Remembrance Sunday 2016

In this decade of centenaries, Ireland continues to re-examine the many facets of our history and to recall all the forgotten dead of 1914-1918 the nearly 50,000, especially in this centenary year of the Battle of the Somme from July to September 1916.

In Flanders fields the poppies blow

Between the crosses, row on row,

That mark our place: and in the sky

The larks still bravely singing fly

Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the dead: Short days ago,

We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,

Loved and were loved: and now we lie

In Flanders fields!

Take up our quarrel with the foe

To you, from failing hands, we throw

The torch: be yours to hold it high

If ye break faith with us who die,

We shall not sleep, though poppies grow

In Flanders fields

Some web browsing............

Forgive us for looking the other way, pope tells homeless people

Pope finishes Friday mercy cycle with visit to married ex priests

Don’t confuse Christian unity with uniformity, Francis urges

Church bells ring out as Glenstal abbot is blessed

'Remarkable' resilience of persecuted Christians focus of new film

"Tonight in America, Children Are Afraid... We Are Better Than This"

Pier Giorgio Frassati, the saint whose sorrows never made him sad

Pope Francis: the Church's mercy is for everyone

Church is right: how we treat our dead is not an individual choice

How Francis will respond to the new anti-globalism 

Walking Amongst the Dead  

A spiritual sanctuary for the soul at Glenstal - 24 hours in a tranquil breakaway location - the God Pod

Religious life turned upside down by Italian earthquake 

17 magical performances of Leonard Cohen’s ‘Hallelujah’ (VIDEO) 

Does prayer really heal the sick or is it a waste of time?

13th November 2016 - Jubilee of Mercy - 33rd Sunday in Ordinary time Year C

On this weeks programme John and Lorraine reflect once more on the Jubilee of Mercy which closes Sunday week November 20th with the feast of Christ the King. We have our regular reflection on this weeks Sunday gospel as well as liturgical odds and ends.

You can listen to the podcast of this weeks full programme HERE.

Jubilee of Mercy

On this weeks programme, Lorraine takes us through a reflection on the Jubilee of Mercy which is in its final week. 

On April 11, 2015, right before First Vespers of the Vigil of Divine Mercy Sunday, the Holy Father stood before the closed and sealed Holy Door in St. Peter's Basilica and announced an historic event: an extraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy. "Jesus Christ is the face of the Father's mercy," Pope Francis says in opening his papal bull Misericordiae Vultus (The Face of Mercy). In this light, "Merciful like the Father" is the motto he chose for the Jubilee Year. It comes from Luke 6:36, "Be merciful just as your Father is merciful." 

The extraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy ran from Dec. 8, 2015, the solemnity of the Immaculate Conception, up until next week Nov. 20, 2016, the solemnity of Christ the King. By calling for the Jubilee Year, Pope Francis has underscored the signature message of his pontificate: mercy. 

Mercy is the Holy Father's answer to evil, following the teaching of St. John Paul II who, in his last book, Memory and Identity, wrote "[T]he limit imposed upon evil, of which man is both perpetrator and victim, is ultimately Divine Mercy."  Pope Francis explained, "Here, then, is the reason for the Jubilee: because this is the time for mercy. It is the favourable time to heal wounds, a time not to be weary of meeting all those who are waiting to see and to touch with their hands the signs of the closeness of God, a time to offer everyone the way of forgiveness and reconciliation." 

You can listen to the podcast of this part of the programme excerpted HERE.

Previous posts from SS102fm on the Jubilee of Mercy are HERE.

Vatican Radio resources on Jubilee of Mercy HERE

Mercy in Action in Limerick

A special Year of Mercy celebration will take place in St John’s Cathedral on Sunday November 20th at 4.00 pm. A number of local and national organisations have agreed to be part of the story of the liturgy and it promises to be a reflective and meaningful experience for young and old alike.


Please spread the word so we have a full Cathedral with representatives from every parish to bring the works of Mercy to every home, parish, community and workplace across Limerick in a meaningful way.

Gospel - Luke 21: 5-19

The Prophecy of the Destruction of the Temple" by James Tissot. 

