Since we are travellers and pilgrims in the world, let us ever ponder on the end of the road, that is of our life, for the end of our roadway is our home (St Columban, 8th sermon).
Showing posts with label Rachel's Vineyard. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Rachel's Vineyard. Show all posts
An angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said,
“Rise, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt(Mt 2:13).
Feast of the Holy Innocents, Martyrs
28 December
GospelMatthew 2:13-18 (English Standard Version Anglicised: India)
Now when the wise men had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Rise, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you, for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him.”And he rose and took the child and his mother by night and departed to Egyptand remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfil what the Lord had spoken by the prophet, “Out of Egypt I called my son.”
Then Herod,
when he saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, became furious, and he
sent and killed all the male children in Bethlehem and in all that region who
were two years old or under, according to the time that he had ascertained from
the wise men.Then was fulfilled what was
spoken by the prophet Jeremiah:
“A voice was
heard in Ramah, weeping and loud lamentation, Rachel weeping for her children; she
refused to be comforted, because they are no more.”
Since everything is interrelated, concern for the
protection of nature is also incompatible with the justification of abortion.
How can we genuinely teach the importance of concern for other vulnerable
beings, however troublesome or inconvenient they may be, if we fail to protect
a human embryo, even when its presence is uncomfortable and creates
difficulties? “If personal and social sensitivity towards the acceptance of the
new life is lost, then other forms of acceptance that are valuable for society
also wither away”.
This very old carol originating in Coventry, England, tells the sorrow of the mothers of the infants massacred on the orders of Kong Herod. The history of the song and its lyrics are here.
Rachel's Vineyard
Rachel's Vineyard is a safe place to renew, rebuild and redeem hearts broken by abortion. Weekend retreats offer you a supportive, confidential and non-judgmental environment where women and men can express, release and reconcile painful post-abortive emotions to begin the process of restoration, renewal and healing.
GospelLuke 2:16-21 (English Standard Version
Anglicised: India)
The Shepherds went with
haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. And
when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning
this child. And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. But Mary
treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. And the
shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and
seen, as it had been told them.
And at the end of eight
days, when he was circumcised, he was called Jesus, the name given by the
angel before he was conceived in the womb.
The above is a setting of the alternative Entrance Antiphon in Latin for today's Mass, also used for the Mass at Dawn on Christmas Day.
Antiphona ad introitum Entrance Antiphon
Cf Isaiah 9:1,5; Luke 1:33
Lux fulgebit hodie super nos, quia natus est nobis Dominus; et vocabitur admirabilis, Deus, Princeps pacis, Pater futuri saeculi: cuius regni non erit finis.
Today a light will shine upon us, for the Lord is born for us; and he will be called wondrous God, Prince of peace, Father of future ages: and his reign will be without end.
Jacopo Bassano's painting Adoration of the Shepherds captures beautifully the opening words of the Entrance Antiphon: Today a light will shine upon us, for the Lord is born for us. Light is breaking through from the heavens at the top but the much greater light at the bottom is radiating from the Child in the manger, lighting up the face of Mary and, behind her, that of St Joseph, and those of the shepherds in awe of what they are seeing: glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them. Even the donkey and one of the shepherds' dogs in the bottom right-hand corner seem to have some sense of the wonder of the occasion.
Caravaggio's light in his painting of the same scene below is much more subdued but so deeply touching.
The First Reading (Numbers 6:22-27) emphasises this: The Lord make his face to shine upon you and be
gracious to you;the Lord lift up his countenance upon
you and give you peace.
The Responsorial Psalm (Ps 66 [67]) in turn reinforces the theme of the light of love shining from the face of God: God, be gracious and bless us and let your face shed its light upon us.
The Preface of the Mass, addressed to the Father, draws our attention once again to the theme of the Light that has come into the world: For by the overshadowing of the Holy Spirit she conceived your Only Begotten Son, and without losing the glory of virginity, brought forth into the world the eternal Light, Jesus Christ our Lord.
The Communion Antiphon reminds us that the Light that has come into the world in Bethlehem never goes out: Jesus Christ is the same, yesterday, today and for ever (Hebrews 13:8).
The Prologue to St John's Gospel, read at the Mass During the Day on Christmas Day and at the Mass on the last day of the year, speaks of the same Light: In him was life, and the
life was the light of men.The light shines in the darkness, and the
darkness has not overcome it. There was a
man sent from God, whose name was John.He came as a witness, to bear witness about the
light, that all might believe through him.He was not the light, but came to bear
witness about the light. The true light, which enlightens
everyone, was coming into the world (John 1:4-9). This gospel used to be read at the end of every Mass, known as 'The Last Gospel'. It still is when the Traditional Latin Mass is celebrated.
