OPENING UP TO THE GRACE OF FORGIVENESS
(An Exercise)
Make yourself comfortable and get away from any distractions. Let yourself be guided by the imagery. Take some time to go inside yourself and connect with your symbolic and sacred world. Close your eyes if this helps.
You are in a field of flowers bathed in sunshine. Take time to contemplate the scenery and taste the freshness of the surroundings.
In the distance, you see a house surrounded by an unusual light. You head towards it. You discover a stone staircase leading down into a basement. One by one, you walk down the seven steps. There in front of you stands a thick oak door with finely sculpted, graceful motifs. Your curiosity overtakes you; you push the door open and walk through it. You find yourself in a room lit up by a strange glow. To your great surprise, you see a double of yourself tied to a chair. Take time to closely examine the bindings. Which parts of your body are bound? What sorts of bindings are holding them down? What are your bindings made of? You are starting to realise how the offence you have suffered is tying you down. Gradually, you become aware that it really is you over there, bound to that chair. You go inside yourself so that you are now one with the person who is tied up.
Then you realise that you are not alone in the room; you sense the presence of a powerful being. You recognise Jesus. He asks you: "Do you want me to help you release yourself?" Surprised by his offer you ask: "Do I really want to be released?" "What shall I become without my chains?" "Will I be able to tolerate this new state of freedom?" "What advantages are there to me if I stay a prisoner?" Take a few moments to discuss these important questions.
If you want to be released, tell Jesus. Tell him about what's holding you down and preventing you from forgiving your offender. As you gradually identify each of the obstacles to forgiveness, watch Jesus as he slowly undoes your bindings. Each time some part of your body is released, stop to savour the relief your new-found freedom offers.
As the bindings are gradually untied, let harmony, serenity and peace overtake your whole being.
In this state of grace, where you feel empowered by divine love, watch the person who offended you come towards you. Can you begin to recognise that something has changed in you? Look carefully into this person's eyes. Do you feel you can say to him in all honesty: "I forgive you"? If yes, do so. If not, come back within yourself and ask yourself which of your ties are still holding you down. You can resume the dialogue with Jesus to ask him if he could release you from these last few obstacles to forgiveness. Or, you can stop here and resume this guided imagery exercise later, so you can journey farther down the path of forgiveness. The day will come when, to your surprise, forgiveness will flow like a stream from your heart.
If you were able to release all your bindings, ask yourself what you will do with them in the future. They may serve as symbols, reminding you of the valuable lessons you have just drawn from this experience.
How will you now go about celebrating your freedom?
When you feel you are ready, get up and leave the room. Open the oak door and walk up the seven stairs to the light of day. Little by little, reconnect with the outside world. Become aware of the sounds. Open your eyes. You feel calm, relaxed, fresh and alert.
COLLECTION
We acknowledge last Sunday’s collection of £1670.00. Many thanks.
ANNIVERSARIES
John Gallagher (Snr), Lily Parke, Julia Canning, Hugh Gallagher
William Judge, Sarah McAteer, Patsy Slavin, Jack Duffy,
Michael McElroy
DEATHS
We offer our deepest sympathy to the family and friends
of:
Ann McGillion, Lifford. May she rest in peace.
MARRIAGES
We congratulate the following couples who were married in our parish recently:
Wendy Nelson and Stephen Donaghey
Jolene Mullen and Shane McAnenny
Donna Peoples and Dermot Shields
Sarah Taylor and Ian Swan
Hayley O'Kane and Colin Phillips
Catherine Coyle and Raymond Quinn
Philomena McMenamin and Damian Kirk
Laura Winters and Paul Duncan
Elaine Conroy and Mark Quinn
PRAY FOR PRIESTS
Last year the diocese published a prayer card with
the names of all the Derry diocesan priests. Many
of you have these cards and every day a specific priest
is named. This week we ask you to pray for the following
priests:
Fr. David O'Kane CC, Cathedral, 2nd Sept
Fr. Patrick O'Kane PP, Moville, 3rd Sept
Fr. Peter O'Kane CC, Waterside, 4th Sept
Fr. Seamus O'Kane, 5th Sept
Fr. Arthur O' Reilly (Retired), Banagher, 6th Sept
Fr. Kieran Page, CC, Ballymagroarty, 7th Sept
Fr. Desmond Polke CC, Doneyloop, 8th Sept
PARISH DRAW
The monthly Draw for September will take place on Thursday 27th September at 2.30pm in the parish office. All promoters are asked to make their returns to the parish office on Monday 24th September.