Reflections on this weeks gospel:

Word on Fire

English Dominicans

Sunday Reflections

Centre for Liturgy

Liturgical odds & ends

Liturgy of the Hours: psalter week 1; 33rd week in ordinary time

Saints of the Week

November 14th - St Lawrence O'Toole

November 15th - St Albert the Great

November 16th - St Margaret of Scotland also St Gertrude

November 17th - St Elizabeth of Hungary

November 18th - Dedication of the Basilicas of St Peters and St Paul's-outside-the-Walls

November 19th - Blessed James Benefatti

'We all have a moral compass. It's in us, it's there': Bishop of Limerick

Full text of interview with Bishop Brendan Leahy and Limerick Leader
7th November 2016

At noon on a Tuesday, behind the red brick English garden walls of the Social Service Centre on Henry Street in the city, Bishop Brendan Leahy climbs the narrow staircase to the second floor.

“How are ye all? I was up saying Mass. I will be with you in a minute,” says the 56-year-old, now standing outside the door of the meeting room of Limerick Diocesan Office. He then disappears into another room. 

Despite the blue skies outside, a pall of sadness hovers over every crisp, golden leaf between St John’s Cathedral and here. Indeed, the entire city and county is at a low ebb. It’s been 48 hours since news filtered through from Paris of the death of one of the city’s finest sons, Anthony Foley.

“He was a hero in so many ways. We can’t but think of his family,” says Bishop Leahy having taken his seat in the meeting room under a collage of religious artwork.

“It’s very, very sad to leave a young family behind him. He was completely full of compassion, commitment, dedication, zeal and single- mindedness which, I suppose, is an example for us all - we do need to have that in life. He was also a student of St Munchin’s College which is our diocesan college.”

Bishop Leahy was appointed Bishop of Limerick in 2013. He feels very much at home here. Both his parents, Maurice and Treasa, hailed from Ballyferriter in County Kerry and were teachers. Sadly, they have both passed on.

“Even though I played a little bit of hurling when I was young I have had to learn a lot more about hurling and certainly a lot more about rugby since I came here,” he smiles before we get down to the serious business of the interview. 

Over the course of the next hour Bishop Leahy answers a range of questions pertaining to the Church in Limerick. 

What advice would you have for someone considering religious life?

There are a series of interesting and reflective videos from UKReligious Life about vocations and discernment available on their Youtube channel

Glenstal's new abbot receives his abbatial blessing

Bishop Kenneth Kearon (CoI, Limerick & Emily), Bishop Willie Walsh (Killaloe - Emeritus), Abbot Brendan Coffey OSB, Archbishop Kieran O'Reilly (Cashel & Emly), Archbishop Dermot Clifford (Cashel & Emily - Emeritus), Bishop John Fleming (Killala), Bishop Brendan Kelly (Achonry), Bishop Fintan Monohan  (Kilaloe)

Abbot Brendan Coffey OSB received the abbatial blessing during Mass in the abbey church on Saturday 5th November.

Even though Fr Brendan was elected Abbot of Glenstal twelve weeks ago, the community waited until after the completion of the current phase of the renovation of the church before celebrating the solemn Rite of Blessing of an Abbot.

The abbatial blessing was conferred by Archbishop, the Most Reverend Kieran O’Reilly SMA of Cashel and Emly.

The Glenstal community was joined in choir by twenty-five abbots, abbesses, monks and nuns from Benedictine, Cistercian and Poor Clare monasteries from both Ireland and abroad, including the Abbot President of the Benedictine congregation, Abt Ansgar Schmidt OSB from Trier, Germany, and the Abbot of the monastery that founded Glenstal, P. Abbé Bernard Lorent OSB from Maredsous, Belgium. Five other bishops concelebrated the Mass with the Archbishop and Abbot Brendan, including the retired Archbishop of Cashel and Emly, Dr Dermot Clifford, the retired Bishop of Killaloe, Dr Willie Walsh, who ordained Abbot Brendan priest in 1995. The Church of Ireland Bishop of Limerick and Killaloe, Dr Kenneth Kearon, was also present in choir.

