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).
Readings(Jerusalem Bible: Australia,
England & Wales, India [optional], Ireland, New Zealand, Pakistan,
Scotland, South Africa)
GospelMatthew 25:14-30 or 25:14-15, 19-21 [Omit] (English Standard Version Anglicised)
Jesus told his disciples
this parable:
“For it will
be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and
entrusted to them his property.To one he gave five talents, to another two,
to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away.[He who had received the five talents
went at once and traded with them, and he made five talents more.So also he who had the two talents made two talents more.But he who had received the one talent went and dug
in the ground and hid his master's money.]Now after
a long time the master of those servants came and settled accounts with
them.And he who had received the five talents came forward,
bringing five talents more, saying, ‘Master, you delivered to me five talents;
here I have made five talents more.’His master said to him, ‘Well done, good
and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I
will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’[And he also who had the two talents
came forward, saying, ‘Master, you delivered to me two talents; here I have
made two talents more.’His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful
servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter
into the joy of your master.’He also who had received the one talent came forward,
saying, ‘Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did
not sow, and gathering where you scattered no seed,so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the
ground. Here you have what is yours.’But his master answered him, ‘You wicked
and slothful servant! You knew that I reap where I have not sown and
gather where I scattered no seed?Then you ought to have invested my money with the
bankers, and at my coming I should have received what was my own with interest.So take the talent from him and give it to him who has
the ten talents.For to everyone who has will more be given, and he will
have an abundance. But from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken
away.And cast the worthless servant into the outer
darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’”]
There was real sorrow throughout the Philippines when news broke that the small plane in which Jesse Robredo, Secretary of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) in the administration of President Benigno Aquino III of the Philippines had crashed offshore while trying to make and emergency landing on Masbate Island. Secretary Robredo had been on official business in Cebu but wanted to be present at a swimming competition in which his daughter was taking part in their home town, Naga City in the heart of the Bicol Region at the southern end of Luzon. So he hired a small plane to fly from Cebu to Naga City.
During his six terms as elected Mayor of Naga City Jesse Robredo was noted for being close to ordinary people and for working for the improvement of the lives of all Nagueños. He saw his role as one of service.
Shortly after the Secretary's death Fr Lucio Rosaroso, a chaplain to the Philippine National Police (PNP), spoke in a homily at a Mass for the soul of Jesse Robredo of the sense of service that he had: Service is a time-honored value, however, the span of time in service does not matter — it may be long or short. What is more important is how much love one puts into his or her service.
The late Secretary Robredo, though his service to our country was cut short due to his untimely demise, but that is not what matters. What matters most is the LOVE that he put into his service. By that he gives us the best example of servant-leadership, he stressed.
Fr Rosaroso continued: Robredo’s heart was after the heart of the Good Shepherd. He was not only a good public servant but first and foremost a father to his very own family.
I remember reading at the time of his death that Jesse Robredo, who was based in Manila during his time as Secretary of the DILG, made a point of going home each weekend to Naga City to be with his family. By air this takes about 45 minutes but by road maybe six or seven hours, as I recall from going there from Manila a number of times in the 1990s when I was a vocation director of the Columbans. It's never easy for a politician or someone in public service to balance family life with public responsibilities. But Jesse Robredo made his wife Leni, now Vice President of the Philippines, and three daughters a priority.
The shrine of Our Lady of Peñafrancia is in Naga City.
I remember reading too that the day before his death Jesse Robredo went to confession at a church run by the Divine Word Missionaries in Quezon City, the largest component in area and size in Metro Manila. Fr Rosarosa of the PNP in his homily testified to the fact the DILG Secretary confessed regularly: The late secretary used to come here in Crame Church. In fact, every week he would go to confession. We are six priests here in Camp Crame and each one of us experienced being asked by the late secretary to administer to him the Sacrament of Reconciliation from time to time. He really believed in the sanctifying graces of the sacraments. He was a practicing and devout Catholic. He was a holy man in our midst!
Jesse Robredo's confession the day before he died is a powerful example of what St Paul speaks about in today's Second Reading: For you yourselves are fully aware that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night . . . But you are not in darkness, brothers, for that day to surprise you like a thief (1 Thess 5:1-6).
The shorter version of the Gospel has a specific focus: You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master. Because President Aquino saw how well Jesse Robredo had managed Naga City he made him responsible for local government throughout the Philippines.
The longer version shows how harshly the master dealt with the servant who simply buried what had been given to him. The investigation into the accident that killed Jesse Robredo suggests that three people lost their lives because others had not been faithful over a little.
The parable of the talents reminds us that whatever gifts God has given each of are not just for ourselves but are meant to be used in the service of others. What we do with them has consequences in the lives of others. Jesse Robredo, whose Catholic faith was at the centre of his life, used his talents in serving the people of Naga City from the time he was elected Mayor at the age of 29 and later in serving the people of the Philippines. He gave his wife and children first priority. The reason for his wanting to fly from Cebu to Naga, a journey that ended in his death, is a testimony to this.
