund to cover loss of income and medical costs suffered by the victims and their families when the factory collapsed. This summer, the target was reached.

Although, this is only a small step towards fairer working conditions, this update I received had a wonderful effect.

This good news reignited my hope that change can happen, that people do care and that together small steps can be taken in the right direction. I know that I find it difficult to stay engaged in issues with so little momentum, but I can honestly say that my interest is regained, I have pledged once again to be a conscientious consumer and I hope to sustain my dedication even longer this time. As Ghandi put it, “Your words become your actions, Your actions become your habits.” Although, it is difficult to sustain interest in and dedication to such complex issues, I hope that over time, it will simply become a habit to think more carefully before I buy.

PR AYE R

INTRODUCING CENTERING PRAYER

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SOMETIMES THE DEEPEST EXPERIENCE OF PRAYER COMES IN THE SILENCE. CENTERING PRAYER IS AN ANCIENT METHOD OF GROWING IN SILENCE.

BY BR DENIS GLEESON

Have

you ever been lost for words? Have you ever been in a situation where you knew that even the finest words would be inadequate? I think all of us have. This happens in prayer also.

Sometimes we just cannot find the words

that we need. Sometimes we know that there are not any words that can express what we feel in the depths of our heart. These are times when nothing is more eloquent than silence. Centering prayer is a prayer for such a time and, indeed, it is a prayer for every

time. It is a prayer of silence. It is a prayer in which ideas and words are not necessary. It is a prayer where our silence allows us to listen to God within and where God is allowed to introduce himself (or herself) to us, in his (or her) own terms.

P RAYE R

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ALL ABOUT RELATIONSHIP Centering prayer is all about relationship. It is as an opening of oneself to God and a listening to the divine presence within. Along with contemplation, which is a prayer of deep union with God and which is always given to us as pure gift, centering prayer becomes a “resting in God”. This is a phrase coined by Pope St. Gregory the Great.

Such “resting” is a deep knowledge of God. It is a “taste” of God’s love and a consenting to God’s presence and action within oneself. Centering Prayer is a method of prayer which facilitates the development of contemplation and prepares the will, the memory and the imagination for contemplation. The source of centering prayer is the indwelling of the Trinity within each person.

As a method, it stands in the long, rich and, it has to be said, somewhat neglected Christian mystical tradition.

This tradition is rooted in the wisdom saying of Jesus which we find in St. Matthew’s gospel: “When you pray, go into your inner room, close the door, and pray to your Father in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you” (Mt. 6:6).

Ordinary people, in the time of Jesus, were unlikely to have an inner room in their home.

They were lucky to have one room where the whole family lived, ate and slept. In the summer REALITY SUMMER 2015

perhaps, they probably used the flat roof of the house as additional living space. The inner room Jesus refers to is not a physical room: it is one’s heart, one’s deepest inner space. To find God, Jesus is saying, we are to retreat within ourselves.

We are also to close the door to this inner room, blocking out distractions and concerns and the cares of the day. In this silent place, we can pray to the Father, as it were, in secret. And the Father, the only other person who can see into our inner depths, will reward us and will respond to us.

CLOUD OF UNKNOWING Centering prayer is based upon this saying of Jesus and upon a fourteenth century anonymous text called The Cloud of Unknowing. It has been made popular again by the writings of the American Cistercian, Fr. Thomas Keating.

The actual method for centering prayer is simple.

You symbolise your intention to pray and the intention to consent to the presence and action of God within by choosing a short word that is sacred to yourself. The word could be a word such as, “Jesus”, “Abba”, “Mary”, “joy”, “peace”, or “mercy” etc. The choice is yours. Then, you adopt a comfortable seated position which can be maintained throughout the twenty minute period of prayer. You close your eyes and begin a gentle repetition of your sacred word. The word

is not repeated like a mantra but it is allowed recede as your thoughts quieten and the centering deepens. You can return to the word however as thoughts, or sensations, or feelings intrude. Finally, when the prayer period ends, a few additional minutes of grace are allowed so that the gift of centering can be carried from the prayer period into the preoccupations of daily living.

The method then is simple and all that is really required is the discipline to do the two sessions a day. Discipline, however, has had a bad reputation and is always a thorny topic in spirituality.

Commitment to practice is needed if there is to be spiritual development at all: that much is obvious. But, how does that commitment avoid the entanglements of the ego? How do we avoid commitment becoming, “my” commitment?

How do we avoid centering prayer becoming, “my” prayer?

I think the answer is to situate discipline within the context of a loving relationship. We will happily “discipline” ourselves to attend to the needs of a loved one who is ill and we will not find this “discipline” a burden at all. So too, within the context of a loving relationship, it is possible to attend to prayer and commit the necessary time to it without any articulated, or even vague, sense of forcing ourselves, or doing violence to ourselves.

Centering prayer changes our lives and once we begin to experience that, we will give it the time necessary.

GETTING DISTRACTED No matter how we pray, we often worry about thoughts and distractions. In centering prayer to speak of thoughts or distractions at all is misleading, as they are an integral and normal part of the prayer itself. Thoughts are quite simply an opportunity, through use of the sacred word, to turn back to God again and to signal our consent to God’s presence and action within us. Thoughts during centering may, of course, be indicative of areas of life that are in need of healing, but we do not engage with those thoughts during the actual prayer period. The silence we have entered into provides the space for the Spirit to begin that healing.

There can be, then, a subtle and unconscious interplay between our thoughts, our need for healing, our silence and the Spirit. This subtlety

is not for analysing: it is for experiencing. Trust in God’s presence and in God’s work deep within us is what is needed. All we need to do is to remain alert, to remain receptive and to return gently to the sacred word if we find we have engaged with our thoughts.

BY THE FRUIT YOU WILL KNOW The core goodness of each and every human person is central to a Christian faith that has the mystery of the Incarnation at its centre. It actually makes sense to find that the fruits of centering prayer are to be found occurring in our daily lives rather than during the prayer period itself.

The Spirit gifts us with a capacity to listen that can only come from silence, a growth in selfknowledge, a crucial ability to begin to exert control over the ego and to let go of some of our baggage. We also develop a non-judgmental, caring and just attitude towards ourselves, others and creation.

A committed daily routine of centering prayer, is therefore, a contribution towards the

Summary: 1. Choose a sacred word as the symbol of your intention to consent to God’s presence and action within.

2. Sitting comfortably and with eyes closed, silently introduce the word, as a symbol of your consent to God’s presence and action within.

3. Whenever you become engaged with your thoughts return ever so gently to the sacred word.

4. At the end of the prayer period remain in silence for a couple of minutes. raising of our own consciousness and, by way of consequence, even that of humankind itself.

Personal change is, as we know, very difficult.

A practice of centering prayer is one way of allowing a loving God to slowly undertake personal change within us. Now, can there be a better recommendation?

Denis Gleeson, a Christian Brother, works with Contemplative Outreach the organisation that promotes centering prayer. He also offers spirituality workshops, retreats and spiritual direction through the Emmaus Centre, Lissenhall, Swords, Co. Dublin.

Note: To find out more about centering prayer, or locate a centering prayer group in your area, www. contemplativeoutreach.ie Contact details for the author can be found at www.denisgleeson.com

SEEK A NEW DIRECTION

EXPLORE RELIGIOUs SISTERS OF CHA RIT Y

The Love of Christ urges us on – as Sisters of Charity we continue to live a journey of loving service in the Spirit of our Foundress Mary Aikenhead who spent her life in love serving ‘God’s nobility the suffering poor’.

The rest of your life is starting now – Is God inviting you to share in this same journey of loving service as a Sister of Charity, as a friend of Mary Aikenhead or as volunteer in one of our services?

Take the first step and contact Sr. Rita Wynne on 086 343 4448 or email ritawynnersc@eircom.net

You can also get more information on our website www.religioussistersofcharity.ie

THE Q U R ' A N

JESUS AND MARY IN THE QUR’AN

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WHILE IT IS WIDELY KNOWN THAT JESUS IS HONOURED AS A PROPHET IN ISLAM, LESS WELL-KNOWN IS THE PLACE IN THE QUR’AN OF HIS MOTHER, MARYAM OR MARY. SHE IS MENTIONED MORE THAN THIRTY TIMES BY NAME IN THE QUR’AN, MORE THAN IN THE NEW TESTAMENT.

BY JONATHAN KEARNEY

Following

the introductory article on the Qur’an in the last issue – we now turn to a more specific topic – one of particular interest to Christians: the presence of Jesus and Mary in the Qur’an and what the text says about them. This topic also allows us to further explore how Islam sees

REALITY SUMMER 2015

itself in relation to earlier written revelations – revelations whose existence and the Prophets to whom they were given Muslims are obliged to believe in as two of the Six Articles of Belief.

As we saw in the last article, Islam sees itself as the primordial religion of humanity, with the Prophet Muhammed as its final and most important Prophet in

a line stretching back to the first human (and Prophet) – Adam.

For Muslims, then Muhammad is the restorer rather than the founder of Islam.

JESUS THE PROPHET The Qur’an itself mentions twenty-five Prophets by name.

Each of these Prophets is known as a nabi (very similar to the

Hebrew word for Prophet, navi).

Five of these Prophets, however, are of a higher status than the others. Each of these higher Prophets is known in English as a “Messenger” (Arabic rasul). A Messenger is differentiated from the “regular” Prophets by the fact that each Messenger was given a written text – a book that initiated a new dispensation.

Most Muslim scholars agree that the five Messengers are: Ibrahim (Abraham); Musa (Moses); Dawud (David); ‘Isa (Jesus) and, of course Muhammad. The written revelations given to each of these Messengers are known respectively as the Suhuf, Tawrat, Zabur, Injil and the Qur’an.

of tahrīf mentioned in the last article: the belief that the earlier revelations were distorted or corrupted.

THE MOTHER OF JESUS IN THE QUR’AN For those unfamiliar with the Qur’an it is informative to begin with some bare statistics: Prophet ‘Isa (or Jesus) is mentioned some twenty-five times by name in the Qur’an. The Prophet Muhammad is mention by name only four times (although he is addressed by God in the text many more times than this). Jesus’ mother, Mary, or Maryam as she is known in Arabic (closely related to the Hebrew and Aramaic forms of this name), is explicitly mentioned thirty-four times.

