High Altar and baldachin
Archbasilica of St John Lateran [Wikipedia]
The Cathedral of Rome, the 'Mother of all Churches'
Readings
(New American Bible:
Philippines, USA)
Readings
(Jerusalem Bible: Australia,
England & Wales, India [optional], Ireland, New Zealand, Pakistan,
Scotland, South Africa)
Gospel Luke 21:5-19 (New Revised Standard
Version, Anglicised Catholic Edition, Canada)
When some
were speaking about the temple, how it was adorned with beautiful stones and
gifts dedicated to God, Jesus said, ‘As for these things
that you see, the days will come when not one stone will be left upon another;
all will be thrown down.’
They asked him, ‘Teacher, when will this be, and what will
be the sign that this is about to take place?’ And he said, ‘Beware that you are not led astray; for many
will come in my name and say, “I am he!” and, “The time is near!” Do
not go after them.
‘When
you hear of wars and insurrections, do not be terrified; for these things must
take place first, but the end will not follow immediately.’ Then he said to them, ‘Nation will rise against nation, and
kingdom against kingdom; there will be great
earthquakes, and in various places famines and plagues; and there will be
dreadful portents and great signs from heaven.
‘But
before all this occurs, they will arrest you and persecute you; they will hand
you over to synagogues and prisons, and you will be brought before kings and
governors because of my name. This will give you an
opportunity to testify. So make up your minds
not to prepare your defence in advance; for I will give you
words and a wisdom that none of your opponents will be
able to withstand or contradict. You will be betrayed
even by parents and brothers, by relatives and friends; and they will put some
of you to death. You will be hated by all because of my name. But not a hair of your head will perish. By your endurance you will gain your souls.
Léachtaí i nGaeilge
Earthquake destroys Basilica of St Benedict on 30 October 2016
Norcia (or Nursia) is the place where St Benedict was born c.480
This Sunday falls between two celebrations of
church buildings in Rome, the Feast of the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica
on 9 November and the Optional Memorial of the Dedication of the Basilicas of
Saints Peter and Paul on 18 November. When the former falls on a Sunday its
celebration takes precedence over the Sunday. The official name of the Lateran
Basicilica is the Archbasilica of the Most Holy Saviour and of Saints John the
Baptist and the Evangelist. It is the Cathedral of the Diocese of Rome, sometimes referred to as 'Mother of all Churches'.
In the gospel Jesus speaks of the future
destruction of the Temple where he had worshipped all his life, where he had
been presented to the Father as an infant by Mary and Joseph, from which he
threw the moneylenders because they were turning it into a market.
On 30 October 2016 the Basilica of St Benedict in his
birthplace Norcia in Italy was destroyed in seconds by a powerful earthquake as
if fulfilling the words of Jesus today, all will be thrown down.
Destroyed Basilica of St Benedict [Source:The Monks of Norcia]
Jesus warns us in today's gospel warns us of wars
and insurrections . . . great earthquakes . . . famine and plagues . .
. You will be hated by all because of my name.
We are seeing all of these things in our time. They
can lead us to lose hope - if we forget the closing words of Jesus in today's
gospel: But not a hair of your head will perish. By your endurance
you will gain your souls.
On 4 October 2016 Hurricane Matthew caused
great destruction in southwestern Haiti, the poorest country in the Western
Hemisphere. But Sunday Examiner, the weekly English-language newspaper of the Catholic
Diocese of Hong Kong, carried the following report in its issue for 30 October 2016.
Port-au-Prince. Survivors of Hurricane Matthew put
on their Sunday finest as they picked their way through rubble and downed power
lines to gather in ruined churches on October 9, just three days after the
devastating storm ravaged their homes.
Photographs posted on news websites show pews in
the open air, with the rubble from the hurricane piled to one side, as a neatly
clad congregation in suits and ties, smart slacks and dresses made a colourful
scene in what had once been churches with roofs.
Grave of Bishop Edward Galvin
St Columban's, Dalgan Park, Ireland
'But the spiritual edifice is, I think, intact.'
After being expelled from China, September 1952
In the January/February 2006 issue of Far
East, Fr Dan Fitzgerald recalled the following of Bishop Edward
Galvin (Co-founder of the Columbans with Fr John Blowick):
Bishop Galvin was my bishop in China for six years.
Three of us Columban priests arrived in Hanyang in central Chine in July 1946.
We were the first Irish priests to arrive there after the war had ended in
1945.
The man we met on that July day looked older and
more worn than his 64 years would suggest. He didn't look like a bishop either.
He was in an old crumpled cotton Chinese shirt and pants, with perspiration
running down his face and chest. Only for the plain episcopal ring he had on
his finger, he might have been the gate-man. There was something about him that
suggested one who had lived through a lot, had suffered and had survived.
His exile for Christ ended in September 1952. As he
arrived in Hong Kong he said, They have taken our churches, schools,
hospital and mission compounds, but the spiritual edifice is, I think, intact.
I blessed the compound and the cathedral, the whole diocese, its Sisters,
priests and people. I put then under the protection of Our Lord and His Blessed
Mother, and of St Columban, the patron of the diocese and the cathedral. It was
all I could do, but it was enough.
(1916 - 2016)
Prayer for the Dead for November
Choral arrangement by John Cameron to Nimrod from Enigma Variations by Sir Edward Elgar, sung by Voces8
Lux aeterna luceat eis, Domine,
cum sanctis tuis in aeternum,
quia pius es.
Requiem aeternam dona eis, Domine,
et lux perpetua luceat eis.
May
light eternal shine upon them, O Lord,
with
Thy saints forever, for Thou art kind.
Eternal
rest give to them, O Lord,
and
let perpetual light shine upon them.
The first World Day of the Poor, an initiative of Pope Francis, took place in 2017. This Sunday is the third World Day of the Poor and the theme of the Pope's message for the day is The Hope of the ooor shall not perish for ever.
A concert with the poor and for the poor will take place in Paul VI Hall in the Vatican to mark the day. After the concert those present will share in a meal. Nicola Piovani will conduct the Orchestra of Italian cinema in Paul VI Hall. The musicians will play excerpts from Roberto Benigni’s film Life Is Beautiful, for which he received an Oscar in 1999 in the best film category. Here is the main theme from that film for which Nicola Piovani composed the music and received an Oscar.
World Day of the Poor
The first World Day of the Poor, an initiative of Pope Francis, took place in 2017. This Sunday is the third World Day of the Poor and the theme of the Pope's message for the day is The Hope of the ooor shall not perish for ever.
A concert with the poor and for the poor will take place in Paul VI Hall in the Vatican to mark the day. After the concert those present will share in a meal. Nicola Piovani will conduct the Orchestra of Italian cinema in Paul VI Hall. The musicians will play excerpts from Roberto Benigni’s film Life Is Beautiful, for which he received an Oscar in 1999 in the best film category. Here is the main theme from that film for which Nicola Piovani composed the music and received an Oscar.