The failure of some to use their talents, to carry out the responsibilities they were given, led to unnecessary deaths.
When the Lord will come like a thief in the night which words do we wish to hear from him: And cast the worthless servant into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. - harsh words that call us to be responsible for what God has given us - or you have been faithful over a little . . .enter into the joy of your master?
Antiphona ad communionem Communion Antiphon Mk 11:23-24
Amen dico vobis, quidquid orantes petitis,
credite quia accepietis, et fiet vobis.
Amen, I say to you, Whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you will receive, and it shall be given to you, says the Lord.
Extraordinary Form of the Mass
Traditional Latin Mass (TLM)
This Sunday, 15 November, the Sixth Sunday remaining after Epiphany is observed in the calendar that uses the TLM.
The complete Mass in Latin and English is here. (Adjust the date at the top of that page to 11-15-2020, if necessary).
Epistle: 1Thessalonians 1:2-10.Gospel: Matthew 13:31-33.
Authentic Beauty
Authentic beauty, however, unlocks the yearning of the human heart, the profound desire to know, to love, to go towards the Other, to reach for the Beyond.
Readings(Jerusalem Bible: Australia,
England & Wales, India [optional], Ireland, New Zealand, Pakistan,
Scotland, South Africa)
GospelMatthew 25:1-13 (English
Standard Version Anglicised)
Jesus told his disciples
this parable:
“Then the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who
took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom.Five of them were foolish, and five were wise.For when the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil
with them,but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps.As the bridegroom was delayed, they all became
drowsy and slept.But at midnight there was a cry, ‘Here is the
bridegroom! Come out to meet him.’Then all those virgins rose and trimmed their lamps.And the foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your
oil, for our lamps are going out.’But the wise answered, saying, ‘Since there will not be
enough for us and for you, go rather to the dealers and buy for yourselves.’And while they were going to buy, the bridegroom came,
and those who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast,
and the door was shut.Afterwards the other virgins came also,
saying, ‘Lord, lord, open to us.’But he answered, ‘Truly, I say to you, I do not
know you.’Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor
the hour.”
In the unlikely event of a sudden loss of cabin pressure, oxygen masks will drop down from the panel above your head… Secure your own mask before helping others.
I have heard those words hundreds of times before a flight takeoffs. I have never experienced having to use one of these masks and I hope that I never will. The others mentioned in the instruction are children and persons with disabilities of one kind or another who would need help. But the instruction is clear: Secure your own mask before helping others.
The introduction to today's Mass in Magnificat, a wonderful monthly daily missal that also includes daily morning and evening prayer, reads: Why do the five wise virgins not share their oil with the five foolish ones? Because it is something that simply cannot be shared. The oil is our personal virtue. 'The wise maidens represent all those who possess the ensemble of virtues which characterise a complete Christian life. The burning oil lamps which they carry . . . symbolically portray Christian wisdom . . . This Christian wisdom empowers all those who embrace prudence and the other moral virtues to fulfil the requirements of an integral and holy life' (Fr Romanus Cessario OP). 'God, through Jesus, will bring with him those who' seek wisdom with the same ardour with which the wise virgins seek the bridegroom. For Christ is the Bridegroom.
Airlines instruct adult and able-bodied passengers to put on their own masks first. If they don't they may not be in a position to help others for whom they have a responsibility. The situation is an emergency and everything has to be done quickly. Adults are asked to behave as responsible adults.
The ten virgins in the parable are also adults, albeit young. Every one of them made a decision. The five wise virgins decided to buy the oil necessary for lighting their lamps even though they did not know when exactly they would be using them. The five foolish virgins decided not to buy the oil they needed. There was no 'emergency' as there is in a plane if the oxygen masks drop. Being ready to meet the bridegroom whenever he might arrive wasn't a priority with them. For the five wise virgins it was.
If we see the bridegroom in the parable as representing Jesus we can see that Jesus is asking us to direct our lives constantly towards him.
For last Sunday I wrote about newly-beatified 15-year-old Blessed Carlo Acutis who used to tell his friends, The goal of my life is to always be united with Jesus.
On a number of occasions I have written about Clement Shabaz Bhatti, the Catholic Pakistani politician assassinated in 2011, who wrote in his Spiritual Testimony, I want to live for Christ and it is for Him that I want to die.
These are two contemporary examples of persons ready with their lamps lit for the Bridegroom - Jesus Christ Himself - when he came.
St Charles Borromeo, the great Archbishop of Milan, whose feast day is celebrated on 4 November, said in the sermon he gave at his last synod: Or is your task the care of souls? Then do not neglect your own. Do not spend yourself so completely on other people that you have nothing left for yourself. Of course you have to look after the souls your have been put in charge of, but not to the extent that you forget your own.