The winners for August were as follows:
£50.00 John Paul Gallagher 880
£50.00 Declan Devine 834
£50.00 Theresa Logue 797
£100.00 Michael & Mary Bradley 601
£100.00 Pat Robinson 306
£100.00 Martin O'Kane 367
£100.00 Siobhan Monaghan 416
£100.00 Jimmy McBride 348
£200.00 Liam & Mary Kennedy 456
£1000.00 Ursula Melaugh 405
PADRE PIO MASS
The Padre Pio Mass will take place in the Church on Wednesday 5th September at 7.00pm. Rosary at 6.45pm.
PARISH SAVINGS SCHEME
We are now approaching the three-quarter stage of the Parish Savings Scheme. As in previous years the Scheme is going very well an we encourage all our savers to continue their contributions and thank our collectors for their hard work. The Savings Scheme is vital for offsetting any interest the parish owes to the bank as well as being a very practical way of saving for events at the end of the year.
As we approach this stage in the Savings Scheme we remind our savers of the following banking regulations.
1. No saver may save more than £5000.00 in an individual name.
2. All savers must have a bank account as cheques issued at the end of the year will be crossed and will have to be paid into a bank account.
3. If you are saving for a child, the child must also have a bank account as their cheque will be crossed and cannot be put into any other account. If the child has no bank account you should put their savings along with their parent's savings or in the name of the parent who has a bank account. It is recommended that you do this now as it will be too late to do this at the end of the year.
Please be aware that the Bank are very strict regarding this legislation. If you have any queries you can contact the parish office, Tel., 71882215.
NOTICES FOR PARISH BULLETIN
In order to facilitate printing we ask that all notices and anniversaries for the parish bulletin are either given to the sacristan or left at the parish office by Wednesday morning at the latest.
NEW RELIGIOUS ORDER IN DERRY
Bishop Hegarty has welcomed a new Religious Order to the Diocese of Derry: the Contemplative Sisters of St. John the Evangelist. The first three Sisters arrived in the diocese on 24th August, from their mother house in St. Jodard, near Lyon in France. The Sisters have set up their temporary pre-foundation house in Belvoir Park, Derry city. This provides the Sisters with a temporary house. They intend to build a new convent. The Sisters are contemplative: that is, they do not do work in the community such as teaching or parish work, as many Orders do; rather, their lives are dedicated to intense prayer. Given their new house in Derry, they will be a prayerful presence in the diocese, praying for all the people of Derry. Our belief as Christians is that all the work of the Church, whether as a community or as individuals, depends on the grace of God. Our Christian efforts are supported by the prayerful presence of the contemplative sisters. Although they are contemplative, the Sisters are not enclosed - in other words, they may be seen out and about in the city. They are distinctive in their long grey habits and white veils. The Order was established twenty five years ago, and most Sisters are under thirty years of age. In welcoming them to the Diocese, Bishop Hegarty asked that God bless the new community with many more Sisters. The Sisters can be contacted at Belvoir Park, Derry. The Superior is Sister Mary Magdalene. For information on their life and Order: www.www.stjean.com or contact the Sisters directly in Belvoir Park.
EVISH PRIMARY SCHOOL
The Autumn term commences on Tuesday 4th September for all P2 - P7 pupils.
ST JOHN'S AMBULANCE
The Strabane Division of St. John's Ambulance will resume training on Wednesday 5th of September. We are seeking members from 16 years and above. Meetings are at 7.30pm every Wednesday at the rear of the St. Vincent de Paul Hall, Barrack Street. Anyone interested in volunteering for First Aid, Care and Ambulance Aid are welcome. Visit www.sja.org.uk or email
superintendent-strabane@ni.sja.org.uk.
ST PATRICK’S HALL
Bingo and Lucky 4 Draw as usual this Thursday - all our patrons are very welcome
ST PAT'S BOWLING CLUB
We gratefully acknowledge receipt of £1000.00 from St. Pat's Bowling Club. Many thanks. Please note that the Club re-opens on Monday 3rd September at 8.00pm. Open night for new members.
BARRETT SCHOOL OF IRISH DANCING
Classes resume on Tuesday 4th September and Friday 7th September at 4.00pm in St. Patrick's Hall. New pupils welcome. Beginners class at 4.00pm.
