DON'T REDUCE FORGIVENESS TO A MORAL OBLIGATION
Forgiveness cannot be the object of a commandment or moral law. It is easy to fall into this trap and to keep forgiveness from being spontaneous and free to those who ask. This is what St. Peter had so much trouble understanding when he asked Jesus; "Lord, when my brother wrongs me, how many times shall I forgive him? Up to seven times?" Preoccupied as he was with legalistic concepts, Peter was hoping to find precise rules on forgiveness to guide his moral judgement. Reversing the advice of Lamek, who called for seventy-fold revenge, Jesus replied: "I do not say seven times, but seventy times seven" (Matthew 18.21-22). Jesus' answer makes it very clear that forgiveness finds its source, not in a moral obligation, but rather in the mystery of the intimate relationship between God and human beings. Far from being a command, forgiveness arises from a conversion of the heart and the choice of a lifestyle that reflects how God acts. Yet who could claim God's life as the source of their living without having first received it as a gift? Only when it comes from a heart that is free and forgiven can forgiveness spring forth.
To listen to some preachers and "spiritual masters", we would be inclined to think the opposite. They insist so forcefully on the obligation to forgive that they give the impression that forgiveness is nothing more than the fruit of a generous will in which divine grace plays no part. Such statements trap their listeners and readers in delusions of grandeur about their capacity to forgive. It is hardly surprising that repeated failures to forgive eventually leave many of them discouraged.
In matters of forgiveness, some of the church's practices have also gotten off course. We have only to think about the directives handed out once upon a time for the administration of the sacrament of forgiveness. They reflect a far too juridical and legalistic mentality. People talked about tribunals of penitence, the confessor as a judge, the obligation to go to confession, the need for painstaking confession of all our sins. It is hardly surprising that, in the end, people lost sight of the fact that God's love towards sinners is a complete gift. It is possible that a certain legalistic theology of forgiveness has contributed in part to the general disillusionment with the sacrament of reconciliation, whose importance for spiritual growth cannot be underestimated. Carl Jung was absolutely correct when he wrote that those who cannot unveil their conscience to another are destined to "spiritual isolation
COLLECTION
We acknowledge last Sunday’s collection of £1882.00. Many thanks.
ANNIVERSARIES
Danny McDaid, Frances Gallagher, Mariah McElwee, Johnny Montague, Sarah Richmond, Jimmy McGirr, Bobby Hyndman, Hugh Duncan, Frankie Connolly, Eileen McBride,
Tony Gallagher, John Gallagher, Denis Connolly, Robert McHugh, Patrick McGillion,
Seamus McLaughlin
DEATHS
We offer our deepest sympathy to the family and friends
of:
Jacqueline McCafferty, Ballymagorry,
Noel Hunter, formerly of Clady
Paddy McAleer, Woodmount Nursing Home. May they rest in peace.
MARRIAGES
We congratulate the following couples who were married in our parish recently:
Helen Roulston and Terence McFadden
Claire Devine and Aidan Foley
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. Michael Porter CC, Fahan, 9th Sept
Fr. Anthony Quinn (Retired), 10th Sept
Fr. William Rafferty (Retired), 11th Sept
Fr. John Ryder (Retired), 12th Sept
Fr. Gerard Sweeney CC, Cappagh, 13th Sept
Fr. Gary Wade CC, Cathedral, 14th Sept
Fr. John R Walsh PP, Buncrana, 15th Sept
JOHN MCGRANAGHAN.
Our church organist John Mc Granaghan has retired this summer after twenty years of loyal and dedicated service to our parish. John had been very willing to continue in his role, but health issues intervened and he has reluctantly had to say farewell. His role as organist with the choir has been absolutely central to the liturgy in our church. He brought to his task an expertise, wide ranging excellence, dedication and utter loyalty. John was always a true gentleman, forever calm, dependable and committed in everything that he did. For all that time, year in year out, he was here every weekend and present for all the major liturgies of the year and all the special events. He took the choir practice every Tuesday, never baulked at any challenge and witnessed many major occasions in this time. None was greater than the televised Mass with the choir from the RTE studios several years ago and more recently the BBC radio Ulster broadcast mass from the church.
His grasp of church music, latin and the right hymn for the occasion was superb. Before every major event he would have the programme meticulously laid out and printed, everything fully prepared. Whether it was the Christmas midnight mass, Holy Week, Easter, Confirmation, Sunday and occasional liturgies, Benediction, weddings or funerals John was always there giving everyone a confidence that all would be well. And everything invariably went smoothly because of the flair and wholeheartedness that he brought to his work. It was a joy to hear the choir singing in harmony and frequently we heard another new hymn which he had researched and introduced. For the past four years he not only played the organ but led the choir as well, an almost impossible task but true to form he never demurred. John has a deep loyalty to this parish, to the church in general and a strong and sturdy faith, all these elements were so manifest in everything that he did. It was with no little reluctance that he had to step down because of failing health and it is with equal reluctance that we have had to accept his resignation.