Indeed, the two are frequently mentioned together: the most common designation for Jesus in the Qur’an is ‘Isa ibn Maryam (“Jesus son of Mary”). Indeed, it may surprise readers to learn that one of the chapters (surahs) of the Qur’an bears the name of Jesus’ mother: the nineteenth chapter is known as Surat Maryam.

For anybody wanting to understand the Islamic view of Jesus and his mother Mary, Surat Maryam is essential reading (especially verses 1635). Muslims believed that Jesus’ birth was miraculous – Mary was a virgin when he was born – but crucially, Muslims do not accept that God in any way “fathered” Jesus. Indeed, a verse in Surat al-Ikhlas (112:3) directly refutes such a belief: the Qur’an states of God: “He begot no one nor was he begotten.” Indeed,

Surat Maryam itself (19:35) while supporting the virgin birth of Jesus, clearly states that God is not his father: “it would not befit God to have a child. He is far above that: when he decrees something, He says only, ‘Be,’ and it is.”

Surat Maryam includes an annunciation narrative (19:1621). We are then told that Mary retreated to a place of seclusion to give birth to her

(the codified traditions of the Prophet Muhammad) and the Tafsir literature (the still dynamic and ever-growing discourse of Qur’anic interpretation). In both of them, we find that Jesus plays a major role in Islamic eschatology or teaching about the end times. Many hadiths mention his return to earth as a precursor or forerunner of the end of days, and as a vicegerent of the Prophet Muhammad. In

The Prophet ‘Isa (Jesus) is mentioned some twenty-five times by name in the Qur’an

A major feature of the study of the Qur’an by Western scholars interested in the culture and religion of the Middle East was its preoccupation with examining how the Qur’an had “adopted and adapted” Jewish and Christian narratives and incorporated them into the text. Such a conception of the Qur’an is entirely alien to Muslim sensibilities. Since they view the Qur’an as a restored and corrected revelation, it does not contain “versions” of the Jewish and Christian narratives.

Instead, the Qur’an contains the truest and most reliable versions of narratives – a need necessitated by the doctrine

child. When she returns to her family after Jesus’ birth, she is accused of unchaste behaviour.

Having taking a vow of silence, she point to the infant Jesus who miraculously speaks the following words, worth quoting in full (19:30-34): “30[But] he said ‘I am a servant of God. He has granted me the Scripture; made me a prophet; 31made me blessed wherever I may be. He commanded me to pray, to give alms as long as I live, 32 to cherish my mother. He did not make me domineering or graceless. 33Peace was on me the day I was born, and will be on me the day I die and the day I am raised to life again.’ 34Such was Jesus, son of Mary.”

It might also be noted that Jesus is referred to as al-Masih (“messiah”) on eleven occasions in the Qur’an. The Muslim understanding of this term and its theological implications are, however, not the same as those of Judaism and Christianity.

Indeed, the Qur’an itself is not especially explicit on this question. Instead we need to look to the Hadith literature

this sense, we might venture to characterise Jesus as the second most important Messenger of Islam, and his mother Mary, as the most important woman in the Qur’an. But the role played

by Jesus and Mary in nonQur’anic Islamic discourse is beyond the scope of this article.

COMMON GROUND AND DIFFERENCE Despite the common ground, however, it is important to note that there are some very major differences between Muslim and Christian beliefs about Jesus.

Despite his miraculous birth, for Muslims, Jesus is simply a human Prophet – however much he is respected and honoured. Like other Muslim Prophets, Jesus reveals the will of God, but in no way does he reveal God’s person nor does he share in it. Nor do Muslims believe that Jesus died on the cross. Instead, they hold that he was miraculously raised to the heavens by God while still alive and that a substitute died on the cross in his place.

So, clearly, for Muslims, Jesus and his mother Mary play a

23

THE Q U R ' A N

JESUS AND MARY IN THE QUR’AN •The five highest ranking Prophets or Messengers in

Islam are: Ibrahim (Abraham); Musa (Moses); Dawud (David); ‘Isa (Jesus) and Muhammad.

•Each of them was given a written revelation known respectively as the Suhuf (Scrolls of Abraham), Tawrat (Arabic for Torah or Law), Zabur (Psalms), Injil (Gospel) and the Qur’an.

•Jesus is mentioned 25 times in the Qur’an and his mother Mary, Maryam, 34 times.

•One of the chapters of the Qur’an, the Surat Maryam, bears the name of Mary.

•The most common name for Jesus in the Qur’an is ‘Isa ibn Maryam, Jesus Son of Mary.

24

•Muslims believed that Jesus’ birth was miraculous.

Mary was a virgin when he was born but they do not believe that God was his father. very important role in the Qur’an. However, we need to look to Muslim tradition and the exegesis of the Qur’an for

community that represents Jesus and his mother as unifying figures between Muslims and Christians – rather than divisive ones.

When suf fering persecution at the hands of their Meccan opponents, Muhammad sent a delegation of the community seeking sanctuary in the Christian kingdom of Abyssinia (contemporary Ethiopia and Eritrea). The refugees reached Abyssinia, but were followed by a delegation of their Meccan persecutors, who aimed to dissuade the Negus (king) of Abyssinia from receiving the

We might ... characterise Jesus as the second most important Messenger of Islam, and his mother Mary, as the most important woman in the Qur’an much of the later developments and elaborations of the Islamic “theology of Jesus and Mary.”

We might conclude by offering a short narrative from the history of the nascent Muslim REALITY SUMMER 2015

asylum seekers. When asked by the Negus to recite something of their revelation (the Qur’an), the Muslims chose some verses from the recently revealed Surat Maryam we have just described.

We are told that the Negus and his bishops were moved to

tears by what they heard and were convinced by the Qur’anic narrative of Jesus and Mary to grant asylum to the Muslims – dispatching their Meccan persecutors with a promise that he would never give up the Muslim refugees.

Recommendations for Further Reading Abdel Haleem, M.A.S. The Quran: A New Translation.

Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2004. As in the last article, all translations from the Qur’an given above come from this rendering.

Leirvik, Oddbjørn. Images of Jesus Christ in Islam. 2nd ed.

London: Continuum, 2010.

Jonathan Kearney holds a doctorate in Near Eastern Languages from University College, Dublin.

He lectures in St Patrick’s College, Drumcondra where his academic interests are in the field of Jewish and Islamic studies.

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MOT HE R O F P E R PE TUAL H E L P

FROM PICTURE TO ICON PEOPLE WHO LIVED CLOSE TO A REDEMPTORIST OR REDEMPTORISTINE CHURCH WERE DRAWN NATURALLY TOWARDS DEVOTION TO THE MOTHER OF PERPETUAL HELP. COPIES OF IT USUALLY HUNG IN THEIR HOMES AND ‘THE NOVENA’ WAS A COMMON FORM OF PRAYER.

BY FR SEÁN WALES CSsR

Growing

26

up in Belfast in the 40s and 50s of the last century, in the shadow of Clonard Monastery, most of the homes had very similar religious pictures. Every household had either a picture or a statue of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. St Joseph was less popular, I remember, than St Thérèse of Lisieux who was better known as "The Little Flower".

In my home, we had a large and somewhat gory picture of St Rock with vivid open sores on his legs.

Rarity: The 'statute' of our Mother of Perpetual Help as seen in the chapel of Hawkstone Hall, Shropshire, England

REALITY SUMMER 2015

FAVOURITE PICTURES When it came to the Blessed Virgin, pretty well every house I knew had a picture of Our Lady of Perpetual Succour. It was one picture among many and was sometimes in competition with statues of Our Lady of Lourdes or Our Lady of Sorrows (promoted by the 'rival' Passionists in Ardoyne).

As a picture, it did not fare too well; it didn't look like Our Lady, at least not the other ‘Our Ladies’ but we were loyal to it because of the nearby Redemptorist Monastery and the highly

popular Novena to Our Lady of Perpetual Succour.

The language and spirituality of icons and the richness of the icon of Perpetual Help still lay in our future. Yet devotion to Our Lady under the title of Perpetual Succour was intense and sincere.

MANY FACES OF ICONS T. S. Eliot, in his poem, Burnt Norton, comments on the life of words: "Words strain, Crack and sometimes break, under the burden, Under the tension, slip, slide, perish, Decay with imprecision, will not stay in place, Will not stay still.

This has certainly happened to the word "icon", either in its English form image or nearer to its Greek eikon. In our tradition, the word 'icon' is embedded in the Scriptures, Old and New. From the Book of Genesis which speaks of humanity being made in the image of God to the Book of Revelation - we are schooled in the religious use of the word.

As Christianity grew and found cultural expression, the word 'icon' took on a very specific meaning. It came to refer to a religious experience

mediated through colour: a channel of grace, a prayer, a presence, a theology, a spirituality. In the Eastern tradition of the Church, the Holy Icon paralleled Holy Scripture.

relational title than "Lady".

In all these small ways, Mary is brought closer to us in our need.

THE LOVE OF THE COMMON PEOPLE It was only when studying theology, during the Second Vatican Council, that I began to see more clearly the difference between the sacred Liturgy of the Church and popular piety. I had experienced both, of course, in my Catholic upbringing. In the wake of the Council, the devotional life and popular piety suffered in the comparison with the official liturgy. At times we were minded to describe our devotional life as "para-liturgical".

The Novena devotions to Our Mother of Perpetual Help continued to provide a space where anyone's needs could be aired through the public reading of petitions. The petitions (and thanksgivings) read out during the Novena touched many hearts and fostered a sense of solidarity in prayer. Such moments are now recognised as sources of genuine theology.

Pope Francis stresses the evangelizing power of popular piety. Seeing the Holy Spirit at work in the outpourings of popular devotion, the pope writes: "Underlying popular piety, as a fruit of the inculturated Gospel, is an active evangelizing power which must not be underestimated: to do so would be to fail to recognize the work of the Holy Spirit......Expressions of popular piety...are a source of theology which demands our attention, especially at a time when we are looking to the new evangelization" (Evangelii Gaudium 126).

