“gee i wonder why there’s still so much more fanfiction about male characters” “we need more morally complex female characters” “i love relationships that are doomed by the narrative” “more stories need to treat mentally ill characters with compassion and respect” “all his problems could’ve been fixed if he only went to therapy” you fuckers can’t even handle the ending of fionna and cake

1st February >> Fr. Martin’s Reflection on Today’s Gospel Reading (Luke 6:32-38) on the Feast of Saint Brigid (Ireland) & Wednesday, Fourth Week in Ordinary Time (Mark 6:1-6) (Europe, New Zealand, Australia, Canada & South Africa)

Feast of Saint Brigid (Ireland) Gospel (Ireland) Luke 6:32-38Be compassionate just as your Father is compassionate.Ps 106 (107):35-38, 41-42. R/. v. 1 Jesus said to his disciples: ‘If you love those who love you, what thanks can you expect? Even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who do good to you, what thanks can you expect? For even sinners do that much. And if you lend to those from whom you hope to receive, what thanks can you expect? Even sinners lend to sinners to get back the same amount. Instead, love your enemies and do good, and lend without any hope of return. You will have a great reward, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he himself is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked. ‘Be compassionate as your Father is compassionate. Do not judge, and you will not be judged yourselves; do not condemn, and you will not be condemned yourselves; grant pardon, and you will be pardoned. Give, and there will be gifts for you: a full measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over, will be poured into your lap; because the amount you measure out is the amount you will be given back.’ Reflections (3) (i) Feast of Saint Brigid Saint Brigid is the secondary patron of Ireland, after Saint Patrick. She was born around 454. When she was young her father wished to make a suitable marriage for her but she insisted that she wanted to consecrate herself to God. She received the veil and spiritual formation probably from Saint Mel and she stayed for a while under his direction in Ardagh. Others followed her example and this led to her founding a double monastery in Kildare, with a section for men and a section for women. Through Brigid’s reputation as a spiritual teacher, the monastery became a centre of pilgrimage. She died in 524 and she is venerated not only throughout Ireland but in several European lands. She was renowned for her hospitality, almsgiving and care of the sick. The gospel reading is very suited for her feast because it calls on us to be generous not only to those who are generous to us but even to our enemies. Jesus declares in that gospel reading, ‘Give, and there will be gifts for you: a full measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over, will be poured into your lap’. Jesus is saying there that if our focus is on giving, then we will discover that we receive more than we give. It could be said to the contrary that if our focus is on receiving then we will be ultimately disappointed. It is not the case that we give with a view to receiving. It is simply that we give in various ways, in accordance with our gifts, abilities and energies, and we discover along the way that we are actually receiving more than we are giving. The most extreme form of giving, according to the gospel reading, is to love those who do not love us and to give to those from whom we have no hope of receiving anything in return. This kind of giving has a divine quality and it opens up our hearts to receiving a great abundance from the Lord. And/Or (ii) Feast of Saint Brigid Saint Brigid was born around 454. When she was young, her father wished to make a very suitable marriage for her, but she insisted on devoting her life completely to God. She received the veil and spiritual formation probably from Saint Mel and stayed for a period under his direction in Ardagh. Others followed her example and this led her to found a double monastery in Kildare with the assistance of Bishop Conleth. She died in 524 and her cult is widespread not only throughout Ireland but in several European lands. As well as being a person of deep prayer, she was renowned for her hospitality, her almsgiving and her care of the sick. That is why the church has chosen the reading from Paul’s letter to the Romans as an option for her feast day. The reading concludes by calling on us to ‘contribute to the needs of the saints; extend hospitality to strangers’. Brigid did both. She served the members of the church, the saints, and she also showed hospitality to strangers, those who were not part of the church. In the language of that first reading, she discovered her gift, the particular grace given to her, and she placed that gift at the service of others. We have all been given some particular grace; our gifts will differ according to the grace that has been given to us. Our calling is to try and discern our own particular gifts, the unique way that the Holy Spirit has graced us, and to place those gifts at the service of the Lord, and of others, both those who are part of the church, the ‘saints’ and those who are not, ‘strangers’. And/Or (iii) Feast of Saint Brigid We know very little about the life of Brigid. She was probably born around the middle of the fifth century and died at the beginning of the sixth century. At a young age she seems to have devoted her life completely to God. She founded a monastery of Kildare which contributed to the spread of Christianity in Ireland. The stories that have come down about her in her various Lives depict her as a woman of deep prayer and as someone whose life was characterized by great generosity and deep compassion, especially for the needy and the broken. In this morning’s first reading from Paul’s letter