St
Charles Borromeo Administers the Sacrament to the Plague-Infected
This Sunday, 8 November, is is the Twenty-third Sunday after Pentecost in the calendar that uses the TLM.
The complete Mass in Latin and English is here. (Adjust the date at the top of that page to 11-8-2020, if necessary).
Epistle: Philippians 3:17-21; 4:1-3.Gospel: Matthew 9:18-26.
Authentic Beauty
Authentic beauty, however, unlocks the yearning of the human heart, the profound desire to know, to love, to go towards the Other, to reach for the Beyond.
Philippe
Sly: Bass-Baritone, Julian Wachner: Conductor
Trinity
Wall Street Baroque Orchestra
Behold, I tell you a mystery; we shall not all
sleep, but we shall all be changed in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at
the last trumpet.(1 Corinthians 15:51-52)
The trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be
raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
For this corruptible must put on incorruption and this mortal must put on
immortality.
The trumpet. . . da capo (1 Corinthians 15: 52-53
St Columban's Cemetery, Dalgan Park, County Meath, Ireland
Fidelium animae per misericordiam Dei requiescant in pace.
May the souls of the faithful departed through the mercy of God rest in peace.
Go bhfaighe anamacha na bhfíréan suaimhneas sioraí
trí thrócaire Dé.
Readings(Jerusalem Bible: Australia,
England & Wales, India [optional], Ireland, New Zealand, Pakistan,
Scotland, South Africa)
GospelMatthew 5:1-12a (English
Standard Version Anglicised)
Seeing
the crowds, Jesus went up on the mountain, and when he sat down, his disciples
came to him. And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying:
“Blessed
are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
“Blessed
are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
“Blessed
are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.
“Blessed
are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.
“Blessed
are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.
“Blessed
are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
“Blessed
are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.
“Blessed
are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom
of heaven.
“Blessed
are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil
against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is
great in heaven.”
To activate the English subtitles click on the 6th icon from the right at the bottom of the screen.
I asked a friend, a teacher, to look at the video above and to share her comments with me. Her first comment was, He is so ordinary! She added that she wanted to look at it again and to reflect on it more deeply. My friend's reaction was similar to what Fr Will Conquer MEP, the young French priest in the video, said: Carlo is really an ordinary saint.
Technically, Blessed Carlo, who was born in London, England, but grew up in Milan, Italy, is not yet a saint in the sense of one who has been canonised. But on the Solemnity of All Saints the Church honours all those who are in the presence of God, that great multitude of 'ordinary saints', some of whom, most likely, each of us knew personally. Father Will quotes St Teresa of Kolkata, Mother Teresa: Not
all of us can do great things but we can do small things with great love. All Saints' Day is when the Church honours all those now with God who have done such.
I had read a little about Carlo before his beatification but it was only when a local parish priest here spoke enthusiastically about him in a Zoom meeting that I decided to learn more about him.
The most striking thing for me watching the video is Blessed Carlo's deep personal relationship with Jesus, especially through the Blessed Sacrament. Father Will notes: First
Communion was a real encounter with Christ. Carlo was nourished by the
Eucharist every day and it is this friendship with Christ in the Eucharist that
would nourish his life. His mother Antonia says, For
him his day was to meet Jesus at Mass . . . For him, it was obvious that Jesus is really present wherever there is a tabernacle. She quotes her son, We
have the Real Presence of Jesus in the tabernacle and no one is queuing up. His strong sense of this and his desire to be with Jesus in adoration before the tabernacle reminds me of his French namesake Blessed Charles de Foucauld, the French hermit-priest who lived in the Sahara among Muslim nomads and who will be canonised some time in 2021. Through his daily hours of adoration of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament in his hermitage he discovered himself as 'the little brother' of the Muslims among whom he lived knocking on his door for help.
Young Carlo used to say, The Eucharist is my highway to heaven.
Another striking thing about Blessed Carlo, who was an only child of wealthy parents, was his respect for others, especially those who were poor. His school friends recalled his friendliness with persons such as the school caretaker. He brought meals to homeless people with Capuchin brothers and, with his pocket money, bought sleeping bags for some of them. This for me came from the deep relationship he had with Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. In this he reminds me of another handsome young Italian born years before Carlo and who died suddenly at the age of 24, Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati whom St John Paul II called 'A Man of the Beatitudes'.
Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati shortly before his death in 1925
The young Carlo - and he never became old enough to be anything but 'the young Carlo' - had and continues to have a profound influence on adults. He mother says that he was like 'a little Saviour' to her and helped her and her husband Andrea to become active Catholics again. The family's parish priest had great wisdom too when, after Carlo's First Holy Communion, he asked Antonia to become a catechist.