The word 'icon' ... came to refer to a religious experience mediated through colour: a channel of grace, a prayer, a presence, a theology, a spirituality Gradually, the word 'icon' was prised out of its religious context and came to mean everything from a symbol, to a model, to an archetype. We had "iconic buildings" (like the Sydney Opera House). We had living people presented as icons (for example, Nelson Mandela as icon of reconciliation). The latest stage of the evolution of the word is its new home in the language of computers. We negotiate our way clicking or double clicking on this or that icon.

FROM PICTURE TO PRESENCE I now see the move from 'picture' to 'icon' is a move from a pious decoration to a spiritual presence. For me, at least, it was a move from a surface acquaintance to a deeper more personal knowledge, from a kind of 'knowing that' to a 'knowing who'.

Another change I have noticed, at least in English, is from 'succour' to 'help'. 'Succour' was a good word to describe the assistance and support to be expected from a loved one. From its Latin root of 'run to' (succurrere) it evoked immediate aid and relief. When we were children, however, it often got mixed up with 'sucker', which, in our playground English, meant a gullible or easily deceived child. The use of 'Help', as that which is provided for a person's needs, neatly and clearly captures the intent of the title.

For quite some time after the icon was given to the Redemptorists, the title "Our Lady of Perpetual Succour" was used. This was despite the knowledge that it was known in Greek and Latin as "Mother of Perpetual Succour". The current used of "Mother" is therefore a warmer and more

THE NOVENA Memories of the Clonard Novena and of other Novenas I have since experienced fit rather more with the "picture" than with the "icon" template.

When the Redemptorists were given the "picture" they received it as such - a picture. In the second half of the 19th century, icons were something exotic from the East and few in the Latin church

27 had much insight into the rich spirituality of icons.

The Redemptorists set about making Our Lady of Perpetual Succour known. To foster devotion to Mary under that title, they devised various devotions which nearly a hundred years later took the form of the Novena Devotions to Our Lady of Perpetual Succour.

The particular form I encountered involved a good deal of vocal prayer, hymns, petitions and thanksgivings, both statistical and personal, and included a Eucharist dimension, at first Benediction and later Holy Mass. The Novena Devotions fitted comfortably into the popular piety of the day summed up in the phrase: "To Jesus through Mary".

As the understanding of icons developed in the Latin church, one would expect the shift from "picture' to "icon" to be reflected in the devotional expressions of Novena goers. Certainly we have learned a great deal more about the holy icon we have inherited; I am less sure that we have found appropriate expression of these new insights in our prayer.

Seรกn Wales CSsR is provincial of the Redemptorists in South Africa. He grew up in the Clonard area of Belfast.

F E AT U R E

YOGA AND MY CATHOLIC FAITH A PERSONAL VIEW

IS YOGA A ‘TOOL OF THE DEVIL’ AS IS SOMETIMES ALLEGED OR CAN IT BECOME PART OF A GENUINE CHRISTIAN LIFE OF PRAYER? A YOGA TEACHER DESCRIBES HOW SHE WAS INTRODUCED TO IT BY THE SISTERS AT HER CATHOLIC SCHOOL.

BY LISA COPELAND 28

“Yoga

t e a c h e r, C a t h o l i c , voluntary chairperson, university lecturer, mother, seeker of the truth”…all of these descriptions fit me at any given time and none of them is at odds with the other.

DISCOVERING YOGA IN THE TROUBLES Growing up in West Belfast in 1981 was not easy. The IRA Hunger strikes were underway, and as each young man died, the rioting and violence escalated. As a first year at St Dominic’s Grammar School on the Falls Road, I faced the usual pressures – exams, adolescence, the ups and downs of friendships and family life with the added fear and stress brought on by the Troubles as the conflict raged on the streets of Belfast and beyond.

Looking back, it was difficult, yet somehow we got through. But for some of us within the walls of St Dominic’s, that process of “getting through” meant so much more. It is hard to credit it now, but back then, some 34 years ago, the Dominican nuns had the wisdom and foresight to see that those of us in their care needed something more,

Yoga was not a ‘dark art’ but a wonderfully light and easy way of breathing, living in the moment...

Given some recent headlines regarding yoga and the Catholic Church, with some people calling for to be banned as “the work of Satan,” I found myself wondering has yoga been anything other than good for me? Is it ever at odds with my religious faith or beliefs?

Let me tell my story and I will leave you to make up your own mind.

REALITY SUMMER 2015

needed something that we could rely on in those dark days. That something was yoga – not a ‘dark art’ at all, but a wonderfully light and easy way of breathing, living in the moment and, if you like, losing ourselves to the darkness outside those school walls.

The Sisters did not question whether this was an alternative religion or spiritual practice at odds with ours and their faith. Instead, they used their heads and their hearts to decide that herein lay the tools for coping with life, both inside and outside school.

Memories are still fresh of relaxation sessions with our petite and pretty yoga teacher – the now departed Chrissie Hughes – a little ray of sunshine and beautiful green leotards! She guided us on sleepy walks through gardens with apple trees and led us down by rivers and streams of blue. What a treat and what a revelation!

For what we were learning, and what has remained with me to this day, is that we each hold inside of us the tools to escape, to let go, to journey to the inner garden of Eden.

There we find not snakes and evil, not the work of the devil, but God and all his wonders. These inner scenes are surely heaven-made and God-given. Who are we as children of His not to reach inside and dwell there in that space He has laid out for us? As Nelson Mandela famously said, our playing small does not enlighten the world: we are each called to be a light, but to shine bright, we must first experience it in our hearts, in our core being and know its truths. From that place of knowledge and experience we bear witness to Him. It is in a yogic place of deep relaxation that I have found the ability to go there, find God and stay a while.

a religion; it is a way of life. It is a lifestyle and a valued one at that in this hectic, modern world of digital speeds and stimuli. In that respect yoga is ‘old fashioned’ but in a wholesome, nostalgic way. It enables us to slow right down to speeds that for many of us are but distant memories.

BECOMING A YOGA TEACHER From those early days on the Falls Road until today, yoga has been a way of life for me and it is a good way. Having attended classes on and off for many years, I eventually trained as a yoga teacher with the Yoga Fellowship of Northern Ireland and began guiding my students into their own gardens of beauty and peace.

Once again I found myself embraced by God and touched by His loving hand as I reached out to hold theirs. Like anything worth having, it didn’t always come easy. At times, I found myself ‘defending’ yoga and its principles.

Often asked by newcomers if yoga would be at odds with their faith, if it would ‘make them’ do something they weren’t happy with as a Catholic, my reply was, and still is, try it for yourselves and make up your own mind.

As Jesus himself said ‘who do you say that I am?’ Try yoga out. See for yourself that it is not

THE YOKE IS EASY Yet it is these speeds that feed the soul. It is in these quiet moments with only the breath for company that we find stillness and rest. It is in these moments that our drooping spirits are revived. When our yokes are heavy, we find rest.

It is interesting that the word ‘Yoga’ means yoke, or union, the union of body, breath and mind. And why bother with this union? I bother because it is in that triangular space of union and togetherness that I experience peace and joy. To dwell in God’s presence is surely what we all aim for. I certainly make no apology for practising something that has brought me there!

I regard yoga as a friend and constant companion on my life’s journey and when I need it most, just like God, it is there. So, is God in my yoga? Yes, He most definitely is. Is God centre stage or is he side-lined by this Hindu tradition and its physical and spiritual practices?

He is without doubt there, right at the heart of my practice. He and all that my religion and faith mean to me are centre stage in my practice.

If anything yoga has helped to me to deepen my faith, has helped me on my journey to finding God in all that I do.

For those of you who might be asking what about church, can’t it be the quiet space and the way of finding God? Yes, it can and for many, it is that place. But with the added dimension of yoga, in church I can breathe deeply, using the yogic tools I have learned, sitting or standing with the spine straight and the energy flowing freely, and in no time at all I am ‘there’! How much more meaningful would weekly mass become if we could all do likewise. If the Catholic Church could only see this and embrace it rather than giving the impression of switching people off and turning them away, how much more packed would our churches be! How much more enriched would all our experiences of God be.

CONCLUSION So if you read another article denouncing yoga as a path of darkness and fear, at odds with your faith think of me and my story. Try it for yourself.

It is a wise and warm path; a path of love, light and hope. As my late father used to say, ‘we didn’t really know who Jesus was, we never met Him. But He showed us a good way of life and we’d do well to follow it’. Yoga shows us a good way of life and amidst the madness we would do well to follow it.

Lisa Copeland is a yoga teacher trained by the Yoga Fellowship of NI and has been teaching yoga to adults and children across Belfast for over ten years. Currently moving in to teaching in primary schools Lisa is fulfilling her ambition of bringing yoga to children so that they too can learn the benefits of this wonderful practice at an early age.

29

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COM M E N T CHRISTIAN PARENTING CARMEL WYNNE

CHANGING VALUES

AN OVERHEARD PHONE CALL PROMPTS THOUGHTS ON CHANGING VALUES

I was intrigued by the conversation a young woman on the bus was having on her mobile phone.

“I thought they were so madly in love. You mean she has left him again. Why?” Whatever the person who received the call answered got a very positive agreement.

“You’re right. He left her before.

I think they just get bored with each other, break up and get back together again”. Two people moved up the bus and she dropped her voice as they passed her seat. I unashamedly resumed listening. “Yeah, you’re right, she did leave, twice before.

You know what, they want the drama. They always get back to being lovey dovey after a breakup. I wouldn’t be surprised if they end up married.”

I was tempted to interrupt to say couples who need excitement as a reason to get back to feeling lovely dovey shouldn’t get married until they work through this. Of course I didn’t but that conversation offered me a text book illustration of how imperceptibly my own values as well as the social values in our society have changed and are changing.