The Rite of Blessing took place after the Gospel. Abbot Brendan was escorted to the Archbishop by his two immediate predecessors, Frs Christopher Dillon OSB and Mark Patrick Hederman OSB. The Prior of the monastery, Fr Senan Furlong OSB, then formally presented the Abbot to the Archbishop and asked him to confer the blessing.

In the homily that followed, Archbishop O’Reilly addressed first the Abbot, then the monastic community, and then the large congregation of relatives and friends, staff and neighbours, oblates and associates who had gathered for the liturgy. Looking at the heritage of Glenstal and the Benedictine spiritual tradition, the Archbishop quoted the Apostolic Letter written by Pope Francis for the Year of Consecrated Life, inviting religious men and women to look to the past with gratitude, to live the present with passion and to look to the future with hope. He encouraged the monks to allow the new phase in their community’s life inaugurated by the choosing of a new abbot to be a time of renewed reflection on their own calling and role in the community. Finally, the Archbishop invited Abbot Brendan and the Glenstal community to be part of an upcoming biblical initiative in the diocese. “We are truly blessed in this diocese to have a community devoted to the Office and the Sacred Scriptures. When I came to this archdiocese I stated that I would like to broaden the biblical apostolate here and it is with this in mind that I invite you, Abbot Brendan, and your community, with the priests and people of the archdiocese, to undertake with me a journey of discovery and rediscovery of the Sacred Scriptures.”

After the homily came the Examination of the Abbot. The Archbishop questioned Abbot Brendan “on matters concerning his office”, inviting him to commit himself to observing the Rule of St Benedict and to teaching the brethren to do the same, so as to “encourage them in the love of God, in the life of the Gospel, and in fraternal charity”. After the Examination, the Archbishop invited everyone present to pray for the new Abbot. The Abbot prostrated before the new altar, and everyone else knelt, while the chanters intoned the Litany of the Saints, calling on the prayers of Mary the Mother of God, and all the angels and saints.

The solemn Prayer of Blessing followed the Litany, with the Abbot kneeling before the Archbishop. The prayer concluded, “Give him the gifts of your Spirit. Set him on fire with love for your glory and for the service of your Church, and may he in turn inflame with zeal the hearts of his brothers. In his life and in his teaching may he set Christ above all things, and when the day of judgment dawns, receive him, in the company of his brothers, into your kingdom.”

The newly-blessed Abbot Brendan was then presented with various symbols related to his office. He first received a copy of the Rule of St Benedict. He then received a silver ring, to be worn as a sign of fidelity, with the instruction to “wear it as the symbol of constancy and maintain this monastic family in the bond of brotherly love”. Finally, the Archbishop presented the Abbot with a wooden crozier, a shepherd’s staff, admonishing him to “show loving care for the brothers whom the Lord has entrusted to you; for he will demand an account of your stewardship”. After this he took his place beside the Archbishop and was greeted with applause. Abbot Brendan then received the sign of peace from the Archbishop and his assistants, before moving into the centre of the choir, to share the same fraternal greeting with all of the monastic men and women present.

Just before the end of Mass, Abbot Brendan addressed the congregation. Asking for their prayers that he might be a good abbot, he cited St Bernard’s advice to new abbots – “Notice everything. Turn a blind eye to some things. Correct a little. Cherish the brethren.” The liturgy concluded with the chanting of the Church’s great hymn of praise, the Te Deum, while the church bells were rung.

**********

You can see photos of the celebration HERE.

Ad multos annos to the new abbot!

Some web browsing..........

Jubilee of Mercy

During jubilee for prisoners, Pope tells inmates not to lose hope

Pope asks authorities to grant clemency for prisoners during Jubilee

At Jubilee Mass for Prisoners, Pope Francis Calls for a Criminal Justice System that Gives Hope
Pope Francis pleaded with them, “never yield to the temptation of thinking that we cannot be forgiven. Whatever our hearts may accuse us of, small or great, ‘God is greater than our hearts.’ We need but entrust ourselves to his mercy.” 

