Commitment and Perseverance

Yesterday, I was at a very moving celebration at our Mother House - Mount St Joseph, in Cork city.
It was our annual Celebration of Jubilees.

What's that all about I hear you say! Well, each August we remember the Brothers who, that year, are marking a significant anniversary of the day when they first made their religious vows.

This year, for example, we had one Platinum Jubilarian - that means he made his first profession as a Presentation Brother in 1944 - 70 years ago - long before I (and you too, I imagine) was even born!

Four Brothers marked their Diamond Jubilees (60 years of religious life) and two Brothers celebrated their Golden Jubilees.

We gathered to pray with them and for them. You can read an account of the Jubilee Mass on our website .

What struck me most about these men was their ability to persevere in their commitment to God. I'm sure they had difficult and challenging days and here they are; 50, 60, 70 years of fidelity later. Such a beautiful thing.

Life as a religious brother involves a vow of poverty but it is a life rich with meaning and experiences.

If it interests you, get in touch....vocation@PresentationBrothers.org

New statue of Jesus...

Last week at our Soul Food discernment evening in Dublin we discussed images of God. The most revealing image of God is, of course, Jesus Christ.

Then, I came across this...It's very thought provoking. Read the article here.

Would you like this statue of Jesus in your local parish?

Call

Here's a really beautiful poem I came across this week...

It's "Call" written by Michael Ruddy ss.cc.

Call

You were playing games with me
My God
That you could not let me know
In simple language
That you needed me
To do your work?

Was it too much to ask
For one single sign
That would
Without a shadow of a doubt
Have kept me from worry
And from wondering if
It was right to leave my shore
That I could see
                and hear
                and fee
For other shores
That were not my own?

I called out to you
In desperation you said that
Yes I would be happy
To do whatever
You asked of me
But let me know now!
I need to know now.
Could you not see my tears?

Of course you heard
And answered me
In the tears of others
Who called for help
                a touch
                a smile.

Prayers under pressure

Exam season is about to start, and in some instances is well underway. It can be a pretty stressful time and many people feel nervous and anxious as they approach their exams.

Here is a prayer I came across that I think will help you to feel some of the calm and peace of the Lord...

Undertaking Exams

Loving God
be with me now,
as I prepare for my exams.

Thank you for the many talents and gifts you have
given me and for the opportunity of education.

Calm my nerves and anxiety, help me
to remember all that I have studied,
to express it clearly and to answer the questions
the very best that I can.

Holy Spirit, sit with me in my exam
- and always.

In Jesus' name

Amen

Soul Food - this Friday!

Discerning a religious vocation should not be a journey on your own. Last month I started our 'Soul Food' vocation discernment evenings in Dublin. The idea is that men who are interested in a religious vocation gather together for prayer and discussion. We start our meetings with pizza and then we read an article on discernment. After that we discuss the issues raised in the article and I try my best to answer any questions the guys might have. Then we pray the Night Prayer of the Church.
Our next 'Soul Food' vocation discernment evening is on this Friday (23rd May 2014) at 6.30pm at Presentation Brothers, Glasthule in Dun Laoghaire, Co. Dublin.
If you're interested in coming, just shoot me an e-mail at vocation@PresentationBrothers.org

Our two new Saints...

This Sunday two great Christians will be canonised by our Holy Father, Pope Francis.
Look what happened when Angelo Roncalli and Karol Wojtyla responded to the Lord's call!
Pope John XXIII and Pope John Paul II inspired and encouraged millions of others.
Let us pray to them for guidance this weekend.
Take a look at our Congregation website for details of coverage of Sunday's ceremony...

'Where is your Galilee?'

I hope you've had a wonderful Holy Week and Easter celebration. Of course, this Easter season continues for 50 days until Pentecost!

Pope Francis' homily at the Easter Vigil on Holy Saturday night was really interesting. He reflected on the scene in  the Gospel of St Matthew where the women encounter the risen Christ. Jesus tells them to "Go to Galilee" where he will meet them again.

The Holy Father poses this question to us:

"For each of us, too, there is a 'Galilee' at the origin of our journey with Jesus. 'To go to Galilee' means something beautiful, it means rediscovering our baptism as a living fountainhead, drawing new energy from the sources of our faith and our Christian experience."

So, during this Easter season, let's reflect on where 'Galilee' is for us.  Where did we first encounter Christ? Was it in our family, our school, our parish? Who were the people who helped us to grow in faith? Let's pray for them.

And let's thank God for the gift of our faith.