I value the right to privacy. If you asked me would I listen in to a private phone call I’d say, “No, definitely not”. If you asked about my attitude to listening to gossip, I’d share my belief that gossip should be ignored and never repeated.

The reality is that it’s next to

together because they need the drama of making up to get lovey dovey again?

Children learn about the way men and women relate and show love by what is modelled in the family. They learn how to argue and fight and makeup and forgive by observing how the caring adults around them behave. Whether people are aware of it or not they are powerfully affected by what was modelled by their parent of the same sex.

impossible for a person on a bus who is using a telephone to have a private conversation.

Mostly passengers, who can’t help hearing what is said, will try to avoid paying attention. And occasionally something is heard that gives food for reflection.

So let me share my reflections with you. The values that society once held about marriage have radically changed. In the not too distant past people were ambivalent about engaged couples living together. There were mixed reactions to the concept of what was regarded as a “trial marriage”.

Judgemental people pointed the finger at a couple “living in sin”, in the days when there was no divorce in Ireland. Parental values changed as some families encouraged adult children to find out if they were compatible and could live in harmony.

Today it is becoming the norm for people to move in together

at a very early stage in their relationship. College students joke about finding a flatmate with benefits. And there seems to be a growing acceptance in our society of two people making the decision to move in together without any commitment to a long term relationship.

In the conversation I overheard on the bus the sentence, “she left him again”, grabbed my attention. In the last couple of years I’ve become aware of several couples who have these kinds of on again off again relationships. I was intrigued by the explanation given. There is no doubt that couples who make the decision to marry have moved way beyond the myth of living happily ever after in romantic bliss. Usually they have lived together but the question I was left pondering is can an emotionally healthy couple relationship survive if the couple break up and get back

There are many different styles of marriage and every marriage is a unique relationship. The expectations of each spouse will be coloured by their family history, by what they learned about a couple relationship from watching the partnership of mum and dad. Some families are tactile and have an ease showing affectionate feelings. Others find it difficult to show affection in public. These differences matter.

Every family has unwritten rules, the family beliefs and values about how you show you love and care for someone. I imagine that it must be one of the saddest things that can happen in any couple relationship that either partner feels unloved, so taken for granted that they use leaving the relationship as a ploy to rekindle some spark to keep the relationship alive.

Carmel Wynne is a life and work skills coach and lives in Dublin. For more information, visit www.carmelwynne.org

31

F E AT U R E

WITNESSING TO HOPE NEW VISION FOR KNOCK SHRINE

32

THE REFURBISHMENT OF THE LARGE BASILICA AT KNOCK WHICH HAS RECENTLY BEEN COMPLETED IS NOT THE ONLY ASPECT OF THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE SHRINE AS A NATIONAL SPIRITUAL CENTRE.

BY MARIA HUNT

©Photography by Joe Buckley, shannonparish.ie

One

of the largest undertakings to take place at Knock in recent years has been the refurbishment of Our Lady’s Basilica.

Completed in 1976, the basilica has undergone a complete transformation, with a full refurbishment of the interior. This refurbishment is just one aspect of the ‘Witness to Hope’ initiative which has faith renewal and the promotion of Knock shrine at home and abroad as its core priorities.

REFURBISHING THE BASILICA During last winter, a programme for refurbishing the basilica was begun. It was reopened for worship last Easter. Those who have been to

REALITY SUMMER 2015

Knock on a pilgrimage will be familiar with the former functional style of the Basilica. It has been completely transformed to reflect the new and exciting plans unfolding at Knock. About eighty percent of the work has now been completed but some things, such as a large tiled mosaic over the altar, stained glass windows in the entrance corridors and some altar furnishings remain to be completed over the next year.

Fr. Richard Gibbons, parish priest and rector of the basilica, says: “The original idea was for the Basilica

to act as a shelter. Expectations however change and adjust over time. It is understandable that pilgrims are looking for greater levels of comfort, as well as a sacred space for prayer and reflection. Knock is such a special place and it is down to us to ensure that spirit of prayer is preserved and enhanced for the fulfilment of all those coming to Knock.”

WITNESS TO HOPE Although the refurbishment of the basilica was necessary, it is not the most important element

The basilica has been completely transformed to reflect the new and exciting plans unfolding at Knock of the ‘Witness to Hope’ programme, says Fr Gibbons. “Our programs for Faith Renewal are still in the developmental stages but they will reflect further the bigger picture of what we hope to achieve for Knock.”

During the pilgrimage season, which runs from the last Sunday in April to the second Sunday in October, the basilica is open and visitors are welcome to come and see the transformation for themselves. The national Novena which proceeds the feast of Our Lady of Knock will take place from the 14th-22nd of August.

Seminars and workshops will be held each day throughout the Novena, in addition to the two main scheduled services at 3pm and 8.30.

The original parish church and the modern apparition chapel, with a fine group of statutes representing the apparition as described by the eye-witnesses, is open all year round from early morning until late at night.

HIDDEN TREASURES Many regular visitors to Knock are unaware of the many services that are available at the shrine. Throughout the pilgrimage season, the Youth Ministry team runs “The HUB” (Hear, Understand, Believe), which focuses on young people and offers an array of activities, including summer camps, volunteer programmes, a kids’ club and drop-in centre. The Youth Ministry is run

by Helen Toner and Nicola Mitchell, who also run diocesan school retreats at Knock

during the academic year. On entering the HUB, one can immediately sense the positive, fun-filled atmosphere where each child and young adult is encouraged to have fun while exploring their faith and taking time out from busy life.

Also located at the HUB building is the Family Centre. The concept and reality of family is at the heart of life and at the heart of Church and it seeks to resource, support and enhance the lived experience of the family today. This means taking the reality of family life – in its joyful and

continued on page 35

33

.

Y .

I .

D

ilgrimage Do It Yourself P

Many parishes in Ireland have holy places such as a Mass rock or holy well to which local people go on pilgrimage. There are also some holy places that are known nationally. Here are some that can be visited personally or in small organised groups. Many have websites that give additional information

Lough Derg, Pettigo, Co Donegal www.loughderg.org

upwards to ascend, depending on your fitness. The site includes a chapel, a holy well and a way of the cross.

“St Patrick’s Purgatory” is one of Europe’s oldest and most famous shrines. Lough Derg has preserved the spirit of asceticism of the Celtic saints and their contact with nature. The full pilgrimage is a three day time of fasting, an all-night vigil and walking bare foot on a small island in the middle of a lake. It is not for the faint-hearted! The pilgrimage season runs from May until 15 August. For those who are unable to make the full pilgrimage, some less intensive one day retreats are available.

Our Lady’s Island www.ourladysisland.ie

Croagh Patrick www.croagh-patrick.com

34

Croagh Patrick is “Ireland’s Holy Mountain” overlooking Clew Bay, Co Mayo. The official pilgrimage day, “Reek Sunday,” is the last Sunday in July, when the climb begins from early morning and a succession of Masses are celebrated in the tiny oratory at the summit. It can be climbed at any other time of the year, provided the conditions for climbing are suitable.

Tóchar Phádraig www.ballintubberabbey.ie Tóchar Phádraig is an ancient Celtic roadway from Ballintubber Abbey to Croagh Padraig, a distance of 22 miles across country. The abbey offers guided walks, including climbing the mountain, with return transport.

Information and booking via the Abbey website. Even if you do not wish to walk the entire way, the abbey is well worth a visit. It is one of the few Irish Churches where Mass has been celebrated without interruption since the Middle Ages.

Máméan www.ouririshheritage.org/page_id__60. aspx Máméan is an ancient pilgrimage site located deep in the Maamturk Mountains, between Leenane and Roundstone in Co Galway. It is most easily reached from the Galway – Clifden Road, near Maam Cross. It is not a difficult climb taking anything from 30 minutes REALITY SUMMER 2015

The official pilgrimage period for Our Lady’s Island is short, from the feast of the Assumption (15 August) to Our Lady’s Birthday (8 September) but it can be visited at any time. It is on the N25 between Wexford and Rosslare.

Faughart, Co Louth h t t p://p i lgr i m age me die v a li re l a n d . c o m /2 0 1 3/0 2 /0 9/t h e - m o d e r n pilgrimages-at-faughart-on-the-feastday-of-st-brigit/ The shrine of St Bridget is at Faughard, Co Louth, almost on the border separating Northern Ireland from the Republic. It is a typically Celtic holy place, with emphasis on the running water of the stream and holy well, prayers recited while walking around the places of prayer marked by stones.

Routes to follow...

If you are feeling active, you might also follow some of the marked walking routes such as • “Cosán na Naomh” in Co. Kerry. This “Path of the Saints”is a walk of about 18 km from Ventry to Mount Brandon. The high point is the “Oratory of Gallarus”, a 7th or 8th century church built of dry stone.

• 2. St Kevin’s Way, Co Wicklow. A thirty kilometre trail following the footsteps of St Kevin through the hills of Wicklow to Glendalough, an impressive ‘monastic city’ whose churches, crosses and round tower remain as evidence.

• 3. Lough Derg Walk starts at the visitor centre near the pier where boats bring pilgrims across to Station Island and is marked by the symbol of a pilgrim walker (http://www.heritagecouncil.ie/fileadmin/ user_upload/Publications/Landscape/Lough_Derg_ Pilgrim_Paths_Booklet_2004.pdf)

sorrowful moments and applying to it care programmes, prayer experiences and support networks that bring a deeper awareness and a fuller understanding to the richness of family life.

Preparing couples for marriage, providing training to parents, working with bereavement groups and providing support groups are some of the areas which shape the work of the Knock Family Centre.

Help in meditative prayer is available daily at

MUSEUM AND CAFÉ Young families will also find plenty to interest them at the award-winning Knock Museum. The museum tells the unique and compelling story of the apparitions of 1879 and of the fifteen ordinary people who witnessed this extraordinary event.

Visitors can read original hand-written letters by people cured at Knock and listen to pilgrims sharing stories and memories of Knock. The museum sets the narrative of the apparition in the context of country life at that time, from daily living in thatched houses to working in the forge. As a mark of the increasingly international character of the pilgrims drawn to Knock, audio guides are available in seven languages.