He noted that sometimes in today’s world “a certain hypocrisy leads to people considering you only as wrongdoers, for whom prison is the sole answer.” In fact, he said, “we don’t think about the possibility that people can change their lives; we put little trust in rehabilitation.” But in this way, “we forget that we are all sinners and often, without being aware of it. We, too, are prisoners.” 

Holy Doors to close at Roman basilicas next Sunday

Others

WP - We live in Aleppo. Here’s how we survive

In praise of a sacred silence in church - I no longer resent everybody who turns to his neighbor to share this week’s goings-on... I have my earplugs.

When I prayed for vocations, I didn’t mean God could have MY daughter! - A father's thoughts on his daughter's entry into a Passionist cloister

Are Italy's Earthquakes Divine Retribution? 

Buried or burned, respect for the dead is what matters 

Limerick is a lady not a dame

6th November 2016 - Interview with Alice Taylor: Reflections on memory and grief (Repeat programme)

On this weeks programme we repeat a popular interview which we had this time last year with the Cork author Alice Taylor who joined John and Shane reflecting on memory and grief.

Reflections on this weeks gospel as well as this weeks liturgical odds and ends are listed below on this weeks blog post.

You can listen to the podcast of this weeks programme HERE.

Reflections on memory & grief: An Interview with Alice Taylor

November can be a hard month for many people as we recall the memory of our dead. In the Roman Catholic tradition it is the month of the Holy Soul's. And it seems to be an appropriate time to reflect and pray for our dead as the year and seasons move towards the death of winter.

But coping with death and grief can be difficult and on this weeks programme we are joined by Alice Taylor to reflect on memory and dealing with grief especially after writing her book As time stood still.

Alice Taylor lives in the village of Innishannon in County Cork, in a house attached to the local supermarket and post office. Since her eldest son has taken over responsibility for the shop, she has been able to devote more time to her writing.

Alice Taylor worked as a telephonist in Killarney and Bandon. When she married, she moved to Innishannon where she ran a guesthouse at first, then the supermarket and post office. She and her husband, Gabriel Murphy, who sadly passed away in 2005, had four sons and one daughter. In 1984 she edited and published the first issue of Candlelight, a local magazine which has since appeared annually. In 1986 she published an illustrated collection of her own verse.

To School Through the Fields was published in May 1988. It was an immediate success, launching Alice on a series of signing sessions, talks and readings the length and breadth of Ireland. Her first radio interview, forty two minutes long on RTÉ Radio's Gay Byrne Show, was the most talked about radio programme of 1988, and her first television interview, of the same length, was the highlight of the year on RTÉ television's Late Late Show. Since then she has appeared on radio programmes such as Woman's Hour, Midweek and The Gloria Hunniford Show, and she has been the subject of major profiles in the Observer and the Mail on Sunday.

To School Through the Fields quickly became the biggest selling book ever published in Ireland, and her sequels, Quench the Lamp, The Village, Country Days and The Night Before Christmas, were also outstandingly successful. Since their initial publication these books of memoirs have also been translated and sold internationally.

In 1997 her first novel, The Woman of the House, was an immediate bestseller in Ireland, topping the paperback fiction lists for many weeks. A moving story of land, love and family, it was followed by a sequel, Across the River in 2000, which was also a bestseller.

The interview with Alice excerpted from the main programme can be listened to HERE.

Gospel - Luke 20: 27-38

Some Sadducees, those who say there is no resurrection, came to him and asked him a question, “Teacher, Moses wrote for us that if a man’s brother dies, leaving a wife but no children, the man shall marry the widow and raise up children for his brother. Now there were seven brothers; the first married, and died childless; then the second and the third married her, and so in the same way all seven died childless. Finally the woman also died. In the resurrection, therefore, whose wife will the woman be? For the seven had married her.” Jesus said to them, “Those who belong to this age marry and are given in marriage; but those who are considered worthy of a place in that age and in the resurrection from the dead neither marry nor are given in marriage. Indeed they cannot die anymore, because they are like angels and are children of God, being children of the resurrection. And the fact that the dead are raised Moses himself showed, in the story about the bush, where he speaks of the Lord as the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. Now he is God not of the dead, but of the living; for to him all of them are alive.”