We need to focus on the reality that the Word of God, the Light of life, Jesus Christ, God-made-Man, is living among us and has conquered the darkness through his death and resurrection. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
Three years ago on this very day, The Solemnity of Mary, The Mother of God, here in the Republic of Ireland abortion on demand up to twelve weeks came into law. This, for me, was the day of greatest darkness in our whole history. Yet the Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
Despite the fact that in the whole Christmas Season, which ends this New Year on Sunday 9 January, the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord, we are celebrating the Light coming into the world, there are hints of the darkness that still lingers. We have the Feast of the Holy Innocents on 28 December where the infant boys in Bethlehem were slaughtered. This is echoed in the gospel for the Epiphany. We saw the pain of Mary and Joseph in last Sunday's gospel when they could not find the 12-year-old Jesus after their pilgrimage to the Temple.
The 16th-century (or earlier) English song, the Coventry Carol, according to the Wikipedia entry, takes the form of a lullaby sung by mothers of the doomed children. And the martyrdom of the young boys in Bethlehem continues to inspire such ministries as Rachel's Vineyard (in Ireland here), which reaches out to women and men [who] have been wounded by abortion. On Rachel's Vineyard retreat weekends participants truly experience the healing truth that the Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
The Coventry Carol
Sung by Anúna, arranged by Michael McGlynn
Traditional Latin Mass (TLM)
I do not know if any readers looked at this addition to Sunday Reflections before. But I am resuming it out of a sense of solidarity with priest-friends and others who are deeply hurt, discouraged and disillusioned by recent restrictive and petty legislation in the Church about the celebration of the Mass that nourished my faith as I was growing up and during my seminary years and the faith of countless generations of our ancestors and the many who died as martyrs for celebrating it or enabling it to be celebrated.
Octave-Day of the Nativity
The Complete Mass in Latin and English is here. (Adjust the date at the top of that page to 01-01-2022 if necessary).
Abortion is more than
a problem, abortion is a murder. Abortion... without mincing words:
whoever has an abortion, kills. Take any book on embryology, from those
who study students at Faculties of Medicine and see that, in the third week of
pregnancy – in the third week, and often before the mother is aware of it – the
fetus already has all the organs; all, even the DNA. And wouldn't it
be a person? It's a human life… period! And this human life must be
respected. This principle is so clear… To those who cannot understand it, I would ask two questions: Is it
fair to kill a human life to solve a problem? Scientifically, it's a human
life. Second question: Is it fair to hire a hit man to solve a problem?
The first sentence above in the original Italian
reads:
Il problema
dell’aborto. L’aborto è più di un problema, l’aborto è un omicidio.
The Italian word omicidio means both ‘murder’ and ‘homicide’, the latter a legal
term used in some English-using jurisdictions.
120. Since everything is interrelated, concern
for the protection of nature is also incompatible with the justification of
abortion. How can we genuinely teach the importance of concern for other
vulnerable beings, however troublesome or inconvenient they may be, if we fail
to protect a human embryo, even when its presence is uncomfortable and creates
difficulties? ‘If personal and social sensitivity towards the acceptance of the
new life is lost, then other forms of acceptance that are valuable for society
also wither away’.
2271 Since the first century the Church has affirmed the
moral evil of every procured abortion. This teaching has not changed and
remains unchangeable. Direct abortion, that is to say, abortion willed either
as an end or a means, is gravely contrary to the moral law.
The Catechism deals with the question of abortion from No 2270 to No 2275.
Healing for persons affected by abortion
Rachel's Vineyard
Rachel’s Vineyard is a healing
ministry to persons affected by abortion, women and men. It offers healing weekend
retreats in many places. It is a Catholic initiative but open to persons of all
faiths or of none who are seeking healing in this area.
I have been involved in some of the retreats in Ireland and know how powerful they are.
These
weekends offer a supportive, confidential, and emotionally safe environment
where women and men can express, release and reconcile painful post-abortion
emotions and begin the process of restoration, renewal and healing.
Married
couples, mothers, fathers, grand-parents, and anyone affected by abortion have
come to Rachel’s Vineyard in search of peace and inner healing.
The
weekend is a lot of work, but those who are willing to journey through their
grief, will experience the power of resurrection in their own lives. They will
find meaning in what has happened, and allow God to transform the experience
into something that gives hope, liberation and peace.
Rachel's
Vineyard retreats are held at private locations.
After I celebrated Mass yesterday in a Dublin parish a number of women approached me to tell me how devastated they were by the overwhelming majority that voted in the Republic of Ireland on Friday 25 May in favour of removing the Eighth Amendment from the Irish Constitution that protected the right to life of both the life of a pregnant mother and of the child she was carrying. The voters chose to replace this with a sentence that will allow the Oireachtas, the Irish legislature, to legalise abortion.