Café Le Chéile is located in the same building as the Knock Museum. It is a bright, airy café with overlooking the attractive grounds of the sanctuary area and the basilica.

Our programs for faith Renewal...will reflect further the bigger picture of what we hope to achieve for Knock

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the Prayer Guidance Centre. This is a quiet space where pilgrims can relax and experience what it is like to pray with Scripture. Guided prayer sessions are held three times each day during the pilgrimage season. The Blessed Sacrament Chapel is open daily for those who wish to pray in an atmosphere of silence.

Maria Hunt is a native of Clonlee, Knock Co Mayo. She is head of Marketing & Communications at Knock Shrine and looks after all aspects of advertising, social media and public relations.

Ennismore Retreat Centre

5th - 10th July - €400 (5 day) Vision of God in and through Poetry.

Paul Murray OP 22nd -26th July - €385 Starts 22nd 10am and finishes 26th at Lunch time

“So that my own joy may be in you and your joy may be complete”. (John 15:11) Mindfulness and Healing Martina Lehane Sheehan

ST DOMINIC’S

2nd - 6th August - €385 Starts 2nd at 6pm and finishes on the 6th at Lunch time

Prayer for All Seasons: Reflections on the Psalms Fr. Benedict Hegarty OP

20th - 24th September - €385 Starts 20th at 6pm with tea and finishes 24th at lunch time

The Revolution of Tenderness: A Journey to the Heart Daniel J. O’Leary and Martina Lehane Sheehan

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.

Newly refurbished Meditation Room now available for booking Applicants for Spiritual Accompaniment Course, (2015-2017) being taken now 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

UNDER THE MICROSCOPE SUMMER BOOKSHELF THE HOLIDAYS CAN PROVIDE SOME TIME TO READ A GOOD BOOK. HERE ARE A FEW YOU MIGHT FIND INTERESTING Treasures of Irish Christianity. Vol III. To the Ends of the Earth. Edited by Salvador Ryan. Veritas: Dublin, 2015. €19.99

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This is the third volume of the “ Tr e a s u r e s of Irish Christianit y ” series and it deals with the “Irish abroad” in almost eighty short but highly readable essays.

As might be expected from the subtitle, the majority of the essays deal with topics relating to the ‘foreign missions,’ from the early Irish monkmissionaries to the role of contemporary Irish men and women in the battle against AIDS and the struggle for justice. It is a very inclusive collection that alongside the larger orders, finds a place for smaller but often heroic religious communities such as the Sisters of St John of God who struggles for the education of marginalised native peoples in Northern Australia in the face of a government which had little interest in such things. What might be particularly enlightening f o r re a d e r s o f this magazine is the missionary dynamism and creativity of the REALITY SUMMER 2015

churches of the Irish Protestant tradition, not just of the better known groups such as the Dublin University Missions to India and China, but of smaller groups from the Evangelical tradition such as ‘the Brethren,’ who were particularly strong in northern counties. It is good to see their contribution so generously recognised. Not all those who figure here are missioners in the strictest sense. There are scholars, such as the founders of the Irish College in Rome, or the more recent internationally known biblical scholar, Jerome Murphy-O’Connor who spent most of his life in Jerusalem or the young Dubliner, Christopher Costigan, who died in his search for Sodom and Gomorrah on the shores of the Dead Sea. The book is well illustrated and, acknowledging the importance of media, there are chapters on recording the missions by photograph and film. This book is, in a very real sense, a “treasure of Irish Christianity” in its own right.

The Daughters of Charity of St Vincent de Paul in Ireland, ed. Jacinta Prunty and Louise O’Sullivan. Columba Press, 2015. €24.99 In the Belfast of my youth, they were known as ‘the butterfly nuns’ from the elaborate starched linen head-dress they wore instead of a veil. It was originally the ordinary dress of women of rural France, as their founder, St Vincent de Paul, did not wish them to be known for anything other than their dedication to the poor. Four of them arrived in Drogheda in 1855. Two were French, one Welsh and one a native of the neighbouring county of Meath and so began a commitment

to the people of Ireland, especially the poor. An introductor y essay on Vincentian spirituality provides an orientation for the way of life of these women who have ser ved in so many parts of Ireland in the following 160 years. Twelve chapters recount the early history of the sisters’ service, principally in Dublin, Cork and Belfast: no doubt, there will be at least one more volume to update the story. What marked them was their attentiveness to the needs of the poorest and most fragile people, the sick, the mentally ill, children with special educational needs, women discharged from prison and the residents of the inhuman workhouse system. This is a scholarly, but readable, book and is a record of the dedication of a remarkable group of women.

John F. Deane: Give Dust a Tongue. A Faith and Poetry Memoir. Columba Press Dublin, 2015 €19.99 John F. Deane is a native of Achill, a place that is deeply engrained in his memory. He spent some years as a candidate for the missionary priesthood with the Holy Ghost Congregation. A married father, teacher, poet and publisher, his life is founded on

a deep Christian faith. This book can b e b est described as autobiography filtered through poetry. Much of the poetry has already been published, except for the final sequence, “According to Lydia”, which arose out of a project he had organised in Poetry Ireland Ireland Review 112 in which poets were invited to respond to the question Jesus put to Peter, “But you, who do you say that I am?”

You will find here vivid recall of childhood memories of rural Achill or of the seminary atmosphere of the early 1960s, with Vatican II just about knocking on the door. Inevitably too, there is the presence of death – of relatives and friends, but especially of dear family members – parents, grandparents, a beloved first wife taken away too early in a happy marriage with the inevitable struggle to raise two young daughters, and a dear brother, Declan, a priest who died too early and the happiness of a second marriage to Ursula. This is an extraordinarily moving book that deserves to be read and re-read.

John O’Donohue, Walking on the Pastures of Wonder. In conversation with John Quinn. Dublin: Veritas 2015. €16.99.

John O’Donohue was a German-trained philosopher and priest of the diocese of Galway. His academic interest drew him both in the direction of modern German philosophy and medieval mysticism. His books on religion and faith were best-sellers, most notably Anam Cara and Benedictus: A Book of Blessings. He died suddenly in 2008 at the early age of 52. This book is a collection of radio interviews with John Quinn,

recorded over a number of years and now edited for publication.

Quinn has the extraordinar y gift, often sadly rare in a radio interviewer, of never intruding himself into an interview but of allowing the other person to speak. The topics of their conversations range widely. It opens with what can be best described as a meditation on wonder –“one of the reasons that we wonder is because we are limited and that limitation is one of the great gateways of wonder.” Landscape, particularly that of his native Clare, was important for John O’Donohue and one particularly illuminating entry is the transcript of an Easter Mass celebrated in the ruins of the medieval Corcomroe Abbey, so too are the final sections on aging and death.

Mary T Malone: The Elephant in the Church: A Woman’s Tract for Our Times.

Columba Press, Dublin, 2015. €12.99 A native of Wexford, Mary Malone spent many years teaching theology in Canada b efore returning to Ireland.

Her principle area of research and teaching was in the area of women’s voices in the history of the Church. As the cover of this book depicting Mar y Magdalene, the apostle to the apostles preaching to

T.

a congregation o f men and w o m e n , suggests, women are ‘the elephant in the church’ “they have been perpetually silenced, ignored and discounted.” She sets out her stall in an opening chapter, regretting that, for all his refreshing openness, Pope Francis is still speaking in terms of a theology of women done by men, rather than one which hears and listens carefully to the authentic voices of women. The remaining chapters are a historical survey from the New Testament to the present. It includes the presence of women in the monastic movement, the medieval mystics, the intriguing Beguine movement (see article in June issue of Reality), as well as in women of stature in the story such as Catherine of Siena, Teresa of Avila or Louise de Marillac. Some of the names, such as Marguerite Poret will be less familiar. Many of these women conveyed their thoughts and experience in poetry.

Mary Malone does not so much translate them as draw inspiration from them to make it more directly relevant to the modern age.

This is a book that deserves to be read by men as well as by women, and especially by men who may be able to play a role in creating the atmosphere of hearing those voices of women.

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DE VE LO P M E N T I N ACTION

BLESSED OSCAR ROMERO THE BEATIFICATION OF BLESSED OSCAR ROMERO HAS BEEN GREETED WITH APPROVAL THROUGHOUT THE CATHOLIC WORLD BUT NOWHERE WITH GREATER JOY THAN IN HIS NATIVE LAND.

BY JOSE ADAN CUADRA

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On

the 24th of March 1980, Monsignor Oscar Arnulfo Romero, Archbishop of San Salvador, was shot and killed as he said mass at the altar of the Hospital of Divine Providence in El Salvador. Almost 35 years after his death, Monsignor Romero was declared a martyr of the Catholic Church, paving the way for his beatification on 23rd May in the Holy Saviour’s Square in San Salvador.

This event has been a great joy for those of us who have been inspired by the life and martyrdom of Monsignor Romero. It strengthens our faith and belonging to a church that has demonstrated closeness and solidarity with the poor, the weak, the excluded and the forgotten of this world.

To understand Monsignor Romero’s legacy and the significance of his martyrdom, one must understand the context in which he exercised his ministry.

He was named bishop of Santiago de María in October 1974. During his ministry there he began to witness and experience the harsh reality of poverty and exploitation in which the vast majority of the rural REALITY SUMMER 2015

people of his diocese lived. He realized how the poverty and social injustice suffered by so many of them contrasted sharply with the ostentatious lifestyle of a very few rich and powerful families.

These rich families who attended church and gave money for works of charity were the same ones who denied the peasant farmers access to land, better wages and an improved standard of living.

Monsignor Romero was appointed Archbishop of San Salvador in February 1977 in the midst of a growing climate of injustice, social protest, insecurity, repression, political assassinations and disappearances. The military regime, which had come to power through electoral fraud, was ruling the country in a reign of terror and repression to defend its own interests and those of the major financial and agricultural exportation industries of the time.

The repressive apparatus of the military regime increased its use of execution, murder, massacres, disappearances and torture against peasant leaders and

workers who were organizing to defend their human rights. Sectors of the Catholic Church, including priests, nuns and lay people, were targeted as a result of their devotion to the needs of the poor and the oppressed in El Salvador.