Reflections on this week gospel:

Word on Fire
English Dominicans
Sunday Reflections
Centre for Liturgy
iBenedictines - The Sadducees’ Question

Liturgical odds & ends

Liturgy of the Hours - psalter week 4; 32nd week in ordinary time

Saints of the Week

6th November - Feast of All the Saints of Ireland is not celebrated this year as the Sunday takes precedence.
7th November - St Willibrord
8th November - Saint Elizabeth of the Trinity
9th November - Dedication of the Lateran Basilica
10th November - Pope St Leo the Great
11th November - St Martin of Tours
12th November - St Josaphat

Shortage of priests could lead to fortnightly Masses in Limerick

The role of lay people will be of the utmost importance going forward in the Church – Bishop Brendan Leahy.

A  shortage of priests, coupled with falling attendances at Mass, may give rise to a situation whereby, according to the bishop of Limerick, “some churches will have Mass every second Sunday or one Sunday a month.”

In an in-depth interview with the Limerick Leader this week, the bishop of Limerick, Dr Brendan Leahy, said “We are not trying to pretend it isn’t there. One of the things we are doing here is we have moved more clearly towards a team ministry model, that is three or four priests looking after several parishes together. There will be teething problems because it’s new and we have to think it through but we have to move in that direction.”

Bishop Leahy acknowledged that the shortage of priests in the future may mean that a parish priest may find himself in charge of three or more parishes. He said, “That is going to be a challenge. How can he be the parish priest of two or three parishes? He can’t keep going with all the work and administration, so we are going to have to reflect on it.”

Bishop Leahy also said that the role of lay people will be of the utmost importance going forward in the Church in Limerick.

“We are going to see teams of priests but not just teams of priests. I think we will see lay people working within the teams so that is going to be a development. Here, for instance, we have the first new lay general manager, lay diocesan secretary, Catherine Kelly, who replaced Fr Paul Finnerty – it was always a priest before that.”

Speaking about the future, Bishop Leahy said that while the Diocese of Limerick may have enough priests to say Mass, “what we may … have is that not every church will have Mass every Sunday. It might be that some churches will have Mass every second Sunday or one Sunday a month.”

Some web browsing.........

Prisoners to be Pope’s VIP guests for jubilee celebration

Stunning story: Miraculous recovery attributed to Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati - A young man's unexplained recovery may be the miracle that leads to the future saint's canonization

A reminder that this Jesuit pope is also highly Franciscan

The bizarre tale of 5,000 relics finding a home in a Pittsburgh chapel 

Celebrating Saints at Ohio’s Maria Stein Shrine of the Holy Relics  - The shrine displays almost 1,200 relics of individuals deemed holy by the Catholic Church

The Catacombs of Gotham: Manhattan’s Catholic Cemetery Preserves History and Offers Rest  - New York City’s Little Italy has an underground Christian catacombs

WATCH: The beginnings of a family chapel in the heart of Vermont - Orthodox church plants a seed, following a long-standing tradition

5 Ways to pray for the Holy Souls in Purgatory - Praying for the souls of those who have died is an ancient practice of the Church -- here's how to do it this November.

Irish Church leaders among witnesses to historical ecumenical event

Why Beauty Hurts 

The surprising and powerful pro-life ad now airing in New York City 

I used to be a human being - An endless bombardment of news and gossip and images has rendered us manic information addicts. It broke me. It might break you, too.

Pope Francis Prayer Intentions for November 2016 - Help for the countries that welcome refugees

The pope's monthly prayer intention for November is that countries that welcome refugees be helped in their endeavour.

More than 4,000 people have died this year in the Mediterranean alone, and in the last hours, according to witnesses, 200 people have died in two separate shipwrecks. During his trip to Lesbos, in Greece, Pope Francis said the refugee crisis is the single "greatest humanitarian disaster since World War II.”

Pope speaks of hope while saying Mass for All Souls Day in Rome cemetery - Rome Reports

 

 

Vatican Radio - Pope Francis prays in the Vatican Grottos

Vatican Radio - Pope offers Mass for faithful departed on All Souls' Day

2nd November - Remembering all our beloved dead



"Life is changed not ended"

 

We praise You, Lord, for Sister Death,

from whom no-one living can escape….