Most striking of all for me is how Rajesh, the immigrant from India who worked with the family, speaks about Carlo. His best friend was Jesus, he says. He used to accompany Carlo to kindergarten and often went to the local park, sometimes with the family dog, Carlo bringing a frisbee to throw for the dog. Sometimes they went to McDonalds. Rajesh shares that the only person who treated him with respect was this young child. (I'm sure Carlo's parents did too). This reminds me of the story I mentioned last week of the homeless Dublin alcoholic who testified that the only person who ever looked up to him was Frank Duff, founder of the Legion of Mary.
Rajesh goes on to say, I
valued him more than my teacher because everything he said was really joyful
and touched my heart . . . Such a young child could be a role model in my life.He
was a true teacher for me which is why I converted from Hinduism to
Christianity.
Carlo was a 'geek', as Father Will describes him, the first saint in heaven with an email address. He was a missionary 'geek' who asked himself, How
can I share my greatest passion with my friends? Father will says, His greatest passion was Jesus in the Eucharist. In order to share this passion he set up a website about all the Eucharistic miracles he could find out about. He used Google and Wikipedia for research. His work is now being carried on by others.
Father Will says in the video, For
me Carlo is a new kind of missionary of this unknown continent, the sixth continent
that needs to be evangelized. Carlo is part of a pioneer generation. This echoes the message of Pope Benedict XVI for World Communications Day 2009, the title of which was New Technologies, New Relationships. Promoting a Culture of Respect, Dialogue and Friendship. I'm not sure if Pope Benedict had heard of Carlo at that time. Yet the last paragraph of the Pope's message could have been written with Carlo in mind. I've emphasised some parts.
I would like to conclude this message by addressing myself, in particular, to young Catholic believers: to encourage them to bring the witness of their faith to the digital world. Dear Brothers and Sisters, I ask you to introduce into the culture of this new environment of communications and information technology the values on which you have built your lives. In the early life of the Church, the great Apostles and their disciples brought the Good News of Jesus to the Greek and Roman world. Just as, at that time, a fruitful evangelization required that careful attention be given to understanding the culture and customs of those pagan peoples so that the truth of the gospel would touch their hearts and minds, so also today, the proclamation of Christ in the world of new technologies requires a profound knowledge of this world if the technologies are to serve our mission adequately. It falls, in particular, to young people, who have an almost spontaneous affinity for the new means of communication, to take on the responsibility for the evangelization of this 'digital continent'. Be sure to announce the Gospel to your contemporaries with enthusiasm. You know their fears and their hopes, their aspirations and their disappointments: the greatest gift you can give to them is to share with them the 'Good News' of a God who became man, who suffered, died and rose again to save all people. Human hearts are yearning for a world where love endures, where gifts are shared, where unity is built, where freedom finds meaning in truth, and where identity is found in respectful communion. Our faith can respond to these expectations: may you become its heralds! The Pope accompanies you with his prayers and his blessing.
Pope Benedict was not telling young people that they were the 'future' of the Church but rather they were its now, with a special responsibility to bring the Good News to others because of their knowledge and skills as citizens of 'this digital continent'.
A young woman towards the end of the video says, Carlo
told us: 'The goal of my life is to always be united with Jesus.' And this
touches me a lot because it reminds me of what is essential: always being in a
heart-to-heart [relationship] with Jesus. This echoes the recently-canonised St John Henry Newman whose motto as a cardinal was, Cor ad cor loquitur - Heart speaks to heart.
Blessed Carlo, who died at 15, reminds me of a saint long before the time of the internet and who died at 105, St Anthony the Abbot. St Athanasius writes of him: And so all the people of the village, and the good men with who he associated saw what kind of man he was, and they called him 'The friend of God'. Some loved him as a son, and others as though he were a brother.
The life of this young man who was so joyful because of his closeness to Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament embodies the sixth beatitude in today's Gospel and the Communion Antiphon: Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. He understood the opening words to today's Second Reading (1 John 3;1-3): See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are.
Blessed Carlo invites us to thank God for the saintly people who have crossed our path. And I would suggest using the video above for prayer. I do believe that God is speaking to us through Blessed Carlo and especially through this video. And with lockdowns in so many countries we have time to reflect and to pray - and to discover for ourselves how the internet can be a tool to bring Jesus to others and to see is as a tool that can bring us closer to one another in these strange time.
Extraordinary Form of the Mass
Traditional Latin Mass (TLM)
This Sunday, 1 November, is also the Feast of All Saints in the calendar that uses the TLM.
The complete Mass in Latin and English is here. (Adjust the date at the top of that page to 11-01-2020, if necessary).
Epistle: Revelations (Apocalypse) 7:2-12; Gospel: Matthew 5:1-12.
Authentic Beauty
Authentic beauty, however, unlocks the yearning of the human heart, the profound desire to know, to love, to go towards the Other, to reach for the Beyond.
