Happy Birthday Blessed Edmund!

Friday 1st June 2012 is a special day. It is the 250th anniversary of the birth of our Founder, Blessed Edmund Rice.

You can read all about Blessed Edmund on the dedicated section of our Congregation website.

You can follow the special events to mark the occasion taking place in Waterford by webcam LIVE on www.EdmundRice.ie

Praying to the Holy Spirit

Here's a prayer for the gifts of the Holy Spirit. The person discerning their vocation needs them all!

All powerful God, Father of our Lord, Jesus Christ,
By water and the Holy Spirit you freed me from sin and gave me new life,
Send me your Holy Spirit to be my helper and guide.
Give me the spirist of wisdom and understanding,
The spirit of right judgement and courage,
The spirit of knowledge and reverence,
The spirit of wonder and awe in your presence.
Fill me with the spirit of wonder and awe in your presence.

Pope Benedict's Pentecost homily is well worth reading.

"There are imbalances that frequently lead to conflicts; dialogue between generations is hard and differences sometimes prevail; we witness daily events where people appear to be growing more aggressive and belligerent; understanding one another takes too much effort and people prefer to remain inside their own sphere, cultivating their own interests. In this situation, can we really discover and experience the unity we so need?

On Pentecost, where there was division and incomprehension, unity and understanding were born."

One of the more beautiful and enduring stories of St. Luke’s Gospel is found in Chapter 24. Two disciples were on their way to Emmaus, walking and talking, when a stranger caught up with them. They were down-hearted and the stranger appeared nosy. Without an introduction he asked them what they were talking about. It was a strange conversation starter! But given how distracted they were by how bad things were for them, they didn't seem to mind and launched into their tale of woe.

Their dreams had been shattered.‘Our own hope had been that he would be the one to set Israel free,' they said. This was a noble hope indeed. It was the hope of the Jewish people. But their hope had died when Jesus was crucified. Now they were left without hope. However, the risen Jesus is the one who has come to walk alongside them. The same Christ who walked the Emmaus road with the two disciples is walking with us today. He is walking with those who are puzzled and confused about their future.

This reassuring story has a message of hope for each one of us today. It challenges us to see that even at times of despair and confusion Jesus Christ is with us. This gives us courage to return to the ‘Jerusalems’ of our time, and be called anew to mission. Nothing will ever be the same again once I move into a deep acceptance of the truth of the Emmaus experience…

Sunday’s liturgy is about vocation. Each of us has a unique personal vocation: an invitation from God to be someone, to do something, for others with my life. Am I truly listening and willing to respond generously to the Lord…? This is beautifully expressed in Cardinal Newman’s prayer:

“God has created me to do him some definite service.
He has committed some work to me
which he has not committed to another.

I have a mission. I am a link in a chain.
He has not created me for naught.
I shall do his work…therefore I shall trust him.

Whatever, wherever I am, I can never be thrown away.
If I am in sickness, my sickness will serve him.
If I am in sorrow, my sorrow may serve him.
He does nothing in vain. He knows what he is about.