Blessed are those that she finds doing Your Will.

No second death can do them harm.

 

 - St. Francis of Assisi,

“Canticle of the Sun”

 

Our post from last year 2015 - All Souls (Commemoration of the Faithful Departed)

The Triduum of the Dead - (All Hallows Eve (Halloween), All Saints and All Souls) is a reminder to us that our nearest and dearest who have died are not really that far away and that we honour and pray for and with each other in the Communion of Saints especially at this time of the year. Whilst you remember your own loved ones at this time, also remember to pray for those that are mourning. While time may change the pain of loss, it can never be said to truly go away; remember those who mourn and feel that pain at this time too especially for those who have lost loved ones in the last twelve months.

 

Psalm 130
Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord,
Lord, hear my voice!
O let your ears be attentive
to the voice of my pleading.

If you, O Lord, should mark our guilt,
Lord, who would survive?
But with you is found forgiveness:
for this we revere you.

My soul is waiting for the Lord,
I count on his word.
My soul is longing for the Lord
more than watchmen for daybreak.

Let the watchmen count on daybreak
and Israel on the Lord.

Because with the Lord there is mercy
and fullness of redemption,
Israel indeed he will redeem
from all its iniquity.

There is a Mexican saying that we die three deaths: the first when our bodies die, the second when our bodies are lowered into the earth out of sight, and the third when our loved ones forget us. Catholics forestall that last death by seeing the faithful dead as members of the Church, alive in Christ, and by praying for them -- and asking their prayers for us -- always. Cardinal Wiseman wrote in his Lecture XI: Sweet is the consolation of the dying man, who, conscious of imperfection, believes that there are others to make intercession for him, when his own time for merit has expired; soothing to the afflicted survivors the thought that they possess powerful means of relieving their friend. In the first moments of grief, this sentiment will often overpower religious prejudice, cast down the unbeliever on his knees beside the remains of his friend and snatch from him an unconscious prayer for rest; it is an impulse of nature which for the moment, aided by the analogies of revealed truth, seizes at once upon this consoling belief. But it is only a flitting and melancholy light, while the Catholic feeling, cheering though with solemn dimness, resembles the unfailing lamp, which the piety of the ancients is said to have hung before the sepulchres of their dead. Though we should daily pray for the dead in Purgatory, above all for our ancestors, today is especially set aside for hanging that "unfailing lamp before the sepulchres of our dead"  

Today is the feast of All-Souls, when we commemorate all those who have gone before us for their eternal reward, those who have died, marked with the sign of faith. We already commemorate the dead at every single Mass, as part of the Eucharistic Prayer, and we will hear these words again today. We recognize that they are part of the mystical body in the church. But today we reflect in a special way, not so much on the dead, but those waiting for their reward at this moment. The topic may sound morbid, but in fact it contains a secret to tremendous joy. Unless Jesus happens to return in glory first, we will all have to face death, whether our own or that of some close to us. And our faith has a direct impact on how we face this ultimate moment. 

• All Soul's Day - Vatican Radio
• For All Soul’s Day, remembering those who have been reclaimed by God - Pax Christi USA
• Commemoration of All Souls - Franciscan Media
• Time for Reflection: All Hallows’ Eve, All Saints and All Souls’ Day - These three events come upon us at exactly the moment when all of us grieve a little for a dying world and a dying year
• "My God, I know this place. I am home." -- A Reflection for All Souls Day - Salt + Light



1st November 2016 - "Lets us keep a festival in honour of all the Saints"

Solemnity of All the Saints; in Ireland November 1st marks the calendars beginning of Winter with the darkening evenings and the celebration of day (and also the month) of Samhin. As the clocks change and the evenings draw in, the earth herself heads into hibernation and rebirth. The ancient Celts saw this time as one of those during the year which was a "thin place" between this world and the next.