It sounds like a cliché to say that he will be sorely missed but that is precisely the situation. Thank you John for all that you have done for our parish, for your unstinting loyalty and commitment, your calm, gentlemanly and measured presence over the years and for the great gift of music given to you by God and shared so selflessly with us for so long. We wish you a happy retirement and we pray that your health will continue to improve and when you come back here you can really enjoy mass in the knowledge and ease that those long and winding steps to the organ loft do not have to be negotiated. May God bless you, your wife Anna and the entire family at his time.
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.
PAYMENTS BY CHEQUE
The Bank have reminded us that all payments made to the parish by cheque (for Parish Savings, Parish Draw, Sunday and Special Collections etc.) must be made payable to Church of the Immaculate Conception.
NAZARETH SISTERS
There will be two collections taken up at all Masses next weekend 15th/16th September, the usual Sunday collection and one for the Nazareth Sisters. You will find an envelope for this special collection in your box.
PARISH SAVINGS SCHEME
We have now reached 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 reach 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.
If you have any queries you can contact the parish office, Tel., 02871882215.
SICK AND HOUSEBOUND TO BE ATTENDED
Fr. Boland will visit the sick and housebound in the following areas on Monday 10th September after 10.00am Mass: Courtrai Park, Barrack Street, Lower Townsend Terrace, Mount Carmel Heights, Springhill Park, Mill Street, Newtownkennedy Street, Lower Main Street, Glenview Park, Church View, Tristan Road.
Fr. Boland will visit the sick and housebound in the following areas on Thursday 13th September after 10.00am Mass: Bearney Road, Camus Road, Conthem Road, Upper Townsend Street, Townsend Terrace, Marian Park, Fountain Street and Innisfree Gardens.
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.
CARMELITE RETREAT CENTRE
The monthly devotions, in honour of Our Lady, will take place in the Carmelite Retreat Centre, Termonbacca, Derry on Tuesday 11th September starting with confessions at 7.30pm followed by Rosary and Mass, finishing around 10.00pm.
FRIENDS OF KNOCKAVOE
Friends of Knockavoe are having a Grand Draw on 29th September in the Fir Trees Hotel.
1st Prize - Corsa car
2nd Prize - Plasma T.V.
3rd - £250 Foyleside voucher
4th - £100 of fuel donated by Millars
Tickets are £25 each and available from Knockavoe School. Tel 71883319 also phone Audrey Preston Tel 81659869.
ST PATRICK’S HALL
Bingo and Lucky 4 Draw as usual this Thursday - all our patrons are very welcome
SLIMMING WORLD
Lose those unwanted summer lbs at Slimming World. Contact Rhonda on 07707292671.
STRABANE COMMUNITY PROJECT
We wish to acknowledge £500.00, proceeds of the Kelly Cup, kindly donated by St. Patrick's Bowling Club and the Foyle Zone. Through the years St. Patrick's Bowling Club has donated to other charities in a totally cross community fashion. Thanks to John Duncan and all concerned from the services users at the Luncheon Club.
RUMMAGE
During the summer St. Patrick's Luncheon Club's new charity shop opened its doors. "Rummage" as it is known has been a phenomenal success, "good, friendly, value for money, pleasant, compact", are just some of the comments which have been expressed. The Luncheon Club are totally indebted to the parishioners and others for their help and support and as a parish project we are looking for your continued support in donations of quality clothing, bric-a-brac, jewellery and small furniture items. Thank you again for your support. Call at the shop in Butcher Street or phone 02871883102 to arrange collection.
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.
STRABANE UNEMPLOYED CENTRE
Have you the drive? Get going now! Improve your Maths and English. Get help to pass your driving theory. Free driving lessons! Interested? Contact the Strabane Unemployed Centre on 71383927. This package is free to those who need to improve their Maths/English and help with their driving theory.
CEILI DANCING CLASSES
Ceili dancing classes resume in the Melmount Centre on Wednesday 12th September from 8.30pm - 10.30pm. Admission £2.00. Everyone welcome.
PRAYER CORNER
PAIN IS A TREASURE
Pain is a treasure, for it contains mercies;
The kernel is soft when the rind is scraped off.
O brother, the place of darkness and cold
Is the fountain of Life and the cup of ecstasy.
So also is the endurance of pain and sickness and disease,
For from abasement proceeds exaltation.
The spring seasons are hidden in the autumns,
And the autumns are charged with springs.
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.