The government plans to introduce legislation that will allow for abortion for any reason up to twelve weeks and in limited circumstances thereafter.
The women who spoke to me were shell-shocked, as I was myself with the 67 percent to 33 percent in favour of change. One of them told me that she had felt very depressed going to Mass but that my homily had given her some hope. I had simply emphasised, without referring directly to the referendum, that the Holy Trinity is the source of all life, that only God can give life and end our earthly life and that the Holy Trinity wants us to share their life for all eternity. This woman's words were very similar to what my father had said to me after my mother's funeral Mass in 1970.
A friend from overseas who is married to an Irishman here in Ireland emailed me to express her disappointment at what she saw as the lack of leadership from bishops, priests and religious on the matter. Most of the bishops, as far as I know, had issued letters to their people and those I read were clear and charitable.
But because of the scandals caused in the last few decades in Ireland of priests abusing children, of religious treating some children with cruelty in homes they were managing, in many cases on behalf of the State for children seen to be 'in trouble' or 'troublesome', bishops, priests and religious no longer have any moral authority, or very little at the most, even if they have had no connection whatever with what happened in the past.
The pro-repeal movement, who wanted abortion to be legalised widely - it was made legal in very limited circumstances in 2013 - made great use of the word 'compassion'. They emphasised the many women 'forced' to go to England for abortions because they could not have one in Ireland. They emphasised certain cases that were, without any doubt, very difficult and distressing for the parents involved and where they judged that the better thing was to have their child aborted. Some of these spoke specifically of the child they loved.
One of the main emphases of the pro-repeal group was 'healthcare for women'. It would seem that this includes the abortion of a healthy baby being carried by a healthy mother. Yet there are hundreds of patients in Irish hospitals in need of genuine medical care who are lying on trolleys, sometimes for days.
There was no mention by the pro-repealers of the rights of the unborn child, no compassion whatever. And there was no mention of the responsibilities and rights of fathers. They can simply walk away from the mother of their child and from the child. Or their desire to take care of the child can be simply ignored.
In the Philippines I found myself a number of times helping young women who found themselves with an unplanned pregnancy. There were always others willing to help in very practical, loving ways, caring both for the young mother and the child before and after birth. Not one of these mothers every regretted giving birth to their child. And some of the mothers I knew who were not married were welcomed as teachers in Catholic schools.
What disturbs me right now is that some legislators in Ireland who very publicly opposed the change are now saying that they will not oppose the proposed legislation, though as far as I know none have said that they will support it. At least one, Senator Rónán Mullen, whom I know personally, has said that he would work 'to try and curb the worst excesses of what the Government is proposing'. I have no doubt whatever that he will but some other pro-life politicians may need some encouragement so as not to lose heart. Breda O'Brien, a teacher, columnist and patron of Iona Institute, reflects on the aftermath of the referendum in The Irish Times today: Anti-abortion movement has not given up and will not disappear. John Waters, another strongly pro-life Irish writer, reflects on the vote in First Things, an American review: Ireland: An Obituary.
One of a number of ministries to both women and men who have been directly affected by abortion is Rachel's Vineyard. I have connections withRachel's Vineyard, Ireland, which has brought its healing retreat to such places as the Faroe Islands, South Korea and Lebanon.
Blurb with the video: The National Vigil for Life takes place at a key moment with the Government intending to introduce abortion in July. Get involved by attending yourself and inviting as many others as possible. Bring a car-load or even a bus-load. To organise a bus or get information on buses from your area please telephone Denise on (087) 266 8702 or Theresa on (085) 871 1100. Like National Vigil For Life on Facebook and Follow @natvigil4life on Twitter for updates. See you on 8th June!
The government of the Republic of Ireland is trying to introduce legislation that would legalise abortion. The most contentious part of the bill would allow abortion if the mother was threatening abortion. The medical and psychiatric advice given during consultations held in the Senate chamber earlier in the year dismissed as having no basis the idea that aborting a child was a 'cure' for suicidal ideation.
Fears too have been expressed that if this legislation is approved it would give a l'legitimacy' to suicide. And this at a time when suicide is the cause of the deaths of many young people, about 80 percent of them men.
Little or no attention has bee paid to the reality that in many cases having had an abortion has led women to suicide or to attempted suicide.
LifeZine, the official magazine of Family & Life in Dublin, states:
Right now the Irish government proposes dangerous and unjust abortion legislation. The Taoiseach says it's restrictive, that it's about saving lives, and that it won't actually change anything. Nothing could be further from the truth. The government plans to rush this legislation through in July - even avoiding a vote in the Dáil [Irish parliament] if possible. Your presence at the National Vigil For Life in Merrion Square, Dublin, this Saturday at 3pm is vital to challenge this. Before the Vigil, there will be a special Prayer Service for Life in Saint Andrew's Church, Westland Row, from 1.30 to 2.30 pm, led by Archbishop Diarmuid Martin. Please do as much as you can to make this event a success. Invite family, friends and colleagues. This may be your last chance to make your voice heard.