to the Romans, Paul mentions various gifts that can be expected to be found among the members of Christ’s body. Two in particular seem to fit the profile of Bridgid as it has come down to us in the literature about her, ‘let the almsgivers give freely… and those who do the works of mercy do them cheerfully’. It seems that Brigid gave alms freely and did many works of mercy cheerfully. That lovely reading concludes with ‘if any of the saints are in need you mist share with them, and you should make hospitality your special care’. Again Brigid shared with those in need and had a reputation for a very hospitable spirit. He cult extended beyond the shores of this island. I was only reading recently that in England there were at least nineteen ancient church dedications in her honour, the most famous being Saint Bride’s in Fleet Street. It is clear that her great love of the Lord which was nourished by a life of prayer found expression in a very practical love of others, especially of those in any need. She can continue to inspire us to live the gospel to the full and to find joy in doing so. —————– Wednesday, Fourth Week in Ordinary Time Gospel (Europe, New Zealand, Australia, Canada & South Africa) Mark 6:1-6 Jesus went to his home town and his disciples accompanied him. With the coming of the sabbath he began teaching in the synagogue and most of them were astonished when they heard him. They said, ‘Where did the man get all this? What is this wisdom that has been granted him, and these miracles that are worked through him? This is the carpenter, surely, the son of Mary, the brother of James and Joset and Jude and Simon? His sisters, too, are they not here with us?’ And they would not accept him. And Jesus said to them, ‘A prophet is only despised in his own country, among his own relations and in his own house’; and he could work no miracle there, though he cured a few sick people by laying his hands on them. He was amazed at their lack of faith. Gospel (USA) Mark 6:1-6 A prophet is not without honor except in his native place. Jesus departed from there and came to his native place, accompanied by his disciples. When the sabbath came he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were astonished. They said, “Where did this man get all this? What kind of wisdom has been given him? What mighty deeds are wrought by his hands! Is he not the carpenter, the son of Mary, and the brother of James and Joseph and Judas and Simon? And are not his sisters here with us?” And they took offense at him. Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his native place and among his own kin and in his own house.” So he was not able to perform any mighty deed there, apart from curing a few sick people by laying his hands on them. He was amazed at their lack of faith. Reflections (2) (i) Wednesday, Fourth Week in Ordinary Time The people of Nazareth were slow to recognize the implications of the great wisdom Jesus possessed and the power for good that was at work through him on behalf of the sick and suffering. They should have concluded from all of this that God must be working through this man in a special way. Instead, they would not accept him; in the words of Jesus, they despised him. He was too familiar to them; they knew his mother and his family. He was one of their own; he was too ordinary. He could not possibly be all that different to everyone else in Nazareth. It is a clear case of familiarity breeding contempt. The reading suggests that we can sometimes be slow to recognize the presence of God in the ordinary and the familiar. We don’t have to go long distances, or encounter extraordinary phenomena, to make contact with the wisdom and the power of God. The Lord’s presence is all around us in the near and the familiar, in the humdrum and in the ordinary, if we have eyes to see and ears to hear. The gospel reading invites us to see the familiar and the ordinary with new eyes. The failure of the people of Nazareth to see in this way inhibited what Jesus could do among them. Our seeing in this way gives the Lord space to work among us in new ways. The gospel reading also suggests that our failure to see in this deeper way inhibits the Lord from working among us and through us, ‘he could work no miracle there’. And/Or (ii) Wednesday, Fourth Week of the Year In this morning’s gospel reading the people of Nazareth took offense at the fact that one of their own, someone whose family they knew well, someone whom they had known as a carpenter, was now displaying great wisdom in the words he spoke and great power in his deeds on behalf of others. ‘What is this wisdom that has been granted to him, and these miracles that are worked through him?’ They took offense, it seems, not at his actual wisdom and power, but at the fact that one of their own was displaying such wisdom and power. It was as if Jesus was too ordinary, too much like themselves, to be taken seriously. They were coming up against the scandal of the incarnation, the Word who was God became flesh as all of us are flesh. God chose to come to us in and through someone who was like us in all things, except sin. When Jesus went on to speak about God, he often pointed to the ordinary, to the familiar, to the normal – a farmer sowing seed, a man on a journey from Jerusalem to Jericho, a rebellious son in a family, a widow looking for justice from a judge. The life and teaching of Jesus shows us that God speaks to us in and through the ordinary events of life. What we need are the eyes to see and the ears to hear the extraordinary in the ordinary, the divine in the human. Fr Martin Hogan, Saint John the Baptist Parish, Clontarf, Dublin, Ireland. Parish Website: www.stjohnsclontarf.ieJoin us via our webcam. Twitter: @SJtBClontarfRC. Facebook: St John the Baptist RC Parish, Clontarf. Tumblr: Saint John the Baptist Parish, Clontarf, Dublin.