All Hallows Eve (Halloween) and the celebrations of All Saints and All Soul's are a reminder to us that our nearest and dearest who have died are not really that far away and that we honour and pray for and with each other in the Communion of Saints especially at this time of the year.

Whilst you remember your own loved ones at this time, also remember to pray for those that are mourning. While time may change the pain of loss, it can never be said to truly go away; remember those who mourn and feel that pain at this time too especially for those who have lost loved ones in the last twelve months.

"For centuries the church has confronted the human community with role models of greatness. We call them saints when what we really often mean to say is 'icon,' 'star,' 'hero,' ones so possessed by an internal vision of divine goodness that they give us a glimpse of the face of God in the centre of the human. They give us a taste of the possibilities of greatness in ourselves."

— Joan D. Chittister in "A Passion for Life"

From the first centuries after Christ, Christians who died a martyr’s death were considered saints, who live in God’s presence forever. Every year, on the anniversary of the martyrs’ deaths, Christians would visit their tombs and celebrate the Eucharist. This practice grew throughout the centuries to include remembering other outstanding Christians on the days they died. Soon the entire calendar was filled with memorials of the saints. In the ninth century, Pope Gregory IV designated November 1 as the day to remember all the saints living in God’s presence.

"The glorious company of the apostles praises you, the noble fellowship of the prophets praises you, the white robed army of martyrs praises you, all the saints together sing your glory, O Holy Trinity, One God"

 

- Magnificat Antiphon I Vespers

Sleepers awake, Christ is now risen

Empty the tomb risen the son X2

Alleluia x4

Marked with the cross, sealed with the Spirit

Risen with Christ, sing out our joy x2

Alleluia x4

Death has been slain; life is victorious

Winter is past; Springtime returns x2

Alleluia x6

 From the second reading of the Office of Readings from St Bernard of Clairvaux:

Why should our praise and glorification, or even the celebration of this feast day mean anything to the saints? What do they care about earthly honours when their heavenly Father honours them by fulfilling the faithful promise of the Son? What does our commendation mean to them? The saints have no need of honoru from us; neither does our devotion add the slightest thing to what is theirs. Clearly, if we venerate their memory, it serves us, not them. But I tell you, when I think of them, I feel myself inflamed by a tremendous yearning.

 

Calling the saints to mind inspires, or rather arouses in us, above all else, a longing to enjoy their company, so desirable in itself. Wee long to share in the citizenship of heaven, to dwell with the spirits of the blessed, to join the assembly of patriarchs, the ranks of the prophets, the council of apostles, the great host of martyrs, the noble company of confessors and the choir of virgins. In short, we long to be united in happiness with all the saints. But our dispositions change. The Church of all the first followers of Christ awaits us, but we do nothing about it. The saints want us to be with them, and we are indifferent. The souls of the just await us, and we ignore them.

Lectio divina reflections:

Sunday Reflections - Solemnity of All Saints 2016
English Dominicans - Where our true happiness lies 

Other resources and reflections:

• Over the last couple of years we have posted a lot of links and reflections on All Saints HERE.
• Word on Fire - You were chosen to be a saint
• Pilgrims Progress - Getting ready for the Solemnity of All Saints!
• Word on Fire - Satellites, the Internet, and the Communion of Saints
• Its hard being wedded to the dead
• Churchyear.net - All Saints Day - list of the beliefs and history of the feast day including traditional activities and foods associated with it.
• Loyola Press - All Saints Day resources
• Fr James Martin SJ - Laughing with the Saints (video) - Part 1, Part 2, Part 3
• Franciscan Media's reflection for the solemnity 

Sacred Space 102fm celebrates One million hits on their blog!

 

The Sacred Space 102fm takes great joy in acknowledging our 1,000,000th hit on the blog today!

 

We just want to thank all our listeners and readers for their support and following for what is a small, volunteer programme trying in a small way to contribute to the New Evangelisation and sharing the Good News! 

 

Every blessing and best wish

from

John, Anne, Lorraine, Martina, and Shane

In thanksgiving:

Non nobis, Domine, non nobis,
sed nomini tuo da gloriam.

Not unto us, O Lord, not unto us,
but to thy name give the glory.