Archbishop Romero was profoundly affected by the misery and injustice that were so evident in El Salvador, by the constant violation of the human rights of the most vulnerable people and the killings of innocent people, many of whom were close to him. He was converted to the struggle for peace and justice, and, throughout his ministry as Archbishop of San Salvador, he was an outstanding defender of the poor, and as searching critic of social injustice.

He preached about the events taking place in El Salvador. He denounced violations of human rights, defended victims of the regime and urged the aggressors to choose peace over violence, calling for an end to violence and repression and putting the Archdiocese at the service of the truth, justice and reconciliation.

Pilgrims gather for Archbishop Oscar Romero's beatification Mass in the Divine Savior of the World square in San Salvador May 23

As a result of his activities, the powerful Salvadoran economic, political and military elites came to see Romero as a dangerous enemy. They feared the influence of his outspokenness and his public denunciations of human rights violations.

They resented his closeness to and solidarity with the poor, so they slandered him, harassed him and eventually plotted his murder.

If his killers thought that with his death they could silence his voice and thus end the commitment of the Catholic Church in El Salvador to the struggle for the liberation of the poor, they were mistaken. His martyrdom sparked a fresh wave of enthusiasm, commitment and hope among the people of El Salvador. They were convinced a different El Salvador was possible, one free of misery, injustice, repression, exploitation and oppression of the many by the few.

Following his martyrdom, support for Oscar Romero’s vision only grew inside and outside of El Salvador. I was one of many who recognized him as a man of God; a good man, an honest man, with a large heart and a man who died while working towards a better world. We recognized his deep spirituality, his love for the poor, his bravery in defending life and his exceptional saintliness.

Since his death, the majority of Salvadorans, and people of good will throughout the world, have recognized Monsignor Romero as a saint.

The official recognition by the Catholic Church of Blessed Oscar Romero’s martyrdom and his beatification is wonderful news. It provides both the Salvadoran and the Universal Church with a contemporary role model whose actions showed us the path to God and how to build His kingdom of justice and love on earth.

Top & Bottom: Pilgrims and priests pray during the beatification Mass. Left: The bloodstained clerical shirt that Romero wore the day he was killed

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F E AT U R E

WHAT GOES ON DURING A RETREAT? AN EXPERIENCED DIRECTOR, WHO RUNS A RETREAT CENTRE IN CO CLARE, DESCRIBES SOME ASPECTS OF HER WORK.

BY SR GERALDINE LENNON FCJ

Having

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been involved in the leading of retreats for lay people over a number of years, I have become familiar with hearing comments like the following: ‘time out’; ‘a little bit of heaven’; ‘I couldn’t survive without it’; ‘it sets me up for the year’.

A young woman I know said something that resonated with me when she said, ‘Retreats: they are vital’. As a teacher of home economics, I was accustomed to talking about the importance of vitamins to the human body and how vital they are for the general health and wellbeing of the individual. Retreats are to the health and wellbeing of the soul (the spiritual life), what vitamins are to bodily well-being. Without this nourishment, the spiritual life becomes dull and stunted, it becomes arid and dried out and its life blood becomes sluggish.

A Retreat offers the participant the opportunity to ‘Come apart and rest awhile’. It also offers the chance to slow down the pace of life, to get off the treadmill and to get in touch with what is deep inside each one.

REALITY SUMMER 2015

VITAMINS LOCATION ‘Be still and know that I am God’ (Ps 46). As the retreatants are invited to stop and become aware, the location for the retreat is important.

If the retreat takes place in a location that is naturally beautiful, the retreatant is transposed to another realm straight away. I am fortunate in that the Spirituality Centre, where I am responsible for the retreats, is located on the beautiful coast of West Clare. The house is on a slope overlooking the wild Atlantic Ocean.

People often speak of experiencing a sense of peace and restfulness the moment they arrive at the Centre. Some even compare it to being on a different planet.

The grandeur and abundance of God is visible in a natural, rugged way. Without any words being said, one is straight away transported into the presence of God and begins to enter into that space where He can talk to their hearts. As retreatants sit and look out at the immensity of the sea they often remark ‘Just to be here is enough’.

FOR THE SOUL TYPES AND DURATION OF RETREATS. There are many different kinds of retreats, differing in type and duration. Directed retreats, in which the individual retreatant makes a number of periods of quiet meditative prayer each day and meets privately with a director who gives guidance for prayer and helps them to discern what is happening

talks are combined with an element of direction.

Weekend retreats may be directed, preached or guided. They usually last for three days over the weekend. Most retreats at our centre are open to laity, priests and religious. While some lay people make the longer retreats, many can only make the shorter retreats, due to work and family commitments. They treasure this time apart and look on it as a real luxury.

A Retreat offers the chance to slow down the pace of life, to get off the treadmill and to get in touch with what is deep inside each one during the prayer time, usually last for six or eight days. In a preached retreat, the retreat director offers guidance to the whole group through a series of talks each day. Guided retreats combine elements of the directed and the preached: a number of daily

WEEKEND RETREATS Participants on our weekend retreats are mostly women who come from a wide variety of ages and backgrounds. In the hallowed space of the Spirituality Centre, the group quickly gels together. They have all come with a common purpose and a common desire, to give this time to nourishing their souls and spirits.

They value the opportunity to ‘stop and be’, to spend time with like- minded people who are all in search of peace and the opportunity to get in touch with their God, a chance, as many might say, ‘to recharge their batteries’. Each person plays a significant role in the spontaneous formation of a faith community that comes into being for the duration of the weekend. Retreatants pray and share together, and enjoy being in each others’ company. They see it as a safe place where they can let down their defences, talk and discuss what is important to them and encourage each other in the struggles of daily life.

While the longer retreats are usually spent in complete silence, the dynamics of the weekend retreat call for something different. Retreatants observe silence during prayer and reflection times, but otherwise the retreat is not totally silent.

Ministering to each other is a very important feature of the weekend retreat. Participants talk and listen to each other, sharing their joys and sorrows and many a heartache is lessened in the telling, echoing the words of Jesus, ‘Come to me all you who labour and are overburdened and I will give you rest’.

(Mt. 11:28) Participants take the opportunity to chat together in the evening time where many theological and social issues are talked about and discussed. They take the opportunity to look at issues which are deeper than the daily chit-chat.

WHAT GOES ON IN A RETREAT? The content of the retreat may be determined by the theme of any particular retreat, but all of them are based on reading and praying the scriptures.

Participants are invited to answer the question Jesus put to the blind beggar, Bartimaeus, by the roadside in Jericho: ‘What do you want me to do for you’? (Lk.10:51). They are asked to see where their blindness is and what in them is in need of healing.

Quietening down and breathing exercises encourage the retreatants to enter that deep inner place where God can talk to their hearts.

The scriptures are opened up, reflected on and the participants are led through meditations. After the meditations, there is an opportunity for sharing the fruit of their prayer with each other should they want to. At all times they are encouraged to ‘see God in all things’, to explore the God of nature and to recognise God in the ordinary events of their lives. A variety of mediums such as paints or clay

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F E AT U R E

can be used to help participants express themselves and their prayer.

The words of the Taizé chant ‘Stay here and keep watch with me, watch and pray’, are relived as the retreatants spend time each evening in quiet prayer before the Blessed Sacrament , where they pray for each other, their own needs and the needs of the world.

Jesus said, ‘I have come that they may have life and have it to the full’. (John.10:10) Aware of the beauty of their surroundings, retreatants are encouraged to walk mindfully around the area and to absorb and enjoy all that God is offering to them.

THE SACRAMENTAL LIFE When possible, and when there is a priest available, the Sunday liturgy is celebrated in the Spirituality Centre. Otherwise, retreatants join the local Parish Community for their Eucharist. The sacrament of reconciliation is offered during some but not all weekend

retreats. Sometimes a healing service will form part of the Retreat. This can be a very moving and healing session for all.

CONCLUSION Weekend retreats offer a wonderful opportunity to a wide variety of people to get that space in their lives where they can get away from it all and plug into that deep-down place in themselves where they meet their God and thus find renewal and refreshment. ‘When you seek me you will find me: when you seek me with all your heart, I will let you find me’ (Jeremiah 29: 13-14)

Sr Geraldine Lennon is belongs to the Congregation of the Faithful Companions of Jesus. She is director of Ibriken Lodge Retreat Centre, Spanish Point, Co Clare

Spanish Point, Co. Clare Beautifully situated overlooking the sea, Ibricken Lodge, Spanish Point is close to the beach and is two miles from Milltown Malbay.

Blessed with beautiful surroundings of sea and country-side, the area is an ideal venue for retreats, workshops and holidays. There are thirteen single bedrooms in the house with a large area around the house where one can sit or walk.

People come from far and near to this holy place by the sea for spiritual refreshment and renewal. It is a place of peace and healing.

Retreats available throughout the Summer

Directed, preached and group retreats open to lay people and clergy Retreats begin with 6pm meal on the opening evening and end after breakfast on the closing day. Offering for Retreats €65 per day. Non – refundable deposit: €70.

(All Cheques payable to - F.C.J., Spanish Point).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Sr. GERALDINE LENNON FCJ, Ballygrennan, Bruff, Co. Limerick.

Tel: (086) 3423692.

E-mail: geraldinefcj@yahoo.ie

Gate Lodge

Self Catering, twin bedroom cottage available from September to May for long or short stays.

Main house also available for group bookings from September to May. ENQUIRIES AND BOOKINGS: Sr. SUSAN BOYCE FCJ, 311 Hawthorns Rd., Wedgewood, Sandyford Rd, Dublin 16. (087) 1202341 email: susanboyce14@gmail.com

How to get there

From: ENNIS – LIMERICK – GALWAY Take the Ennistymon Road to Inagh (N85), then left to Milltown Malbay (R460). In Milltown Malbay take the road for Kilrush (N67). One mile outside the town, turn right for Spanish Point (R482). Ibricken Lodge is the fourth house on left after the Armada Hotel.