N.I. BLOOD TRANSFUSION SERVICE
A team from the N.I. Blood Transfusion Service will be in St. Patrick's Hall on Wednesday 19th September from 1.30pm - 4.00pm and 5.15pm - 8.00pm. The Blood Transfusion Service would appeal for the support of all existing blood donors and welcome new donors.
BUS TRIP TO KNOCK
There will be a bus trip to Knock on Saturday 8th September. Bus leaves Abercorn Square at 8.00am sharp. Fare £12.00 or €16.00. Contact Mary Hegarty, Patrick Street, Tel., 02871882886.
LEGION OF MARY RETREAT
There will be a retreat in Ards from Friday 7th - Sunday 9th September. Bus leaves St. Patrick's Hall at 2.45pm on Friday 7th. Cost £75.00. Contact 02871883159 or 02881648436.
NORTH WEST REGIONAL COLLEGE
Part-Time Course Advice Sessions starting Tuesday 4th September at Strand Road, Northside & Glendermott, Limavady and Strabane.
Hundreds of courses on offer with staff to offer guidance. Tel., 02871276000 or visit www.nwrc.ac.uk
PRAYER CORNER
PEACE
Peace demands a mentality and a spirit which, before turning to others, must first permeate him who wishes to bring peace. Peace is first and foremost personal, before it is social. And it is precisely this spirit of peace which is the duty of every true follower of Christ to cultivate.
(John Paul 11)
If we wish to have true peace, we must give it a soul. The soul of peace is love. It is love that gives life to peace, more than victory or defeat, more than self-interest or fear or weariness or need. The soul of peace is love, which for us believers comes from the love of God and exercises itself in love for men.
(John Paul 11)
Keep your heart in peace; let nothing in this world disturb it; all things have an end.
In all circumstances, however hard they may be, we should rejoice rather than be cast down, that we may not lose the greatest good, the peace and tranquility of our soul.
If the whole world and all that is in it were thrown into confusion, disquietude on that account would be vanity; because that disquietude would do more harm than good.
To endure all things with an equable and peaceful mind, not only brings with it many blessings to the soul, but also enables us, in the midst of our difficulties, to have a clear judgement about them, and to minister the fitting remedy for them.
(St John of the Cross)
A very powerful and efficacious medicament, and the means to purify ourselves from every imperfection, to overcome all temptations and to preserve in our heart imperturbable peace, is conformity to the will of God.
(St Vincent de Paul)
Order and the beauty of peace go together. The fair flower of peace does not grow among the weeds of an ill-regulated life. The radiance of a deeper serenity is the product of disciplining both in the heart and in outward affairs.
(G.H. Norling)
POETIC PRAYER
Take me to the lair of your loveliness
To the place that is no place
Where there is song without singing
And love without word.
Take me where I want to be.
Take me into your boundless Being
Where no thought limits.
Take me into my deepest heart
That opens into You.
There at the centre of all loveliness
Will I be lovely.
Of all the holiness will I be holy.
Of all the peace will I be peaceful.
There will I be your begotten.
There will I be we!
MEDITATION
Gift, all gift, your giving.
Let me open to receive:
Stretch me to infinity,
That I hold the all of You.
No time pass, so no thing change,
Eternal and infinite in your nothingness,
That in the stillness, all motion,
And in the silence, every sound.
Let no thought despoil.
For how can You be in thought?
Let no word ruin, word is my making.
Only silence, stillness - open to love.
Beloved, make a forced entry if You must
But gift me with your Presence.
GIVE YOURSELF THE RIGHT TO
SUFFER
Being unhappy in today's society is not popular.
In fact, judging by the ads on television, finding
happiness should be our main goal.
We want to be happy no matter what the cost. This
is why we put our elders in institutions and our sick
in hospitals so we don't have to face our suffering.
We ask funeral homes to make our deceased look good
so we don't have to see the face of death.
We abhor suffering and fear. We are ashamed of our
pain and our sadness.
Give yourself permission to mourn, to weep and to
be depressed for a while, even if, as a child, your
parents forbade you to cry or be sad. If you find
it hard to let yourself cry, try watching a sad movie
to release your tears and your pain. Share your feelings
with people who are wise, people who can accept your
situation because they have been through it and know
what you are experiencing, people who know they can't
make it better except by listening.
This state is temporary. With support and encouragement
to express yourself, you will begin to feel better.
GIVE YOURSELF PERMISSION TO HEAL AT YOUR OWN
PACE
You will find that very few people around you can
tolerate your suffering. They want you to feel better,
to forget, to accept, to distract yourself.
