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By Dr. Jenny O'Brien  If I were to ask a group of people to name their favourite Christmas carol, chances are that more than one would nominate Silent Night.
This beautiful carol, written in 1816 and set to music two years later, has touched the hearts of many for more than 200 years. Each verse begins with the words, ‘Silent night, holy night’ and yet, if we think about it, it was probably anything but a ‘silent’ night when Jesus was born. Bethlehem would have been abuzz, because a census had been called and everyone descended from the house of David was trying to find a place to stay. Even the stable where Jesus was born was probably not silent but filled with the noise of the animals kept there. And childbirth itself is not exactly a silent activity! So why did Joseph Mohr choose these two words to begin his carol?
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By Kathy Horan  The end of another extraordinary year is drawing closer and our daily lives are occupied with the things needing to be completed for this year, along with thoughtful preparation and planning for the year ahead.
There is a lot of reflection on the year that has almost ended, lessons to be learned, hopes for the new year to be identified, acknowledgements to be made and goals to be set. Somewhere in the middle of these two strands, we continue with the day-to-day round of activities. As Catholics, we are also steeped in the rhythm of the Church’s liturgical year, a rhythm that sees us remembering and acknowledging key moments and experiences in the life of Jesus who came among us as a human being, who called people to join him in his mission of proclaiming the good news of the reign of God. By Dr. Jenny O'Brien  The words ‘through Christ our Lord, Amen’ are familiar to us as the conclusion to many of the Church’s formal prayers.
During Mass they end the Prayer over the Offerings of bread and wine, and the Prayer after Communion. At the end of the Collect (Opening Prayer) they appear in the longer form: ‘Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God for ever and ever. Amen.’ And at the end of the great Eucharistic Prayer there is the even longer form: ‘Through him and with him and in him, O God almighty Father, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, all glory and honour is yours for ever and ever. Amen.’ You may be surprised to know that these simple phrases are extraordinarily rich in theological meaning. They help us to understand how we, the baptised faithful, relate to the risen Jesus and to the three divine persons of the Trinity: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. By Kathy Horan  Each year when we celebrate the feast of Pentecost, we rejoice and celebrate the Spirit of Jesus alive in our midst – in us, in the Church and in the world.
The story of Pentecost reminds us of the birth of the Church and the transformation of the disciples from being fearful, uncertain individuals into spirited, bold proclaimers of the good news of Jesus. At that Pentecost time, they finally began to grasp the importance of what Jesus had said and done, and urged on by the Spirit of Jesus, they began to take up the challenge of being missionary disciples, spreading the joy of the gospel, and baptising people in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. By Kathy Horan  We recently celebrated the feast of Pentecost, 50 days after the Easter celebration of the Resurrection.
During those 50 days, our liturgies and experiences of the richness of the word of God have been more than food for thought. We have been challenged by the word of God, reminded of all that Jesus said and did while he was with his disciples. We have been comforted by Jesus’ words and we have pondered on what all of this might mean for us, followers of Jesus for today’s world. In one sense, it is easy to be caught up in the euphoria of being known as disciples of Jesus, knowing that in his resurrection to new life Jesus overcame suffering and death, and promised that his followers would also share in the experience of life to the full, in so far as they remained close to him and focused on his message. By Dr. Jenny O'Brien  My soul magnifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God, my Saviour, for he has looked upon his handmaid in her lowliness; and from this day forward For the Almighty has done great things for me and holy is his name. His mercy is from age to age for those who fear him. He has made known the strength of his arm, and has scattered the proud in the conceit of their heart. He has cast down the mighty from their thrones and exalted those who are lowly. He has filled the hungry with good things and sent the rich away empty. He has helped his servant Israel, mindful of his mercy, even as he promised to our fathers, to Abraham and his descendants forever. “A pregnant woman is not the usual image that comes to mind when one thinks of a prophet,” writes the American theologian Elizabeth Johnson*, yet in the first chapter of Luke’s Gospel we come face to face with two Spirit-filled pregnant prophets doing exactly what prophets do: speaking aloud God’s truth. We refer, of course, to Mary and Elizabeth. Both were grappling with how to deal with their newfound circumstances: Elizabeth as a first -time mother in her old age and Mary as the unmarried, pregnant bride suspected of infidelity to her betrothed. However, both shared the distinction of being ‘mothers of redemption’ since Jesus was to be the Messiah and John the Baptist his herald.
By Dr. Jenny O'Brien  In an address from St Peter’s Square on Easter Monday, 2019, Pope Francis named the resurrection of Christ as “the most shocking event in human history” – shocking, because it should not have been possible. Those who die do not return to life, and yet this was the reality that faced the women at the tomb. They had come to anoint Christ’s body only to find the tomb empty and be told by an angel, “Do not be afraid. He is not here, for he has risen.” (Mt 28:5-6). Fear turned to joy and the women ran to tell the other disciples. And this is the message that has been passed down to us from the very beginning of Christianity: because Jesus has been raised from the dead, we too have the promise of resurrection. At the very heart of all our hope is Christ’s death and resurrection.
Author: Kathy Horan We have now moved into the season of Lent, a time of renewal where we consciously set our hearts and minds on the liberating message of the gospel that we are called to have life to the full.
We do this in the context of a believing community, and for all of us, this season of Lent is another invitation to see Jesus more clearly, to love Jesus more dearly and to take Jesus’ message of care and concern more seriously. The process of conversion involves the whole community, no matter how long we have been part of it or if we are seeking to find a place to call home within the community. Each year we are graced with this time of personal reflection on our lives in the light of the gospel and we are reminded of our role in the mission of Jesus, to bring good news to the poor. |
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