Public Transport Buses and trains run at regular intervals from Limerick to Ennis, daily. One bus from Ennis to Kilkee, via Spanish Point, at 3pm daily. Return bus from Spanish Point to Ennis at 8a.m (approx). Check with Bus Station before travelling.

If a lift from bus stop in Spanish Point is required, Phone: 086 3423692 / 087 6212458

GOD’S WORD THIS SUMMER HOW WE JUDGE The home-coming of famous people usually causes excitement among the neighbours who 14th SUNDAY IN watched their progress from ORDINARY TIME childhood. So it was with Jesus. Nazareth was a small place. According to the findings of archaeology, it had only about five hundred inhabitants. Word trickled back from Capernaum, fifty kilometres down the road, that this local boy was attracting crowds by his preaching and miracles. When he arrived back with his followers, the small synagogue was crowded with neighbours to see if it is all true. As they looked around, his critics caught sight of his relatives in the congregation.

They were not an impressive bunch. There was his mother, clearly getting older. The rest were decent folk, but very ordinary. They remembered

a teenaged Jesus helping Joseph or doing odd jobs around the carpenter’s shop. There had been nothing special about him. Jesus is saddened by the rejection, but not surprised. He reminds them of the old proverb that prophets are always rejected in their own town and by their kin. The closest example of this would be the prophet Jeremiah, whose life in many aspects foreshadows that of Jesus.

Mention of the ‘brothers and sisters of Jesus’ can be surprising to Catholic readers who believe in the perpetual virginity of Mary. Texts like these can be explained in two ways while still holding to the traditional doctrine. The first, favoured especially by the Orthodox Church, was that they were Joseph’s children by an earlier marriage, and so half-siblings of Jesus. The other is that in ancient Israel, family relationships were fluid, and terms like “brother and sister” were often used of people we would more accurately call cousins.

THE MISSION Before sending his twelve JULY disciples on their first mission, Jesus gives them some brief instructions on how they are to behave.

15th SUNDAY IN They are to go in pairs for ORDINARY TIME mutual support. Above all, they are to travel light, taking only a staff, essential for travelling over rough ground and for defence against angry snapping dogs. There is a list of what not to bring – no bread, no haversack and no money. They are allowed sandals to protect

their feet but not a spare shirt. As for food and shelter, they are to be dependent on the people among whom they go. Where they are not welcome, they are not to spend time arguing or pleading to be heard: they are simply to move on with a gesture of rejection by shaking the dust from their feet. This was a small prophetic sign that God would take account of the rejection of his messengers at the final judgment.

This mission was a relatively modest one among the small towns and villages ringing the Sea of Galilee. Distances were not great – a few hours walk at most. People respected

holy people who came as preachers or prophets. They provided them with a simple meal or a night’s lodging. In the next generation, the Church’s mission became more complex as Paul and his companions went deeper into foreign lands. Missions like these needed resources and financial support.

THE LORD’S DAY When the disciples returned JULY from their mission, they were enthusiastic and eager to tell how successful they have been.

16th SUNDAY IN Noticing that they are tired, ORDINARY TIME Jesus proposes that they take a short break, go to a quiet place and rest. Mark has added a little note to emphasise the pressures they were under: “there were so many coming and going that the apostles had not even

time to eat.” The people probably guessed where they were going and reached it ahead of them. Their heart-breaking plight makes Jesus change his plans: “they were like sheep without a shepherd.” This probably refers to chapter 34 of the prophet Ezekiel which describes the people of Israel as abandoned by their political and spiritual leaders. In the time of Jesus, the religious leaders had become so involved in power play with the Roman rulers that they had to all intents and purposes abandoned the ordinary people. God is Israel’s real shepherd.

Through Ezekiel, he promised to give them a new shepherd-king. The Gospel writers used Ezekiel’s language and imagery to describe the mission of Jesus as the good shepherd. Today’s Gospel stresses the unselfish love of the shepherd who forgets his own needs and plans to care for the abandoned sheep and to feed them with the word of comfort.

JULY

05

12

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Today’s Readings Ezek 2:2-5, 2 Cor 12:7-10, Mark 6:1-6

Today’s Readings Amos 7:12-15; Eph 1: 3-14; Mark 6: 7-13

Today’s Readings Jer 23:1-6; Eph 2:13-18; Mark 6:30-34

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GOD’S WORD THIS SUMMER TABLE FELLOWSHIP All four Gospels have at least one story of Jesus feeding the crowd. Mark and Matthew have two. The story is the 17th SUNDAY IN same but, like good story ORDINARY TIME tellers, each Gospel writer introduces subtle but important changes into his version. John’s is the longest account, as it includes a long dialogue about the meaning of the Bread of Life whic h we will read over the next five Sundays.

In today’s Gospel, Jesus and two of his disciples talk about how to get food for such a great crowd. Philip does a quick calculation and concludes it would take about three months’ wages to come anywhere close to feeding them.

Andrew’s mention of little boy with the lunch-box containing five small rolls and two little salted fish only highlights the lack of food available.

The boy is like the man in today’s first reading (2 Kings 4:42-44) who brought a gift of food to the prophet Elijah. Jesus is at the centre of the story. It is he who takes, gives thanks and distributes the bread. These actions reflect the celebration of the Eucharist, where the celebrant does exactly what Jesus does, taking the people’s offering of bread and wine, giving thanks for it, breaking the bread and feeding the community with the food they brought, now transformed by the Spirit’s action into the body and blood of Christ. Gathering the fragments ‘so that nothing gets lost’ also reflects the community’s care for fragments of the holy bread after the celebration.

REAL PRESENCE The day after the miracle AUGUST of the loaves and fishes, the crow is still looking for Jesus. They sail across the lake to the most likely place he might be, 18th SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME Capernaum Peter’s home town where Jesus had taken up residence. Knowing they want another miracle show, Jesus tells them they missed the point of what happened the day before. What

he had given them was not simply ordinary bread but it was a sign pointing towards the real food of eternal life. They want their physical hungers satisfied, would love an unfailing supply of food that requires no physical work.

This is not what Jesus is offering. He is the bread of God, the true food, which will satisfy the deepest hungers of the human heart. Faith is the way to obtain that bread. Believing is a key word in John’s Gospel, occurring more than one hundred times.

The great feeding sign occurred at Passover.

The first Passover showed how God freed the Israelites by his mighty acts alone. They were too weak to withstand the might of Egypt.

Even as they wandered through the desert, he sustained them with manna, the mysterious bread from heaven. Jesus, the bread of life, will satisfy the deepest hungers of those who come to him.

THE FOOD OF LIFE I am the living bread come down from heaven’ are the words that dominate our Gospel reading today. As 19th SUNDAY IN far as his opponents are ORDINARY TIME concerned, Jesus’ claim that he has come down from heaven is nonsensical. They know him as the boy ‘from over the hills. The ‘complaining’ of Jesus’ critics recalls how their ancestors complained against Moses in the desert. Jesus reminds them that, although their ancestors ate manna, a mysterious bread from heaven, they

are dead. Because they had resisted Moses, God did not allow them to see the promised land. A similar fate awaits their descendants who now murmur against Jesus. He is the bread of life giving life to those who come to him.

The words, ‘they shall all be taught by God,’ are taken from Isaiah 54:13 where they are part of the great promise that, after years of exile and suffering, Israel would be wondrously restored.

The walls and gates of ruined Jerusalem will be made from precious stones and ‘all your children shall be taught by the Lord and great shall be the posterity of your children.’ Jesus looks forward to the coming restoration of Israel. The words, ‘no

one has seen the Father,’ is another reference to Moses. Moses had asked to be allowed see God on Mount Sinai but the sight of God’s face was so awesome that all he was allowed to see was God’s back as he retreated (Exodus 33:20). Jesus has known the Father face to face and makes him known (cf. John 1:18).

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REALITY SUMMER 2015

Today’s Readings 2 Kgs 4:42-44; Eph 4: 1-6; John 6:1-5

Today’s Readings Exod 16:2-4,12-15; Eph 4:17, 20-24; John 6: 24-35

Today’s Readings 1 Kg 19:4-8; Eph 4: 30-5:2; John 6: 41-51

THE LIVING BREAD When Jesus said that the heavenly bread he would give was his flesh for the life of the world, 20th SUNDAY IN it probably sent a shiver E ORDINARY TIM of horror through his hearers. For a Jewish audience, who had a very detailed list of the types of meat that could be used as food, eating human flesh sounded like cannibalism. Jesus does little to remove the shock. If anything, he adds to their horror by inviting them to drink his blood as a condition for entering into life.

Jewish kosher food law insisted that meat was not fit for human consumption until every trace of blood had been removed by careful and repeated washing.

What does it mean to eat the flesh and drink the blood of Jesus? Flesh and blood are the deepest essence of a human being. When John wrote at the beginning of his Gospel that ‘the Word became flesh’ he meant precisely that God’s son has entered into the darkness and pain, the messiness of human existence. Jesus’ humanity was not a sort of theatrical costume, a disguise for his divinity. “Becoming flesh” means accepting brokenness and limitation, as well as the capacity for imagination, love and friendship. “Becoming flesh” for Jesus reaches its truest point in his passion and death. When he is most degraded and broken as a human being,

hanging on a cross like a common criminal, Jesus reveals the depth of God’s compassion.

To eat the flesh and drink the blood of Jesus means to share at the deepest possible level his sacrificial death as a life offered in love that provides nourishment and life. Just as Jesus draws life from the Father, the believer who

FAITH IS A GIFT Today, we conclude AUGUST our meditation on the Eucharistic myster y through the lens of John 6.

Opposition to Jesus 21st SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME and his teaching has been growing throughout the long dispute about the bread of life. It now reaches its climax. Even some of his followers find what he is saying ‘intolerable language’ that cannot be taken seriously. A crowd of five thousand, ‘not counting women and children,’ had shared

the meal of bread and fish. That crowd has dwindled, as the meaning of the bread sign has been unveiled to them.