They will try to prevent you from hurting. Yet, you
must understand that you have every right to go through
this painful experience.
Consequently you should avoid hiding your feelings
behind a composed front, a pretend smile, a false
attitude.
Avoid mixing with people who have
denied their own pain, or who display the physical
and mental signs of repressed grief, such as stiffness,
rigidity, depression, fatigue, psychosomatic pain
or illness.
Regardless of the theories on the stages and the length
of the grieving process, remember that your experience
is unique. Performance and speed are not to be judged.
You have the right to deal with your grief in your
own way and at your own pace.
HEALING OF HURTFUL MEMORIES
Return to some unpleasant event of the recent
past, no matter how trifling. Relive the experience.
Now place yourself before Christ Crucified. Do not
speak . . . Only look and contemplate . . . If you
must communicate, do so without words . . .
Keep communicating between the unpleasant event and
the scene of Jesus on the Cross for a few minutes
. . . Then end the exercise.
PRAYER
The purpose of all prayer is to uplift the
words,
to return them to their source above.
The world was created
by the downward flow of letters:
The task of man is to form those letters into words
and take them back to God.
If you come to know this duel process,
your prayer may be joined
to the constant flow of Creation -
word to word, voice to voice,
breath to breath, thought to thought.
The words fly upward and come to Him.
As God turns to look at the ascending word,
life flows through all the worlds
and prayer receives its answer.
All this happens in an instant
and all this happens continually;
Time has no meaning in the sight of God.
The divine spring is ever-flowing;
one who is ready can make himself into a channel
to receive the waters from above.
LOVE POEM TO GOD
I love you, gentlest of Ways,
who ripened us as we wrestled with you.
You, the great homesickness we could
never shake off,
you, the forest that always surrounded us,
you, the song we sang in every silence,
you dark net threading through us,
You began yourself so greatly
on that day when you began us -
and we have so ripened in your sunlight,
spreading far and firmly planted -
that now in all people, angels, madonnas,
you can decide: the work is done.
Let your hand rest on the rim of Heaven
now
and mutely bear the darkness we bring over you.
HOLY SPIRIT, MAKE ME HOLY
Holy Spirit, reveal yourself to me
In the depths of my being,
In the working of my mind,
In the feelings in my heart.
Purge my inner self
That I may be filled
With the wonder of your love;
Sanctify my every thought,
That I may be enfolded
In the splendour of your goodness;
Purify my every feeling,
That I may be worthy to behold your glory.
Come, Holy Spirit, come!
HEAVY BURDENS
Jesus, Rest for the Weary,
the heaviness of my burden overwhelms me.
the immensity of this situation
presses down upon me.
The weight of the pain I carry
crushes my hopeful vision of life.
I long for an easing of my distress.
Let me hear again
your promising words of comfort.
Speak them to my heart:
"Come to me all of you who are weary,
and carrying heavy burdens,
and I will give you rest"(Matt.11:28).
I lean my burdened life
of the bosom of your love
and wait to be consoled.
GOD'S EMBRACE
Guardian of the Wounded,
wrap me in your embrace.
Hold me close to your heart
and assure me of your love.
Protect my sore spirit.
Ease the pain that it holds.
You are always ready
to embrace me,
no matter how hurt or desolate
my heart may be.
I will trust you with my pain.
I will rest in your solace.
I will take refuge in your love.
TEACH US TO LIVE
God of love - Forgive! Forgive!
Teach us how to truly live,
Ask us not our race or creed,
Just take us in our hour of need ,
And let us know You love us, too,
And that we are a part of You...
And someday may man realise
That all the earth, the seas and skies
Belong to God who made us all,
The rich , the poor, the great, the small.
And in the Father's Holy Sight
No man is yellow, black or white,
And peace on earth cannot be found
Until we meet on common ground
And every man becomes a brother
Who worships God and loves each other.
GOOD EXAMPLE
Parents cannot be content just to tell our
children the right way to live; they must set the
example themselves. It's no use parents warning teenagers
about the dangers of drink if parents cannot control
the use of drink themselves. It's no use expecting
children to be responsible about food, money or clothes
if parents are self-indulgent and spendthrift themselves.
Instead of just telling children what the Christian
way is, parents must live the Christian way with them.
Dear parents, you are the parents over your children.
You are also Christians with them. Children will get
their ideas about what it means to be a Christian
much more from how they see their parents living than
from what their parents tell them, or from what they
are taught in school, or even what they hear in church.