1st February >> Fr. Martin's Reflection on Today's Gospel Reading (Luke 6:32-38) on the Feast of Saint Brigid (Ireland) & Wednesday, Fourth Week in Ordinary Time (Mark 6:1-6)   (Europe, New Zealand, Australia, Canada & South Africa)

Feast of Saint Brigid (Ireland)

Gospel (Ireland)

Luke 6:32-38Be compassionate just as your Father is compassionate.Ps 106 (107):35-38, 41-42. R/. v. 1

Jesus said to his disciples:    ‘If you love those who love you, what thanks can you expect? Even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who do good to you, what thanks can you expect? For even sinners do that much. And if you lend to those from whom you hope to receive, what thanks can you expect? Even sinners lend to sinners to get back the same amount. Instead, love your enemies and do good, and lend without any hope of return. You will have a great reward, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he himself is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked.    ‘Be compassionate as your Father is compassionate. Do not judge, and you will not be judged yourselves; do not condemn, and you will not be condemned yourselves; grant pardon, and you will be pardoned. Give, and there will be gifts for you: a full measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over, will be poured into your lap; because the amount you measure out is the amount you will be given back.’

Reflections (3)

(i) Feast of Saint Brigid

Saint Brigid is the secondary patron of Ireland, after Saint Patrick. She was born around 454. When she was young her father wished to make a suitable marriage for her but she insisted that she wanted to consecrate herself to God. She received the veil and spiritual formation probably from Saint Mel and she stayed for a while under his direction in Ardagh. Others followed her example and this led to her founding a double monastery in Kildare, with a section for men and a section for women. Through Brigid’s reputation as a spiritual teacher, the monastery became a centre of pilgrimage. She died in 524 and she is venerated not only throughout Ireland but in several European lands. She was renowned for her hospitality, almsgiving and care of the sick. The gospel reading is very suited for her feast because it calls on us to be generous not only to those who are generous to us but even to our enemies. Jesus declares in that gospel reading, ‘Give, and there will be gifts for you: a full measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over, will be poured into your lap’. Jesus is saying there that if our focus is on giving, then we will discover that we receive more than we give. It could be said to the contrary that if our focus is on receiving then we will be ultimately disappointed. It is not the case that we give with a view to receiving. It is simply that we give in various ways, in accordance with our gifts, abilities and energies, and we discover along the way that we are actually receiving more than we are giving. The most extreme form of giving, according to the gospel reading, is to love those who do not love us and to give to those from whom we have no hope of receiving anything in return. This kind of giving has a divine quality and it opens up our hearts to receiving a great abundance from the Lord.

And/Or

(ii) Feast of Saint Brigid

Saint Brigid was born around 454. When she was young, her father wished to make a very suitable marriage for her, but she insisted on devoting her life completely to God. She received the veil and spiritual formation probably from Saint Mel and stayed for a period under his direction in Ardagh. Others followed her example and this led her to found a double monastery in Kildare with the assistance of Bishop Conleth. She died in 524 and her cult is widespread not only throughout Ireland but in several European lands. As well as being a person of deep prayer, she was renowned for her hospitality, her almsgiving and her care of the sick. That is why the church has chosen the reading from Paul’s letter to the Romans as an option for her feast day. The reading concludes by calling on us to ‘contribute to the needs of the saints; extend hospitality to strangers’. Brigid did both. She served the members of the church, the saints, and she also showed hospitality to strangers, those who were not part of the church. In the language of that first reading, she discovered her gift, the particular grace given to her, and she placed that gift at the service of others. We have all been given some particular grace; our gifts will differ according to the grace that has been given to us. Our calling is to try and discern our own particular gifts, the unique way that the Holy Spirit has graced us, and to place those gifts at the service of the Lord, and of others, both those who are part of the church, the ‘saints’ and those who are not, ‘strangers’.

And/Or

(iii) Feast of Saint Brigid

We know very little about the life of Brigid. She was probably born around the middle of the fifth century and died at the beginning of the sixth century. At a young age she seems to have devoted her life completely to God. She founded a monastery of Kildare which contributed to the spread of Christianity in Ireland. The stories that have come down about her in her various Lives depict her as a woman of deep prayer and as someone whose life was characterized by great generosity and deep compassion, especially for the needy and the broken. In this morning’s first reading from Paul’s letter to the Romans, Paul mentions various gifts that can be expected to be found among the members of Christ’s body. Two in particular seem to fit the profile of Bridgid as it has come down to us in the literature about her, ‘let the almsgivers give freely... and those who do the works of mercy do them cheerfully’. It seems that Brigid gave alms freely and did many works of mercy cheerfully. That lovely reading concludes with ‘if any of the saints are in need you mist share with them, and you should make hospitality your special care’. Again Brigid shared with those in need and had a reputation for a very hospitable spirit. He cult extended beyond the shores of this island. I was only reading recently that in England there were at least nineteen ancient church dedications in her honour, the most famous being Saint Bride’s in Fleet Street. It is clear that her great love of the Lord which was nourished by a life of prayer found expression in a very practical love of others, especially of those in any need. She can continue to inspire us to live the gospel to the full and to find joy in doing so.