Though I am an Irish citizen, with no other citizenship, I cannot vote in Irish elections because I am living overseas, even though in the Philippines where I have permanent residency I cannot vote in elections at any level there either. I am outraged at the possibility that legislation dealing with life and death could possibly be passed without a vote.
Archbishop Michael Neary of Tuam gave a powerful homily on the issue last Saturday in the Basilica in Knock, where the Blessed Mother appeared in 1879, and which is in his diocese. Here is the conclusion of his homily:
Clear Catholic Position
The Catholic bishops of Ireland point out that “the Bill as outlined represents a dramatic and morally unacceptable change to Irish law and is unnecessary to ensure that women receive the life-saving treatment they need during pregnancy”. The Pro-life commitment of the Church is reflected in her compassion for those who so often regret having had an abortion, her understanding for those who are facing difficult decisions, and her assistance for those who choose life. The work of CURA in this regard is a clear expression of the compassion, understanding and care with which the Church wishes to respond to every woman who faces difficulties or crisis in pregnancy.
Appeal to legislators!
Legislators are being asked to pass a law prescribing the death of innocent human beings. I ask that Legislators would reflect on the seriousness of the situation before voting. Is it really necessary to provide for Abortion in circumstances where evidence overwhelmingly indicates it is unnecessary and unjustified? Are we not crossing a moral Rubicon here?
As we consider something as fundamental as this we ought not to behave as if our faith could be divorced from our decision and left 'outside the room'. Our faith confirms the fundamental truth upon which every human right and the very future of humanity depends: that every human life is beautiful, every human life is precious and every human life is sacred. I conclude therefore by making this simple and urgent appeal to all our public representatives: Choose life!
The last paragraph highlights one of the most harmful heresies of our day, that our Christian faith has no bearing on our lives, that it is nothing more than a harmless hobby or indulgence that may make us feel good. That kind of 'Christianity' has no connection with the invitation of Jesus in Luke 7:23: If any man would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.
Archbishop Neary mentioned CURA, a crisis pregnancy programme that has the full support of the Irish bishops. Here is a short video about the services it offers.
Rachel's Vineyard is a ministry of healing for women and men who have been affected directly by abortion. It holds about five healing weekends per year in Ireland. The movement in Ireland has also organised weekends in the Faroe Islands and in the Republic of Korea. There is a weekend in Ireland this coming weekend, Please keep the participants in your prayers. These weekends are always held in private locations.
Gospel. Matthew 2:13-18(Revised Standard Version – Catholic Edition)
Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, "Rise, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there till I tell you; for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him." And he rose and took the child and his mother by night, and departed to Egypt, and remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfil what the Lord had spoken by the prophet, "Out of Egypt have I called my son." Then Herod, when he saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, was in a furious rage, and he sent and killed all the male children in Bethlehem and in all that region who were two years old or under, according to the time which he had ascertained from the wise men. Then was fulfilled what was spoken by the prophet Jeremiah: "A voice was heard in Ramah, wailing and loud lamentation, Rachel weeping for her children; she refused to be consoled, because they were no more."
The only manuscript copy to have survived into recent times was burnt in 1875.Our knowledge of the lyrics is therefore based on two very poor quality transcriptions from the early nineteenth century, and there is considerable doubt about many of the words. Some of the transcribed words are difficult to make sense of: for example, in the last verse "And ever morne and may For thi parting Neither say nor singe" is not clear. Various modern editors have made different attempts to make sense of the words, so such variations may be found as "ever mourn and say", "every morn and day", "ever mourn and sigh". The following is one attempted reconstruction. [These are the lyrics used in the video above.]
I took part in a Rachel's Vineyard retreat in Ireland more than a year ago. I was a participant, not a member of the team. Those leading the retreat and helping in various ways and those making it, apart from the team priest and myself, had all been directly affected by abortion, as mothers and fathers of children they would never see. There was a quiet sense of joy and moments of humour during the weekend. There was deep respect for each one present and no pressure on anyone to share more than he or she wanted to. Here in the Philippines, where abortion is illegal, Pro-Life Philippines estimates that there may be as many as 750,000 induced abortions per year. The population is estimated to be around 90 million. The Guttmacher Institute in the USA, which could not be described as being 'pro-life' but whose research is, I think, reliable, estimates that in 2000 there were anywhere between 394,500 and 552,300 induced abortions. Individuals in the Philippines rarely speak about their experience of abortion. There is an urgent need for ministries such as Rachel's Vineyard. How to start?