Jesus makes no effort to smooth out the problem by offering a simpler explanation or protesting that they have misunderstood him. There is something even more terrible on the way. For faint-hearted disciples, the cross will be a still greater scandal. The saying about the flesh having nothing to offer (verse 63) does not refer to the Eucharistic flesh of Jesus. It refers to limited human perceptions of Jesus that will never be able to understand him without the help of the Spirit. John insists

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receives Jesus in faith as the Bread of Life will draw sustenance from him Today’s Readings Prov 9:1-6; Eph 5:15-20; John 6:51-58

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that Jesus knows the identity of those who will follow him and that one of them will betray him. Left alone with the twelve, he asks them, ‘will you also go away?’ It is a stark and uncompromising question. Simon, as spokesman for the group, makes a profession of faith: where else could they find the life they have found in Jesus? How would you answer today?

Today’s Readings Josh 24:1-2, 15-18; Eph 5: 21-32; John 6: 60-68

God’s Word continues on page 46

THE REALITY CROSSWORD NUMBER 6, JULY/AUGUST 2015

SOLUTIONS CROSSWORD No. 4 ACROSS: Across: 1. Cadged, 5. Gospel, 10. Unclean, 11. Skewers, 12. Noun, 13. Anvil, 15. Apse, 17.

Gap, 19. Petard, 21. Ransom, 22. Incisor, 23. Banana, 25. Wombat, 28. Rap, 30. Lair, 31. Canal, 32.

Agra, 35. Abolish, 36. Anagram, 37. Cipher, 38. Ararat.

DOWN: 2. Account, 3. Glee, 4. Dining, 5. Gossip, 6. Stew, 7. Exempts, 8. Turnip, 9. Esteem, 14.

Vatican, 16. Brine, 18. Aaron, 20. DNA, 21. Row, 23. Ballad, 24. Nairobi, 26. Begorra, 27. Trauma, 28. Rasher, 29. Panama, 33. Wish, 34. Saga.

Winner of Crossword No. 4 John Collins, Ennis Road, Limerick

ACROSS 1. Bible book which does not mention God. (6) 5. Divided Mediterranean island. (6) 10. Sticks with hammer heads used in polo and croquet. (7) 11. One who is clumsy, muddled or inefficient. (7) 12. City where St. Paul was executed. (4) 13. Tower of many languages. (5) 15. In this place. (4) 17. Short dog in a place for scientific research. (3) 19. Light openwork shoe with straps. (6) 21. Relating to the teeth. (6) 22. Ordained Catholic minister ranking below a priest. (7) 23. Believe in and follow the practices of. (6) 25. The season of mists and mellow fruitfulness. (Keats) (6) 28. The furthest part of something. (3) 30. A place where a wild animal lives. (4) 31. The ceremonial head of a town. (5) 32. Closed pocket of tissue, filled with fluid, beneath the skin. (4) 35. Torment someone like Lucifer. (7) 36. A hot pepper sauce. (7) 37. The longest book in the Bible. (6) 38. Greatly enjoy the taste. (6)

DOWN 2. Biblical king known for his wisdom. (7) 3. Pay attention to, take notice of. (4) 4. Affectionate term for a mischievous child.

(6) 5. Network of a spider. (6) 6. Large American wild cat. (4) 7. Most unpleasant in appearance. (7) 8. Smiles in a smug and conceited way. (6) 9. An unpleasant and prolonged experience.

(6) 14. The highest tier of seats in a theatre. (7) 16. Title of a priest in the armed forces. (5) 18. Carpenter son of Joseph and Mary. (5) 20. The river of Cork. (3) 21. Molecule that carries the genetic code of organisms. (3) 23. Performs without previous preparation.

(2-4) 24. Styles of women's coiffures. (7) 26. Book chronicling the encounter of Leopold Bloom. (7) 27. A whimsical impulse or desire. (6) 28. Scores of two under par in golf. (6) 29. Person licenced to practice medicine. (6) 33. Live to be bad. (4) 34. The first human to die. (4)

GOD’S WORD THIS MONTH continued from page 45

A CONTROVERSY STORY AUGUST Today’s Gospel has two major themes. The first is a debate about ritual purity and the second is a teaching about what truly defiles a person.

The debate about ritual purity is sparked by the 22nd SUNDAY IN Pharisees who noticed that Jesus and his disciples ORDINARY TIME seemed to take a more casual approach to the purity laws than they did. They would have been shocked by the disciples’ failure to wash their hands before eating.

Mark lists other examples of purity regulations. While the Old Testament had some rules about ritual purity, the Pharisees made them more exacting. The majority of Jews, like the Galilean country folk who followed Jesus, had a more relaxed approach to the purity regulations.

This first section is a ‘controversy story,’ or an account of a religious dispute. The climax of a controversy story is a brief but telling statement by which Jesus clinches the argument to the discomfort of his critics who are left without a reply. The saying (‘you put aside the commandments of God to cling to human traditions’) is preceded by a quotation from Isaiah 29:13 about lip-service rather than genuine love that honours God. The second section of the Gospel is addressed to a wider audience.

Jesus teaches that real purity is not a matter of deciding which foods are clean or unclean. What really defiles a person is what comes from their inner depths. Jesus lists twelve vices (fornication, theft etc). The counterpoints to the vices are the virtues that will come from observance of the Ten Commandments. Moral failures, rather than a failure to observe ritual purity, are what truly defile people

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Entry Form for Crossword No.6, July/August 2015 Name: Address:

Today’s Readings

Telephone:

Deut 4:1-2, 6-8; Jas 1: 17-18, 21-22, 27; Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23 All entries must reach us by August 31, 2015 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. 6, Redemptorist Communications, 75 Orwell Rd., Rathgar, Dublin 6

COM M E N T REALITY CHECK PETER McVERRY SJ

THE HOUSING CRISIS – THE PERFECT STORM

HOUSING IS THE BIGGEST SOCIAL PROBLEM IN IRELAND TODAY. MANY PEOPLE, INELIGIBLE FOR A MORTGAGE, ARE CAUGHT BETWEEN A ROCK AND A HARD PLACE – EARNING TOO LITTLE TO AFFORD RENTED ACCOMMODATION OR A MORTGAGE AND TOO MUCH TO BE ELIGIBLE FOR SOCIAL HOUSING. Creating employment is the priority for the Government as we emerge from a deep recession.

Over 100,000 new jobs have been created since mid-2012, 40,000 of them in the past year.

Traditionally, giving employment to people was the preferred route out of poverty. Today, however, having employment is no guarantee that the most basic need, a home to live in, can be secured. Many in employment are ineligible for a mortgage due to Central Bank restrictions on mortgage lending, earning too little to be able to afford private rented accommodation, and too much to be eligible for social housing.

The biggest social problem facing Ireland today is housing. Housing today is an example of the perfect storm: all three main housing sectors are in crisis at the same time.

•In the private housing market, demand exceeds supply leading to an increase in house prices, particularly in the Dublin area.

•The social housing sector has seen the waiting list rise from 27,400 households in 1996 to almost 100,000 households today, due to lack of investment in social housing over the past decade or more.

•In the private rented sector demand also far exceeds supply. In 2009, there were 24,000 properties to rent; in May 2014, there were 7,200 while in May 2015, there were only 4,300. This has led to a substantial increase in rents. Many,

even those in employment, find themselves no longer able to afford the rents being asked, or, in an increasing number of cases, being evicted from their private rented accommodation. No alternative accommodation is available and they inevitably become homeless.

In a normal functioning housing market, a problem in one sector can be compensated for in another.

However, today, attempts to rectify the situation in one sector leads to further problems in the other sectors. For example, attempts to prevent another possible housing bubble, by dampening demand for private housing through mortgage lending restrictions, adds to the already lengthy waiting lists for social housing and further increases demand on an already inadequate supply of private rented accommodation. Again, attempts to impose rent controls in the private rented sector may lead to more landlords withdrawing, further reducing the already inadequate supply of private rented accommodation.

The outlook for the future would suggest a red alert. In December 2014, 37,700 family homes, and 15,386 buy-to-let houses, were in mortgage arrears of over two years. Tens of thousands of houses are likely to be repossessed by the financial institutions over the next few years.

Homelessness is the most visible and distressing consequence of

this housing crisis. Each household unable to access social housing or private rented accommodation, and each house repossessed, is potentially a household plunged into homelessness.

While homeless has always been with us, three things make this current homeless problem different from the past.

•First, the huge increase in the numbers of homelessness. In the first three months of 2014, 2,306 adults sought emergency accommodation in the Dublin region; in the same period 2015, that number had risen by 30% to 2,987. Even more worryingly is the rise in the number of families with children – 411 families with 911 children between them in Dublin in March 2015, up from 128 families in November 2013.

• Secondly, the nature of homelessness. Traditionally, homelessness was associated with drug users, heavy drinkers and people with serious mental health issues. Today, the majority of people becoming homeless have no problem other than insufficient income to pay for their accommodation. Some have worked all their lives, and never, for a moment, thought they would ever end up homeless. They are in total shock at the situation they now find themselves in and suffer enormous stress.

•Thirdly, many homeless people today experience hopelessness.

For most, there is simply no way

out of homelessness. In times past, with a little patience, a homeless person could expect to find a little bedsit in the private rented sector, but not today: in the Dublin area, less than 1% of landlords will accept a tenant on social welfare.

Nor is social housing an option for the vast majority of homeless people, with 100,000 households on the social housing waiting lists.

Already whole families are living in cars or placing their children in care temporarily. In a crisis, all parties would be working together to resolve the problem. But while the Department of Environment is trying to create housing and reduce homelessness, the Department of Social Protection is actually increasing homelessness by maintaining the rent allowance at a level which is insufficient to allow households to pay the increased rents being demanded.

When the Department of Environment asked Dublin City Council to renovate a derelict block of flats to house homeless families, Dublin City Council refused. Everyone with a role to play in resolving homelessness has their own agendas and priorities.

Housing and homelessness is the most serious crisis facing Ireland today. But a crisis which is not being adequately addressed, or perhaps not even recognised, can only get worse, much worse.

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