-----------------

Wednesday, Fourth Week in Ordinary Time

Gospel (Europe, New Zealand, Australia, Canada & South Africa)

Mark 6:1-6

Jesus went to his home town and his disciples accompanied him. With the coming of the sabbath he began teaching in the synagogue and most of them were astonished when they heard him. They said, ‘Where did the man get all this? What is this wisdom that has been granted him, and these miracles that are worked through him? This is the carpenter, surely, the son of Mary, the brother of James and Joset and Jude and Simon? His sisters, too, are they not here with us?’ And they would not accept him. And Jesus said to them, ‘A prophet is only despised in his own country, among his own relations and in his own house’; and he could work no miracle there, though he cured a few sick people by laying his hands on them. He was amazed at their lack of faith.

Gospel (USA)

Mark 6:1-6

A prophet is not without honor except in his native place.

Jesus departed from there and came to his native place, accompanied by his disciples. When the sabbath came he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were astonished. They said, “Where did this man get all this? What kind of wisdom has been given him? What mighty deeds are wrought by his hands! Is he not the carpenter, the son of Mary, and the brother of James and Joseph and Judas and Simon? And are not his sisters here with us?” And they took offense at him. Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his native place and among his own kin and in his own house.” So he was not able to perform any mighty deed there, apart from curing a few sick people by laying his hands on them. He was amazed at their lack of faith.

Reflections (2)

(i) Wednesday, Fourth Week in Ordinary Time

The people of Nazareth were slow to recognize the implications of the great wisdom Jesus possessed and the power for good that was at work through him on behalf of the sick and suffering. They should have concluded from all of this that God must be working through this man in a special way. Instead, they would not accept him; in the words of Jesus, they despised him. He was too familiar to them; they knew his mother and his family. He was one of their own; he was too ordinary. He could not possibly be all that different to everyone else in Nazareth. It is a clear case of familiarity breeding contempt. The reading suggests that we can sometimes be slow to recognize the presence of God in the ordinary and the familiar. We don’t have to go long distances, or encounter extraordinary phenomena, to make contact with the wisdom and the power of God. The Lord’s presence is all around us in the near and the familiar, in the humdrum and in the ordinary, if we have eyes to see and ears to hear. The gospel reading invites us to see the familiar and the ordinary with new eyes. The failure of the people of Nazareth to see in this way inhibited what Jesus could do among them. Our seeing in this way gives the Lord space to work among us in new ways. The gospel reading also suggests that our failure to see in this deeper way inhibits the Lord from working among us and through us, ‘he could work no miracle there’.

And/Or

(ii) Wednesday, Fourth Week of the Year

In this morning’s gospel reading the people of Nazareth took offense at the fact that one of their own, someone whose family they knew well, someone whom they had known as a carpenter, was now displaying great wisdom in the words he spoke and great power in his deeds on behalf of others. ‘What is this wisdom that has been granted to him, and these miracles that are worked through him?’ They took offense, it seems, not at his actual wisdom and power, but at the fact that one of their own was displaying such wisdom and power. It was as if Jesus was too ordinary, too much like themselves, to be taken seriously. They were coming up against the scandal of the incarnation, the Word who was God became flesh as all of us are flesh. God chose to come to us in and through someone who was like us in all things, except sin. When Jesus went on to speak about God, he often pointed to the ordinary, to the familiar, to the normal – a farmer sowing seed, a man on a journey from Jerusalem to Jericho, a rebellious son in a family, a widow looking for justice from a judge. The life and teaching of Jesus shows us that God speaks to us in and through the ordinary events of life. What we need are the eyes to see and the ears to hear the extraordinary in the ordinary, the divine in the human.

Fr Martin Hogan, Saint John the Baptist Parish, Clontarf, Dublin, Ireland.

Parish Website: www.stjohnsclontarf.ieJoin us via our webcam.

Twitter: @SJtBClontarfRC.

Facebook: St John the Baptist RC Parish, Clontarf.

Tumblr: Saint John the Baptist Parish, Clontarf, Dublin.